Divorced woman with child travels through time

Chapter 373 Chen's Grocery Store

"Does my wife want it to be real or fake?" Whenever they were sitting together and no one was around, Wang Erniu's hands would habitually wander around.

"Of course I want it to be true. Who wouldn't want more money? That way I can do so many things. But I'm still a little worried. How about we offer a reward for any clues? Didn't the money we spent last time help a bit?" Chen Wenfang lowered her head, looking somewhat dejected.

Wang Erniu paused, then pulled her into his arms, a warm embrace enveloping her as he said lovingly, "No need. We already have a goal. Don't worry, my wife, I'll take care of everything."

She leaned against him and said in a muffled voice, "Yes, thank goodness for you."

"Ugh, it's so hot! Get away from me!" It was too warm; she couldn't hug him for even a second. Chen Wenfang pushed him away, but... she couldn't move him!

“I’ve found where those people are hiding. They’re the same people who came to hunt us down. I’ll handle this, don’t worry.” Wang Erniu patted her back, comforting her gently, but a glint of cunning flashed in his eyes.

Seven days later, in an abandoned village near the sea, Wang Erniu brought almost all his men and surrounded Song Ertuan in a house, giving him no chance to escape.

Song Er was helpless, not knowing where he had been exposed. He tried to break through from both sides but could not find any opening. The archers had set up a tight encirclement, so tight that not even a bird could fly out.

"Commander Wang, congratulations on your promotion! Oh, now you're Commander Wang. We haven't done anything here. Commander Wang, could you please show mercy and let us go?" Song Er shouted from inside the house.

"Let you go? You wish! You come to our place to kill and rob, why should we let you live? I advise you to put down your knife and surrender!" Lü Xiong mocked.

"Song Er, you have hurt my child. This matter will not be resolved. There is no need for further words. Fire the arrows!" Wang Erniu was not a soft-hearted man. As soon as he spoke, a rain of arrows followed.

As soon as Wang Erniu began conscripting soldiers, he started arming them. Huian County is located near Quanzhou City, and its martial spirit has this advantage: it has no shortage of weapons, including knives, spears, halberds, and all sorts of other weapons. And what he has no shortage of is money.

There were only a little over two hundred people. The armor needed approval from above and had to be of good quality. It required Ouyang's side to handle the operation. However, the breastplates could be made separately. He ordered a batch of a thousand pieces in Quanzhou City, which would probably arrive next month. He could only settle for second best and equip the equipment he could buy first. Bows and arrows were the cheapest and also his specialty, so naturally everyone had them.

Wang Erniu personally led the troops in training for about ten days, and it was somewhat effective. The arrows could be retrieved and reused after being shot, so they were not wasted.

"Ugh... Ah! Ahh!" Muffled screams immediately echoed from inside the room.

"Are you coming out or not?" Wang Erniu shouted, and before a second had passed, he said again, "Release!" Another volley of arrows rained down.

"Puff puff puff!" More muffled sounds were added.

The courtyard was dilapidated and located near the coast, exposed to wind and rain. It was a drafty place, and Song Erlian had nowhere to hide.

Two volleys of arrows rained down, and many were injured inside.

After Wang Erniu and the others fell silent, he called out again, "Have you made up your mind?"

Before he could even order the release, shouts came from inside, "You've thought it through, you've thought it through, don't release them!"

Song Er raised his hands, opened the door, and cautiously and hesitantly came out. Several of his men came out with him. There were only about twenty of them in the group, and nearly half of them were dead. He always believed that he was a worker, not a slave, so he naturally did not want to die here in vain.

"Hey, Commander Wang, long time no see, you're still as dashing as ever." He greeted him without batting an eye, like a familiar face.

Wang Erniu remained silent with a cold face, saying, "Take him away! Clean this place up."

The entire group dismounted, and Magistrate Zheng immediately issued a proclamation.

Once this matter was settled, Chu Yi stopped hiding it from the children and explained the whole story to them, only omitting the gold mine part.

The children also went to Huang Yi's grave to offer incense, but Xiao Bo, who was the most heartbroken, lingered there for a long time.

Because Chen Wenfang encouraged everyone to make their own clothes, she specially modified the long skirt into a two-piece set, making the trousers into the shape of culottes, and in the same sky blue color as hers. Both the trousers and culottes had two particularly deep pockets, and the material was also chosen to be durable cotton and linen. It was simple yet elegant, and it was very popular after it was distributed, and was loved by the female workers.

Chen Wenfang listened to everyone's suggestions and made an extra batch of garments, dividing them into several sizes (small, medium, large) and selling them in a separate section. If they sold well, she would make other colors, and with more fabric purchased, she could naturally add them to the sale as well.

Chen Xuanyu, who was just eating and chatting, suddenly remembered his little bucket and shovel when he heard the request to add small toys.

Chen Wenfang thought it made sense. Children are big consumers, and there's more bamboo in the south. Moreover, bamboo weavers and carpenters are traded in almost every place, passed down from generation to generation. So, she had Lou Min contact a few households and managed to produce a batch of goods.

At the end of July, Chen's General Store opened. The silk and satin fabrics were goods that Lou Tai had sourced through the Jiang family's connections on the first day of the lunar month, and he had secured a shop space for them.

The grains and dried goods were brought by the Ye Family Escort Agency, along with mountain delicacies and rare birds. These were not commonly found in the coastal area, so they were particularly eye-catching and occupied a huge shop space. There was also a very large sign next to it that said military dependents could get a 20% discount on their purchases.

Snacks and dried fruits also occupied one shop, and finally, there were children's toys, such as small wooden buckets, small baskets, palm-leaf fans, rattles, small stools, small chairs and tables, as well as bamboo guns and a batch of clay figurines.

Actually, what Chen Wenfang wanted most was a swimming ring, but unfortunately she didn't know how to make one.

Magistrate Zheng lifted the curfew specifically for her business. Although Huian County had a small population, it still had a few wealthy people. As soon as the news of Chen Wenfang's dried chili peppers for sale spread, it instantly attracted many merchants to her door.

Chili peppers are selling like hotcakes in the north, something these merchants were well aware of, but the long distance made it difficult to source them. Now that there are dedicated sales points in the south, they're bound to rush over and grab them.

Chen Wenfang assigned several cheerful and outgoing female workers to work as sales clerks in the shop. Overall, things went very well. In just three days after opening, half of the dried chili pepper inventory was sold out, and nearly 800 taels of silver were earned. The number of peddlers also began to increase, and Huian County started to become more lively. Chen Wenfang made a fortune.

And so, Chen Wenfang started getting things done again. Her husband was now a powerful figure in the area, so why not let her take charge of renovating and beautifying the county? She arranged for painters to work overtime, repainting every shop for free, and assigned cleaners to work in shifts for two hours a day, sweeping the streets. The entire county was transformed. County Magistrate Lou was happy to let her do whatever she wanted, since the county didn't have to pay for it. Who wouldn't like such a wonderful wife?

In early August, Huian Town was once again in an uproar because Chen's workshop was going to pay wages, and the soldiers were also going to receive their pay. This Wang Tuanlian had been promoted, would he really pay the money as promised?