"Xiangling, I'll have a Grilled Tiger Fish, Wanmin Restaurant's Boiled Fish, and an order of Spicy Meat Cornbread."
"Huh? Coming right up!" Xiangling and Guoba, who had been concentrating on cooking, both froze involuntarily when they heard the order. Then bright smiles spread across their faces, because among the three dishes this customer had ordered was a favorite of each of theirs.
Yucheng had certainly not ordered at random. Wanmin Restaurant's Boiled Fish was Xiangling's specialty, while Spicy Meat Cornbread was the dish that had brought Guoba and Xiangling together.
When Xiangling and Guoba brought the freshly cooked boiled fish and Spicy Meat Cornbread to Yucheng's table, Xiangling deliberately took a closer look at him, a trace of puzzlement appearing on her face.
Her behavior left Yucheng somewhat baffled, so he asked, "Is there something strange about my face?"
"No, no, nothing like that. It just felt a little odd. Since you knew my name and my signature dish, I thought you were a regular, but I don't seem to remember you."
"This is my first time at Wanmin Restaurant, and my first time in Liyue. It would be strange if you knew me. But I've heard plenty about you."
"Huh? Has my reputation spread abroad already? Hehe, now I'm feeling a little embarrassed. Well, you know my name, but I don't know yours. That seems a little unfair."
"My name is Uchiha Yucheng. Just call me Yucheng. I'm from Inazuma."
"Hello, Yucheng! I'm Xiangling, and this is Guoba. Nice to meet you! Oh, this Wanmin Restaurant's Boiled Fish is very spicy, so be careful. Go ahead and eat. I'm going back to cooking." With that, she bustled back to the stove to start the next dish.
Just as Guoba was about to follow her, Yucheng called him back, picked up a piece of cornbread from the table, filled its hollow center with the freshly cooked spicy meat, and handed it to Guoba.
Guoba happily accepted the cornbread, then bounced back to Xiangling's side to keep helping.
Wanmin Restaurant's Boiled Fish was essentially the Sichuan-style boiled fish slices from his previous life, except Xiangling had creatively added some sort of preparation that made the dish look even redder and gave it a more complex flavor, making every bite thoroughly satisfying.
With the help of three bowls of white rice, Yucheng finished the dishes, sweat covering his head. The spice had also turned his lips a captivating fiery red, making some of the female diners wish they had lipstick in that shade.
However, because he had eaten too much rice, a few pieces of cornbread remained. Yucheng did not waste them, packing them up and tucking them into his clothes. Cold cornbread itself made excellent travel rations. Back then, Xiangling had formed her bond with Guoba precisely because she had been carrying two pieces of Spicy Meat Cornbread.
Three substantial meat dishes had cost less than ten thousand Mora altogether. Wanmin Restaurant certainly lived up to its name, focusing on affordability while serving delicious food. Making extraordinary dishes out of ordinary ingredients really was characteristic of Xiangling.
Just as Yucheng finished paying and was about to leave, Xiangling called out to him from inside, then rushed out and planted her hands on her hips. "Well? Was the food to your liking?"
"It tasted great, but I think I overestimated how much spice I could handle. Look, my lips are swollen, but I still can't help wanting more. That really hit the spot."
"Hahaha, that's exactly what makes this dish so appealing! You're already pretty good with spice. Some people can't take even one bite. That's also why I don't make it very often. People who can handle spice love it, while those who can't turn pale at the very mention of it.
"Speaking of spice, I actually only added a little Jueyun Chili powder to this dish. I once met someone who was incredible at eating spicy food. She thought the dishes weren't spicy enough and actually chewed whole Jueyun Chilies raw. It was amazing."
Xiangling's words reminded Yucheng of someone: Ningguang's special intelligence officer, Yelan. She was probably the only person who could chew a whole Jueyun Chili raw without batting an eye.
Speaking of Yelan, didn't I just pass the Yanshang Teahouse next door?
"Someone can really handle that much spice? Introduce me if you get the chance. I'd like to see that for myself."
"Sure, but be a little careful about what you say when you talk to that customer. I don't think she's an ordinary person. Ah, we can talk about it when the time comes. Anyway, Yucheng, do you have any plans now that you've eaten?"
"Huh? I just arrived in Liyue, so I wanted to look around."
"Oh, perfect! I was planning to look for ingredients around Liyue this afternoon. How about I be your guide? I'm really interested in ingredients from other countries, too. I'll show you around Liyue, and you can tell me about ingredients from abroad. How does that sound?"
"Huh? But what about business at Wanmin Restaurant...?"
"The lunch rush is over, so it's not too busy. Besides, my dad's still here, isn't he? It's fine. I often go out looking for ingredients and new cooking methods. Dad! I'm heading out! Guoba, come along!"
Without waiting for Master Mao's answer, Xiangling grabbed Yucheng and left Wanmin Restaurant. Guoba followed close behind, calling out, "La, la, la," seemingly asking Xiangling to wait for him.
Faced with such a lively, unabashedly outgoing girl, Yucheng really found it hard to refuse her invitation. Although being dragged out of Liyue again just after returning that day left him somewhat speechless, he had nothing else to do, so getting to know Liyue better would be nice.
There was no better place than the summit of Mt. Tianheng to take in the beautiful sights of Liyue Harbor. As Liyue Harbor's natural barrier, Mt. Tianheng blocked the vast majority of invading monsters and was a sacred mountain in the hearts of Liyue's people. When Xiangling learned that Yucheng had never been there, she immediately made it their first destination.
On the way, Xiangling asked with great interest, "Yucheng, does Inazuma have any local specialties that are different from Liyue's?"
"Inazuma? Seaweed, Sea Ganoderma, dried shrimp-those are fairly distinctive. Oh, and Lavender Melons. They're hard to swallow raw but delicious when roasted. I'm not sure whether they count as fruit or vegetables."
"That sounds interesting! Unknown ingredients are so tempting. I'll have to visit Inazuma someday."
"Inazuma is a frightening country right now. The whole country is under a very oppressive atmosphere. Under the Sakoku Decree, people from other countries can't get in, and its citizens can't get out. From the look of things, war is inevitable."
"Huh? How could that happen? Then I suppose I'll have to visit Mondstadt first. As for Inazuma, I'll wait until that Sakoku Decree or whatever is lifted."
"Mondstadt? What are you going there for?"
"I heard the wild boars in Springvale, in Mondstadt, have really good meat. I want to see whether it's true. If it is, I'd like to bring those boars to Liyue so the people here can try them too."
"Speaking of Mondstadt's wild boar meat, I heard there's an even rarer kind of meat on Dragonspine in Mondstadt called [Chilled Meat]. It comes from a breed of wild boar that went extinct hundreds of years ago. Dragonspine's extreme weather froze those boars solid. Even though hundreds of years have passed, their meat is still fresh. To Teyvat's gourmets, it's a supreme ingredient, as sacred as a blessing."
"Wow, an ingredient like that actually exists? That's fantastic! No, no, I don't want to wait another moment. I have to head to Mondstadt right away. Yucheng, thank you for telling me about this. Once I find that [Chilled Meat] you mentioned, I'll definitely treat you to some."
The ever-bustling Xiangling left a dumbfounded Yucheng behind. Seeing this, Guoba seemed to sigh helplessly as well. After saying goodbye to Yucheng, he hurried off after Xiangling.
Just as Xiangling hurried toward Mondstadt, a blonde girl happened to fish a white, flying piece of Emergency Food out of the sea.
Before you continue