The Peasant Gourmet Chef

Description

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When she crossed over, Li Hehua become a village woman full of meat. She’s a good eater, lazy, sloppy and unreasonable. Her husband hates her, her son dislikes her, she shouts at everyone for a fight. Li Hehua said, so many pots, she can’t carry ah.

Brief introducton: Travel through the ancient times, start a business, and become an ancient gourmet chef.

Associated Names
One entry per line
穿越之农妇食娘
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Transmigration: The Peasant Makeup Artist (1)
Chang’an Small Restaurant (1)
Ancient Foodie Survival Guide (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. FOOD IS BEST
  2. Ancient china food novel
  3. Cooking/Food Novels
  4. GER, ANCIENT TIME AND PRIMITIVE, APOCALYPSE, FANTA...
  5. Back to another Time + 70s Seventies

Latest Release

Date Group Release
02/08/24 RosseTrans c33
01/17/24 RosseTrans c32
01/07/24 RosseTrans c31
01/04/24 RosseTrans c30 part2
01/03/24 RosseTrans c30 part1
12/31/23 RosseTrans c29 part2
12/29/23 RosseTrans c29 part1
12/28/23 RosseTrans c28
01/03/23 RosseTrans c26 part2
12/18/22 RosseTrans c26 part1
12/14/22 RosseTrans c25
10/16/22 RosseTrans c24 part2
10/07/22 RosseTrans c24 part1
09/25/22 RosseTrans c23 part2
09/22/22 RosseTrans c23 part1
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7 Reviews sorted by


spicyeggroll
spicyeggroll rated it
February 10, 2022
Status: Completed
3.5 "Similar vibe to the first one" Stars

I saw that this was technically the same series as Transmigration: Peasant Makeup Artist (that couple makes a brief cameo here!) so I said I'll bite. Okay author I see you changing up the script. I thought it'd be a rinse and repeat of "FL transmigrates and makes money, enjoys family and friends, " but it's a little different. In Peasant Gourmet Chef, the author toned it down with the details of the business (throwback to reading paragraphs upon paragraphs about makeup in... more>> the previous Cnovel) and dialed up the romantic progression. The nice thing about these stories is that at 80-90 chapters, they're a quicker read than some web novels.

TRANSLATION

I'm reviewing this when the translations are 5 chapters in, but they're pretty good. The sentences can get kinda long (probably reflecting the original Chinese sentence structure) but they make logical sense and the story's flow is pretty smooth. The translator also has helpful footnotes which is nice.

I finished with MTL (just a fair warning that the MTLnovel site skips a chunk of the story; I ended up using a plugin to translate the raws directly) and it was pretty readable as well. There are sentences here and there that make absolutely no sense, pronoun/name switches, etc, but definitely one of the easier MTL's I've read (and I don't read a lot). Alsoooo - side eye at the author (and idk if this has been edited since I didn't read it on jjwxc) but it's the way they wrote in wrong names?? They even got the ML's name mixed up with the ML from Peasant Makeup Artist, which is like... big nono, lol.

LIGHTERS ON THE BUSINESS SIDE

While the author touches on the FL expanding her food stall/restaurant business, it's not to the extent of other food-centric books like Ancient Foodie Survival Guide and Bai Fumei in the 80's. So if you were tired of reading about Chinese cuisine and descriptions of cooking, but you still like the idea of a FL chef, this one's for you.

Similar to the previous Cnovel, the FL takes in people who are down on their luck as employees and establishes sweet relationships with them. In the end, she gets a wonderful family and loyal support system.

HEAVIER ON THE ROMANCE SIDE

I'm actually quite surprised at how the romance played out. Before, in the makeup artist story, it was a gradual development as the couple was married. In this one, the ML and his family HATE the original body owner and, as the translations say, the FL 'carries a black pot.' Basically she's carrying the ill-will and burden of the OG body owner, who was abusive and lazy. She ends up getting kicked out of the house and divorced, and the village people hate her. She had to go out of the village to find chef work. I'm not a fan of MLs that treat their FLs bad so I was unsure, but I stayed for the redemption. And what a redemption.

