He was not confident he could handle refined tea etiquette or the proper way to drink it.
"Um? Is sothing wrong?"
"No. It is a very nice shop."
Qiong Xing smiled at the girl’s puzzled expression and brushed it off.
He decided there was no point worrying about it and stepped inside.
"As I ntioned before, I truly thank you for saving back then."
She bowed deeply and expressed her gratitude again.
From Qiong Xing’s perspective, he had only done what anyone would have done, so being thanked this much made him feel rather awkward.
He told her not to worry about it, but she seed oddly excited and insisted she still wanted to repay him, which left him unsure how to respond.
"Please, really do not worry about it. I am just glad you are safe."
"No! I must thank you properly! My parents also said they wanted to express their gratitude, so if you do not mind, please co to our ho..."
"I am grateful you feel that way, but really, there is no need."
A noble household would be far too stressful.
Qiong Xing considered himself a simple commoner who preferred a calm and relaxed life.
Just imagining being brought into a noble residence made him uneasy.
However, the girl seed unwilling to back down and still insisting strongly, so Qiong Xing began to think of a way to settle it.
If he did not suggest sothing, she likely would not stop.
"...Then may I ask for one favor instead?"
"Of course!"
A noble young lady answering like a cheerful tavern worker was a little surprising, but Qiong Xing did not comnt on it.
"Then I am sorry, but if you happen to know any blacksmiths, could you please introduce to one?"
"...Huh? A blacksmith?"
It must have been an unexpected request.
The girl looked blank as if she could not imdiately understand what he had just said.
"There are so things I would like made. I need quite a few of them, so I was looking for soone skilled. If possible, could you recomnd soone?"
There were many items he wanted, such as pots, nets, and kitchen knives.
He had not been in a hurry, so he had been putting it off, but he decided this might be a good opportunity to ask.
"...Is that really all you want?"
"Yes. I would be very grateful if you could introduce ."
To her, it might have sounded like a small request, but for Qiong Xing it was sothing necessary that he had been thinking about.
If she could help, it would be a great help.
He asked again politely, and although she looked sowhat complicated about it, she eventually agreed to introduce him to soone later.
Qiong Xing had said he could go by himself once she told him the location, but for so reason the girl refused and insisted on going with him.
He did not think it was sothing she would find interesting to watch, but she would not take no for an answer.
They arranged to et the blacksmith the following week, and the girl left looking very pleased.
"Was she really that interested in blacksmithing?"
"...Yeah. Qiong Xing, just stay the way you are."
"Huh?"
The one who had been quietly listening beside him the whole ti, Albe, looked at Qiong Xing with sothing like exasperation.
When he asked what that ant, he was simply told it was nothing, and he still did not understand what she ant.
"Maybe sashimi is not just a dream anymore."
After all, sashimi required a very sharp knife.
In this world, knives were more like simple cutting tools, closer to crude blades than proper kitchen knives.
They were more for tearing than slicing, so making sashimi properly had always felt impossible.
"I am fine with anything as long as it tastes good."
"That is the hardest requirent of all."
And so, Qiong Xing resolved to work hard for the sake of his family.
...
Qiong Xing looked down at him with an expressionless face and everyone around them trembled in fear.
"I dislike selfish fools who do not listen to others."
Iseul was also a fool who sotis failed to read the atmosphere, but he tried in his own way, and when he could not do sothing, he was able to apologize properly.
Because of that, he had begun to show so growth, and Qiong Xing no longer felt irritation or the desire to make fun him.
"He does not listen to others. Even when I say it hurts, he does not let go. If I were a woman, I would have been injured."
"But I only did it because I thought you were--"
"Be quiet. If you cannot accept the request, then I have no further business with you."
Qiong Xing who is unusually cold in his tone declared that if the man still refused to listen after all this, then despite the girl who had introduced them, he would leave imdiately.
It had been a few hours earlier.
As promised, Qiong Xing had been guided by the girl to a blacksmith shop, but...
"Are you the young brat who wants to make sothing?"
The old man nad Wayland was more like a rugged craftsman than an elderly gentleman, with a much more imposing build than Qiong Xing himself.
"Young brat..." he thought.
Was that really appropriate?
From the perspective of soone over seventy, Qiong Xing might indeed be considered a youngster.
"Yes. My na is Qiong Xing. If possible, I would like kitchen knives that are thinner and sharper. I would also like several nets, iron plates, and pots. If possible, I would appreciate your help."
"You have a pretty face, but you sure make demands like a taskmaster."
"It is only a request. If it is not possible, please tell so."
It was only a hope, sothing he would easily give up on if told it could not be done.
However, it seed the man was willing to accept all of it, which made Qiong Xing genuinely grateful.
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