I Open a Restaurant in Ancient Times

Su Tian, a modern orphan and successful food blogger with three million followers, dies in a car accident after pulling an all-nighter to celebrate her milestone. She awakens in the body of a fourteen-year-old girl with the same name in the Great Yan Dynasty. The original Su Tian was a commoner from Xingwang Village who fell ill after catching fish in freezing weather to help her impoverished, sixteen-member family survive a recent natural disaster. The new Su Tian accepts her fate, promising the deceased girl’s spirit to care for her loving family and improve their livelihood. She discovers the family is on the brink of starvation, with meager supplies that would last only a week. Utilizing her culinary expertise, she first creates a nutritious egg porridge that delights her relatives, revealing her hidden talent.

Recognizing the potential of local ingredients, Su Tian identifies soybeans, which are currently used only as chicken feed, as a source of wealth. She fabricates a story about dreaming of an immortal who gifted her recipes, a tale that convinces her superstitious family. With their support, she learns to grind soybeans using a borrowed stone mill and produces soy milk. The family sells the beverage in the nearby county town, where it becomes an instant hit due to its unique taste and affordability. The venture generates significant profit, allowing the family to purchase their own mill and expand their operations. Su Tian introduces tofu and tofu pudding to the menu, further increasing their income and establishing a loyal customer base.

As their business grows, local competitors notice the Su family’s success and begin hoarding soybeans to drive up prices and disrupt their supply chain. Simultaneously, Shopkeeper Zhang of the prestigious Lingyun Tower restaurant approaches Su Tian with an offer to buy her recipes. Recognizing that her methods will eventually be reverse-engineered, she negotiates a deal to sell the rights to her soy milk, tofu, and pudding recipes for eighty taels of silver, with a five-year exclusivity clause. This capital injection provides the family with the funds needed to rent a permanent storefront. Su Tian selects a larger shop with a courtyard in a strategic location, negotiating the rent down with the help of a local agent.

The Su family works tirelessly to renovate the space, preparing for the grand opening of the Su Family Restaurant. They divide labor, with the women handling the kitchen and the men managing the front of house. On opening day, Su Tian offers discounts and showcases a variety of dishes, including garlic pork, spicy shrimp, and fish-ball soup. The restaurant attracts a crowd, including former customers from their street stall, and generates substantial revenue in its first hours. The narrative concludes with the family celebrating their first day of success, having transformed from destitute peasants into prosperous business owners through Su Tian’s culinary innovation and strategic business acumen.