Chapter 355: A Family Banquet and Unexpected Trouble

With her keen intelligence and life experience, how could she not see right through the faces of Uncle’s family?

Once they found out she was a celebrity, their attitude turned ten times warmer in an instant. Talk about being pragmatic.

“Who would’ve thought young Can could land a star as his girlfriend? Not bad at all! No need to keep your parents waiting, let’s drive over first!”

When Big Uncle learned Su Qianqian’s true identity, he couldn’t help but marvel in surprise.

For most people, celebrities only exist on TV. No wonder the family found it all so fascinating.

“No wonder she has a chauffeur. Stars really do live the good life!”

Aunt’s family all watched Su Qianqian get into the BMW, their eyes full of envy.

Big Uncle and Uncle each drove their own car, pulling out from Zhou Can’s villa. Zhou Can climbed into the back seat of the BMW too.

“My aunt’s family was a bit much just now—did they scare you?” Zhou Can asked his girlfriend, sounding concerned.

“It’s okay!”

She offered a shy smile.

“If they end up asking for anything that’s out of line, just say no, okay?” Zhou Can and her had been together long enough. He knew if he didn’t say it outright, she’d probably try to keep the peace and wrong herself.

“Thank you for caring about me like this! Don’t worry, I can handle it.”

Without thinking, she leaned her head on Zhou Can’s shoulder.

Every woman, deep down, wants a shoulder she can truly rely on.

How she treated the rest of the Zhou family, even his parents, all depended on Zhou Can’s own attitude.

……

On the first floor of Little Fat Sheep Restaurant, thick transparent glass paved the floor, with small bridges crossing over gently flowing water. Schools of scarlet goldfish and carp darted among the rocks below.

There were even a few crabs scuttling around down there.

The dining area was filled with artificial greenery, and even the handrails looked like old wood and twining vines. Beneath it all was a hollowed-out fish pond; little pavilions and simple railings separated each private seating spot.

But instead of dividers, you could say each table was its own little island. Each island had its own dining table and chairs.

This unique style really caught people’s attention.

From where he stood, it looked like the restaurant’s first floor held at least a hundred tables, and every seat was full.

“Xiao Can, over here!”

Zhou Can held Su Qianqian’s hand as they looked around, then heard his mother calling out.

He and Su Qianqian glanced over, both smiling, and headed that way with Wei Fang.

“We picked this big table just for today, it seats eighteen! Makes group meals way more lively. Qianqian, is there anything you feel like eating?”

His mother was especially considerate of her future daughter-in-law’s feelings.

Most mothers-in-law are about the same. Before the wedding, they treat the future daughter-in-law as well as possible.

After the marriage, once she’s through the door, it’s a different story.

“I’m an easy guest, really. Whatever you order, I’ll eat. No need to worry about me at all!”

Su Qianqian smiled as she spoke.

“Qianqian’s never picky—she’s easy to please!”

Zhou Can teased her, grinning too.

“You brat, that’s your good luck, you know! You should spoil Qianqian more, don’t let her put up with anything unfair—if you do, I won’t let you off!” His mom half-scolded, half-laughed.

“Got it! Qianqian and I are doing great!”

In two years together, Zhou Can and Su Qianqian had squabbled now and then, but never had a real falling-out.

Just then, his cousin came over with some new clothes and a notebook, all ready for Qianqian’s autograph.

“Miss Qianqian, could you sign two extra for me?”

“Of course!”

Su Qianqian took the items from him and signed her name on the clothes and notebook.

“Can we take a photo together?”

His cousin asked, pushing a little further.

“Alright.”

Truthfully, she didn’t really want to agree—a public figure’s photo could be used in all sorts of ways. But since it was Zhou Can’s family, she reluctantly agreed.

She stood up for a quick picture with Cousin Chen Shangfu.

“Alright, alright, time to eat!”

Zhou Can’s mom probably already knew about Qianqian being a celebrity, but she didn’t seem very shocked. In her mind, her son could do anything—even marry a foreign princess, she wouldn’t be surprised.

Thanks to the reservation, waitstaff were already bringing out dishes.

The first dish on the table—spicy boiled fish.

Supposedly, to make this dish you start by killing a live fish, slicing it open then scoring the skin crosshatch-style. After marinating it in salt, soy sauce and seasonings, you fry it in hot oil. Only then do you put it in boiling water, and finally top it with garlic and red chili oil before serving.

