I am a Chef in the Modern Era

Chapter 86: Winter Melon candy

Translated by Jouissance of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Though Aunt Shen wanted to stay here and refused to leave, the house hadn’t been done for long and Aunt Shen was pregnant, so they eventually decided to have her go back. Shen Fu’s mother, who also wanted to stay, had no choice but to go back with her.

Shen Fu and Lin ShuYi on the other hand, moved in directly.

Lin ShuYi was of the opinion that if Aunt Shen and the others were going to live here in the future, then they should move in first to test the place out.

Shen Fu agreed with him, because he and Lin ShuYi hadn’t even had a chance to experience the new house themselves yet. Later, when more people came to live, even with soundproof rooms, Lin ShuYi definitely wouldn’t be willing to ‘experience’ the house anymore.

Moving in was a simple task. They hadn’t expended much effort because neither of them had much stuff to move. Their clothes were all newly bought anyways, so they managed with two suitcases each.

Since Shen Fu had kept everything secret and mysterious, this was the first time Lin ShuYi would be taking a proper look at the newly built house. Five bedrooms, one study and one workout room. The kitchen and dining room were on the first floor, and the courtyard had been renovated, too. Much of the area that was once used for gardening had been occupied by housing, and what remained had been changed into a small flower garden, they were there for Lin ShuYi to plant whatever flowers he wanted.

Lin ShuYi absolutely adored the massive glass wall on the second floor living room, but he was a little worried as well.

“Wouldn’t everyone outside be able to see if we wanted to do anything in the living room?”

Shen Fu lazily leaned back on the sofa, smirking mischievously upon hearing this. “And what do you want to do in the living room?”

Lin ShuYi had been asking a serious question about privacy, but with Shen Fu’s reply, he immediately understood that Shen Fu and him were on completely different brainwaves. Then, seeing how Shen Fu was leaning on the sofa casually, his beautiful abs and collarbones on display with his shirt half open, his imagination went into overdrive.

With that, he was a little too embarrassed to meet Shen Fu’s gaze, especially because he had been secretly looking up data and learning from the internet about... that.

Yet Shen Fu immediately noticed Lin ShuYi’s shyness and pounced. “Hm? What are you thinking about?”

Lin ShuYi stood without hesitation, unwilling to continue the conversation. “Nothing, I’m going to have a look upstairs.”

He hadn’t even finished speaking when Shen Fu rolled over and pinned him down against the sofa. “You were asking if people could see? Then how about we try?” His voice was low, raspy, teasing. Shen Fu had simply wanted to tease Lin ShuYi a little, but who would’ve thought that all this shifting would create sparks?

The two had taken a break from the restaurant to come and move in since there weren’t so many people in the afternoon. However, while there weren’t many people in the restaurant, there were plenty of people on Chaoyang Street. Many parents and grandparents were strolling along the street with their children, and the glass window of the living room was facing that very street. They didn’t even need to raise their heads to see everything.

Anger and desperation rose in Lin ShuYi, but Shen Fu knew his weak points, and it didn’t take much for him to go soft in the other’s arms, unable to muster the energy to push Shen Fu away.

“Stop that!” Lin ShuYi scolded the other lightly, but it sounded breathy, like a seductive moan, instantly causing Shen Fu’s eyes to darken.

At the beginning, he had just been playing around, but now he was having a little trouble getting off this ride.

Feeling Shen Fu’s hardness press against his lower body, Lin ShuYi’s form tensed.

In Lin ShuYi’s peripheral vision, he could see the passersby. One of the children seemed to glance over and then raise his head and say something to his grandfather.

Lin ShuYi’s body went rigid. “Shen Fu!”

Shen Fu was already like a bow stretched taut and ready to fire, long since given up on just teasing. He stretched out a hand to pull off Lin ShuYi’s clothes. “It’s a one-way window. They can’t see inside.”

Though he wasn’t really sure what Shen Fu was talking about, Lin ShuYi went limp in relief upon hearing that they couldn’t see inside.

With this lowering of his guard, Shen Fu managed to strip him bare.

This wasn’t just in broad daylight, there were people walking by right outside, too! Lin ShuYi couldn’t take this, but Shen Fu had already turned into a hungry wolf. Not only was he not embarrassed, but instead he shamelessly got more aroused.

For the first time, Lin ShuYi reached his climax in the tense anxiety of possibly being seen, taking a long time before he managed to recover.

Shen Fu, sated, helped him clean up the marks on his body, whispering into neck in a low tone, “Do you still want to do things in the living room next time?”

Lin ShuYi closed his eyes in exhaustion, feeling that he really had fallen.

When he had been pressed against the glass wall by Shen Fu, the embarrassment and stimulation had turned into a new level of pleasure. He really had fallen far, so far.