The ML starts noticing that the woman he was forced to marry did a 180 - she actually cares for their kid, cooks really well, and can even write! The man puts the puzzle pieces together and realized the day she changed and became a different person. Okay I see you smart ML. He regrets his rude actions those days when he divorced her, not knowing she changed souls, and the moment he realizes his feelings he comes clean to the FL. We stan a direct and communicative couple. Since his realization, his actions more than make up for the mistakes he made. At one point, he even becomes injured because he wants to help the FL buy a restaurant.

The FL on her part is a bit more reluctant to remarry. She's appreciative of the ML but knows that his family hates her, and she doesn't want to cause trouble. There was a push/pull dynamic, but I could see the reasoning behind the FL's hesitation. The ML really had to step up his game to convince her to take a courageous step in love, and it was really heartwarming to read their dialogue. I do have to say, it was much more romantic than a lot of slice-of-village-life Cnovels out there.

OFC, THE LIL BUN

I think another reason why I kept going in this story was for the mother/son interactions, which this author writes well. The FL was low key in denial that the OG body owner was so abusive to her own son, but she manages to open up the lil bun and pave the path for him to cultivate his knowledge. He ends up loving her prob more than his dad, hah! In this story, he starts off as an abused little kid who can't talk and doesn't eat. The FL coaxes him through her delicious food and finds that he has a talent for drawing and calligraphy.

While later on she said that he doesn't have ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), his behavior matches someone who's lightly on the spectrum (isolates themselves from the outside world, hyperfocuses on something he's good at, etc). I'm always side-eyeing Cnovels that deal with ASD because let's be real, Chinese romance authors aren't the most well-researched on this disorder and sometimes write them insensitively, but the child's character development is written rather well. It's a steady progression to opening himself up with the help of family and friends who accept him for who he is. I was pleasantly surprised.

The side stories:

Spoiler

They basically follow the love lives of the main couple's children and finally the main couple dying at the same time. So same energy as the previous web novel.

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A note on fatphobia:

When the FL transmigrates, the body she enters is fat due to laziness and she sheds the weight. A lot of people bullied her/called her ugly because of how fat she was, and she herself was shook at how fat she was. Later on though, some characters pop up saying how she looked fine with a bit of meat on her and how they strive to get more meat on themselves. I think the author's tone is like, "it's okay to be fat, as long as the FL isn't" (lol). And while the writing addresses how much beauty standards tie into that, it's a brief mention. The reason I'm bringing this up is for the "Fat to Fit" tag; while that happens, I don't think it's with ill intentions. I know Chinese media likes to put fat people at the end of a joke, so just wanted to mention that.

OVERALL

I feel like this series isn't amazing or awe-inspiring, but they're solid works with smart FLs, devoted MLs, and cute children. And while I was side-eyeing this story in the beginning, I'm glad I stuck to it as we got to see the FL bolster the ML and bun's character development. I also like how conclusive and fulfilling the side stories are.

TL;DR Read this if you're into:

  • ML who makes mistakes, recognizes them, apologizes for them and chases after the FL
  • A family that slowly opens up to a generous FL
  • Lovely support network of friends and employees
  • The cutest mother/child interactions from a FL who works hard and treats people well
  • A happily ever after!
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Ochads
Ochads rated it
April 2, 2022
Status: --
I feel fine but I don't like ex-husband being ML. China's novel disease for transmigration always pairs FL with ML who is an ex-husband. I'm a little hard to accept because FL is a transmigration and the body he occupies has no emotional connection whatsoever with his ex-husband (ignoring OG's mistakes). Honestly I'm disgusted with ML.
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DontDogFoodMe
DontDogFoodMe rated it
August 23, 2022
Status: c10
This novel frustate me.

