Lin Qingyan, the youngest deputy head of the Imperial Kitchen, is framed over a bowl of Jadeite and White Jade Soup. Her younger brother is implicated, and she dies unjustly.
When she opens her eyes again, she's back at fifteen. Her brother hasn't been imprisoned yet, and she hasn't entered the palace.
This time, to avoid the selection of palace women and uncover the truth behind the case, she takes her brother straight to the Bian River wharf and rents a shop called Qinghuan Eatery.
A top-tier culinary master sets up shop in a bustling wharf teeming with people from every walk of life. One wave of her spatula is enough to crush the competition:
A bowl of "Heartbreak Rice" makes a bankrupt old merchant weep, then rally and rebuild his business;
A batch of "Step by Step to Success" scholar cakes gives a man who has failed the examinations eight times a sudden flash of insight, and he really does pass the provincial exam later on.
One cup of "Dreamlike Jasmine Milk Pudding" lets Yu Jin, the transport commissioner who suffers from loss of taste, experience the flutter of a racing heart for the first time.
Yu Jin's sense of taste has faded because of an old injury. Everything tastes like chewing wax, but he has a special fondness for her cooking.
But Lin Qingyan is busy developing recipes and investigating the case. How could she possibly have time for romance!
Unexpectedly, the deeper she digs, the more the case expands: from secrets in the Imperial Kitchen to a prince's struggle for the throne, from the mystery of her birth to legendary recipes worth a fortune.
All sorts of factions come sniffing around. Some offer money, some make threats, and others want to hire her as their personal cook.
Lin Qingyan slaps the stove: I made my way in the palace in my last life. You think you can push me around just because I'm running a restaurant in this one? No chance! Get in line if you want to eat. Want to ask about anything else? Not a chance!
As for that commissioner, he only meant to mooch a meal at first. Later, he shows up at her door with betrothal gifts, ready to carry her and the entire eatery off as a package deal.
Lin Qingyan plants her hands on her hips: Pay your old food bill first, then we'll talk!
