Shen Yutang only remembered after she died that she had transmigrated into a book, becoming a lovestruck cannon-fodder female side character in an old-fashioned palace intrigue novel.
When she opened her eyes again, she was reborn at the beginning of the story.
Shen Yutang was supposed to be selected for the palace, but she dodged the original plot, reclaimed the drafty, dilapidated house that had belonged to the original owner, picked up a spatula, and returned to her old trade.
Palace intrigue is no match for cooking, and being an official is no match for making soup.
She could be cannon fodder for all she cared. She was done following this plot.
Spring: pickled mountain ferns. Summer: chilled bean jelly. Autumn: taro simmered until tender. Winter: bubbling mutton soup.
A small eatery quietly opened in the capital.
The proprietress was young, but had a knack for flavors so captivating they could ensnare the soul. With a few deft touches, she could turn the cheapest vegetables into dishes so tempting that people couldn't tear themselves away.
With one stove and one pot, she diligently built her business. Before long, Shen's Eatery became famous...
*
Xu Chaoxue passed the imperial exams at a young age and rose to the highest ranks of government while still in his prime. The only thing he had never been able to understand in this life was a female official in the Imperial Food Bureau, placed there by the deposed Crown Prince.
She was clever and capable, yet fell for a man. Even after marrying him, she couldn't forget him. Blinded by love and hatred, she charged headlong into disaster and brought about her own ruin.
When Xu Chaoxue awoke, he had returned to five years earlier.
He stood by the window in his robe and watched the moon all night.
Still, he couldn't figure out
why he was inferior to that deposed Crown Prince.
*
In late spring, a fine drizzle fell over the capital.
The new imperial examination results had just been announced, and Xu Chaoxue had passed at the top of his class, making him the talk of the town.
Shen Yutang sat behind the counter, chin in hand, gazing at the top graduate who had appeared in her shop, puzzled.
She'd gone out of her way to avoid him, so why had her ex-husband still come?
Theme: Life finds its own place to grow
