"Oh my, little sister, you actually bought three types of Silk Flowers. That's quite ambitious."
"You won't be able to use all this balm for the Rite of Parting. Tell me, who are you planning to give all this to? Big sister can help you think it over."
Ying'er played with the Silk Flowers in her hands. With years of experience making scented balm, she could easily tell that the flowers Lumine bought were top quality.
"What are you talking about? All three balms are for Rex Lapis. We're going to put them in front of the Statue of The Seven and let the statue choose."
"Oh, I see. Then I'll have to make them carefully."
Seeing Ying'er sway her hips and go into Chunxiang Boutique to get her tools, Lumine breathed a small sigh of relief. She had a feeling that the reason Zhongli didn't come back with her and Su Bai was mainly because he didn't want to face Miss Ying'er.
Knowing that the balm was for the Rite of Parting, Ying'er didn't dare to be careless. She chose the best auxiliary materials and tools she had. Once everything was ready, she carried a pile of supplies and teased Lumine.
"I already talked to Chef Mao. I'm about to start now. Are you ready to take responsibility for me?"
"Huh? Responsibility?"
"I mean the responsibility of being my assistant. Hehe. While I prepare the steps, you can go fetch me some water."
Ying'er instructed Lumine to run errands while greeting the curious Xiangling. With nothing better to do, Xiangling turned and picked up Guoba, who was eating a chicken leg, and carried him over to the stove.
"Lulu?"
"Guoba, breathe fire."
While Guoba was still confused, Xiangling gave the command. Though puzzled, Guoba breathed a burst of fire at the stove, lighting it.
"Water's here, water's here!"
"Hmm, the quality is good. Next, I'll need you to go to the crafting bench and extract essential oil from the Silk Flowers. The method for making balm is very different from alchemy. Let me teach you."
"Hold the mortar like this, gently and softly. Keep your palm pressed tight so it doesn't slip. Then stir at a rhythm that feels most natural to you, until the juice from the flowers is completely squeezed out."
Paimon listened carefully. Lumine, on the other hand, had already turned bright red. It was just a description of the technique, so why did it feel so wrong? Was her mind just too...
Watching Lumine run around busily, Su Bai felt a little guilty. He silently stuffed another candied hawthorn into his mouth. The sweet and sour flavor made him forget all about that guilt.
"Hey, Su Bai, you're slacking off again. Did you pick up Venti's habit of doing nothing useful while you were in Mondstadt?"
"Cough, cough. You can't say that. As an adeptus, I naturally have more important things to do."
"More important things?"
Looking at Su Bai playing with Guoba, Paimon's chubby cheeks puffed up into a bun. Did he really think she was stupid? He was just playing around with Guoba. What important thing could there be?
"I'm not lying. This is called observing the people's livelihood. It's very important."
Paimon had no idea how to argue with that. Unable to think of a retort, she stomped her little foot in the air in frustration.
"Just laze yourself to death!"
"Haha, I'd love that."
"You! Argh, so annoying!"
Paimon flailed at Su Bai and they started messing around. You had to admit, her little fists hitting his body felt pretty good. Just the right amount of force, almost enjoyable.
"Will you two quit it? Miss Ying'er, this is the essential oil I made. Is it alright?"
"Hmm, not bad at all. Now for the most critical part. I'll put it in water and simmer it slowly until almost all the water has evaporated."
"The heat here is very particular. Too high, and it will affect the fragrance. This is the last step. Make sure not a single drop of the Silk Flower juice is left."
"After all, you've only succeeded if there's not a single drop left."
With that, Ying'er got busy at the stove. Lumine came over to Su Bai and started discussing the last item: where to pick fresh Glaze Lilies.
Glaze Lilies are delicate flowers. The ones sold in Liyue Harbor are usually dried and used as medicine. Finding fresh, high quality Glaze Lilies was not easy.
Just as he was thinking about where to find the best Glaze Lilies, a faint floral scent drifted into Su Bai's nose. The fragrance was just right. Any stronger would be too cloying, any weaker too faint. With such skill, no wonder so many young ladies came to Ying'er for scented balm.
If this product ever made its way to Inazuma, it would surely cause a stir among the wealthy young women there. The rich families in Inazuma were known for their generosity, especially the Hiiragi clan. Su Bai had suspected more than once that the Hiiragi family's wealth might exceed that of the Kamisato and Kujou clans combined.
When the head of the Kujou clan celebrated his birthday, he only hosted a hundred tables. But when the young lady of the Hiiragi clan turned nineteen, she hosted a hundred and ninety tables. The food at that banquet was so luxurious that even Kamisato Ayaka, the young lady of the Kamisato clan, had to admire it. As a young lady from another great family, Ayaka had never experienced such treatment.
How good was the food? According to the banquet rules, each invited guest could bring a friend. Su Bai, representing Yae Miko, had brought that idiot Itto along.
His original plan was simple. He had already paid the gift money, so he would bring a big eater to eat his money's worth. But Itto, the fool, had probably never seen so much delicious food in his life. Since Su Bai was representing Yae Miko, the Guuji of the Grand Narukami Shrine, no one dared to stop Itto no matter how much he ate and drank. The old head of the Hiiragi clan even toasted Su Bai.
After the banquet ended, Itto was in so much pain from overeating that Su Bai had to carry him to a clinic. Su Bai paid for the treatment too.
Ying'er noticed Su Bai staring at the balm in her hands. She smiled warmly.
"If Adeptus Su Bai needs some, Ying'er wouldn't mind making it for him. But our shop is open during the day. We only do business outside of porcelain at night."
Su Bai took a few steps back, clearly unable to handle Ying'er's teasing. Ying'er knew when to stop. She placed three boxes of fragrant balm into Lumine's hands and whispered in her ear.
"Little girl, don't forget what I told you. If your boat capsizes, you'll be in trouble."