Ordinary observers in fast time travel

Chapter 1273 Anxiety
After delivering dinner, Shi Jia left the Wan residence with Wang Tiehua and the other two. Because carrying a bag of sweet potatoes was inconvenient, Shi Jia first took the three of them home along with the sweet potatoes before heading to the blacksmith's shop to get the polishing board.

"Master Han, is the item ready?" Shi Jia called out from the blacksmith's shop.

"Here she comes, it's Sister Li! The iron plate you ordered is ready, I'll go get it right away." The person who came was Han the blacksmith's apprentice, who also had the surname Han.

"it is good."

Soon, Brother Han came out with two uneven iron plates. "Sister Li, take a look and see if they meet your requirements."

The iron plate is not big, only about 15 cm x 15 cm, but it is 3 mm thick!

Looking at the thickness of the iron plate, Shi Jia couldn't help but feel a pang of regret; the iron-making skills here still had a lot of room for improvement. However, he said outwardly, "Yes, I have complete confidence in Master Han's craftsmanship."

"Here, this is the final payment. Count it." Shi Jia took out five hundred coins and handed them to Brother Han.

Brother Han quickly took the copper coins, counted them twice, and then smiled as he saw Shi Jia off. "Master, Sister-in-law Li has taken the things; this is the final payment."

The blacksmith Han was busy forging iron and ignored him. Han Xiaoge didn't care either, and turned around to put the copper coins into the money box.

"Bang, bang!" The blacksmith Han's hammer pounded against the red-hot longsword, each strike sending sparks flying.

After an unknown amount of time, Han the blacksmith put down his hammer, used tongs to hold the gleaming red sword, and threw it into the pool beside him.

"Zzzzz~" In an instant, the whole room was filled with white steam, making the already stuffy room even more humid and hot.

Han the blacksmith frowned, "This awful weather!"

"Ah Fu, your sword is fixed. Hurry up and go back." Han the blacksmith called out to another corner, where a disheveled and exhausted figure was sitting.

If Shi Jia were here, she would definitely recognize her as Wan Anfu. But Wan Anfu looked much thinner than she had two months ago.

"Thank you, Uncle Han." Wan Anfu stood up, walked to Han the blacksmith, and took the longsword. He flicked the blade with his fingertips, and the longsword immediately emitted a clear and melodious hum.

A rare smile appeared on Wan Anfu's gloomy face. "Uncle Han's cooking skills are getting better and better."

Han the blacksmith smiled, but the smile quickly turned bitter. "This blacksmithing skill is all I have left."

Wan Anfu said, "Uncle Han is too modest. It is thanks to blacksmiths like Uncle Han who forge weapons that the soldiers have the confidence to go into battle and kill the enemy."

Upon hearing this, Han the blacksmith showed a hint of emotion.

Wan Anfu offered a few more words of comfort before taking out the silver and preparing to leave. Just a second before she left the blacksmith's shop, Han the blacksmith called out to her, "Afu, how's the front lines?"

Upon hearing this, Wan Anfu's demeanor became even more somber. "Very, very anxious!"

The northern barbarians came with great force, and although the imperial court recaptured two cities through secret passages, it was short of food and supplies and was soon surrounded by the northern barbarians.

Fortunately, winter arrived soon after the city was recaptured, and both sides tacitly agreed to a truce, giving the court a respite. However, the same harsh winter brought almost all production activities to a standstill, leaving the court powerless to take the opportunity to rebuild its strength.

Moreover, the daily expenses for maintaining such a large army are astronomical.

The imperial court had no choice but to grit its teeth and collect grain in the winter, but this led to widespread starvation and refugees... Whenever Wan Anfu thought of these things, he felt as if his heart was being squeezed and he could hardly breathe.

"Anxious? How could that be? Didn't they say last year..." Han the blacksmith's breath caught in his throat.

"...The situation on the battlefield is constantly changing," Wan Anfu said calmly, turning to leave the sweltering blacksmith shop.

The rain was incessant, and the streets were muddy and slippery. Wan Anfu walked along the street with a frown. Her cloth shoes were soaked through, and the damp coldness seeped into her feet, making her momentarily unable to even feel their existence.

She held up the oil-paper umbrella, but felt it was completely useless, because the omnipresent moisture in the air was gradually enveloping her from her cuffs, collar, and even her feet. She was powerless to do anything; she couldn't throw away the umbrella, nor could she let the rain soak her…

"Sister-in-law, you're back! Are your clothes wet? I've boiled some water, sister-in-law, go take a bath!" Wang Tiehua couldn't help but chatter on as soon as she saw Shi Jia return.

"Okay." Shi Jia let Wang Tiehua help her take off her raincoat. "Have you washed the sweet potatoes you bought?"

"They're washed and drying under the eaves," Wang Tiehua said.

"Okay, have Tieshan heat up the food," Shi Jia instructed again before heading to the bathhouse. Clean clothes were laid out on the rack, and steam rose from the tub. Shi Jia's heart melted.

When Shi Jia came out of the bathroom, the table in the main hall was already set with food. After the family finished eating, Shi Jia sent Wang Tieshan and Wang Tiehua to read, and Xiao Cao to wash the dishes. She herself took a scoop and a wooden basin and went to the eaves to start her sweet potato starch project.

"Scratching sounds" soon echoed in the courtyard. The two people reading inside couldn't help but put down their books and come out when they heard the sound.

"Sister-in-law, what are you doing?" Wang Tiehua asked in confusion. Why did you ruin the sweet potato?

"I'm going to make sweet potato noodles," Shi Jia explained when she saw the two of them.

"Sweet potato noodles?" The two were puzzled. No, there were three of them. Xiao Cao came after washing the dishes, bringing the little one with her.

"Hmm," Shi Jia explained, just like white flour.

"Wow, can sweet potatoes be made into flour?" Wang Tieshan exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes, that’s fine,” Shi Jia said confidently.

"Then how do we do it?" Wang Tieshan still didn't believe it, but his blind trust in his sister-in-law prevented him from questioning her words.

"First, you spread the paste, then wash the starch, and finally, what settles out is sweet potato starch," Shi Jia explained simply. "Dried sweet potato starch can be stored for a long time, one or two years is not a problem."

As long as you keep it dry and prevent it from getting infested with insects, it's fine. Of course, even if it gets infested with insects, it's still edible.

Wang Tieshan's breath hitched at the thought of the moldy grain in the storage room, but the next second he became excited. "Sister-in-law, are you telling the truth? Can it really be preserved for that long?"

His voice suddenly rose, startling Shi Jia. She blinked. "Yes, but..."

"what?"

"It's nothing. If you don't want to read, just help me grate the sweet potatoes into a paste." Shi Jia suddenly thought of a problem. The starch yield of sweet potatoes that have been stored for a long time is not very high, especially those that have been stored for more than half a year, where the starch yield is only between 10% and 18%. If it is a newly harvested sweet potato, the starch yield is quite considerable, about 35%.

Shi Jia was worried. Could the people here accept this flour yield? After all, the grain supply had been reduced by 80% out of nowhere. For people who were starving, it would be very difficult to accept, wouldn't it?