The Imperial Chef Among the Common Folk

Blurb:

Zhou Huaifei, heir to a master chef who cooked for state banquets, transmigrates into a book.

According to the plot, she's about to enter the palace and become a royal chef in the Imperial Food Bureau, only to die after tasting poison for the emperor.

Since entering the palace means certain death, why not stay put in a prosperous little Jiangnan town and lie flat? Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Her wicked relatives are hard to deal with, but luckily, a woman can set up her own household too.

To keep her uncles from taking her parents' inheritance, Zhou Huaifei divides the family assets, rents a small shop, and returns to her old trade.

The peach blossoms drift on the water, and the mandarin fish are plump. Stuffed with mountain delicacies and fresh meat, they're delicious and savory.

Sweet osmanthus and walnut filling is wrapped in rice flour, forming plump, round tangyuan that are sweet, fragrant, soft, and chewy.

Autumn is lovely, with purple crabs rich in roe, but they go best with a steaming cup of rice wine to ward off the chill.

In her spare time, she brews wine with pine pollen and makes tea with spring water...

A little courtyard, a small restaurant, and tempting aromas drifting through the air every day.

Zhou Huaifei tends her little restaurant and lives a comfortable, well-ordered life. Her only headache is a certain supposed creditor who latched onto her for reasons unknown.

A handsome young man drops from the sky and follows her all the way from Jiangnan to the capital.

Either pay him back, or cook for him for the rest of your life.

Zhou Huaifei is intrigued: when did I ever give him the right?

*An alternate-history Tang dynasty

*A leisurely, slice-of-life food story

Theme: Everyday food, fishing, farming, and cooking over a chimney fire.