It's strange, but in the Chu family's hundred-year history, very few girls have been born. There are quite a few girls from the collateral branches, but perhaps because the number of legitimate daughters is pitifully small, the status of girls from the collateral branches is particularly valued in the family. Even if the family is full of girls, they are not disheartened by the lack of boys and do not hate girls. On the contrary, each family is complacent. The legitimate line wants girls but can't have them. So every year at the big gathering, the old rascals from the collateral branches would show off to the clan leader of the legitimate line to which family had given birth to how many girls that year. Hearing this, the legitimate line would often grit their teeth in envy. Each family strictly trained their children in martial arts from a young age, even girls. This is why the legitimate line was able to survive until later.

The story goes that the eunuch was begging in the capital with Ye Huai, who was almost waist-high. Since no one had cooking utensils, they couldn't beg for anything. So the eunuch and Ye Huai begged all the way, and by sheer coincidence, they fainted from hunger at the gate of the Chu family. The old steward, Uncle Qi, who was about to go out to buy things, found them and took them back to the side gate. He cooked them some thin porridge, and that's how they survived.

The eunuch had spent the first half of his life surviving in the cannibalistic imperial city, caring for his young master. Later, he experienced war, fleeing and begging along the way. He was very perceptive, and even then, he never saw his master again. The two of them, one big and one small, lived with Uncle Qi at the side gate. Children have a strong ability to imitate, and most of Ye Huai's memories were of the eunuch's smooth way of dealing with people. His former life of luxury had been buried deep in his memory after all he had experienced. Nothing was more important than survival. The fall of the country and the destruction of his family were beyond the control of a helpless child like him. Therefore, Ye Huai lived a clear-headed life from a young age. Being able to eat his fill became his obsession. Later, once he was full, he started thinking about ways to make the food more delicious. Uncle Qi saw Ye Huai's efforts and consulted with Old Master Chu. The eunuch and Ye Huai stayed with the Chu family. It was also because the boy was clever and intelligent. Uncle Qi was from a branch of the Chu family, and he was a merchant who ran restaurants all over the provinces. Most of the money he earned was used to support the soldiers guarding the frontier. How could Uncle Qi's cooking skills be bad? If they were any less capable, they wouldn't have opened so many restaurants.

When the eunuchs and Ye Huai first met Old Master Chu, Ye Huai truthfully revealed his identity. They knew that to survive at such an advanced age, encountering such a charitable family required an open revelation. Knowing their identities, Old Master Chu immediately introduced Ye Huai to everyone in his household. Even though the dynasty had fallen and times had changed, the deeply ingrained sense of loyalty between ruler and subject prevented him from escaping this. The experienced Old Master Chu recognized Ye Huai as a determined young man and had him study and learn martial arts alongside his three grandchildren. Ye Huai didn't find it tiring; instead, he was extremely grateful and even insisted on learning cooking from his seventh uncle. Ye Huai was lively and cheerful, and everyone in the Chu family adored him. Even the proud eldest daughter of the Chu family liked this little brother who had joined them later in life.

Ye Huai grew up in the Chu family and went to the battlefield with his elder brother Chu Yi.

Later, on his deathbed, the old eunuch, fearing Ye Huai would die on the battlefield, begged Old Master Chu to let him retire from the army, return home, get married, and have children. Although he had been a servant who had taken care of him since childhood, in Ye Huai's heart, the old eunuch was like family. After Ye Huai retired from the army, Old Master Chu prepared a large mansion for him, just like his other grandchildren. After getting married, Ye Huai lived up to expectations. With his excellent skills and shrewd personality, he took over the former Prince's Mansion in the capital. However, the mansion had been severely damaged. As a child, he had accompanied his father to the Prince's Mansion and vaguely remembered its former glory. He restored most of it based on his memory and modified some facilities to suit a restaurant. Gradually, it became a place where high-ranking officials and nobles vied to host banquets. Later, it evolved into a symbol of honor and status to be able to eat there.