Prepared this way, the fish is fragrant, crispy on the outside but tender inside—a real treat.

“Come on, have some fish! The first dish is meant to bring good fortune and abundance for the year!”

Boss Zhou started right away.

Both of Zhou Can’s parents work in business, so symbols and omens like this matter a lot to them.

“Qianqian, have some more fish! It won’t make you gain weight.”

Zhou Can picked out the best cut from around the fish’s waist and put it in his girlfriend’s bowl.

“Mhm!”

Su Qianqian’s eyes shone with happiness.

“I want fish too! I want some!”

The cousin’s daughter, Huanhuan, saw everyone eating fish and craned her neck, begging for a taste.

Her mother picked out a small piece, carefully removed the bones, and finally gave it to her to eat.

The little one gobbled it right up.

“Wow, it’s so yummy! I want more, more!”

Watching their daughter enjoy herself made Huanhuan’s parents and grandparents all grin with pride.

More chunks of fish quickly found their way to her plate.

At that moment, Zhou Can’s phone rang.

It was his old friend Cheng Dazhuang calling.

“Let me take this call!”

Zhou Can told Su Qianqian, then stepped aside.

“Dazhuang, it’s dinner time already! What’s up?”

“Our Director wants to visit you. We’re already outside your villa, can you let us in?”

Cheng Dazhuang sounded nervous, likely sharing the car with the Director.

“I’m at Little Fat Sheep Restaurant, having dinner with family—not home right now. Have you eaten yet? If not, just come over and join us!”

They’d come all the way—what else could Zhou Can do?

The County People’s Hospital’s Director was not someone you brushed off. Showing up with a gift in hand was a big deal.

“Alright, we’ll head over right away!”

Cheng Dazhuang hung up after that.

Call over, Zhou Can went back to the table.

“Mom, that was a friend calling—came to visit me but found my place locked up. I doubt they’ve eaten, so I told them to just come here directly.”

He filled his mom in.

“No problem! The table’s plenty big, the more the merrier. How many are coming?” His mom was used to hosting people.

The moment she heard it was his friends, she was all smiles and welcomed them on the spot.

“Should be two or three, we’ll know when they get here. If there are more, I’ll ask for another table.”

Zhou Can figured there wouldn’t be that many.

“Can, now that you’ve got a celebrity girlfriend, you have to look out for me, your cousin! Here’s to you and my future sis-in-law!”

His cousin raised his glass.

“Cheers!”

Zhou Can and Qianqian clinked glasses with him.

His cousin tossed his head back and drained the glass in one go.

“I’ll finish mine first—don’t feel pressured!”

This cousin was acting a bit too eager, buzzing around almost like a fly—honestly, it annoyed Zhou Can.

In his experience, it’s always the overly eager relatives or friends who, as soon as you’re no longer useful, disappear just as fast.

“Ow… it hurts! Hurts so much…”

Suddenly, Huanhuan cried out, her voice trembling with pain.

“What’s wrong?”

“Probably got a fish bone stuck!”

With kids, choking on fish bones is all too common.

Huanhuan’s mom had been careful picking bones, but things still went wrong.

“It’s my fault for being careless, what do we do now?”

Big Uncle looked panicked and regretful.

Seems like the trouble started with him.

As grandpa, he’d been watching his granddaughter scarf down the fish, but her mom just couldn’t keep up with the speed. Trying to help, Big Uncle had also started giving her fish.

That’s where the accident happened.

“Don’t panic—my son Shangfu’s a pediatrician, he’ll know what to do!”

Aunt tried to reassure everyone.

Chen Shangfu got up and went to see how Huanhuan was doing.

She was only three, and having a fish bone jab her throat, the pain and fear just made her cry even harder.

The harder she cried, the worse it hurt.

When she cried, her throat moved more, driving the bone deeper.

“There’s blood! That’s bad!”

Chen Shangfu was still just a medical trainee. No matter how much he bragged about being valued by his mentor, his hands-on experience was nearly zero—he’d never worked solo.

Normally, doctors only begin independent practice after officially becoming residents.

“It might’ve punctured a blood vessel. Besides the esophagus, the area has big arteries around it—this could be very dangerous.”

His cousin, Chen Shangmei, was about to be promoted to head nurse and was much calmer and more professional.

