Rongcheng in the Nineties: A Spicy Streetwise Girl Builds a Fortune with Braised Snacks

Chengdu, 1992. Reform is sweeping through, and everything is being reborn.

Twenty-year-old Xu Xiaoxiao is laid off from her factory, and her iron rice bowl is shattered overnight. Her family, who favor sons over daughters, seize the chance to demand her severance pay to fill her younger brother's bottomless pit. Lively and clear-eyed, a Chengdu girl who loves fiercely and hates fiercely, she cuts ties with them and gets away, carrying nothing but her own daring and her grandmother's secret recipe for traditional Sichuan braised dishes. She puts down roots at a night market stall and makes a living.

Sweet-tongued and quick on her feet, she never lets trouble eat away at her. With a pot of authentic Sichuan braise, spicy yet mellow, rich and fragrant, she astounds the entire night market.

Jealous, an old-time stall owner spreads rumors, tries to suppress her, and trips her up at every turn. Her parasitic relatives repeatedly show up to harass and guilt-trip her. Optimistic and quick-witted, Xu Xiaoxiao counters them on the spot every time, serving up face-slapping in all kinds of ways. She wins over diners across the city with the flavor of real ingredients and turns every hardship aside with street-smart wisdom.

A mouthful of hot braised food heals the everyday bustle of life, while a deft hand lays the path to fortune.

She saves up her earnings from the stall, expands her business, builds a signature brand, and grows step by step. Xu Xiaoxiao rises from a down-and-out laid-off girl to the owner of Chengdu's hottest braised-food business.

Lu Zheng, a reliable freight company owner who is cold on the outside and warm within, quietly stands by her through every storm and has her back.

The 1990s are full of opportunity. Watch this spirited street-market girl carve out a path with the aroma of braised food and earn a future with her own two hands. She rises to wealth, turns the tide, and lives a life as dazzling and vibrant as a flame!