Tonight, in the dream world, it was only natural that a new face had joined the group.
Xia Zhen.
She curiously surveyed the small room before her, its decor strikingly different from anything in this world. A ceiling light, a soft bed, a desk, a computer...
"What do you think?" Xia Ci asked.
"This place... it feels a bit like my Plane of Euthymia," Xia Zhen remarked.
"Plane of Euthymia?"
"It's a meditation space within my former blade. Born from thunder, yet never sharpened, I later entrusted it to my sister."
"This is also a meditation space I've envisioned," Xia Ci explained.
"No wonder it feels so familiar to me," Xia Zhen nodded, watching as Xia Ci casually sat down at the desk and booted up the computer.
"Alright, Makoto, enough chit-chat. Come on, let's play a few rounds."
"Play what?"
"A game! Left 4 Dead. We've got four people now. Last time, Ganyu said she got dizzy and couldn't play. You shouldn't get dizzy, right?"
"I... I'll give it a try."
A few minutes later, Xia Zhen was in the game, wielding a samurai sword and mowing down zombies with reckless abandon.
Xia Zhi turned to look at his cousin, who was furiously clicking the mouse, and fell into a stunned silence.
Hadn't his younger cousin said that Raiden Makoto was someone who disliked conflict?
By all accounts, she shouldn't enjoy this kind of violent, slaughter-heavy game, right?
So why was she so into it right now?
Xia Zhi and Shenhe, meanwhile, were effortlessly carried through the levels by these two overpowered newbies.
Xia Ci let go of the keyboard, leaned back in her chair, and sighed, "That felt good."
Xia Zhen glanced at the scrolling game stats on the screen and suddenly said, "I killed five more than you."
Xia Ci peeked at the numbers and countered, "I took down more special zombies than you."
"Quantity-wise, I'm ahead."
"Quality matters more."
The two friends bickered for a while.
"Next round, let's go again!"
"Bring it!"
And so, Xia Zhi and Shenhe coasted to victory for two more rounds.
"Alright, let's stop for now. Time to head out and gather materials."
"Sure, I'll team up with Makoto."
"Works for me."
"Let's go, Makoto."
"Okay."
Xia Zhen reluctantly let go of the mouse in her hand.
As they traversed the dream realm, Xia Ci turned to Xia Zhen and asked, "Was Left 4 Dead fun?"
"It was alright."
"Didn't you used to dislike fighting? I thought you wouldn't be into bloody games like this."
"It's just a fake game. I'm not so fragile that I can't handle this much."
"Is that so?"
"What else would it be?"
Xia Ci stared at her friend for a moment.
"I think your personality has changed a little."
"Oh?"
"It's probably the influence of the Cataclysm in Khaenri'ah. After all, you truly fell once. It's natural to gain new perspectives after walking the line between life and death."
"..."
Xia Zhen met Xia Ci's gaze, a hint of resignation on her face.
"As expected of you... the embodiment of wisdom—Buer..."
"Call me Xia Ci. The divine name Buer has already been passed on to Nahida."
"Xia Ci... you're still as sharp as ever. It seems nothing in this world can slip past you."
"I just know you too well. Besides, your current state isn't great. As a remnant soul, all your emotional fluctuations are amplified."
"Am I that obvious?"
"You are. Even my cousin probably noticed something was off with your emotions just now."
"Really..."
"Otherwise, why do you think I paired up with you to head out? Did you think teaming up with my cousin wouldn't..."
"Wouldn't what?"
"Never mind."
"You're acting strange!"
"What's strange?"
"You're one to talk! Your personality wasn't like this before either!"
"Can't help it. I've been tainted by Forbidden Knowledge, after all."
"!"
"Just kidding. You're overreacting a bit."
"?"
---
The next day was New Year's Eve.
After getting up in the morning, Xia Zhi started preparing red envelopes.
Shenhe sat beside him, helping to cut red paper.
At one point, they heard the unmistakable "crack-pop" of firecrackers going off downstairs.
Xia Zhi looked up, a little surprised.
Shenhe smiled softly and said, "We bought those last night while we were out shopping. Even though they don't celebrate the New Year here, we still need to set the mood, don't we?"
"True," Xia Zhi nodded, turning to give Shenhe a quick peck on the cheek. He grinned, "This is nice."
Shenhe's cheeks flushed a lovely shade of red.
Once the red envelopes were ready, the two changed into new clothes and headed downstairs together.
In the kitchen, Xiangling was kneading dough, using the "circular motion" technique Xia Zhi had taught her.
Xia Zhi greeted her with a smile, then washed up before taking over the dough to continue kneading.
Having an apprentice made cooking a bit easier for him.
