The Northeastern Tough Guy's Little Chef [Gourmet]

Lu Yao transmigrated into a book as a cannon-fodder supporting character with the same name.

A fire took her entire family, leaving her with only her four-year-old nephew and a damaged voice.

Luckily, the original owner's fiancé was in the Northeast. He was not only incredibly wealthy, but also took the initiative to ask her to marry him.

She thought that if she married him with her nephew in tow, she would enjoy a comfortable life with plenty to eat and drink. But when she arrived in Harbin, she discovered she'd been tricked...

He wasn't some wealthy young master from the Northeast at all. He was a deadbeat who refused to repay his debts, and he'd called her over to hand her to his creditors as repayment.

That day, Lu Yao used the little money she had left to buy two chicken drumsticks to nourish her nephew. She'd just brought the pot out when the door was kicked open.

A strong-built man clutched an iron rod in his hand, his cold, ruthless gaze fixed on her. "Where's that bastard Shen? He owes me two legs. So, what does he have to say for himself?"

Facing the creditor who'd come to collect, Lu Yao tremblingly lifted the bowl of chicken steamed with vinegar and gestured with her hands. "C-Chicken... Would chicken drumsticks do?"

Liao Yanchuan's name sounded refined and proper, like that of an honest man.

In reality, he was unruly and burly. They said that when he was young, he could beat a tiger to death with his bare hands.

A few years ago, he'd kindly lent money to an old classmate to start a business. Not only did he lose every penny, but the man ran off, too.

That day, he heard that his old classmate's family had arrived, so he grabbed his weapon and went to collect the debt.

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw a beautiful, fair-skinned woman with a graceful figure, looking at him with tear-filled, shining eyes.

Liao Yanchuan took the two "legs" the mute woman handed him and swallowed. "Your man owes me money. How are you going to pay it back?"

A small restaurant had just opened in the urban village.

They said the owner was mute and had opened the restaurant to earn money to repay a debt. Fortunately, she was a superb cook. Though the shop was tiny, a long line formed outside every day.

Crispy pork knuckle, rich but never greasy; rabbit diced in spicy chili oil; fresh fish balls made by hand...

A year later, the urban village was slated for demolition and redevelopment. The customers kept wondering whether she would return to her hometown in the south.

Later, they heard she had married one of the village's biggest demolition-compensation winners. His surname was apparently Liao.

1. The heroine has temporary aphasia and will recover later.

2. One-on-one romance, both leads' first relationship, ten-year age gap.

3. Culinary genius sweet girl x rugged driver

Coming next: The Fifth Young Madam Is a Culinary Genius [Hong Kong].

Luo Hua died on the day she received her culinary genius trophy, then unexpectedly transmigrated into a period novel as a cannon-fodder character who had never even shown her face and whose name appeared only twice.

Her parents were dead, her relatives had betrayed her, and she had nothing. She had no idea how to survive in this era.

The good news: Her father had once saved the life of a wealthy Hong Kong magnate, so she could head south and seek his help.

The bad news: No one in the magnate's family was easy to deal with.

The good news: The magnate not only gave her a street-front shop, but also arranged for her to marry his son.

The bad news: The son was a fool with the mind of a child.

Luo Hua didn't want to live at someone else's mercy, so she simply moved out of the mansion with her foolish husband.

Luckily, she had a skill to rely on. With the shop the magnate gave her, she opened a small restaurant.

Dongpo pork, flash-fried pork kidney and tripe, fish in milky broth... Thanks to her remarkable cooking, her little business was thriving.

She had it all planned out: once she saved up a million, she'd leave Hong Kong and return to the mainland to start a new life all by herself.

She absolutely wasn't going to spend her life with a fool.

But strangely, there seemed to be a "hole" in her bankbook. No matter how much she saved, she never had enough.

Hong Kong's wealthiest man had five sons, each one smart and capable. But Song Yu, the youngest and most talented, suffered an accident and became a "fool" with the intelligence of a nine-year-old overnight.

After being cast aside, Song Yu had to keep a low profile to avoid being secretly harmed by his older brothers. He not only had to hide his abilities, but also had to follow his second stepmother's wishes and marry a country bumpkin from the mainland.

But when he saw that this so-called country bumpkin was a lovely, curvaceous woman with fair skin and delicate features, he nearly let his years of pretending to be stupid slip.

Song Yu needed money, and a great deal of it, to achieve his goals.

He used to have no idea where to get it, until he married Luo Hua...

In 1993, the Hong Kong magnate died after a serious illness.

No one had imagined that the once foolish and dim-witted Fifth Young Master of the Song family would become the head of the Song clan overnight.

Even more surprising, the first thing he did after taking power was rush to a small restaurant outside the village and block the entrance. In front of a crowd of diners, he knelt before the proprietress and begged her forgiveness.

Song Yu: I was wrong, darling. Please don't leave. I'm begging you...

Little scene:

In the mansion, Song Yu clapped his hands foolishly in front of his brothers and sisters-in-law.

Song Yu (babbling incoherently): Huh? Who are you?

Luo Hua (smiling gently): There, there. I'm your future wife.

On the way back to the village, Song Yu, still pretending to be crazy, quietly tugged at Luo Hua's clothes.

Song Yu (pouting): Darling, darling, slow down~

Luo Hua (stopping): Hmm? Have you forgotten what I told you last time? What should you call me when it's just the two of us?

Song Yu (pursing his lips): M-Mommy...

Reading guide:

1. Play the pig to eat the tiger, with the heroine eight years older.

2. A delicious, chaotic everyday romance where pretend play turns real. Both leads have their own career arcs, and food and romance each get equal focus.

3. An entirely made-up Hong Kong setting.

Theme: The only things one must never let down are love and good food.