Warm Nights and Fresh Starts

30

Following that, the weather took a sudden turn for the worse. It rained heavily for several consecutive days.

In my memory, Springfield's winter had never seen such terrifying amounts of rainfall. The continuous downpour and plummeting temperatures made it almost as cold as a freezing season.

In this extreme weather, our equipment became exceptionally fragile.

I immediately took down the solar panels and tarpaulins.

We estimated that this winter, the temperature could very well drop below -20°C.

Although the windows were tightly shut, the howling north wind still seeped through various cracks.

The indoor temperature kept dropping.

Taking advantage of these few days, I decided to refurbish our base again.

We went to other rooms in the building to search for towels and bed sheets, hoping to find thick enough clothing for warmth as well.

The corridors were brightly lit. Because of the sensor switches, there was no need to worry about wasting excess electricity.

With the lights on, I felt like we had truly taken over the entire building. Walking through it felt like traversing our own safe and sturdy fortress.

Chris tightly twisted the towels and stuffed them into the window cracks. He also used bed sheets to seal the gaps between the balcony doors and the base.

Outside, the rain was relentless, and the wind was fierce. Raindrops hit the windows as densely as bullets.

But inside, it was bright, warm, dry, and completely sealed off.

My balcony was open, but both 901 and 903 were sealed.

I checked the growth of the vegetables and fruits.

Fortunately, in this greenhouse-like environment, they weren't much affected by the weather.

After the last harvest, I had reorganized the vegetable plot.

Previously, due to lack of experience, I had sown all the seeds together, causing the harvest times to be almost identical. There was either a shortage of vegetables in the middle of the month or an excess at the end.

Many vegetables rotted before we could finish eating them.

This time, I learned from the experience and planted a portion of seeds every week so that the harvest periods would be staggered.

Bored at home, I started cooking using some recipes I had found.

By 4 PM, I was already busy in the kitchen.

The middle layer of the fridge was stocked with many semi-finished products like steak, bacon, cured meat, and sausages.

The freezer drawers were filled with frozen pork ribs, pork bones, raw beef cuts, chicken breasts, thighs, and wings.

These have a shelf life of only a year, and based on my stock, we could have frozen meat once a week.

With winter setting in, the efficiency of the solar panels further decreased.

Not knowing how long this rain would last, we shifted the cooking responsibility to the gas stove to save electricity.

I took a bag of pork soup bones from the fridge, blanched them, and put them in a clay pot.

After adding water and turning up the heat,

I waited for about ten minutes before adding chopped corn pieces.

I then added salt, soy sauce, and chicken essence, covered the pot, and let it simmer.

Anne taught me how to make sweet and sour fish.

After removing the scales, fins, gills, and innards, I cut slits on both sides of the fish, coated it with cornstarch water, and deep-fried it until golden brown. After frying, I set the fish aside.

Next, I sautéed chopped green onions, garlic, and ginger in the pan, added soy sauce, white sugar, salt, cooking wine, vinegar, and half a bowl of cornstarch water to make the sweet and sour sauce.

Finally, I poured the sauce over the fish and sprinkled some sesame seeds on top.

Stir-frying crown daisy was easy. I picked a few fresh plants from the vegetable garden and stir-fried them with chili and minced garlic.

While the soup simmered, I decided to make a small dessert.

I picked three plump potatoes from the pantry, peeled and sliced them, and steamed them until soft.

After steaming, I mashed the potatoes with a spoon, added a bit of milk and a spoonful of salt,

and mixed them well before sealing with plastic wrap.

The essence of mashed potatoes lies in the sauce.

I mixed cornstarch, oyster sauce, and pepper in the pot, added a bit of water, and cooked until it turned a light caramel color.

I poured the sauce over the mashed potatoes and plated them.

Dinner began with steaming hot dishes and ended amidst lively chatter.

I found that Chris wasn't as dull and serious as I had thought. People with quick minds usually aren't bad conversationalists either.

If one day he engaged in a spirited debate at the dinner table, it would mean he was in a good mood.

Lately, he seemed to be in a good mood all the time, which was both delightful and troublesome.

We ate dinner early, and before bed, we felt a bit hungry again.

In the kitchen, I found some leftover rib soup.

Because of the weather, the soup had turned into a semi-transparent, thick gel.

Since it was cooked in clear soup, it wasn't greasy at all.

I scooped out a chunk of the semi-solidified meat jelly and tasted it.

Delicious! Even better than the usual meat soup.

I kept eating until I was full.

After washing up, I climbed into bed.

Outside, the wind and rain continued.

Listening to the rain, I quickly fell asleep.

In the last moment of consciousness, I vaguely thought of the black cat,

hoping it could find enough food and a warm shelter.

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