This morning, he was making noodles, each strand as fine as a hair, thin enough to slip through the eye of a needle.
The broth and toppings were lavish as well, made with dozens of extraordinary ingredients—all grown by his cousin in her Serenitea Pot.
Moreover, Xia Zhi deliberately used the [Culinary Grandmaster] trait [Chef's Heart], infusing the noodles with his festive New Year's cheer.
Everyone ate with great satisfaction.
Xia Zhen, in particular, seemed lost in thought after taking a bite. Her expression turned distant, and she kept muttering strange things like, "This is what noodles should be..."
It seemed the dish had stirred some unforgettable memories for her.
After breakfast was done...
"Time to hand out wages. Everyone, gather up!" Xia Zhi called out.
"Boss, you're giving out wages already? The month isn't even over yet! There's still one more day!" someone piped up.
"Because this month is special. Back in my hometown, it's tradition to settle all accounts on this day."
"Oh!"
"Same old rules. The money's on the table. Take your share of wages and bonuses. Everyone worked hard this month, so bonuses are at full amount."
"Got it!"
"Yaoyao's share will be held by Shenhe for now."
"Understood."
"Cousin, what about the two of us?"
"We're family. Just grab whatever you want."
Since Xia Zhen was in a ghostly state and couldn't pick up Mora, Xia Ci held onto her friend's share for her.
Everyone started happily counting their money.
Xiangling and Guoba stood by, watching the commotion.
Guoba wasn't as interested in Mora as he was in food, but he still propped himself up on the table with his little paws, standing on tiptoe with his short legs, curiously observing the scene.
After distributing the wages, Xia Zhi brought out the red envelopes he'd prepared earlier and began handing them out one by one. "Here, Zhu Zi, this one's for you..."
"Hey!"
"New Year's money from the boss to the staff. Wishing everyone great fortune in the coming year."
"Thanks, Boss!"
"Xiangling, this is yours."
"I get one too?"
"New Year's money from master to apprentice. Wishing you great progress in your cooking skills next year."
"Thank you, Master!"
"Guoba, you've got one too. Here."
"Woo woo!"
"Haha, no need to thank me."
Everyone held their thin red envelopes, curious about what was inside.
"Boss, can we open these now?"
"Of course."
The girls eagerly opened their envelopes—except for Shenhe—and pulled out a golden card from inside.
"What's this...?"
"It's a card from the Liyue Bank. I asked Miss Ningguang to help me arrange them. They work similarly to the cards from Northland Bank."
"Has Liyue Bank started issuing their own cards already?"
"Not yet. Miss Ningguang plans to promote and launch them officially during the Lantern Rite. These cards were arranged ahead of time through some backdoor connections."
"Oh, wow!"
"These cards also double as membership cards. You can use them to shop at any of Miss Ningguang's businesses and enjoy discounts."
"That's amazing!"
"There's already 10,000 Mora loaded onto each card as your New Year's money."
"Boss, you're so generous!"
Everyone curiously examined their cards.
Except for Xia Zhen.
"Hey, where's my New Year's money?"
"You're my older cousin. Shouldn't you be the one giving me New Year's money?"
"!"
Come on, I'm broke as a ghost here...
"Big sis, you arrived too late. Miss Ningguang delivered the cards yesterday, and since we didn't inform her in advance, she didn't prepare one for you. So, no New Year's money for now."
Xia Zhen's expression turned faintly resentful.
"..."
"How about I just give you Mora directly?"
"..."
"Alright, Miss Ningguang will be coming over for dinner later. She'll bring your card with her, and I'll make it up to you then."
"Thanks, little cousin!"
Xia Zhi chuckled.
"Alright, next up, it's time to hand out year-end bonuses."
"There's more!?"
"Of course. Didn't I mention this to everyone before?"
"I thought the New Year's money was the bonus."
"Nope, that's different."
Xia Zhi shook his head and pulled out nine Black Iron Treasure Chests from his inventory.
"Here they are."
Everyone looked on with curiosity.
"Boss, what are these?"
"A special lucky draw event I prepared. When you open a chest, you can randomly draw a magical item from inside."
"Magical items?"
"Could be anything from everyday goods to Adepti artifacts. As long as your luck holds, you might pull out something incredible... Come on, one for each of you."
"Master, I get one too?"
"Yep, a perk from your master."
"Thanks, Master!"
As Xiangling took the chest from Xia Zhi, their fingers brushed slightly. She suddenly recalled a scene from a novel she'd read last night, and her cheeks flushed bright red in an instant.
Good thing Master didn't notice!
"Woo woo woo!"
"Guoba, you want one too?"
"Woo woo!"
