Ordinary observers in fast time travel

"Run!"

"Climb the tree!"

The screams echoed through the mountains and forests. Shi Jia subconsciously looked into the distance, but the shadows of the trees swayed and he couldn't see anything clearly. However, the person who heard the screams grabbed a basket on their back and ran down the mountain without saying a word.

"Run!"

Shi Jia hurriedly followed, but she still subconsciously glanced back at Village Chief Li. His wrinkled face was filled with anxiety, but he stood still and shouted in a panic, "Dashan, Tiezhu!"

"Dad, run! It's a wolf!" The voice was broken and intermittent.

Village Chief Li clenched his fist, gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and turned to leave.

Shi Jia withdrew her gaze and gripped the basket tightly with both hands. Running along the path she had come from, the mountain trail was difficult, and carrying a heavy basket on her back naturally slowed her pace considerably. Gradually, her legs felt like lead, and her walking speed decreased more and more. She was soon left behind by the others.

"Huff~ Huff~" Shi Jia was panting heavily, her ears were ringing, and her vision was going black and black.

"Ah—" Suddenly a shrill scream rang out from behind, "Brother Dong!"

Shi Jia was startled. She gritted her teeth and mustered her strength, but her steps were still heavy. She really wanted to sit down and rest!
"Ah—" Another scream rang out.

"Hide in a tree!"

Shi Jia gritted her teeth, put down her basket, and took only the wood-chopping knife. Without the burden, she seemed to come alive, her legs lightly leaping through the woods.

"Phew~Phew~" The familiar back mountain appeared before her eyes, and Shi Jia breathed a sigh of relief. Her legs went weak and she was about to fall, but she quickly grabbed the tree trunk next to her.

"Sister-in-law!" Wang Tieshan's voice rang out.

Shi Jia squinted as she watched the boy run quickly towards her. "Tieshan? What are you doing here?"

"Sister-in-law? Are you alright? The people coming down the mountain said they encountered a pack of wolves." Wang Tieshan looked Shi Jia up and down, and only after confirming that she was alright did his tense mood ease slightly.

"It's nothing!" Shi Jia shook her head weakly, gripping the tree trunk tightly with both hands. "Let's go back first."

"Sister-in-law, let me help you!" Wang Tieshan quickly helped Shi Jia up. Although the young boy was small, he could still support Shi Jia, a thin woman.

The two slowly walked down the mountain when a group of people carrying torches appeared at the foot of the mountain. Upon seeing Shi Jia, they quickly asked, "Madam Li, where is the others?"

Shi Jia, her face deathly pale, shook her head. "I don't know."

"How could you not know? Do you think they were trying to protect you..." A woman with high cheekbones and slanted eyes glared at Shi Jia with hatred.

"You're talking nonsense!" Wang Tieshan stood in front of Shi Jia, blocking her view.

"First of all, I didn't provoke the wolves. Secondly, when I heard about the wolves, I ran away just like them. So I don't know what happened after that!" Shi Jia said weakly, wanting nothing more than to go home and lie down.

"Then, why didn't you wait for them—"

"Shut up!" a Li ethnic uncle snapped. This was utterly outrageous. "Liu, control your daughter-in-law!"

"Yes, yes!" An old woman glanced fearfully at her great-uncle and reached out to grab the ear of the man with high cheekbones and slanted eyes.

The Li clan uncle only glanced at Shi Jia before telling everyone to continue up the mountain.

Shi Jia didn't even look at them, only letting Wang Tieshan help her back.

"Sister-in-law!" As soon as the door opened, Wang Tiehua, looking anxious, and the little one, crying uncontrollably, came to greet her.

"Yes, I'm back. I'll go rest in the main room first. Dinner will be yours and Tieshan's." Shi Jia tried to force a smile onto his face.

"Waaah~ Okay, sister-in-law, leave it to us." Wang Tiehua couldn't help but cry when she saw the person.

The little guy stopped crying and just clung to Shi Jia, refusing to get down.

"Niu Niu, be good. Mommy's tired. How about Auntie carries you?" Wang Tiehua coaxed. The little guy shook his head, "No! No, Mommy!"

Shi Jia reached out and patted the little guy's head helplessly. "It's okay, you go ahead and do your work. Hurry up and cook, I'm hungry!"

"Okay! I'll go right away."

Wang Tieshan also went to help with the fire and chopping wood.

Shi Jia was exhausted. After eating and changing her clothes, she went to sleep and was unaware that the villagers had carried two mangled corpses down the mountain.

The next day, when Shi Jia went to the village chief's house to inquire about the distribution of yams, he saw two households with white banners hanging up, and only then did he realize that someone had died.

The atmosphere in the village was heavy, yet not as oppressive as before.

The village chief, who had lost a leg, sat pale-faced in a chair, distributing yams with a notebook. After deducting the grain requisitioned portion, each household would receive ten jin, while the two households where someone had died would receive fifty jin, as a form of condolence from the village.

As Shi Jia was carrying ten catties of yams, he passed by a house with a white banner hanging over it and saw a woman with high cheekbones and slanted eyes crying uncontrollably, "Waaah."

Shi Jia placed the yam at the doorway, went inside, and lit an incense stick.

"It's you! You bitch!" The woman with high cheekbones and slanted eyes glared at Shi Jia.

"Fang!" Her mother-in-law, Liu, slapped her across the face. "Shut up." She nodded to Shi Jia without saying a word and continued burning paper money, her face full of sorrow.

"Please accept my condolences!" Shi Jia bowed, turned and left, picking up the yam and heading home.

Back home, Shi Jia couldn't help but think of the ginseng. After much hesitation, she finally picked up her machete, hoe, and basket.

"Sister-in-law? Where are you going!" Wang Tieshan warily stopped Shi Jia.

"I'll go to the mountains and take a look."

“I’ll go too!” Wang Tieshan said immediately.

"No need, you stay home and watch the house!"

"No! I won't let you go alone!" There are wolves in the mountains, but people live off the mountains, so Wang Tieshan wouldn't stop his sister-in-law from going into the mountains.

"Okay!" Shi Jia thought about it and realized that digging with two people would be much faster! Going and coming back sooner would also be safer!
The two instructed Wang Tiehua to watch the house before heading into the mountains.

Their remote location has its advantages; at least they won't be discovered when they go up the mountain.

Shi Jia led Wang Tieshan to the place where the ginseng was found, familiar with the area. Because of yesterday's digging, the surrounding low shrubs had been cleared away, so the terrain was relatively open.

The ginseng was on a slope, covered with a thick clump of weeds, making it difficult to spot.

"So big!" Wang Tieshan was somewhat surprised when he saw the size of the ginseng plant.

"At least a hundred years!" Shi Jia didn't waste any more words and picked up his hoe to start digging.

Digging ginseng is meticulous work; even with two people working together, it took them more than an hour. As they wrapped the ginseng in leaves and placed it in their baskets, the sun on the horizon turned orange-red again.

Shi Jia suddenly remembered the basket he had put down yesterday, which seemed to be nearby.

"Tieshan, wait a minute." Shi Jia handed the basket to Wang Tieshan, picked up the machete, and followed the route he remembered.

"Sister-in-law, where are you going?" Wang Tieshan exclaimed.

“That thing is fast,” Shi Jia said. “I saw it!” She rushed towards the basket.

"Sister-in-law, what's that?" Wang Tieshan asked curiously when he saw Shi Jia returning with a basket on her back.

"Yesterday's harvest." (End of Chapter)