Fear of the Spring Chill

Song Wanzhen grew up in an orphanage. Her greatest wish was to find her parents, but she searched far and wide without success.

She still had to make a living, so when she heard that the Imperial Academy was hiring a cook, she wasted no time setting out alone for Yuandu. Wanzhen won first place with her superb cooking skills. She had only meant to save up a little money and open a small shop. She never expected to become the hottest young cook in Liangdu, or to find herself a sweetheart.

She even received the emperor's praise.

Life was going wonderfully, until the parents she had searched for all those years finally appeared. To her utter shock, they hadn't come to welcome her back into the family out of genuine affection. They only wanted her to cut out her heart to save a younger sister who wasn't even related to her by blood.

For a moment, Song Wanzhen couldn't tell who had lost their mind.

Before her shameless parents could say another word, her husband had his people throw them out. They cursed and ranted, showing none of the restraint expected of scholars. A few words from him swept away all of Song Wanzhen's sadness. She beamed, took Zhao Yanzhi by the arm, and said she'd make him some beef bone soup.

She already had the best husband in the world. What did she need shameless relatives for?

Zhao Yanzhi was a renowned bookworm in Yuandu, learned and well-mannered, with an impressive breadth of knowledge. He had just one little indulgence: he adored good food.

When he heard that the Imperial Academy had hired a new cook, he went to check it out. From then on, he developed a peculiar affliction: if he didn't eat a meal cooked by Chef Song, he felt uneasy all over.

He fell in love not only with the food, but with the person who made it.

One of the great sights at the Imperial Academy in Yuandu was the students stampeding toward the kitchen as soon as classes ended. They charged like a pack of hungry wolves, forgetting all their usual scholarly manners as they fought tooth and nail for food, their clothes disheveled and their jade hairpieces askew.

Of all these people, Zhao Yanzhi was the only one who stood apart.

His clothes were always neat, and he never hurried as he walked.

Everyone found this baffling. His friend thought Zhao Yanzhi simply didn't know how good Chef Song's cooking was. Unwilling to let his fellow gourmand miss out, he reluctantly gave Zhao Yanzhi half a sesame flatbread.

But Zhao Yanzhi took out a food box and opened it right in front of his friend. Inside were all kinds of snacks, with several varieties of steamed buns, stacked in five full layers.

Zhao Yanzhi sounded a little troubled as he said, "Zhenniang always worries I won't get there in time to compete with you all, so she prepares this for me early. There's so much. How could I possibly eat it all?"

His friend: ...

He rolled his eyes, turned to leave, and snatched back the half flatbread he'd given Zhao Yanzhi on his way out.

Theme: Happiness begins with a good meal.