1996: Starting from a bankrupt farmhouse restaurant

Reborn into the pivotal year of 1996, master state banquet chef Lu Yuan finds himself standing on the brink of financial ruin, just as his family’s remote farmhouse restaurant on a desolate Northwest national highway is about to shut its doors for good. Armed with supreme culinary arts, Lu Yuan transforms humble ingredients into legendary masterpieces. Starving travelers looking for a simple roadside meal instead discover transcendent flavors—succulent, perfectly marbled hand-pulled lamb, vibrant stir-fried mutton, and rich, glistening bowls of lamb noodles that redefine rustic dining. Before long, the lonely highway is packed with luxury cars, and the forgotten village blossoms into a premier culinary destination. Rejecting prestigious offers from elite restaurants across the capital, Lu Yuan chooses to remain in the countryside, cooking at his own leisurely pace—though his fiercely loyal patrons must still contend with his strict new rule: closed on Mondays.