A Guide to Running an Otherworldly Restaurant

A money-loving, career-focused heroine with a touch of universal appeal / a red-haired hero who competes, gets possessive, and gets jealous. Fang Li had become a state banquet chef at a young age, then transmigrated. But the moment she opened her eyes, she was in a nightmare from the start. An unfamiliar otherworld, a frail little body, and a remote village populated only by the elderly and children. Lunch every day was a palm-sized piece of hard bread, and dinner was three spoonfuls of black, mushy bean paste. It tasted awful and wasn't filling, so she had to go to bed hungry every night. Then, on the way into town one day, Fang Li caught the familiar scent of fruit. But before she could get close, someone warned her. "Don't go near those foul-smelling thorn fruits. They'll crush you to death." Fang Li thought to herself: What foul-smelling thorn fruit? That's a fragrant, delicious durian! * By setting up a stall to sell durian pastries, Fang Li earned her first pot of gold. Planning to grow her business, she added wontons, fermented-rice tofu pudding, cold skewers, barbecue, and sweet soups to the menu. As her business boomed and her purse grew heavier, Fang Li decided to open a little restaurant. Mapo tofu, Dongpo pork, drunken crab, honey-glazed char siu, raw fish... The customers, drawn by the rich aroma, had already packed themselves tightly around the entrance. Some even shouted: "Just let me have one bite! Just one!" Plenty of jealous people wanted to cause trouble behind her back, but before they could act, sharp-eyed onlookers spotted the man devouring his meat and beaming at the shopkeeper. He was none other than the Temple Knight known as the Rose of the Empire. There was also the head of the Mage Association, who nearly got into a fight with someone over a cup of wine, and the mermaid princess, who was crying and begging for just one last bite of dessert. Even the identities of the two old men guarding the door were terrifyingly impressive. !!!!! Wasn't this just a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant? [Reading guide] 1. A warm, cozy everyday food story. The romance develops slowly, really slowly! 2. Lots of original worldbuilding. 3. This is my first time writing Western fantasy, so please forgive any shortcomings. Theme: Become the very embodiment of hope