Genshin Impact's Sweet and Hard Free People

A golden broth made with milk and sugar is poured over the white tofu, and garnished with chopped almonds, making it look very appetizing.

As for the meat dishes, although there were only simple mutton and mushroom-grilled chicken skewers, the aroma suggested that they wouldn't taste too bad.

This clearly shows that Keqing has indeed put a lot of effort into this.

"Ah Qing did a really good job, you could be a head chef." In the end, Xin Hui could only pat Ke Qing's head and say some flattering words to make Ke Qing feel satisfied.

The four of them sat down together to enjoy lunch.

The staple food was white rice cooked with water. Xinhui and Hutao ate raw dry food for two or three days. They were already very satisfied to be able to eat a hot meal.

Xinhui ate the dishes and then ate two whole bowls of rice before he was satisfied. Keqing, seeing him wolfing down his food, wondered if her cooking had become so delicious. She herself thought it was just so-so.

It turned out that Xinhui was just really hungry, and it had nothing to do with her cooking skills.

"Thank you for your invitation and hospitality. I am very satisfied." Hu Tao wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and nodded with satisfaction.

"Nobody invited you," Ke Qing said irritably.

"Ah Qing, say less. Master Hu Tao is a guest at our Yi Yu Pavilion, we can't leave a bad impression on her." Xin Hui could only scold her softly.

"Relax, I won't hold such a grudge against these trivial matters." Hu Tao stretched lazily in her chair, then looked at the harmonious scene between Xin Hui and the other two, as if she had just realized something. "Speaking of which, why are Gan Yu and Ke Qing staying at Yi Yu Pavilion?"

She was genuinely puzzled. The room where Gan Yu had just helped her measure her body measurements contained items belonging to both Gan Yu and Ke Qing, clearly indicating that it was their room.

Although Hu Tao wasn't familiar with them, she had at least mingled in Liyue Harbor and had seen each other before. Hu Tao remembered that Ke Qing lived in the Ke family, and Gan Yu lived in Moonsea Pavilion.

Xinhui had no choice but to tell Hu Tao the truth.

The story about two beautiful girls living in my house and I couldn't get rid of them.

However, Xinhui dared not say it that way and expressed it rather subtly.

"Keqing is temporarily staying at Yiyu Pavilion because of family reasons. As for having Ganyu here as well, it's because they can better handle Liyue's affairs together."

Xin Hui's expression was stiff. She couldn't reveal too much, nor could she make up an improper excuse, otherwise even if Hu Tao was oblivious, she would definitely see through her.

"Hmm... I understand." Hu Tao nodded slightly, lost in her own thoughts, which relieved Xin Hui.

Master Hu, it's good that you understand. Please don't ask any more questions.

To his surprise, Hu Tao's next words shocked him and left him somewhat incredulous.

"I've made up my mind, I'm going to move into Yiyu Pavilion too," Hu Tao said confidently.

"Hu Tao, you're not kidding, are you?"

"Who's joking with you? What I, the head of this guild, will certainly do, will be carried out."

Oh? Is that so?

It doesn't matter if Hu Tao moves in, the key is that Yi Yu Pavilion only has a few rooms, and Ke Qing and Gan Yu's room only has one bed. Are they going to make all three of them sleep in one bed?

That's obviously not realistic.

In the end, he could only give a perfunctory reply: "Okay, I'll give you an answer after I've thought about it."

I originally thought that after Hu Tao left, I would realize this and therefore back down.

In the afternoon, Hu Tao brought the people from Wangshengtang to Yiyuge again.

The middle-aged man with short black hair following her was none other than Old Meng, the ritual attendant of the Rebirth Hall who had visited Yiyu Pavilion before.

Old Meng was already panting heavily, and kept wiping the sweat from his neck with a handkerchief.

"Old Meng, what brings you and Hall Master Hu here?" Xin Hui was still curious about their purpose in coming.

