In the end, only Ningguang and her three secretaries remained outside the shop.
Watching the bustling street, Ningguang felt an inexplicable emptiness.
Ten minutes without Mr. Xia, and I miss him already.
"...Baishi, what time is it now?"
"8:40, Lady Ningguang."
"Twenty more minutes until Summer Shop opens for business, right?"
"Yes, Lady Ningguang."
"Are the staff ready?"
"They're all prepared and waiting in the shop next door."
"Good. Bring them over."
"Yes!"
Baishi hurried into the neighboring shop.
A moment later, she returned with ten young, vibrant girls in tow.
Each wore a uniform identical in style, fabric, and design to the one Zhu Zi had worn.
"Greetings, Lady Ningguang!"
The girls bowed in unison.
"Excellent. Starting today, you'll be the waitstaff for Summer Shop. Hours are 9 to 5, meals and lodging provided, five days a week. Base salary is 10,000 Mora per month, with a 10,000 Mora bonus."
"Yes!"
The girls' eyes sparkled at the offer.
"Of course, you won't be staying in this shop. Baishi will arrange accommodations for you. Your permitted area is limited to the first floor—no one is allowed upstairs."
"Understood!"
Ningguang nodded, then turned.
"Baixiao."
"Lady Ningguang!"
"Are the new paper cups from the factory ready?"
"They're done! I have them right here."
"Take them into the shop and post a notice at the entrance. Inform customers that we now offer takeout service with free paper cups, each printed with a unique number. A draw will be held the next day, and the winning number gets a collaboration gift pack."
"Lady Ningguang, what's in the gift pack?"
"Just bundle up the best-selling items from our affiliated stores—lipsticks and others—and bring them over."
"Oh!"
"Also, notify the Liyue Newspaper to promote this collaboration. It'll advertise both the shop and our products."
"Yes!"
Baiwen suddenly remembered something. "Lady Ningguang, with Diona gone, we can't provide Rainbow Juice Wine to our VIP customers anymore. Should we offer an alternative service?"
"Hmm…"
Ningguang thought for a moment.
"Post another notice: Starting today, all Summer Shop VIPs will automatically upgraded to VIP status across all our stores, with full access to all membership benefits."
"!!"
"That's all for now. It's almost nine—everyone, get ready."
"Yes, Lady Ningguang!"
"I'm going upstairs to rest. Unless it's urgent, don't disturb me."
"Understood!"
Clutching the keys, Ningguang made her way to the second floor alone.
"This must be Mr. Xia's room…"
She opened the door and stepped inside.
It was neat and tidy.
Ningguang looked around curiously, her gaze eventually settling on the bed.
Mr. Xia's bed…
She closed the door, stretched lazily, then walked over, kicked off her shoes, and climbed onto the bed.
The pillow was soft, carrying a faint, comforting scent.
Mr. Xia's scent…
Ningguang buried her face in the pillow, inhaling deeply.
A satisfied smile spread across her face.
Noisy chatter drifted up from downstairs.
"Hahaha! I'm a VIP now! I'm a VIP in the Tianquan's shop!"
"Damn it! I should've gotten a Summer Shop membership earlier! Do you know how hard it is to get VIP status in the Tianquan's luxury stores? You need a huge deposit at the Liyue Bank and massive spending history just to apply—and even then, approval isn't guaranteed! But with this, you get discounts at all her stores!"
"Discounts? Who cares about that? My girlfriend's been dying for a lipstick, but they're always out of stock—VIPs get priority access!"
"I need to buy property! The new Yujing Terrace development is opening soon, and I heard VIPs get first dibs!"
"Hey, why are you all arguing? You can still get a membership by collecting seven Summer Shop cups—it's not too late!"
...
"High price for Pyro-element cups!"
...
Listening to the commotion outside, Ningguang chuckled softly.
Now, Mr. Xia's shop won't have any trouble staying busy.
She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
---
Beyond the city gates.
The smooth, wide official road gradually grew quieter, with only the occasional merchant caravan passing by.
Xia Zhi took in the scenery, a nostalgic expression crossing his face.
Six months ago, he had walked this very road into Liyue Harbor.
Back then, he'd only had his little crane companion by his side.
Now, he was surrounded by a whole group of friends.
Zhu Zi was particularly curious about the trade route—after all, she was an outlander who'd never properly left the city.
