A Little Restaurant for the Soul [Gourmet]

[Upcoming: "A Qing-Dynasty Tale of a Contented Fish Climbing the Ranks", blurb below]

Blurb:

Wouldn't it be great if you could use the cooking skills you learned in your dreams in real life?

Luo Jinping: Thanks for asking. It's amazing. I've already made it to the top.

Fresh out of college, Luo Jinping suddenly begins learning to cook in her dreams. She later receives an offer of employment and becomes the chef of a strange dimension, trading delicious food for people's negative emotions.

Faced with the hardships of real life, Luo Jinping rolls up her sleeves, grabs her spatula, and gets to work.

Before long, there's a little restaurant in the real world that's packed every day.

The little restaurant is called Little Restaurant.

It's clean and tidy, the coolest kid on the whole street.

At first, no one gives it a second look. In the end, it becomes famous across China.

Dishes like braised lion's head meatballs, poached pork, roast duck, chicken slices with egg whites, and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall all make an appearance.

There's nothing you can name that Little Restaurant can't make.

Before eating:

"This little restaurant is so tiny and weird. Why eat here?"

After eating:

"This is delicious! Boss, I'll have another serving."

Luo Jinping takes her credit to the grave.

PS: The recipes in the story are based on various cookbooks, Baidu Baike, and other sources.

Content warnings:

1. The male lead appears only later in the story. He is a childhood friend who has to win the heroine back after taking her for granted, and their relationship develops quickly.

2. The strange dimension takes up relatively little of the story.

3. There are many original elements.

4. The author is a beginner, so feel free to point out any issues.

-*A Qing-Dynasty Tale of a Contented Fish Climbing the Ranks*-

Li Zhiwan transmigrates into the body of a young maid who has just entered the inner quarters. When she looks into it, she discovers that she's in Fourth Prince's residence.

Li Zhiwan: "..."

A quick calculation tells me I seem to be Qi Fei.

Historically, Qi Fei had three sons and one daughter. Only one son and one daughter lived to adulthood, and the son was adopted by another family while the daughter died young.

Li Zhiwan draws in a sharp breath. This Qi Fei business sounds tough. Maybe I should just lie flat.

At first, there are only two young ladies in Fourth Prince's household: one gentle and charming, the other bright and beautiful.

Everyone thinks the bright and beautiful one will be more proactive, but it turns out she's a useless contented fish who knows nothing but looking pretty, eating, and having fun all day.

But to everyone's surprise, Fourth Prince really likes that sort of thing, and the contented-fish young lady steadily rises through the ranks.

From side consort to noble consort, imperial noble consort, empress, and finally empress dowager.

-

Fourth Prince Yinzhen was described by the Kangxi Emperor as "unpredictable in his moods." From then on, he wore a stony expression, keeping his emotions buried deep inside.

One day, Yinzhen was walking in the garden when he overheard the contented-fish young lady talking to her maid.

"My lady, why did you ask for leave from the main residence today? You're clearly in good health."

The contented-fish young lady replied, "You fool. Haven't you noticed how thunderclouds have been gathering over our lord's head these past few days? Wherever he goes, thunder is likely to strike."

Yinzhen touched his bald head and gave a cold laugh. "Then I'll let you get struck by lightning first."

The contented-fish young lady: How annoying.

This is the story of a contented-fish young lady trying to make sure that the weather above Fourth Prince's head is sunny every day, instead of changeable and stormy.

Content warnings:

1. The male lead is Fourth Prince. He has a harem in the early story, but later dotes exclusively on the heroine.

2. There are many original elements. The timeline generally follows history, with some changes, and some characters' fates will be different.

3. The heroine has a supernatural ability that lets her see a weather forecast above other people's heads, but this ability doesn't play a major role.

Theme: All negative feelings are temporary. Life is beautiful.