Chapter 155

Wei Sheng wasn’t just good at making congee for the sick—he could explain each dish in such detail that it was clear he must’ve memorized a good chunk of that childhood recipe book.

Take loaches, for example. Most people only know that they’re good for men, boosting this and strengthening that. But what they don’t realize is that loaches are also excellent for women, especially those with anemia. They’re rich in iron and great for replenishing blood.

Since he was cooking for the elderly, Wei Sheng made a pot of loach stew with Chinese yam. He also picked out a few large loaches with easily removable bones, slit them open, wrapped them in plastic wrap and kitchen paper, then gently pounded them into thin slices with a mallet. With that, he made a pot of silky loach and minced meat congee.

The moment the lid was lifted, the entire kitchen seemed to fall silent for a beat.

The aroma was unbelievable.

No one knew exactly how Wei Sheng had processed the loaches, but the final congee had none of the usual muddy fishiness. Instead, when the steam rose, it carried an unexpectedly rich and savory fragrance.

Rice porridge on its own is bland. All the flavor comes from the cook’s skill. Realizing this, even Wang Qun couldn’t help but want to ask Wei Sheng what the name of that book he once borrowed from the library was—the one that specialized in meals for the sick.

Ahem… If Wei Sheng were still an internal staff member at the TV station, maybe Wang Qun could’ve shamelessly played the senior card and asked him to make a pot for them too.

But now, even though Wei Sheng’s contract termination wasn’t finalized yet, everyone at the station knew he and his team were no longer considered employees. From the day both sides began the exit process, their access cards, work IDs, and meal cards were all turned in and deactivated. Even their office computers had been reclaimed. In every practical sense, they no longer existed at the station. How could Wang Qun still act like a senior in front of Wei Sheng?

Still, Wei Sheng hadn’t changed—he was as thoughtful as ever.

While cooking for the elderly, he’d set aside a portion of each dish. When combined, it was just enough for the production crew to have a meal too.

The village had coordinated with the nursing home in advance, so that afternoon, no dinner was prepared for the residents. The staff had assumed the crew would be taking the elderly to a hotel for a lavish meal or maybe hosting a cultural performance. Worried they might go hungry, the kitchen even made some sweet potato porridge as a backup.

But to everyone’s surprise, the crew arrived just after 3 p.m.

With the New Year approaching and Lotus Pond Village being such a special case, the production team couldn’t just throw together some half-hearted “cultural performance” that the elderly wouldn’t even enjoy. The internet would tear them apart.

So after some discussion, they decided to skip the fluff and focus on practical gifts. Wei Sheng added a suggestion: choose items that were slightly more expensive, things the village couldn’t afford to provide for the elderly on its current budget.

Money? That was the one thing the production team wasn’t short on.

So when they showed up, they brought ten electric wheelchairs—each worth over ten thousand yuan. Buying ten at once? Lotus Pond Village didn’t have the funds for that. And even if they did, spending such a large sum on just a few elderly residents might stir resentment among others in the village.

But since the wheelchairs were donated by the production team, no one would complain. After all, they were for communal use at the nursing home. Wheelchairs don’t break easily, and everyone grows old eventually. If others used them now, they might benefit from them in the future too.

Then came the sponsor parade—

A well-known domestic clothing brand sent each elderly resident two full sets of New Year’s outfits, complete from innerwear to outerwear, including shoes, socks, scarves, and hats.

A popular snack brand delivered New Year’s candy gift boxes for every resident. Judging by the size, there was no way a single person could finish it all—it would be perfect for entertaining guests during the holidays.

A Chinese milk powder brand donated 100,000 yuan worth of calcium-rich milk powder specially formulated for seniors.

Not to be outdone, an instant food brand jumped in too. While instant noodles might not be suitable for the elderly, they had other products—premium mini wontons, self-heating rice meals, chicken noodle soup, and more. They packed an entire truckload and delivered it. Wang Qun nearly fainted at the sight.

But since the sponsors had already sent the goods, it would be rude not to display them. So they had no choice but to stack everything in the nursing home courtyard, forming a small mountain. To an outsider, it might’ve looked like a product promotion event.

