The Song Family Snack Shop

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Synopsis:

What kind of hellish start is this?

Song Tiantian transmigrates into the body of a farm girl from a desperately poor family.

A thatched hut, a leaky roof, drafty windows, broken furniture, and wicked relatives.

After her parents pass away, her grandparents drive her and her young siblings into this crumbling hut to survive.

Once she recovers from her illness, Song Tiantian ties on her work apron, lights the fire, and starts cooking, ready to return to her old trade.

Yunhai County lies in the prosperous heart of Jiangcheng. Its streets are lined with shops, bustling with carriages and people, a place alive with the sights and sounds of everyday life.

She stands up to her relatives, leaves Mohe Village for Yunhai County, rents a place, buys furniture, sets up a food stall, and makes a thriving life for herself.

One morning, she removes the boards from her shop door one by one.

She hangs red silk over the signboard, then a flash of fire is followed by firecrackers crackling so loudly they ring through the heavens.

From then on, the little stove produces endless variety and a thousand delicious aromas.

Sour and spicy noodles, assorted braised dishes, fish with pickled vegetables, sweet-and-sour ribs, secret-recipe crispy duck, red-braised pork, spicy stir-fried pork kidneys, steamed salted fish, lotus root cakes, stir-fried bamboo shoots...

The little eatery attracts customers from every direction, and business flourishes.

The people of Yunhai County have never tasted chili before.

Once they try it, they feel wonderful from head to toe. To go three days without it feels like three years.

Overnight, everyone in town knows the sign of Song's Little Eatery, and it becomes the talk of the city.

*

The Lu family is the richest in Yunhai County, with grand red gates and high courtyards. Those inside are dressed in fine silks and surrounded by servants, living in great splendor.

But one person there is a little cabbage nobody loves: her father doesn't care for her, and neither does her mother.

She has been lost, kidnapped, poisoned, and disfigured.

One day, dizzy and starving, she knocks on a door, holding something in her hands.

With that knock, a heart opens, and it has room for only one person.

In a turn of events, he becomes the magistrate of Yunhai County. A steaming bowl of delicious food is always waiting beside his desk, piled high with official documents.

Whenever he has a day off, a floral apron appears at his waist.

He can sort vegetables, wash dishes, sweep the floor, and wipe the tables. He can do it all.

The miracle doctor of Medicine God Valley came down the mountain to treat the sick and never went back. Yunhai County gained a doctor of extraordinary skill.

"You brat! To enjoy such a wonderful place all by yourself is truly selfish."

The street vendors across the road whisper and gossip.

"Come and see! Come and see! Our newly appointed magistrate is serving food and wiping tables at Madam Song's shop. He's become a waiter!"

The constables in the county office exchange looks, winking and nudging one another.

"Look, Magistrate Lu is back from Madam Song's shop again. He's grinning from ear to ear, looking all lovestruck. He's practically floating along."

The new constable listens with shining eyes and nods eagerly. This gossip is delicious.

"Madam Song, order up!"

"Coming, sir!"

All kinds of seasonal delicacies, from things that fly in the sky to things that walk on the ground, can be enjoyed at this little eatery. Amid the bustle of everyday life, food traditions are passed down.

As she grows her little food business, countless orphans find a home. She helps herself find happiness and helps others find it too.

Her family, friends, and love support and protect one another as they go through life together, enjoying days of prosperity and joy.

Reader's Guide:

1. A mash-up of dynasties. No need for historical accuracy.

2. The story is a slow burn. The female lead isn't ruled by romance.

3. Clever, strong, career-minded female lead x gloomy, unloved male lead.

4. Fair warning: the female lead gets a golden finger later on.

4. Please stop by and bookmark the story to support this little author! Once it goes premium, updates will come daily. You're also welcome to leave chapter comments and discuss or suggest dishes.

Clouds Settle in Ink's Embrace

Now available. Welcome to follow and bookmark!]

(Clever, resilient female lead x scheming, possessive male lead.)

Jian Yunyao transmigrates and gets bound to a System tasked with conquering the villain.

The higher the villain's dislike score, the better her rewards.

He's a villain, after all, decisive and ruthless, with a long history of cruelty. She can't help wondering if she'll still be alive the day she completes her conquest.

Sure enough, on the final day of the mission,

she locks herself in her room and rehearses over and over how to fake an elegant, graceful fall, then pretend to accidentally push the man into the river.

Unfortunately, she completes the mission and falls in with him.

The biggest villain in the whole book treats her with gentle courtesy, nothing like the cruel, ruthless man she expected.

He'll sing for her, blushing, just because she misses home.

He'll even wear women's clothes for her, just because she wants to see.

Gradually, she lets her guard down around him.