"Don't even mention it. Master Hu Tao has been nowhere to be seen these past few days. As soon as he came back, he made a big decision to move into Yi Yu Pavilion, saying that Boss Xin Hui had already agreed. In the end, Mr. Zhong Li also said, 'It's good to consult others before acting.'"

"We can't do anything about the leader's orders. Look, she even dragged me to help the leader move things. I was so tired that I almost had to experience the service of my own family."

Xin Hui was naturally a little stunned when he heard this.

When did I agree to Hu Tao's request? Also, why isn't Zhong Li worried about the safety of their hall master when he comes to Yi Yu Pavilion?

But that's not all. The key question is, have you ever seen someone bring their own bed to your house?

That's outrageous, completely out of line with the world's standards.

"Old Meng, was this your idea?" Xin Hui asked, looking at the large bed behind him with some surprise.

"No way, it's not that. It's the head of the hall who insisted on bringing a bed from the Rebirth Hall, saying that there aren't enough beds here and they need to add another one." Old Meng quickly gave a wry smile, adding that if it weren't for this bed making him so tired, he wouldn't be suffering from back pain now.

“Yes, this was specially prepared for your Yiyu Pavilion by the Hall Master. I saw that it could fit in the room, so I moved it over,” Hu Tao chimed in, feeling that she had done a very good job.

When Xin Hui heard this, he realized that this was indeed something Hu Tao would do. However, he still had to thank Hu Tao for being so considerate and knowing to bring over a bed.

"Old Meng, thank you for your help. Why don't you come in and have a seat?" Although surprised, the guest had already arrived at the door, so it was necessary to show hospitality.

"No, no, I still have some matters to attend to at the Rebirth Hall, so I'll head back now."

Old Meng's wave of the hand in refusal actually saved Xin Hui. If he had seen Ke Qing and Gan Yu's room, it would have been really hard to explain (or justify).

After Lao Meng left, Xin Hui stared blankly at the large bed and a pile of walnut-related items, lost in thought.

"What are you standing there for, young man? Why aren't you moving it in for me?" It wasn't until Hu Tao called out softly that he came back to his senses.

There was no other way, so Xinhui could only help disassemble the bed first, and then reassemble it on the spot in Keqing and Ganyu's room.

Looking at the new bed placed in Keqing and Ganyu's room, Xinhui still harbored some hope.

I just hope that when the two of them come back, they won't become too close to Hu Tao...

Chapter Fifty-Four: A Letter from the Knights

On the night Hu Tao moved into Yi Yu Ge, Ke Qing and Gan Yu were not as hostile to her as they had imagined. Although Ke Qing and Hu Tao often bickered, it was nothing serious.

I just hope there's no rift between them.

However, to Xinhui's surprise, the three women came out of the room together the next morning, and they seemed to be getting along very well.

Xin Hui realized that he had underestimated Hu Tao's social skills; she was able to ease the tension between the group so quickly.

"Gan Yu, didn't you go to look out over Liyue's harbor today?"

Indeed, Xin Hui didn't hear their room door open before sunrise this morning. This meant that Gan Yu hadn't gone to look out over the harbor, which was why he was curious.

"Oh, is that so? But I don't feel that urge to go to the harbor anymore. I almost fell asleep last night while I was working on some documents," Gan Yu hurriedly explained, followed by a hint of self-reproach in her voice.

"Hmm... Am I becoming less professional?"

"Don't worry, I guarantee that Gan Yu is the most hardworking person in the entire Liyue Harbor." Xin Hui patted her on the shoulder, encouraging her.

Just kidding, if Gan Yu is considered lazy, what would people in jobs think if they saw this?

Xin Hui would love for her to sleep nine times in three days. Even if she's not tired, she's still much better than some people who are eager to retire even though they're not tired. Besides, there's this lazy old god among them.

At this moment, Hu Tao chimed in, delivering the final, piercing arrow to the heart of this deity.

"Gan Yu is much more capable than the ritual attendants at the Rebirth Hall, especially compared to Mr. Zhong Li. She can be considered a model worker."

"It's not as amazing as you all make it out to be," Gan Yu said somewhat embarrassed.

