Chapter 20 Nian Nian’s Treasure

“What is a chef?” Fat Uncle asked, confused.

Shen Dong said: “It’s someone who is really good at cooking!”

Wang Pozi laughed: “Fat Uncle is so good at cooking, but he doesn’t know what a chef is. That’s funny.”

Zhang Ershun said: “He doesn’t know, he just forgot.”

Fat Uncle was surrounded by everyone.

“Fat Uncle, our family is having a wedding banquet. We originally hired Zhao Dehai to be the chef, but he accidentally got injured. No one can help with cooking. You cook so well, can you please help us out and be the chef for the two-day wedding banquet?”

“We won’t let you work for nothing. We’ll give you sixty copper coins, okay?”

Men in the village who went to town to do hard labor earned twenty copper coins a day. Although they didn’t know how much chefs in town charged, sixty copper coins for Fat Uncle was a lot.

Fat Uncle, who was foolish and timid when he wasn’t going crazy, was suddenly surrounded by so many people. He felt oppressed and scared and didn’t know how to respond. He looked around for Shen Nian, but she and Shen Feng were squeezed out by the adults and blocked by Wei Shi. Fat Uncle couldn’t find them and let out a sharp scream.

Everyone present was startled.

Shen Nian walked out from behind Wei Shi and shouted to the crowd: “Please make way. Fat Uncle’s injury hasn’t healed yet. You’re surrounding him like this, he’s very scared!”

She squeezed into the crowd.

Seeing her, Fat Uncle felt like he had found his anchor. He quickly hid behind her, looking around in fear, no longer screaming.

Shen Nian patted his shoulder: “Fat Uncle, don’t be afraid. Nian Nian is here. Nian Nian will protect you.”

Fat Uncle’s body trembled: “So scary, so many people! Wuuu!”

Seeing Fat Uncle’s appearance, everyone realized that they had been too excited and scared him. They quickly apologized.

With Shen Nian’s comfort, Fat Uncle gradually calmed down.

Shen Nian said to him: “Fat Uncle, everyone isn’t trying to bully you. They think your cooking is too delicious, so they want to ask you to help out as the chef for two days.”

Fat Uncle said blankly: “Chef? Cooking?”

His eyes suddenly lit up: “I like cooking. Cooking is so fun.”

Shen Nian said: “So, are you willing to be the chef?”

Fat Uncle nodded vigorously: “Yes, yes.”

“But…” He glanced at everyone present: “Can you not surround me with so many people? I’m scared!”

“Okay, okay, we won’t surround you!” Zhang Ershun and the others all retreated from the courtyard and looked at Fat Uncle from behind the wall.

“We’ve all moved away. You don’t have to be afraid!”

“If you need anything, just tell us, and we’ll do it.”

Without so many people surrounding him and making noise, Fat Uncle finally felt relieved. He picked up the ladle and was about to cook again.

Shen Nian grabbed his hand: “Fat Uncle, your head wound hasn’t healed yet. If you’re tired, you have to tell us.”

Shen Dong nodded: “Yes, yes. Cooking is important, but your injury is more important. If you’re uncomfortable, we’ll go home and rest, we won’t cook.”

Zhang Ershun’s family said the same thing.

They didn’t want to tire the foolish Fat Uncle because of cooking.

Fat Uncle chuckled: “My head doesn’t hurt anymore. I’m just a little hungry. I want to cook and eat. I want to cook lots and lots of delicious food.”

He started cooking.

Shen Nian rolled up her sleeves: “I’ll help.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Dong grabbed her by the back of her collar and lifted her up like a chick, then held her in his arms: “Nian Nian, be good. This isn’t a place for children to play. You and your ninth brother go play over there!”

So, Shen Nian was taken by Shen Feng to the Zhang family’s hall to eat melon seeds. Chen Sanshui also ran over with a group of children. A bunch of kids gathered at the entrance of the hall, watching Fat Uncle wield his ladle in the courtyard, sometimes exclaiming in amazement, sometimes clapping.

