Ordinary observers in fast time travel

Chapter 1272 Buying Sweet Potatoes

"Master Han, how long will it take to finish?" Shi Jia stood in front of the only blacksmith shop in the prefectural city. Opposite her, a muscular man was wiping sweat from his brow.

“This isn’t difficult; I can finish it in an afternoon. If you’re in a hurry, you can pick it up this evening,” said Han the blacksmith.

"Okay, thank you for your help." Shi Jia nodded and took out one hundred coins as a deposit to hand over to the other party.

After leaving the blacksmith shop, Shi Jia hurried to the general store.

"Boss, why have all these sweet potatoes sprouted?" Shi Jia frowned as he looked at the sweet potatoes in the basket. Not only had they sprouted, but they also had many wormholes.

"Alas, there's nothing I can do, the weather just isn't cooperating," the grocery store owner said with a distressed expression, his chubby face all wrinkled.

Shi Jia pursed her lips and didn't say anything more, but just carefully selected sweet potatoes. In the end, she picked out ten pounds of sweet potatoes. When the grocery store owner saw them, his expression changed again. "Girl, you have a really sharp eye."

"Let me weigh it, five coins a pound?"

"How could that be!" The grocery store owner bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "That was last year's price! Don't you even look at what time it is? It's the lean season! That's when food is most precious!"

Most importantly, the recent bad weather has caused problems with the grain in all the granaries! Of course, the grocery store owner didn't dare say this.

"How much is it per pound?" Shi Jia was prepared for a surge in grain prices.

"Two..." The shopkeeper glanced at the sprouting, worm-eaten sweet potatoes in the large basket, then looked at the "smooth and well-shaped" sweet potatoes in front of him, gritted his teeth, and said, "Fifty coins a pound!"

Shi Jia scratched his ear, thinking he had misheard. "How much?"

"Fifty coins a pound, girl, look, you've picked out all the best sweet potatoes in my shop. How am I supposed to sell them now?" The grocery store owner looked at Shi Jia with a bitter expression.

Shi Jia paused for a moment. Although what he said made some sense, "At most twenty coins a catty!"

She had learned about the purchase price of sweet potatoes. Because they were difficult to preserve and had a high yield, sweet potatoes were very cheap. Grain merchants bought them from farmers for a maximum of one cent per kilogram.

Normally, the price at the general store is two to three coins, but last year, due to the imperial court's grain requisition, the price increased to five coins per pound.

Therefore, 20 coins per catty is already an astronomical price.

Shi Jia regretted it as soon as she finished speaking; she should have said ten coins.

The grocery store owner was immediately displeased. "Twenty coins? No way, no way! I'll lose a lot of money. It has to be at least forty coins, no less. Even if it's forty coins, I'll still lose five coins..."

Shi Jia ignored the shopkeeper's words, "Twenty coins. If you don't want to buy, then forget it. As far as I know, the government seems to have regulations on grain prices, right?"

Although sweet potatoes and yams are not subject to government price controls, is it reasonable for a single sweet potato to be priced higher than white rice?

The grocery store owner was startled upon hearing this; how could he have forgotten about it?
"Well, well, madam, you don't know this, but the government doesn't have any restrictions on the price of sweet potatoes," the grocery store owner said in a low voice.

"Oh, then I'll just buy white rice," Shi Jia said. "How much is white rice again? Twenty coins a pound?"

Even with government intervention, grain prices have still risen recently. This is unavoidable, as the grain reserves in all granaries have been affected.

"Alright, twenty coins it is." The shopkeeper quickly interrupted Shi Jia, "This lady has quite the sharp tongue."

The grocery store owner shook his head and sighed regretfully as he picked up a cloth bag to pack sweet potatoes.

After paying, Shi Jia returned to the Wan residence carrying a bag of sweet potatoes. She had been out for quite a while today, and going home and coming back might not be enough time.

"Master, you're back." Wang Quan had just come out of the kitchen carrying a basin when he saw Shi Jia return. "Master, what's that in your hand?"

"Sweet potatoes," Shi Jia said. "Are all the dishes ready?" "Yes, they're all ready and placed next to the stove," Wang Quan replied, puzzled. Why did Master buy sweet potatoes? They don't taste good and spoil easily.

I forgot to mention that sweet potatoes at this time of year have a lot of fiber, so they don't taste very good. It was only because poor people had no choice but to eat them to fill their stomachs.

"Okay. I'll go put the things down and come right back." Shi Jia picked up the bag and headed towards the room where the little guy and Xiao Cao were staying.

The room wasn't small, and over the past two months, Shi Jia had decorated it very warmly. To make it easier for the little one to move around, she had laid a bamboo mat on the floor. And because of the recent damp weather, Shi Jia had also put a small blanket on the bamboo mat.

"Mom!" The little guy, who was playing, immediately put down what he was doing and ran over happily when he saw Shi Jia appear.

"Sweetie, Mommy's all wet." Shi Jia didn't go in, but just put the sweet potato in. "Little Grass, watch the little one."

"Okay, ma'am."

Shi Jia reached out and tapped the little one who was about to cry, and smiled, "Alright, Mommy still has chores to do. Do you remember the words Mommy taught you yesterday?"

The little guy stared at Shi Jia with his big, dark eyes, as if he hadn't understood what Shi Jia was saying. Little Grass beside him seemed a bit flustered, "Madam, I'll teach the young master later."

Shi Jia smiled and said, "Well, don't fall behind in your studies either."

Upon hearing this, Xiaocao's eyes immediately welled up with tears. "Yes!"

Shi Jia turned and went back to the kitchen, where Wang Quan had already brought warm water and was waiting for her. Shi Jia washed her hands with the warm water, put on the apron that Wang Quan handed her, and tied her hair up with a cloth.

"Alright, start the fire," Shi Jia said.

The fire-starter immediately sprang into action.

Shi Jia glanced at the food being prepared on the stove, then, as if struck by a thought, turned to Wang Quan and asked, "You've been learning from me for about three months now, haven't you?"

"Yes." Wang Quan nodded.

"Hmm, I remember you've seen me make braised pork ribs at least ten times?"

"Eleven times!" Wang Quan said.

“Okay, then you can make this dish today,” Shi Jia said.

"Huh?" Wang Quan was stunned, his eyes widening. "Master, what did you say?"

Shi Jia repeated, "You should have memorized the steps for making braised pork ribs by heart. You must have practiced a lot in private. Today, let me see how well you've learned."

Wang Quan was momentarily at a loss for words. "Master, I, I..."

"What? You can't do it?" Shi Jia raised an eyebrow.

Wang Quan's expression turned serious. "I can do it!"

"Okay, come on." Shi Jia gestured for them to come.

Wang Quan suddenly felt a little guilty, but now that the opportunity was presented to him, he had to seize it no matter what! He took a deep breath and walked to the stove.

Surprisingly, the moment he picked up the spatula, his anxiety and unease vanished. He methodically blanched the pork ribs, caramelized the sugar, and pan-fried them…

Shi Jia nodded in satisfaction as she watched his practiced movements. She glanced up casually and met He Chuan's gaze; the other's eyes held a complex expression, and she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Shi Jia smiled at him and then got busy as well.