After returning to the capital to farm, the abandoned concubine made a comeback.

Lin Qin had a good night's sleep and woke up refreshed, her mind filled with the tempting aroma of pastries.

She couldn't wait to get up, and after a quick wash, she excitedly headed towards the town.

"Host, your task is to earn one hundred taels of silver! There's still a month left until the deadline!" the little system reminded you in a childlike voice.

"Okay, okay, my little lucky charm!" Lin Qin replied perfunctorily, while secretly planning what kind of pastries to use to open up the market.

Chiffon cake?

No, I don't have an oven.

Egg tarts?

No, that won't work either, there's no butter.

Cookies?

It still doesn't work; I don't have any cake flour.

Lin Qin felt increasingly troubled, as if she were a skilled cook struggling to make a meal without ingredients.

The difference between ancient and modern ingredients is so great that many things simply cannot be replaced.

She walked dejectedly through the market, her eyes scanning the dazzling array of goods, but she couldn't find the ingredients she needed.

She asked several stall owners, and all of them gave her a negative answer.

“Young lady, we don’t have those things in this small town,” said an old man selling groceries. “If you really want them, you’ll have to go to the prefectural city.”

Prefectural City?

That's too far!

Lin Qin sighed, looking at her empty purse, feeling even more anxious.

She now has only a few taels of silver left, not even enough for travel expenses, let alone to buy expensive ingredients.

"Oh dear, what should I do?" Lin Qin muttered to herself. Suddenly, her eyes lit up when she saw a meat stall not far away surrounded by a crowd of people.

"Fresh pork, cheap sale!" a gruff voice shouted.

Lin Qin was overjoyed. She had an idea!

lard!

It can be used to make pastries!

She quickly squeezed through the crowd and said to the burly man who was chopping meat, "Brother, how much is your pork?"

The burly man raised his head, revealing a face covered in a thick beard; he was none other than Zhou the Butcher, a well-known figure in the town.

He looked Lin Qin up and down and said in a deep voice, "Five coins a pound."

Five coins?

This is too expensive!

Lin Qin inwardly groaned, but she gritted her teeth and said, "I want..."

"Wait!" Butcher Zhou suddenly interrupted her, looking Lin Qin up and down. "Aren't you that... abandoned concubine who was divorced by the prince?"

Lin Qin smiled awkwardly, never expecting that even the town's butcher knew about her "famous" status as an abandoned concubine.

"Butcher Zhou has a good memory, it is indeed me."

Butcher Zhou snorted and slammed his butcher knife heavily onto the chopping board, sending a spray of meat dust flying.

"My meat, from Butcher Zhou, is sold on credit, reserved, and specially cut! Take it or leave it!"

Lin Qin rolled her eyes inwardly; these rules were far too rigid.

What she needs is the best pork belly, preferably with a good balance of fat and lean meat, to render lard.

But Butcher Zhou's pork was all in large chunks, which didn't meet her requirements at all.

"Butcher Zhou, as the saying goes, even if a deal falls through, goodwill remains. How about this: I need some pork belly with a good balance of fat and lean meat. Can you cut it for me? I'll pay you an extra coin, how about that?"

"No way!" Butcher Zhou refused outright. "The rules passed down from our ancestors cannot be broken! My meat is all weighed by the pound, and I don't offer any special cuts!"

Lin Qin was getting annoyed. Why was this old stubborn man so unyielding?

She took a deep breath and decided to change her strategy.

"Butcher Zhou, don't you want your business to be even better? Don't you want your shop to be packed with customers every day, and to be counting money until your hands cramp up?"

Butcher Zhou glanced at her sideways, his face full of suspicion. "You, a discarded concubine, can teach me how to do business?"

Lin Qin smiled mysteriously, "I have a brilliant plan. My plan will guarantee that your pork will be in high demand! The condition is that you have to provide the ingredients according to my requirements."

"What brilliant plan?" Butcher Zhou's curiosity was piqued.

Lin Qin leaned closer to him and whispered, "My brilliant plan is called... the temptation of delicious food." She paused, deliberately whetting his appetite, "I can teach you how to make mouthwatering delicacies with pork, guaranteed to be something you've never heard of or seen before!"

Butcher Zhou was skeptical. "You... what delicious food can you cook?"

Lin Qin smiled slyly: "For example, fragrant braised pork, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside fried pork chops, and melt-in-your-mouth crystal pork knuckle..."

As Zhou the butcher listened, he unconsciously swallowed.

Although he was a butcher who dealt with pork every day, he usually ate simple meals and had never tasted any fancy dishes.

Seeing his wavering, Lin Qin pressed her advantage, "So, Butcher Zhou? How about cooperating with me?"

Butcher Zhou hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't resist the temptation of the delicious food. He gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! I agree! But if your cooking isn't good..."

Lin Qin interrupted him, saying confidently, "If it's not tasty, I won't take a penny!" She then gave Butcher Zhou a meaningful look, "However," and then pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper, "this is the list of ingredients I need..."

Lin Qin received the pork belly "friendly sponsorship" from Butcher Zhou and returned to the farm humming a little tune.

Although other ingredients were still in short supply, she decided to try making the simplest braised pork belly first.

The farm's kitchen was shockingly rudimentary, with a large iron pot, a few chipped knives, and not even a decent cutting board.

