The Young Cook of the General's Household

After ten years on the battlefield, Nan Yanxue returned home. Along with her glorious military achievements, she brought back a body riddled with illness. The so-called family members who had never cared for her when she was young now fell over themselves to curry favor, hoping to move into the grand mansion bestowed by the emperor, hoping her glory would benefit the whole family. But they could not even get through the gates of the General's residence. The notice seeking a doctor became their lifeline, but Nan Yanxue bypassed those famous physicians and kept an obscure young doctor at the residence instead. Behind closed doors, he massaged her and inserted acupuncture needles. Every treatment required her to remove her outer clothes. Her uncle and aunt finally put two and two together and slapped their thighs in regret. No wonder she'd kept a handsome young man with bright eyes and a beguiling smile. If they'd known Nan Yanxue was looking for some fun, why would they have sent over a bunch of wrinkled old men!? From the little cook's point of view: The general is the most pitiful patient. Everyone wants to take something from her. The general is the most beautiful patient, with delicate brows, starry eyes, a trim waist, and long legs. The general is the most disobedient patient. She eats pastries instead of meals and pours bitter medicine on the flowers. The little medicine man has been turned into her little cook. Candied lotus seeds with rock sugar, yam rice balls, pear cheese, he turns these medicinal dishes into desserts to coax her into taking her medicine. Before long, preparing all three meals a day becomes his responsibility. In spring, mulberry honey paste and rice with astragalus, dates, and minced pork; in summer, clove and sour plum soup and lotus-leaf pigeon slices; in autumn, candied lily bulbs and chrysanthemum chicken slices; in winter, steamed eight-treasure pudding and mutton and goji berry soup. With each passing season, his room moves closer to hers. Same courtyard, same room, same bed. Coming soon: A Feast Fit for the World Liu Zheng is a humble rice-cake seller in Chaozhou, but her mother was the eldest daughter of the prime minister, and her grandmother came from the imperial clan. Every child in the family was blessed with exceptional looks and bearing. But in one fell swoop, the family was destroyed. Some died, and the rest scattered. Liu Zheng was born in a prison cart and grew up in an age of chaos. When she was ten, the new emperor ascended the throne and granted a general amnesty. The Liu family were no longer the descendants of convicted officials. The pardon had been hard-won, and Liu Zheng traveled from south to north, using her exquisite cooking to earn money for travel expenses and permits. She has three things to do when she reaches the capital: first, arrange a resting place for her grandparents' ashes; second, find her young aunt, who has been sold into slavery; and third, hang a prayer plaque for her parents on the Stone of Three Lives. But cemetery plots are expensive, finding people requires bribes, and a finely carved lacquer plaque costs three strings of coins. Liu Zheng isn't afraid. She makes and sells rice cakes, going from a little basket on her shoulder to a southern-style food shop. With Liu Zheng, the Liu family takes root in the capital once more. He had never seen a fiancée return from exile before. She was dark and thin, but her eyes shone like stars. The first time Xiao Mi saw her, she was stripping clothes from a corpse. The second time, she had somehow made her way into his family's estate to dig up a grave. The third time, she was carrying a shoulder pole and hawking her wares along the street. The fourth time, on a whim, he bought one of her rice cakes. The umpteenth time he saw her, he finally couldn't hold back. "We were promised to each other when we were children." The young woman blinked at him in confusion, then broke into a knowing smile. "My parents never mentioned it. I suppose they thought you weren't good enough for me." Coming soon: Xiao Niang Marries Again When she married the first time, Xiao Miaozhi wanted only one thing: to spend her life with one man, and one man alone. When her veil was lifted, she saw a husband as beautiful as jade, unmatched in the world. Smiling, she covered the silver candle with her red sleeve, keeping her talented groom from reading at night. She thought they would live like that forever, but in a single moment, her world came crashing down, and tears fell like pearls from her fragrant cheeks. When she married again, Xiao Miaozhi was furious with herself for being alive. Since she was going to die anyway, she might as well kill the bastard who had taken liberties with her first. But she failed to kill him, and she didn't die either. There was only a broken bed that creaked with every movement, and a red quilt she'd bought after pawning her jade hairpin. They clung to each other for pleasure, indulging in every passion and desire. Until the jade-like gentleman came back from the dead. Xiao Niang was held in her first husband's arms, and when she looked up, she saw the man she had married the second time holding a knife, grining at her. Theme: Love your beloved like you would a garden.