The villagers who were leaning against the wall also watched intently. Seeing Fat Uncle’s swift movements and the fragrant food he was cooking, they all smiled with satisfaction.

“We’re in for a treat today!”

“I can’t believe Fat Uncle is a hidden talent!”

“Nian Nian is blessed with good fortune.  Just about anyone she picks up is extraordinary.”

The villagers exclaimed as they climbed down from the wall and went outside to set up tables and wash dishes.

Half an hour later, all the dishes were ready, nine dishes and one soup.  The soup was meatball and cabbage soup, the only meat dish.

Ten people gathered at a table, and everyone ate with gusto.

Shen Nian was surprised by Fat Uncle’s cooking skills.  There were few seasonings in this era, and even fewer in farm families.  The only seasonings they could gather for a banquet were soy sauce, vinegar, salt, white wine, and pepper (a substitute for chili peppers in ancient times).  There were no MSG, oyster sauce, chili oil, soybean paste, or other miscellaneous things, but the dishes Fat Uncle made were really delicious.

Could it be that he was really a chef, and a very skilled one at that?

That was great!

Shen Nian’s eyes flickered, and she had an idea for making money.

Perhaps he was extremely tired.  He had just finished eating when he fell asleep on the table, snoring loudly.  No matter how much they called him, he wouldn’t wake up.

So, when they went home, Shen Dong carried him on his back.

Although Shen Dong was very strong, he was no longer a young man.  Carrying a fat man weighing over a hundred pounds on his back, he was still exhausted when he got home.

Of the four branches of the Shen family, only Shen Bei had fewer people and an empty room.  Fat Uncle was temporarily sleeping there.

After Shen Dong put Fat Uncle down and left, Shen Nian, taking advantage of the adults’ inattention, went into Fat Uncle’s room.  She had Shen Feng guard outside while she checked Fat Uncle’s head wound inside.

She had treated his wound last night.  He fainted this morning, and Doctor Liu had come to treat him again.

The wound infection was gradually recovering and not getting worse.  As long as he rested well, it would heal in a few days.

External injuries were easy to treat, but the inside of his head was a bit difficult.

She had a medical book in her space, a treasure of an old Chinese doctor.  It contained a set of acupuncture techniques for treating Fat Uncle’s condition, but she wasn’t completely sure she could make him recover to normal.  She could only try her best.

After re-bandaging Fat Uncle’s wound, Shen Nian went out of the room.  Shen Cai came over.  Seeing Shen Nian and Shen Feng at the door of Fat Uncle’s room, he smiled and said: “What are you two doing here?”

Shen Feng said: “Nothing, we wanted to play with Fat Uncle, but he’s sleeping too soundly. We couldn’t wake him up. We were just about to go home.”

Shen Cai smiled and said: “What’s there to play at night?  Fat Uncle is tired and needs to rest.  You and Nian Nian should be sensible and don’t disturb Fat Uncle.”

Shen Nian asked him: “Fourth brother, what are you doing here?”

Shen Cai scratched the back of his head: “Hehe, well, I heard your father say that Fat Uncle is a really good cook, so I wanted to come and see Fat Uncle… Is he really that good?”

Shen Nian nodded: “Fat Uncle’s cooking is better than Grandpa’s.”

Grandpa was the best cook in the family.

Shen Cai’s eyes lit up: “Really?  Then I have to learn from Fat Uncle properly.”

Shen Nian said: “If Fat Uncle recovers well tonight, he’ll continue to help Zhang Ernǎinai’s family cook tomorrow.  Fourth brother, if you’re curious, you can go and take a look.  You don’t have school tomorrow.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll definitely go.”

Back in the eldest branch’s house, Shen Nian went to the kitchen and moved a small wooden box from a corner.  She opened it, and straw met her eyes, emitting a strange smell.

Shen Nian looked at it carefully and sniffed it.  A smile appeared on her lips: “My treasure is finally done!”