On top of that, Wang Qun, on behalf of the TV station, gave each elderly resident a New Year’s red envelope containing 1,999 yuan. It was a blessing for these survivors of war, wishing them long and healthy lives. After all, they had already endured the darkest times. Now that the country was strong and its people prosperous, they would never again be dragged from their homes by invaders, never again close their eyes wondering if they’d live to see the next sunrise. From now on, every day would be a good day. They had to live long enough to enjoy them all.

After the gifts were handed out, Wei Sheng and the other three guests brought out the “reunion dinner” they’d spent nearly three hours preparing.

At the center of the table was a pot of old hen soup with ginseng and angelica root. Wei Sheng had specifically asked someone to buy a free-range hen that had been raised for over three years. He discarded the head, tail, and feet, then simmered the rest with codonopsis, angelica, goji berries, and red dates for the entire afternoon. The resulting broth was incredibly fragrant.

Knowing that many of the elderly had dental issues, every dish on the table was made to be easy to chew.

The loach stew with yam and the silky loach congee were both nourishing and gentle on the stomach.

Local specialties like lotus root and water chestnuts were also turned into dishes. He minced the lotus root, water chestnuts, and pork from the hind leg, then rolled them into glutinous rice balls. They were steamed on a bed of cabbage leaves and sprinkled with chopped scallions before serving—visually appealing and delicious.

Locals loved the crisp, refreshing texture of water chestnuts, usually stir-fried. But that was tough on elderly teeth. So Wei Sheng used them differently—he peeled and finely chopped them into the dumpling filling. The result was a blend of savory pork and sweet, crunchy chestnut.

Let’s be honest—no Chinese reunion dinner feels complete without dumplings. Without them, something just feels off.

When Wei Sheng and the others brought out the pork and water chestnut dumplings, everyone smiled.

There were a few other dishes too, all simple and familiar—not flashy or hard to eat. At first glance, they looked like ordinary home-cooked meals, which put the elderly at ease. Some had been worried that Wei Sheng might serve up hairy crabs, lobsters, sea cucumbers, or abalone. Not only were those expensive, but they wouldn’t even know how to eat them. Chicken soup and dumplings, though—those were familiar and comforting.

But the moment they took a bite, they realized these weren’t the usual “home-cooked meals” from the nursing home. Take the dumpling filling, for example—it clearly involved more effort. Was it just pork?

“Hehe, Grandma, you’ve got a sharp palate!” Wei Sheng gave the elderly woman a thumbs-up, then pointed to the little black specks in the filling. “I heard sea cucumber is great for seniors, so I brought two boxes from home. I soaked them in advance, chopped them up, and mixed them into the dumpling filling…”

Before the words had even left his mouth, the grandmas were already exclaiming in surprise. Who did they think they were, eating something as luxurious as sea cucumber? That stuff was notoriously expensive! People like them—how could they possibly be worthy of eating it?

“Why not?” Wei Sheng shot back. “Sea cucumbers come from our own country’s waters. Let me ask you—are you Chinese or not? If you are, then you’re absolutely worthy of eating sea cucumbers from our own seas!”

Well, damn! Wei Sheng’s slick little trick of twisting the argument left the grandmas completely stunned.

And when you thought about it… he kind of had a point, didn’t he?

If sea cucumbers raised in our own waters weren’t meant for Chinese people to eat, then who were they for?

Wei Sheng chuckled and quickly changed the subject, urging the grandmas to hurry up and eat the dumplings. “Come on, dig in! I’ve been working on these two plates of dumplings since last night. Sea cucumbers aren’t easy to prepare.”

As he spoke, his eyes sparkled as he looked at the grandmas expectantly.

The grandmas had no choice but to start eating, one by one, until both plates of pork and sea cucumber dumplings were gone.

“You sly fox,” Wang Qun muttered, giving Wei Sheng a thumbs-up in secret. “When did you sneak in sea cucumbers? You gonna ask the production team to reimburse you?”

“No need! Our company’s planning a livestream sales event in Liaoning soon, and they sent over a bunch of samples in advance. Everyone said the sea cucumbers were great, so I brought two packs along. Just wanted the grandmas to try something new. Not giving them away though—if I did, they might not even get to eat them,” Wei Sheng said with a quiet sigh.

He didn’t doubt He Ruizhen’s devotion to these elderly women. But could she guarantee that everyone in the nursing home was like her?

