Liu Yuanyuan's eyes lit up when she heard about pickled potatoes: "Pickled potatoes! I haven't had them in so long. I've only had porridge for the past two days. I can't cook. My son and I spent ages figuring out how to make this porridge."
Seeing Liu Yuanyuan's aggrieved expression, I couldn't help but burst out laughing: "I'll get you some in a bit. Look at how you're pouting. I made quite a lot."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yuanyuan was immediately delighted: "Finally, we can eat something decent! By the way, Yueyue, my family is quite well-off; we have plenty of rice, flour, and oil. See if you can make anything."
Pei Yuezhi thought for a moment and said, "We can make some pancakes with the flour to sell, but the price of flour is not low, and your family probably doesn't have much. We still need to save some money first."
After discussing it for a while, the two decided to sell some pickled vegetables to save up some money.
Although I'm in a different world, I'm not lonely with my best friends by my side. I hope things will get better in the future.
......
When Pei Yuezhi returned home, it was already noon. The two little ones had thoughtfully prepared their lunch.
Presumably thinking she would be back late, Fan Chao was already adding water to the pot, seemingly planning to cook for herself.
Pei Yuezhi glanced at the ingredients on the stove; there was only a large handful of shepherd's purse and sweet potato leaves, indicating that she was planning to cook a pot of wild vegetable soup.
"Mom, you're back! Just in time, brother is about to start cooking soup, so we can eat soon." Fan Mu ran over and sweetly took Pei Yuezhi's hand.
Fan Mu was young, and when she saw that her mother was different from before, she didn't feel awkward at all. She was very happy. She liked her mother now, who was gentle and could cook delicious food.
Although Fan Chao was not very old, he was quite mature and much more composed. He was also happy about his mother's changes, but he didn't express it much and was a little awkward about how to speak.
Before, his mother was always silent, and he didn't want to talk to her. But now it's different. His mother has started to talk to them and has become gentler. He doesn't want to ignore his mother like before, but he doesn't know how to talk to her.
Pei Yuezhi came over and took the water ladle from her: "Chao'er, Mother will cook. You take your sister and watch the fire for Mother."
Fan Chao nodded slightly and went to get the small stool.
My son is aloof and doesn't like to talk. What should I do? I need help urgently!
Pei Yuezhi stared at the shepherd's purse and sweet potato leaves in front of her, lost in thought. Wild vegetable soup was rarely drunk in modern times, so she found it very fresh and delicious.
But in ancient times, almost everyone ate wild vegetables and must have had enough of wild vegetable soup. How could we make the food more appealing to the children?
Hmm, let's make a steamed dish, it's quick and easy.
Pei Yuezhi drained the water from the washed vegetables, cut them into sections, sprinkled a little salt and oil, then sprinkled some flour, and mixed them well. It is important to add flour in small amounts multiple times.
Steam for five to eight minutes.
Stir it with chopsticks while it's still hot for a better texture.
Then, prepare a special dipping sauce: sauté minced garlic, chopped green onions, and sesame seeds in hot oil until fragrant. When the child goes to get their bowl, simply mix together the soy sauce from the gift pack and any vinegar you have at home.
Dishes steamed this way are refreshing, delicious, and especially tasty.
Unsurprisingly, it once again received unanimous praise from both children.
After finishing her meal and cleaning up, Pei Yuezhi took a small bowl and filled it with some pickled potatoes and some steamed vegetables that she had set aside in advance, intending to send them to Liu Yuanyuan.
Just as she was about to leave, Fan Mu saw her: "Mother, are you going out? Mu'er is so bored at home, can I come with you?"
Seeing Fan Mu's pitiful appearance, Pei Yuezhi couldn't bear to refuse and had no choice but to agree to take her along.
Liu Yuanyuan lived in the front yard of her former home. Her family was well-off; her husband ran a small business and would go to town to sell tea.
Unfortunately, he was seriously injured by bandits while transporting goods with a caravan and died before he could receive medical treatment.
