Under everyone's watchful gaze, Xia Zhi picked up the cocktail shaker on the table, poured another glass of wine into a clean cup, added a pinch of black pepper, and gently swirled it.
Then, he looked up at Zhu Zi and Ying'er. "Would you like to try it again?"
The two girls shook their heads in unison. "No, no!"
The sour and spicy taste from earlier still lingered on their tongues, making them reluctant to try it again.
"Whoever drinks it can order a dish for lunch today..."
"I'll do it!"
"I'll do it!"
Before the two girls could finish speaking, the cup on the table had already disappeared.
What the—?!
They turned their heads and saw Chi Yu already holding the cup to her lips, savoring the taste with a hint of nostalgia on her face. "Yes, this is the flavor!"
Ying'er couldn't help but ask, "Is it good?"
"It's delicious... Boss, can I order a dish now?"
"Go ahead."
"I want Salted Pork and Bamboo Shoot Soup!"
"Alright."
Chi Yu nodded in satisfaction.
Zhu Zi looked at her and said, "Chi Yu, you're so sneaky!"
"Sneaky!"
"You actually snuck ahead!"
"Snuck ahead!"
"Ying'er, stop copying me!"
"Oh."
Xia Zhi chuckled and said, "See? I wasn't lying to you."
"Boss, I was wrong."
"I was wrong."
"Do you still want to drink it?"
"Yes."
"I want to try."
"Alright... Here you go... How does it taste?"
After the two girls finished drinking, their expressions turned a bit surprised.
"Really, the taste is completely different from before. Boss, how did you do it?"
"Just a little cocktail technique."
"But we didn't see you mixing the drink."
"Swirling the cup is part of the mixing process."
"!?"
"Diona also knows this technique. If you're curious, you can ask her when she comes back. Alright, I need to head to the kitchen to prepare the dishes. I need to grind some tofu."
"I'll help you with the grinding."
"Boss, I'll help you wash the vegetables!"
"I'll help too."
"Not all of you need to come in. Leave two people to serve tea to the customers later."
"Qiqi and Xia Ci can stay. The kitchen is too hot."
"...Alright."
Qiqi quietly sat back down.
This was a matter of her constitution—there was no helping it.
Currently, Qiqi had a [Corpse Pearl] in her body. While she wasn't afraid of heat, if she got too close to the stove, the invisible cold aura emanating from her would affect the temperature of the pot, which would in turn affect the cooking process and ruin the dish.
That wouldn't be helping—it would be sabotaging.
Qiqi glanced at Xia Ci, who was quietly reading a book at the table, and then took out her own notebook and began reviewing her studies seriously.
Around 11 a.m., Zhongli, Baizhu, and Yanfei arrived at the shop one after another.
Qiqi quickly put away her notebook and ran off to make tea.
Xia Ci finally closed her book, placed it aside, and went over to greet the three guests.
After waiting all morning, some fun was finally about to begin.
"My cousin is busy cooking in the kitchen. Please have a seat. How about we play a round of mahjong while we wait?"
Yanfei smiled and nodded. "Sure."
Zhongli remained calm. "That works."
Baizhu gave a gentle smile. "Sounds good."
Facing these three "cheat-level" players, the result was predictable—Baizhu lost miserably.
Xia Zhi came out of the kitchen midway to greet everyone, and seeing Changsheng's slightly frustrated expression, he couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
"Doctor Baizhu, without luck on your side, no amount of merit will help you."
Fortunately, they weren't playing for money.
When lunchtime finally arrived, Changsheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If they kept losing, even it would feel embarrassed.
Baizhu didn't mind, though. He smiled as he helped clean up the mahjong tiles. "It seems I'm really not suited for this kind of game. I should just stay at Bubu Pharmacy and focus on treating patients."
Zhongli spoke calmly, "This is merely a pastime. It's suitable for occasional leisure but not for daily indulgence."
The Greater Lord Rukkhadevata glanced at him with a peculiar expression. Wait, wasn't this the same person who spent all day hanging out at tea houses with Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver?
Oh, you're retired now? So every day is leisure time? Never mind, then.