That’s the difference between someone used to making decisions alone, and someone who isn’t.

Still, nursing is nursing—her field was care and nutrition, not hands-on medicine.

Medical school is a mountain of books, clinical medicine most of all.

It takes five full years just to get a clinical degree—not something just anyone can handle.

To become a doctor, you have to be smart—and the selection begins long before you get to college. Only the top students, who can hack the fierce competition, make it to medical university.

“Shangfu, do something, quick!”

Big Uncle was beside himself.

His daughter-in-law tried to keep calm but looked extremely grim. If anything happened to their child, he’d never be forgiven.

“I don’t have experience with this! I’m just a trainee, just following my teacher’s lead and observing. I’ve almost no practical medical experience. Don’t be fooled just because Huanhuan isn’t bleeding badly yet—if that bone really pierced an artery or her esophagus, pulling it out could lead to dangerous blood loss.”

People who crumble at crunch time are always like Chen Shangfu—big talkers, useless when it counts.

There’s that old saying: when the tide goes out, you see who’s been swimming without trunks.

“Shangmei, aren’t you about to be a head nurse? Must be better than your brother, help us please!”

Realizing Shangfu was hopeless, Big Uncle’s frustration boiled over.

He could only pin his hopes on Chen Shangmei, who had stayed very steady so far.

“I’m just a nurse—I give shots and change dressings. Treating a patient is completely different. I really think we should take her straight to the hospital!” Chen Shangmei knew the risks and wasn’t about to fake it.

Lacking the right skills could mean a life on the line.

After being refused by both, Big Uncle never even thought of asking Zhou Can. Zhou Can always kept a low profile; everyone assumed he was nowhere near as capable as Chen Shangfu.

If even Shangfu had nothing, Zhou Can must have even less.

“Uncle, hang on—let me call my teacher!”

If a trainee hits something beyond them, their first instinct is to call their mentor.

Even though Big Uncle didn’t expect help from Zhou Can, he quietly stood up to check Huanhuan anyway.

“Huanhuan, be good, can you open your mouth and let Uncle Can see where the fish bone is?”

Zhou Can gently patted her head to comfort her.

This kind of soothing was something he’d learned in pediatrics.

The head is said to be the seat of spirit and calm; petting it helps children feel safe and settled.

“What do we do? Zhou Hai, call your friends at the hospital right now!” His cousin’s wife was frantic, holding her child.

She didn’t really hold out hope for Zhou Can as he came over.

Her husband, after all, was a mid-level health official and could call hospital contacts quickly.

“Okay, okay, I’ll call a pediatrician at the People’s Hospital now.”

He hurriedly took out his phone and scrolled for numbers.

With Zhou Can’s calm approach, Huanhuan gradually stopped panicking.

Kids’ nerves always feed off the way adults behave. It’s no wonder.

Zhou Can couldn’t see the fish bone, but he did spot bloody saliva in the child’s mouth—it had definitely caused some bleeding.

“Huanhuan, do you know where it poked you? Can you point to the spot for Uncle Can?”

“Here… wah!”

She pointed a tiny finger towards the deeper part of her throat.

No wonder they couldn’t see the bone—it was stuck in the middle of her esophagus now.

“I heard that swallowing rice can push down fish bones. I’ll ask the server for a bowl of rice!”

After the first shock, his aunt thought of that old home remedy.

“Absolutely not. A child’s body is really delicate—forcing food down won’t just fail to dislodge the bone, it could make things much more dangerous if it gets stuck deeper.”

Zhou Can’s tone was firm.

His aunt obviously didn’t trust the so-called ‘intern doctor’.

“Shangmei, do you think eating rice is safe?”

His aunt trusted the siblings Shangfu and Shangmei more; they seemed more professional.

With Shangfu on the phone, she asked Shangmei instead.

“Auntie, if the fish bone is sticking backward into the esophagus, sometimes swallowing food can help push it into the stomach. But if it’s facing the other way, it could get driven even deeper. Let’s wait till my brother talks to his teacher, then decide.”

Shangmei tried to calm his aunt.

She had two years’ experience as a nurse—if she didn’t even know this much, she’d be in trouble.

The Third Hospital where she worked was respected, one of the more well-known hospitals in the province.

Still, it couldn’t compare to the truly top hospitals like the Provincial People’s Hospital, Provincial Children’s Hospital, or Tuyu Hospital.