A Cook’s Redemption: The Tale of Guan Xiyue

The scene opens violently in the main residence of the Chu family. The air is thick with the cruel scent of authority and betrayal. Guan Xiyue, a young woman whose form has thickened from the distress and neglect of her current life, is enduring a brutal beating. Her tormentor, the legitimate wife, Madam Yu, directs the beatings with cold malice, while Xiyue’s husband, Chu Zhengye, merely listens to the venomous words of his principal wife.

“Guan Xiyue, when will you admit your fault?” Madam Yu’s voice rings out. Xiyue’s plea, “Husband, please let me explain, I only wanted to care for you,” falls on deaf ears. Instead, she is met with scorn, “Look at you, so fat, utterly shameless, disgusting, making people sick!” She is beaten for the crime of daring to care for him. “Don’t hit me anymore. Please believe me.”

But Madam Yu’s rage is absolute. “Does it matter whether or not? What have you done? My husband only listens to me. If you dare to step into the main courtyard again, if you dare to secretly look for my husband, I will ensure you die a very ugly death.” As a final, brutal act of public humiliation, Madam Yu forces Xiyue to look up at a newly hung sign—a stark, public shaming. “Look up, you kind of woman, a new sign has been hung up for you. Be careful from now on. Live to see it, do you hear?”

Xiyue, a former food blogger who transmigrated into this body, now fully understands her tragic fate: she is an unloved concubine, a selfless, foolish woman whose sacrifice to save the fatally ill Chu Zhengye was met with ultimate cruelty. As a servant quips, “The show seems to be over, Master. We’ll play again next time.” This humiliation does not break the transmigration-soul; it sparks a fierce resolve for survival. “Wasn’t I supposed to be live-streaming a food show? I refuse to accept this.”

Having traversed time and space, Xiyue, now burdened with the host’s memory of unwavering devotion and subsequent torment, knows the time for desperate pleas is over. The reality of being an unloved, cast-aside concubine is stark. “You are heartless, so don’t blame me for being unjust,” she vows internally.

The desperate fight for survival immediately takes a surprising turn. While concealing her injuries, Xiyue encounters a handsome, powerfully built stranger who has collapsed, severely wounded, at her doorstep. “A big hunk of a man delivered right to my door,” she muses. “I’ll save your life then.”

She struggles to drag his heavy, feverish body to safety. “He’s so heavy! It’s too hot!” she mutters. In her moment of medical crisis, her transmigration ‘golden finger’ manifests: Tmall Spirit, her personal system.

“Hello, Master. I am your spirit, the legendary Golden Finger! I knew it! How could I transmigrate empty-handed? I must have the standard Golden Finger! You can grant me a name too. You can call me for any shopping needs!” the voice chirps excitedly.

“I’ll call you Tmall Spirit then, following international convention. Quickly, give me an anti-fever pill!” Xiyue demands.

But salvation comes with a harsh price. “Master, you must pay in real silver and gold to purchase items, though.” Tmall Spirit informs her that one pill costs five taels of silver. Xiyue protests the exorbitant price, “Five taels of silver for one pill? Why don’t you just rob me?” It is a “cross-era transaction, goods that are hard to buy even with money,” Tmall Spirit argues. Desperate, Xiyue secures a loan. “Fine, I’ll owe you one pill first. I’ll pay when I earn the money. Only this once! Remember to pay it back!” the Spirit concedes.

Xiyue successfully nurses the man back to health. He recovers quickly. “Thank you for saving my life, Miss. I will repay you another day,” he says. Just as he recovers, a subordinate arrives, addressing him as ‘Master,’ and urgently reporting complex military matters at the camp, confirming his high status. He slips away, leaving only a beautiful jade pendant. “He’s gone? The money for the medicine is gone, and he’s nowhere to be seen. What should I do? Why leave a piece of jade? Leave some silver that is useful!”

Meanwhile, the inevitable confrontation arrives. Madam Yu, spurred by her deep hatred and suspicion, storms into Xiyue’s room, accusing her of harboring a man. “Sister, you couldn’t endure the loneliness after not being allowed into my husband’s room for a few days! Hiding a man in your golden chamber!”

“Don’t you dare slander me! When did I hide a man in my golden chamber?!” Xiyue retorts, but her defiance is useless.

“You are a shameless woman. I, as the legitimate wife, am merely rectifying the family honor!” Madam Yu screams, before silencing Xiyue and issuing the ultimate decree: “The Chu family cannot tolerate a shameless woman like you. Strip off all her clothes and jewelry! Get out immediately! I never want to see you again!”

The final blow is delivered by Chu Zhengye himself. “Chu Zhengye, you are like Chen Shimei (a famous Chinese historical figure who abandoned his wife). Don’t forget, when you were near death, no one was willing to marry you! It was me! You are nothing more than a dog raised by our Chu family!”

“You dare to speak to my husband like that?” Madam Yu interjects.

“I am just a dog of your Chu family, is that right?” Xiyue repeats, his cruel words searing into her soul. “Good, Chu Zhengye. Don’t you regret this!”

“Hmph, me regret? What will you do to make me regret it? Your body fat, which makes me sick just looking at it?” he sneers.

The food blogger in Xiyue finally takes over, turning her despair into strategic fury. “If it were the original host, she naturally couldn’t make you regret it. But I am a transmigrator, a food blogger! Coincidentally, your Chu family rose to prominence through Fulin Tower. Those ancient recipes of your restaurant? How can they compare to a food blogger like me?”

“Fine, Chu Zhengye. If you act on the first day of the lunar month, don’t blame Guan Xiyue for acting on the fifteenth. You will regret this!”

Xiyue, now independent and expelled, goes straight to the rival restaurant, the Dongkang Tower. She offers her secret recipe for sale. “I am here to sell a recipe.”

