Ordinary observers in fast time travel

Chapter 1210 Yams and Carrying Water

The mountains are rich in resources. Shi Jia walked for another half hour and found a clump of yams and a patch of kudzu roots. Shi Jia estimated that he would dig up the yams and kudzu roots and take them home; he wouldn't have to worry about food this winter.

However, this place is very close to the chestnut trees, and Shi Jia estimates that she won't be able to dig up all the yams and kudzu roots before they are all dug up.

Shi Jia had only one thought: to dig as much as she could before anyone else noticed. Without hesitation, she put her basket aside, took out her machete and hoe, and began to work.

She first used a machete to cut off the yam vines, exposing the roots, and then used a hoe to dig them up. Digging yams is physically demanding and also tests one's patience.

Wild yams can grow to two or three meters deep, making them time-consuming and laborious to dig up. Moreover, yams are very brittle and can easily break if you're not careful.

However, these things were nothing to Shi Jia. As long as part of the yam was exposed, she could basically determine the growth direction of the yam in the soil, so she didn't have to worry about breaking the yam.

As handfuls of soil were thrown out, a large pit dug around the yam began to take shape. The pit was cone-shaped, about one meter in diameter and a full 1.5 meters deep. The yam was in the middle, its fruit thick and thin, not straight, but rather spreading out in all directions in a somewhat claw-like manner. The whole yam was about 50 centimeters in diameter and nearly one meter long.

This one yam is enough for Shi Jia to eat for ten days.

Seeing this, Shi Jia nodded in satisfaction; her efforts over the course of the day had finally paid off. She put the hoe aside and picked up the wooden stick she had just whittled with a machete. Using the pointed end, she began scraping the last layer of soil off the yam fruits.

This process is very demanding on patience, but because Shi Jia can see the results at every step, his mood is getting better and better.

With a soft "click," Shi Jia finally placed the yam, weighing over thirty pounds, into his basket. Because the yam was so large, Shi Jia had to cut it into several pieces before putting it into the basket.

With this basket of yams, Shi Jia decided not to explore any further today. Before leaving, she cut down a lot of vines to cover the pit, hoping that the people of Xinghua Village wouldn't discover this place so quickly.

This way, she could gather more food to prepare for winter. It was already mid-autumn. Soon, Xinghua Village would be harvesting its grain, and she would have to go help then, so she wouldn't be able to go up the mountain.

As winter approaches and the weather gets colder, people eat even less, making it difficult to find food.

On her way back, Shi Jia took a detour to Bamboo Mountain and cut down two bamboo stalks. She planned to weave some winnowing baskets or something similar. Perhaps she could exchange them for some money when she went to town with the villagers next time.

Shi Jia thought about the years in this small world and made plans silently.

The return journey was heavier and involved a longer detour, taking Shi Jia a full two and a half hours. By the time she got home, the sun was already setting. Luckily, she had a good lunch; otherwise, the return trip would have been quite difficult.

When she got home, she put the basket in the kitchen and, ignoring the pain in her shoulders, picked up the bucket and hurriedly went to fetch water.

When Shi Jia was fetching water, she saw her two aunts. The two women looked at her as if she were their enemy, saying, "You little slut, you're a disgrace."

Shi Jia was speechless. Was this reasonable? "If you two aunts don't know how to speak, you don't have to. You've already committed defamation, do you understand?"

"Oh, you probably don't know what defamation is, do you?" Shi Jia raised an eyebrow. "Should I explain it to my two aunts?"

The two men stared at her without saying a word.

Shi Jia ignored the two and continued to explain, "...In short, you two aunts should be careful what you say."

"Who are you trying to fool?" The two were clearly putting on a brave front but were actually quite weak. They muttered a few curses at Shi Jia under their breath, then picked up the water and left.

Shi Jia could finally draw water in peace. She glanced at the well opening but still couldn't see anything. She lowered the bucket and swung the rope to make it easier to fill. Hmm, why does the water level seem even lower?

She lifted the bucket full of water up, poured it into her own bucket, and then put the bucket down again. Sure enough, it was lower!
In just one day, the water level dropped so much. Shi Jia was deeply worried; could they hold out until winter?
But soon she thought of the mountain stream, and her anxiety subsided somewhat, making her think she could persevere.

With a carrying pole slung over his shoulder, one end of which held a bucket of water, Shi Jia took a deep breath and slowly stood up. The weight of the two buckets of water almost caused his straightened back to bend over immediately.

She quickly adjusted her stance, took a deep breath, and her steps were heavy yet firm.

"Little Flower, you're here to fetch water again." The uncles and aunts passing by greeted Shi Jia, who was carrying two buckets of water all by herself.

"Mmm." Shi Jia didn't have the strength to speak, and could only respond with a heavy nasal sound.

"Oh dear, Xiaohua, why are you picking so many? Come on, let me help you." At this moment, a familiar voice came, and Shi Jia looked over out of the corner of her eye and saw it was Aunt Mumian.

Shi Jia quickly stopped and said, "No need, Aunt Mu Mian, I can pick them up myself."

"Don't push yourself. Your home is so far away. It will be dark by the time you get home." Without saying a word, Aunt Mumian took the carrying pole and two buckets full of water from Shi Jia's shoulder and carried them on her own.

Shi Jia was taken aback for a moment, then quickly said, "Aunt Mu Mian, let me do it. You haven't finished your housework yet, have you?"

"It's alright, when will this work be finished?" Aunt Kapok said nonchalantly.

Shi Jia twitched the corners of her mouth and stopped talking, thinking to herself, "I'll pack some yams for Aunt Mu Mian later."

"Little Flower, don't pay attention to what those gossipy people in the village are saying," Aunt Kapok suddenly said.

"Huh?" Shi Jia was stunned. What were they saying in the village?
“Those are the ones who said you were exaggerating,” Aunt Kapok said.

"Oh, it's okay. As long as it doesn't interfere with my life, I don't care." Shi Jia waved her hand. Although she didn't know what rumors were circulating in the village, she didn't care.

"That's good. Life is our own, but other people's mouths are their own. We can't control what other people say, we can only control our own lives," Aunt Kapok said, panting.

Shi Jia felt a little embarrassed, as this was originally her own job. But she had to admit that with Aunt Mu Mian's help, she saved a lot of time, and at least she could boil a basin of water for herself to wash her feet tonight.

As for taking a bath? She didn't dare to even dream of it.

Maybe I'll go into the mountains tomorrow and find a secluded stream where I can wash myself a little.

"I'll put the water in the yard, and you can carry it into the kitchen yourself." Aunt Mumian put down the carrying pole and stretched her shoulders.

"Okay, thank you, Aunt Mian. Please wait a moment." Shi Jia finished speaking and ran into the house, bringing out two thick yams. "Auntie, here you go, thank you for helping me fetch water."

Aunt Mumian quickly waved her hand, "No need, you keep it for yourself, my family has plenty of food." After she finished speaking, she turned around and walked out, and helped Shi Jia close the door after she left.

There was absolutely no chance for Shi Jia to slip anything away.