A Borderland Husband's Food Business

(Main story complete)

Food + business + slice-of-life in an imaginary ancient setting + cozy everyday money-making

Blurb:

The foolish Chu An'an suddenly regained his senses. He quickly took stock of his situation in this life:

His poor parents were serving hard labor, and his husband was handsome but broke.

He grabbed a spatula, determined to earn himself a bright future.

But Great Xia was prosperous and had no shortage of delicious food. Making money in the food business wouldn't be easy.

He'd have to cook delicious dishes and put some thought into what the market wanted.

For neighbors who couldn't afford to eat meat, he made cheap, generous portions of spicy, savory grilled fish.

For the county's residents, who had a little money but were used to old-fashioned food, he went all out on presentation. "Hey, kid, have you ever tried a translucent, jewel-colored cake that's soft and springy?"

He made his fortune one step at a time, and at last moved to a thriving prefectural city. There, he brought out every trick he knew to give himself and his family a good life.

Under Great Xia law, unmarried men or women who committed minor crimes could be exiled to the frontier and married to local soldiers in place of hard labor.

One day, a powerful clan that had been stripped of its wealth and exiled arrived from the capital.

The unmarried young men in the military camp rubbed their hands together, eagerly waiting.

Some toads dreamed of marrying a swan, hoping to bring home a young lady who would cook and do the housework.

The practical ones figured a maid or servant would do. A husband and wife living a steady life together was all that mattered.

But whatever their preferences, at least they all wanted someone of sound mind.

Yet Zhao Junyi ended up marrying a fool.

That had plenty of toads laughing themselves sick. The fallen young ladies who had looked down on them all had their eyes on Zhao Junyi, because although everyone was poor, Zhao Junyi was handsome and a good person.

Now that Zhao Junyi had married a fool, he was bound to get mocked.

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Zhao Junyi planned to raise his foolish husband like a five-year-old younger brother until the day he died.

But no one expected his foolish husband to suddenly become perfectly normal one day. Not only was he no longer a fool, he was bright and clever, good at making money and providing for the family, and considerate of Zhao Junyi.

Every time Zhao Junyi returned to the army, he brought bags full of comfortable clothes and delicious food.

His fellow soldiers compared them to the coarse food in their own hands and collectively lost it.

Seriously, how is that fair?

PS: Chu An'an is the same person in his previous and current lives.

Theme: Making money for a better life