Tabibito and Hu Tao got along well, and they had visited each other often after Tabibito came to Liyue Harbor.
Because of that, Tabibito knew plenty about Zhongli.
In her mind, Zhongli basically never carried Mora when he went out.
But Hu Tao was saying he had one hundred and fifty thousand Mora on him?
How was that possible?
Tabibito looked at Hu Tao. "Zhongli had one hundred and fifty thousand Mora?"
"No way."
"Why not? I saw it with my own eyes," Hu Tao said.
"That's insane." Tabibito scratched her head. "As far as I know, Zhongli almost never carries Mora."
"You're making such a big deal out of nothing."
Ryou looked at Tabibito and Hu Tao. "The Ministry of Civil Affairs paid out Mora yesterday. Zhongli received eighty thousand."
Tabibito and Hu Tao were both surprised. Neither of them expected Zhongli to have taken that much Mora.
"Enough about that. Let's head back first." Ryou stood and walked outside.
He brought Tabibito and the others back to Elder He's house, where Ryou's father, Uncle He, and Elder He were chatting.
"Well, if it isn't Director Hu. What brings you here?" Elder He asked.
"I'm here to get a free meal," Hu Tao said with a grin, hands behind her back. "Surely Elder He won't turn me away, right?"
"A meal? Then I'll have them prepare a few more dishes," Elder He said with a smile.
"I'll go now," Uncle He said, getting up.
"Uncle He, let me do it," Ryou said.
"You?" Uncle He looked at him.
Then he remembered the crayfish Ryou had made at lunch. "Look at my memory. Seems like I'm in for a treat today. Need any help?"
"I'll help," Keqing said, stepping forward.
Uncle He glanced at her and nodded. "All right. Then I won't crowd the kitchen."
"I'll help too!" Tabibito said.
"Come on." Ryou led them into the kitchen.
Ryou's father downed his tea in one go and smiled.
"Your son really is something," Elder He said. "Handsome, capable, and he can cook. Not many men can make proper food."
"You're blessed."
"That crayfish at lunch was incredible. I'm genuinely jealous you have a son like him."
"My brat can cook too, but compared with your boy? Not even close."
"Dad!" Uncle He protested.
"Am I wrong?" Elder He shot him a look. "If you were half as capable, I could die happy."
Then he pointed at the adeptal tea. "And look at this tea. You couldn't buy this with Mora even if you wanted to."
"And you? All you do is bring me that fake Yilong Wharf tea and try to fool your own father."
"But that's also called adeptal tea…"
"Ow! Dad, I'll stop talking." Uncle He got hit and immediately shut up.
"When I talk, you listen. Why do you always have so much nonsense to say?"
Elder He glared at Uncle He, then turned back to Ryou's father. "Sorry you had to see that."
"It's fine."
Ryou's father smiled helplessly. "My son may be capable, but you saw it too. His luck with women is a little too strong."
"If he weren't married, I wouldn't say anything. But… he is."
Ryou's father sighed. "Elder He, give me some advice."
"What advice is there to give?" Elder He said. "Your father's thinking was old-fashioned. Why are you copying him?"
He gave Ryou's father a look. "If the boy likes them all, let him marry a few more. I can talk to Ningguang. I may be retired, but I still have a little face left."
Ryou's father thought about Ryou's romantic luck and shook his head. "Let's wait and see. The boy has a good heart, and no ugly rumors have spread. There's no rush."
"Are you stupid? More wives means more children. You and your wife aren't young anymore either. It's about time you held some grandchildren."
Elder He knocked Uncle He on the head. "If he were like my brat here, I'd be furious. Why are you looking around? I'm talking about you!"
In the kitchen, Ryou handled the fish and other ingredients with practiced ease. Once everything hit the wok, the aroma quickly drifted through the room.
The smell was so tempting that the girls in the kitchen kept swallowing.
"It smells amazing," Tabibito said.
"Paimon should've caught more fish. Paimon is going to eat until she's full tonight!"
"Me too!"
Ryou saw Tabibito and Keqing leaning in to smell the food and smiled.
With all his buffs stacked together, these dishes could absolutely be called a feast.
Aside from someone with truly exceptional cooking skill like Xiangling, few people could make food at this level.
Then he heard a growing commotion outside.
Ryou turned his head and glanced out. Many people had gathered outside the courtyard, whispering among themselves.
A middle-aged man even closed his eyes and leaned toward the door. "That smells so good. It smells incredible!"
"Elder He, let us have a taste!"
"Yeah!"
"Just one bite. One bite is enough!"
Ryou saw Elder He set down his teacup. "Taste what? There isn't even enough for me."
"Go on, get out of here. If you keep smelling it, you won't be able to eat your own dinner. And wipe your mouths, all of you!"
Ryou laughed when he saw that.
He lifted the lid and smelled the food, then nodded to himself.
The dish quality had reached +5, which was basically the mid-grade range, like mid-grade adeptal tea.
