I am a Chef in the Modern Era

Chapter 80: Seasonal Fruit Platter

Translated by Kollumceti Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Lin ShuYi was still a little shy and felt like burying himself even until noon. How could he spend the last day of the lunar year in bed because of this? Lin ShuYi felt somewhat resentful at this.

In actual fact, he would probably not be so shy if he knew that this was something they had long done in Old Master Shen and the other’s hearts.

Mother Shen could not resist knocking at the door at noon.

She wanted to tell Lin ShuYi that they were all open-minded parents and there was no need to be embarrassed about these things. What’s more, Mother Shen who had single-handedly contributed to this incident would never say that she had secretly eavesdropped in the corner, but the sound insulation the wall was too strong for her to hear anything. Finally, Father Shen, who was exasperated by her actions, brought her back to the room.

“Knock, knock, is Xiao Yi in?” Mother Shen’s voice suddenly drifted into the room. Two overlapping figures that were lying on the bed stopped suddenly. Lin ShuYi’s face flushed as he pushed Shen Fu off and frantically tidied up his rumpled clothes that had been pulled into disorder by Shen Fu. Then he hinted for Shen Fu to open the door with a fierce, lovable and proud gaze.

Shen Fu rubbed his extremely painful buttocks and grimaced in pain as he opened the door. I say, my dear mother, you could come at any time, yet you just had to pick this time to come. He didn’t even get down to eating any tofu and his buttocks was almost broken into eight pieces!

Mother Shen stood outside the door, “Why did you take so long to open the door?”

Shen Fu:....

Under such urgent circumstances, opening the door for you was already very good, okay?

Then Mother Shen turned to Lin ShuYi with a smile. Lin ShuYi had opened the quilt and stood up. There seemed nothing wrong apart from him being a little red in the face.

Mother Shen just had to smile at him and say this sentence after looking at him for a while, “Are you feeling better?”

Lin ShuYi:....

He had a slight desire to lie down in bed again.

Shen Fu grabbed his own family’s trouble-causing mother and dragged her out of the door, “Xiao Yi is all right, he was just a little dizzy. He’s about to get up from bed and come down.”

Even though there was a tacit mutual understanding among the whole family, it was obvious that Lin ShuYi still needed a way out of an embarrassing situation. The key point was that Mother Shen was too straightforward. Shen Fu was afraid that after Lin ShuYi was provoked, he would be the one being sad in the future.

Mother Shen immediately had an expression of ‘I know everything’ as she nodded, “En, okay okay. Then I’ll go down first.”

Lin ShuYi looked at Mother Shen and gave a slight smile. Only then did Mother Shen feel relieved and let Shen Fu drag her away.

When she was out of the door and was ready to go down the stairs, Mother Shen finally told Shen Fu what she wanted to say earlier, “That, indulging in debauchery harms the body. Xiao Yi is still young, it’s better to be a little more restrained.”

Shen Fu lost his footing and nearly fell down the stairs. He knew that his mother was open-minded, but he had no idea that his mother was open-minded to this degree. However, he really couldn’t talk about indulging in debauchery. One must know that this was the first time he had ended his meatless diet. He had already restrained himself until he was half dead by limiting himself to doing it twice, okay?

Shen Fu turned to go back into the room after watching Mother Shen walk down the stairs. However, Lin ShuYi had already come out. He had changed into an argyle woolen sweater that was worn over a straight collar shirt. Paired with dark blue pants of the same color, he looked like a small green onion that was tender enough to pinch water out of.

Shen Fu couldn’t help his breathing becoming heavier when he recalled how the little green onion looked like under him last night. He put his hands in his pockets and walked forward, reaching out to brush aside the stray strands of hair on Lin ShuYi’s forehead as he asked, “Are you feeling better?”

Lin ShuYi nodded. Then he looked at Shen Fu with some shyness in his deep black eyes, “Can these clothes cover it up?”

Shen Fu: “?”

Shen Fu responded two minutes later. What Lin ShuYi referred to were the love bites on his neck. Actually, Shen Fu felt that he had restrained a lot. This was his home after all. Disregarding whether he had been seen by Old Master Shen, Lin ShuYi must definitely feel shy to the point of death. But probably because Lin ShuYi had fair skin, the areas close to his chest had a lot of blue and purple traces even though Shen Fu had controlled himself and did not use much strength. There were a lot of blue and purple marks and it practically looked like he had been through an intense and passionate situation.

He would not have thought of it if Lin ShuYi did not bring this up. Lin ShuYi’s dressing was obviously deliberate when he looked at his straight collar shirt this time. His clothes just happened to cover up the marks cleanly. Shen Fu smirked and laughed wickedly, “Look down and let me see.”

In fact, Lin ShuYi did not need to bow his head at all for Shen Fu to see it clearly with their current height difference. It just happened that Lin ShuYi was now eagerly ‘hiding one’s shame’ and was not aware that Shen Fu was teasing him. Sure enough, he really lowered his head a little and asked, “How? Can you see it?”

Shen Fu stretched out his hand and pulled Lin ShuYi’s collar, “Turn around and let me check if I can see it from the side.”

Lin ShuYi’s obediently turned his body. Due to his posture with a bowed head, the sight of a snow-white neck nonchalantly fell into Shen Fu’s sight.

Shen Fu began to feel difficulty in swallowing again. His finger rose and stretched out a little further as he stroked Lin ShuYi’s beautiful yet thin clavicle.

Shen Fu’s fingertips were a little cold. Lin ShuYi could not help hunching his neck. He felt that something wasn’t right. Shen Fu was just taking a look, why did his hand come up?

