Ordinary observers in fast time travel

Chapter 1276 Achieving the Goal
"Never mind." While Shi Jia was struggling with her decision, Wan Anfu sighed first. "You can ask Xing'er for help with the cooperation. As the second young mistress of the prefect's family, and with the Lu family as her maiden family, she can support you enough."

"Huh?" Shi Jia looked completely bewildered. Hey, this isn't my goal, no, it's one of my goals!

Just then, a voice broke Shi Jia's daze.

"Ah Fu, you're here too?"

Prefect Wan arrived with Lu Yang.

"Father, Lord Lu!" Wan Anfu bowed to the two men.

Prefect Wan nodded. "I heard that the sweet potato starch was ready today, so I came to see it." He said this to Shi Jia, but his eyes never left his daughter's face.

Seeing that the disappointment on his daughter's face had not completely faded, he felt a little uneasy. Could it be that they had failed?

Shi Jia said, "Your Excellency, it's not actually finished yet. Today we just poured out the water, and then we can start drying the powder. It'll be truly finished once the powder is completely dry."

"Besides drying the rice flour, you can also use these wet rice flours to make rice noodles directly," Shi Jia quickly added. "The rice noodles made can be dried before eating, or they can be made into hot and sour rice noodles."

"Oh, so it was a success?" Prefect Wan's heart, which had been pounding, finally settled. But why did his daughter have that expression?

“Yes.” Shi Jia nodded.

"Alright, then make the vermicelli now." Prefect Wan had also eaten hot and sour vermicelli before, and even after five days, he was still thinking about it. He looked at Lu Yang with a hint of smugness, "Brother Lu is in for a treat today."

"Oh, I'll wait and see," Lu Yang said with a smile.

Shi Jia brought some wet sweet potato noodles, and Prefect Wan immediately ordered a stove to be set up in the courtyard so they could watch the process of making sweet potato noodles live.

While Shi Jia was preparing, Wan Anfu approached Prefect Wan and somewhat dejectedly told him about the yield of the sweet potato starch. "Father, I was too hasty; I didn't confirm the specifics before..."

Prefect Wan frowned, but he wasn't as disappointed as he had expected. He reached out and patted his daughter's shoulder to comfort her, "This can't be blamed on you. Your father knows you care about the front lines and the people. Besides, although the starch yield is a bit low, if sweet potato starch can be preserved for a long time, it's not a bad idea."

“But Father, ten catties of grain for only one catty of flour is too low. The wasted grain is enough to feed a soldier for five or six days.” Wan Anfu knew his father well and, seeing that he was tempted, quickly advised him against it. Such a wasteful method of using grain should not only not be promoted, but should be prohibited.

Prefect Wan shook his head and said, "Anfu, do you know how much grain spoiled in the granaries of the prefecture city when the weather warmed up a while ago?"

"Rice and flour make up about 30%, while sweet potatoes and yams, which are difficult to preserve, make up 50% or even 60%," Prefect Wan said in a somber tone.

Wan Anfu felt heavy-hearted. As she was in charge of collecting grain, she was well aware of the extent of grain damage.

"But if sweet potatoes and yams, which are difficult to preserve, are made into noodles and vermicelli that are easier to preserve, wouldn't the losses be smaller?"

“But there’s only 10%—” Wan Anfu frowned. Although 50% had indeed been wasted, wasn’t there still 50% left?
Prefect Wan continued to shake his head, "Anfu, do you know where sweet potatoes and yams are grown?"

"Huh?" It's just in the fields, isn't it? Is there some special meaning to it?
"Sweet potatoes and yams prefer dry conditions and dislike water, so they can be planted in dry land and sandy soil. They don't take up fertile land," Prefect Wan said solemnly.

Upon hearing this, Wan Anfu immediately understood that Jingzhou Prefecture could allow the people to cultivate wasteland and grow sweet potatoes.

“Father—” Wan Anfu’s face showed some emotion.

