Ordinary observers in fast time travel

Chapter 1208 Thief
"Xiao Hua, you went into the mountains again today." Granny Wu looked at Shi Jia with heartache.

Shi Jia was in a sorry state, covered in dirt, her hair disheveled and speckled with bits of grass and wood. Her small, thin body trembled almost imperceptibly.

Shi Jia nodded. "I picked some chestnuts. I'll get you some in a bit."

Grandma Wu quickly waved her hand, "No need, you eat by yourself. There are plenty of able-bodied people in my family. Go back and rest, you must be exhausted."

Grandma Wu's wrinkled face was filled with love and heartache.

Shi Jia felt a warm glow in her heart and, without hesitation, turned and returned to the courtyard. The moment the courtyard gate closed, Shi Jia's legs went weak, her vision blurred, and she collapsed to the ground.

Overwhelmed by a sudden surge of grievance, tears streamed down my face.

Shi Jia was exhausted, so she ignored her emotions and leaned against the door to rest with her eyes closed.

As darkness fell, Shi Jia finally regained some strength, but the subsequent aches and pains made it impossible for her to stand up straight.

Shi Jia picked up a wooden stick from the side to use as a crutch and limped towards the kitchen. She needed to get something to eat.

He groped his way to the stove and found the flint at the firebox. Then he groped for a handful of dry grass and stuffed it into the firebox.

"Wipe—Wipe—"

In the darkness, flint struck against each other, creating sparks. Sparks landed on the hay, and the smell of burning hay filled the air.

Shi Jia struck the hay twice more, sending even larger sparks landing on it. A tiny flame ignited, and Shi Jia quickly gathered the hay to make the fire burn even brighter.

She tore off another handful of dry grass to keep the flame burning. Then she picked up some firewood and put it into the stove, gently pressing it down on the burning grass.

Soon the flames in the stove stabilized, and Shi Jia took out the leftover rabbit meat from lunch and the washed wild vegetables and put them directly into the pot.

The aroma of meat and vegetables quickly filled the kitchen and wafted outside. Grandma Wu, the neighbor, had already finished eating and gone back inside to rest.

"It smells so good? Who's eating meat?" Grandma Wu's eldest grandson sniffed hard.

"Are you out of your mind because you want to eat meat? Where can you find meat at this time of year?" His wife turned over to face the wall.

"Can't you smell it?" Grandma Wu's eldest grandson sniffed hard.

"I can smell your sweat." His wife rolled over again. "Are you going to sleep or not? If not, get out!"

"Wife, why are you angry? Can't I go to sleep?" Grandma Wu's eldest grandson quickly reached out to hug his wife.

"Get out of the way."

"No. Honey, give me a kiss."

……

With a gulp, Shi Jia drank the last mouthful of rabbit meat and wild vegetable soup, and she felt completely alive again. Her nose twitched, and she suddenly realized something: the meat smelled incredibly delicious.

Hmm, it should be able to avoid attracting unwanted attention?
However, the thought only lingered in her mind for a second before she forgot about it.

It was getting late, and Shi Jia hadn't gone to get water today, so she just washed her face and went straight to bed.

Exhausted, Shi Jia quickly fell asleep.

"Bang bang!"

Shi Jia was awakened by a series of rapid impacts. When she woke up, her head was still throbbing, but she quickly realized that something was wrong with the sound. She remembered the traps she had set in the yard. She quickly got up and rushed out the door.

In the yard, everything was in disarray. There were two figures: one sitting on the ground screaming in pain, and the other smashing the kitchen door with a large wooden stick.

"Who stole my things!" Shi Jia shouted loudly.

But the two men didn't seem afraid, and the one smashing the kitchen door showed no sign of stopping. Seeing this, Shi Jia grabbed a wooden stick he'd placed against the wall and rushed over, smashing it at the thief while shouting, "Help! Someone's stealing!"

Shi Jia shouted loudly, and the louder she shouted, the harder she hit him. The man cried out in pain and tried to fight back, but if he succeeded in fighting back, Shi Jia wouldn't have lived this long.

"Stop! You little bitch, stop! Did you hear me? He's your cousin!" Seeing her son being beaten and running away with his head in his hands, Wu Manfang ignored her leg pain and struggled to get up and pounce on Shi Jia.

Shi Jia dodged nimbly, shouting even louder.

The commotion quickly attracted the attention of others.

"What's up??"

"It sounds like someone is shouting 'Thief!'"

"Thief? Where is he!"

“It’s Uncle Li’s house!” Grandma Wu’s grandson pointed to the house next door.

"Didn't the Li couple go there last month? Who moved in?" someone who didn't know the details asked.

"Don't they have a little girl at home? I think her name is Xiaohua," someone said.

"Yes, that's where Li Xiaohua lives," said Grandma Wu's grandson.

"Wasn't Li Xiaohua supposed to be staying at her two uncles' houses?" The village chief came over after hearing the news and was puzzled by the discussion. It was the village that had initially decided that Li Xiaohua should stay at her two uncles' houses.

“I heard from my great-grandmother that her two uncles were not good people and wouldn’t give Xiaohua anything to eat. So Xiaohua came back on her own.” He often heard his great-grandmother say that the little girl next door was pitiful, and occasionally he would tacitly agree to his great-grandmother helping the little girl.

"Is that so?" The village chief was unaware of this. "Let's see what's going on!" he said, walking towards the house.

The torches illuminated the not-so-small courtyard clearly. The mess on the ground and the disheveled state of Wu Manfang and her son were laid bare.

"Village chief, you have to stand up for us! Waaah!" Wu Manfang cried out when she saw the person who came.

"Village chief, these two men broke into my house in the middle of the night to steal!" Shi Jia loudly interrupted Wu Manfang's spellcasting. "I demand that they compensate me for my losses."

"You little bitch, I'll tear you apart!" Wu Manfang screamed and tried to pounce on Shi Jia, but was stopped by someone. "Let me go, it was you who beat my son so badly."

“That’s right, you should compensate us, village chief. Look at the injuries on my son’s body, she beat him up. That little bitch must pay us back!” Wu Manfang glared at Shi Jia resentfully.

“Village chief, I was acting in self-defense. I was sleeping peacefully at home when they broke in. I was just acting in self-defense; who knew they were the thieves!” Shi Jia said immediately.

Listening to the two arguing, the village chief rubbed his temples in exasperation. "Quiet, Li Xiaohua, tell me what's going on!"

Shi Jia quickly explained what had happened.

Upon hearing this, Wu Manfang immediately cursed, "You little bitch, shut up! You definitely know who we are! You did this on purpose!"

“How would I know who you are! It was pitch black, I couldn’t see anything, who knows if some bad guys with ulterior motives broke into my house?” Shi Jia said. “Besides, how would I know that the thieves are my own aunt and cousin? After all, you are my family!”

Shi Jia's face was full of disappointment.

She then looked at the village chief, "Village chief, it's a fact that they stole. I can't let it go just because they're my relatives."

"Because if we let them go this time, it could have a very bad impact. If people see that they can get away with stealing from their relatives, they might follow suit."

You must understand that many people in our village are related in some way. Therefore, Village Chief, please punish them severely. I also implore the Village Chief to uphold justice for me, and for every villager in Xinghua Village.”

Shi Jia's words were spoken with such righteous indignation that they left most people stunned.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside. "Bullshit!"