In her previous life, Cui Lan reached the pinnacle of culinary skill. Then, in a twist of fate, she transmigrated to the Great Song dynasty and became Cui Lanpei, the foolish eldest daughter of Cui, the assistant county magistrate of Yin County. The Cui family grandmother favored boys over girls, her mother was weak-willed, and her father was blindly filial, leaving Cui Lanpei in a dire situation. Fortunately, her maternal family soon sent someone to bring her home. Taking her younger twin sister, Cui Lanxue, with her, Cui Lanpei began a happy new life in Hanling, nestled between mountains and a lake, gathering seafood, going to market, and running a food stall.
But the good times did not last. The magistrate and his wife both died when Cui Lanpei was fourteen. Their grandmother doted on her younger son and legitimate grandson, forcing the Cui sisters to travel all the way to the capital and seek refuge with their father's old friends.
Living in Dongjing was no easy matter. Fortunately, the Shen family of the capital had once arranged a marriage between their children and the Cui family.
Cui Lanpei went to call on them with the token in hand, only to suffer a great deal of humiliation at the Shens' hands. Cui Lanpei was not the sort to let others bully her. She decided to fight fire with fire, swindled a hefty sum of silver from the Shen family, and used the money to buy a building with a shop at the front and a residence at the back. Then she went into the food business.
The Cui Family Eatery flourished, and Cui Lanpei counted money until her hands ached. Just then, the Shen family came calling.
After asking around, Cui Lanpei learned that their eldest son, Shen Dalaang, had been poisoned and was on the brink of death. With no other options, the Shen family hit upon the idea of having her marry into their family to bring good fortune to Shen Dalaang.
"Ridiculous!" Cui Lanpei said, her phoenix eyes blazing with anger.
Yet after all the twists and turns, Cui Lanpei did marry into the Shen household.
But the man who stood with her at the wedding was Shen Dalaang's younger brother, Shen Jingling.
Shen Jingling was a madman.
At some point, the disdain in his eyes when he looked at Cui Lanpei had gradually changed to something feverish yet restrained, yearning yet controlled.
Cui Lanpei thought, This is bad.
Three months later, Shen Dalaang died of his illness.
After fulfilling her agreement and taking care of the funeral, Cui Lanpei wasted no time moving out of the Shen household with her sister and establishing an independent female household.
But the second Shen son seemed to have had some sort of revelation. He began doggedly pursuing her, refusing to take no for an answer.
Cui Lanpei stared at him expressionlessly. "Shen Jingling, are you ever going to stop?"
Shen Jingling raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Of course not."
Standing to one side, Cui Erniang looked perfectly docile as she deftly handed her elder sister a long broom.
Cui Lanpei took it in one smooth motion and raised it to sweep him right out the door.
Shen Jingling sighed helplessly. "Sister-in-law, won't you show me a little affection?"
"Get lost!"
Reading Guide:
1. The female lead was reborn from infancy and retains her modern memories.
2. The female lead and her sister are twins. They look alike but have very different personalities. Her sister also has her own love interest.
3. The story focuses on her career, with romance as a secondary element. The male lead appears relatively late. The story moves on to Bianliang only after finishing the Yin County arc.
Completed novels you can read now: The Great Song Dynasty Daoist Healer, The Great Song Dynasty Shopkeeping Guide (Food), The Interstellar Era's Number One Dietitian
Theme: Hard work brings prosperity
