Chapter 42: Breakfast

After finished chopping the ingredients, Bai Yi Yang then placed the clay pot onto the brazier, she put the potato and carrot into the stew then add water and seasoning. After that, she wash the white rice for the porridge, just enough for 10-15 people to eat. She cook it in the big iron pot.

There is no other way, she can only cook the big green peppers later after this porridge is cooked. That would be just in time when the vegetables in the beef stew softened.

Bai Yi Yang sat at the dinner table playing with her phone while waiting for Grandpa Bo to return from the vegetables farm. She saw him from the window just now, he brought a small basket with him, he is using a big umbrella and a pair of tall boot.

Bai Yi Yang saw the notification of the clothings apps, the delivery date is supposed to be today but they send a notification of delay because of unavoidable reason. Bai Yi Yang went to search for local news from the community of this town, it seems like not only their village but other place is also flooding. There are many people who have been rescued to the flood centre.

Bai Yi Yang didn't think that it will be this serious. In the last life, there have been continuous heavy rain like this, but her living place and the research institute has never been flooded, so he just took the heavy rain lightly. Never thought that their village or to be exact, their town is located at the lower area where flood will easily occur.

"Yatou.." Aunt Li came from outside, she is holding a milk bottle in her hand and also a small can of formula milk.

"Aunt Li, good morning." Bai Yi Yang call out and smile.

"You came to make Xiao Nian milk? I moved the kettle for a while, wait let me move it back." Bai Yi Yang said. The 2 years old baby girl from the second Li family is called Li Su Nian, she found it our last night when Aunt Li was talking about her.

"No need, the water in the kettle is boiled. As long as it is still hot." Aunt Li said. She proceeded to put the things in her hand onto the table then scoop out milk powder before pouring half hot water into the bottle, shake it until all the milk melt then add some tepid water into the bottle until a certain level. After that she drip a few drop onto the back of her hand and nod. Bai Yi Yang watch the whole process in awe, there is this special steps in making a baby's formula milk, it's not just simply pouring hot water then done.

"I go feed Xiao Nian first, I will ask Ning Ning to help." Aunt Li said before leaving, the Ning Ning she is talking about is Li Su Ning, her oldest daughter.

"Alright." Bai Yi Yang nod and smile. Li Su Ning is a sensible girl, just like Bai Yi Ling. She must be doing a lot of homework when her mother is taking care of the baby. Bai Yi Yang can tell from the way she help her mother with chores and taking care of her siblings last night.

Grandpa Bo return not long after, he bought some large green peppers in the small basket he is holding.

"Yatou..your vegetables garden is really unusual, they are so healthy, the vegetables all frown into larger than usual. It makes me wanted to pick more." Grandpa Bo said. He seems a bit excited.

"We just loosened the soil last time, then weed it. Maybe the soil here is good." Bai Yi Yang answer, she took the basket from Grandpa Bo and put it on the sink to wash it.

When Li Su Ning come over, she immediately ask if she need to cut the peppers. Bai Yi Yang nod, she let Li Su Ning do the job of cutting big peppers while she chat with Grandpa Bo.

By now, a few others has woke up, like Bai Yi Chen and Li Su Nong, Second Uncle Li and also Grandma Bo. Grandma Bo also quickly busy around in the kitchen, she look over the almost cooked porridge and control the fire. Like an expert in her own home, she manage to find a large metal pot somewhere, she directly took a sponge scrubber and scrub the pot clean.

Bai Yi Yang have seen the pot lying around before but she never think of using it. It was the type that usually used in cooking large quantity of rice or stew over fire, it was different than the curved large iron pot she usually use. Grandma Bo immediately transfer the cooked porridge into the large metal pot after it is done cooking and rinse the iron pot with water.

Bai Yi Yang then took over after Li Su Ning finished cutting the big peppers. It was just a simple stir fry green peppers with garlic and oyster sauce but everyone seems to be attracted to the smell, even the children woke up to that smell. Grandma Bo was going to help if Bai Yi Yang found it difficult to cook a large quantities but she seems to be doing very well so she stay still.

"I never used that large pot before, there is only us at home so it was left lying around." Bai Yi Yang said.

"Big pot like that is suitable for big events when a lot of people come. Cooking a large quantity of rice can be tricky when using the curved iron pot." Grandma Bo said as she and Li Su Ning clean up the bowls, chopsticks and spoon, serving plates and cups.

'Why don't I know this when I am at Level 1 cooking skills?' Bai Yi Yang ask the system.

'Host, if you want to be be specialised in traditional Chinese cooking then Level up oh' The system said.

'No need, cooking daily food is enough' She said, rejecting the system's suggestion. For now, she doesn't have plan to become a chef, why does she need to know that?

When she finished cooking, she scoop the vegetables into different serving plates, then the stew into larger bowls. They don't have enough bowls for the beef stew for everyone, so they can just share in big bowls.

"This stew smells good." Grandma Bo praise when they were filling the bowl with it.

"It's just simple ingredients, let it simmer with the beef and it will become delicious on its own." Bai Yi Yang said.

Grandma Bo nod a few times, her admiration to the young girl Bai Yi Yang has increased to another level. She is very capable as the eldest sister of the siblings, no wonder their life is good now. Last night before sleeping, she and her husband were chatting casually about the Bai siblings, who in the village doesn't know about the abandoned courtyard in the mountain? When the Bai siblings move in about 2 years ago, they are one of the people who come to help clean and tidy up the abandoned courtyard.

