Synopsis
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○ This novel has no nobles, palace intrigue, or household infighting. It is all countryside life, seasonal delicacies, and the everyday ups and downs of village life.
On the winter solstice, a new little eatery opened at the foot of Sang Mountain. Surrounded by green bamboo and the burbling stream, it was named the Mountain Wilds Eatery.
The villagers passing by all laughed at the young proprietress for not knowing how to make money. "Who opens an eatery in the mountains?"
Shen Hanqiu only smiled. As a workaholic who had died from overwork, she thought her new life had started pretty well.
She had a house from the start, though it was a dilapidated pile of bricks and tiles in urgent need of repairs.
She had a "luxury car" at home: a fifteen-year-old ox.
No mortgage or car loan, and no one to feed but herself.
But an orphan girl is bound to attract trouble. People coveted her crumbling house, and others had their eye on her old ox. Oh, and then there was the shameless one who claimed to be her "godfather" despite not having seen her for over a decade.
To protect her property, Shen Hanqiu hastily opened this eatery, set up on her own, and cut ties with her family on the spot.
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Since she had opened an eatery by an unexpected twist of fate, Shen Hanqiu decided to accept what life had dealt her and make it her livelihood.
If you want to get rich, start by building a road.
The villagers of Zhuxi Village watched the frail young Miss Shen carry back whole baskets of rubble day after day, gradually paving the muddy path from her courtyard to the main road and planting flowers and grass along the roadside.
Once the road was finished, Miss Shen went to the fork to put up some sort of "signpost." And it actually brought in customers.
There was so much to do in the mountains. Every season was busy, and if you worked hard, you would reap the rewards.
Dig bamboo shoots, pick toon buds, gather forsythia, harvest lotus roots.
Gather chestnuts, pick walnuts, make sausages, smoke cured meat.
Pork ribs and lotus root soup simmered slowly in a clay pot on a red clay stove, its fresh, sweet aroma drifting dozens of yards away.
There was also chicken hot pot with rich, savory broth. Drink the soup first, then eat the meat, and finally swish frost-kissed greens in the pot. Fresh, sweet, and comforting, it made people sigh, "What can dispel sorrow? Only good food."
Diners who liked bold flavors favored peppercorn fish slices. Children loved sweet-and-sour plum ribs, while scholars and refined guests were especially fond of seasonal dishes like Streamside Soup and Woodland Delicacies.
Eat with the seasons to nourish the body. Sit around the stove, boil tea, and savor a cup. In the midst of the rising steam was the leisurely life Shen Hanqiu wanted most.
She did not need many customers. It was enough if they tried her cooking and left with a smile.
But why did the robust hunter who always brought her firewood in secret, the handsome young gentleman who came to escape the summer heat, and the cold-faced young constable from the county yamen keep gravitating toward her?
And why was this eatery getting busier and busier? She really did not want to work overtime!
"Reading guide"
1. The male lead has been decided. This is not a stock-picking story. One-on-one romance.
2. Fictional dynasty with many author-created details.
3. Some dishes are inspired by A Mountain Dweller's Pure Offerings.
Next upcoming food novel: "Transmigrating to Ancient Times to Sell Breakfast" synopsis
When the rooster crows, the court fills;
The eastern sky brightens, and the court flourishes.
The ministers hurry to the palace before dawn for morning court.
Their stomachs rumble as they serve on empty stomachs.
One day, a smiling young woman appeared on the little road where breakfast was sold outside the palace gates. Every day she made something new, with an irresistible aroma and a distinctive flavor.
Crispy baked flatbreads, scallion-oil noodles, lava buns, egg rolls.
Little rolled pancakes, glutinous rice balls, shrimp dumplings, rice noodle rolls, meat wontons.
A bowl of duck blood vermicelli, hot dry noodles with egg wine.
Wonton soup, noodle soup, and rice noodles: every breakfast here is fresh and delicious.
Miss Ruan was as meticulous as could be, catering to every diner's tastes in every way:
Tender white tofu pudding, sweet or savory.
Fragrant, oily shumai, filled with rice or meat.
There was just one problem: she made far too little, and if you arrived late, you couldn't buy any.
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Ruan Zhaochu, the young owner of a breakfast shop, accidentally transmigrated to ancient times. She landed in a nightmare from the start: someone in the palace owed her predecessor money for vegetables. Ask for payment and they would say, "No money." Ask again, and they would beat her to death.
With no other choice, she dug up the silver her predecessor had hidden under a tree, pushed out a little cart, and started selling breakfast.
A patrol guard stopped her and demanded to see her vendor's license. Only then did Ruan Zhaochu realize that even getting up in the freezing cold in the middle of the night to make breakfast required connections to the imperial family before you could have the chance to suffer through it.
She played dumb. "What license?"
"You need a license from the palace to sell breakfast on this street. Didn't you know?"
"I'm not selling breakfast. I'm exercising."
You're saying I'm operating without a license?
I haven't even parked. I'm pushing my cart along, aren't I?
I'm out for my morning exercise! Is that not allowed?
The patrol guard was so exasperated by her excuses that he was left speechless. All he could do was follow her, waiting to catch her in the act of selling something.
But these customers... the Director of the Imperial Academy, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censor from the Censorate: he couldn't afford to offend any of them!
And that Hanlin Academy Reader-in-Waiting, why are you chasing after the cart?
Fan Qie, Hanlin Academy Reader-in-Waiting: Am I chasing the food? I'm chasing my future wife! Aren't you going to chase your future wife with some enthusiasm?
Later, the tiny breakfast stall became a permanent shop. Later still, Miss Ruan's Breakfast Shop became a chain, and its fame spread throughout the capital.
A clever, optimistic, lotus-hearted chef x a charming, carefree, sesame-glutinous-rice-ball Hanlin scholar
Reading guide:
1. Fictional dynasty with many author-created details.
2. A business-focused story. The heroine's business and cooking take up most of the novel.
3. One-on-one romance, happy ending.
4. "When the rooster crows, the court fills; the eastern sky brightens, and the court flourishes" comes from "The Cock Crows" in the Book of Songs, Qi Feng.
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Premise: Take life slowly and accept whatever comes.
