I am a Chef in the Modern Era

Lin ShuYi and Chen Fang went to the door together. Grandfather Shen hadn’t left yet, and he wore a foreboding expression on his face as he sat downstairs. Instinctively, both Lin ShuYi and Chen Fang glanced towards Shen Fu. Didn’t he already say everything was alright? Why did grandfather Shen still look so angry?

Shen Fu shrugged at them in response, but didn’t say anything. There was no good way to tell them that he had lied to his grandfather, claiming he was already in a relationship with Lin ShuYi.

While considering the situation, Lin ShuYi shot a glance at Chen Fang. He decided that no matter what was going on, it was Shen Fu’s family’s issue so it was completely unsuitable for him to get involved. Before he could voice any of this, however, Chen Fang patted him on the shoulder cheerfully and said, “You should go downstairs, have a chat with Old Man Shen...”

Chen Fang got halfway through his sentence before he remembered that Lin ShuYi didn’t even know Shen Fu had feelings for him, much less his potential involvement in this affair, so saying this to him would do nothing but make him confused.

And as expected, Lin ShuYi was indeed confused. Him? Chat with grandfather Shen? What could there possibly be for them to talk about?

Meanwhile, Shen Fu massaged his throbbing temples, belatedly feeling that this situation was getting a little out of hand. Chen Fang was trying to help him get with Lin ShuYi, but Lin ShuYi thought that the person he liked was Chen Fang. What a mess. He really shot himself in the foot back then when he didn’t refute Lin ShuYi’s assumption of Chen Fang being the one he liked. All Shen Fu wanted was some simplicity, and to avoid having to reveal that he person he actually had feelings for was Lin ShuYi himself. Turns out, that lie of omission would come back to bite him in the ass, but it was far too late for regrets.

Fortunately, Lin ShuYi and Chen Fang didn’t have the opportunity to continue talking, because having recovered from the shock, grandfather Shen hollered from down below, “What are you doing just standing there?! Get down here!”

Chen Fang jumped at the sound, startled, but Lin ShuYi didn’t have much of a reaction at all, just started walking back the way he came. After all, this had nothing to do with him...

Seeing Lin ShuYi’s reaction, grandfather Shen thought that he must have been frightened by the shout, which had actually been directed at Shen Fu. Grandfather Shen hadn’t intended to scare Lin ShuYi at all, and he began to turn a little red from embarrassment. After thinking about it for a moment, he softened the expression on his face, and didn’t shout as he said again, “That... Lin ShuYi, you come down... I have something to say to you.”

Lin ShuYi stopped and turned to look back, a bewildered expression on his face, wondering if he just heard correctly. Shen Fu, standing by his side, just patted his shoulder and said, “Go, perhaps my grandfather has something important he wants to tell you.”

Chen Fang struggled to keep a straight face.

Currently, Lin ShuYi still didn’t know that Shen Fu liked him, and was probably the only one, but without even knowing the specifics of what their relationship was or might be, he already had to face the in-laws. It was hard for Shen Fu to stand back and watch, made even harder by the significant possibility that his grandfather might say something outrageous. Shen Fu felt like the stress headache from all the things that could go wrong might just kill him.

Although very confused and at a loss for what grandfather Shen could possibly want with him, Lin ShuYi still obediently went downstairs. And seeing Lin ShuYi coming down, grandfather Shen let out a sigh of relief. He waved the other two away, indicating that he wanted to talk to Lin ShuYi alone. Shen Fu and Chen Fang went inside.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Chen Fang asked, “Why don’t you just tell Lin ShuYi you like him? Wouldn’t it be so much worse for him to hear it from your grandfather instead?”

Shen Fu didn’t respond immediately. He had his reasons. Lin ShuYi may seem open and straightforward at first glance, but he was actually horribly old-fashioned. All the hints Shen Fu’s dropped, the suggestive comments and actions, and Lin ShuYi didn’t pick up on a single one. It was clear that Lin ShuYi just wasn’t into men at all, and Shen Fu knew, the most important thing to bending a straight man was patience. If Lin ShuYi had known of his feelings from the beginning, then there would have been no way Lin ShuYi would have been willing to come here today.

That matter aside, however, there was clearly something much more important at hand. Something he needed to let Chen Fang know in advance, before it snowballed any further. He had no idea just how angry Chen Fang would be when he heard, but he also had no choice. “Chen Fang, I have something to tell you...”