When they got back to the restaurant, Tang Shuang was marinating strips of winter melon, planning on making some sweet winter melon candies.

The recipe they were using was one of Old Man Yang’s. It was a little troublesome to do, but the resulting dish looked like pieces of crystal on a plate, sweet and scrumptious. Tang Shuang’s family loved it. Hearing that Old Man Yang knew how to make them, he pestered the other to teach him.

Since it was rather tiring to make, Tang Shuang didn’t trouble anyone else into helping him. It required a lot of time anyways. He could slowly finish it by himself; there was no rush.

Seeing Lin ShuYi and Shen Fu return, he wiped his hands and went over. “XiaoYi-ge, did you guys finish moving in? That was pretty fast.”

Lin ShuYi nodded, staying silent. Gazing at the other, who was still annoyed at him, ShenFu kept his amusement to himself and replied to Tang Shuang. “Yeah, there wasn’t much to move anyways.”

Though Tang Shuang was a little slow in certain respects, he was very perceptive of people’s emotions and immediately realized that something was up with Lin ShuYi. Though he didn’t know what happened between the two in this short period of time they had been gone for, he wisely went back to making his winter melon candies.

Despite having been cleaned inside and out, Lin ShuYi still felt a swollen discomfort behind, but the reason for his annoyance wasn’t really Shen Fu, but himself. He felt he was falling more and more.

It wasn’t just doing something like that in broad daylight, but he had even given up his basic manners and dignity to his desire. He had no face left to face his moral and righteous mentor anymore. He had to reflect. And then, that night, he went for another round with Shen Fu in the attic.

Lin ShuYi: ...

Was he addicted to it?! Lin ShuYi panicked and ran to Baidu it. After over an hour of searching he came back looking like his soul had left his body.

What should he do??? Was this an illness? Could it be cured?

After finding out the truth behind Lin ShuYi’s behavior via his search history, Shen Fu was almost crying. There was no need to cure it. He was more than happy to see this result, really!

On the twentieth day after New Years, Aunt Shen called again, informing them that she had confirmed her itinerary for her orphanage visit and asking if they wanted to come with.

Lin ShuYi agreed without hesitation. Shen Fu was delighted to go with.

Upon hearing that their boss and Shen-ge were going to adopt a child, the two young ladies at the restaurant practically had pink bubbles around them. They decided that true love was worth believing in after all.

Tang Shuang, on the other hand, was surprised. Lin ShuYi was only a few months older than him, so Tang Shuang couldn’t understand why Lin ShuYi wanted children so soon. After all, to Tang Shuang, children were the most annoying creatures to inhabit the Earth. For reference, see his sister’s two brats.

However, after some consideration, he decided that a mortal like him was unable to understand Lin ShuYi’s thought process. After all, why else would Lin ShuYi be a boss already and on his way to life’s highest peaks while he was still down here struggling in the world of mortals?

The day they went to visit, both of them dressed relatively formally. Shen Fu looked good in everything he wore, and with a suit, anyone would swoon at the sight of him. Even Lin ShuYi had a suit on. With straight, matching pants, he looked like an elite of society.

Yet Aunt Shen scolded them for this as soon as she saw them. “Put something else on!”

Shen Fu and Lin ShuYi exchanged a look.

“You’re going to meet children, not go to a business meeting! You have to make sure they feel safe and happy around you, not make them feel as if you’re distant and untouchable!” Aunt Shen was wearing a deep purple set of casual clothing, and with her slightly curly short hair, she seemed warm and friendly. She managed to pick out the faults in their choice in a few sentences and sent them off to change.

Lin ShuYi hadn’t even gotten use to his suit before he was back in his usual clothing. A pure white knitted sweater, light grey down jacket, black jeans. He looked tender and young.

Seeing them both come out with acceptable clothing, Aunt Shen put on an uncharacteristically serious look. “I’ll ask you one last time, do you really, truly want to adopt a child? Especially XiaoYi, you’re both young and have long paths to walk. With a child, you’ll have more to consider. Are you both certain? This is no joke.”

Shen Fu and Lin ShuYi didn’t meet the requirements to adopt. She was willing to make an exception for them, but that was only if they truly wanted a child of their own and swore to treat their child with the love and care they deserved.

Lin ShuYi glanced at Shen Fu, both of them communicating their resolve and certainty in their eyes. Lin ShuYi smiled and nodded. “Rest assured, auntie.”

Aunt Shen smiled. She had always felt that Lin ShuYi, despite his young age, displayed a maturity and resolve that many older people lacked. He knew what he wanted and didn’t waver. She trusted that though he was young, he’d be able to give the child he chose to adopt a true home.

