“Auntie, it’s been so humid for so long, and this rain isn’t going to stop anytime soon. Why don’t we stay here today and not bother going back?” Pei Yuezhi said, looking at the sky.

Grandma Liu was a little hesitant, but seeing that the rain didn't seem like it would stop after a short while, she thought about it and agreed: "Okay, then I'll stay here with you tonight."

"Then let Mu'er stay with me. You can stay in her room, and we'll eat at the shop first."

Liu Yuanyuan also said, "You can stay here without worry, come and eat."

Hearing that it was time to eat, Fan Mu ran over excitedly to get the bowl.

Outside, the rain was pouring down, while inside, several people were enjoying a delicious meal.

“It’s been so muggy these past few days, I knew it was going to rain. Yueyue, you love rainy days the most, you must be so happy this time,” Liu Yuanyuan said.

Pei Yuezhi really enjoys rainy days, especially by the window or in the pavilion, listening to the rain; it's truly delightful.

"Yes, I really like rainy days, but I guess there won't be as many customers when it rains."

Grandma Liu waved her hand and said, "No, there won't be many fewer people. Most of the people here are carrying goods. They usually wear raincoats to work on rainy days. If they miss a day, they will earn less money. So they work rain or shine, but there will definitely be fewer people."

"Then I'm relieved. I was worried that there wouldn't be many people on rainy days."

The four of them enjoyed a delicious meal. The rain lessened a bit, but it didn't look like it would stop anytime soon.

I might as well run back in the rain; it's not far.

Pei Yuezhi found a large piece of cotton cloth, wrapped it around Fan Mu to shield her from the rain, picked her up, and ran back.

Liu Yuanyuan was in charge of locking the door. Luckily, it wasn't far away, but she still needed to change her clothes when she got home.

They found a slightly oversized dress for Grandma Liu to change into, and then let her go to Fan Mu's room to rest. Everyone else went back to their rooms.

The rain kept falling, but there was no wind. Pei Yuezhi happily leaned against the window watching the rain, wondering if this hobby was niche or not.

Seeing that Fan Mu had fallen asleep, Pei Yuezhi reluctantly closed the window and lay down to sleep as well.

The rain didn't stop in the afternoon. It was almost time for school to end, so Liu Yuanyuan grabbed an umbrella and then another one to go pick up her child.

Let Grandma Liu stay at home and wait for them to return before going to the shop together.

He then found a straw hat and said he was going to pick up the pre-ordered vegetables first, so he went to the shop.

Once we arrived at the shop, we started figuring out what to make the next day.

It's almost the rainy season now. Pei Yuezhi lives in the north, and although it's summer, it gets quite chilly when it rains.

I'll make boiled sliced ​​pork tomorrow. I see that people here can handle spicy food quite well. The spicy tofu buns I made before were very popular.

Let me make another dish that everyone's been asking when I made: braised pork belly, a big bowl of tofu, and eggplant with green beans.

Pei Yuezhi quickly took out pork belly from her spatial storage and also bought pork shoulder, which is the neck and back meat, as this part is more tender.

There were also side dishes for the boiled pork slices. I bought bean sprouts, cabbage, and bok choy. I just bought whatever I wanted to eat. As for other vegetables like romaine lettuce, Pei Yuezhi didn't see them for sale at the market, so she didn't dare to buy them randomly.

Then I bought tofu, long beans, and eggplant. I didn't take the tofu out of the box, otherwise it would spoil easily overnight, and I was afraid Grandma Liu would become suspicious.

Just as they were cutting the meat, Liu Yuanyuan and her mother-in-law returned with their three children.

The group cut the pork belly into chunks, the pork shoulder into slices, the eggplant into strips, and the green beans into roughly the same size pieces.

Cut the cabbage and bok choy into small pieces, and they're all ready.

With many hands making light work, everything was resolved in no time.

It was still drizzling outside, and no guests had come yet. I hadn't eaten much at noon, and now I was actually a little hungry. Plus, the two boys ate at the school cafeteria on time, so they were both hungry too.

Looking at the light drizzle outside and the copper pot in the corner of the kitchen, Pei Yuezhi's craving for hot pot reached its peak.

"I bought some lamb when I went grocery shopping. How about we have hot pot for dinner tonight?" Pei Yuezhi rubbed her hands together, looking at everyone expectantly.

Liu Yuanyuan was the first to agree: "I agree! I agree!"

Li Nian'an nodded in agreement.

Fan Chao and Fan Mu had never eaten it before and didn't quite know what it was. Fan Mu looked up at Pei Yuezhi and asked, "Mother, what is hot pot?"

Pei Yuezhi picked up the pot and said to them, "Shuanrou is about cooking meat in this pot. You can also add other vegetables and eat it while you cook it. It's delicious!"

"I want to eat it! Everything Mom makes is always delicious!"

Fan Chao nodded and said, "Chao'er wants to eat too."

Grandma Liu was quite happy to hear that they were going to have hot pot: "I didn't expect that the pot we just brought would come in handy. It's a bit chilly outside, so we'll have something warm to eat."

After everyone agreed, Pei Yuezhi pretended to go to the cabinet to get some mutton, but in reality, she had just bought some from the mall.

However, we don't have charcoal yet, and making it ourselves would take too long, so we'll have to buy some now.

“Let’s grab some vegetables and go home to eat. I saw some charcoal in the storeroom,” Pei Yuezhi said, feigning concern.

"Oh, that's wonderful, what a coincidence!" Liu Yuanyuan knew what Pei Yuezhi meant and quickly agreed.

Grandma Liu nodded, but then remembered something: "We don't have any sesame paste, do we? I'll go over there and buy some."

"No need, no need, Auntie, let's go back first, and then let Yuanyuan go buy it. The roads are slippery in the rain," Pei Yuezhi stopped her.

Sesame paste existed in ancient times, but it was quite expensive; it was cheaper to buy it in a shopping mall.

“Alright then, I’ll take the pot, you take the children, let’s go back,” Grandma Liu said.

After returning home, Pei Yuezhi took advantage of Granny Liu washing the pots to "take" some charcoal from the warehouse.

Seeing that Liu Yuanyuan had returned, he quickly went to greet her and put the sesame paste, chive blossoms, and fermented bean curd he had bought into her hands.

"Oh, right, I'll get you another piece of tofu. I'll find a lotus leaf to hold it for you."

Upon seeing the chive blossoms and fermented bean curd, Liu Yuanyuan asked in surprise, "Do these two things exist in this era?!"

"Fermented bean curd has existed for a long time, and chive blossoms seem to be from the late Qing Dynasty. Oh well, it's a fictional era, so don't take it too seriously."

"Okay, okay."

After entering the house, Grandma Liu had already washed all the pots and pans and was now cutting meat.

"Yuezhi, you bought some really good meat! Look how well Auntie cut it, is it thick enough?"

Pei Yuezhi pulled out a fire pit used for heating in winter and used it to burn some charcoal.

"Auntie, your knife skills are amazing! Let's eat in the yard after you finish cutting it. I'm worried about smoke or something. There's no wind here, and the rain won't get in the shed."

"OK."

Liu Yuanyuan volunteered to mix the sesame paste, and everyone worked quickly, dividing the tasks among themselves.

While the charcoal was burning, Pei Yuezhi went to prepare a clear broth base.

Add ginger slices, scallion segments, light soy sauce, red dates, goji berries, shiitake mushrooms, a generous amount of peppercorns, pepper powder, and salt to the water.

A simple clear broth base is ready.