"Fishing? No problem."
Hu Tao narrowed her eyes and said with a smile, "Speaking of which, I'm quite the expert at fishing."
"Alright then, let's swing by Wanmin Restaurant on the way to see if Xiangling is free. If she is, we can go together."
Fang Qiu tied her sash and stood up as she spoke.
"Okay, okay! If we catch anything, we can ask Xiangling to make grilled fish for us. It just so happens I haven't had Xiangling's grilled fish in a long time."
Hu Tao swallowed her saliva, speaking with a face full of anticipation.
"Alright, let's go."
Fang Qiu smiled faintly.
Seeing the beautiful smile on Fang Qiu's pretty face, Hu Tao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief in her heart.
Fortunately, Fang Qiu hadn't noticed that she was acting a bit off earlier.
They found three sets of fishing gear in the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's warehouse.
Leaving Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, they headed straight for Wanmin Restaurant.
It wasn't mealtime, so Chef Mao was listening to storytelling at the open-air tea house not far outside Wanmin Restaurant.
Seeing the storyteller waving a folding fan and speaking with great enthusiasm, and Chef Mao listening intently, Fang Qiu and Hu Tao didn't want to disturb him, so they stood nearby and listened to the story as well.
"Speaking of Lady Ningguang, whenever a major event occurs, she comes to the Jade Chamber, dismisses everyone else, and brings only three confidants. What does she bring these three confidants for? Eh! It turns out she has them organize intelligence and process data, pasting summaries one by one on the wall. There are more and more of them! But before this white wall is filled, Lady Ningguang will surely be able to make a final decision."
It turned out he was telling the story of the Tianquan of the Liyue Qixing, Ningguang.
"The Tianquan Ningguang, wealthy beyond measure, with eyes bright and glancing, making peach blossoms and apricots shy away. With eyes that reach far and ears that hear all, she handles a hundred matters with ease! Truly formidable."
Hu Tao sighed with admiration.
"Mm, indeed."
Fang Qiu nodded, deeply agreeing.
"After making her decision, her ladyship shreds all the documents, and whoosh... scatters those paper scraps out the window."
"Goodness, drifting and fluttering, it looks like a sudden snowfall. To the eyes of all the merchants in Liyue, the handwriting on those scraps is like ink stains in the snow—eye-catching!"
"A poem sings her praises: Fluttering and drifting, like snowy dust falling from the clouds. Thick and sparse, every word as precious as a rare treasure. In a mere thought, she swallows the breath of mountains and rivers; all people know, the Tianquan reigns supreme."
As the emphasized word "supreme" fell, the crowd applauded in unison, the applause sounding like thunder.
Fang Qiu and Hu Tao couldn't help but applaud as well.
Although there was likely a fair amount of artistic embellishment, it had to be said that the storytelling was excellent.
Once the story was finished, the storyteller thanked the audience, closed his folding fan, slowly sat down on the grand armchair to the side, and took a shallow sip of tea to moisten his throat.
Fang Qiu and Hu Tao took this opportunity to approach Chef Mao.
Chef Mao informed them that Xiangling was in the back kitchen of Wanmin Restaurant testing her new dish. Upon hearing "new dish," Hu Tao immediately hesitated.
But after glancing at Fang Qiu, she ultimately sighed in resignation.
At this moment, the storyteller stood up again, and with a "snap," unfurled his folding fan.
"Next, let us tell the story of the Captain of The Crux Fleet, who is on good terms with Lady Ningguang. It is said..."
After bidding farewell to Chef Mao, Fang Qiu and Hu Tao arrived at Wanmin Restaurant together.
Before they even entered the back kitchen, they heard Xiangling's voice.
"Guoba, you can't eat that."
Then they saw Xiangling holding a large ladle, chasing Guoba all the way out of the kitchen.
Upon seeing them, both Guoba and Xiangling stopped.
"Eh? You're here! Are you here to eat? Unfortunately, my last portion of Hydro Slime Condensate was just eaten by Guoba, otherwise you could have tasted my newly invented dish, Slime Condensate Zhajiangmian. It uses Slime Condensate to replace the liquid in the sauce. Hydro Slime has a cool and smooth texture that can neutralize the greasiness of the sauce. The taste would definitely be good, what a pity..."
Xiangling sighed and said.
"Wu~"
Guoba just smiled and waved at them.
"Guoba saves the day."
Hu Tao breathed a sigh of relief.
Slime Zhajiangmian... it sounded like a very strange dish.
Heaven knows if they could still go fishing after eating that.
"Woo, Hu Tao, how could you be like this."
Xiangling pouted. Just as she finished speaking, she saw the fishing gear Hu Tao was holding. Before she could ask, Hu Tao spoke first.
"Don't mind it, don't mind it."
Hu Tao said with a beaming smile, "We're going fishing later, do you want to come along, Xiangling?"
"Oh, fishing? No problem. But wait a moment, I need to seal up the sauce I've already made."
Xiangling said.
"Xiangling, I'm a bit hungry. Before we set off, could you make me a bowl of Zhajiangmian?"
Smelling the rich aroma of the sauce coming from the kitchen, Fang Qiu couldn't help but swallow her saliva. She looked at Xiangling and blinked her eyes.
It had to be said, as long as Xiangling didn't use Slimes to cook, her culinary skills were absolutely top-tier.
Just this rich aroma alone.
She could fight ten!
Uh, wait, no, she could eat ten bowls!
Mm... actually she couldn't eat ten bowls. With Wanmin Restaurant's portion sizes, she could finish one bowl at most.
"No problem, what flavor do you want?"
"A bit spicy, please."
"Sure thing, wait a moment."
Xiangling nodded, then led Guoba towards the kitchen. As she walked, Xiangling said, "Guoba, this is for Fang Qiu, you can't steal it this time."
"Wu."
Before long, Xiangling presented a fragrant, steaming bowl of Zhajiangmian to Fang Qiu.
Spicy chili oil was splashed over the noodles, somewhat resembling the Sichuan-style Zhajiangmian she had eaten in her past life.
A thick layer of meat sauce covered the noodles. The heat of the noodles carried the aroma of the meat, rushing into her nasal cavity, instantly stimulating Fang Qiu's appetite.
"Although you asked for spicy, I know you can't handle too much spice, so it's only slightly spicy. You should be able to get used to it."
"Then I'll dig in."
Fang Qiu opened her lips slightly, gently putting the noodles wrapped in meat sauce into her mouth.
A faint spiciness accompanied by a rich flavor instantly filled her entire mouth, whetting her appetite significantly.
Soon.
The bowl of Zhajiangmian was swept clean.
Fang Qiu gently stroked her slightly protruding lower abdomen. Her forehead, delicate as congealed fat, exuded a bit of sweat. Her pretty and tender cheeks were flushed like the red clouds of dawn due to the spicy taste. From time to time, her tender tongue would stick out to lick her lips, which had been dyed an alluring crimson.
Seeing her appearance, Hu Tao by her side couldn't help but swallow her saliva.
"How was the taste?"
After Fang Qiu finished eating, Xiangling immediately asked with a face full of expectation.
"It was delicious."
Fang Qiu smiled and said.
"Do you want more? I can make more."
Xiangling said.
"No, no."
Fang Qiu hurriedly shook her head.
She was already at her limit.
Her appetite was too small...
The Zhajiangmian Xiangling made was very delicious, and much of the greasy taste had been eliminated.
This made Fang Qiu full of anticipation for the grilled fish later."
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