Ever since she could remember, Shenhe had lived on Mount Aocang. Her heart was pure and simple.
Hearing the bird-keeper's words, she answered without hesitation, "I'm looking for my senior disciple, Ganyu. Do you know where I can find her?"
As she spoke, a flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes. This scene felt strangely familiar. Had she met this leisurely man before? Had she said something similar?
The man, utterly unconcerned, continued playing with his bird. "Try Tianheng Mountain. You might find Ganyu there. If you can't find her, try resting in a haystack. You might find something unexpected."
With that, he turned and walked away, birdcage in hand, leaving Shenhe behind.
"May I ask your name, sir? If I find Senior Ganyu, I will return to thank you."
The man replied indifferently, "No need. I only accept thanks once."
His figure disappeared into the streets of Liyue.
Shenhe watched him go, then took out the map her master had given her and headed toward Tianheng Mountain.
She searched the cliffs, the hillsides, and even the hilichurl camps. But there was no sign of Ganyu.
Then she remembered the man's words: "If you can't find her, try resting in a haystack. You might find something unexpected."
Though she did not understand what he meant, her simple heart took his advice. She climbed into a haystack and lay down.
It was comfortable. Liyue's haystacks were soft, like a natural bed.
But as soon as she lay down, she felt something beneath her. She pushed aside the hay and found a person.
More precisely, a half-adeptus with two horns on her head.
Seeing those red horns, Shenhe immediately recognized her. This was Ganyu, the senior disciple her master had described.
Ganyu, having slept enough, opened her eyes and looked at Shenhe with confusion.
"You look familiar. Have we met before?"
Looking at the young woman before her, Ganyu felt a strange sense of familiarity. But humans grew quickly. In just a few years, a little girl could become a young woman. Even Ganyu did not recognize her.
Shenhe thought for a moment. "I think this is our first meeting."
Though they shared a master, Shenhe had never seen Ganyu on Mount Aocang. She handed Ganyu the letter from their master.
"I am Shenhe, Cloud Retainer's disciple. I am your junior."
Ganyu: "???"
She had heard of this junior disciple, but this was the first time they had met.
Just as Shenhe was about to climb out of the haystack, Ganyu grabbed her hand, looking embarrassed and flustered.
"What is it, Senior Ganyu?"
"About today—about the haystack—please don't tell anyone."
Shenhe paused, then smiled. "Don't worry. I don't like gossiping about others."
But Ganyu did not let go. As a loyal follower of Rex Lapis, she believed in contracts. Only with a contract would she trust Shenhe to keep silent.
"I offer you a commission: keep today's secret. The reward is 10,000 Mora."
She offered that amount because, years ago, two children had found her the same way. That commission had also been 10,000 Mora.
Thinking of that incident, Ganyu found this junior disciple growing more and more familiar. But Shenhe, now a young woman, had changed too much from the little girl of years past. Ganyu did not recognize her.
Shenhe hesitated, then said, "Alright. I accept this commission. For the rest of my life, I will keep today's secret."
She also told Ganyu about her confusion and the purpose of her trip down the mountain.
Ganyu thought seriously. "Lost memories? Once lost, they are very hard to recover. Why don't you wander around Liyue Harbor? Look for things that feel familiar. You might remember something."
Shenhe considered this. "Thank you, Senior. I will try."
And so, over the following days, Shenhe visited every corner of Liyue Harbor. Wanmin Restaurant. Yun-Han Opera Troupe. Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
After visiting every place, she returned to the notice board and sat down beside it, as if waiting for someone.
But she did not know who she was waiting for. Still, sitting here gave her a sense of peace. That only deepened her confusion.
She felt that by sitting here, she was waiting for someone to appear.
But she waited and waited, and no one came.
Finally, even Shenhe gave up.
"Well—if I didn't find them today, I'll try again tomorrow. If there's someone worth waiting for, they will appear sooner or later."
As night fell, she said this and left the notice board.
From then on, Shenhe often came to this place. But to this day, she has not found the person she was waiting for.
...
Shenhe's story ended.
At Wangshu Inn, below the stage, the audience heard these final details—that Shenhe had returned to Liyue Harbor, taken the commission to find Ganyu again, and found Ganyu in a haystack again.
Tears flowed freely.
"Damn storyteller. Did you make this up?"
"Why did Shenhe have to forget? It was Cloud Retainer who erased her memories. But why?"
"Even without her memories, she still longed for the commissions she used to do."
"Shenhe revisited Tianheng Mountain alone."
"Of course she couldn't find him. He had already entered the cycle of reincarnation."
"And it was that bird-keeping Zhongli who reminded her to look in the haystack for Ganyu. Isn't he afraid Lady Ganyu will retaliate?"