In the autumn of 1996, Xu Liwei, a chef in Rongting City, loses the family shop he has guarded for fourteen years to his father and older brother. After his engagement is also called off, he has no choice but to start over from a shabby shack with just three clay pots. Facing customer poaching, rumors, supply cutoffs, and the destruction of his stall by his brother and sister-in-law, he gradually establishes himself through his culinary skills, honesty, and the support of his neighbors. Following his grandfather's old footsteps, he also rediscovers the lost art of making fermented black bean seasoning. After weathering the turmoil, he clears his name, wins back his business, and regains his dignity and the life that should have been his.