Transmigrated into the 1970’s: Divine Chef ‘Foolish' Wife Follows the Army

Su Hongxia, a top state banquet chef and heir to an imperial culinary lineage, transmigrates into the body of a foolish village girl in 1977. The original Su Hongxia was abused by her family, treated as merchandise to be sold for her brother's marriage and sister's city job. Her parents, Su Jianguo and Li Xiulian, arrange her marriage to Lu Huaizhou, a regiment commander who was crippled in service and now confined to a wheelchair. Despite the match being a desperate move by the Lu family, Su Hongxia sees an opportunity. Lu Huaizhou’s high military allowance and access to scarce goods like meat and oil represent a path to survival and good food. She agrees to the marriage, not out of duty, but to secure a stable source of meals.

The Su family demands a bride price of two hundred yuan and various ration coupons. During the meeting at the Lu household, Lu Huaizhou initially refuses the match, viewing it as an insult. However, Su Hongxia surprises everyone by diagnosing his leg injury, identifying blocked meridians and suggesting acupuncture and medicinal baths. When her parents attempt to stop her from taking her meager dowry, including a valuable iron pot, she threatens them with a kitchen cleaver. Lu Huaizhou, intrigued by her unexpected competence and seeing her as simple and manageable, agrees to the marriage on the condition that the Su family signs a severance document, cutting all ties with their daughter. Su Hongxia accepts, securing her freedom and her pot.

After the wedding, Su Hongxia moves into Lu Huaizhou’s sparse quarters in a military compound. She quickly establishes herself through her culinary skills. When Lu Huaizhou suffers a painful flare-up of his leg injury, she prepares a simple bowl of Yangchun noodles that astonishes him with its depth of flavor. On the train to their new home, she displays surprising physical strength, bending an iron rail to defend him from harassers. In the compound, she faces hostility from neighbors, particularly Wang Saozi, who mocks her as a fool married to a cripple. Su Hongxia counters this by using her cooking to win over the local children, trading meat buns for firewood and gradually building a small following.

Lu Huaizhou becomes increasingly suspicious of Su Hongxia’s true nature. Her knowledge of traditional medicine, her physical strength, and her exceptional cooking skills contradict her foolish persona. He tests her by giving her money, which she uses wisely to buy cheap offal and fat, ingredients he initially despises. She transforms the pig intestines into a delicacy that converts his disgust into admiration. Their relationship shifts from cold cohabitation to a tentative partnership. Su Hongxia continues to massage his leg, using techniques that alleviate his pain and improve circulation, further deepening his reliance on her.

The story highlights Su Hongxia’s strategic navigation of a patriarchal and resource-scarce society. She uses her culinary talents as both a survival tool and a means of social influence. While Lu Huaizhou grapples with his injury and the loss of his military career, Su Hongxia provides not only physical care but also emotional support, albeit disguised as the actions of a simple wife. The narrative sets the stage for Su Hongxia to potentially restore Lu Huaizhou’s health and rise in status within the military community, using food as her primary weapon against adversity and prejudice.