“Sell a recipe? We are the most famous tower in Quqing County. Why would we need one?” the manager scoffs.

Xiyue’s proposal is shrewd: “I know you are competing with the Chu family. I have a recipe that can help you surpass them. I will give you the recipe first. If you can sell it, then pay me. If not, you lose nothing.” The dish: Braised Pork Belly (Thịt Kho Tàu).

The Braised Pork Belly is an instant sensation, selling out immediately and amazing the diners. The manager, Manager Huang, is stunned by the response. He offers to buy the recipe outright for 300 taels of silver. He notes her address: the Chu family manor.

Xiyue returns home, her pocket filled with gold. She faces the Chu household and makes a bold demand: “I want a divorce (Hòa Ly).”

The Chu household erupts in laughter and scorn. “You are just a concubine! You dare ask for a divorce? If you want to leave, it will be an expulsion letter (Hưu Thư)!”

“An expulsion letter, then! But it won’t be him expelling me. I will expel him!” Xiyue retorts.

Chu Zhengye, arrogant to the end, demands she settle the debt for her upkeep, totaling 50 taels of silver. “You haven’t earned a single copper coin. Where is your money?! If you can’t pay, you must obediently wait to be expelled by me.”

In that critical moment, Manager Huang arrives with a chest full of silver and jewelry—the payment for the Braised Pork Belly recipe. The total: 300 taels.

Xiyue opens the chest and triumphantly throws 50 taels at Chu Zhengye’s feet. “Open your dog eyes and look carefully! Do I, Guan Xiyue, have the right to write an expulsion letter now?!”

Chu Zhengye is humiliated, accusing Manager Huang of buying “a broken shoe.” Xiyue delivers a slap that silences the entire courtyard. “I can still live well without relying on men, Chu Zhengye. Conversely, what kind of man are you?”

She accepts the expulsion, vowing to make him regret it. Chu Zhengye, still blinded by arrogance, scoffs at her culinary threat, “You are nothing but fat, good for nothing but eating and sleeping! Your Braised Pork Belly is nothing!”

Xiyue ups the ante, challenging him to a public duel: “If you act on the first day of the lunar month, don’t blame Guan Xiyue for acting on the fifteenth. I have more than one recipe! I have a whole stockpile of recipes here!”

Zhengye accepts the month-long wager: if she can produce another world-shattering recipe, he will publicly apologize on his knees and officially welcome her back in a grand palanquin. If she fails, she must admit to having an affair and be publicly disgraced. The wager is sealed.

Xiyue’s month of transformation begins. She immediately purchases a high-grade weight-loss pill from the Tmall Spirit for a staggering 255 taels—a hefty sum, but necessary. “You should combine it with exercise,” the Spirit warns. “I spent all that money, why do I need to exercise? Are you trying to trick me?” Xiyue protests, but submits, fearing the sagging skin of an old aunt.

The day of the duel arrives. Rumors are flying: the fat concubine who was kicked out is challenging the owner of Fulin Tower.

Chu Zhengye, expecting the “fat pig” to fail, mocks her absence. “Manager Huang, where is that fat woman? Has she no face to show up?”

Then, a beautiful woman appears—slender, stunning, and radiating confidence.

“Who are you?” Chu Zhengye demands. “What’s wrong? You kept calling me ‘fat woman’ just now, and now you don’t recognize me?”

The crowd gasps. The stunning beauty is Guan Xiyue.

Chu Zhengye is immediately regretful and possessive: “Xiyue, my dear, you must have suffered outside. I will take you back!”

Xiyue rejects his advances with disgust. “Go to hell. I dumped you long ago. What ‘husband’ are you talking about? Do you believe I’ll break your dog legs?”

She then unveils her new creations: a feast of vibrant, aromatic dishes. Not just one, but a variety: Spicy Crawfish Pot, Fried Chicken, Duck Braised in Beer, and most importantly, Hot Pot. The dishes are revolutionary, offering an interactive, flavorful experience unknown in this era.

The public samples the food and is instantly captivated. “It’s incredibly delicious! I’ve never eaten anything so good!” the crowd exclaims, rushing to try the food.

Chu Zhengye is defeated. The undeniable success and the sheer number of revolutionary recipes crush his arrogance. Xiyue demands he fulfill his oath: Kneel and apologize.

He resists: “I am her husband! There is no logic for a husband to kneel to a concubine!” “I left you long ago. What husband are you talking about?!” Xiyue roars.

He is forced to kneel. The crowd erupts in cheers, mocking the humbled Chu Zhengye, the first man in history to be publicly shamed by his concubine.

Chu Zhengye, desperate, throws one last card: “This is just cheap trickery! Fulin Tower is preparing for the King of Cookery Competition, where General Ling personally presides and the Emperor himself will taste the food! You are not qualified to enter!”

Manager Huang steps in. “If Madam Guan wants to participate, Dongkang Tower can nominate her.”

The final challenge is set: The King of Cookery Competition, one month from now. Xiyue, confident, vows to bring even more recipes. “We shall see. I might have more recipes then.”

Meanwhile, the handsome stranger who Xiyue saved, revealed to be General Ling, watches from the shadows, intrigued by Xiyue’s transformation and spirit. He orders his subordinate to secretly prepare her Hot Pot recipe for the Emperor as a way to repay her kindness.

Xiyue, now a successful entrepreneur, returns to her original family to completely sever ties. Her family, still a group of ungrateful leeches, are shocked by her weight loss but are quick to demand money. When she asks them to publicly acknowledge that they are cutting ties, they happily agree, eager to be rid of the “fat ballast.” Xiyue smiles, knowing she has officially severed all connections and is now truly free to focus on the competition.

Would you like me to find a YouTube video about Chinese historical food competitions?