Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available.]

Chef Fang

Episode 27

Morning, Mrs. Shen. Buy groceries?

Morning, Mrs. Shen. You came so early.

Mrs. Shen.

These are apples I planted myself.

Take some.

Thank you.

You’re welcome.

Mrs. Shen. Look at these eggs.

Sure.

Let me pick for you.

Done.

Thank you, sir.

What’s wrong, honey?

Do you feel unwell?

No.

Honey. We came to buy vegetables, right?

Let’s go there.

Let’s go and buy from Liu.

His vegetables are fresh and cheap.

It won’t be much cheaper.

Just buy it here.

Why bother going so far?

Liu tries to earn money to go to the capital.

We may buy vegetables from him

so he can go to the capital earlier.

It’s good for both sides.

Go to the capital? To take the exam

Yes.

With his character and talent,

I believe he will top the list.

But his family is poor.

He doesn’t accept money from others.

He insists on relying on himself

so that he can go at ease.

Father also wanted to give him some money.

Neighbors meant to look after his mother for him

so he can go without worries.

But he refused.

Liu has some backbone.

It’s bad to have no backbone.

but also bad to have too much.

Over there! Let’s go.

Have a look! Fresh pork!

Come and have a look!

Liu’s Stall

Liu.

Mrs. Shen. Good morning.

Mr. Shen.

Mr. Liu.

I want some radishes and cabbages.

Are they fresh?

Yes. They are picked this morning.

Your cooking skill is really awesome.

That boy from Shen Mansion

gave me some rice cakes yesterday.

They were really tasty.

Rice cakes?

How could that rascal reveal his identity?

He can’t do one thing right.

He didn’t say he was from Shen Mansion.

But embroidered pattern on his collar was unique,

exactly the same as the one on your sleeves.

And in the entire Dongxiang,

only you add chestnuts and hazelnuts

in rice cakes.

So I assumed that

he should be from the Shen Mansion.

How come Little Stammer delivered rice cake here?

Honey. Do you know it?

No, I don’t.

Honey. I want to eat fish.

Let’s go and buy fish.

Alright.

Thank you.

Oh, right. That boy is clever,

though kind of bad-tempered.

He dared to argue with the gangsters.

He is little.

He may be bullied by them.

How could he fight against a gangster?

Honey. Little Stammer is always by your side.

Why did he come here?

That day,

he squatted there for an hour.

He did nothing but stare at my stall.

There are

some gambling houses for gangsters.

They argued because he took up that place.

Honey. Wait for me.

Hey, honey!

We said to buy fish.

Tell me.

Why did you ask Little Stammer to tail Liu?

He didn’t tail him.

He was to see his true color.

What? You don’t know him.

That’s why I meant to know about him.

What if he tried to harm you?

You are jealous, huh?

The ribs look so good.

No!

What’s wrong?

It’s so sour.

It’s sour indeed.

Fish with pickled vegetables!

Is it sour too?

Yishao. What’s wrong with you?

Someone offended you?

Right. A jealous guy offended me.

What do you think, honey?

Master! Mrs. Shen! Bad news!

Market in the west is on fire!

What?

Shen Mansion

Help! Fire!

Help!

Somebody help!

I’m going to the office.

Let's go.

Mother, you go home. I’m going to check it out.

Be careful.

What’s going on, ma’am?

How come it’s on fire?

We don’t know, either.

A few fireballs suddenly dropped

on the houses

and the fire is up.

How can we make a living?

Littler Stammer.

Mrs. Shen. Why are you here?

I was worried about my husband, so I came.

He is putting out the fire ahead.

Isn’t this Liu’s stall?

It's all burnt. Where is Liu?

Don’t worry. I’m still alive.

Liu!

Liu. Are you alright?

I’m fine. Mr. Shen saved me.

I owe him my life.

Where is he now?

Ahead. The fire is almost out,

just some small fires left.

Mrs. Shen.

Sir.

How is the market?

It suffered a great loss.

How many casualties?

Two dead and a dozen injured.

The entire market was almost burnt down.

The most prosperous market in Dongxiang

was burnt to ground.

Are Yong and Yishao back?

Mrs. Shen is already back.

