Is Madam Qin Setting Up Her Stall Today?

Qin Wu, a modern private-cuisine inheritor and culinary genius, wakes up in the body of the vicious fake heiress in a doted-on heroine story. From the start, everything is going wrong.

The original owner had committed countless misdeeds. Not only had she poisoned the entire marquis's household and nearly killed them, she'd also been thrown out by her husband, a Hanlin Academy scholar, after he accused her of “poisoning her husband and mother-in-law.”

When she returns to the countryside home of her birth parents, her grandparents are ready to bleed her dry, while her uncles' families bully her.

Even when she sets up a wonton stall at the docks, her old nemesis comes by to sneer at her.

The assistant magistrate of the Jingzhao Prefecture, whom the original owner had once humiliated as much as possible, is deeply prejudiced against her and constantly on guard.

Faced with this mess, her plan is simple: make money one step at a time, win people over one by one. First make money, then clear her name!

Starting with a street cart, she uses a single pot of broth to create countless flavors, turning limited ingredients into all kinds of wontons... Her bowls of piping-hot street food have everyone from all walks of life lining up at the alley entrance.

In her spare time, she also takes custom orders: meat jerky for a merchant's son, medicinal sweet soup for a disabled young master, special flower dishes for her nemesis... She wins hearts through food.

With her private-cuisine skills, she also breaks into the mansions of the capital's elite, turning custom banquets into spectacular affairs: an elegant vegetarian feast, delicious despite containing no meat, and a spring flower-viewing banquet featuring edible blossoms... She knows exactly how to satisfy the fussy appetites of the capital's powerful, and a seat at her table is worth a fortune.

Once she's saved enough to open her own private dining establishment, she caters to each guest individually, winning over even the most difficult customers.

What happens next takes everyone in the capital by surprise.

The woman rumored to have a serpent's heart claws her way up from the mud, step by step, bringing her entire family along. She makes a fresh start and builds a vast fortune.

Meanwhile, the once-refined and noble second son of the Qi family is cast out by his family for her, leaving with nothing and starting his business from scratch, through wind and rain.

Everyone laments that he's throwing away his future, but he says, “What value is there in wealth and finery from one's parents? The bricks and tiles, the meals and seasons we earn side by side are what make up the world worth living in.”

[Reading Guide]

1. One-on-one romance, happy ending, both leads' first relationship.

2. A warm, everyday story with a large cast, family life, and a slow-burn pace.

3. No System. The heroine builds her fortune step by step through her food business.

4. Set in an imaginary dynasty, with plenty of invented details. Please don't nitpick historical accuracy.

Theme: Truly good food can please everyone