The Little Restaurant Across from the Yamen

Food and mysteries in everyday life Shen Yanhuan opened her eyes and found herself transmigrated into the body of an orphaned girl who was supposed to marry a fool. Fortunately, her grandmother doted on her, cherished her like a treasure, and severed ties with the family to protect her. Everyone in her new household was kind, and her sweet little sister, as cute as a sticky rice ball, followed her around all day. But supporting one more person like this couldn't go on forever. She had to earn some money. Spicy fermented meat and trotters, sour, hot, salty, and savory. Crispy fried quail, juicy and tender. Rabbit in rich soy sauce, its color bright red. Crab with pearl sauce, smooth, fragrant, and sweet. First she set up a food stall, then opened a small restaurant. Business flourished, and life kept getting better. The only problem was that Qingyun County wasn't peaceful. There were so many cases to solve. And the county magistrate came running to her place three times a day. Didn't the county office have a canteen? * Xie Ying, an eighteen-year-old third-place palace graduate, was famous throughout Bianliang. The moment he entered officialdom, all he did was fight. Today he fought the conservatives, tomorrow the moderates... Everyone said, "Lord Xie is full of fighting spirit every single day!" He worked diligently for his country and its people. Then an imperial decree came: demoted, demoted, and demoted again. Xie Ying: The world can just end... Whoever wants to fight can go ahead! He'd planned to lie flat in a small county and be a magistrate who looked a little foolish. But why were there new cases every day? And why was Shen, the young lady who ran a little restaurant, such a good cook and such a brilliant coroner? After eating her food, he felt full of fighting spirit! Later, under glowing red candles, they were wed in a joyful ceremony. Shen became his wife. Oh, well. He'd get back up and keep fighting, so he could earn his wife an honorific title. * Shen Yanhui had no idea how she fell for him. All she knew was that he followed her around every day, always wanting to cuddle and hug her. One day he'd ask, "Can I?" and the next night, "Would you like to?" Oh, well. Lord Xie was handsome, after all, and he did have a fine waist. Reader's guide: 1. Food and mysteries, cozy everyday life, a sweet romance between two devoted leads. 2. Restaurant management and mystery-solving go hand in hand. The heroine is a sunny, clever cook and doctor. The hero is hopelessly in love. 3. She severed ties with her family and changed her surname, so she and her younger sister call their grandmother "Grandmother," not "maternal grandmother." Most food and daily customs are based on an alternate Song Dynasty. References include The Eastern Capital: A Dream of Splendor and Mountain Dwelling Food Notes. Recipes also include my own ideas, so please don't scrutinize them too closely. The heroine helps with autopsies, but that's not her main job. The autopsy details are based on The Washing Away of Wrongs. 4. Blurb written on 2024.11.23. Screenshot saved. Shen Suilan transmigrates into the body of a poor girl in the Northern Song Dynasty. The original body's mother runs a wonton stall. She not only has to raise Shen Suilan and her little sister, but also fend off harassment from local ruffians. Their home is run-down and their income meager. Taking advantage of their situation, Shen Suilan's cousins try to force her to become a concubine and bear a child to pay off a debt. The capital is full of merchants and overflowing with goods. To make a living, Shen Suilan drives off her relatives and takes over her mother's wonton stall. At dawn, steam rises along the Bian River. Gold ingots bob in the boiling pot, while food sizzles on the griddle. Wontons with bamboo shoots and bracken, crisp and tender with all their freshness sealed inside. Golden shumai, thin-skinned and glistening with oil. Crispy shrimp dumplings with generous filling. Sweet stuffed dumplings, soft and delicious. With bamboo chopsticks in hand and a bright smile, Young Lady Shen asks, "Would you like some potstickers, young sir?" Soon, students eat as they hurry to class, laborers fill their stomachs with hot food, and clerks grab breakfast before work. Afterward, workers have the energy to get things done, while students feel drowsy as they try to memorize their lessons. * Song Xu serves as a judicial commissioner in the left division of the Kaifeng Prefecture. Everyone says he is upright and incorruptible, never taking so much as a drop of oil from the people. Just look at his slender build and you can tell. Only Song Xu's colleagues know the truth: he just can't gain weight! The Kaifeng Prefecture is swamped with work, and everyone is starving before and after their shifts. "Brother Ziyou, have you tried Young Lady Shen's puffed wontons? The wrappers are thin, the filling is silky, and they're delicious." "Brother Ziyou, try Young Lady Shen's pan-fried lamb intestines. They look like autumn frost and are fragrant without being greasy." "Brother Ziyou, let's get sesame-sauce cold noodles. What, you brought some back? Give me a bite!" Song Xu solves cases fairly and clears the names of many people. One day, a citizen grabbed his sleeve, trembling and in tears. "I knew Lord Song was exhausting himself for our sake. Just look how thin you've become... Hm?" Several months later, before any of his colleagues could call for him, Song Xu was already standing outside the doorway of the Shen family's restaurant. "Suisui, I've washed the bowls. Please don't be mad at me, okay?" Blurb revised on 2025.7.27 1. A sweet romance between two devoted leads: a sunny girl who doesn't realize she's flirting × a clingy man who isn't what he seems. The hero's courtesy name is Ziyou. This is an alternate Song Dynasty with many creative liberties. 2. A companion story to The Little Restaurant Across from the County Office. Theme: Ordinary people making a success of themselves against the odds