Wanmin Restaurant [2]

Aerin thought for a while and came up with a possible reason. "Hmm...I can make a wild guess why she sometimes wants to be a waitress." 

"Really?...Tell me, what do you think it is?" 

"Maybe she sometimes gets tired of being a chef. You know, when one wants to do something different. That might be the reason why she sometimes poses as a waitress." 

"Hmm, not to sound too rude, but isn't it just your own thoughts, right Aerin? Who knows what she is thinking. Even as her father, I don't know what's going on in her head at all." 

"You're right. In the end, only she knows the answer." 

As they continued chatting, Chef Mao shared anecdotes about the history of Wanmin Restaurant, the secret behind their renowned dishes, and the challenges they faced in a bustling city like Liyue Harbour. The chef's passion for his craft and the culinary arts was evident to Aerin, creating a lively atmosphere within the eatery. 

After a few more minutes, the young waitress, with a polite smile, approached the table where Aerin and Chef Mao were engrossed in conversation. 

"Excuse me, father, sorry to interrupt. Aerin, right?" she addressed him with a friendly tone. 

Aerin nodded, "Yes, that's me." 

"I hope you enjoyed the meal. By the way, the dessert is on the house today as a special treat for our new guest. Would you like to try our special dessert, Moon Pie Delight?" she offered. 

Aerin, pleasantly surprised by the gesture, smiled and replied, "Sure, why not? I'd love to try it." 

The waitress nodded, "Great! I'll bring it right away." With that, she hurried back to the kitchen, leaving Aerin and Chef Mao to resume their conversation. 

Soon enough, the waitress returned with a delectable-looking Moon Pie Delight, a dessert made of multiple layers of cream emanating a delightful aroma. She placed it before Aerin with a cheerful expression, "Here you go! Enjoy your dessert, courtesy of Wanmin Restaurant." 

Aerin, grateful for the hospitality, took a moment to savor the dessert. The Moon Pie Delight was so rich in creaminess that it melted his mouth. In response to the rich flavors and sweetness filling practically every corner of his mouth, he was only able to utter a single word. 

"Yummy..." 

Both Chef Mao and the waitress puffed out their chests in pride, seeing that they had successfully bewitched one more customer with their cooking. They were sure that now that another number had been added to their 'regular customers' list. They both made sure that Aerin would be unable to live without their food for even a week. 

"By the way, Xiangling, my dear, have you served the customers at table—" 

"Pfftt...." All of a sudden, Aerin choked on his dessert, capturing both of their attention as he looked at them incredulously. 

"Wait a minute..." Taking a tissue and wiping the dessert spilled on his face, he looked at them and frowned, "What did you say just now?" 

Chef Mao looked at him confused and thought about what had gotten so sudden while the waitress, whose identity was Xiangling, replied with a questioning tone, "You mean, serving customers at table no.—" 

Aerin replied, cutting her off, "No, no that. Chef Mao, what did you say before that?" 

Both father-daughter duo looked at each other before the bewildered Chef Mao understood and started laughing, "Hahahaha, I see now the issue. You must have heard of Xiangling from someone before." 

Confirming that he didn't hear it wrong, he nodded, "I see. Yes, I did hear of Xiangling before from Captain Beidou. She said that she is the most renowned chef in all of Liyue." 

"Well, I did tell you that she is famed as a chef. After all, she is my daughter, hahaha." 

Looking at Xiangling, Aerin asked her, "I've heard a lot about you from Captain Beidou. About how the food made by you is the best not just in Liyue but in whole of Teyvat. I would really love to taste your cooking someday." 

Xiangling blushed in embarrassment and smiled shyly as she heard the compliment and murmured to herself, "Hehe, it feels really good to hear such praise from a stranger..." 

"Hmm...what is it?" 

She just waved both of her hands in denial, "N-Nothing. To answer your question, I sometimes try to become waitress for a change. But don't worry, I cook here most of the days. Even then, if by some chance, you can't taste my cooking here, then you can definitely taste it on the Rite of Ascension." 

Aerin, for a split second, directed his gaze to Chef Mao as if saying, 'Told you so' before casting his gaze back. 

"You also cook there?" 

She replied cheerfully, "That's right. Every year, I get contracted by the Liyue Qixing to prepare a feast for the Rite of Ascension. That's why even if I'm gone for some foodies-trip, I definitely make it till then. It's still months away, but the wait's gotta worth it, right?" 

Aerin responded, "Alright then, I would definitely taste it someday." And with that, he got up. 

"I think I should get going now. I've taken too much time of your time here. And one last time— your food was just *chef's kiss*." 

Chef Mao, hearing his earnest praise, seemed pleased. "Glad you liked it! Make sure to drop by anytime for the time you're planning to stay here. We always welcome new faces." 

Aerin nodded appreciatively and smiled, "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the wonderful meal and the hospitality, Chef Mao. And you too, Xiangling." 

After paying them with a friendly wave, Aerin bid farewell to the lively atmosphere of Wanmin Restaurant. 

Just as he went out, a small explosion occurred in the restaurant's kitchen. Looking behind, he sighed and then continued walking before speaking to himself. 

"Chef Mao, you really ought to give your employers some rest. Now look what happened. Not everyone is as workaholic as you. You've got understand this." 

 Leaving the warmth of Wanmin Restaurant, Aerin found himself once again on the bustling streets of Liyue. The aftertaste of the Moon Pie Delight lingered on his palate as he took out the crumpled paper from before and decided to head to the last destination before going for the commissions, which was purchasing a weapon. 

