Lin Yao transmigrated from a modern food blogger into a poor young wife in ancient times, so broke she could barely afford a pot to bang.
From the start, all she had was a spoon. Making money depended entirely on her brains.
A System? No. A golden finger? No.
All she had were her cooking skills and a silver tongue.
From roadside roujiamo and crispy fried skewers, to crab roe soup dumplings and spicy sizzling tofu at her little shop, then to eight-treasure duck and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall at a restaurant... Lin Yao steadily expanded her culinary empire. Her customers ranged from ordinary locals to wealthy merchants and powerful nobles, and every last one of them was a fan.
Everyone marveled, "How can every dish this young lady makes be so delicious?"
Xu Zhiheng, son of the General Who Guards the Nation, went into hiding in the countryside after a family upheaval. He put on the act of a dissolute, spendthrift playboy, though in truth he was miserly to the extreme.
When he first saw Lin Yao, he was at the docks gnawing on a meat bun. He watched her set up a stall and talk passersby into lining up to pay with just a few words.
He went over to see what the fuss was about, never expecting to get hooked after one bite! From then on, he craved her food day and night, and eventually went into business with her.
At first, all he wanted was to make money together: he would put up the capital, she would provide the cooking skills, and they would split the profits seventy-thirty. A sure thing.
Later...
He realized he didn't just want a share of her profits. He wanted a share of her bed, too.
"Shopkeeper Lin, what do you think of me?" He shamelessly leaned against the counter. "Once we're together, you can have all the profits. I only need ten taels for pocket money. How about it?"
Lin Yao: "...Your abacus beads are flying right into my face."
[Bonus Scene]
At the Xu residence, beneath the osmanthus tree, someone pleaded for mercy while biting into half a piece of grilled sweet potato skin. "Please, wife, be kind. I spent all my private savings last night hiring a storyteller to perform The Miserly General's Tale of Spoiling His Wife."
Lin Yao sneered. "Back when you were General Xu, you swiped twenty-three jars of my sweet bean sauce and three hundred jin of instant noodles..."
"I'll pay you back! I'll make it up to you with eighty miles of wedding gifts!" Xu Zhiheng swiftly produced a red cloth bundle. "Look, I've even prepared the items for our child's first-birthday grab. A gold spatula and a silver account book!"
Reading Guide:
1. A sharp-tongued, secretly soft-hearted merchant general x a clear-eyed, career-minded chef
2. Food and business, with a touch of court intrigue
3. Slow-paced
One-on-one romance, both leads' first love
Coming soon: the next novel, The Villainess Fears a Persistent Suitor (food and mystery-solving)
A strange case breaks out in Yuhang Commandery.
A painted bunting bird is linked to seven deaths, with only half a footprint left at the scene.
A corpse-cart driver screams in terror when the strong man in the coffin turns into a bride in red.
A chaste bride-to-be is impersonated. Where is the mastermind hiding?
Hua Linlang transmigrated into the body of Yuhang Commandery's wealthiest and most beautiful woman.
Unfortunately, her parents died unexpectedly, leaving her an orphan whom the whole clan eyed greedily, waiting to devour her inheritance.
Hua Linlang: ...No big deal.
As a modern overachiever with dual specialties in forensic medicine and criminal psychology, she may have worked herself to death, but she brought all her skills with her.
She'll solve cases and, along the way, revive her family's business, expanding its restaurants and eateries across the country!
The newly appointed county magistrate, Ji Huai, is ambitious and brilliant at solving cases.
At first, he considered Hua Linlang his prime suspect. But right in front of him, she pieced together the clues and revealed the key to the case with a single remark.
From then on, he investigated while she examined corpses; he pursued criminals while she drew up profiles.
When he worked overtime on an empty stomach, she thoughtfully brought him a bowl of sweet osmanthus rice wine.
Ji Huai was deeply touched. To meet such a wonderful woman was truly a blessing from heaven!
In the next moment, she parted her red lips and asked, "Three taels a bowl. Cash, Ji, or shall I put it on your tab?"
Ji Huai: ...
Everyone said Hua Linlang was a femme fatale, but Ji Huai thought that if this "femme fatale" would stay by his side, he would be more than happy to give himself over to her.
Watching her composed profile as she examined a corpse, he asked softly,
"Hua Linlang, is there room in your world for anything besides cases and money?"
Beauty Hua: "Like what?"
Ji Huai: "Me."
Beauty Hua: "Get lost."
Ji Huai: "See you later."
The male lead falls for her all on his own.
At first: "She must be up to something."
Later: He corners her in a tight space, his hot breath brushing her ear. "Linlang, why not make me your target?"
Reading Guide:
A spirited, money-loving female forensic examiner x a cool on the outside, warm on the inside, vain male lead. Both leads' first love.
The heroine isn't a pure and innocent flower. She always gets revenge, and her favorite way to soothe her tired heart after solving a case is with delicious food.
Episodic mysteries, with equal focus on plot and romance. The cases are adapted from real ones, but there are some plot holes, so please don't scrutinize them too closely.
Theme: Be self-reliant and strong.
Isn't it true that you can't read this kind of article with your head in mind? At least the whole society must live in peace, so that some people have spare money and leisure to buy delicious food. And you must have at least a little capital to make food and sell it. Otherwise, you can't afford seasoning oil and so on, so how can you make delicious food? I know the author wants to write a background like this to show that life gets better and better later, but. . . Forget it, don't look at it with your brain
Using flour to clean pig waste can be changed to using plant ash
Why don't the authors review the duplicates before publishing them?
The author needs to revise his article, there are a lot of repetitive descriptions.
"My sister was deceived by others." This is a big bug for the author~she was
Overall, it's pretty good. The heroine is self-aware and understands her pursuits very well. But the article is a bit heavy on the recipes but not on the plot, the characterization is a bit thin, and the plot changes too quickly, with only a few months and years passing without any foreshadowing.
"The purchase price of steamed buns is one and a half penny..." This is a big bug for the author~ Didn't I say one article per article before? 😂
"Lin Cheng stretched his chopsticks towards the braised pork sausage..." This is a big bug for the author~ It should be the "entrance" 😂
"Lin Demao didn't know there was such a thing..." This is a big bug for the author~ Delete what needs to be deleted and don't keep repeating it. Thank you.
Every time when things get better, bad people come along. It has been like this from the beginning to now. Alas, I have been chasing you for so long, so I continue to chase you. Really, every time when I get better, not long after I get better, some people or some things will happen.