Lin Qin sighed. In modern times, this would definitely be a "hellish" kitchen.

But who is she?

The 21st-century Chinese Cooking Master!

This little difficulty is nothing!

Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work!

She directed an old woman from the farm, Aunt Wang, to start the fire and add firewood.

The flames flickered, turning Lin Qin's face bright red, making her look like a freshly baked braised pork belly.

After finally rendering the lard, its aroma instantly filled the entire farm.

"Oh my, what's that smell? It smells so good!" Aunt Li from next door peeked into the kitchen.

"Yes, it smells so tempting!" Aunt Wang couldn't help but swallow hard.

Curious villagers gradually gathered around, crowding the small kitchen to the point of being impassable.

Lin Qin calmly stir-fried the pork belly in the pan, adding various seasonings.

Although she didn't have rock sugar, she used maltose instead, and the effect was quite good.

The aroma of braised pork grew stronger and stronger, making the villagers' stomachs rumble with anticipation.

"Qin girl, what delicious food are you making?" Aunt Li asked eagerly.

Lin Qin smiled mysteriously, "You'll find out soon enough."

The braised pork is finally ready!

It has a bright red color, a fragrant aroma, is rich but not greasy, and melts in your mouth.

Lin Qin picked up a piece, tasted it herself first, and said, "Mmm, perfect!"

The villagers craned their necks, their eyes fixed on the braised pork in the pot, their mouths practically watering.

"Come on, everyone, have a taste!" Lin Qin generously shared the braised pork with everyone.

The villagers eagerly took the braised pork, carefully took a bite, and then...

Eyes staring like copper bells!

"My goodness, this is so delicious!"

"This meat melts in your mouth! It's better than any meat I've ever eaten before!"

"Qin girl, your cooking is absolutely amazing!"

The villagers were full of praise and gave it a thumbs up.

Lin Qin was overjoyed to see everyone enjoying their meal.

Step one of the plan, a success!

However, looking at her empty purse, Lin Qin was troubled again.

Although these villagers enjoy eating, they are generally quite poor and probably can't afford to consume it.

If we take it to town to sell, will people accept this novel food?

Will her efforts be in vain?

Just as she was hesitating, a familiar figure appeared in the kitchen doorway...

Matchmaker Wu, holding an embroidered handkerchief in her hand, walked towards them excitedly...

Matchmaker Wu swayed her slender waist as she entered the kitchen, and her eyes immediately lit up when she saw the remaining braised pork in the pot.

"Oh my, what is this good stuff? It smells so good!" Before Lin Qin could even call out, she picked up a piece herself, stuffed it into her mouth, and immediately her eyes widened. "My goodness! This...this is pork? How can it be made so delicious!"

As expected of the village's "broadcasting station," Wu the matchmaker immediately switched to "propaganda mode" after finishing the braised pork.

She embellished her description of the braised pork with exaggerated detail, making the young women and wives in the village drool and eager to rush to Lin Qin's house to taste it.

Watching Wu the matchmaker's "energetic performance," Lin Qin felt more confident.

It seems that the allure of delicious food was equally effective in ancient times.

The next morning, Lin Qin got up very early and packed the braised pork, braised pig's trotters, fried pork chops and other delicacies she had prepared into a food box, ready to set up a stall in town.

Before leaving the house, she cheered herself up in the mirror: "Lin Qin, come on! I must make a fortune today!"

However, once she arrived in town, Lin Qin discovered that reality was far crueler than she had imagined.

The market was bustling with people, and the cries of various vendors rose and fell, creating a lively atmosphere.

Lin Qin found an open space, set up her stall, and waited anxiously for customers to come.

But an hour passed, then two hours passed...

Her stall was deserted.

Occasionally, a few passersby would stop to take a look out of curiosity, but upon hearing the price, they would all shake their heads and walk away.

"This pork is way too expensive!"

"She's selling pork that costs five coins a pound for twenty coins!"

Who would spend so much money to buy pork to eat?

Listening to the comments from passersby, Lin Qin felt a chill run down her spine.

Is her culinary plan going to be stillborn?

Just then, a familiar figure appeared in front of her stall.

"Oh, isn't this Madam Lin? What, divorced by the prince, so you've come out to sell meat at a stall?" The speaker was an auntie who sold steamed buns in town, her tone full of sarcasm.

Lin Qin suppressed her anger and smiled faintly: "Aunt Wang, this pork isn't ordinary pork; it's a delicacy I've carefully prepared. Would you like to try some?"

Aunt Wang curled her lip in disdain. "You? A discarded woman, what good things could you possibly make?"

Lin Qin took a deep breath, about to retort, when suddenly a cold voice rang out: "Aunt Wang, watch your words!"

Lin Qin and Aunt Wang turned around at the same time and saw Zhu Ling standing there in all black, his face gloomy, his gaze as sharp as a knife on Aunt Wang.

Aunt Wang trembled with fright and quickly apologized with a smile, "Your Highness, please forgive me, I spoke without thinking..."

Zhu Ling coldly interrupted her: "I warn you, if you dare to disrespect Lady Lin again, don't blame me for being impolite!"

After saying that, he turned to look at Lin Qin, his tone softening instantly: "Did you do all of this?"