The dishes were served, including Vitality Lotus Seed Porridge specially prepared for Baizhu, Magical Mapo Tofu for Yanfei, and Universal Peace for Zhongli.
Xia Zhi also had Diona mix a few glasses of Rainbow Wine for everyone, making the meal even more extravagant than the banquet at the Jade Chamber a few days ago.
After lunch, Xia Zhi and the three guests sat at another table to discuss business.
Xia Ci pulled up a chair and sat quietly beside Xia Zhi, maintaining a well-behaved posture as she listened attentively.
"This time, I've invited the three of you here to ask for your help with something."
"What is it?"
"You're all aware of the Mahjong King Tournament hosted by the Feiyun Commerce Guild a few days ago, right?"
"Yes."
"Mahjong is my invention, so I received a share of the profits from the tournament. Yesterday, the Feiyun Commerce Guild delivered my portion of the earnings."
Xia Zhi took out an anonymous Northland Bank card and placed it on the table.
"A total of 20 million Mora."
Over the years, Baizhu had spent astronomical amounts of money collecting rare medicinal herbs.
Yanfei had handled lawsuits involving millions, even billions of Mora.
As for Zhongli, the "God of Wealth" himself, he didn't even bother to count Mora.
These three wealthy individuals weren't particularly surprised by the 20 million Mora on the table.
"This amount seems reasonable."
"Thanks to Yanfei for helping me secure the largest share."
"It wasn't entirely my doing. The Feiyun Commerce Guild already wanted to build a good relationship with you, so when I went to negotiate the contract, they made concessions quite readily."
"I see... As you can see, this amount of money is neither too much nor too little. I don't have any extravagant hobbies. I just run this little shop, and I recently expanded it, so I don't plan to expand further for now. Keeping the money doesn't serve much purpose, so I've decided to use it for something meaningful."
"Meaningful?"
"I plan to establish a school—a free academy where children can study."
"!?"
The three of them were momentarily stunned.
Yanfei nodded with a smile. "That's a great idea."
Baizhu's eyes showed approval. "Helping those in need is indeed commendable."
Zhongli slightly inclined his head. "What do you need from us? Is it funding?"
Classic Zhongli—always ready to throw money at the problem.
"No, funding isn't an issue. I discussed this with Ningguang yesterday afternoon, and she also expressed her support. She even said she'd cover any shortfall. The reason I've invited the three of you is to ask for your help in writing textbooks."
"Textbooks?"
"Simply put, books that are easy for children to understand and enjoy reading—educational materials."
"Oh?"
"Doctor Baizhu, you've practiced medicine for many years, so you must know that many illnesses are entirely preventable. For example, the issue of drinking untreated water that you mentioned to me before."
"Indeed. When I visit villages for free consultations, I always advise people not to drink untreated water, but many still disregard the advice, thinking they've been fine drinking it for years."
"Changing the mindset of adults and the elderly isn't something that can be done overnight—unless they suffer the consequences. But children are different. They're at an age where they're eager to learn. If we teach them the correct knowledge, they'll remember it for life and pass it on to the next generation. Over time, Liyue could become a place where everyone understands medicine."
Baizhu was moved. "Xia Zhi, are you suggesting..."
"Exactly. Doctor Baizhu, I hope you can write a textbook on basic medical knowledge, covering the prevention and treatment of common illnesses and injuries, as well as the identification of common herbs and poisons. If possible, illustrations would be ideal."
"I understand. I'll complete this task as soon as possible."
"Thank you. As for compensation..."
"Please don't mention that. It's an honor to be part of this."
"Very well... Yanfei, I hope you can write a textbook on basic legal knowledge to give children an initial understanding of Liyue's legal system."
"Don't worry! And don't mention compensation either—just treat me to Mapo Tofu next time."
"Alright. Zhongli, you're well-versed in Liyue's history. I'd like to ask you to write a history textbook to help children learn about Liyue's past."
"Alright."
"That's the reason I've invited the three of you here today."
"Rest assured, Xia Zhi."
Yanfei curiously asked, "By the way, where do you plan to build this school?"
"I haven't decided yet. I've asked Ningguang to invite Yuheng Star to dinner at the shop tonight to discuss it further and get her opinion."
