In the main hall.
Ganyu was sitting next to Xia Ci, chatting with her.
She had come to the shop with Xiangling after attending a gathering at the Jade Chamber.
Yaoyao was playing with Guoba.
The others were cleaning the shop.
After a while, Madame Ping arrived.
Shenhe immediately went to greet her and prepared some tea.
Shortly after, Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper also entered.
They sat at a table farther away from Xia Ci, quietly drinking their tea.
A little later, Yelan appeared at the door. Seeing the lively scene in the shop, she was momentarily taken aback.
As Ningguang's special intelligence officer, Yelan naturally knew these Adepti.
They were all listed in her special attention directory.
"Miss Yelan is here!"
"Yes."
"Are you here for a massage from the Boss? He's busy in the kitchen right now, so he's not available."
"Actually, I'm here to deliver something to Mr. Xia."
"Oh! I'll let the Boss know."
"No need to trouble yourself. I'll go in."
"Alright."
Yelan greeted everyone and entered the shop.
Moon Carver watched Yelan's figure disappear from view and nudged his friend lightly. "That girl looks like she'd be a good match."
Mountain Shaper glanced at him. "What do you mean?"
Moon Carver whispered, "I think she's probably also part of that failed divination."
Mountain Shaper's hand trembled. "Shut up."
Then, he sneakily glanced at Xia Ci, relieved to see she hadn't reacted, and glared at his friend. "Don't get me into trouble."
Moon Carver shrank back.
…
In the kitchen, Yelan walked in with a smile.
"It smells amazing! What are you cooking, Mr. Xia?"
"Just some home-style dishes. Why did you come in, Miss Yelan? It's smoky in here. You should go sit in the main hall."
"It's fine. I just wanted to take a look."
"Today is Xiangling's welcome-back dinner, so I'm a bit busy. Miss Yelan, go have some tea first. I'll help you after dinner."
"Alright. I've prepared a surprise for you today, Mr. Xia."
"Oh? What surprise?"
"You're busy now, so I'll show you later."
"Teasing me!"
"Your cooking is the real tease!"
After chatting for a bit, Yelan smiled and left.
Just as she stepped out of the kitchen, she saw Ningguang and her assistant appear at the shop entrance.
The two exchanged a smile.
The last to arrive was Chef Mao, who had changed into new clothes. It seemed Wanmin Restaurant wouldn't be opening tonight.
When it was time to eat, Xia Zhi had Xiangling serve her dish first.
Although it looked a bit strange, the taste was actually quite good.
Xia Zhi also tried it. While it wasn't at the level of a Master Chef, it had its own unique charm.
With Mr. Xia's and everyone else's approval, and after drinking some Rainbow Wine, Xiangling's defeated mood improved slightly, though she still seemed a bit down.
After dinner, they sat for a while.
The two Adepti were the first to get up and leave.
On the way, Moon Carver whispered, "What do you think about Xiangling's situation?"
Mountain Shaper replied calmly, "Let nature take its course."
"She went through so much during her journey, only to come back feeling unfulfilled…"
"There's always a higher mountain and a stronger person. She's too young and too ambitious. It's good for her to be humbled a bit…"
"No, what I mean is, didn't you do a divination for her last time?"
"Don't mention the divination!"
"Why are you so scared? We're not in the shop now. That person isn't so petty."
"…Better to be cautious."
"I'm just saying, if Xiangling's failed divination is accurate, it must be related to Mr. Xia. In that case, why don't we try to bring her and Mr. Xia closer?"
"Oh?"
"She's just returned from her journey and needs time to reflect and digest her experiences. She also needs a good mentor to guide her."
"Are you suggesting that Xiangling become Mr. Xia's disciple?"
"Yes. Only by spending more time together can their relationship develop."
"This… doesn't seem appropriate…"
"What's inappropriate? I think Mr. Xia likes Xiangling too. Otherwise, he wouldn't have specially prepared this welcome-back dinner for her. As long as Xiangling is sincere, I'm sure he'd be willing to take her in. After all, Xiangling already has many masters. One more wouldn't hurt. Madame Ping probably wouldn't mind…"
"No, what I mean is, the relationship between master and disciple… it doesn't seem right…"
"Reputation-wise… you're right… I didn't consider that…"
"I think it's inappropriate."
"Sigh, forget it. I just thought it's not good for us to keep freeloading meals at Mr. Xia's shop. If Xiangling could learn his cooking skills, we'd have a reliable source of good food in the future…"
Mountain Shaper frowned. "Food isn't the issue. We're just thinking about Xiangling's future. As long as she's happy, that's all that matters."
"But master and disciple…"
"You're being old-fashioned. What's wrong with master and disciple?"
"Huh?"
"In Sumeru, it's quite common for mentors and students to fall in love."
"Huh?"
"In my opinion, this has great potential."
"…"
Moon Carver looked at his friend and was silent for a moment before saying, "Then you go talk to Xiangling."
"You go."
"You go!"
"You go!"
"…"
"…"
"How about you do a divination for us? Let's see if this will work out."
Mountain Shaper thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright."
He took out some Mora and tossed it into the air.
The Mora fell to the ground, forming a pattern.
"What's the result?"
"Great fortune!"
"Excellent."
"Then I'll go talk to her."
"No, I'll go."
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