Su Wan, a top private chef, was born with an empathic palate. She can taste the joy and sorrow carried by food, and the dishes she prepares can soothe the heart and nourish the body. After dying in a gas leak, she transmigrates to a remote mountain village in the Great Jing dynasty, where she becomes a pitiful orphan whose parents died young, whose land was seized by her clan, and who has no food to eat.
The original owner of the body endured endless hardship and died of hunger and cold, giving Su Wan a chance to live again. She refuses to let anyone push her around, and puts down roots in the countryside with her exceptional cooking skills. Wild mountain vegetables, fresh river fish, wild mushrooms, and coarse grains all become mouthwatering delicacies in her hands.
She clears fields and plants vegetables, then heads into the mountains to forage for fresh ingredients. Starting with a street stall selling hot food, she uses a bowl of hot soup to ease tensions between neighbors and a plate of pastries to smooth over other people’s quarrels. Her nourishing dishes become famous far and wide. Bit by bit, she builds her fortune, reclaims her family’s ancestral property, and opens her own eatery.
Along the way, she meets Lu Yanci, a taciturn mountain-guarding hunter who keeps his pain hidden inside. Others find him cold and difficult to approach, but only Su Wan’s cooking can dispel the gloom that has clouded his heart for years. As they share meal after meal, food brings them together. They support each other, protect their land, and make a living, using the simple warmth of everyday life to hold back the world’s chill. With the smoke rising from their kitchen, they bring prosperity to the mountain village and spend the rest of their lives together.