Mr. Shen is still cleaning up the scene.

Have you found out the cause of the fire?

Not yet. But people at the market said

fireballs dropped from the sky.

Where were the fireballs from?

Was it natural or man-made?

What’s wrong with your clothes?

It’s fine.

How come there are

blisters on your arm?

It’s fine. Just put some ointment on it.

Bear it.

It hurts?

No.

Don't touch water with it.

It’ll be a scar if infected.

I’m a man. A scar is no big deal.

And how can I bathe if I don’t touch water?

Let Little Stammer help you.

Honey.

A man bathes with another man.

Don’t you think it's strange?

Honey.

Do it harder.

Don’t scratch like a cat.

It’s itchy.

Honey. You are rubbing my skin off!

Shut up! You are so hard to please.

Why don’t we bathe together?

Go to hell.

What’s wrong? It hurts?

You are so careless.

Honey.

Let’s consummate.

What’s wrong with you? Why do you say that?

Well. How about tonight?

Why do you say that suddenly?

Honey.

You saw my naked body last night.

You should be responsible for me.

Alright.

I said yes.

Did I hear it wrong?

I said to consummate.

Lower your voice. I said yes.

But you have refused to consummate before.

Why did you suddenly...

Cut it out! If you say it again,

I won’t agree.

Mrs. Shen! Mrs. Shen!

Is Mr. Shen up?

Mrs. Shen!

Father.

You are here.

You want me?

Look, what’s this?

This...

Shen Jie found these at the scene of fire.

We didn’t notice it at first.

We thought they were household items.

But we searched around

and found that

every house on fire had this.

Father. It smells like oil.

Many people said fireballs dropped from the sky.

Could it be this?

It was stuffed with

flammable charcoal, straw and oil, etc.

It’s highly inflammable.

That was what I thought.

If someone used it to set a fire

by soaking in kerosene and throwing it out

to the straw roofs, it would catch fire easily.

So, someone set the fire on purpose?

It can’t be determined yet.

But I think it’s highly likely.

These days, go and ask around

if anyone has seen something like this.

Be careful

not to alert the arsonist.

Sure.

Yishao said you got injured when fighting fire.

Is it serious?

Not serious.

Father. I’m leaving if nothing else.

OK.

Mr. Shen.

Ms. Fang.

Mr. Shen. I’m going to see Yishao.

I didn’t expect to run into you here.

Ms. Fang. What’s the matter?

Days ago,

my brother bought two cases of superior ointment.

It gets cold,

and Yishao touches cold water a lot.

Her hands may get dry and rough over time.

So, I’m bringing some to her.

Jing.

Since I met you here,

please take it to her for me.

Many thanks, Ms. Fang.

Oh, right. And this one.

I heard you went to fight fire yesterday,

and got hurt.

This ointment is effective to heal burns.

Mr. Shen. Please take it.

You are thoughtful, Ms. Fang.

I will take my leave.

Lian.

Lian. Shitou. Try it.

Be careful. It’s hot.

So good!

Your vegetable buns are the best.

Wrong. The meat buns are the best.

The stuffed buns inventor must be a genius.

I agree.

Who is the genius?

Honey. You are back.

What are you talking about? You look happy.

We are talking about stuffed buns.

Buns have a wonderful story.

My wife is so knowledgeable.

You have my admiration.

Honey, you are mocking me.

Oh, right.

I ran into Ms. Fang just now.

She told me to give you this ointment.

She said it’s good for hands.

She is so kind.

You may make some cakes for her. Alright?

She is kind, but to the wrong person.

Don't talk nonsense.

What’s wrong?

Nothing.

Lian. Tell me.

I overheard in the street

some people gossiped that

when Mrs. Shen treated that noble,

Ms. Fang also helped a lot.

But in the end, all the credit

was taken by Mrs. Shen.

They also said...

Said what?

Said Mrs. Shen was humble

and greedy for money.

Lian!

Shitou heard it too, right?

Some people

like gossiping around

and spreading rumors.

Don’t mind

their gossips.

Honey. Don't take it to heart.

Why are you here again, geezer?

I can come whenever I want.

I don’t have to inform you beforehand.

