Inside Wanmin Restaurant, Ling Feng and his group sat in a corner.
"This spot is good, quieter," Ling Feng observed the patrons happily eating around them. Their chosen location was noticeably more peaceful than others, and he wasn't one for grand displays; in short, he was mildly socially anxious.
However, Ling Feng was very enthusiastic when it came to his friends.
"Indeed," Shen He nodded. She also disliked overly boisterous places. If it weren't for her master's instructions and Ling Feng being here, she would have sought out a quiet spot.
"Xiangling, why are you still spacing out? Don't you know it's business hours..."
"Oh, it's Ganyu! I was wondering why Xiangling hadn't returned to the kitchen for so long, but it turns out we have esteemed guests."
"Xiangling, you still have a few dishes to prepare. Are you going to let our guests go hungry? Hurry back to the kitchen, or else Guoba might blow up the kitchen later. I'll entertain Ganyu and the others."
Master Mao, Xiangling's father, appeared from somewhere.
Just as he was about to scold Xiangling, he noticed Ganyu seated before him, and his attitude immediately shifted.
"My dishes! Ganyu, everyone, please excuse me for a moment."
Hearing Master Mao's words, Xiangling remembered the dishes she had cooking in the kitchen, her face changed, and she rushed into the kitchen.
Xiangling: (*ﾟﾛﾟ)!!
"Ah! Guoba! Don't breathe fire!"
Ling Feng and the others, seeing the flames erupting from the kitchen, couldn't help but sweat from their foreheads.
(￣w￣;)kAnshu伍.ξà
This is a bit exaggerated.
"Uh, excuse me, Uncle? Will Xiangling be alright?" Ling Feng pointed at the kitchen spewing black smoke.
Although he knew this middle-aged man was most likely Xiangling's father, Master Mao, Ling Feng couldn't address him by name.
The reason was simple: it was his first time in Liyue Harbor, and no one had told him the man's identity, so he could only refer to him as "Uncle."
"Hahaha, no need to worry. This sort of thing happens often; you'll get used to it," Master Mao chuckled.
What the heck! It happens often! Is it that terrifying?
I feel like Xiangling could have a chat with Ash Ketchum from Pokémon.
One is frequently scorched by fire, the other by electricity.
"Right, what would you like to order? Our signature dish at Wanmin Restaurant is the Stir-fried Fish. It's quite delicious, why not give it a try?"
Perhaps due to being family, Master Mao was quite enthusiastic.
Ling Feng and Shen He remained silent, their gazes falling upon Ganyu. They both knew Ganyu was an absolute vegetarian, or at least, she was currently. Stir-fried fish was meat.
"Please... don't keep looking at me. Wanmin Restaurant's Stir-fried Fish is indeed famous throughout Liyue Harbor. Ling Feng and Shen He, you can try... try it." Ganyu, seeing everyone's eyes on her, immediately panicked and said shyly.
If we're talking about social anxiety, Ganyu's is even stronger than Ling Feng's, in a certain sense.
"I have no objections to fish. How about you, Senior Sister?"
"Same," Shen He replied as usual, her voice very calm, in response to Ling Feng's question.
"Then one order of Stir-fried Fish. Is there anything else?" Master Mao inquired.
"For me, it's the same as before, one plate of Four-Wind's Favor."
As Ling Feng expected, Ganyu ordered Four-Wind's Favor again. Does she ever get tired of eating Four-Wind's Favor?
"Ganyu, you don't get tired of eating the same dish all the time? Why not try something different?"
"This... the portion of Four-Wind's Favor is just right for me. If I order other dishes, I'm afraid I won't be able to resist eating more."
Ling Feng: ... (￣ェ￣;)
So, you're just afraid of getting fat, right?
With so much delicious food that can't be eaten, what's the meaning of life? Work?
Wait.
For Ganyu, the meaning of her life is indeed completing her work and fulfilling her contract with the Geo Archon.
But it's been thousands of years!
Still, Ling Feng couldn't do anything. He knew that in Liyue, there were fewer purely vegetarian dishes without any meat.
"Then please, Master Mao, add a bowl of Long-Life Noodles."
Since they were having a meal, it should be a happy occasion. Ling Feng already knew what Shen He liked to eat, which were Long-Life Noodles.
"Alright, the dishes will be out shortly!"
Master Mao finished speaking and ran to the kitchen to inform Xiangling.
"They really are family. Not only do they have similar personalities, but their way of doing things is also the same," Ling Feng remarked, watching Master Mao bustle into the kitchen.
"Indeed, they are very similar," Shen He nodded in agreement.
Just then, Ganyu suddenly stood up from her seat, causing Ling Feng's heart to skip a beat.
"Ganyu, what's wrong? Don't tell me..."
Before Ling Feng could finish, he followed Ganyu's gaze and saw two familiar figures. Upon seeing them, Ling Feng's spirit jolted, his pupils slightly contracting, and he also quickly stood up.
Shen He was a bit perplexed, not knowing what was happening. But since Ganyu and Ling Feng had stood up, she also rose and looked in the direction they were looking.
Standing at the entrance of Wanmin Restaurant were two people, one old and one young.
Ganyu left her seat and walked towards the two at the door.
Ling Feng wasn't sure how to act. Although Liyue was similar to ancient China, he was still unfamiliar with many of the courtesies. He decided to follow Ganyu.
Seeing this, Shen He also followed.
Upon reaching the entrance of Wanmin Restaurant, Ganyu spoke first.
"Grandma Ping, Yanfei, hello! It's been a while. Are you also here at Wanmin Restaurant for lunch? That's great, let's go together."
That's right, the two familiar figures at the door were indeed the adeptus Streetward Rambler, Grandma Ping, and the half-adeptus Yanfei.
"Good afternoon, Ganyu."
"Ahem, let's talk inside."
Grandma Ping subtly gestured to Ganyu. Standing at the entrance of Wanmin Restaurant was very conspicuous, with people coming and going; it wasn't a good place for a chat.
"Okay," Ganyu nodded. She naturally knew some things couldn't be said here, and quickly invited Grandma Ping inside.
Ling Feng and Shen He couldn't greet them immediately.
Back at their seats, the surroundings became much quieter.
Ling Feng and Shen He didn't sit down immediately. They waited until Grandma Ping and the others were seated before Ling Feng slowly spoke.
"Disciple Ling Feng greets Master." Ling Feng performed a cupped-hand salute, as he was unsure of the proper master-disciple etiquette in Liyue and defaulted to ancient Chinese customs.
However, Ling Feng was unaware that in Liyue, unless it was a grand occasion or event, formal greetings were not always necessary.
"Shen He." Shen He gave a slight bow, which was considered a polite gesture. Unlike Ling Feng, Grandma Ping was her elder, not a master in the same way, so there were fewer formalities.
"You are both good children. I've heard all about your matters from Cloud Retainer. Three days ago, Cloud Retainer transmitted a message informing me that you and Ganyu had arrived in Liyue Harbor."
"I sensed your arrival the moment you entered Liyue Harbor. That's why I came with Yanfei, and we decided to have lunch," Grandma Ping said with a smile.
"Oh? Grandma, when did you take on another disciple? I didn't know," Yanfei expressed curiosity about Ling Feng being Grandma Ping's disciple.
She then examined Ling Feng, but Yanfei's strength was still a considerable distance from Ganyu and Shen He, so she didn't notice anything extraordinary about Ling Feng.
After all, Ganyu had been around for thousands of years, so her strength was naturally not weak. Shen He, having trained under many adepti in the Jueyun Karst and possessing great talent and diligent study from a young age, even without adepti blood, was still slightly stronger than Yanfei.