But what she doesn't know is this:

Every night, he thinks of her, thinks of her until he goes mad. Every touch nearly makes him lose control. He longs to devour her and merge with her completely, so she can never leave him again.

He smiles and gently closes the door.

"In life, we'll share a bed. In death, we'll share a grave. In heaven or hell, you won't get away from me, Yao'er. You should understand: from the moment you provoked me, you were never going to escape."

He tenderly brushes the woman's damp hair away from her temples and bends close. His voice is low and hoarse, his gaze obsessive and crazed.

"I've waited so long for this day. I belong to you, completely and utterly. And you belong to me just the same."

[Reader's Notes]

1. Set in an imaginary dynasty. No need for historical accuracy.

2. Both leads are sexually inexperienced. The female lead is strong, but the male lead is even stronger. A mutually devoted romance.

3. An outwardly innocent but actually clever and resilient female lead x an outwardly proper but actually scheming, possessive male lead.

4. The male lead is possessive and obsessive, with sky-high tea skills.

Pre-release 2: Life as a Commoner in Bianjing

Synopsis: On Longjin Bridge in Bianjing, there lives a young lady;

She's clever with words, and her cooking wins the hearts of young men;

Once a young man comes by, he never leaves, until at last he wins her hand.

Su Yue transmigrates into the body of a fifteen-year-old girl from a commoner's family in the Northern Song. Her father is obedient but lazy and loves his food. Her mother is gentle but socially anxious. The family of seven lives off the rent from a small shop inherited from their ancestors. They all squeeze into the back rooms, drifting through life in a daze. Their expenses exceed their income each month, and they are living off their dwindling savings, typical members of the "paycheck-to-paycheck" crowd.

Lazy and loves to eat? As long as he's obedient, that's fine. Nothing to do? He can grind beans, carry loads, and knead dough. He'll get used to it.

Socially anxious? As long as she's gentle, that's fine. Let a few tears fall, coax her a little, and take her out for a few rounds each day to expand her social circle. She'll get over it naturally.

The little ones are naughty and mischievous? No problem. She specializes in that. Give them a beating. If one isn't enough, give them two. If two aren't enough, give them three. They'll learn to behave.

She finds a young man while out and about. He's handsome and well-behaved, going east when she says east and west when she says west. He's got a nice temperament, so why not make him her little husband?

On Longjin Bridge:

She sets up a stove and a griddle and starts calling out, "Jianbing guozi! Roujiamo! Ye'erba!"

Later, when the lease on the shop expires, she takes it back and opens a food business, selling lipstick goose, salted pork, vinegar fish with stems, crab roe tofu casserole, and osmanthus chestnut soup.

*

Shen Qi is a Vice Minister of the Court of Justice, a man of brilliant literary talent. Unfortunately, he has a "Bodhisattva" face, with a naturally smiling expression. He is modest, but ruthless in his work, dispatching murder cases with cold efficiency. He's been single for years, yet not one person dares to play matchmaker for him.

One day, while investigating a case, he sneaks into the city streets. He finds a lead on a suspect, but is careless and badly wounded. A young woman "finds" him and takes him back to her shop, where he becomes her bookkeeper. Watching her manage her family every day and fiddle with the abacus proves unexpectedly entertaining.

When he learns that the young woman is already engaged, he restrains himself and reminds himself to keep his distance.

But when he sees the two of them chatting happily, jealousy churns through his flesh until it feels torn apart. Still, he can't bear to miss a single moment of contact between them, and can only look on coldly.

Just as the wanted criminal is captured and he is about to leave,

the engagement falls apart, and he is overjoyed. Then the young woman steps forward, raises an eyebrow, and asks, "Young sir, would you be willing to marry me? After we're married, we'll leave each other alone. If you fall in love with someone else later, we can divorce whenever you like."

Shen Qi keeps a calm expression and gives a slight nod.

Su Yue gains a good husband and escapes the curse of being nagged to marry, and she is delighted.

Only after the wedding does she learn that the man is the newly appointed Vice Minister of the Court of Justice. From other people, she also hears that he kills without mercy and is ruthless. She is utterly bewildered.

Is this really the same well-behaved husband of hers?

Later, she sees the sincerity in his heart. He is fair, upright, and impartial.

At the very end, she presses a hand to her sore, weak lower back and turns to look at that "Bodhisattva" face, able only to sigh, "You really are ruthless!"

Reader's Guide:

1. The female lead has a cooking golden finger. She's good at everything and everything tastes delicious!

2. Set in an imaginary Northern Song. Please don't overdo the historical research. Thanks for your support!

3. No matter what, this story will be completed. Please support it and bookmark it, and help this little author go from obscurity to the top of her career!

Theme: Creating something from nothing. Perseverance is the best reward.