A peasant girl travels through time with a hospital, rising to become an empress.

"Excuse me, could you tell me what's up ahead? There are so many people queuing up?"

"You're late, you don't know? A new restaurant just opened in the West Market, and on its opening day, all the food is half price. That's why everyone's lining up."

"With so many people, it must taste delicious."

"I don't know either. I just saw a lot of people queuing up, so I figured the taste couldn't be bad."

And so, the line of customers outside Liu's restaurant grew longer and longer. Liu Xiong did his best, afraid of neglecting the customers, and even though it was the dead of winter, he was so busy that he broke out in a thin layer of sweat.

Looking at the long queue, Nie Qianqian ran to ask Liu Yan, "Mom, how many more servings of food do we have left? The queue is getting longer and longer."

Liu Yan was focused on preparing the food when she heard Nie Qianqian's words. She quickly checked and found that the braised pork and pickled cabbage were almost gone, and there was very little food left in the hot pot.

Since it was her first day setting up a stall, Liu Yan hadn't prepared much food. Before noon, all the food was sold out, a speed that left Liu Yan completely bewildered.

Nie Qianqian quickly notified the customers who were queuing, and the diners who rushed over upon hearing the news immediately began to complain.

"Shopkeeper, how come it's sold out so quickly? I've been waiting in line for so long, it's made it too late for me to buy groceries!"

"Yes, I came all the way here specifically to try their braised pork offal."

Nie Qianqian quickly stepped forward to reassure everyone, "Uncles and aunts, today is the first day of our shop's opening, so we haven't prepared enough food. We'll make sure to prepare plenty tomorrow so everyone can have a taste."

"Why wait another day? His stomach is rumbling, he can't wait!"

"The half-price promotion won't be available tomorrow, so I'll have to pay twice as much! I'm not eating there!"

Nie Qianqian patiently comforted him, "Uncle, as the saying goes, good food is worth waiting for. The first ten people in the first three days of opening will get a free meal. If you miss the free meal, it's okay. The meal is still half price. If you come again tomorrow, I will give you an extra drink. Everyone in the queue behind can come to me later to get a voucher, and they can all get an extra drink tomorrow!"

When everyone heard that there would be a free drink tomorrow, their eyes lit up. The diners who had been feeling resentful and dissatisfied not only lost their resentment but also felt happy and good-natured when they heard that they could get an extra drink tomorrow.

Nie Qianqian added with a smile another promotional offer, "In addition, if a customer who has already dined here today brings a new customer, the old customer will eat for free, and the new customer will get a 50% discount."

Nie Qianqian had already given each customer a voucher after they finished eating. The paper was fumigated with special medicinal herbs, giving it a unique smell that no one else could imitate.

"It can still be like this."

"Then can I bring my partner to eat here again?"

Nie Qianqian: "Of course it's calculated."

"That's great! I was planning to bring my husband to try it too, and now that I've brought him, I can get the meal for free!"

Nie Qianqian gave them a good talking-to before they slowly dispersed.

Even as the departing guests left, they continued to discuss the food at Liu's Restaurant and the free meal event the next day. The news spread like wildfire, and soon it reached the entire West Market. Although the people who came in the afternoon did not see Liu's Restaurant, they always heard discussions about it, and their curiosity was inevitably aroused.

Nie Qianqian didn't delay any longer and rushed back to the village with Liu Yan and Liu Xiong. They needed to prepare more ingredients today, so they wanted to get back early to work and rest.

Nie Wenting had been there since the West Market opened, observing Nie Qianqian's stall from a secluded corner. She watched as this unassuming stall went from being deserted to incredibly popular, unable to understand the secret behind it.

People at the nearby stalls were still discussing Liu's Restaurant. "Is this restaurant really that good? I think it's just attracting people with free meals and half-price deals. How long can they keep up this kind of promotion? They might as well ruin themselves."

"People are just going for the novelty, but how many will still go once the hype dies down?"

"Speaking of which, the girl who runs the food stall is really pretty and capable. I wonder if she's married or not."

"You're not the only one who's curious. A lot of people in the West Market are asking about it. I heard that Manager Liu of the pawnshop in the west is looking for a daughter-in-law. He's been asking about this girl today. Marrying a girl like this would be a real blessing."

Nie Wenting listened intently, but she didn't catch a single word about the business. However, she clearly heard everything that was said about Nie Qianqian.

Nie Wenting couldn't help but think, "Could it be that this little slut is afraid that Gu Xiao won't be able to cure his hand ailment and pass the imperial examinations, so she wants to follow her mother's example and get a divorce and remarry? Is that why she's using this food stall to show her face and gain fame?"

Nie Wenting was 20 years old, considered an old maid in the village. She was engaged to the Cong family of Qinghe Village when she was 17, but after Nie Wenye passed the county and prefectural examinations, she and Liu Chunhua both had other ideas.

If Nie Wenye were to pass the imperial examination and become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations), she would become the sister of a Juren official. She could then go to the capital with her brother and marry a high-ranking official, becoming his wife. Why would she continue to live a life of deception in the village?

So Liu Chunhua and Nie Wenting went to the Cong family to break off their engagement. She waited until she was 20 years old. If Nie Wenye passed the imperial examination next autumn, she could find herself a good marriage.

But what if Nie Wenye doesn't pass the exam?

Nie Wenting suddenly woke up. The whole family was very confident in Nie Wenye and talked about him becoming a scholar every day. But becoming a scholar was not easy. If her eldest brother did not pass the exam this time, he would have to wait another three years. How old would she be by then? Even if Nie Wenye passed the exam, who would marry an old maid like her?

The more Nie Wenting thought about it, the deeper her brows furrowed. She didn't want to marry just any villager and waste her life, but she was also afraid that her older brother wasn't reliable enough and that she would squander her youth.

She truly wished her mother had given birth to her a few years later, so that Nie Wenye would have already passed the imperial examination when she was getting married. She dreamed of being like those rich ladies in the county, riding in sedan chairs, followed by a bunch of attendants, dressed in gold and silver, living a carefree life!

No, she couldn't just wait around. She had to plan for her future. Why not set up a small food stall like Nie Qianqian? That way, she could save up more for her dowry, show her face in the county town, and establish a reputation for being capable. Maybe she would catch the eye of a wealthy family and find a marriage partner to support her. If her older brother failed the imperial examinations, marrying into the county town would be a fallback plan.

Nie Wenting thought about it more and more and felt that it was feasible. She felt that her little brain was very clever. She regretted that she was a girl, otherwise she would definitely be able to pass the imperial examination and get a degree like her brother.