"Hey, can I add you on WeChat?"
"Huh?"
"The other guy said Zhongli's cosplay didn't bring a phone or wallet. Could you send me his WeChat?"
Spring Rain Pavilion's architectural style resembled Tang Dynasty decor, though it also incorporated some Song Dynasty elements.
The long corridors made it feel as though they had stepped into the residence of an ancient wealthy household.
"I'm afraid not."
"Okay, what a shame."
The waitress in Tang-style clothing did not press the matter and gave up after trying once.
Getting a complaint would not be worth it. This job involved little work, paid well, and came with full benefits.
It counted as a high-quality position in the service industry.
Between a rare flutter of the heart and a steady job, the job was more important.
But he really was so handsome, and the cosplay was so accurate.
"Your friend looks just like Zhongli stepped into reality. He's seriously so handsome. This is the first time I've seen such an accurate cosplay," the waitress praised.
"Haha, indeed. Everyone says that," Su Lin agreed.
Miss, how could it not be accurate? That was Zhongli himself. It wasn't that I wouldn't give you his WeChat; he genuinely didn't have such a thing as WeChat.
Before long, the two arrived outside a private room in the courtyard. The words "Grain Rain" were written beside the door in brush calligraphy.
"Try this one too."
Before they even entered, they heard a weathered yet vigorous voice.
"The skin is crisp and the meat tender. There's a fruity wood aroma on the skin. It wasn't smoked for too long, probably less than three minutes."
"The meat is very soft and glutinous, and the juices have been firmly locked in. It should have first..."
Su Lin pushed open the door and saw that, besides Zhongli and Klein, a middle-aged chef wearing a tall white hat was seated beside Zhongli.
In front of the three of them stood a long table made by joining two large square tables together, with more than a dozen dishes laid across it.
Zhongli was talking animatedly with the middle-aged chef, while Klein sat some distance away, eating with bowl and chopsticks in hand.
"Excuse me, sir. Please let me pass," a server said behind Su Lin.
"Sure."
The server carried a thirty-centimeter clay pot inside.
"Chef Zhou, the Mountain Delicacies you prepared earlier are ready." The server gently set down the clay pot in her hands.
At this point, Klein, who had been busy eating, noticed Su Lin's arrival and called him over.
Meanwhile, the waitress who had led Su Lin here stared blankly and murmured softly:
"Too similar... even his behavior is so accurate..."
Su Lin walked over and sat beside Klein. He did not interrupt the exchange between Zhongli and the chef, and after the server brought him a set of bowl and chopsticks, he joined the eating brigade.
What else could he do? The money had already been spent.
Eat, then.
While eating, Su Lin sent Klein several messages.
Su Lin: "Didn't this place require reservations? How did you manage to book it?"
Klein: "A table of guests happened to cancel."
After arriving in Rongcheng, Klein and Zhongli had first been surrounded by countless passersby asking for photos. Naturally, they had all come to take pictures with Zhongli.
As an Earth native, Klein became Zhongli's guide.
"If one wishes to understand a place's culture, food is a good point of entry."
Klein: "That's what he said, so I found this place on Dianping."
Klein: "But has he always been this bold when ordering?"
Su Lin: "More or less..."
The meal cost 62,800 yuan, and that was after Chef Zhou had personally given them a discount.
Other than several ingredients that required advance reservations and were not kept in stock, Zhongli had ordered practically every dish on the menu.
When the kitchen received the order, they thought a large group of guests had arrived. They had not expected there to be only two people.
After confirming there were no cameras and that they were not influencers filming a restaurant review, the head chef assumed that fellow professionals had come by. That was why Su Lin had witnessed that scene upon arriving.
"My restaurant is in De Rong, in the new district. Add me on WeChat when you get back, and send me a message next time you come." Chef Zhou warmly shook Zhongli's hand, looking as though he deeply regretted not meeting him sooner. "My master happened to have something to do these past few days, so he asked me to fill in for him here for two days. It's a pity he isn't around. Otherwise, he would definitely have loved to discuss these culinary ideas with you."
"No matter. There is plenty of time ahead. I shall return another day to sample the old gentleman's cooking." A faint smile rested on Zhongli's face.
"Wonderful!"
And just like that, Su Lin somehow gained a master chef as a WeChat friend. He could forward the contact to Zhongli once Zhongli had WeChat.
Klein and Su Lin each carried two large bags of packed food as they left. This little weight was nothing to either of them.
After finding an empty corner, Su Lin put all the food into the system space.
"Old Su, is that some kind of storage ring, or a spatial ability?" Klein asked curiously. He generally used a sacrificial ritual, sacrificing things to himself and storing them in Sefirah Castle.
"It's somewhat similar to the spatial technology mastered by the Traveler." Zhongli looked curious. He had seen the young man named Aether use Wanmin Restaurant's stove to stir-fry several huge pots of food. At the time, the young man had said it was food for the coming week.
Its principles were roughly similar to the storage techniques of the Celestial Immortals.
"More or less like that kind of spatial backpack." After putting away the food, Su Lin asked the two, "Do either of you have any plans for what comes next?"
"Let us find a place for tea. I am also quite interested in the tea-drinking culture of this world."
"Old Zhou, what about you?"
"I'm fine with anything." Klein shrugged. Being able to temporarily escape the oppressive atmosphere of that era already left him fully satisfied.
Without the Primordial, without Outer Deities, without losing control, Klein felt that he could wander the streets of this parallel world for months without growing tired of it.
Simply staying on Earth in this parallel world made him feel as though his mental state had stabilized considerably.
It was just that he could no longer return home.
After learning that the era he inhabited was Earth's future, Klein had actually felt rather despondent.
But what could he do? Life had to go on.
He was in a somewhat better state than the version of himself in the story had been after learning the news.
Only somewhat better.
The existence of the Chat Group gave him a glimmer of hope.
The myriad worlds were so vast. Perhaps he would find a way home someday.
Before then, wandering around an ordinary Earth like this whenever he had free time worked better than seeking psychological treatment from Miss Audrey.
Come to think of it, should he bring something back for the Evernight Goddess? After all, this fellow countrywoman had looked after him for quite a long time.
The three spent the entire day wandering around Rong City, returning to Water Mirror Peak late at night.
"The cultivation manuals are at the summit, right?"
"That's right."
Zhongli took out a brand-new phone, swiped a few times, and added Su Lin and Klein as friends.
"For the next few days, I would like to devote myself to studying the methods of cultivation and make up for my shortcomings."
"Thank you both for accompanying me today. Should you have the time in the future, you are welcome to visit Liyue. I shall treat you then."
"You're too polite," Su Lin said.
Not long after Zhongli left, Su Lin looked at Klein and asked, "Interested in making some money together?"
(End of chapter)