Ordinary observers in fast time travel

Chapter 1216 Putting Sacks on Herbs and Selling Medicinal Herbs

Shi Jia was warned by the disciplinary team because she had pushed Mu Xiaojian's head underwater that day. However, considering her young age, they only gave her a warning.

Shi Jia didn't want to get entangled with them, so she naturally admitted her mistake on the surface.

As Shi Jia walked out of the village chief's house, negative emotions rose in her heart. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wu Manfang sitting under a big tree, pointing and whispering at her, and a malicious thought arose in her heart.

That night, a dark shadow passed behind the houses and finally jumped into a courtyard.

"Ah~" "Bang bang!"

After a while, the dark figure climbed over the wall and disappeared into the night in the blink of an eye.

"Phew~" Shi Jia ripped off her hood, picked up the water on the table, and gulped it down. "So refreshing~" Then she sat down in the wicker chair and couldn't help but chuckle. "So childish."

I never imagined she'd be doing something like setting up a burlap sack. This is so cool.

"Hum~"

The little system, residing in the spiritual sea world, looked worried. Why was the host's personality so unpredictable? Could the damage to the soul have such a significant impact?
The smaller system hesitated, wondering whether it should contact the main system.

Shi Jia was unaware of the little system's worries, and she drifted off to sleep in a good mood. The next day, just as dawn was breaking, she picked up her baskets and headed out.

Today is market day, which comes once a month. People from all around bring their farm produce to the market to exchange. The people of Xinghua Village are no exception.

"Little Flower's here! Wow, you made all of these? They're so well done!"

Shi Jia appeared at the village entrance carrying two large baskets. The baskets were filled with medicinal herbs, and above them, Shi Jia had hung various-sized vegetable baskets and winnowing baskets with ropes, clearly selling bamboo crafts.

The aunts and uncles praised Shi Jia, and to be honest, they all admired this child who was raising himself on his own.

Mu Xiniang also came over with a fair-skinned woman. Shi Jia didn't recognize her, but judging from her appearance, she shouldn't be her daughter; then she must be her daughter-in-law, right?
"Hey, Xiaohua, are you going to the market today too? Are you taking all these to sell?" She pointed to the baskets tied to the oxcart.

"Okay, let's see if we can get some oil and salt instead." Shi Jia nodded.

The fair-skinned woman looked at Shi Jia in surprise, seemingly finding it hard to believe that such a young child could be so mature.

Although Li Xiaohua was already ten years old, she looked only eight because of malnutrition. She was thin, dark-skinned, and looked like a little monkey; she wasn't pretty at all.

Shi Jia felt the fair-skinned woman's gaze and smiled at her. The fair-skinned woman immediately avoided Shi Jia's eyes.

Shi Jia raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Along the way, Shi Jia chatted and laughed with her aunts and uncles. She even sold two beautifully decorated vegetable baskets at a special price.

Shi Jia knew that they were actually taking special care of her, since most people in the countryside knew how to weave bamboo baskets, so there was really no need to spend money to buy one.

However, she wouldn't refuse their kindness; she would repay them later.

The market was bustling, and although almost everyone looked pale and thin with sorrow, they would smile for a moment after buying something suitable or selling agricultural products.

Therefore, the atmosphere at the market is generally cheerful and infectious.

Upon arriving at the market, Shi Jia parted ways with the villagers. Carrying her baskets, she first went to the official medicinal herb purchasing station.

"How much did you collect today?"

"The total weight of various medicinal herbs is about 800 jin."

Two people dressed in gray stood solemnly in front of baskets of medicinal herbs.

"Why is there so little? Didn't you issue a notice to purchase a large quantity of medicinal herbs before? Didn't you distribute it to the villages?" One of the men, wearing glasses, frowned.

“Mayor Cheng, we issued a notice a long time ago. Look, these are all medicinal herbs collected from various villages. But as you know, there has been a drought for two years, and the yield of medicinal herbs in the mountains has dropped significantly.” Qiao Jian looked worried. “Also, as you know, most people are still illiterate. There aren’t many people who can recognize medicinal herbs, and even fewer who know how to collect them.”

"So what do you suggest we do now? The higher-ups require each town to hand over at least 1,000 jin of medicinal herbs. There's still such a huge shortfall; how am I supposed to fill it?" Mayor Cheng's tone was unfriendly. "Go to each township again today, and you must collect them all by the end of the month. If you don't recognize the herbs, then go teach them."

"Okay, fine!" Qiao Jian gritted his teeth.

"Little girl, it's right here. Wait a moment while I go ask if they're still buying medicinal herbs." A simple-looking middle-aged man came over with a small, thin girl.

What surprised the two was not the little girl, but the basket on her shoulder that was bigger than both of them.

"What happened?" Mayor Cheng asked.

"Mayor, she's from Xinghua Village. She picked some medicinal herbs and came to ask if we'd buy them," the honest man asked.

"Medicinal herbs? Bring them over for a look!" Mayor Cheng immediately showed interest.

The simple, honest man nodded quickly.

"Uncle Fang, are you buying it?" Shi Jia asked hurriedly as the man came out.

"Um, the mayor said you should take the medicinal herbs over to have a look." Uncle Fang said somewhat embarrassedly.

“Okay, no problem.” Shi Jia immediately picked up the basket and walked inside.

"Shall I help you lift it?"

"No need, I can manage on my own." Shi Jia walked steadily.

Mayor Cheng and his companion were alarmed and quickly came out. "Put it down quickly, little boy. Where are your family members? Why are they letting a child like you carry such a heavy thing?"

Shi Jia put down the carrying pole. "I live alone," she said, removing the winnowing basket covering the hampers. Inside were medicinal herbs wrapped in dried banana leaves.

It includes Panax notoginseng, Bupleurum chinense, Polygonatum sibiricum, Anoectochilus roxburghii, Rosa laevigata, etc.

Qiao Jian immediately inspected the medicinal materials. "Not bad, the processing method of the medicinal materials is very good, and the quality is excellent."

He looked at Shi Jia and asked, "Little friend, do you have someone in your family who knows about medicinal herbs?"

"Hmm." Shi Jia nodded. "I wanted to ask, how much do these medicinal herbs cost per kilogram?"

“Different medicinal materials have different prices. For example, Panax notoginseng is 14 yuan per kilogram, and the Panax notoginseng you have here is about one jin. Another example is Bupleurum chinense, which is 18 yuan per kilogram…” Qiao Jian introduced.

"Okay, could you please weigh them for me?" Shi Jia brought a variety of medicinal herbs this time, with each type weighing about one jin (500 grams). Shi Jia calculated in his mind that these two baskets of herbs could sell for at least 200 yuan.

“Okay, no rush. Little friend, let me ask you, did your family pick and process these medicinal herbs?” Qiao Jian looked at her intently, as if he had found a lifeline.

Shi Jia shook her head. "No."

"No? Those were picked by people from your village? Why are you, a child, selling them?" Mayor Cheng asked in surprise.

Qiao Jian seemed to have thought of something, looked at the town mayor, and whispered in his ear, "Perhaps they're worried about being reported for their capital..."

Mayor Cheng nodded without saying anything more.

He looked at Shi Jia and said, "Don't worry, the country is currently short of medicine, so villagers are allowed to go up the mountain to collect herbs. You can tell your elders when you get back."

Shi Jia nodded. She hadn't been to other worlds during special periods, but from what she knew so far, this world was quite open, and farmers were allowed to sell some agricultural products.

There are only time restrictions, such as the monthly market, where villagers from all around come to buy agricultural products or handicrafts to supplement their household income.