When Qin Rong woke up, she felt as though her head was about to split from the pain.

She looked at the worried-faced woman in front of her and sighed.

Qin Rong had transmigrated—she had entered the body of a young woman from ancient times who shared the same name as her.

Back in her own world, Qin Rong was a food blogger.

She had just returned to her hometown to open a guesthouse and was preparing for business when, due to an accident, she found herself in ancient times.

She inherited the memories of this original Qin Rong.

The original’s mother, Madam Yu, was a gentle but strong-willed woman.

Because she had given birth to three daughters, her husband’s family looked down on her.

The father, Qin Tiezhu, was a scoundrel.

He had an affair with a widow from a neighboring village and now wanted to divorce Madam Yu.

But Madam Yu was no pushover—she demanded a formal separation and threatened to publicly accuse them of adultery and have them drowned in a pig cage if he refused.

Afraid she would really make a scene, Qin Tiezhu relented.

Since they were just three girls, all of whom were half-grown and essentially someone else’s burden now, he didn’t care one bit.

So Madam Yu took the meager three taels of silver that had been settled as her dowry and a few bundles of belongings, and left Qin Family Village with her three daughters, heading for Lirong Town.

Madam Yu’s maternal family was in Lirong Town.

She thought it would be easier to have relatives nearby in case of need.

Lirong Town was surrounded on three sides by water and had a pier where boats came and went. It gradually became the busiest town in the surrounding area.

Though Madam Yu looked gentle, she was proud and independent.

Even after arriving in Lirong Town, she didn’t immediately go to her parents or brother for help.

Instead, she went to the local agent’s office and rented a small courtyard.

After settling down, she planned to inform her family.

At that moment, seeing Qin Rong awake, Madam Yu hurried over and helped her sit up. “Ah Rong, how do you feel? Any better?”

The original Qin Rong had died from an unresolved chill.

Qin Rong nodded and said, “Mother, I’m fine now. Weren’t you going to visit Grandma’s house?”

Madam Yu nodded, “Yes, I need to inform them. Now that you’re awake, I’ll go now. There are still some hot buns in the stove room—I’ll bring them to you.”

She quickly returned with a plate of buns, then left with Qin Yue and Qin Yi.

Qin Rong slowly got up, poured herself a cup of hot water, and ate a bun to ease her hunger.

Then she began to consider her next steps.

Her entire guesthouse had transmigrated with her. Everything inside it could still be accessed, but nothing could be replenished.

In other words, it was like a space with a finite supply—besides storage, it had no other magical function.

However, since she had just been preparing for opening, she had stocked it well.

With a thought, Qin Rong entered the space.

First, she took stock of the supplies.

There were two large freezers filled with various frozen meats and seafood. In the kitchen stood a large four-door fridge packed with meatballs, drinks, milk, honey, ice cream, and fruits.

In the cellar were boxes of snacks, condiments, dried goods, various beverages, and instant foods.

Qin Rong had been reviewing several types of instant foods and snacks at the time, so she had several large boxes of them.

Once she had a rough idea of her inventory, she went to her room.

Though some of the jewelry there was flashy and impractical, the items in the safe were all intact—inside were two 500g gold bars and some gold jewelry.

In ancient times, these gold bars would be worth a fortune.

However, they looked modern in design, and she wouldn’t dare use them until she found a safe way to melt them down and reshape them into local styles.

The gold jewelry, on the other hand, could be used in emergencies.

The Great Liang Dynasty she had landed in seemed fictional but somewhat similar to the Song Dynasty.

Women enjoyed decent status, the customs were relatively open, and commerce was thriving.

Not only did the capital have night markets, but even Lirong Town had one. The river even had pleasure boats for public entertainment.

While taking notes on her supplies, Qin Rong thought over her plans.

Soon, hunger struck again, and she remembered this body had just recovered from a serious illness.

Not planning to treat herself poorly, she exited the space and went to the stove room.

It was practically bare—Madam Yu hadn’t had time to stock it.

There was only half a vat of rice in the rice jar and a small bunch of green vegetables on the shelf.

The sky outside was already overcast, so Qin Rong rolled up her sleeves and started a fire, washed the rice, and began to cook.

With limited ingredients, she decided to make mushroom and vegetable congee. She retrieved a few mushrooms from her space and soaked them in clean water.

Then she placed a clay pot filled with rice and water on a small stove.

The small stove had no way to precisely control the heat, but the clay pot helped balance it out.

When the mushrooms had softened, she diced a few and tossed them into the pot. The congee simmered with a “glug glug” sound and soon filled the room with a delicious aroma.

Qin Rong stirred it with a spoon, and when it looked ready, she added the freshly chopped greens and a small spoonful of salt.

By the time the congee was done, the smell alone could make someone dizzy with hunger.

Just then, Madam Yu returned with Qin Yue and Qin Yi.

The moment she stepped into the house, the smell hit her.

Qin Rong had always done the cooking before and was known for her good hand in the kitchen, so Madam Yu wasn’t surprised.

She set down a few bundles she had brought back from her mother’s house and went to the kitchen.

By that time, Qin Rong was already directing her sisters to portion out the congee. “Mother, come eat dinner.”

“Ah, alright.” Madam Yu was already hungry from the enticing aroma.

She sat down and scooped a spoonful into her mouth.

Mmm, the flavor was just right—the congee was soft but not mushy, and the freshness of the vegetables blended perfectly with the savory mushrooms.

Unable to resist, she took another bite despite the heat.

Looking up, she saw her three daughters also enjoying their congee enthusiastically.

“Ah Rong, how did your cooking get even better after being sick for two days!” Madam Yu marveled.

Qin Rong smiled. “Maybe Mother just missed my cooking.”

After dinner, once everything was tidied up, Madam Yu gathered her daughters together. “You’ve all seen the current situation. This place costs three hundred and eighty wen per month in rent. I brought three taels of silver when I left the Qin family.

After buying household necessities, we only have about one and a half taels left. Your grandmother just secretly gave me another tael today. So right now, we have only two and a half taels of silver. But life in town is different from life in the village—everything costs money.”

“I talked to your grandfather, and the day after tomorrow, I’ll be going to work at the embroidery workshop in town.”