Shen Fu coughed lightly upon seeing Lin ShuYi looking up at him. He retracted his hand and said solemnly, “Okay, I’ve seen it. It’s invisible from all angles. Don’t worry about it and let’s go down.”

Lin ShuYi eyed him suspiciously for a moment.

What a close call, he almost couldn’t resist it.

Brother Shen, who had caught the entire course of events as soon as he opened the door from his study, passed by Shen Fu without expression and mocked, “Look at your potential.”

Shen Fu:....

Mother Shen was making fruit platters below.

In order to prepare for this small reunion dinner, Mother Shen had long arranged for the Aunty to buy all kinds of meat and vegetables. She also went to select many fresh and delicious fruits herself, all for the sake of preparing a gigantic and delicious fruit platter.

Seeing Lin ShuYi coming downstairs, Mother Shen quickly waved, “Come, come, come. Eat some fruit.”

With Mother Shen’s call, Old Master Shen, who was pruning flowers, and Father Shen, who was reading the finance section, turned around to look at Lin ShuYi and remained silent under a tacit mutual understanding. Old Master Shen called out, “Quickly come down and eat. Now these fruit are readily available irrespective of the seasons. It’s enough to satisfy one’s appetite although it’s not as good as when it’s in season.”

Lin ShuYi and Old Master Shen had exactly the same views on this point.

Though there were greenhouses in Da Yan, but at that time they were called hothouses instead of greenhouses,. It was also not as technologically advanced as now and what maintained the temperature was a furnace that burned from morning to night. As it was expensive to construct, other than the hothouse in the imperial palace, there were not many prominent officials and eminent personages who could afford a hothouse, let alone an ordinary household. Furthermore, the hothouse in the imperial palace was never used to grow fruit trees, but they were used to grow fragrant flowers for the harem of imperial concubines to pick.

The Emperor of Da Yan was excessively licentious and muddleheaded. Otherwise, how could Lin ShuYi come to such a place by a freak combination of factors? This world was like a paradise for Lin ShuYi even though there were still many things he did not know. There were no crafty plots and machinations, no open strifes and veiled struggles, and so many people who he loved and loved him. Lin ShuYi, who had never thought back to his days in Da Yan for a long time, felt that it was rather worthwhile for him to suffer such a miserable death all those months ago.

However, Lin ShuYi felt like everything was an inconceivable and incredible dream no matter how many times he thought about it. He had actually transmigrated from one world to another, totally different world.

Shen Fu and Shen Yan came down together before Lin ShuYi could finish sighing with emotion.

Lin ShuYi felt that Shen Yan’s line of sight seemed to sweep past his neck. However, before Lin ShuYi could take a closer look, Shen Yan had already turned his head and sat on the sofa.

Lin ShuYi turned his head to look at Shen Fu. Was it really not obvious? You really can’t see it?

Mother Shen had already cut the fruit on the patter and put it on the table, “Dad, come and eat the fruit. Xiao Yi, what are you staring blankly at?”

Lin ShuYi unobtrusively pulled his collar up again. Then he walked over to Shen Fu and sat beside him courteously.

Lin ShuYi did not know why Big Brother Shen was staring at him, but Shen Fu knew the reason. Shen Fu laughed to himself at once and scratched Lin ShuYi’s hand as he whispered in his ear, “There’s really nothing that can be seen. Don’t be so nervous.”

Lin ShuYi looked at him suspiciously. He would never believed what he said again.

Shen Fu:...

Mother Shen was really worthy of called a Western-style food chef. A simple fruit platter made by her could carry so much emotional appeal. Lin ShuYi studied the flower carved from an orange for a long time. Finally, he felt that Chinese food that emphasized taste was much more suitable for him.

After finishing the fruit, Lin ShuYi and Shen Fu were ready to go out for a stroll. Though they did not have a fixed destination, there was a huge man-made lake near the Shen Family’s villa that they were planning to stop by. The scenery was quite pleasant and with the sun being extraordinarily strong today, one would not feel the slightly bit of chill in the warm sunlight. So the two people were intending to go there for a stroll. Father Shen and Mother Shen felt that the children should have their own private space and happily waved their hands as they said goodbye. Thus, the two put on their shoes and prepared to go out.

At this time Shen Yan stood up calmly, “I just happen to be free too. Let’s go together.”

Mother Shen was dissatisfied upon seeing Shen Yan automatically acting as a light bulb. However, Lin ShuYi had nodded and agreed before Mother Shen could speak, “Okay.”

Big Brother Shen smiled slightly and Shen Fu took on a lean and hungry look from a vegetarian diet.

Thus, the time between the husband and wife became a time with a bizarre threesome.

Shen Yan and Lin ShuYi walked in front. Big Brother Shen, who had always been calm and had facial paralysis, was now talking a lot more. He conversed with Lin ShuYi about all topics, giving the impression that the two were in their own world. The most important thing was that what Big Brother Shen relentlessly talked about was all awkward incidents from Shen Fu childhood. He totally did not take into consideration the face of Shen Fu who was following behind them as Lin ShuYi broke into laughter from time to time with these amusing stories.

Furthermore, the two talked as they walked and did not even appear to have the slightest intention to let Shen Fu interrupt at all.

Even though Lin ShuYi was laughing very happily, Shen Fu, who was always happy when Lin ShuYi was happy, felt that it was not funny and could not laugh at all!

Big Brother Shen even found the time to glance back while he was talking. Shen Yan felt a jolt of secret gratification upon seeing Shen Fu’s dark and overcast expression. He definitely had to use actions to show Shen Fu that a price had to be paid for making a public display of affection before him daily.

The air was full of the sour stink of love, which caused him to almost want to fall in love!

(Addis note: I’ve made my fair share of fruit platters over the years, so here are some that I’ve done.)