Even chefs have homework to do! [Food]

Wen Fan, a skilled cook from the imperial kitchen of the fictional Great Xia Dynasty, is executed by white silk after being framed for poisoning the Eighth Prince. In her final moments, she realizes her handcrafted condiments were sabotaged and dies with unresolved resentment. She awakens in the body of a seventeen-year-old girl with the same name, who had just attempted suicide after being manipulated by her crush, Fu Chuan, and his friends. The original Wen Fan was an orphan adopted by the financially struggling Wen Tao and Xia Yingzhi, who ran a small restaurant near a high school. Unlike the impulsive girl in the novel she remembers, the transmigrated Wen Fan is calm, pragmatic, and determined to live a quiet, educated life. Wen Fan immediately distances herself from the toxic social circle that destroyed the original host. She deletes Fu Chuan from her contacts, leaving him and his sycophantic friends bewildered when their attempts to provoke her are ignored. While the original Wen Fan had neglected her studies for male attention, the new Wen Fan prioritizes her education, canceling expensive tutoring classes to save her parents money and dedicating her time to self-study. She also takes charge of the family business, recognizing that her parents' mediocre cooking and lack of innovation were causing their restaurant to fail during the summer break. Her culinary expertise becomes the turning point for the family's fortunes. She introduces dishes that far exceed the shop's previous offerings, starting with a simple fried rice that captivates their landlady, Yang Hong. The landlady, initially harsh about rent, becomes a vocal advocate after tasting the food. Wen Fan then creates pickled chilies and claypot rice, dishes that generate buzz and drive a surge in orders through their newly established delivery platform. Her father, Wen Tao, a traditional chef with limited creativity, is initially skeptical but soon becomes her apprentice, learning her techniques under her direction. The family dynamic shifts from one of worry and financial stress to one of pride and cooperation, as Wen Fan bridges the gap between her past life's discipline and her current life's opportunities. The story explores Wen Fan's adaptation to modern society, where she discovers that women can pursue careers and education freely, a stark contrast to her previous life as a servant. She navigates the challenges of a new body with weaker physical stamina, gradually building her strength while managing the restaurant. Her relationships with her adoptive parents deepen as she shows affection and gratitude, healing the emotional wounds caused by the original host's rebellious behavior. Meanwhile, Fu Chuan and his friends remain oblivious to the significance of her rejection, continuing their petty games while Wen Fan focuses on her studies and business growth. The narrative follows her journey from a condemned palace cook to a successful young entrepreneur, using her culinary skills to secure her family's future and establish her own independence in a world that offers her unprecedented freedom.