Ordinary observers in fast time travel

"Dates, chestnuts, and hawthorns?" Wang Tieshan curiously tiptoed to look into the basket on his back, and was surprised to see so many fruits.

Hawthorn has another name: mountain hawthorn.

"Okay, I'll make you jujube cake when we get back." Shi Jia gestured for him to leave quickly!
"Huh? No need, just make it for Xiaohua and Niuniu, I don't like it." The little boy quickly waved his hand, looking like he was all grown up and didn't need candy.

Shi Jia laughed out loud, "If you don't eat, I'll have to eat more."

The young boy didn't hesitate at all, "Yes, sister-in-law, you've worked hard, you should eat more."

Suddenly, a sour taste welled up in her nose, and Shi Jia said, "That won't do, the whole family has to eat it."

Wang Tieshan was delighted to hear this, but still stubbornly shook his head. "I won't..." He noticed Shi Jia's gaze and quickly changed his mind, "Then I'll try it."

As they were descending the mountain, they encountered villagers who were going up to chop firewood. Wang Tieshan, feeling guilty, hid behind Shi Jia.

Shi Jia greeted her naturally, "Aunt Lin, is Little Grass here to collect firewood?"

"Yes, we're almost out of firewood. We came to collect some while the weather is good." This Aunt Lin and the village chief's wife, Aunt Lin, are from the same village and married into it. They are said to be related and both married into the Li family.

Shi Jia didn't know her man's name; the younger people all called him Uncle Li, or Second Uncle.

"Mrs. Li, you've gone into the mountains?" Aunt Lin noticed the baskets on their backs and asked in surprise. After what happened yesterday, they still dared to go into the mountains. They really have guts.

"Well, we don't have much food at home, and building the house has drained our savings, so we have no choice but to grit our teeth and go up the mountain." Shi Jia looked worried. "Fortunately, we were lucky; the things we left behind yesterday are still here."

"Left behind yesterday? What?" Aunt Lin didn't react.

"Didn't Uncle Li bring back a basket yesterday?" Shi Jia said. "I'm not very strong, so I can't run and can only put the things in the grass."

Aunt Lin understood immediately, but her mouth dropped open even wider. "You went to the mountains beyond the mountains? Aren't you afraid of encountering wolves?"

"Of course I'm scared, otherwise who would go up the mountain under the blazing sun!" Shi Jia pointed to the orange sunset on the horizon, a hint of unease flashing across his face.

"Ahem, Aunt Lin, it's getting late. You should hurry up and gather firewood. I need to go back and cook too," Shi Jia said with a smile.

Remembering that there wasn't much firewood left at home, Aunt Lin had no choice but to give up the opportunity to gossip and took her daughter up the mountain.

Shi Jia also pulled the already uneasy Wang Tieshan home.

Nothing more was said that night. The next day, Shi Jia didn't go to the prefectural city to sell ginseng, but instead prepared to make jujube cakes. Li Yunniang certainly didn't know how to make cakes, but she had heard of them and even tasted them.

In addition, given Shi Jia's own experience and exceptional culinary talent, he can always succeed after a few tries.

Moreover, she had another idea: to go to the prefectural city to sell jujube cakes.

Since her only talent is cooking, why not use it to make money? No matter where you are, a cook will never starve.

Shi Jia asked Wang Tieshan to fetch water to wash the dates and hawthorns, while Wang Tiehua was given the task of peeling the chestnuts.

The washed dates and hawthorns were laid out in the yard to dry. While they were drying, Shi Jia checked the amount of flour and sugar in the house.

"Sister-in-law? Is there a problem?" Wang Tieshan asked, noticing her worried expression.

"We don't have enough flour or sugar at home." Her plan to make jujube cakes to sell would have to be postponed. Or perhaps she could think of a recipe that uses less sugar and flour. Shi Jia had a wild idea.

Well, she doesn't even know how to make the most basic jujube cake yet!

"What should we do then? Should we go to town to buy it?" On the way to the prefectural city, we'll pass through Qingshan Town, where there are shops selling rice and grains. "Let's wait a bit. We don't have much money right now." Shi Jia shook her head. She'd just go to the prefectural city in a couple of days to buy the ginseng, then she wouldn't be short of money.

"Ginseng..."

"Shh!" Shi Jia shook her head seriously, then looked around suspiciously like a thief. Only after confirming that no one was near her house did she relax a little. "Don't say anything."

Wang Tieshan nodded hastily, feeling somewhat annoyed. "Okay!"

"It's alright, we still have some grain at home, enough to last for half a month," Shi Jia said with a smile. "Besides, dealing with these dates isn't easy either."

These dates have pits, so you have to remove the shells first to make date cake. Also, cakes are usually quite dry, and although these dates are a bit shriveled, they still have a lot of moisture, so you have to find a way to dry them.

After a moment's thought, Shi Jia realized several problems. Now that there was no sugar or flour, it was no longer so important.

"Never mind, let's dry these dates and hawthorns first."

Having no better idea for the moment, Shi Jia could only put them aside. She went to the storeroom to get a hoe and prepared to cultivate the vegetable garden in the back so that she could plant the vegetables as soon as spring arrived.

Upon seeing this, Wang Tieshan and Wang Tiehua followed, carrying the little one.

"Sister-in-law, let me pull the weeds." Wang Tiehua put the little guy on a flat patch of grass and rolled up her sleeves to get to work.

Wang Tieshan was already busy.

They had only been working for a short while when villagers told them that soldiers had come to collect the grain. Shi Jia had no choice but to put down his hoe and go to the village entrance with Wang Tieshan.

A dozen or so soldiers and officers came to collect the grain, along with a dozen or so oxcarts.

“Your village has 32 households, totaling 6.2 shi (a unit of dry measure)!” the officers said.

"Sir, our village is mostly mountainous, and we've long since run out of surplus grain. These are the yams we dug up from the mountains; they're all the best ones. Would you like them?" Village Chief Li said hurriedly.

The grain collector frowned. No rice? But remembering his superior's instructions, he said, "Bring it here for me to see."

The village chief quickly handed over two yams. "We didn't want to delay the imperial court's important affairs, but we had no choice but to risk our lives to go into the mountains. For these yams, two lives were lost in our village!"

"Even this old man has a limp..." Village Chief Li cried silently.

The grain collector glanced over the entire village, his gaze lingering for a few seconds on Aunt Liu and the others with white flowers on their hands, his heart filled with complex emotions. He picked up a yam to inspect its quality. "Barely acceptable. But this will require an additional 30% commission!"

While we sympathize with these people, we must also be worthy of the thousands of soldiers on the front lines!
"Alright, thank you, sir." Village Chief Li breathed a sigh of relief. "Hiding here!"

The grain collector had the yams weighed and then turned to leave.

"Brother Fang, won't we be punished if we take these mountain goods back?" The villagers in the distant mountains heard a soldier say.

The villagers in Dashan immediately began to breathe heavily.

“Since it was mentioned earlier that mountain produce could be used as a substitute when collecting grain, then there’s no problem,” the grain official said. “Besides, the magistrate also instructed us that with several grain collections this year, the people are probably already out of grain, so mountain produce can be used as a substitute…”

As the sound faded into the distance, everyone could breathe again.

Village Chief Li revealed a smile he hadn't shown in many days. "Alright, everyone go back now. The New Year is just around the corner, so go home and prepare for a good celebration." (End of Chapter)