A Cook's Survival Guide to Ancient Times

Six-year-old Chen Youyun of Huzhou loses her father at a young age, then loses her family’s property and is forced to wander from place to place with her mother. Her cruel uncle and aunt even steal their money, but a friend of her late father helps her mother, Zhang Yunniang, open a food shop in Hangzhou and buy a small courtyard. They think they can finally live in peace, but one crisis after another follows: a peasant uprising, flight to the capital, a eunuch’s predatory interest, and an enemy army laying siege to the city. Liang Yin, a successful candidate in the imperial examinations and son of her father’s old friend, and Xiao Mengfei, a military champion, which one will be her lifelong companion? In this turbulent world, can a humble young cook rely on the skills passed down by her mother to make her own way and take control of her life?