Ordinary observers in fast time travel

Chapter 1232 Settlement
The next day, the brother and sister looked at the mountain of sweet potatoes and smiled so broadly their eyes disappeared.

Wang Tieshan said, "Sister-in-law, there's so much food here, why don't we stay here for the night?"

Shi Jia shook her head, "Although there is indeed plenty of food in the mountains, winter is coming soon, and we don't have any warm clothes."

"Without a house, there are plenty of wild animals in the mountains during winter." Shi Jia finished weaving the last vine and looked at the somewhat crooked wicker basket with some dissatisfaction.

Li Yunniang didn't know how to weave baskets, and Shi Jia's memories of the relevant items had been sealed, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and weave the baskets she was carrying.

Fortunately, rattan weaving doesn't require much skill; it's just a matter of practice makes perfect. And Li Yunniang's intelligence is above average, so she managed to weave it with some difficulty.

Shi Jia tossed aside the wicker basket beside her and found new wicker to start weaving. Having gained experience once, she became much more skilled at weaving the second time.

"Where are we going?" Wang Tiehua asked.

Shi Jia shook her head. "I don't know. Let's take it one step at a time. First, we'll go to the nearby county town, sell these sweet potatoes, and exchange them for some cloth, cotton, and salt. It would be best to buy an iron pot."

However, in this era, iron cavalry would probably be very expensive, so these sweet potatoes probably wouldn't be enough to buy them.

"We'll talk about that later."

Hearing Shi Jia's plan, the two felt reassured. "Sister-in-law, we'll listen to you."

Sensing their trust, Shi Jia nodded. "Okay, then go find me some more rattan nearby, and also a sturdy wooden stick about the thickness of a wrist, and make sure it's straight."

"it is good!"

"Sister-in-law, is this wooden stick okay?" Wang Tieshan held up a wooden stick that looked fairly straight and smooth and gestured to Shi Jia.

“Okay, put the sweet potatoes into the basket.” Shi Jia pointed to the newly woven wicker basket next to her.

Wang Tieshan looked at the wicker basket next to him, gave a thumbs up, and said, "Sister-in-law, you're amazing!"

“Yes, sister-in-law can do everything!” Wang Tiehua said proudly, raising her chin.

"I know you're all sweet talkers, so hurry up and get to work. We'll be going down the mountain soon."

"Sister-in-law, aren't we going to spend the night in the mountains?" Wang Tiehua was still a little reluctant to leave behind the delicious food in the mountains.

Shi Jia shook his head. "We need to leave quickly. Don't forget about the barbarians. It's not safe for us to stay here. What if we get discovered one day!"

Although she didn't know the specifics of the imperial court in this world, since the Northern Barbarians had successfully invaded, it was only a matter of time before the north fell into their territory.

Upon hearing the word "barbarian," the Wang siblings couldn't help but shudder. They packed their things even faster.

……

As the last rays of the sun disappeared on the horizon, the sky darkened, and the three people walking along the mountain path quickened their pace involuntarily.

Suddenly, Wang Tieshan pointed excitedly ahead, "Sister-in-law, there seems to be a village ahead!"

"Shh, keep your voice down, let's go check the situation." Shi Jia quickly interrupted Wang Tieshan's excitement.

The night was dark, and several houses were hidden among the trees, silent and still.

“Okay, sister-in-law, I’ll go check ahead first. You guys take your time,” Wang Tieshan said immediately in a low voice.

Shi Jia nodded.

After a while, Wang Tieshan stumbled back. The dim light of the night obscured his face, but his trembling voice betrayed his emotions.

“They’re all dead, all corpses,” Wang Tieshan said, trembling.

Shi Jia's expression turned serious. Had the barbarians been here? Wang Tiehua quickly grabbed Shi Jia's hand.

"Sister-in-law, let's go quickly!" Wang Tieshan swallowed.

Shi Jia shook her head, "We'll stay in the village tonight." "Sister-in-law!" Wang Tieshan exclaimed in surprise.

"It's too late, it's not good to travel now," Shi Jia said, patting Wang Tiehua's hand and picking up the carrying pole again.

Wang Tiehua quickly followed.

Wang Tieshan gritted his teeth and followed.

Before even approaching the village, a strong stench of blood assaulted her senses, making Shi Jia feel nauseous. She quickly covered her nose. Suddenly, she hesitated. Was she really going to stay here tonight?

The night was dark and visibility was poor, but one could vaguely see human-shaped objects on the ground that smelled of fish. Looking around, most of the houses were dilapidated and there was a burnt smell in the air.

She gritted her teeth, picked up her load, and walked into the village.

"Sister-in-law, shall we leave?" Wang Tiehua dared not look at the corpse on the ground.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here!" Shi Jia patted her hand. "Tieshan, this one!" She saw a house that looked pretty good.

"it is good."

Pushing open the broken door, as expected, the room was a mess. However, there were no bodies inside.

Shi Jia put down the carrying pole, told Wang Tieshan to block the door, and then took the little guy from Wang Tiehua's back. She checked the little guy and found that he was just asleep, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Tiehua, hold Niuniu. Tieshan, start the fire." Shi Jia said, looking at the scattered firewood in the yard.

"it is good."

Shi Jia surveyed the house and quickly located the kitchen. She hurried over. The kitchen door was ajar, and in the dim light, she could vaguely see that the kitchen was a mess.

She pushed the door open completely, and the room became a little brighter, but it was still pitch black. It took her a while to adjust before she could see the stove.

She walked over in the dark, and with a "clang," she kicked something, which seemed to be an earthenware pot, and it shattered when she kicked it.

She walked with increasing caution, but still bumped into things. Finally reaching the stove, she reached out and felt around the firebox, quickly finding what she needed—a flint and steel!

She quickly reached behind her to touch the pile of firewood and immediately touched soft, dry grass. She pulled out a handful of grass and, in the dark, stuffed it into the stove opening.

"Snap! Crack!" The flints rubbed together, and the faint sparks shone brightly in the dim environment.

A spark landed on the hay, sending up a plume of smoke. Shi Jia pressed on, and soon, with a hissing sound, the hay burst into flames. She quickly pulled out a few more pieces of wood from behind her and stuffed them into the stove opening.

The next second, the flames leaping up from the stove startled her. The pot had already been taken away.

Shi Jia added a few more pieces of firewood to make sure the fire wouldn't go out before looking towards the kitchen.

Disorder! Looting!
These were the words that popped into Shi Jia's mind. Both stoves on the countertop were empty, and broken pieces of earthenware pots were scattered across the surface. Broken bowls and chopsticks lay strewn about, and the crippled wooden shelf in the corner seemed about to topple over.

The water tank was broken, and the ground is wet!

Shi Jia frowned and carefully examined the kitchen. "Huh? Is that cured meat?" she asked in surprise, looking at the thing hanging from the ceiling beam.

The more she looked, the more certain she became of her guess. She quickly found a long stick in the woodpile and poked at the piece of cured meat.

"Thump!" Something fell down, making a sound.

"Sister-in-law, what happened?"

The Wang siblings rushed in, looking worried.

"It's alright, we'll have meat to eat!"

"what?"