In her nineteenth year as Bo Xia Nu, a motherless orphan born into this world, her scumbag father, who had only recently returned to the family, drugged her. She was sent in place of her stepsister to marry the latter's fiance, supposedly the leader of a band of mountain bandits.
She thought she was getting a wolf and entering a den of tigers, only to find herself inexplicably expected to be the bandits' bride.
But everything turned out to be rather different from what she imagined...
"You're the bandit leader?"
Looking at the man's face, which seemed even more delicate than a flower than hers, Bo Xia Nu had a thousand questions.
"This is a bandit stronghold?"
The buildings looked like a country resort crossed with a zoo. Apart from the name, Auspicious Stronghold, sharing one character with the word for bandit stronghold, nothing about the place was similar. Bo Xia Nu's mouth twitched.
"These people are bandits?"
She met the eyes of the old, weak, young, sick, and disabled people in the stronghold. Add in the flower-like man, and there were barely enough to count on one hand. There were more animals than people.
Bo Xia Nu fell silent... Who had started the rumor that a whole band of ferocious outlaws lived in the mountain stronghold?!
After looking the place over from top to bottom, she found that everyone there was sunny and positive. Other than the poor food, there was little that needed improving.
But poor food was great! It meant Bo Xia Nu could finally put her skills to use!
Make use of the mountains if you live by the mountains, and the waters if you live by the waters. With a place as beautiful as Cloudmist Mountain and such a spacious compound as Auspicious Stronghold, they were perfectly suited to a country restaurant!
Fried, braised, stewed, boiled, and stir-fried; sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty. Mountain greens for simple meals, the fragrance of plants and trees in every season.
Her unexpected stand-in marriage was the start of her first career in the ancient world!
Except...
They'd clearly agreed to be business partners running a country restaurant. Why was this flower-like man so clingy?
Bei Lu: My lady, look at me. It was love at first sight back then. I really mean it...
Bo Xia Nu: ...I don't believe a word you say. They painted me to look like a ghost back then!
[Reader's notes]
1. Customs are inspired by the Tang dynasty, but this is a fictional setting. Cloudmist Mountain is inspired by Hanzhong's Cloudmist Mountain. Many details are invented. Please don't read if that bothers you.
2. A food-and-daily-life story. Neither lead has a hidden identity. The male lead is not a prince, royal, or general. Please don't read if that bothers you.
3. Food blogger transmigrates at birth as a motherless orphan x beast-taming "bandit leader" with a bad reputation. Marriage first, love later x love at first sight. Both are devoted to each other. Happy ending.
4. This blurb was posted on May 14, 2026, and has been screenshotted.
Theme: Simple meals of mountain greens, the scent of plants and trees through every season. Far from the bustle of carriages, live each day with carefree abandon.
