After getting ready, Xie Ming made her way downstairs to the kitchen. The staff, busy preparing for the day, froze in surprise at her appearance. The girl who had never once set foot in the kitchen, who had spent years treating this house like a hotel she was mildly inconvenienced by, now stood before them with a calm, determined look in her eyes.
A young woman in a crisp white uniform and black apron approached hesitantly. "Madam, do you need anything or have any special breakfast requirements?" she asked, her voice laced with uncertainty.
She offered a polite smile. "No, thank you. I'd like to prepare today's breakfast myself. You can all take a rest."
Silence fell over the kitchen.
The head chef, a man known for his culinary expertise and for satisfying Jin Liwei's notoriously picky palate, frowned deeply and stepped forward.
"Madam," he began, choosing his words carefully, "it might be better if you let us handle breakfast. If there's any issue, the master will hold us responsible, not you."
The doubt in his eyes was plain. This was the woman who had never cooked a single meal in her life. Who didn't even eat Chinese food.
"That's right, Madam," the butler added gently. "You should rest. Leave this to us. It's what we're here for."
Yu Mei nodded beside him, her expression equally cautious. "The master has very particular tastes. If the meal isn't to his liking..."
"Then I'll answer for it." Her voice was calm, unhurried. She didn't raise it, didn't need to. "This is my home. I have every right to cook if I wish. If anything goes wrong, I'll take full responsibility." She met each of their eyes briefly, then added, "Now, please. I'd like some privacy while I work."
There was a beat of heavy silence before the staff reluctantly filed out, leaving her alone in the vast kitchen.
She had seen the anxiety in their eyes. But she didn't want to disrupt their orderly routine any more than she already had. She simply wanted to find a getaway for herself.
For her, cooking was more than just preparing a meal. It was a link to her past, a comfort in this strange new world.
In the past, she had been the Empress, but only in name. She had learned early that the Empress Dowager had little interest in her.
Cooking had been her quiet attempt to earn even a sliver of favor. It never worked. The Empress Dowager simply grew used to it, turning what had been her private comfort into routine labor, cooking not just for one or two, but for many.
Just another way to make her life harder.
But even then, the kitchen had been the one place where her loneliness lifted. Where she didn't have to perform or endure or wait. She simply worked with her hands, and for a while, that was enough.
Now, she found herself drawn back to that same feeling. Her hands moved easily, remembering how to make dishes she had cooked many times before.
In this new world, with its modern kitchen tools, cooking helped her feel connected to both her past and present.
As she worked, a small smile appeared on her face. In this kitchen, she wasn't the ignored Empress from her past or the unfamiliar Xie Ming of now. She was just herself, happy to make something good for others. For now, that was enough.
She decided on a balanced breakfast. At the center, a comforting chicken noodle soup, the broth simmered slowly with chicken bones, ginger, and scallions, with thin hand-pulled noodles and tender shredded chicken added in.
Alongside it, steamed eggs, smooth and silky with a drizzle of soy sauce. Stir-fried bok choy and bean sprouts for something fresh. A small dish of pickled vegetables for contrast. And lastly, scallion pancakes, pan-fried until golden and crisp at the edges.
Her hands moved with a practiced grace that belied her supposed inexperience. Soon, the kitchen was filled with the enticing aroma of a traditional Chinese breakfast.
Outside the door, the staff hadn't gone nearly as far as asked.
"What if she burns something?" the young woman whispered. "She's never even boiled water before."
"The master is so particular," Yu Mei murmured. "If anything goes wrong, we'll all hear about it."
The butler exhaled sharply. "We should have pushed back harder."
The head chef stood apart, arms crossed, frown unmoved, eyes fixed on the closed door. He had seen many things in this household.
But Xie Ming, voluntarily cooking a Chinese breakfast, was not something he had been prepared for.
The minutes passed in tense silence.
And then, slowly, something warm and rich began drifting through the gap beneath the door.
None of them said a word.
…..
As Xie Ming carried the last dish to the dining room, Jin Liwei descended the stairs. He was clad in a casual white shirt and black trousers, sleeves rolled up to reveal strong forearms. She found herself staring, momentarily lost in admiration.
He noticed and chuckled, moving closer. "Do you like what you see?" he teased, his voice low and playful.
She blushed furiously, snapping out of her daze. "Don't be ridiculous," she muttered, turning away. "Sit down and eat."
He smiled at that and did as he was told.
At the table, he took in the spread before him with quiet surprise. A full traditional Chinese breakfast, properly laid out. His eyes moved from the dishes to her, something warm flickering in his gaze.
"You made all this?" he asked.
"Of course," she said, settling into her seat across from him.
"My wife cooked for me." He said it almost to himself, the corner of his mouth pulling up. "I could get used to this."
Her cheeks warmed. "Don't push it."
He laughed softly and reached for a scallion pancake. One bite and his brows lifted in genuine surprise. He tried the vegetables, then the steamed egg, working through each dish with the quiet thoroughness of someone who took food seriously.
But it was the soup that stopped him.
He set his chopsticks down after the first spoonful. "What is this?" The teasing was entirely gone from his voice. "It's incredible. I've never had anything like it."
"Chicken noodle soup," she said, wrapping both hands around her own bowl. "I thought it would give you energy for your day at the office."
He looked at her over the rim of his bowl. "You thought about what I'd need for the day?"
She kept her eyes on her food. "Don't read too much into it."
"Too late," he said quietly, and smiled.
She said nothing to that, but the warmth that crept up her neck was, answer enough.
They ate without hurry, conversation light, easy in a way that still felt new to both of them.
More than once their eyes met across the table, and neither looked away quite as quickly as they probably should have.
….
After the meal wound down, the kitchen staff and butler peeked in from the doorway.
And stopped.
The bowls were empty. The plates were clean. Even the pickled vegetables Jin Liwei almost never touched had been finished.
The man who had never once cleared his plate in all the years they had worked here. Had eaten everything.
The young woman's mouth fell open. Yu Mei pressed a hand to her chest.
The head chef stepped forward slowly, eyes moving across the table. He leaned toward the remaining soup pot, catching the aroma still rising from it.
His frown deepened, not in displeasure, but in reluctant understanding. This wasn't Jin Liwei eating out of courtesy. He had eaten because he couldn't stop.
She noticed them and smiled warmly. "There's plenty more in the kitchen. I made enough for everyone. Please, enjoy it."
They exchanged glances, unused to such generosity from her. Slowly, tentative smiles began to appear. Even the head chef gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.
The meal concluded with Jin Liwei thoroughly satisfied and her feeling proud in a way she hadn't experienced before. As she watched him and everyone else enjoying her dishes with happy faces, her heart filled with warmth.
In her time at the palace, cooking for over a year, she had never felt such joy. Now, seeing everyone appreciate what she had made, she felt a deep sense of happiness. She thought to herself, This new life isn't so bad after all.
Even though her first life had ended, she had been given another chance at happiness. This moment, with people truly enjoying what she had made, gave her hope for her future in this new world.