Food + transmigration + System + building a business + devoted 1v1 romance + lighthearted daily life + a touch of ensemble cast (a princess, a grand tutor's legitimate daughter, a young lord, a general's son, and the crown prince) + little scheming
Modern food blogger Su Qinghuan opens her eyes to find she's transmigrated into the Jing Dynasty as the daughter of a disgraced official, living in a home with nothing but bare walls. Just as she's fretting over an empty rice jar, she's bound to the “Chinese Culinary Heritage System.” Cook delicious food, open a shop, pass on culinary skills, and earn rewards!
From a multigrain jianbing stall at the entrance to West Market Street to the bustling Wei Xiang Ju, she wins over the capital with her cooking. Her beef in sour soup is tangy and spicy, her osmanthus sticky rice cakes are sweet and comforting, and even the crown prince goes incognito just to sneak a bite of her braised pork.
The stoic General Xiao Ce is her “number-one customer.” He goes from a cold, silent passerby who quietly pays for his food to a hidden protector who stands up to street thugs and finds ingredients for her. He can't say sweet things, so he awkwardly leaves freshly hunted bamboo shoots at her back door. She doesn't know the tricks of romance, but when he's injured, she serves him the most nourishing medicinal soup.
A foodie princess drops by for meals every day, a playboy young lord helps make introductions, and the gentle crown prince gives her enthusiastic support. There's no melodramatic scheming, just the bold, savory flavors of everyday life and the tenderness the stoic general hides in the aroma of her cooking.
When the System's mission calls for “making a hundred home-style dishes with your beloved,” Su Qinghuan looks at Xiao Ce, whose ears have turned red, and asks with a smile, “General, shall we learn to make sweet-and-sour ribs today?”
One bowl of hot soup brings two hearts together. Amid the fragrant streets, she becomes the capital's top-tier star chef and the one and only person in his heart.