Chen Fang instantly knew something was off. Shen Fu’s nervous grin and the hesitance to his tone sent a cold chill down Chen Fang’s back, and he really didn’t know if he wanted to hear what was coming. But whether he wanted to or not, now that Shen Fu had put the subject on the table, not knowing exactly what Shen Fu had done this time would probably be just as bad.

“Talk.”

Shen Fu began very slowly and carefully. “Well, Lin ShuYi had assumed that the person I liked was you, and the thing is, I didn’t exactly... Correct him...”

Chen Fang’s face went black. Instantly, he wanted to disembowel himself, but more importantly, he was planning how to do the same to Shen Fu. “So you threw me under the bus, huh...”

If Lin ShuYi said a single word of this to grandfather Shen, Chen Fang’s only option left would be to jump into the Yellow River and drown himself. Given grandfather Shen’s personality, he would never lay a hand on Lin ShuYi, but Chen Fang on the other hand...

In the main hall, Lin ShuYi sat across from grandfather Shen, who held a cup of tea. Lin ShuYi poured himself a cup of hot water, and asked, “Grandfather Shen, if I may ask, what did you want to tell me?”

Of all the people grandfather Shen should be talking to about this matter, Lin ShuYi should be the last, right? What could there possibly be that he should know?

Before now, grandfather Shen had honestly never spared Lin ShuYi a second glance. After all, he had never even considered accepting this situation, but then Shen Fu went ahead and did everything already...

In the end, grandfather Shen was still a man of his years, strictly traditional at heart. Since everything had already been said and done, the only option left was to take responsibility. This was also why Shen Fu’s upbringing had been so strict, and why up until now Shen Fu had never been allowed to date any women. Even though it wasn’t until recently that grandfather Shen learned the true reason was actually because Shen Fu just didn’t like women.

Sitting across from Lin ShuYi now, grandfather Shen took the opportunity to give him a once over, looking him up and down and scrutinizing his character. Having thrived in the business world for so many years now, grandfather Shen had a quite a skill for judging people’s characters, and he had to admit that Lin ShuYi was more than a satisfactory young man. There was a saying that honest people wear their hearts on their face, and from the looks of it, Lin ShuYi was a very honest person indeed.

However, even though grandfather Shen thought this, the idea of Lin ShuYi becoming his future granddaughter-in-law was still difficult for him to accept.

But, difficult to accept or not, he still had no choice but to accept what had already happened. Grandfather Shen grit his teeth, thinking of all his years playing the field in the business world, yet in the end he was played by his own grandson’s brashness.

All these thoughts ran through grandfather Shen’s head, but he didn’t show any of it on his face. After all, he blamed this entire situation on Shen Fu, and in his heart, Lin ShuYi was only a victim...

The ‘victim,’ Lin ShuYi, was still at a complete loss and wore it on his face. In grandfather Shen’s eyes, this confused expression became a look of helpless panic, and grandfather Shen couldn’t help but become even gentler, to the point where even Shen Fu would have never seen such an expression on his face before.

Grandfather Shen said, “I’ve thought it through, and though I cannot completely accept the situation at hand, I will withhold my reservations for now.”

Truthfully grandfather Shen had already accepted it in his heart, but he needed to observe things for a little longer before he would admit that.

On the other end of the conversation, Lin ShuYi, if possible, became even more confused.

Shouldn’t this be said to Chen Fang instead of him? Lin ShuYi’s thoughts were performing Olympic-level acrobatics trying to make sense of the conversation, and in the end he reached this conclusion: because Shen Fu had not told Chen Fang of his feelings yet, grandfather Shen could not say this directly to Chen Fang either, so perhaps, grandfather Shen wanted Lin ShuYi to convey this to Chen Fang in his stead?

Lin ShuYi could only reach so far, so he accepted this conclusion, and smiled at grandfather Shen, thanking him in Chen Fang’s stead. “Thank you, grandfather Shen, for your efforts. I understand. I will convey your meaning to him.”

The ‘him’ Lin ShuYi was speaking of was Chen Fang, but grandfather Shen thought he was speaking of Shen Fu instead, so for a moment he was extremely thankful for Lin ShuYi’s help and understanding. This child was really a clever one, he thought.

