Chapter 1: The Cataclysmic Beginning
Summer in Xinghua Village is always scorching hot, with cicadas chirping like a tidal wave.
It was the hour of Si (9-11 AM), and the sky was still dark, but the heat wave swept in from all directions, making even the old men working in the fields sweat profusely.
Suddenly, a commotion arose in a house in a neighboring city. Almost everyone in Xinghua Village knew that a young girl who wasn't from their village lived there.
So, during the off-season, everyone couldn't help but peek over there.
A burly woman stood with her arms crossed, confronting a slender girl, and pressed closer to the dark red gate. She could hardly contain her smugness, and it was as if she was announcing her purpose to everyone.
"Little Jiang, look how nicely you've decorated this house! It should be your dowry! I've decided to give this house to you two as a young couple, and you'll contribute some dowry..."
Despite her sweet words, she suddenly took a step forward, deliberately bumping into Jiang Zhi, while squinting at the layout of Jiang Zhi's boudoir, looking her up and down as if she wanted to barge in, clearly displaying a very ill-intentioned attitude.
Jiang Zhi's mind was still somewhat dazed when she was suddenly pushed, causing her to lose her balance and stumble to the ground. The scalding hot ground instantly snapped her back to reality, and her still somewhat confused eyes cleared up in an instant.
She stood up, rubbing her slightly bruised arm, and glanced around. She was startled to find that:
The woman who had pushed her earlier was leaning against the door, dressed in a gray short-sleeved shirt, squinting as she looked her up and down, as well as at the half-open door behind her.
Behind the vermilion door, a wheelchair revealed half its face, and a fat, big-faced man sat in it, leering at Jiang Zhi.
When Jiang Zhi met the eyes of the two men, she felt a chill creep up her spine.
But she couldn't help but be stunned. Who were these two people?
Wasn't she a judge at that Chinese snack promotion competition just a moment ago?
How did I end up here, staring at these two people?
She could vaguely hear the whispers of her neighbors.
"That old woman Li is so dishonest!"
"Tsk tsk tsk, who can blame this little girl for going to their house to rent a room? Granny Li has always been afraid that her crippled son would be childless, so she tricked this girl from out of town..."
"That's just how Old Li is! I even heard her brag that she specifically inquired about this girl renting the room, and that she has no parents, only an older brother from the provincial capital. But Old Li said that's probably just something the girl made up, and you can't believe it..."
Hearing the murmurs of the crowd, Jiang Zhi was stunned for a moment, then realized—had she transmigrated?
Fragments of lingering memories intertwined with gossip from others, piecing together the original owner's life story:
From the time the original owner could remember, her parents disappeared without a trace. She only had an older brother who was a few years older than her, but he went to join the army when she was ten years old, leaving her only three taels of silver. Later, the bandits in the nearby mountains took a liking to her, so she had no choice but to leave her hometown and come here. With her last three taels of silver, she rented this small single room from Aunt Li for three years.
Her memories end there. However, even though she didn't remember them, Jiang Zhi could guess what the original owner was thinking: to find a job or a husband so she could make a living.
Little did anyone know that the landlady, Aunt Li, was not kind-hearted. Taking advantage of the original owner's high sunk costs, she forced the original owner to marry her disabled son.
In short, the original owner's naiveté led her into a huge pit.
At that very moment, as Jiang Zhi recalled the original owner's memories, Granny Li was also sizing her up.
After the shoving, her remaining skirt was covered in dust, making her look slightly dirty, but it did not diminish her beauty in the slightest. I couldn't help but feel a little resentful and dissatisfied: What kind of good girl goes out in public looking like this every day, neglecting her family!
While mentally judging her from a superior position, she looked down at Jiang Zhi, all the while calculating what else she could gain: this house definitely couldn't be given to this daughter-in-law; she would have to move in to take care of her son; the money that this X person flaunted in front of her every day also had to be given to her as a tribute; and this house, this X person really did manage it well, so that also had to be given to her as a tribute…
Jiang Zhi didn't bother to even glance at the old man opposite her. She knew all too well what he was thinking: his thoughts were practically written all over his face.
She simply took a deep, calm breath, closed her eyes, and then opened them again. Suddenly, she laughed, her smile as gentle as a spring breeze. Old Lady Li was startled and almost thought she was about to do something.
Who knew that the next second,
Jiang Zhi, however, did not make any move as usual, and simply turned around and went into the house.
Granny Li squinted, a hint of hesitation and doubt appearing on her face, and didn't follow immediately.