Even just entering that tier made the taste far better than +3, and the food would benefit the body too.
For now, Ryou could only reach this point by stacking buffs.
Compared with Xiangling, he was still lacking in raw skill.
Xiangling relied on her own ability. With good ingredients and proper technique, she could keep dishes above +3, and when she was in good condition, she could reach +4 or +5. That was not something Ryou could match yet.
Ryou made braised fish, fish tofu, and several small side dishes with the remaining ingredients.
When he carried the last dish out into the courtyard, the smell was almost unfair.
The courtyard was packed with people outside the walls. Qingce locals and tourists alike stood there swallowing.
Ryou even saw a few people drooling so badly that the ground beneath them had damp spots.
Uncle He shot to his feet. "How are we supposed to eat with all of you staring like that?"
"Leave. Hurry up!"
"If you don't, I won't be polite!"
"Um… can't we just watch? It smells too good."
"I won't be able to eat when I go home anyway. At least this way I can enjoy looking at it."
"Brother, do you take private cooking jobs?"
"I want to hire you to cook a table for me. I-I can pay one hundred thousand Mora!"
"I'll pay—"
"Enough nonsense. All of you, leave!"
Uncle He grabbed a stick. "He made thirteen million Mora in four days. You think he cares about your little bit of Mora?"
"Do you know anything? That lottery in Mondstadt was Ryou's idea."
"Now go, or I'm going to start hitting people!" Uncle He waved the stick to chase them off.
"You can hit me if you want, but I'm not leaving!" the middle-aged man said, swallowing hard.
"We're only looking. It's not like we're eating your food. Are we not even allowed to look?" a woman complained.
"Exactly!"
"You people…" Uncle He was furious.
"All right. If they want to watch, let them watch," Elder He called out. "Sit down and eat. The food will get cold."
Ryou shook his head and picked up a piece of fish tofu for Keqing. "Keqing, try this."
"Mm-hmm." Keqing nodded.
"Father, you eat too." Ryou also placed a piece in his father's bowl.
"All right, all right." Ryou's father smiled, but the moment he tasted it, he froze. "This fish tofu is amazing."
"I thought it was tofu, but it's made from fish."
"Elder He, you should try some too."
Elder He took one bite, said nothing, then immediately picked up another piece.
Ryou smiled when he saw that. He picked up his chopsticks and gave Hu Tao two pieces as well.
After eating for a while, Ryou asked, "Father, where are Xingqiu and the others?"
"They haven't come back yet. I already sent someone to look for them, so they should be back soon," Ryou's father said, then lowered his head and kept eating.
Paimon, Tabibito, Hu Tao, and the others all moved their chopsticks quickly. Half an hour later, the whole table of food was almost completely gone.
Ryou set down his chopsticks. "Full?"
"I'm full." Keqing wiped her lips with a napkin.
"So full. Paimon hasn't eaten this much in ages."
Paimon landed on Tabibito's shoulder. "Tabibito, carry Paimon for a bit. Paimon can barely fly."
"That's what you get," Tabibito said.
"But it was too good!" Paimon said.
"Then…" Ryou started to speak.
"Sit down," Elder He said. "Let this brat clean up."
"You're guests. What kind of host lets guests clear the table?"
He glared at Uncle He. "Why are you standing there? Clean up. Do you expect your father to do it?"
"Dad, I just finished eating… All right, all right, I'll clean up right now."
When Uncle He saw Elder He about to deal with him again, he hurriedly got up and started clearing the table.
Ryou did not insist. He raised his hand, took out the teapot, and brewed fresh tea for everyone.
This time, he still used the Adeptal Energy Teapot, but he controlled the quality at +3.
The taste was not as good as the pot from the morning, but it was still very pleasant.
With the night breeze brushing past them, the feeling was especially comfortable.
"Chang, what brings you here?"
Ryou heard someone talking at the entrance.
"Uncle He, I… I have something I'd like to ask Ryou about," Chang the Ninth said.
"What is it?" Uncle He asked.
"I went to send out my manuscripts, but I missed the deadline. When I came back, I heard from the village chief that Ryou had commented on my writing. Since I have nothing else to do now, I wanted to ask him for advice," Chang the Ninth said.
"You want advice from him?" Uncle He sounded surprised. "Come in, then."
"Sorry for the intrusion," Chang the Ninth said.
When Chang the Ninth saw Elder He, he looked a little nervous. "Elder He, y-you're here too."
"Where else would I be?" Elder He glared at him. "Little Chang, stop messing around with novels."
"If you ran a proper business, you wouldn't have so many headaches."
"You're right, Elder He, but… I still want to try," Chang the Ninth said quietly. "I want to ask Ryou to take a look. If it still doesn't work out, I'll give up and focus on business properly."
"The boy has been writing novels for years and hasn't earned much Mora," Elder He said, turning to Ryou. "Why don't you take a look for him?"
"If it won't work, then help him cut off that thought early."
[End of chapter]
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