I'm a male god in Liyue

Then came a barely perceptible series of footsteps descending the stairs.

Despite the shop being closed today, Zhu Zi still got up very early, even earlier than yesterday.

There was really no other way; it was too embarrassing.

With a flushed face, she crept to the back of the shop, clutching her pajamas and sheets, and washed them clean before hanging them up on a bamboo pole like a thief.

A morning breeze blew by, and the clothes drying on the shelves fluttered gently.

Zhu Zi wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, looked at the pristine white sheets, and slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

After washing up and cleaning the shop, she finally heard the sound of a door opening upstairs.

The boss is up!

Zhu Zi's ears twitched slightly, and her expression became somewhat tense. Then she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

Footsteps slowly descended from upstairs.

Zhu Zi lowered his head and earnestly wiped the table with a rag.

"Zhu Zi, up so early?"

"Good morning, boss!"

"We're not working today, so you can sleep in a little later."

"It's okay! I'm used to waking up early!"

"Oh, okay, let's go have breakfast together later."

"Ok!"

Xia Zhi went to the store and washed up.

Zhu Zi patted her chest, feeling her heart beating a little fast.

She felt her face was burning hot; it must be really red now. Luckily, the boss couldn't see it.

There was really no other way; every time she saw the boss's face, she couldn't help but think of the dream she had last night—it was so embarrassing.

A short while later, Xia Zhi finished washing up and went out with Zhu Zi.

Pushing open the shop door, I saw some customers standing outside.

They came to queue, but when they arrived and saw the red paper posted outside the store, they realized that the store was closed for the day, and they didn't want to leave.

Seeing Xia Zhi and Zhu Zi walk out of the store, he couldn't help but come over.

"Boss Xia, are you really not open for business today?"

"Yes, thank you all for your support of our shop. Please come again the day after tomorrow."

"Ah! Boss Xia! I'll die without rainbow juice!"

"Boss Xia! My friend has a terminal illness, and all he wants before he dies is a glass of rainbow juice!"

"Well... the shop is right next to the Rebirth Hall. I heard they have some discounts recently. You two can go and check it out."

……

After finally managing to persuade the group of enthusiastic guests to leave, Xia Zhi and Zhu Zi quickly departed to avoid being bothered by the later guests.

"Zhu Zi, what would you like to eat today?"

"I can do it."

"Then why don't we go to Wanmintang and take a look? Xiangling should already be trying to make new dishes today."

"Ok."

When we arrived at Wanmintang, it was already open, and Master Mao was sitting in front of the shop preparing vegetables.

"Mr. Xia! Ms. Zhu! Good morning."

"Good morning, Master Mao. Where's Xiangling?"

Chef Mao smiled with a mixture of helplessness and relief: "She's in the kitchen. She talked about the new dish she's going to use in the competition all night yesterday, and she got up early this morning."

Xia Zhi nodded and smiled, "I'll go take a look."

As you approach the kitchen, you'll immediately smell the aroma of food.

Several steaming dishes were placed on the stove. Xiangling was standing to one side with chopsticks in her hand, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she was seriously thinking about something.

Hearing footsteps, she turned around, a happy expression on her face.

"Mr. Xia! You've arrived!"

"Is this smell a combination of wild mushrooms and sea bass?"

"As expected of Mr. Xia, he could tell just by smelling it!"

"The combination of mountain delicacies and seafood, I see. This is your interpretation of the theme of 'food and nature'."

"What does Mr. Xia think?"

"The idea is good, but mushrooms are characterized by their freshness, and so is fish. Putting two ingredients that are primarily fresh together can actually create a clash in flavor."

"Yes! I've noticed this problem too, and I'm struggling with it."

"Don't rush, let me try it first."

"Mr. Xia, please wait a moment!"

Xiangling immediately served two portions, one to Xia Zhi and the other to Zhu Zi.

Xia Zhi tasted it, pondered for a moment, and offered a suggestion: "You could try adding some mint leaves, which can remove the fishy smell of the sea bass and enhance the flavor, and then..."

Xiangling carefully wrote it down and made a new stewed fish with wild mushrooms according to his suggestion. The two kinds of umami flavors were magically blended together under the influence of a few inconspicuous spices.

"Mr. Xia is amazing!"

"Fortunately."

“I have some more ideas! As for mountain delicacies, besides mushrooms, there’s also Yunnan pepper. However, Yunnan pepper has a strong flavor that can easily mask the sweetness and freshness of the fish. Unless it’s made into boiled fish, but that kind of cooking method seems unoriginal.”

"Does Miss Xiangling mean that she wants to retain both the spiciness of Jueyun pepper and the freshness of the fish?"

"Yes! But I feel it's so hard to do. Jueyun pepper's flavor is too aggressive, unless you use something to separate the two."

"Separate them up... Miss Xiangling, why don't you try making mackerel dumplings and using Jueyun chili peppers as a dipping sauce?"

"That sounds like a good idea!"

An hour later, Xia Zhi and Zhu Zi left Wanmintang.

There was really no other way; neither of them could eat anymore, they were too full.

Back in the shop, I sat and rested for a while.

Yan Fei arrived as promised.

Xia Zhi went back upstairs, took the tidied manuscript with her, and went out with Yan Fei.

"Zhu Zi, I have to go out and I may not be back by noon. You don't need to wait for me for lunch. If you want to go out and play, just lock the door."

"Okay, boss."

Zhu Zi stared blankly at the two figures as they walked away, then locked the shop door, took the letter he had written the night before, and went to the dock in the port area.

This is the most important place in Liyue, where countless merchant ships come and go, splashing up countless water droplets every day.

The familiar sound of the waves echoed in her ears, making Zhu Zi feel as if she had returned to the past.

Back then, she liked to spend the whole day at Inazuma's dock, listening to the sailors tell all sorts of strange stories, and longing for the outside world.

Those self-proclaimed bravest sailors would never have known that this quiet little girl, who listened to their boasting, would one day suddenly decide to tie up a small raft and set sail alone, crossing the ocean to Liyue.

Zhu Zi took a breath of the moist sea air, found an Inazuma merchant ship with a familiar emblem, and walked over.

This is a boat belonging to Komahaya, a well-known courier company in Inazuma, which can help customers who are in foreign countries send letters or items home.

It is said that this courier company also employs some special staff who deliver packages exceptionally quickly.

Zhu Zi handed the letter to the people on the ship, leaving his home address and 500 moras for shipping.

Afterwards, having nothing to do, she wandered around the port area alone.

There were delicious food stalls everywhere, and she had enough Mora in her pocket to eat whatever she wanted. This was the life she had dreamed of before she couldn't find a job, but now she felt a little uninterested.

why?

Zhu Zi leaned against the railing, staring blankly at the distant sea.

Why did I have that kind of dream last night?

Chapter Seventy: Carrying a Knife on a Rainy Night

"Mr. Xia, what do you want to see me about this time?"

"There are two things. First, I plan to submit a novel to Wanwen Collection and hope that Miss Yanfei can help me with the relevant contract matters."

"This is simple."