The House's Little Chef

[Please add my upcoming story, Jiangnan Little Eatery, to your collection. The blurb is at the end.] After transmigrating, Lin Shuangjiang became a seven-year-old kitchen boy in the household of a Song dynasty official. As a hereditary servant, his daily meals consisted of fermented rice porridge, bean rice, pickled fish, salted vegetables, and rice crust. That meant porridge cooked with sour pickle brine, hard beans boiled with brown rice, salted fish eaten raw, bitterly salty preserved greens and radishes, and the rice cooked by the head chef: the crispy layer left at the bottom of the pot. Everyone else: What a sumptuous meal! Lin Shuangjiang: ...Could you stop abusing children? For the sake of his own appetite, Lin Shuangjiang had no choice but to fend for himself. Soon, enticing aromas began to waft from the kitchen: Steaming soup dumplings, tender Dongpo pork braised until it fell apart, Jade-green Longjing shrimp, savory bamboo shoots and pork soup so delicious it made your eyebrows tingle, as well as sweet fermented rice balls and lotus root stuffed with sticky rice and drizzled with honey... Before he knew it, Lin Shuangjiang had become the youngest head chef in history, and even found himself a husband along the way. * Li Xiuran was the famously difficult second son of the Li family. Spoiled from birth and raised in luxury, he feared nothing, until he met Lin Shuangjiang at the age of eight. The new kitchen boy was fair and plump, with big eyes like grapes. He was even prettier than the painted dolls in storybooks. At their first meeting, Li Xiuran couldn't resist teasing him. "You look like you'd be all thumbs." The seven-year-old kitchen boy said nothing, but quietly clenched his little fists. Li Xiuran thought, Tsk, he's like a little ball of sticky rice that jumps when you poke it. One night, he caught Lin Shuangjiang sneaking a bun. The other boy was so startled that he held one out to him. "Second Young Master, I made these myself. I'll share one with you. Please don't tell anyone, okay?" He accepted it as if possessed and took a bite. ...It's delicious! From then on, Li Xiuran became Lin Shuangjiang's little shadow. He took him to taste all the finest foods in the world, and Lin Shuangjiang showed him the vastness of the world. For more than ten years, they grew up side by side. Later, everyone in Bianjing knew that the proud and unruly young master of the Li family had a vulnerable spot no one could touch: Lin Shuangjiang. Touch him and Li Xiuran would fly into a rage, guarding him like a precious treasure. Reader's guide: 1. A childhood friends' food-filled daily life, from childhood to adulthood. It's a slice-of-life story, so please proceed with caution if that's not your thing. 2. Inspired by the Song dynasty, but the setting is extremely loose and full of personal inventions. Please don't nitpick. I'm not a history major, so please bear with any mistakes. 3. The bottom has a golden finger: he's naturally good at cooking. 4. Updated daily at 12:00 noon. Jiangnan Little Eatery Top chef Ji Xiting transmigrates into the body of a struggling small restaurant owner in the Ming dynasty. His parents died young, leaving him to support his bedridden grandfather and little brother alone. Life is hard, and the only small restaurant they own has just been flooded and forced to close. Ji Xiting: "...There's no way to live like this." With the family on the verge of starvation, he has no choice but to return to his old trade. And so... The crab shells stuffed with tender, fluffy crab meat are delectable, and the drunken mud snails are crisp, tender, salty, and savory; Silverfish and water shield are stewed together into a fresh, refreshing soup; Freshly caught river shrimp are stir-fried over high heat, their firm, springy meat savory with a hint of sweetness; Plump razor clams are covered in minced garlic and steamed, filling the air with its fragrance... Before long, Ji's Eatery becomes the most popular restaurant in Jiangnan, famous throughout the city. - One day, after closing up, Ji Xiting finds an injured, unconscious boy beside his restaurant. Taking pity on him, he feeds him a bowl of fish soup and several snacks. But once the boy recovers, he clings to Ji Xiting. He visits the restaurant every day and always gazes at him with burning eyes. Only later does Ji Xiting learn that this puppy-like boy who follows him everywhere is none other than Xie Lin, the young war god renowned throughout the court and feared by his enemies. That night, Xie Lin takes off his armor and slips into the kitchen, wrapping his arms around Ji Xiting from behind. "To repay you for feeding me, big brother, I can only offer myself to you." Younger puppy-like man x stunning beauty with exceptional cooking skills Theme: Work hard and live life to the fullest