In that brief moment of not keeping up, a series of loud bangs and crashes erupted inside the house.
The moment the sound rang out, Aunt Li didn't hesitate any longer. She instinctively pushed open the door and rushed in, only to find:
The large bed, cabinet, and chair that she had just chosen were smashed to almost unusable condition by Jiang Zhi in just a few seconds. She tried to salvage them in a panic, but Jiang Zhi's fierce glare startled her so much that she froze for a moment.
In short, after she came to her senses again, Jiang Zhi quickly smashed all the large items she had bought in the house to pieces, while she rolled up the smaller items and packed them into a bag.
Jiang Zhi carried a bundle in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other. While pointing fiercely at the man, she smiled slightly.
But unlike her smiling face, the words that poured out from her mouth at this moment were extremely vulgar.
"Aunt Li, are you really treating me like a donkey?"
Before transmigrating, Jiang Zhi was from Zhejiang, and she unconsciously adopted a Zhejiang accent when cursing. Her accent, which usually sounded soft and gentle, became exceptionally crisp and decisive when she cursed.
"Let me tell you, if you, surnamed Li, don't return the three taels of silver I paid you for rent before the New Year, I'll call the authorities today to see if you, this old woman, can bully my orphaned daughter whose brother is in the army—I'll make sure the whole surrounding area knows the 'notorious reputation' of your crippled fat pig!"
Aunt Li was stunned by the scolding. When she came to her senses, her eyes were like knives, staring fiercely at Jiang Zhi, like a hungry wolf biting its prey and refusing to let go.
Jiang Zhi glared back fiercely. She stood straight, clutching her bag tightly, as if waiting for Aunt Li to make her move.
Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, the atmosphere became tense—
Unexpectedly, the fat, wheelchair-bound man behind the door suddenly started persuading Aunt Li. Jiang Zhi couldn't quite hear what he was saying, but she knew that Aunt Li's expression had softened considerably.
In just a few minutes, after Jiang Zhi had idly come up with dozens of ideas for revenge, the two of them finally finished their whispering through the door.
Aunt Li reluctantly grumbled as she took out the three pieces of silver that Jiang Zhi had given her from the small pocket sewn into her sleeve. After hesitating for a moment, she handed them over.
Then Jiang Zhi snatched it away.
Jiang Zhi took the silver in her hand and weighed it in her hand. Then she pushed the two men aside, stood outside the door, and laughed again.
She smiled sweetly, with dimples that were slightly visible, but it sent a chill down the spines of the two men who saw her.
"Li Erguang, what are you pretending to be a good guy for? Do you think I don't know you?"
A smile suddenly appeared on her lips, but her eyes were clear and somewhat cold. At the same time, she put her hand to her mouth, cupped it into a megaphone shape, and shouted loudly in the direction of the gossiping women.
"Brother Li, please don't peep at the village girls bathing anymore!"
Aunt Li and her son were both taken aback by these words at first. Then Aunt Li suddenly turned to look at her son: she knew her son's character all too well.
Seeing her son's slightly evasive eyes, she took a deep breath, pushed her good-for-nothing son away, and faced the swarm of "righteous judges" from the village alone with a stern face.
Only her son, for a moment, dared not follow his mother, nor dared he lash out at Jiang Zhi. He could only timidly push his wheelchair and run towards home.
Jiang Zhi whistled and strode forward in a cheerful mood. Just thinking about the chaos and commotion caused by the group of people behind her made her extremely happy, so she lazily walked out along the main road at the village entrance.
Now, she is weighing her small bag as she goes, pondering what to do next.
It's clear that I can't stay in Xinghua Village any longer.
Why not go and have a look around in a more open town?
As she thought about it, she moved quickly, skipping and hopping towards the main road leading to the town.
The town was indeed much more bustling. When Jiang Zhi arrived, it was midday, and the sun was scorching the ground.
Jiang Zhi carried her small bag for nearly two hours before finally arriving at this place. She wiped her sweat, chose a bustling main street, and strode forward, heading straight for a brokerage firm. She went up and inquired—
Wow!
Hearing the price, she felt utterly hopeless.
The town where Jiang Zhi lived was considered a prosperous place in Jiangnan. The brokerage firm, according to Jiang Zhi's criteria, did indeed have one, and it even had good feng shui, facing south. Everything sounded wonderful—
However, the man's status sounded rather unappealing, making him seem far beyond her reach: he charged an annual rent of ten strings of silver.
Jiang Zhi nearly fainted upon hearing this—
This money would not only require emptying her of all her remaining silver, but she would probably also have to sell herself to raise the sum.