"Say, 'Wish you all the best next year.'"
"Woo woo woo woo!"
"Can't say no to you, huh? Fine, here's one for you too."
"Woo!"
"I'll give Yaoyao hers when she gets here."
After handing out the chests, Xia Zhi noticed no one had opened theirs yet.
"Why aren't you opening them?"
Xia Ci and Xia Zhen were both examining the unfamiliar patterns on their chests, looking quite intrigued.
"I'm just taking a look first."
"What about the rest of you?"
"I'm looking too!"
It seemed everyone was waiting for someone else to open the first one.
Shenhe, on the other hand, simply tucked her chest away.
"Shenhe, what are you...?"
"Since the item you get depends on luck, I'll wait for Senior Sister Ganyu to come over and have her open it for me."
"!"
Everyone froze for a moment.
So there's that kind of strategy!
With Miss Ganyu's terrifying luck, she'd surely draw something from the top tier, right?
Everyone exchanged glances, seemingly coming to the same unspoken decision. They all quietly stowed their chests away.
Even Guoba was held back by Xiangling.
Xia Zhi couldn't help but laugh and shook his head.
Having someone else open it for you was, of course, allowed.
He headed toward the kitchen.
Today's midday meal would be the most lavish New Year's feast, and he needed to get started.
Xiangling followed dutifully. "Master, I'll help!"
"Alright."
"Master, what big dish are we making today?"
"Adeptus' Temptation."
"!!! Adeptus' Temptation?!"
Xiangling's face instantly lit up with excitement.
But then, as if remembering something, her expression turned a bit worried.
"Master."
"What's up?"
"We don't have enough time, do we? Adeptus' Temptation is so complicated. I remember it needs to simmer for days..."
"No need to worry. With those magical cooking tools, we can speed up the process."
"Oh, right!"
"Come help me wash the vegetables."
"Okay!"
Zhu Zi and Shenhe also came in to lend a hand.
While preparing the New Year's feast was meant to be a lively group effort, the kitchen was simply too small to accommodate so many people.
"Shenhe, you and Chi Yu Zhu Zi go outside and help greet the guests who'll be arriving soon. Ying'er and Diona are enough help here."
"Got it."
"Oh, and when Mr. Zhongli arrives, remember to come to the kitchen and give me a reminder."
"Understood."
Xia Zhi picked up the Eternal Spirit Knife and began tackling the intricate preparation of Adeptus' Temptation.
This was a complex Liyue delicacy, made by immersing carefully selected ingredients in a rich broth and simmering them over low heat.
As the saying goes, it's a gathering of mountain treasures and ocean delicacies, a fragrant feast that captivates the senses upon opening the pot. A single taste reveals tender, melt-in-your-mouth textures; a few sips linger with an enduring aftertaste. Once tasted, it's impossible to forget—a dish said to lure even Adepti from their secluded abodes.
Of course, such claims were a bit exaggerated.
After all, the original recipe used ordinary ingredients. No matter how refined the cooking technique, its potential was limited.
But what Xia Zhi was preparing today was his modified, extraordinary version of Adeptus' Temptation. He planned to replace every ingredient in the original recipe with extraordinary ones, including the water and salt.
All in all, this dish would cost over a hundred points.
Though some ingredients would be left over, this was still, without a doubt, the most expensive and complex dish Xia Zhi had ever made.
With so many extraordinary ingredients combined, Xiangling's newly achieved master-level cooking skills wouldn't be enough to handle them. Only his grandmaster-level culinary expertise could perfectly balance and harmonize everything.
Not long after, Shenhe stepped into the kitchen.
"Boss, I saw Mr. Zhongli at the entrance. He and Miss Keqing are about to arrive."
"Oh! Great!"
Xia Zhi wiped his hands and hurried out to personally welcome this vice-principal.
"Mr. Zhongli has arrived! Miss Keqing! And... oh! Xiao! Everyone, please take a seat! Come, come, let me introduce you. This is my cousin, Xia Zhen, who just arrived yesterday. Cousin, this is Mr. Zhongli, a consultant at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and also the school's vice-principal. This is Yuheng Star Keqing, and this is Xiao..."
"..."
"..."
Zhongli and Raiden Makoto locked eyes, both falling into silence.
Xiao, too, seemed a bit stunned.
Watching from the side, Xia Zhi found this reunion of old friends quite amusing.
He glanced at his younger cousin, who was munching on Sunflower Seeds and enjoying the show.
Right, last time was Reunion of Old Friends 1.0. This must be Reunion of Old Friends 2.0.
Who knows, maybe there'll be a Reunion of Old Friends 3.0 in the future?
He couldn't help but look forward to it.
---
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