And so, with Lin ShuYi and grandfather Shen clearly speaking on completely separate wavelengths, the conversation drew to a miraculous conclusion with both parties in mutual agreement. They shared a smile, and grandfather Shen even patted Lin ShuYi on the shoulder appreciatively. He thought that although these two children would no doubt walk a difficult path in the future, this child was surprisingly bright, and inexplicably made it impossible for anyone around him to dislike him.

Grandfather Shen called Shen Fu and Chen Fang back out, a pleasant expression on his face telling of a satisfactory resolution. He said his goodbyes, and before he left, even suggested Shen Fu bring Lin ShuYi home sometime.

Chen Fang was dumbstruck the entire exchange, and eventually managed to knock against Shen Fu’s arm. “I honestly couldn’t tell, but you really have a skill for pacifying your old man, huh?”

Shen Fu grinned. “I’m starting to feel like I might have struck gold.”

After Lin ShuYi sent grandfather Shen on his way, he turned back to look at Shen Fu, with an I just did you a tremendous favor, just so you know, and I won’t even be asking you to pay me back expression written across his face. He then, in plain view of Shen Fu, glanced very obviously in Chen Fang’s direction.

And suddenly, it struck Shen Fu and Chen Fang, something wasn’t right. With how Lin ShuYi looked right now, he clearly still didn’t know anything about Shen Fu’s feelings, but if he still didn’t know anything, then what on earth did he talk to grandfather Shen about?! And grandfather Shen didn’t seem to have any misgivings at all?! What the hell happened?!

Facing how shocked Shen Fu and Chen Fang looked, Lin ShuYi was, once again, confused, and once again, misunderstood something. As he walked upstairs, he thought, he already expressed that he didn’t need anything in return, but if Shen Fu really wanted to thank him that much, than a bucket of fried chicken would be pretty good. It just so happened that recently Lin ShuYi had seen advertising for KFC’s new family bucket everywhere, and he had developed quite a fierce craving.

Shen Fu and Chen Fang glanced at each other, and it was their turn to run through the mental acrobatics.

Grandfather Shen had left the family home brimming with rage, and come back peacefully satisfied, shocking the entire Shen family.

This matter with Shen Fu was no secret, and absolutely everyone in the family knew what happened. Shen Fu’s mother and father had both spent time abroad, so consequently their views weren’t very conservative at all. Especially seeing that Shen Fu wouldn’t change he ways even after such a beating by grandfather Shen, their hearts were already sympathetic of their son. However, in the Shen family, grandfather Shen’s words were the law, and as long as Shen Fu couldn’t surpass this obstacle, there was nothing anyone else in the family could do. Thus when grandfather Shen left this time, everyone was left on edge, half worried, half anticipatory.

Worried that Shen Fu would end up black and blue like last time, and anticipating whether Shen Fu could successfully sway grandfather Shen.

On the inside, however, everyone knew that according to grandfather Shen’s temperament, the first possibility completely knocked the second one out of the playing field. Though their hearts ached, there was nothing Shen Fu’ mother or father could do, because not to mention Shen Fu, even Shen Fu’s father faced a harsh lesson from grandfather Shen if he did anything dissatisfactory. And although grandfather Shen made endless threats, never had he had the heart to actually raise a hand against Shen Fu, until now. Which was why the rest of the family was left at such a loss. If the hand that grandfather couldn’t strike down for Shen Fu’s entire childhood had already struck down, what on earth could sway grandfather Shen’s iron views now?

However...

The entire family watched grandfather Shen return, smiling peacefully and radiatiating satisfaction, without even dragging behind him someone beaten so badly they wouldn’t even be able to recognize their parents, and everyone had one unanimous thought... this was completely unscientific!

Shen Fu’s mother had just gathered herself up to go ask grandfather Shen just exactly what had happened when he opened his mouth to speak first, “Xiao Zhen ah, after a few days, give Xiao Fu a call. Tell him to come back and live at home. What kind of manners does he have, constantly living at someone else’s place?!” Grandfather Shen thought about it for a moment, then added, “And ask for that child to come as well.” And before he left, grandfather Shen added one last thing, “Don’t tell Shen Fu it was me who told you to call!”

Shen Fu’s mother agreed stiffly, looking as if she had just seen a ghost. Her curiosity about this future ‘daughter-in-law’ was just about ready to shoot through the roof.