She found a shady spot to squat down and carefully considered all the ways to make money quickly these days.
Final decision: Use my past life experience to sell snacks at the night market.
As for what to sell?
As Jiang Zhi pondered this, she walked toward the vegetable market.
She currently has no stove, no manpower, and no seasonings. If she wants to make a living at the night market, she must find a modern snack that is slightly simple but requires some technical skill.
Ideally, it should be something that cools you down and also conform to the customs of Sichuan.
As she pondered this in her mind, she looked around.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up—
In a corner of the market, Zhao Laoqi sat cross-legged, wiping away sweat anxiously as he looked around.
In front of him were about a dozen golden fruits.
Occasionally, strangers passing by would curiously approach to ask questions, only to be pulled away by others nearby.
As everyone knows, these golden fruits are not uncommon; they are incredibly sour and bitter.
Of course, this thing isn't completely useless.
Some high-ranking officials and nobles would occasionally use it to make tea.
But judging from the time, it's clear that, at least for today, the high-ranking official that this old man is waiting for probably won't be coming.
Zhao Laoqi anxiously wiped his sweat, his eyes darting around anxiously. He didn't even have time to fan himself with the palm-leaf fan beside him. Sweat dripped from his forehead onto the ground, wetting it.
He came from his home outside the city today, carrying wild fruits he had picked in the mountains. Sometimes the pharmacies would buy these quite well, but other times they wouldn't buy them at all. Clearly, today he encountered the second situation.
If he doesn't sell them all today, he'll have to slink back home in disgrace. Not to mention the weight of nearly forty or fifty taels, the time he'll waste today will be enough to make him lose face in front of his wife.
At this moment, he wished he could light incense and pray to the local earth god: "Please, a kind person will come and buy my stall, even if the price is lowered, I would be happy to do so!"
Suddenly, he heard a heavenly sound.
How much do you want to sell your fruit?
Jiang Zhi squatted down, gently rubbed and touched it, and after confirming that this was a modern lemon, she looked up at the somewhat anxious old man in front of her and began to ask the price.
Grandpa Zhao was overjoyed; he almost jumped for joy. But looking at the little girl's rather simple clothes, he hesitated.
"Young lady, if you haven't tried this golden fruit before, you're probably sure it's sour and bitter to swallow—"
"It's alright, boss, just sell it to me."
A moment later,
The old man picked up the bag in a daze, walked towards home in a daze, placed it in front of his kitchen door in a daze, and handed a string of copper coins to his wife in a daze.
Yes, Jiang Zhi, who currently has nothing, used this string of copper coins to buy all the lemons the old man had, and also wanted to borrow the old man's kitchen.
While the old man was carrying the bags in front, Jiang Zhi didn't forget to pick out some cheap pottery jars from the shops on the street behind, and asked someone to deliver them to the old man's kitchen.
She only strolled to another stall to buy some honey and picked some green grass leaves by the roadside before walking unsteadily from the old man's house.
A note from the author:
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Please add this similar novel, "The Imperial College Dining Hall," to your favorites:
Liuzhu has lived most of her life and has finally managed to make a living on the internet.
She transmigrated to another world and became an orphan with nowhere to go.
There's no other way but to find a place that provides food and lodging to make a living.
As Liuzhu was thinking this, she suddenly saw the recruitment advertisement for the Imperial Academy.
My eyes lit up instantly.
*
The students of the Imperial College had been suffering in that dilapidated canteen for far too long.
All day long, there was that musty-smelling dry biscuit and a bowl of soup that was as bland as water.
They actually want 20 copper coins!
It's a total scam!
Just then, the Imperial Academy suddenly had a female tutor.
Some people went to eat the meal with some skepticism.
On the first day, the steamed egg custard was so tender it was practically dripping with moisture!
The next day, the chicken was crispy and fragrant!
On the third day, the fruit juice was even more delicious, sweet and sour!
...
On the nth day, as soon as the Imperial College let out for the day, everyone rushed to the canteen and sat down in a row, their eyes sparkling as they stared at the female cook.
The former cooks of the Imperial Academy even bowed down in reverence:
Why does yours taste better when we use the same amount of seasonings?
I want to become your disciple.
Liuzhu smiled mysteriously:
Please, this is her most precious secret from her days on the internet!
Reading Guide:
A female protagonist practicing cooking techniques (evil cultivation method) × A male protagonist who is a teacher at the Imperial Academy
To win someone's heart, you must first win their stomach!
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