You care about Yishao so much.

Of course.

After all,

this is magistrate’s mansion.

How come you can come and go

so easily?

Humph! The guards in your mansion are useless.

If someone comes to assassinate you,

no way can they protect you.

Really?

This is a book about martial arts.

I’ll teach you another set of skills. Watch.

You got it?

Almost.

Practice it every day.

You aren’t skilled enough.

Practice harder.

Old man. Why do you

teach me martial arts?

Nonsense. With your poor skills,

how can you protect your wife?

You care so much about Yishao.

You really have no affair with my mother-in-law?

Scram!

By the way, I heard that

you met a scholar

called Liu Mao.

Yeah. How do you know that?

What do you think of him?

I don’t know. He’s a common scholar.

He’s intelligent, yet not a good guy.

Listen,

try to make friends with him.

He’ll help you do something big in the future.

Such a nice alley is destroyed.

We have to rebuild it after solving the case.

Shen Jie. Where are the vendors?

They are in another small market now.

My father said the guards found

some burnt wooden balls in some shops.

Yes. That’s what confuses me.

If the fire was man-made, there must be a feud.

However, many shops were burnt by fireballs.

Did all the shop owners offend him?

If not a feud, what could it be?

Did they do it for fun?

Yet they made an exquisite tool to set the fire.

It’s confusing.

Master. This madam said

she witnessed fireballs dropping from the sky.

Madam. Did you see the fireballs fall?

Yes. When I came out to pour waste water,

I saw fireballs falling from the sky.

Madam. Did you see anyone suspicious?

No. Let me tell you.

It must be Heavenly Fire.

Heavenly Fire?

Something similar happened before.

Please bless us! Bless us!

When did that happen?

It happened 30 years ago.

I was still young back then.

One day, I was herding sheep at a hill.

When I came back, the entire village

was in a sea of fire.

The fire was the Heavenly Fire.

Madam. Were there also fireballs

from the sky?

Yes.

It was exactly the same as this.

Madam. Where did you live back then?

I used to

live in Dam Village 5 km away from the city.

After the big fire,

I moved here with my parents.

Dam Village? No wonder.

Shen Jie. What’s strange with Dam Village?

Dam Village is an abandoned village

stored with discarded materials.

When Dongxiang and the cities around

built the dam,

the discarded materials were left in that village.

Hence the name, Dam Village.

It had another name before?

What was its name then?

Living Grave Village.

Why was it called that?

They are making fun of you.

Living Grave Village

was made up by the elders

to stop people from living there.

Why stop people from living there?

Living Grave sounds like Fire Burning.

That village’s fengshui is bad.

It caught fire repeatedly and suffered a lot.

So the village was abandoned.

But many kids

like playing in the ruins.

Adults were afraid of accidents,

so they changed the name to Living Grave Village

to frighten the kids.

Madam. What was the name of the village on earth?

It’s Luan Village.

It’s said a geomancer passed by the village.

He thought the place lacked water.

So he named it Luan to ward off evilness.

Mr. Liu. Did you get hurt that day?

Are you feeling better?

My injury isn’t serous.

I meant to look for you at the government office.

I didn’t expect to meet you here.

It's herbal medicine made of mint and honeysuckle,

a traditional way to heal burns.

You blocked the burning beam for me.

Did you get hurt?

Minor injury. It's not serious.

Thanks for the ointment.

I should thank you, Mr. Shen.

Don’t be so pilot to each other.

Can you talk normally?

I had thanked him when he saved my life.

It's for another matter.

For what?

Thanks for the idea you gave my mother.

I’m going to the capital for the exam later.

You finally thought it through?

That’s great.

That’s why I want to thank Mr. Shen.

You go to the capital for the exam.

Does it have anything to do with Mr. Shen?

Ask him.

I...

I told Liu’s mother that

Liu survived the fire, so fortune will favor him,

and he may try his luck on the exam.

Government will give him money for the journey.

If he’s still worried about his mother,

she can stay with us

and keep my mother company.

His mother is skilled at embroidery.

She can teach my mother.

My mother is clumsy.

May you have a long life and have more babies.

Go away! Nonsense.

I mean it. You are still young.

