From the Start, Running a Food Stall and Winning My Husband by Chance

My new novel, "Bianjing's Cold Treat Shop," is now available. The male lead pursues his wife after they separate; the blurb is at the very bottom. * Now for this novel's blurb: Guan Heyao, head chef at a traditional cuisine restaurant, is an expert at getting the most out of nature. In spring, she digs for wild greens all over the hills. In summer, she catches fish and shrimp in reservoirs. In autumn, she picks mushrooms in the woods. In winter, she gathers hawthorn berries from the snow. She knows her stuff and has everything under control! Even after transmigrating to ancient times as a poor, lonely young woman, she isn't fazed! She starts out selling sliced steamed buns from a street stall, hoping to save enough to open a restaurant. She'll make her fortune with her own hard work, and... She'll take over a grand restaurant and bring prosperity to the people of Song! The above is the rhyming version of the blurb, with five consecutive lines ending in the same sound. [Not really.] Here's the proper blurb: She follows the seasons and gathers ingredients from every corner of the land. She buys malt sugar for the Cold Food Festival, fries river snails for the Qingming Festival, gathers pine pollen to cook with for Grain Rain, and eats pea cakes as soon as summer begins. Though her daily meals are simple, Guan Heyao lives life to the fullest, with reverence for nature and care for every resource. Then one day, she finds a man on the brink of death. He uses his injuries as an excuse to shamelessly enjoy her food, drink, and affection. Dazzled by his stunning, battle-worn face, Guan Heyao lets her looks cloud her judgment and immediately upgrades his meals, cooking delicious food to help him recover. Plum-blossom soup noodles, braised golden meat and jade, tangerine cakes, lotus-wrapped duck rolls, goose-fat pastries, seven-star crab, boneless fish... She'll make it all, even if she has to sell her pots and pans! The heroine's only golden finger is her superb cooking. She starts out at a street stall, earning every single coin one at a time. It's really hard work. So this is a gritty documentary about hardship. [Runs away with a pot lid over her head.] A lively, adorable little chef heroine x a gentle, devoted young general (1) The heroine is a cute little drama queen who loves to quip and has girlfriend energy in spades. (2) The male lead falls in love with her at first sight. He's a refined, aloof gentleman in public and a shy, clingy puppy in private. (3) Our goal is to make it swoony, satisfying, sweet, and indulgent! Food and romance each get half the focus, and many of the dishes are traditional recipes. The early story focuses on daily life and running a business; later on, there's a little flimsy court intrigue. The setting is modeled on the Song Dynasty, so please don't take the historical details too seriously. *, *, * Blurb for "Bianjing's Cold Treat Shop": Yu Ningshuang transmigrates into the body of a well-bred young woman in Bianjing. She enjoys the love of her parents and spends her days in peaceful contentment. The only drawback is that she's bound to a lousy System that collects and analyzes human emotions. System: [Host needs to collect the emotion "indifference." Each successful collection earns you a corresponding reward of ice.] Yu Ningshuang: "Ice?! Why not just squeeze every last coin out of me?" System: [A liter of ice costs about one string of coins in this era.] Yu Ningshuang: "!!!" System: [Collect 999 liters of ice to receive three wishes.] Yu Ningshuang: "Oh, most esteemed little System, let's get started right away!" But Yu Ningshuang is so beautiful and sweet that even stray dogs on the roadside can't bring themselves to bark at her. No one ever treats her with indifference. After being bound to the System for over half a year, she hasn't even earned half a spoonful of crushed ice. Until one night, her mother weeps and tells her that Yu Ningshuang actually has a betrothed, chosen for her in childhood. "That young man is famous for being a cold-faced demon, cold-hearted and cold-blooded. How could my darling Shuang'er possibly endure, " Yu Ningshuang: "Oh, he sounds perfect for me! I'll marry him!" Yan Shuo oversees security in the imperial city as Chief Inspector. His temperament is as cold as iron, and his face seems carved from ice and snow, making people afraid to approach him. Only his new bride is always smiling as she sidles up to him. People in the capital say that Yan Shuo's wife must be madly in love with him. Even he gradually falls for her soft, luminous gaze. What he doesn't know is that Yu Ningshuang sees him only as a big block of ice to trade for smaller blocks of ice. Before long, a cold treat shop opens in Jiqing Ward. It sells milk-and-cream su shan and cherry curds passed down from an earlier dynasty, icy snowballs and crystal jelly popular in the current one, as well as all manner of novel fragrant drinks, ice cream, fruit bowls, iced tea, and more... Yu Ningshuang happily counts her money, then casually tosses out a divorce agreement. At that moment, Yan Shuo suddenly understands that Yu Ningshuang never loved him. More astonishing still, even so, he doesn't want to let her go. His eyes darken, and veins rise across his clenched fists. "Divorce? Impossible." Yu Ningshuang scoffs and makes her third wish to the System. As though seized by an invisible force, Yan Shuo's hand moves against his will. His eyes bulge as he signs his name, then watches in despair as Yu Ningshuang gracefully walks away. When they meet again, Yu Ningshuang is a female official at the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, in charge of the palace kitchens. She cures the Empress Dowager's summer illness with longan rice. The Emperor loves her milk tea, the Noble Consort insists on her homemade kumquat cakes every day, and the princesses and princes each get a bowl of her lychee jelly. Most importantly... An elegant and dignified prince circles around her, a dashing marquis's heir follows her, and Bianjing's wealthy merchants are after her too. Yan Shuo can only put away his icy barbs and approach her cautiously, hoping Yu Ningshuang will look his way once more... A clear-headed heroine who's warm on the outside and cool within, a gifted flirt and actress. A lovesick hero who's cold on the outside and warm within, tricked into giving both his body and his heart. (1) One couple, one-to-one romance, both leads are each other's first. They divorce, then reconcile. (2) After the divorce, some supporting characters have one-sided crushes on the heroine, but she's only interested in making money. (3) The male lead is genuinely messed up and difficult. Early on, he can't talk like a normal person and doesn't act like one either, so the heroine puts on an act and plays him without meaning a word of it. (4) The male lead gets put through a lot of emotional pain later on. Basically, he's swimming in a vat of jealousy. (5) A semi-fictional Song Dynasty setting. The heroine's golden finger is as described: not very powerful, and it really only gives her ice. The three wishes are small, too. (6) One of the "Nine Courts and Five Offices" series, featuring the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Theme: Kindness and love can work miracles, and so can good food.