Divorced woman with child travels through time

Finally arriving at Aunt Liu's house, a journey that usually takes half an hour by horse-drawn carriage was covered in what Ah Li drove in the time it takes to drink two cups of tea. Chen Wenfang had never ridden in such a erratic carriage in her life. After getting off, Chen Wenfang felt a little dizzy. Her whole body felt like it was going to fall apart, and she staggered off the carriage. She squatted down as soon as she got off.

Seeing Chen Niangzi like this, Ah Li felt quite embarrassed and asked, "Chen Niangzi, are you alright?"

Chen Wenfang squatted for a while, slowly recovered, and said with a sigh of relief, "It's okay, it's okay. Uncle Liu Hai, you take him to see it. Dazhuang and Shitou, please help me take the things home."

Ah Li nodded, and then Uncle Liu Hai took him to see the land he had just planted; the land hadn't been completely turned over yet. Ah Li went to the edge of the field and picked up some fallen sweet potato leaves and small sweet potato stems. Uncle Liu Hai then took him to the side room to see the dried sweet potatoes he hadn't sold yet, as well as the raw sweet potatoes and the harvested sweet potato vines and leaves.

Dazhuang and Shitou helped Chen Wenfang carry her things home. Dazhuang, carrying the box that Madam Jiang had given him, asked, "Sister-in-law Chen, where should we put this box?"

Chen Wenfang dragged her tired body forward, opened the cabinet, and said, "Put it at the bottom." Dazhuang put the box in; wow, it was quite heavy. After putting the box down, Chen Wenfang casually placed the bag of old clothes that Madam Jiang had given her on top, without even looking at it, and closed the cabinet door. She then had Dazhuang take back a large bunch of grapes to share with them.

Chen Wenfang quickly washed the baby and went to bed without eating dinner; she really couldn't stand riding in that carriage...

After confirming everything, Ah Li said goodbye to Uncle Liu Hai and left.

Ah Li returned to the county office to see Ouyang Junyan, and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

Ouyang Junyan asked, "How is it?"

"Reporting to you, sir, I have inspected the land where the sweet potatoes were planted and the dried sweet potatoes and sweet potato vines stored by Liu Hai. Madam Chen's statement about a yield of 800 catties per mu is indeed true," Ah Li replied.

"Very good." Ouyang Junyan smiled with satisfaction. Seeing that Ah Li had not left, he asked, "Is there anything else?"

"When I returned with Madam Chen yesterday, I saw two ragged old people at the market closing time. Under your rule, such situations are rare in Li Family Town. The orphanage and the nursery are nearly empty, and since you exempted our county from taxes for three years, there are very few people who go hungry. I find this very strange," Ah Li said.

"Oh??" Ouyang Junyan stroked his beard and pondered, "The imperial report for this autumn harvest hasn't arrived yet. I hope there hasn't been a disaster somewhere. Have someone go to the surrounding towns and prefectures to check what's going on. Also, arrange for these two to be placed in the orphanage. They're pitiful." Ah Li replied, "Yes."

Ah Li returned to the clerk's office and summoned Ma Liu. "Yesterday, there were two homeless elderly people when the market closed. Take some men and lead them to the orphanage. The Wu couple usually have nothing to do. Ask them to help look after them."

Ma Liu should be right. He took his brother Fang Qian and Wu Qi with him. They found the two old men under a bridge in a small ditch behind the market restaurant.

“Gentlemen, please come with us to the nursing home. This place is dark and damp; it may not be suitable for you to stay here for long,” Ma Liu said to the two elderly men.

The elderly man in his sixties standing at the front said, "Are you really from the government? The charitable institution won't think we're too old and useless, will it?"

Ma Liu laughed and said, "Elder, you are overthinking it. Our county magistrate, Lord Ouyang, is a well-known upright official. He exempted the people under his jurisdiction from taxes for three years, which was praised by everyone. Moreover, he allocated funds for every person admitted to the charitable institution. You can certainly enjoy your old age in the charitable institution."

The two elderly people looked at each other, walked out shakily, and went with them to the nursing home.

On the way, Ma Liu inquired about their situation and learned that the two elderly people had come from Henan County. A severe drought had struck for two months before the autumn harvest, resulting in a crop yield of less than half. Fortunately, the wheat harvest in the first half of the year had been relatively good, and many families with land could barely make ends meet. The two elderly people, however, had just moved to Henan County. Two years ago, a major flood in Zhen Ding Prefecture washed away everything in their home. Their son managed to catch them, but their wife and children were missing. They had finally escaped to Henan County, only to be hit by the drought. Their son, in a fit of anger, fell seriously ill and died. Only the two elderly people remained, a tragic loss of their children. Alas, this winter would likely be even more difficult for the displaced.

Inside the nursing home, Wu Liang opened the door and greeted Ma Liu with a loyal and honest smile, "Sir, you've arrived."

Ma Liu and his two companions led the two elderly people into the courtyard, saying as they walked, "These two are old folks who have come from the countryside. Please take good care of them. I will report the donation to the county government and have someone deliver it to you. It should be ready in about half a month."

Wu Liang's face lit up with a radiant smile as he greeted, "Sir, you are truly capable. You can rest assured that I will take good care of you. Please come in, please come in~~" He then turned and called out, "Wife, come out and serve tea to the gentlemen."

"Oh~, you're here." The sweet-voiced Mrs. Wu came out of the main room and greeted the guests. She then went back inside and poured tea for the three guests. Her delicate, snow-white hands, as smooth as scallions, were very eye-catching, and Ma Liu couldn't help but take a few more glances.

"Please have a seat, sir. I will arrange rooms for the two elders and then come back to attend to you," Wu Liang said, bowing slightly. He then withdrew with his wife.

"Go ahead and do your work, we'll wait for you here." Ma Liu and Fang Qian Wu Qi took their seats in the hall.

Fang Qian laughed and said, "This Dean Wu is a nice person. The courtyard is really clean."

Wu Qi also said, "It's really good; there isn't even a single leaf."

Ma Liu was startled, his hand pausing as he drank his tea, but he smiled as if nothing had happened and said, "It's autumn, and not a single leaf has fallen. These trees are a bit doomed."

Fang Qian and Wu Qi exchanged glances, then looked at Ma Liu and said, "Sixth Brother, this..." Ma Liu made a shushing gesture and said, "Have some tea, have some tea."

After a while, Wu Liang came out, holding a coroner's autopsy certificate stamped with the county government's seal. He smiled and handed it to Ma Liu, saying, "Sir, this is the certificate for that old man who died suddenly last time. The county government needs to allocate funds for his funeral. Thank you for your help, sir."

Ma Liu picked it up and looked at it; the bright red seal was quite glaring. He smiled and said, "It's nothing, it's just my duty. Now that everything is arranged, we'll leave the two elders to their care. We'll take our leave now."

Wu Liang smiled and said, "Not at all, thank you for your hard work, Lord Ma. Take care, sir."

Wu Liang watched the three walk away until they were out of sight, then peeked around and closed the door behind him.