A Little Chef’s Thriving Life in the Eighties

In 1982, at the residential compound of the Hongxing Machinery Factory in northern China, Lin Xiaoyan has just failed the college entrance exams and is facing a crisis in her life. Her cruel stepmother is determined to marry her off and use the bride price to support her stepbrother. Her father is weak and silent, and there is no place for her in the family. In desperation, Lin Xiaoyan remembers the old cookbook her mother left behind and her own excellent cooking skills. Ignoring the gossip that she’s “neglecting proper work,” she secretly sets up a stall at the morning market and sells her mother’s original egg-stuffed flatbreads and red date porridge. From dodging market inspectors with her mobile stall, to leasing a counter in the factory canteen, and then opening her own home-style restaurant, Lin Xiaoyan uses her skillful hands and unyielding determination to break down prejudice, earn her first fortune, and free herself from the constraints of her family of origin amid the tide of reform and opening up. Along the way, she meets Chen Mo, an upright and warmhearted educated youth returning to the city. They support each other and weather hardships together. In the end, Lin Xiaoyan achieves financial independence, finds a happy love, and leads the women in her neighborhood to prosperity. In the hopeful 1980s, she builds a thriving life of her own.