The Entire Prince's Residence Wants to Eat My Cooking (Gourmet Food)

Upcoming novel: "My Sister Is a Culinary Goddess!!"

[Updates at 9 p.m.]

After waking up, Pei Mingmiao found herself a low-ranking maid in the inner quarters of a prince’s manor.

Her mother had died, her fiancé’s family had broken off the engagement, and she owed her uncle a large sum of money.

To get enough to eat and make life better in the future, she found a way into the main kitchen.

Carrying water, kneading dough, lighting fires, cooking over the stove.

Scallion-oil steamed flatbread came with a savory, toasted aroma; soy-braised ribs were tender and flavorful; pork braised with preserved mustard greens glistened a deep brown; even the ornamental chili peppers were turned into all sorts of novel dishes by her.

One delicious dish after another left her kitchen for the various households, satisfying the fussy palates of the manor’s distinguished residents.

She didn’t ask for wealth and status. She only hoped to save enough money soon to pay off her debts, leave the manor, and live a quiet, ordinary life.

Later, Pei Mingmiao went to visit a friend.

A cold wind howled through the streets. Her friend clasped her hand, full of worry. “The prince’s manor is a dangerous place. The wind was so fierce today that I was shivering, and yet I heard the Second Young Master was made to stand out in the parade ground by the main street all day, freezing, without being allowed extra clothes or shelter from the wind. You’re right in the thick of things. Do you know what happened?”

Pei Mingmiao: Oh, that was probably because the Second Young Master passed through the kitchen yesterday and took the beggar’s chicken she’d prepared for the prince.

Her friend went on, “The prince’s manor is a dangerous place. I heard the Second and Third Young Masters got into a fight right outside the schoolroom this morning, with no regard for appearances.”

Pei Mingmiao: Oh, that was probably because the two young princes were fighting over the cloud-slice cakes she’d made. There was only one left on the plate, and neither of them would give it up.

○ A fictional setting blending elements from several dynasties.

○ A slice-of-life story. The early chapters mainly focus on life at the prince’s manor, with the various households getting up to all sorts of things and enjoying good food. Political intrigue is barely touched on, if at all. The male lead appears around the middle or later sections.

Upcoming novel: "My Sister Is a Great Chef!"

Chu Yuan, an imperial chef, was betrayed by her family and died. When she opened her eyes, she had arrived in a dynasty she knew nothing about.

The body looked like her and had the same name, but its personality was completely different. She was a rebellious girl who stole money, got into fights, and even beat her adoptive mother badly enough to send her to the hospital.

Feeling inexplicably guilty, she searched her memories and found the hospital emergency department.

Her adoptive mother had just had her wounds treated. When she saw Chu Yuan, she didn’t get angry. Instead, she took her hand and gently chided her: “If you need money, just tell Mom. I’ll figure something out. Don’t borrow from those hooligans. They’re not people you want to mess with.”

Chu Yuan’s nose stung.

When Chu Jiayu was very young, her father and his friend died in a car accident while away on a business trip. Her mother adopted the friend’s child, then struggled to put herself through school and support the family.

After graduating from college, Chu Jiayu worked part-time as a tutor in the evenings and as a sales representative in an office tower during the day. Her throat was hoarse from making calls. She opened an app to order the cheapest set meal, looked up, and saw her least favorite younger sister cautiously glancing around outside the company’s floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The moment she spotted Chu Jiayu, she ran in excitedly from outside.

“Big Sister, I made you braised pork ribs with rice and some juice!”

Her little sister looked at her with an adorably innocent expression.

Theme: Ordinary people striving to survive