A Young Woman on the Ancient Frontier

After an accident, Su Zhi found herself in a military household in the early years of the Ming Dynasty.

The dynasty had just been established. With powerful enemies beyond its borders, soldiers were dispatched to distant frontier garrisons, accompanied by their wives and children.

Su Zhi's family was one of the countless military households.

After finally trekking thousands of miles to the frontier, the family faced grueling labor, hostility from the locals, and even harsher living conditions. Their travel money had run out along the way, they still had no money for their father's uniform, their mother had fallen seriously ill after relaxing from the strain, her brothers were skin and bones, and her sister-in-law had just learned she was pregnant.

A descendant of imperial chefs, Su Zhi had been learning to toss a wok ever since she could walk. She thought: I have to find a way to earn some money.

And so all kinds of delicious food began appearing in the impoverished frontier region:

Blooming steamed buns, diced-meat buns, long twisted rolls, thousand-layer cake, and red bean paste rolls: hearty, filling, and delicious.

Rose pastries, open-top pastries, red bean paste pastries, hibiscus cakes, and golden-thread cakes: novel and never the same twice.

Squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, eight-treasure duck, Dongpo pork, and lion's head meatballs: enough to make anyone drool.

With her cooking skills, Su Zhi could make a good life for herself even on the frontier.

Theme: Food is the people's first necessity