The Mind-Reading Cook Is No Simple Woman

Upcoming: A Foodie City on the Frontier. Blurb at the end.

Blurb:

Zhu Chenfeng, a food influencer, transmigrates into the body of a young woman abandoned at a funeral home to await death. After transmigrating, she recovers her health and heads to a county town outside the capital to make a living.

She wins everyone over with her cooking and becomes a young cook at a village school. To her surprise, she also unlocks a golden finger: she can read what diners are thinking.

The village school is full of adorable little kids. She feeds them all kinds of nutritious meals until they're chubby and rosy-cheeked. Cooking, feeding kids, and enjoying a carefree life, Zhu Chenfeng is happy as can be, until her cooking catches the attention of the county magistrate, Ming Yang.

As the son of the chief minister, Lord Ming has enjoyed a life of luxury since childhood. Rumor has it he's a libertine and a picky eater, hard to please, but he's devastatingly handsome, handsome enough to make people forgive him anything.

Zhu Chenfeng is ordered to cook a meal for him. After tasting it, Ming Yang feels like a blind man who can see again, as if his tongue, dead for ages, has come back to life!

Scallion-braised tofu, delicious!

Golden sand pumpkin, fragrant!

Sweet and sour carp, sweet!

Red-braised ribs, amazing!

But he puts down his chopsticks and says coldly, "Hmph, it's nothing special."

Zhu Chenfeng, who heard his thoughts long ago: I have a @#￥ I don't know whether I should say.

His mouth says it's nothing special, but his body tells the truth. Ming Yang's feet have a mind of their own, and whenever mealtime comes, he can't help trying to run over to the village school next door. In the end, he orders Zhu Chenfeng to deliver all three meals to him every day.

Zhu Chenfeng: You're spoiled. If you want to eat, come over yourself!

Of course, when the county magistrate works so hard that he forgets to eat and sleep, the young cook will make the difficult decision to bring him a meal. By chance, she cooks a meal for some prisoners and hears a bandit's thoughts, finding a clue that helps Ming Yang solve a case.

After that, Zhu Chenfeng is unstoppable, cracking one strange case after another and rising to fame as the "Detective Cook." Her reputation even reaches the imperial court, and the emperor invites her to the palace.

Ming Yang: This woman is something else.

One day, the county magistrate, a devoted foodie, suddenly can't bring himself to eat at a table full of delicacies. He looks away nervously.

Curious, Zhu Chenfeng leans closer and hears Ming Yang muttering to himself: I've been tormenting her quite a lot. If I suddenly confess, will she beat me up?

Clever, independent, lively young cook vs. outwardly rakish, scheming, handsome county magistrate

One-on-one romance, happy ending, sweet story

Reader's Guide:

1. Mainly a food story with a slice-of-life feel. It's not a case-of-the-week mystery, but focuses on eating, drinking, and having fun. There may be a few small hurdles as the plot requires, but there are no awful characters or rivalry between women. Though the heroine is beautiful, she isn't a pushover and won't let people bully her, so it's basically a wish-fulfillment story~

2. The dynasty is fictional. Some customs and terms may be inspired by the Ming dynasty. Ingredients and sauces are all plentiful, so please don't nitpick the details~

3. Village schools were established by the government beginning in the Yuan dynasty. The Ming inherited the Yuan system, establishing village schools in every prefecture, department, and county, mainly to educate children under fifteen. (Source: Baidu Baike)

4. Ming Yang's courtesy name is Beilin. The names of the male and female leads come from Cao Pi's poem: "May I become a morning-wind bird, flying together to the northern woods."

5. Don't just skip to the final chapter, 142. I recommend reading chapter 141 too, as it contains important content. (Friendly tip)

I just got a new idea for a food story, so I'm switching to a different upcoming novel. Hehe~

A Foodie City on the Frontier

Beautiful and fiery heroine vs. musclebound war god

Jin Luoyue closes and opens her eyes, only to discover she has transmigrated to ancient times, with a "rookie" postal inn as her starting point.

A desolate frontier, a ramshackle inn, a cook whose food is terrible, a bookkeeper hopeless at math, a shop assistant with social anxiety, and her, a stand-in for Dehua, struggling to raise her two young niece and nephew.

Worse, it seems she's married, but she can't remember who her husband is or where he's wandered off to.

Jin Luoyue: If I've done something wrong, punish me according to the law. Don't make me transmigrate here and suffer through all this!

The children are clamoring for food, the landlord is chasing her for rent, and with survival at stake, she has no choice but to roll up her sleeves and get to work.

Jin Luoyue has no special skills except cooking. Seasonal delicacies in spring, fruit in autumn, iced drinks in summer, hot pot in winter. Reviving a little restaurant shouldn't be hard.

They aren't short on staff, but each of them has their own limitations. She can't bring herself to fire them, but keeping them is a bit of a burden.

Luckily, one day Jin Luoyue goes for a walk outside the city and finds a sturdy, imposing man in the yellow sand.

The man is tall and solid, with impressive pecs. He works as hard as three people and doesn't even ask for wages.

The only problem is that he's not very bright. He's lost his memory.

He hasn't forgotten everything, though. The moment he opens his eyes, he grabs her and calls her his wife. They each wear half of a matching jade pendant, so perhaps it's really true.

Seeing that the man is handsome, has a gorgeous body, and works hard, Jin Luoyue wipes away her drool. I approve of this marriage.

Since we both "have amnesia," let's make the best of it. It's not like we can get divorced.

Before long, Luoyue Inn rises to prominence, crushing all the restaurants in town. Its signature dishes include, but aren't limited to, big-plate chicken, beef noodles, pork knuckle with bone in, and whole roast lamb...

Besides local dishes, there are countless delicacies from elsewhere: mapo tofu, roast duck; yellow croaker in broth, white-cut chicken; golden sand pumpkin and seafood casserole; dry-fried beef noodles, oil-braised shrimp!

No one can leave without a full belly.

The young couple's life is sweet as honey, and they're so loving that they make passionate love every night. They might even have two children in three years. She thinks life will carry on quietly like this, until one day Jin Luoyue walks the dog home...

Armored guards are kneeling all around her husband. When they see her, they shout in unison, "We pay our respects to Princess Ning!"

Jin Luoyue leans back in shock: What do you mean, Prince Ning?

Yu Jiangshu, Prince Ning of the Great Liang Dynasty, is the new emperor's older brother and bears the heavy responsibility of protecting his family and country.

He has no desire to take part in the royal family's power struggles, and has always worn armor to defend the border. Last year, after his younger brother ascended the throne, he finally married Jin Luoyue, the daughter of a merchant, through a matchmaker.

But the wedding fan was missing, and he saw his bride for the first time. Unfortunately, before they could say more than a few words, he put on his armor that very night and rushed to the frontier.

Since that parting, both their lives have changed. Who knew they would meet again on this distant frontier?

How could it not be fate, a bond stretching across a thousand miles?

His wife is beautiful and capable. Not only is she a wonderful cook, she's also one of the best at running a restaurant. Her only flaw is that she's too devoted to her business...

The elite soldiers who once served under Prince Ning see their lord turn from a lion into an orange cat in front of the princess. He takes her hand and asks gently, "Wife, when will you come back to the capital with me?"

The imposing woman looks up at the sky and sighs. "The weather's getting cold. It's time to make that restaurant west of town go bankrupt."

The men all fall silent, afraid to make a sound.

#I help His Highness out of his armor, then ask to see his pecs.

#Everyday food and business

Theme: Pursue your ideals with determination. Never give up or abandon hope.