Chapter 50 Bao Zhanpeng

When Zhao Uncle woke up, the sky was already bright. Shen Nian was no longer by his side.

He looked around the room in a daze, and countless images flashed through his mind.

After a while, he suddenly covered his face and laughed softly.

He remembered, he remembered everything!

Zhao Uncle got dressed and went out of the room. As soon as he looked up, he saw the Shen family busy in the courtyard.

Sweeping the floor, feeding the chickens, chopping pigweed, a strong rural atmosphere.

His broken and cold heart suddenly warmed up. The cracks in his heart seemed to be slowly being repaired.

“Zhao Uncle, you’re awake. There’s hot water in the kitchen. Go wash your face,” said Jiang Shi with a smile.

Zhao Uncle nodded and went to the kitchen.

Shen Bei was cooking porridge in the kitchen, “Zhao Uncle, will you have breakfast here this morning, or will you go to my brother’s place and eat with Nian Nian?”

Although Zhao Uncle would go to the eldest branch for breakfast every morning, Shen Bei would still ask him every day.

Zhao Uncle said, “I’ll eat with Nian Nian.”

Shen Bei smiled, “I knew it.”

After washing his face, Zhao Uncle went to the eldest branch.

The eldest branch had already prepared breakfast. It was made by Shen Nian and Wei Shi. They had cooked a mixed grain porridge and were eating it with milk cakes. They were both in the kitchen ladling out porridge.

Zhao Uncle’s gaze lingered on Shen Nian for a moment, then he smiled and walked into the room. However, this time, he didn’t go straight to Shen Nian as he usually did. Instead, he walked to Shen Dong and sat down.

“Brother A Dong,” he said with a smile.

Shen Dong was sitting at the dining table. He turned his head and looked at him, “What did you call me?”

Zhao Uncle had never called him that before. He always called him Nian Nian’s father.

Zhao Uncle’s eyes were clear. He smiled and said, “Brother A Dong, I’m fine. I’m not stupid anymore!”

Shen Dong frowned, “Really?”

Zhao Uncle nodded, “Really.”

Shen Dong, “Then tell me, what’s your name?”

Zhao Uncle, “Bao Zhanpeng.”

Shen Dong pointed to the chicken coop outside, “How many chickens are there?”

“Six old hens, twelve chicks, and one rooster, a total of nineteen chickens.”

His answer was clear and accurate.

Shen Dong was overjoyed. He excitedly grabbed Zhao Uncle’s shoulders, “You’re really fine! Old brother, I’m so happy for you!”

He shouted, “Everyone, stop what you’re doing. Come here quickly. I have good news for you. Zhao Uncle is not stupid anymore. You’ve recovered your memory!”

The Shen family members gathered around.

After a while, the other branches dispersed. The rice porridge was served, and the eldest branch sat at the dining table, their eyes shining as they looked at Zhao Uncle.

Shen Nian said with a sweet smile, “Zhao Uncle’s real name is Bao Zhanpeng! I can’t call you Zhao Uncle anymore. I’ll call you Uncle Bao.”

Zhao Uncle smiled faintly, “I prefer you to call me Zhao Uncle. It’s more intimate.”

Shen Nian said, “Okay, I’ll keep calling you Zhao Uncle. Zhao Uncle, Zhao Uncle, Zhao Uncle!”

Wei Shi stuffed a small wooden spoon into her mouth, “You talk too much. Eat your food.”

Shen Dong said, “Zhao Uncle used to be a chef in a restaurant. No wonder his cooking skills are so good. Our family really found a treasure!”

Zhao Uncle said with a smile, “It’s me who found a treasure. If it weren’t for you, I would have died long ago!”

Old Man Shen said, “This is fate between you and our family. Let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s eat first. We’ll talk slowly after we finish.”

After dinner, Old Man Shen, Shen Dong, and his four brothers surrounded Bao Zhanpeng and talked to him.

Old Man Shen asked, “Since you’ve remembered everything, do you remember how you fell into the water? You came down from the upper reaches of the Flowing Water River, but we asked around in Liu Village, and no one saw how you fell into the water.”

