The 1990s' Beloved Little Chef

In the 1990s, Jiang Ailing learned in a dream that she was living in a period novel, and not just one, but several.

Her world had been thoroughly turned upside down by all the time travelers passing through it.

Her irresponsible husband was reborn and came back, kneeling before her and their child as he wept bitterly, turning over a new leaf and becoming a tycoon.

Her mother-in-law was a transmigrated cultivation expert and a fortune-teller whose words could make things happen. A petty person who had been ranting outside her home just the day before got a spiritual cleansing from her mother-in-law, then ran into terrible luck the next day.

Her ten-year-old daughter clutched her hand and promised to be a good daughter in this life, and never let her die with regrets.

Her three-and-a-half-year-old son had a look of wisdom in his eyes. He casually picked a newly issued stock before the new year, and it soared afterward, leaving everyone speechless.

Jiang "perennial background character" Ailing: Great! You all do your best! I'll lie flat.

So while her mother-in-law went out to match wits with all kinds of awful people, she took her time making a pot of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall at home.

While her husband made a roaring success of his business, she ran the kitchen at her daughter's school cafeteria, with over a hundred kitchen staff at her command. She said eating more meat would provide good nutrition, so the kids gobbled up dishes like steamed rice with pork, garlic spareribs, and sweet-and-sour pork tenderloin, growing strong and healthy despite being picky eaters.

By the time her daughter got into a top school and her son skipped grades, she was already making pastries at a state-owned restaurant. Her Chinese pastry fruits looked so realistic that even their delicate textures were indistinguishable from real apples.

As state-owned businesses went private, chefs began leaving, and a well-established state-owned restaurant nearly fell into decline. Jiang Ailing, who had inherited her father's culinary skills, helped it overcome its difficulties and return to its former glory with the care she put into every dish.

An old gentleman born in the late Qing dynasty traveled a thousand miles just to taste her lamb with dipping sauce.

Watching Jiang Ailing slice young ginger into threads as fine as hair, her family couldn't help exclaiming, "So she's this amazing! We never knew!"

She served everyone a bowl of rice, blinked her big eyes, rested her chin in her hands, and smiled.

"Eat your fill so you can get to work. I'm counting on you all to carry me!"

(Screenshot taken on 2022-09-08)

Reading guide: Family affection and romance, a warm, lively story about everyday family life. The heroine married young and is 29 when she appears. She's a background character in various books and an angel to her whole family. In this life, the whole family dotes on her. It's a happy story.

Theme: Carrying on the culture of Chinese cuisine