"If the master says so, then so be it."

Hu Tao still remembers Gan Yu's almost insane workload last night, working late into the night to process so many documents. Any normal person would probably be deterred just by looking at that.

However, she was in a happy and carefree mood. Last night, she chatted with Ke Qing and Gan Yu until midnight, and the three of them exchanged their understanding of Xin Hui and learned about how they met each other.

It has to be said, Xin Hui's experiences are truly remarkable. It's unbelievable that he's from the same era as the Rock King Emperor. And he's kept it all hidden so well.

"Since you're all up, let's prepare dinner together," Xinhui said to Keqing, who had been silent beside him.

Today, Xinhui specially got up early to prepare the meal for them. The vegetables were all fresh, bought from the market that morning, and with Xinhui's cooking skills, it was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.

Xin Hui was already eager for them to try it, but when she saw Ke Qing holding the Dragon's Roar in the box, she knew that she had another mission.

"Aren't you going to eat a little?" Xinhui said with some regret.

“But… Ningguang needs me.” Keqing hesitated for a moment, but when she saw Xinhui sitting there, looking at her with pleading eyes, she smiled freely and temporarily put down her longsword.

After taking a small bite of the baked potato pancake made by Xinhui, I felt much better.

Indeed, it's always better to eat together as a family, right?

……

After a brief respite, Xinhui was finally about to plunge into a long day of work.

Ke Qing went to Qunyu Pavilion, Gan Yu went to Yuehai Pavilion, and Hu Tao returned to Wangsheng Hall. As the owner of Yiyu Pavilion, he couldn't possibly stay put.

To be honest, Xinhui's workload is enormous right now. The orders from Ying'er and the others are still written down on paper, and considering the new clothing requests from Yiyuge during the few days he was away, he needs to make at least thirty different garments to complete the job.

Xinhui looked at the somewhat glaring annotations on the paper in his hand and let out a long sigh. At least it wasn't as much work as making dresses before the Lantern Festival.

Take your time, it'll be over soon...

Qunyu Pavilion.

Within that magnificent palace atop the Floating Stone lies the very place of the Radiant Light of Tianquan. High and immeasurable, far removed from all living beings, it overlooks Liyue Harbor, a place steeped in millennia of history.

At this moment, Ke Qing's figure had already arrived inside the Qunyu Pavilion. Behind the white screen was Ning Guang's slender and graceful figure.

Whether it's the cheongsam woven from gold, white, and black, or her platinum-gold hair curled up by black and gold hairpins, everything proclaims her nobility.

"What's wrong? It's rare to see you with such a furrowed brow. Are you thinking about how to make money off those businessmen again?" Ke Qing's voice rang out somewhat inappropriately.

"Don't put it so harshly. My money comes from legitimate channels, and it's all for maintaining 'Seven Stars' operations." Ningguang naturally knew she was there.

"I think you're making money for your own pleasure, aren't you?" Ke Qing said irritably.

When it comes to making money, Ningguang, like most people, never thinks she has too much.

The money she earns can serve not only as wealth, but also as a symbol of victory after victory.

Ningguang is gentle and approachable to the general public, but her attitude towards her peers is quite different. The power struggles in the business world are an irreplaceable and exciting game for her; every Mora that a tycoon reluctantly concedes brings a smile to Ningguang's face. And the fact that she has complete control over the Chamber of Commerce makes her happy every day.

With each victory, the Liyue Septacco Club's wealth grew, and the entire Liyue Harbor flourished, bringing even more business opportunities and riches to Ningguang. The interconnected interests formed a perfect closed loop, and the Liyue Septacco Club was extremely satisfied with this chain.

Therefore, Ningguang's claim that she "makes money for the Seven Stars" is also reasonable and well-founded.

Moreover, although Ningguang and Keqing's conversation may seem like a bickering, it is actually a unique kind of "provocation" from both being Seven Stars who want the other's recognition.

It is precisely because of this provocation that Seven Stars' work can proceed with incredible speed and efficiency.