... more>>
Spoiler

MC is reincarnated into a body of an abusive wife. Husband aka the ML hates her (hates the original owner) because the she abused their child. So when MC entered her body, the ML hates her so much.

When she entered the body, ML is giving her a divorce paper, but SHE BEG him to not to divorce her bc she doesnt know where to go. She begs even when ML insulted her.

She begs the ML to lend her some money even tho he insulted her again

Even tho she has lots of food recipe in hand, and it worth lots of money, she is rather getting insulted by ML and borrow him money. Not selling the recipe because selling recepi isnt in her family tradition, like wtf.

This woman here doest know how to leave herself some face

super pathetic..

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pimni
pimni rated it
January 31, 2022
Status: c70
A very good novel and thanks to the translator for picking it up. It is like the other "peasant" series from the author where the FL is a transmigrated soul while the ML is an ordinary village person. What I love about the FL is that she is practical and ready to adjust to the situation she is in. She only has the cooking skills and uses that to prosper like the makeup artist who transmigrated (she makes a cameo here!!!)

... more>>
Spoiler

And what I like is that the love between them grow slowly. The FL is divorced soon after the transmigration as the original was a horrible person. And the ML is intelligent; he was able to guess the reason for the FL's change.

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So if you love cooking and transmigration novel, give it a read. There isn't much face slapping, as the original person was the one who bullied. So as the summary said the FL had to carry lot of black pots. <<less
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sovoy
sovoy
April 19, 2022
Status: c31
I'm finding this enjoyable, just like the author's other works.

This is the first time I've felt such hatred for the original owner in a transmigration novel. How can anyone hurt such a cute bun!
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custodiom
custodiom
January 30, 2023
Status: Completed
Missed the rating, but I give this a 3-3.5/5 in my lineup.

Completed Reading through MTL (52shuku for raws).

It's an ok read, light enough with some drama parts. There is a little romance between FL and ML, but is more subdued and a supporting theme. Why are babies so adorable in this series? I'll check if The Peasant Female Doctor also has one next time.

... more>> Translation is acceptable, not the best but not too bad either, there are some typos and translator uses wattpad.

Note: kinda spoilerish

Timeline is around the same as The Peasant Makeup Artist (PMA), and
Spoiler

there is a cameo of that FL and ML in this story

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. No need for world building in these types of stories, especially if you've already read PMA. It's another transmigration novel but with a slightly different twist from PMA, as she not only has to learn how to survive that era but redeem herself.

There are some incredulous plot developments in the story, but this is more spiritual/mystical aspects IMO than PMA, like
Spoiler

FL successfully calling back ML from the brink of death, and that bittersweet ending that still makes my nose sour

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. I heard similar stories in the past, real ones, of similar circumstances between old couples, which I find equal parts, sweet, amazing, and otherworldly. It won't feel good reading the first parts and initial interactions between FL and ML, as there are a lot of baggages between both parties. As much as I sympathize with FL's unfair treatment, I also sympathize with ML and his reservations. I was eventually satisfied with the resolution.

A number of prevailing supporting characters also had their chance at redemption and reconciliation. The story also touched on
Spoiler

savant syndrome

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thru one of the characters, not sure how well this was represented/tackled.

It's a good enough light read, dare I say better than the overdone backyard stories involving 3 wives, 4 concubines' drama and intrigue of ancient China novels (I guess I got burned out of reading a whole ton of those). Go binge again! <<less
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nasdhadg
nasdhadg rated it
October 6, 2022
Status: Completed
actually I'm not a fan of second chance when it comes to come family issue

... more>>
Spoiler

i thought it would be better if FL ends up with Mr. Gu? But I dont know, maybe marital relationship is complicated as you have a child together and the feelings maybe deep enough?

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anyway, I think it's okay read if you find a strong and capable woman

Spoiler

i also think the FL is like buddha hahah I mean eventhough we know that she's not the orginial, but the family has hurted her and threw her out. Yet, she's able to give mostly everything to the ML' family

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