Guide to Feeding a Villainous Husband

Chef Qin Xia, while on vacation, met with an unfortunate accident and transmigrated into a novel. He became the cannon fodder character who forcibly married the antagonist while the latter was injured and amnesiac-only to eventually meet his end at the villain’s hands. The “husband” that the original character had bought from a broker was none other than Yu Jiuque, the future Head of the Directorate of Ceremonial and Eastern Palace (Embroidered Uniform Guard, jinyiwei’s department), who would one day wield immense power over the empire. With a beautiful face but a venomous heart, Yu Jiuque was infamous for his ruthlessness. When Qin Xia arrived in this world, the original character had already dragged the antagonist into bed, intending to consummate their marriage. Feeling the chill on his neck, Qin Xia stiffly changed the subject: “Are you hungry? How about I make you some noodles?” Yu Jiuque then proceeded to eat all the noodles-five bowls in total-and declared himself to be Qin Xia’s husband, wholeheartedly devoted to warming his bed. Since there was no way to get rid of this “great Buddha,” Qin Xia had no choice but to go out and make money before they both ended up in poverty. The neighbors soon noticed that the local street thug, Qin Xia, had turned over a new leaf after getting married, even setting up a food stall. At first, no one believed that his food would be any good-until they tasted his iron plate tofu, grilled cold noodles, starch sausages, spicy sour noodles, grilled chicken racks, Chinese pancakes, thumb-sized dumplings, egg burgers, and steamed rice cakes… Qin Xia’s food stall became a hit! Before long, the food stall turned into a proper restaurant, and people realized that Qin Xia could do more than just street food. A honey-glazed ham, glistening and tender, sweet and soft; a pot of braised eel, tender and flavorful, perfect with rice; “Three Crisps” from the mountains, beautiful and bursting with the freshness of spring in every bite; “Wensi Tofu,” shredded as fine as hair, left everyone in awe. The restaurant was bustling every day, bringing in a fortune. But one day, Jiu Ge’er suddenly disappeared from Qin Xia’s side. Everyone speculated that, as they say, “men get rich and then go bad,” thinking that Qin Xia must have abandoned him to marry a wealthy wife. Months later, in the distant imperial capital, the most feared man in the court, Yu Jiuque, suddenly sneezed. He placed his hand on his slightly rounded belly, his face darkening with displeasure. Under his formidable gaze, the ministers in the hall fell silent, trembling like leaves. — Lord Yu’s thunderous wrath. Today, someone would likely lose their head! But after a long pause, they only heard Yu Jiuque’s icy voice: “If you have something to report, speak quickly. If not, get lost and don’t delay me from going home for dinner.” Author’s note: The original plot is just a backdrop, and the story mainly revolves around food and business management. The romance is sweet and slow-burning, light-hearted, and warm, with no problematic relatives. There will be children and family-building later on.