The Hearth of the Human World (Food)

“The Luo family sets the table in Yangshui, and for a thousand miles along the river, no banquet can compare.”

Luo Tinghui, third-generation heir to the Luo family, is a prominent figure in Weiyang City.

Not yet twenty, he has not only revived the Luo family's Shengxiang Tower, but is also about to become the leader of Weiyang City's restaurants and teahouses.

He is a welcome guest in salt merchants' halls and a favored visitor behind courtesans' curtains. He can speak as an equal with the newly crowned provincial scholar and call the new garrison commander his peer.

Just as everything is going his way, a man shows up, claiming to be the fiancé of his twin sister.

Looking at the handsome man, whose aristocratic air is impossible to hide despite his attempt to pass himself off as poor, “Luo Tinghui” raises an eyebrow.

A fake.

The fiancé is an impostor.

What a coincidence. “Luo Tinghui” is an impostor too.

After eight years disguised as a man and posing as her twin brother, she finally waits for the real Luo Tinghui's eyesight to recover.

Eight years ago, her mother, Madam Luo Lin, had made the snap decision to have her take her brother's place. Now she smiles and brings her a newly made golden hairpin and a skirt.

“At last, our good girl can be free. No more men's clothes, no more tending the stove, no more cleavers. You'll marry and live a peaceful life, and never again have to suffer the smoke and heat of the kitchen. You've had such a hard time all these years. At last you're back on the right path.”

The graceful, handsome woman lifts her eyes. Her bright gaze reflects the lamplight in the mirror.

The person in the mirror's straight sword-shaped brows are being turned into delicate willow brows, and her bold, carefree appearance is gradually being changed.

“The right path? Mother, were the past eight years a crooked path? Or the wrong one?”

Mother and daughter gaze at each other in the mirror. Slowly, her mother looks away.

“Luo Shouxian, just think of those past eight years as a dream.”

With no way to retreat, Shouxian cannot give up. Since she was born unwilling to be trapped by hardship, all she can do is clutch a knife and press on.

With a cat in her arms and a dog at her side, she sets off into the world.

…※…

A food-focused novel with romance. The heroine makes the choices.

In other words, there is no male lead, only male supporting characters.

The cat is a real cat, “Little White Old Man,” and the “dog” is a real dog too.

Content warning: The heroine is extremely charismatic. Whether dressed as a man or a woman, she's adored by everyone, and people of more than one gender fall for her.

Previous works include:

After Ascending to Immortality, I Had to Return and Collect My Debts: A feel-good story about a heroine who returns to the mortal world after becoming a god.

You Beside My Pillow: A sweet, satisfying romance about a couple who switch bodies. Readers all say it's great.

Cocooned in Splendor (My Agent's Conscience Doesn't Hurt): A sweet, feel-good entertainment-industry romance about childhood sweethearts getting back together and doting on each other.

When the Plot Arrives: A sweet romance about a silly-dog boss and a capable, spirited secretary secretly in love with each other.

No Secret Crushes Allowed (The Campus Heartthrob Suddenly Attacked Me with a Nice Person Card): A sweet story across two timelines, combining a groveling male lead with the bittersweet romance of campus life.

Eat Something Good: A sweet food-themed story.

The Wei Family's Daughter: A feel-good story about a group of over-the-top heroines.

The Book of Fine Dining: A high-sugar cultivation and food story with a female lead.

Give You Sixty Years Back: A feel-good entertainment-industry story with a strong female lead.

Unwilling Heart: A super-sweet food-themed story with a strong female lead.

Retired Savior: A feel-good story with a strong female lead that crosses time and space.

Family-themed stories:

Once More, Young and Reckless: A sweet story about family.

Sixteen and Forty-One: A sweet, feel-good family story about a mother and daughter who switch identities.

Theme: Staying true to one's original intentions and holding fast to one's ideals