Coming soon: I Conquered the General with Food. If you're interested, check it out in my author profile.
A modern-day girl with a terminal illness wakes up to find that she has transmigrated into Qu Yiwan, the proprietress of the Ruyi Inn.
The inn has been so poorly run that only she and a young clerk, Yu Ping'an, are left. To stay alive and avoid the suffering of her illness, she makes a deal with the System, trading her guests' happiness for what she needs.
Because of her serious illness, she even had to restrict what she ate. Her only pleasure had been reading books about food. Theory and practice are two different things, but with enough practice, she'll get the hang of it. Dishes like candied yams and mushroom chicken soup become unforgettable thanks to her creativity.
She also puts all kinds of modern marketing ideas to use: bonus credit with top-ups, prize drawings, buy two get one free...
The business bounces back in no time.
She expands the shop and creates treats like milk tea and egg tarts, which soon become popular throughout the country.
What surprises Qu Yiwan most is that Yu Ping'an, who was dismissive and half-hearted at first, never leaves her side. Whether it's protecting the shop and running the business or networking and promoting it, he handles everything with ease.
As the business grows, Qu Yiwan develops a desire to help ordinary people.
Food is scarce in ancient times, and famines break out often, killing countless people. She trades with the System for potatoes and sweet potatoes, then teaches people how to grow them, saving many impoverished families. Her reputation for kindness soon spreads throughout the land, and the royal family even makes an exceptional invitation for her to take part in the imperial selection.
The Third Prince wants to win her over and expand his influence. He pressures the emperor to grant them a marriage, but in the process, Yu Ping'an's identity as a prince is accidentally revealed. The state of affairs becomes ever more bewildering...
Theme: Finding a way forward in the darkest hour, with good fortune at every turn
When I saw this, I felt like there was something wrong. Does a village chief have so much authority? He could manage all the shops in the town, and he didn't even ask about the budget or what kind of food he wanted to prepare for the banquet.
The introduction is good, and the content up front is okay. Since it started as an inn, the inn management was abandoned as soon as it started to take off. It didn't fit the profile very well, and I didn't want to read it after I got here. You can come up with ideas, the content is very novel, but not substantial enough, so please give the author a boost!