Chi Yu was equally intrigued. Though a local, she hadn't ventured beyond Liyue in years, and the landscape had changed.
Diona, who had traveled to Liyue with a merchant caravan, recognized the route and shared stories from her journey with Xiangling and the others.
Charlotte, meanwhile, busied herself with her Kamera, snapping photos of the group and the scenery as mementos.
After two hours of walking, the initial excitement of the journey began to wane.
By now, the road was nearly deserted.
Zhu Zi and Ying'er, the only two in the group without Visions, were noticeably slowing down.
Their feet must have been tired.
As girls with naturally weaker stamina—and unused to such long walks from their shop work—they were struggling.
Yet neither complained, silently pushing themselves to keep up.
Xia Zhi observed them through his God's Eye.
In his inventory was a pair of [Wind-Walking Boots] he'd once obtained from a treasure chest.
Effect: +50% movement speed, -20% stamina consumption.
They'd be a big help.
But he only had one pair—not ideal for two people.
Unless he bought another from the [Shop].
Just then, his cousin Xia Ci spoke up. "Let's stop walking. It's not that fun anyway. Time to switch to the car."
She pulled out the hovercar she'd designed and built.
Zhu Zi and Ying'er couldn't hide their relief at the sight.
Xia Ci opened the door. "Come on, everyone in."
Mona looked puzzled. "This car looks tiny. Can it really fit all of us?"
"Of course not."
"?"
"There's a Serenitea Pot inside. We're actually entering the teapot."
"You can do that?"
"Obviously. Did you think I'd build some massive floating platform? That'd waste materials and be totally inflexible."
"Fair point."
Mona smiled sheepishly.
"Though a few people can still sit inside the car if they want to enjoy the view."
"Got it!"
Soon, everyone had entered the Serenitea Pot inside the car.
The interior was a lush, verdant forest—utterly serene.
Even more surprising were the dozen or so treehouses woven from vines among the branches.
Xia Ci pointed at them. "Those are your lodgings. Pick whichever you like. They have hammocks, but if you're not used to those, you can lay out your own bedding."
"Wow! This is amazing!"
"Love you!"
"Last time I traveled, conditions were nothing like this!"
"Choosing to follow Mr. Xia was definitely the right call!"
The girls eagerly scattered to claim their spots.
Xia Ci tilted her head with a grin. "So, Cousin, what do you think?"
Xia Zhi nodded. "Very well thought out."
"Then… where's my reward?"
"What do you want?"
"Your special essence, of course!"
"Didn't I just give you some a few days ago?"
"Xia Zhen stole it."
Xia Ci put on a pitiful expression.
Xia Zhi wasn't buying it.
Xia Zhen was only Gold-tier—how could she possibly steal from you, a Diamond?
"It's true!"
"Fine. Here's another small bottle."
"Yay!"
Xia Zhi produced a tiny vial filled with shimmering [Essence of Sun and Moon].
Xia Ci accepted it with glee.
Xia Zhi suddenly asked, "Why haven't you come for a massage these past few days?"
"Oh, that? I just saw how many people you were already massaging and didn't want to tire you out."
"Really?"
"Of course! I'm the one who cares about you the most!"
"...By the way, as we head west, we're getting farther from Sumeru. Won't that make it harder for you to contact Nahida, requiring more divine energy?"
"Exactly."
Xia Zhi glanced at the vial in her hand, finally understanding why she wanted it.
"Then come find me when you've used this up."
"Okay!"
Xia Ci nodded, beaming even brighter.
Cousin still cares about me!
"What time is it now?"
"11 AM."
"Almost noon."
"Yep!"
"Time to start preparing lunch."
"Mm!"
"Where's the kitchen you designed?"
"Over there!"
"Show me."
"Okay! I want Minced pork Noodles!"
"Fine, fine. You go drive the car first."
"Relax, I set it to autopilot."
"That high-tech?"
"I modified it with the Akasha Terminal. Preloaded the route, and since we're flying, there's nothing to crash into. Easy."
"But you only have one Akasha Terminal. If you modified it—"
"No worries. I got a dozen more from Ningguang."
"...Why so many?"
"For the client-side interface. Starting from scratch is too much work, so I'm just repurposing the terminals. I want to make them like phones. What do you think?"
"Whatever works."
"Then it's settled!"