In the main hall.
Ganyu was sitting next to Xia Ci, chatting with her.
She had co 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, Mada Ping arrived.
Shenhe imdiately went to greet her and prepared so 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 montarily 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 sothing 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 an?"
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 into trouble."
Moon Carver shrank back.
…
In the kitchen, Yelan walked in with a smile.
"It slls amazing! What are you cooking, Mr. Xia?"
"Just so ho-style dishes. Why did you co 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 welco-back dinner, so I'm a bit busy. Miss Yelan, go have so 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 !"
"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 seed Wanmin Restaurant wouldn't be opening tonight.
When it was ti 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 so Rainbow Wine, Xiangling's defeated mood improved slightly, though she still seed 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 co 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 an is, didn't you do a divination for her last ti?"
"Don't ntion 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 ti to reflect and digest her experiences. She also needs a good ntor to guide her."
"Are you suggesting that Xiangling beco Mr. Xia's disciple?"
"Yes. Only by spending more ti 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 welco-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. Mada Ping probably wouldn't mind…"
"No, what I an 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 als 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 Suru, it's quite common for ntors 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 mont 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 mont and nodded. "Alright."
He took out so 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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