Cut it out. Read your book.

What are you looking up these days?

If my memory serves me right,

there was also a big fire in Dongxiang 30 years ago.

Really? How come I don't know?

It was more than 30 years ago after all.

We were still in the capital back then.

It's been 20 years or so since we came here.

I did hear of that.

There should be records.

My lord asked your mother to persuade you,

yet you didn’t agree,

yet Mr. Shen’s casual words

persuaded you?

If not for Shen’s casual words,

my mother couldn’t have wallowed on the ground

and kept crying.

My mother is gentle

and reasonable.

It’s the first time

I saw her like that last night.

Mr. Shen. You are good.

You taught his mother to make a scene?

You have my admiration.

Mr. Liu is a gentleman.

The only way to deal with a gentleman

is to be a rogue.

It’s called being flexible.

When will you hit the road?

I can’t go yet.

Why?

Those who died or injured in the fire

were all my friends.

I want to figure out it’s natural or man-made.

If it’s man-made, I want to see

the culprit punished before I leave.

The geomancer said Luan Village is

afraid of water. I think it’s afraid of fire.

We didn’t know what that meant either.

Now we know it doesn’t mean afraid of water,

but afraid of water being away.

Liu, why do you know Living Grave Village so well?

My mother told me.

My mother used to live in Luan Village.

Then we can talk with Mrs. Liu

for some clues.

How about this?

You and Mr. Liu go to ask Mrs. Liu about it.

I’ll search around to see if anything suspicious.

Sure.

Mr. Shen, please.

Mother. Look who is here!

Hey, Mr. Shen!

Go and serve tea.

Mr. Shen. Have a seat.

Thanks.

Mr. Shen, please sit.

Mr. Shen. I came here to ask you something.

Me?

Mother. He wants to ask about Living Grave Village.

Mr. Shen.

Have some tea.

What’s wrong with Living Grave Village?

I hear that the Living Grave Village,

namely Luan Village,

also had fireballs falling from the sky

and burning the entire village.

Was it true?

Actually, it happens every 30 years.

A fire occurs every 30 years?

Yes. I heard from the elders.

As per date, it was the time to have that fire.

It makes sense if someone did it

on purpose every 3 years.

But 30 years?

Isn’t the interval too long?

Not many 30 years can a person live through.

Perhaps it could be many generations.

It doesn’t make sense. Several generations could

keep a business going. It’s impossible

to set fires by generations of people.

Mr. Shen. Liu.

Mr. Shen.

What brings you here?

Mrs. Shen was worried you forgot

to eat due to the case,

so he sent me to bring you food.

Sure.

I have long heard Mrs. Shen is a skilled cook.

I am in luck today.

Littler Stammer.

Eat with us.

Take a seat.

Amazing. Mrs. Shen’s cooking skill is so good.

Mao.

If you can marry a good wife like her,

then I’ll feel at ease.

Mrs. Liu.

You may make it hard for Liu.

You know,

Mrs. Shen’s cooking skill

is unparalleled in the world.

Where can Liu get a wife like her?

Right, Mr. Shen?

What’s wrong, Mr. Shen?

I’ll go to Luan Village tomorrow.

Liu, would you like to go with me?

Sure, will Mrs. Shen go with us?

Of course. That’s an abandoned village.

If she doesn’t go, who will cook for us?

Eat... You only know about eating.

Shut your big mouth.

Why do you wear a long face?

I know I always laze around.

I can’t believe you are like me.

My thoughts about you are right.

Keeping thinking will get the mind tied up.

You know, sharpen the axe before cutting wood.

It’s to clear my mind.

I see. It's a good explanation.

Thanks for your teaching.

Liu.

Do you think there is fish in the small pond?

Yes. There are many underground rives here.

After the dam is built,

the underground water overflows into the pond.

The fish in the river are more and more.

Where is Mrs. Shen?

Wasn’t she digging for worms?

She said we’ll eat roasted fish for lunch.

So, she went to pick herbs.

Why didn’t you go with her?

What if she gets lost?

Don't worry.

She is an adult.

Mr. Liu. Do you

have a crush on Mrs. Shen?

Hey, don’t talk nonsense.