A Little Seaside Restaurant in the Northern Song Dynasty

Xie Zhiqiu arrives in the Northern Song dynasty as a young wife traveling a thousand miles with a child to find her husband.

Unfortunately, after three days in Citong Harbor, she still hasn't found him.

Worse, she's almost out of money.

Unable to find him and with nowhere to return to, Xie Zhiqiu can only rent a small house and settle in with her child for now.

To put food on the table, Xie Zhiqiu sets up a stall by the harbor docks, selling juicy shrimp dumplings, refreshing rice noodles with a spicy, sour kick, and chewy noodles with savory soybean paste...

Plenty of merchants travel north and south, and here they can all find a taste of home.

Drawn by those familiar flavors, customers keep streaming in, and business gets better and better.

From a street stall to a little restaurant, the bustling docks of Citong Harbor eventually gain a grand new establishment: Xie's Restaurant.

*

One day.

The little owner of the restaurant stands at the door with her hair tied into tiny buns, hands on her hips, speaking in a childish voice as she introduces the day's menu to a tall, dark-skinned, ruggedly handsome man. "Big dark uncle, today we have the most, most, most delicious cured meat and bamboo shoot soup. Little Tangyuan washed it all clean for you~"

Ye Xingshui, weathered from head to toe, looks at the little girl who doesn't even reach his thigh. "Little Tangyuan, I'm your father."

Little Tangyuan stares at him with round eyes. After looking him over carefully, she holds out her hand. "My father gives me money. Will you?"

Ye Xingshui takes out some money.

Little Tangyuan accepts it, runs to the back courtyard, and calls out proudly, "Mother, a dark-faced uncle said he's my dead father. He couldn't fool me, and I still tricked him out of his money."

Ye Xingshui laughs in exasperation and climbs straight over the wall.

Little Tangyuan shrieks, "Mother, he can climb walls!"

Xie Zhiqiu rushes out holding a spatula. She stares blankly at the tall, imposing, handsome man. He really does seem to be her husband.

Oh dear... What about the scholar Aunt Zhang next door introduced her to?

Blurb written on June 5, 2026

Theme: Hard work.