Prefect Wan nodded. "Good that you understand." But the next second he sighed. "One percent is still too low. It would be better if it were higher."

After listening for a while, Lu Yang nodded, "Why don't we ask Madam Li if she has any other ideas?"

They turned to look at Shi Jia. At this moment, the water in the pot had boiled and the batter had been prepared. Shi Jia was making vermicelli. The white batter passed through the strainer and stretched into long white lines. It fell into the boiling water, rolled a couple of times, and became crystal clear.

Shi Jia held a strainer in one hand and used chopsticks in the other to stir the vermicelli in the water. With a few quick movements, she twirled and flicked the chopsticks, transferring the translucent vermicelli into a large bowl. She repeated this three times, resulting in three bowls of vermicelli on the table.

After making the vermicelli, Shi Jia had someone remove the large pot and prepare to place a smaller pot on top.

Upon seeing this, Prefect Wan hurriedly asked, "Aren't you going to do it?" He pointed to the basin of white sweet potato starch paste.

Shi Jia shook her head. "I'll make a bowl of hot and sour noodles for the two adults and the young lady to try. As for making sweet potato noodles, there's no rush. The adults can find some people to come and learn how to make sweet potato noodles later."

As she spoke, she quickly prepared the dishes. Before long, the fragrant and spicy aroma filled the courtyard. Before Magistrate Wan and his companions could cover their noses and leave, three bowls of hot and sour noodles bubbling with red oil were served to the three of them.

"Snoring~ Snoring~"

"good to eat!"

"Spicy, savory, and tangy, it's also good for warming you up. If you had a bowl of this in winter, you'd feel comfortable all day." Lu Yang gave a thumbs up. "Li Niangzi, it's been a long time. Your cooking skills have improved again."

"You flatter me, sir," Shi Jia said with a smile.

"Madam Li is too modest," Lu Yang said, wiping his sweat with a handkerchief.

After finishing the hot and sour noodles, it was time to get down to business. Prefect Wan led a few people to the study.

"Alas, this recipe is good, but the yield is a bit low," Prefect Wan sighed.

"Actually, freshly harvested sweet potatoes can increase the starch yield by at least two times," Shi Jia quickly said.

"What?" Prefect Wan exclaimed in surprise.

Shi Jia was startled.

"Ahem." Prefect Wan exchanged a glance with the two men and saw the excited glint in their eyes.

"Madam Li, you must have heard about the recent grain disaster," Prefect Wan said suddenly, his voice heavy with sorrow.

Upon hearing this, Shi Jia thought to himself, "Are we about to get down to business?" He quickly nodded, "Yes, most of the grain I had left at home has rotted. That's why I was thinking about how to preserve the grain for a longer time. That's how I came up with sweet potato flour."

Prefect Wan nodded, "Madam Li is very talented."

"No, no, I, I was dreaming—" Shi Jia blushed and looked at a loss.

“Madam Li, there’s no need for such modesty. It must be because you’ve been worrying day and night that you had this epiphany in your dream.” Prefect Wan said, standing up. “Here, I, Wan, would like to express my gratitude to Madam Li on behalf of all the people in the world.” She then bowed down.

"Huh? No, no need." Shi Jia looked confused.

Prefect Wan and the other two exchanged a glance, and then slowly explained his idea of ​​promoting sweet potato flour.

“This—” Shi Jia looked conflicted after hearing this.

Prefect Wan advised, "I know it's really asking Lady Li to hand over the prescription directly. Don't worry, the court is on the side of the people and will certainly not let you suffer any loss."

“The Jingzhou government will also give you a certain reward. Didn’t you want to open a restaurant?” Prefect Wan said, “How about the government rewards you with a shop?” He couldn’t afford the money, but he did have a few shops.

"A shop?" Shi Jia's eyes lit up.

Seeing that she was tempted, the others offered a few more words of advice. In the end, Shi Jia, of course, "couldn't resist" the temptation and signed the contract in a daze, selling the recipe for sweet potato starch.