That’s why, before he left, he only brought enough of the more expensive ingredients and medicinal herbs to last three days. Sure enough, over the next two days, he made them bird’s nest porridge, sea cucumber and dried scallop porridge, hericium mushroom and pork porridge, bamboo fungus and old duck soup… He didn’t go all out like he did on the first day with a full banquet for the nursing home—there simply wasn’t time—but every day he carefully prepared one or two dishes and brought them over, coaxing the grandmas to eat.

“Retracing the Path of Poverty Alleviation” had aired many episodes by now, and every time Chef Wei rolled up his sleeves to cook, the livestream chat would explode with people screaming that they wanted to rush over and grab a bite. But this time, no matter how mouthwatering the food looked on screen, not a single person complained about the grandmas getting to eat it.

Instead, the chat was flooded with messages saying, “Eat more!”

One viewer, who actually raised sea cucumbers at home, got so angry seeing the grandmas timidly saying they weren’t worthy of eating them that he lit up the livestream with a string of giant fireworks. He wanted the production team to see his message loud and clear: Let the grandmas eat as much as they want! My family raises sea cucumbers—we’ve got plenty!

Soon, more viewers from the northeast chimed in. What’s the big deal about hericium mushrooms? Their mountains were full of delicacies! They’d buy extra and send them to Lotus Pond Village so the grandmas could eat to their hearts’ content.

Wei Sheng was right. If the treasures grown on this land weren’t meant for these elderly women, then who were they for?

And just like that, even before the official episode aired, two livestreams had already turned Lotus Pond Village into the center of public attention once again. But this time, the spotlight came with warmth and goodwill.

Along with that goodwill came a steady stream of donated local specialties from all over the country.

These kindhearted netizens were clever too. They found the address of the Village Committee themselves and didn’t bother going through any charity organizations. They just bought the goods and shipped them directly. Many even included handwritten notes in their packages, clearly stating that the specialties were meant for the grandmas at the nursing home to try.

But even if each grandma had ten stomachs, there was no way they could finish twenty-plus whole hams!

Not to mention the boxes upon boxes of mountain delicacies from the northeast, the rare fruits shipped in insulated containers from the south, and even several large durians!

Some viewers guessed the grandmas might have never tried durian before. It wasn’t that expensive, so why not buy a few and let them have a taste?

He Ruizhen was both touched and troubled. To be honest, she didn’t dare just hand all this stuff over to the nursing home. Just like Wei Sheng had worried—people’s hearts are hard to read. If the grandmas had never eaten these things before, could she really be sure that others in the village had?

The nursing home staff were all locals hired from the village. Though He Ruizhen had personally vetted their character, who could guarantee that, when faced with so many tempting treats, they wouldn’t sneak a little home for their own families?

There was so much food, and the grandmas didn’t have big appetites. They couldn’t possibly eat it all. If someone quietly set a bit aside while cooking, no one would notice… But these items were clearly donated with the grandmas in mind. If others ate them, how would that be right? He Ruizhen was in a bind.

After discussing it with the village officials, they came up with a plan: set aside a portion of each item for the grandmas to enjoy, and sell the rest in the county to raise funds for the village’s elderly care foundation. That way, they could use the money to buy fresh, nourishing ingredients for the grandmas every year.

Wei Sheng thought it was a great idea. His own Fund for Impoverished and Solitary Elderly operated the same way. When kindhearted people donated more than could be used right away, he wouldn’t let the goods sit in storage until they expired. He’d convert them into cash while they were still fresh. That way, when someone needed help, the fund would have the resources to buy whatever was needed.

Sure, doing it this way meant more paperwork and public disclosures every year, but Wei Sheng didn’t mind the hassle. If you’re scared of a little trouble, what business do you have doing charity work?

What he didn’t expect was that this very trait—his willingness to take on trouble—would unexpectedly land him a new “resource.”

The director of J Province TV Station’s original variety show “Youngsters Sing to the Motherland” wanted to adapt Jiang Cancan’s performance of “Song of Sending Off the Lover” into a movie—and had invited Wei Sheng to play the male lead!

“Does Director Chen have some major misconception about my acting skills?” was the first thing that crossed Wei Sheng’s mind.

Zhou Mingxing really wanted to roll his eyes so hard they’d fall out.

(End of Chapter)