*** 

(Switching to 1st person perspective) 

Carrying my stuff, I reached the blacksmith's shop, which was not really far from Wanmin restaurant. 

I didn't spend as much time there as my previous destination and quickly sorted out things. 

Once I reached there, I asked the blacksmith to show me some ready-made daggers, specifically falling under the price of 10k mora since the jingling sound of the pouch Captain Beidou gave me was getting quieter. Once I earn some more mora, I'd definitely ask him to make me a custom-made weapon specifically suited for me. 

The reason I asked for a dagger was because while I knew that only some not-so-modern weapons were used here, I wasn't really proficient with any of them. To counter that, either I'd have to build a modern weapon like a gun for myself from scratch, which I don't have enough knowledge of, or use some other weapon that I'm proficient enough with, which takes me to this decision: A dagger. 

After all, I did somewhat practiced with that in my previous world. 

Anyways, back to the topic at hand, he showed me some designs of the different daggers, and to be honest, I was impressed. I did not expect the quality of the blade to be that high. So, I quickly chose one that was perfect for my taste by waving it around the air and performing some tricks with it in the air and how it felt in my hand. I checked the sharpness, and it was very sharp. 

After asking the price, which was 8k mora, I haggled it down to 6k mora with the blacksmith and left quite satisfied. 

Now that every preparation was over, I headed straight through to the entrance of Liyue Harbour through Feiyun Slope, where I was told that I may find some merchants who were traveling to Mondstandt and may take an extra adventurer for protection. 

I looked around there, and true enough, there were some merchants in their carriages, either preparing to go out or still scouting for some adventurers. 

I asked some of them to travel with them in exchange for protection, but when they asked for my level, 

"I'm sorry. My carriage is already full." 

"We aren't scouting anyone right now." 

"Oh no no... We've finished all the preparations and were going out just now." 

They all, in some way or other, rejected me. 

I just let out a sigh. To be honest, I did somewhat expected that this would happen. So, I continued trying to find a small-time merchant who wouldn't mind me on their journey. Because small-time merchants tend to be more humble and accommodating than other merchants who become grumpy over time due to their business growth. 

It was already afternoon, and evening was approaching, so I knew that I had to find a person fast. So, I ignored anyone who looked like some bigshot merchants and instead tried to find some decent merchants. And in the end, I did find one. 

It was when, from exhaustion, after asking around for hours, I sat on the sidewalk and took a rest for a while before hearing a nearby conversation going on. 

"Please...You can't do this to me. We've to leave now." 

"I'm sorry... I'm really really sorry. But I won't be able to make it today." 

"But you promised, and we even signed a contract. How could you do this?" 

"Look, don't worry about the compensation. I'll properly pay it according to what is stipulated in the contract. But I just can't leave with you now. An emergency has come out." 

The conversation went on for a few more minutes before the other person finally said. 

"I can't be any later than that. I gotta go now. I'll meet you again and if possible, please try to forgive me. Bye." 

I got near the voices and saw a dejected, frail-looking merchant and an adventurer who was walking away. 

Sensing a potential opportunity coming up after the adventurer went far enough distance, I quickly reached out to the merchant and didn't even give him the time to actually cry. 

"Hey." 

"Uwahhhh—" He looked at me as if he had seen a ghost. Was I really that good at peek-a-boo? 

Anyways, I talked to him calmly before he got more flustered. 

"Calm down. I'm an adventurer." 

"Wait, you're an adventurer? Wait a minute, don't go anywhere, come with me. I need yo—" 

"Alright, alright. First of all, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. Secondly, I know that you're looking for an adventurer, and that's precisely why I came to you. I want to travel with you until somewhere near Guili Plains in exchange for your protection." 

"Wait, how did you know about the second part." 

I shrugged, "I'm sorry. I listened to your conversation earlier." 

"Oh, I see. So that's why." 

"So, what do you think about my offer. I won't even charge a fee. Isn't it good?" 

Somehow, the merchant's sixth sense was tingling, telling him something was off. There was no way such a good offer would come into his hands right after he was feeling helpless about the situation. 

"Okay, I'll consider it. But first, can you tell me your adventurer level?" 

I sighed, knowing that my plan to immediately pressure him into accepting the offer had failed. I was hoping the merchant would make his decision in such haste and pressure that he would accept without even asking about my adventurer's level. Now, I could only tell the truth. 

I brought out my adventurer's badge and showed him, "Alright, you caught me. I am level 1. In fact, I became an adventurer today only. But you do know that levels are not everything. They are based on commissions, not on how powerful you are." 

The merchant's eyes narrowed slightly, "Yes, I know that. But..." he looked a bit hesitant and contemplated something in his mind before ultimately deciding to relent. "Alright, you can come with me. At least better than nothing. And it's not like I have any other choice." 

Finally!! 

But the merchant wasn't finished, "I want to ask you one last question before that. Have you had any training in killing monsters and bandits?" 

I lied through my teeth, "Of course, I have. Otherwise, why else would I become an adventurer?" 

"Alright, fine. By the way...where is your weapon?" 

I gestured to the bag hanging on my back. After seeing this, the merchant sighed and told me to follow him to his cart, "I am Qing the merchant, by the way." 

"Aerin Vinterholm. Hope to have a good travel with you." 

He nodded, "Same here. So, Aerin, we don't have much time. We've got to go now because we're already late as it is. And on top of that, we've also got to account for any monster's occurrence." 

I just replied, "Yeah, let's go." 

 ***

2.2k words.

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