The Cook Ends Her Marriage: I Bring Down My Rotten Family with Imperial Recipes

Su Zhiwan was descended from imperial chefs. After marrying into a farming family, she spent three years laboring day and night, until her in-laws had wrung every bit of skill from her. Her husband had an affair with his cousin, and her mother-in-law framed her. With a divorce agreement, they drove her out with nothing, tossing her only the keys to a drafty, dilapidated house. Her clan turned cold shoulders, and the neighbors mocked her. Meanwhile, her ex-husband’s family still coveted the imperial recipes she kept hidden in her heart. Penniless? She set up a food stall, and one pot of spicy braised delicacies soon made waves throughout the neighborhood. Short on startup money? Her specialty medicinal pastries had wealthy ladies competing to throw gold at her. The aroma of her braised dishes filled the streets, while her rare delicacies won over nobles and princes. She opened restaurants, took on apprentices, and built a food business empire, making a fortune with her peerless culinary skills. Her ex-husband came to her door with lavish gifts, begging to get back together. Kneeling humbly, he pleaded, “Zhiwan, I know I was wrong. Come home with me.” Holding a ladle, Su Zhiwan smiled faintly. “My kitchen has no place for faithless men.” In a turbulent age, she wielded the warmth of everyday life as a sword and fine food as armor. She relied neither on marriage nor on men. With just a spoon and spatula, she built a life of splendor all her own.