Bao Zhanpeng’s eyes flickered slightly. He still concealed the truth, “Well, I fell into the water by accident. My daughter, Zhenzhen, was lost, and I searched for her everywhere. I didn’t know how I got to Lanhua Village. I was thirsty and went to the river to drink water. I slipped and fell into the water!”

Shen Nian was feeding the chickens nearby. When she heard this, she frowned. Slipped and fell into the water? She didn’t believe it!

Shen Dong was surprised, “Your daughter? Is her name Zhenzhen?”

Bao Zhanpeng nodded, “Yes, she’s two years older than Nian Nian.”

Shen Dong and the others chatted with Bao Zhanpeng for a while, getting a grasp of his basic situation.

He came from Jinzhou Prefecture. He had offended someone in his hometown and was forced to flee with his wife and daughter. He originally planned to go to the capital to seek refuge with relatives, but he encountered bandits on the way. His wife was killed, and his daughter went missing. He came to Fuzhou Prefecture searching for his daughter, but his money ran out, and then he had a near-drowning experience.

The Shen family felt sorry for Bao Zhanpeng’s misfortune. Shen Dong asked, “What are your plans for the future?”

Bao Zhanpeng smiled bitterly, “My daughter is probably already dead. I plan to go to the capital and inquire about her along the way. She’s very smart. If she’s alive, she’ll definitely find a way to go to the capital. But she’s only a five-year-old child…”

Before he could finish, tears streamed down his face.

Shen Dong comforted him, “Brother Bao, don’t be sad. Your daughter will be fine. You’ll need money for the capital. We’ll prepare some for you.”

Bao Zhanpeng waved his hand, “No need. The share of the profits you gave me is already enough. With that money, I can definitely reach the capital.”

Bao Zhanpeng was determined to leave. As fathers, Shen Dong and the others understood his feelings. However, they couldn’t offer much help in this matter. They could only do their best to keep an eye out for any clues about Zhenzhen in Fuzhou Prefecture.

At Shen Dong’s request, Bao Zhanpeng described his daughter’s name and appearance. Shen Bei drew a portrait of Bao Zhenzhen based on his description.

However, Shen Bei’s portrait was too abstract. It looked beautiful, but it was vastly different from the real person.

Even if they found someone with such a portrait, they wouldn’t be able to tell if it was the right person.

Shen Nian went to Shen Bo and Shen Xue’s room and found paper and charcoal.

She had learned sketching and, while not a master at drawing people, she wasn’t bad either.

Wan Baocai didn’t come today. After chatting with Bao Zhanpeng, the Shen family went about their usual business, none of them paying attention to what Shen Nian was doing in her room.

The villagers had witnessed Zhang’s family delivering tofu to the Shen family. They were shocked and curious. Some couldn’t resist asking a few more questions. They learned that the Shen family was using tofu to make a rare delicacy.

The delicacy wasn’t for sale yet, so no one knew if it would sell well.

The villagers were incredibly impressed by the Shen family.

They invested a lot of money to buy tofu just to process it and sell it. Ordinary people wouldn’t have the ability or the courage to do that.

If the business failed, they would lose money.

One villager said, “It’s easy to lose money in business. A slight misstep can lead to bankruptcy. You Shen family are so bold. You tasted a little sweetness from selling cakes and think you’re really good? Farmers should just farm honestly. That’s reliable. Don’t keep thinking about those things that don’t matter.”

Although they said that, the villagers were actually very grateful to the Shen family. If they hadn’t bought a large amount of tofu from Zhang’s family, their idle soybeans wouldn’t have sold so quickly.

Shen Lao smiled, “Losing money is losing money. You’re not young if you don’t go crazy. It’s a good thing that the children have that fighting spirit. As the head of the family, as long as they don’t become dishonest merchants, I will fully support them in doing business.”

The villager pointed at him, “You… forget it, I don’t want to talk to you. I wish your Shen family good luck, good fortune, prosperous business, and make a fortune!”

“Hahaha, thank you for your kind words!”

Bao Zhanpeng decided to go to the capital tomorrow. In the afternoon, he borrowed Shen Bei’s paper and pen and stayed in his study until nightfall.

The next morning, Bao Zhanpeng woke up and saw a piece of paper under his pillow.

He picked it up and saw a drawing of a person on the paper. The little person in the drawing had a sweet smile and looked exactly like his lost daughter.