Originally, Shen Fu’s mother wanted to tag along as well, but Old Master Shen stopped her. Once they adopted the child, the child would be Shen Fu and Lin ShuYi’s to take care of, so if they were certain about the decision, he shouldn’t let Shen Fu’s mother sway them, in either direction.

Shen Fu’s mother decided that it was reasonable, but she was just so excited that she was going to become a grandmother. “I’m going shopping! For clothes, snacks, toys, other things for kids... But how big do they need to be?”

Shen Fu’s father facepalmed. “Do you know the gender of the child they’re bringing back?” Shen Fu’s mother shook her head. “Do you know if the child is one, or three?” Another shake. “Then why don’t we wait for them to come back first?”

Shen Fu’s mother considered this for a moment before reluctantly nodding, shaking her head. “This won’t do! I’m too excited! I need to go shopping. If I don’t buy kids’ supplies, then groceries should be fine right? I’ll make my best cakes, so we can all eat to celebrate!”

There was no getting out of this. Shen Fu’s father was dragged off by Shen Fu’s mother.

Shen Fu’s older brother rubbed his chin in amusement. It would be great to have a nephew, though if he got a niece, the entire Shen family was sure to spoil her rotten. Either way, it was great.

Old Master Shen harrumphed and glanced at him. “XiaoFu is already having a kid, so how about you?”

Shen Yan, dragged into the water by this, tensed. “I suddenly remembered I have something to do back at the company.” He fled. With his buffer gone, he was next. He couldn’t believe he thought he had any effort to spare on worrying about others.

Lin ShuYi had never been to a place like an orphanage, and he rarely heard of them either. All he knew was that most of the children here had been abandoned.

Lin ShuYi didn’t have any memories of the past of his current life. All he had was an old photo. He didn’t know where he came from or if he had any family. Though he guessed he counted as an orphan in his last life. If it wasn’t for his mentor taking him in, he would’ve frozen to death in the harsh winter long ago. This was probably why his heart seemed to melt at coming to a place like this.

Aunt Shen gazed at the orphanage director who came to welcome them, standing at the entrance. She straightened and quietly told the two, “Don’t say anything for now. I’ll speak for you. Just don’t embarrass me, ok?”

Shen Fu and Lin ShuYi nodded, following her inside. Lin ShuYi was even more curious about her position now.

H City’s orphanage was one of renown in J province. It had a long history and a great environment, with many children. It was also one of the most subsidized by the government in J province. It was clear that Aunt Shen’s position and identity was one of prestige if the director personally came to receive them.

Negotiations between people of differing positions were always tedious. Shen Fu and Lin ShuYi stared outside at the children running around, wanting to go outside to see.

Alan had come in with them. Seeing that they were both more interested in what was outside, he whispered something to Aunt Shen and she nodded before Alan led them outside.

There was a woman of around thirty years of age outside as well. “Are you two looking to adopt?”

Shen Fu smiled and glanced at her. “Is it that obvious?”

The lady smiled and looked to Lin ShuYi. “I can tell that you really love kids.”

“Same-sex couples aren’t slowed to adopt, no?”

The lady nodded. “That’s technically true, but there are always exceptions.”

The lady motioned with her chin for them to look down. “Every year, so many children are sent here, yet few are adopted. Whether it’s the family or the child, or sorts of problems make it so that many children are forced to spend their childhood here.” The lady paused. “I don’t mean to say that isn’t a nice place to be, but I think that they probably still want a family of their own. If a family can treat a child kindly, treat them as their own, then I don’t think something like sexuality matters.”

While Shen Fu talked with the lady, Lin ShuYi leaned against the fence, looking away and not participating in their discussion.

“What are you looking at?”

That was when Lin ShuYi realized that the two had finished their conversation. Alan and the other lady had both left, leaving him and Shen Fu there.

Lin ShuYi motioned to one corner of the courtyard. A young boy of about four or five years was standing there, away from the rest. “Look, there’s another child behind him.”

Shen Fu narrowed his eyes, spotting the other child behind the boy. The child was sitting in a trolley, flailing in an attempt to get the other to laugh.

The boy smiled as he fed the child fruit, seeming wise beyond his age.

“Do you want to go down and take a look?” Shen Fu asked.

Lin ShuYi’s gaze never left the two children. Shen Fu by instinct that Lin ShuYi probably wanted to adopt him.

“Yeah.”

“It might not be possible to adopt him.” The lady had returned without them noticing with a name list in hand and looking at the two, a little troubled.

“Hm?”

The lady pointed at the boy in the corner. The boy had a clean comfortable appearance and revealed his two small canines when he smiled. “It might not be possible to adopt that child.”

Lin ShuYi and Shen Fu looked over in confusion.