Travel · Hangzhou Arc (15): Boating on West Lake (1)

A week after arriving in Hangzhou, Xiao Ling and her group finally had their first group outing of the trip.

That morning, inside the mansion.

"Hmm? Why hasn't Yaya come down yet?" Xiao Ling straightened her sleeves and looked towards the stairwell. "Can any of you go up and urge her?"

"I'll go check!" Lynae volunteered, preparing to rush upstairs to call for help. "Sister Nia! Aren't you ready yet? We're about to leave!"

"Don't rush me, don't rush me~ I'm coming down now~"

Dania and Sigrika walked quickly down the stairs one after the other, the hem of their Hanfu flowing with their light steps. Their appearance in their new clothes immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Dania was wearing the cross-collar Hanfu that Xiao Ling had given her as a birthday gift. The pink and purple gradient color scheme and the bow at the waist accentuated her girlishness while also giving her an ethereal quality.

Sigrika wore a Tang-style waist-length ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with an overall color scheme of lotus root pink and orange-red. The dress was embroidered with star patterns, which matched her identity as a Sunbinder of the Roy Tribe. She was cute and had her own unique vitality.

However... it seems there are still some shortcomings.

"Sigrika, don't move, let me adjust you."

Suisui naturally noticed this, and gracefully walked over, casually picking up the ribbon on Sigrika's skirt waistband, untying it, and then skillfully tying it into a double knot.

"Hmm, this looks much better." Suisui smiled with satisfaction after admiring it for a moment.

"So this rope can be tied like this? I always thought it was just for securing things..." Sigrika glanced at the double knots around her waist, her eyes sparkling. "Thank you, Sister Suisui!"

"Oh, that sounds so beautiful! Come on, say it again so your older sister can hear it?"

"Sister Suisui! Sister Suisui!" Sigrika responded to her request.

"That sounds so nice~ Here, have a red envelope~" Suisui slapped a slightly bulging red envelope into Sigrika's hand.

Sigrika stared in shock at the rather heavy red envelope that had suddenly appeared in her hand, and met Dania's gaze.

"Isn't it Chinese New Year yet, Sister Suisui?" Xiao Ling asked doubtfully.

"What do you know? This is called the care of an elder," Suisui said with a bright smile.

What I really wanted to say was whether or not I was included.

"Your share?" Suisui's eyes darted around, then she teased, "If it's yours, forget the red envelope, I'm yours too~"

?

The surrounding gazes instantly solidified into a palpable killing intent as they swept towards Xiao Ling, as if to say, "Dare you agree and see what happens?" Even the usually well-behaved Sigrika now revealed a fierce yet adorable look, like a little orange cat.

"I think this matter needs further consideration, Sister Suisui, please don't joke around." Xiao Ling swallowed back the agreement that was about to slip out, and politely declined in a gentlemanly tone.

"Just kidding, I was just trying to lighten the mood." Suisui held up her folding fan with an elegant demeanor, as if everything that had just happened was within her expectations.

(Who's trying to liven things up like that?)

In short, after this little farce ended, the group immediately headed to their destination – West Lake.

This lake, located within Hangzhou, covers a total area of 6.38 square kilometers and is known as "Xizi Lake". A trip to Hangzhou is incomplete without a visit to West Lake.

Of course, it's best to avoid dishes like West Lake in Vinegar Sauce, which even locals don't eat.

However, the Solaris superhumans believed in the power of experience, and even Xiao Ling's prior warning did not dampen their curiosity about whether West Lake Sauce really tasted so bad.

Then...

"Ugh~" Lynae almost threw up after taking a bite. "I thought Xiao Ling was exaggerating, but it turns out you were being subtle!"

"The taste of this dish... is truly novel..." Even the usually stoic Shorekeeper frowned. "It's a bit hard to accept."

"No wonder people here don't eat this stuff. I wouldn't be able to swallow it either..." Even after drinking several mouthfuls of water, Lupa couldn't wash away the strange taste in her mouth. She felt that if her mouth continued to taste like this, she probably wouldn't have much of an appetite for lunch.

However, not everyone finds this dish unacceptable.

"I feel fine. Why are you all reacting so strongly?" Dania said calmly, picking up pieces of West Lake in Vinegar Sauce from the table with her chopsticks.

"Uh... Yaya, don't you find it hard to swallow?" Sigrika asked in shock.

"No, it's fine except for being a little sour."

"What kind of food does this child eat at the academy...?" Yangyang looked at Dania with pity.

"Some of the food at the academy is even more... unconventional..." Roccia's eye twitched. "If we were to describe it in this world's terms... it would probably be... stir-fried green peppers and strawberries?"

"Green peppers? Strawberries? Huh..." Iuno got goosebumps when she heard that these two completely unrelated things could be made into a dish. "Is all the food at your academy this unique...?"

"Not all food is like that," Aemeath spoke up to defend the cafeteria, "The academy cafeteria does have regular food, it's just that the taste is indeed lacking."

"Star Torch Academy resides beneath the glacier, and its daily supply transport relies almost entirely on trains," Jinhsi interjected. "But even under such difficult conditions, this academy manages to send a large number of talented individuals to Solaris every year to combat the Threnody Invasion."

"Alright, stop for a second, girls, don't forget the important matter." Xiao Ling interrupted them at this moment, "Weren't we out here to have fun? Why did the mood suddenly change?"

"Oh right? Didn't we come here to have fun?" the girls said in unison.

"Finally remembered?" Xiao Ling said with a casual smile, one hand on his hip. "Then we should set off; the boatman has been waiting for us for a long time."

"Wow~ What a huge ship!" Sigrika's eyes sparkled.

For this trip, Xiao Ling specially asked her second aunt to charter a yacht that could accommodate up to thirty-five people. The upper deck was a viewing platform where one could immerse oneself in the scenery, while the lower deck was a tea room where one could sit and chat with friends if they got tired of admiring the view.

"This ship must have cost a lot of money, right?" Yangyang asked gently.

"It's fine, it's not my money anyway." Xiao Ling shrugged.

"Ready to board, ladies! Let me show you what Su Dongpo described as ' West Lake is like Xizi, beautiful whether lightly or heavily adorned.'"

After everyone agreed in unison, they boarded the boat one by one, chatting and laughing.

Once everyone was on board, the yacht's engine started immediately, and the boat quickly left the shore, heading leisurely towards the center of West Lake.

And so, this boat trip on West Lake officially began.