"Keqing, huh? She seems quite busy."
"Really?"
"Yes, she often works outside and is extremely strict and diligent. She won't rest until her tasks are complete. Even if something takes half a month to resolve, she'll find a way to compress the timeline and finish it in one or two days. If she believes something is worthwhile, she'll personally oversee it."
"Such a decisive personality... No wonder her Vision is Electro."
"Once, to draft a plan for improving workers' conditions, she personally lived as a worker for two months. I can hardly imagine it—this high-ranking Qixing actually pulled carts in the Chasm, helped dockworkers tamp soil at the South Wharf, and worked as a server in small restaurants. During her free time, she even gathered evidence to report a corrupt boss exploiting workers. Oh, and I handled that lawsuit for her."
"That's hard to imagine."
"She even publicly questioned the Geo Archon during a Rite of Descension, asking, 'The Archon has protected Liyue for a thousand years, but will the next thousand years, ten thousand years, or a hundred thousand years be the same?'"
"Oh?"
So that twin-tailed girl was this bold? Could it be that Morax decided to retire after hearing Keqing's words?
Xia Zhi couldn't help but glance at Zhongli.
Xia Ci also sneaked a peek at Zhongli.
Zhongli's expression remained unchanged, as if he were listening to a story about someone else.
So steady.
"Therefore, Xia Zhi, Keqing might not be as easy to deal with as you imagine."
"Thank you for the reminder, Yanfei."
Xia Zhi nodded. He wasn't too worried about Keqing. After all, serious people were the most reliable. Since she had said he could approach her for help, she would undoubtedly do her best.
If all else failed, he'd just invite her to dinner.
There shouldn't be anything in this world that couldn't be solved with one meal. If there was, he'd invite her to another.
The group continued discussing the school, offering various suggestions.
Xia Zhi nudged his cousin, signaling her to take notes seriously.
When the conversation wrapped up, the three guests prepared to leave. Everyone was busy and needed time to write their textbooks.
Xia Zhi felt they were working too hard and called out to them.
"Zhu Zi, pack three boxes of tea—Silver Dew."
"Got it!"
Moments later, Zhu Zi returned with three small boxes.
Xia Zhi handed them to the guests. "This tea, Silver Dew, has a refreshing effect. But please note: only brew one strand at a time. If you use too much, you won't be able to sleep for days."
"Thank you, Xia Zhi."
"You're welcome."
Everyone was busy during the day, so they'd likely only have time to work on the textbooks at night. A cup of this tea would keep them energized and prevent delays.
His cousin suddenly tugged at Xia Zhi's sleeve.
Xia Zhi immediately understood and said, "By the way, Zhongli, you're knowledgeable about various architectural styles, aren't you?"
Zhongli nodded slightly. "I know a bit."
"That's great. Please join us for dinner tonight. We don't know much about these things, so we'd appreciate it if you could discuss them with Yuheng Star."
"..."
Zhongli looked at Xia Zhi's sincere expression and paused.
He suspected Xia Zhi just wanted to see him squirm, given that Yuheng Star was bold enough to publicly question him.
While Xia Zhi's reasoning was valid, his cousin—the Lesser Lord Kusanali—was standing right there. Her knowledge of such matters was no less than his own.
Take the newly built bathhouse behind the Summer Shop, for example. The design she drew was nothing short of ingenious.
Oh well, building a school was indeed beneficial for Liyue.
Besides, he had worked with Keqing multiple times during the Jade Chamber's reconstruction, so it wouldn't be awkward.
And he'd get another free meal at the shop.
Not a bad deal.
With that thought, Zhongli nodded. "Alright, I'll come by later."
"Safe travels, everyone."
"Goodbye!"
After the guests left, Xia Zhi turned around and saw his cousin trying to keep a straight face.
"If you want to laugh, just laugh."
"Haha... I didn't expect Liyue to have such interesting people. Tonight, I must observe her closely..."
"Don't cause trouble."
"Relax, our school depends on her help. By the way, cousin, you really understand me. I just tugged your sleeve, and you immediately knew what I was thinking."
"Of course."
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