A Guide to Making a Fortune by Setting Up Stalls in the Great Song Dynasty (Food)

He Mingyu, a thirty-two-year-old modern woman, transmigrates into the body of a sixteen-year-old girl with the same name in the Song Dynasty. The original owner, a village girl, had drowned herself after her father, a bamboo craftsman, died in an accident, leaving behind a destitute family. Upon waking, He Mingyu finds herself in a cramped courtyard with her grieving mother, Wu Chunlan, and two younger siblings, Shitou and Yingzi. Her eldest uncle, He Dalang, and his wife, Lady Li, are already pressuring her to marry the twenty-two-year-old youngest son of Landlord Liu, a man described as foolish and simple-minded. They claim this union is for the family's benefit, but He Mingyu quickly deduces their true intent: they have manipulated the family's debts to seize their remaining assets and plan to sell her into a marriage that will provide them with a substantial betrothal gift.

Feigning compliance, He Mingyu buys herself two days to prepare for the wedding. During this time, she reveals to her mother that the interest on their father's debt has been artificially inflated and that the uncle's family intends to exploit the orphans once she is gone. Realizing the danger, she decides to flee rather than marry into the Liu family. She concocts a story about a dream visit from the Kitchen God, who taught her immortal recipes, and announces her plan to move to Bianjing City to start a food business. Despite her mother's fears, Wu Chunlan agrees to trust her daughter. That night, the family packs their meager belongings and escapes under the cover of darkness, walking for hours until they reach the city gates at dawn.

In Bianjing, He Mingyu navigates the bustling streets to find affordable housing. She encounters discriminatory property brokers who ignore her due to her poverty but eventually secures a small, dilapidated courtyard in Donglizi Alley. The property is cheap because it is next door to a Hu nationality beast tamer named Memet, who keeps snakes, and across from a carpenter named Zhang Hu and his son, Zhang Dashan. Despite the noisy and slightly intimidating neighbors, He Mingyu sees the potential of the location and the spacious kitchen. She cleans the courtyard with her family, establishing a sense of normalcy and hope. Her first act in the city involves observing local food stalls to understand market preferences, noting the popularity of buns and porridge despite their mediocre quality.

He Mingyu's entrepreneurial spirit is ignited when she shares a meal of leek boxes and sour soup noodles with her new neighbors, the Zhang family. Their enthusiastic reaction confirms that her modern culinary skills are a viable asset. She negotiates a deal with Zhang Hu to build her a custom food cart in exchange for feeding him and his son for a month. Simultaneously, she discovers the availability of peanuts, or "foreign beans," in a local shop, recognizing their potential for creating new food products. Her plans are interrupted by the arrival of Xiao Huaiyuan, a scholar from the prestigious Zheng Clan of Xingyang, who intervenes when a bun stall owner insults his family. Although he offers no further assistance, his presence highlights the social hierarchy He Mingyu must navigate. Meanwhile, back in the village, He Dalang and Lady Li discover the family has fled and realize they have lost the fifty taels of silver they expected from the betrothal. Furious and desperate, He Dalang vows to track them down and drag He Mingyu back, setting the stage for future conflict as the family attempts to establish their livelihood in the capital while evading their predatory relatives.