Ningguang had just been distracted by the footsteps, and only now remembered that she was still grilling fish.
She immediately looked down and saw that the fish's belly had already been badly charred.
It was still edible, but the texture and flavor definitely wouldn't be as good.
She was, after all, still a little girl. Her feelings were written all over her face.
Little Ningguang pouted, her face full of disappointment.
The tastiest part of grilled fish was the meat around the belly.
Now that it was burnt, what a waste...
Worst of all, Little Ningguang could smell the delicious food Fang Xun had brought back.
That was food from Wanmin Restaurant, made by Master Mao, right?
It smelled so good...
Whenever Little Ningguang passed Wanmin Restaurant, she would quicken her pace and hurry away.
That was because Master Mao was such a good cook. Just smelling the food made Little Ningguang hungry, and she didn't have any money to buy a meal.
Now that Fang Xun had shown up with food from Wanmin Restaurant, the scent of the grilled fish was immediately overpowered.
The grilled fish suddenly didn't smell so good anymore.
Ningguang's attention was completely drawn to the food in Fang Xun's hands, and her stomach betrayed her with a rumble.
After all, she'd been hungry for several days. It was impossible to resist a smell like that.
Little Ningguang tried to pull her gaze away and not look at the food in Fang Xun's hands.
If I don't look, I won't want to eat it!
Little Ningguang seemed to be giving herself a pep talk, muttering, "Grilled fish is delicious too. I love grilled fish the most!"
Fang Xun had naturally seen all of this.
He couldn't help but laugh helplessly.
The little girl clearly wanted to eat the food from Wanmin Restaurant, yet kept forcing herself to resist. She was just too adorable.
Even so,
Fang Xun couldn't simply invite Ningguang over to eat.
There was no need to even think about it. Ningguang would definitely refuse.
Although Ningguang's family was poor,
she was a proud and determined person.
If Fang Xun invited her to eat, she would only feel that he was doing it out of pity.
And Ningguang's nature meant that she didn't need anyone's charity.
But Fang Xun did have a way around that.
He glanced at the grilled fish over the fire, then put on a look of pleasant surprise. "Little Ningguang, did you make this grilled fish? It smells wonderful. It looks delicious, too."
"How about we make a trade?"
"I'll eat your grilled fish, and you can have this food."
Without waiting for Ningguang to answer, Fang Xun put the food in front of her.
Then he picked up the grilled fish from the rack and began to eat.
The fish was crisp on the outside and tender within, and it had been grilled with great skill.
But it was still missing a lot of seasonings, which Ningguang couldn't afford to buy.
As someone who had crossed over from another world, Fang Xun had been used to takeout and grilled fish from street stalls in his previous life.
Now that he was eating this kind of grilled fish,
he had to admit that it was a little hard to get used to.
Still, Ningguang had grilled it with such effort, so Fang Xun could only grit his teeth and finish it.
He couldn't let Ningguang feel sad.
Watching Fang Xun devour the grilled fish, Little Ningguang looked surprised.
Why did Fang Xun look like he was enjoying it so much?
Was the fish she'd grilled really that delicious?
What caught Ningguang's attention even more,
was the Tender Jiao Jiao Chicken and Peaceful Four Directions Fang Xun had placed in front of her.
He'd brought out such a generous spread of delicious food,
just to trade it for her grilled fish?
The little girl quickly figured it out.
Fang Xun just didn't want her to keep eating grilled fish, so he'd found a way to give her the food.
He was doing it in a way that protected the little girl's pride.
Little Ningguang felt her eyes grow moist. Before she knew it, tears glimmered in her beautiful eyes.
Aside from her mother, this was the first time anyone had ever been so kind to her.
"Detected Ningguang's affection level rising from Level 1 to Level 2. Congratulations, Host, you've received 1 Intertwined Fate. You've also received an extra reward: the talent 'Talent: What is scattered will return.'"
Right then,
the system's notification sounded in Fang Xun's mind.
A ripple stirred in Fang Xun's heart, and he couldn't help but marvel.
This system was generous. It even gave out talents?
What was this 'Talent: What is scattered will return'?
Since time outside was paused, Fang Xun could take his time and read the talent description.
He quickly figured out what the talent did.
Simply put,
all the money he spent would be returned,
and there was a chance of a critical hit when it was returned, multiplying the amount.
This was a great talent.
After all, Fang Xun had just arrived in Teyvat, and Liyue was such a bustling city.
The cost of living in Mora was enormous.
One hundred thousand Mora wouldn't last long at all.
Now that he had this talent, Fang Xun's expenses in Mora would be greatly reduced.
He might even end up with more money the more he spent!
It was practically encouraging Fang Xun to spend money.
Fang Xun looked at Little Ningguang.
What could be more worth spending money on than investing in a future wealthy woman?
Tomorrow, he'd take Little Ningguang to buy some new clothes.
He'd get her a pair of shoes, too.
He couldn't let her keep walking around barefoot.
Otherwise, if it affected her ability to pour tea in the future, that would be a problem.
......
After making his plans, Fang Xun turned his attention to the Intertwined Fate he'd received.
Before crossing over, Fang Xun had been a hoarder. He'd painstakingly saved up his Primogems,
but hadn't made a single wish before he crossed over.
Whenever he thought about it, his heart ached.
So after learning his lesson, Fang Xun changed his habits.
Whenever he got an Intertwined Fate, he used it right away.
No regrets!
Time to wish!
Fang Xun immediately opened the wish screen and started pulling.
This time, instead of blue skies and white clouds, purple light appeared.
"Congratulations, Host. You've obtained the skill Mountain Marsh Lin Ji."
Fang Xun looked at the lotus-like skill icon that appeared before him.
He immediately realized that this was Ganyu's skill, the one belonging to "The Cocogoat Adeptus."
It left behind an Ice Lotus and quickly retreated, keeping away from all manner of monsters while dealing Cryo damage.
Before crossing over, Ganyu had been Fang Xun's favorite character, so he remembered her skill well.
This was Ganyu's life-saving skill, and one of the more interesting skills in the game, in Fang Xun's opinion.
Now that he'd obtained the skill Mountain Marsh Lin Ji, Fang Xun's ability to protect himself had improved once again.
In an instant, a wealth of information about Mountain Marsh Lin Ji filled Fang Xun's mind.
He didn't even need to go through the process of learning the skill.
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