"If I could go back, I would never have taken a bite of that Slime Condensate."
Lumine clutched her stomach, her face pale. The smooth texture of the Slime Condensate paired with sweet Whopperflower Nectar should have made a decent dessert. But Xiangling had cut some matsutake into it.
The earthy flavor of the matsutake blended with the Slime Condensate. When Lumine took her first bite, she seriously thought she had bitten into a Geo Slime. The strange texture nearly made her throw up.
Still, this meal gave her a clear understanding of Zhongli. That he could taste the dish and comment on it with a completely straight face was honestly eye‑opening.
"Oh my, little girl, you're so young but already in this state. Big sister has a secret kidney tonic recipe. I'll sell it to you cheap, just a few Mora."
A light, teasing voice came from the entrance of Chunxiang Boutique. Lumine turned and saw a young woman standing there.
"Little girl, staring at big sister like that. Are you thinking of coming into my shop to see some treasures? The items here are good quality and reasonably priced."
A trickle of red leaked from Lumine's nose. She wiped it away and took a step toward the woman, ready to go inside and broaden her horizons.
"Miss Ying'er, please stop teasing Lumine. The prices at your shop are more than she can afford."
"And Lumine, I suggest you don't go in there. We're talking hundreds of thousands of Mora."
Su Bai wiped the Slime Condensate from the corner of his mouth. The sticky stuff mixed with Whopperflower Nectar could actually stretch into strands. It was a novel experience, though the taste was hard to describe.
Ying'er looked at Lumine, then at Su Bai, a hint of surprise in her eyes. Had this blonde girl actually conquered the fox adeptus?
That couldn't be right. This adeptus had always kept himself pure. Many young ladies from noble families had tried to gain some adeptal fortune through him, and all had failed. Someone like him shouldn't have been won over by this ordinary foreign girl.
But Ying'er was worldly. After a few seconds of surprise, she quickly recovered, looking at Lumine with a complicated expression.
"Little sister, would you like to come into my shop? Perhaps we could exchange some insights."
Su Bai's mouth twitched. He couldn't imagine Lumine with a personality like Ying'er's. Lumine was also startled by Su Bai's warning. Hundreds of thousands of Mora for a little fun? Did they take her for a fool?
"Miss Ying'er, I won't be going in. I wish you prosperity and many customers."
"Oh, really won't come in? They're all good things. I'm sure you'd learn a lot."
Ying'er looked disappointed. She had wanted to ask Lumine how she had managed to catch the fox adeptus's attention. It seemed that wouldn't happen today.
"Alright, Ying'er. Lumine is my good friend. Stop teasing her, or she might leave and you'll lose a customer."
"Oh? Just a good friend?"
"I wouldn't lie about something so trivial, would I?"
Hearing Ying'er's skeptical tone, Su Bai's head began to ache. Had this young woman been spending too much time around matchmakers? Why did she see every pair as a couple?
Ying'er relaxed slightly at Su Bai's words. Good, the foreign blonde hadn't stolen him away. That meant the young ladies of Liyue Harbor still had some hope.
Thinking of the generous rewards those noble families had offered, Ying'er smiled softly and licked her lips. Her gaze toward Su Bai grew warm and inviting, like spring water. Watching this, Lumine shot Su Bai an envious look.
"Alright, Sister Ying'er, stop teasing me. We may be close, but if someone sees, you could be charged with disrespecting an adeptus. Then your shop might get shut down, and you'd have nowhere to cry."
"Hehe, Adeptus Su Bai, you really know how to joke. Since you, an adeptus, have no complaints, why would anyone speak ill of me?"
"Besides, didn't Adeptus Su Bai quite enjoy my special service before?"
Ying'er's words caught Lumine's attention. Her gaze toward Su Bai turned strange. Su Bai inwardly cried foul. He had just commissioned a custom vase. How was that a special service?
The worst part was, he hadn't actually enjoyed anything, yet he was being misunderstood. What a fool he was.
"Um, Miss Ying'er, could I order that special service too? I'd like to enjoy it as well."
Before Su Bai could explain, Lumine had already pulled out a bag of Mora and placed it in Ying'er's hand. Ying'er blinked, then smiled and pocketed the Mora.
"Then may I ask what the young lady requires? If you have special requests, I can adjust accordingly."
"Huh? I can make requests? Do you have maid outfits here?"
Lumine's nosebleed, which had barely stopped, started flowing again. She swallowed hard, clearly imagining something pleasant.
Ying'er's expression was unusually rich. Shyness mixed with anticipation, longing tinged with affection. Lumine found it almost too much to handle. At the same time, she stopped regretting the Mora she had just handed over. She even felt it was well spent.
"Maid outfits? I've never heard of putting a maid outfit on porcelain. But if the young lady has such a preference, I suppose it's not impossible. Our craftsmanship at Chunxiang Boutique has always been excellent."
"What? Porcelain? Not you wearing the outfit, Miss Ying'er?"
"Hmm? Did the young lady want me to wear a maid outfit while making your porcelain? I misunderstood. That's not impossible either, just a bit more troublesome."
Ying'er thought for a moment before reluctantly giving an affirmative answer. Seeing Lumine's dumbfounded expression, Su Bai couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Haha, I forgot to mention, Lumine. Ying'er's shop sells porcelain. Not the kind of business you were thinking of."
"What? What kind of business was I thinking of? I just wanted to buy some porcelain to cultivate my taste. Is that not allowed?"
Lumine would never admit her thoughts had taken a colorful turn. Her nosebleed, however, made her denial unconvincing. Ying'er smiled and handed the bag of Mora back to her.
It was fine to tease the fox adeptus's friend a little. But she couldn't keep the Mora. If she did, that would be disrespecting an adeptus. Ying'er, with years of experience making scented balms, knew exactly where to draw the line.
Taking back the money, Lumine felt both embarrassed and puzzled. By all rights, her age made her old enough to be this woman's ancestor. Yet she had still been fooled. How had that happened?