The house wasn't in a good condition as now. The courtyard that they remember was dusty, the roofs are full of defects that they even advice the siblings what to do during rainy day and which room is liveable but now the roof is brand new clay tiles. There were only a few lights just enough to see at night but now the house is brightly lit like a house in the city, don't even talk about the ceiling fans, there used to be only spiders web on the ceiling.

Then there are also the toilet and bathroom, it was all brand new and very clean, last night while using it, she was extra careful and especially ask her grandson to clean properly after using. And the washing machine and dryer, her son is working in the city but they only have washing machine alone. The dryer was so useful during rainy days, only that from the look of it and also the brands, it can't be cheap.

After finish scooping the food and deciding on their eating place, Grandma Mo then quickly call the men sitting on the dinner table to bring the food.

Bai Yi Yang and her siblings will just eat in the kitchen while the two family eats in the living room.

This was Grandma Bo arrangements, they have trouble the siblings enough so she doesn't want that their presence here affect the siblings daily life. It was good enough that they have a shade from the rain under the roof, a proper room to sleep in and warm food and drinks. They are already taking advantage of the siblings, so their presence here shouldn't affect the siblings life so much, they also must have something to talk about that strangers like them shouldn't listen too.

Bai Yi Yang was thankful when she heard this. To be honest, she is not a people's person, she is not into things that the villagers think is a given such as suffering together with other people, well at least for her, sitting uncomfortably on the floor eating breakfast with strangers and potentially unruly group of children, which also require someone to control their usual comfortable nature at home, it was a type of light suffering. She is totally a person who put her and her siblings interest first. To say it bluntly, she can even pass as a selfish person.

Since they have the ability to help the two families then she will help them, it was only providing place to stay for 2-3 days. As for the food, it doesn't cost much because they can just take vegetables from the farm. As for cooking, she also cooks 3 times a day for her siblings so adding extra portion is not a big deal, what more there are people helping her too, it's a win-win situation.

So Bai Yi Yang and her siblings ate like usual in the kitchen, they talked freely and she also get to say a few words with Bai Yi Chen in private without outsiders listening to them.

"If as what you says the rain will only slows down tomorrow, then the two families need to stay here for another day. Last night, Grandpa Bo and Second Uncle Li said that they will just stay for one night, they wanted to look at the situation today if they can return or ask for the rescue team." Bai Yi Chen said, telling Bai Yi Yang about her conversation with the family head.

"The rain won't slow down until tomorrow so the flood may only get worse, there is no way they can leave today. Ge, you tell them this, it is useless even if they wait until night." Bai Yi Yang said.

"You know what's in their mind, they don't want to trouble us." Bai Yi Chen explain.

"I know..but it is really useless, by now I think the villagers has also moved away. Where will they go then? Talking about rescue team, our village is still okay, but other place is also badly affected, there are more people who needed to be rescued." Bai Yi Yang said. Bai Yi Chen nod, he also agree with her points.

"If they still feel uneasy, then later when everything is stable, just let them pay for their food and accommodations." Bai Yi Yang conclude.

"How can we do that." Bai Yi Chen frown.

"I am just kidding." Bai Yi Yang laugh.

"Ge, things like this I really cannot handle, you are closer to them, you convince them bah." Bai Yi Yang said, she surrender early and back off.

"En, I will talk to them." Bai Yi Chen agree. If he let Yang Yang handle this talking matters, afraid that she will stirred the villagers simple way of thinking, just like what she did to him a few times before.

Bai Yi Yang then talked to her younger siblings, she asked them about their plan of the day. The two younger one is only thinking about playing with their friend, the 6 years old Li Su Nuo around the house.

Bai Yi Yang remind them early that they can only play in the living room, do not disturb the other place, no playing outside in the rain. The living room is big and empty, so they can do anything they want there, what more, there will always be adults watching over if they play there.

"You, Xiao Ling?" Bai Yi Yang asked.

"I wanted to do my homework, then do some reading from the internet, I want to write good essays like jiejie in the future." Bai Yi Ling said.

"Very well, I will send you the links of good articles to read." Bai Yi Yang said.

"En." Bai Yi Ling nod.

"Ge, how about you? You cannot go outside, I don't want to take care of sick person." Bai Yi Yang said. Bai Yi Chen release a soft laugh.

"Nothing, maybe do some homework too. Su Nong is a year older than us, he had study more than us. Maybe I can ask him." Bai Yi Chen said. In this rainy day, they really doesn't know what to do. They were so busy the previous week, suddenly they became free, it feels a bit weird.

"Alright, then I will be in the workshop all day. I want to quickly make our house doors." Bai Yi Yang said.

"Can you do it with damp woods?" Bai Yi Chen ask.

"Yeah, I can just make some sketches, cut them into pieces and assemble it. When the sun is out, I can just let the wood dry to a certain degree before smoothen it out and paint on it." Bai Yi Yang explain.

"Jiejie is amazing!" The two children praise and they clap their hands. Their sister can even make doors, not only flower stand and racks.

"Flatterer.." She glare at the two children which they respond with a laugh. Their breakfast time passed harmoniously.