Handsome, charming, and blessed with extraordinary talent, Wen Yunyi, the Minister of Revenue, has three things weighing on his mind.
First, his mother keeps urging him to marry and have children.
Second, his grandmother worries too much, suffers from a serious illness, has no appetite, and grows thinner by the day.
Third, the daughter of his father's sworn brother has gone missing. He has searched for her in vain, failing both the emperor's command and his father's wishes.
Every one of these troubles leaves him frustrated and anxious. Fortunately, by chance, he meets a cook surnamed Su.
This Miss Su has been through quite a lot. She once fought with a gambling den owner, and later became sworn brothers with him. She once went to court against the lover who betrayed her, leaving him thoroughly humiliated. She was even caught up in a murder case, though it turned out she had been falsely accused. After thinking it over carefully, Wen Yunyi invites her to work in his household.
After that...
His grandmother, who had no appetite: Hurry and ask Cook Su what delicious food she's making today!
His sister-in-law, usually aloof and cold toward everyone: I could be friends with Cook Su.
His nephew, a picky eater who never eats properly: Sweet fried rice cakes! Popcorn chicken! Hamburgers! Takoyaki! Oden!
His cousin, a glutton reincarnated: I want to live at my cousin's house and eat food made by Miss Su every day!
His stern, self-disciplined colleagues: Lord Wen, did you bring a lunchbox today?
Even the Crown Prince, whose status is beyond reproach, finds an excuse to come to his house for a meal, and tries to take Miss Su back to the Eastern Palace.
Lord Wen keeps a close watch and fends off every dangerous rival who might steal his treasure. After all, this cook Su has effortlessly helped him solve all three of his troubles.
The woman he wants to marry? Found.
His grandmother's illness? Cured.
As for the whereabouts of his father's sworn brother's daughter...
Wen Yunyi gazes tenderly at the carved knife in Miss Su's hand. "Miss Su, there is something I would like to tell you..."
After transmigrating, Su Jinzhao becomes a beautiful young woman with no parents, a mountain of debt, and a broken heart after being deceived by a scoundrel. She has thrown herself into a lake in despair.
Faced with an adoptive father addicted to gambling, an aggressive creditor, and a former lover who is a wolf in sheep's clothing, Su Jinzhao doesn't panic at all. She tidies up the shop and works hard to make a living. With no capital, she uses cheap ingredients to make delicious food. When people come looking for trouble, she rolls up her sleeves and fights back! In the end, she catches the eye of the current Minister of Justice, Lord Wen Yunyi, who invites her to his residence to work as a cook.
Three months later, the entire Wen family has gained weight.
Looking at the results of her hard work, Su Jinzhao is very pleased. But why does Lord Wen keep staring at her without end?
One day, unable to bear it any longer, Su Jinzhao asks, "Lord Wen, are you..."
She looks at Wen Yunyi's face and blushes. "Are you interested in my carved knife?"
Lord Wen, his eyes full of anticipation: "..."
Reading Guide
1. A light, sweet food story set in an imaginary world. The author's made-up details are everywhere, so please don't take it too seriously. Thank you.
2. Both leads are each other's first and only partners. One-on-one romance, happy ending.
3. Both the male and female leads are adorable.
My ongoing food story, Raising a Concubine's Daughter: Everyday Life, can be found in my author's collection!
With one blink, Qiao Xi becomes a villager in Luping Village.
Her mother is a concubine who was driven out of a wealthy family's household. She is seriously ill and on the verge of death. Her younger twin siblings, a brother and sister, are under ten, malnourished, and frail.
As for the original owner of the body, she had gone to the family home to ask for her monthly allowance to pay for her mother's treatment. Her stepmother beat her so badly that she was covered in injuries. By the time she returned to Luping Village, she was barely breathing.
Qiao Xi: It's awful, but... no matter how hard life gets, I won't let my stomach suffer. If I have two working hands, I can earn money.
The mountains are full of wild fruit in summer, so it's time to make jam and candied fruit. Fresh mushrooms can be dried, and dried mushroom and meat sauce makes fragrant noodles.
Golden pancakes go with everything; have a fragrant, savory pancake with all kinds of sauces. Wontons, lamb offal, and tofu pudding; steaming little soup dumplings with thin skins and scalding broth.
Fried dough sticks are best with soy milk. Friends and relatives can never agree on who gets the roujiamo. Take a look in the purse, and there's plenty of silver. Next up, spicy hot pot!
Before long, her sickly mother says, "Hold the pig down. I'll slaughter it!"
Her shy, introverted younger sister says, "We have delicious spicy shrimp and fish with pickled cabbage! Would you like to try some, honored guest?"
Her timid, meek younger brother says, "My sister doesn't like people who swing weapons around. Leave. Next!"
Qiao Xi, working in the kitchen until she loses track of day and night: "?"
News that Luping Village has produced a female culinary genius soon reaches the military camp outside the capital.
From the commander down to the cooks, one group after another rushes to Qiao's Eatery to satisfy their cravings.
Sweet and sour crispy pork, spicy and fragrant mapo tofu, tender, flavorful braised fish maw, and delicate, sweet, refreshing steamed shad.
This! This! This!
How does the great general manage to resist coming here to eat?
Until one day...
They see the wise, mighty, and exceptionally handsome great general sneak into the back courtyard of Qiao's Eatery in the dead of night, silently filling the water vat to the brim.
Everyone: "..." They seem to have discovered something extraordinary!
Reading Guide: A sweet food story with lots of running a business and little romance. Sweet overall.
Theme: Life is beautiful. Learn to treat it with care.