When Pei Yuezhi arrived with Fan Mu, Liu Yuanyuan was staring at a bowl of porridge at each other with a boy.
This must be Liu Yuanyuan's son. The young boy has fair skin and is handsome even at a young age. He is speaking with a hint of helplessness in his voice.
"Mom, are we even out of pickled vegetable strips today? We still have plenty of food at home."
"Nian'an, trust your mother. We won't go hungry today. My good friend will bring us food soon," Liu Yuanyuan assured the boy, patting his head.
Li Nian'an, Liu Yuanyuan's son, was starving, but his mother wouldn't let him eat. Just as he was wondering how to ask for food, he looked up and saw Pei Yuezhi and her daughter standing at the door.
"Hello, Aunt Fan." Although she didn't know why Pei Yuezhi had come, she still greeted her politely.
Upon hearing her son's words, Liu Yuanyuan noticed that Pei Yuezhi had arrived and quickly got up to greet him.
Fan Mu also politely greeted Aunt Li.
Pei Yuezhi heard from the doorway that Liu Yuanyuan and her son had been hungry for half a day, so she quickly took out some food and put it on the table.
"I made some steamed dishes for lunch, as well as the pickled potatoes you wanted. We don't have much food right now, so please eat these first," Pei Yuezhi said.
Liu Yuanyuan said contentedly, "This is already very good. Without you, I'm afraid I would have to just make do with eating."
Li Nian'an understood that this was the good friend her mother had mentioned, but she didn't know when the two had met. In her memory, Aunt Fan rarely went out.
"Thank you, Aunt Fan. Please have some tea, Aunt Fan." Li Nian'an thoughtfully poured tea for Pei Yuezhi and also poured water for Fan Mu.
The tea was brewed in advance by Liu Yuanyuan. Pei Yuezhi likes to drink tea, but the tea is slightly bitter, which the children don't like.
"Yueyue, your skills are still so good. I think selling pickled vegetables is indeed a good idea, but isn't it too monotonous to only sell pickled vegetables?"
While enjoying her meal, Liu Yuanyuan didn't forget to think about important matters.
What to sell next was precisely what troubled Pei Yuezhi. With insufficient funds at home, the variety of products available was greatly reduced.
Compared to meat and eggs, rice and noodles are easier to obtain, but there is no shortage of stalls selling staple foods on the streets, with a wide variety of buns, steamed buns, pies, and flatbreads.
The two spent a long time discussing the issue but couldn't come up with a solution. They had no choice but to leave without any ingredients or utensils.
That's how it always is when good friends chat; they end up going off-topic. When the two of them were talking about the brainless female rivals from their high school days, two kids who had been ignored and were playing in the yard walked in.
"Mother, the sun is setting, and I want to go home to find my brother. Can Brother Nian'an come back with me?" Fan Mu knocked on the door and said softly.
The two, engrossed in their conversation, glanced outside simultaneously and realized it was already evening.
Liu Yuanyuan was clearly still chatting: "Son, grab some food, let's go to your Aunt Pei's house for a meal."
Li Nian'an nodded in agreement. It seemed that her mother and Aunt Fan were indeed good friends, so she didn't dwell on the way her mother told her to address her. She turned around and took Fan Mu's little hand and went to the kitchen.
The two families lived in front and back yards, and Pei Yue's house was just across a short path. When the two adults and two children arrived, they saw Fan Chao sitting by the stove with a book in his hand, watching the fire. It seemed that something was cooking in the pot.
Fan Chao was clearly taken aback when he saw the person who came. He didn't expect his mother to make a friend so quickly and even bring him home. But why was this boy holding his sister's hand? Why didn't his mother keep an eye on him?
However, he quickly realized what was happening and stood up to greet Aunt Li.
Liu Yuanyuan waved her hand and said, "No need to call me Aunt Li, just call me Aunt Liu. I've known your mother for many years, but recently I've run into some things and we haven't been in touch much."
Fan Chao and Fan Mu nodded, somewhat confused.
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