After hearing Jiang Yan call them, Ningguang, Beidou, Shenhe, and Ayaka quickly came over and sat down at their seats.
"Alright, dig in."
After serving each of them a bowl of egg noodles, Jiang Yan smiled and gestured for them to start eating.
Once the meal began, the difference in how the four children ate immediately became obvious.
Little Ayaka sat upright with perfect posture. She picked up food slowly and chewed carefully, tasting each bite with elegant restraint.
Even though she was clearly starving, she still tried to maintain her graceful etiquette.
Sometimes, maintaining elegance could be exhausting.
Now look at Ningguang, Beidou, and Shenhe beside her.
Because Jiang Yan had never forced any strict dining etiquette on them, they looked far more relaxed.
They ate whatever they wanted, picking whatever dishes they liked.
Even Jiang Yan himself held his bowl while slurping noodles loudly, grabbing dishes here and there, eating like a whirlwind.
Although they were eating the exact same food, Ayaka somehow felt that their meal looked much more delicious.
Eating slowly and gracefully might appear refined.
But only eating freely and comfortably truly brought out the joy of a meal.
She wanted to eat like them—freely and happily.
But she still didn't dare.
What if the big brother scolded her?
She remembered once trying to stand up to reach a dish she couldn't grab, only to be struck three times with a ruler by her tutor.
Thinking about that, Ayaka shrank slightly.
"Hmm… what's wrong?"
Jiang Yan asked, noodles stuffed in his mouth as he noticed her hesitant expression.
"Does the food not suit your taste?"
"No! Big brother's cooking is very delicious!"
Ayaka hurriedly said.
But she glanced at Ningguang and the others again, and a trace of longing appeared on her face.
Jiang Yan looked at the three girls, then back at Ayaka.
He seemed to understand.
"Ayaka, do whatever you want."
After swallowing his noodles, Jiang Yan smiled.
"This is Liyue."
"Here, you're not the young lady of the Kamisato Clan."
"You don't need to maintain so-called noble etiquette."
"Here, you only have one identity."
"You are Kamisato Ayaka."
"Not the 'Young Lady of the Kamisato Clan.'"
"So eat."
"In my house, there's only one rule."
"When you eat, you must eat happily and comfortably."
"That way you'll have the energy to do everything else later, right?"
It was just a casual sentence.
But it stirred something deep inside Ayaka.
All her life, her tutors had told her what she could do and what she could not do.
But no one had ever asked whether she felt happy or comfortable.
Ayaka felt her heart waver.
Right now, she wanted to temporarily escape the identity of the Kamisato young lady and become her carefree self.
She picked up her chopsticks.
Imitating Jiang Yan, she lifted a large bundle of noodles and took a big bite.
The oily, fragrant noodles filled her mouth.
The taste felt… somehow different.
But also the same.
Perhaps breaking free from her restraints made the noodles feel new.
Then she copied Ningguang and the others.
She grabbed a bacon-stuffed wotou bun with her hand and took a big bite.
Then another mouthful of noodles.
This was amazing!
It felt far better than eating slowly and politely!
Ayaka's eyes sparkled with excitement.
She looked incredibly happy.
"That's more like it!"
Jiang Yan laughed loudly.
Then he grabbed a wotou bun and started eating heartily as well.
After the joyful dinner ended, Beidou and Shenhe naturally took on the task of washing the dishes.
Meanwhile, Ningguang carefully packed the portion of food Jiang Yan had set aside for Ganyu.
As for Ayaka—
She lay back casually in her chair, rubbing her slightly bulging stomach.
After finally letting go of her restraints, she clearly ate a bit too much.
But she was happy.
Eating like this was so enjoyable.
She swung her little white legs back and forth, savoring this rare moment of freedom.
If her tutors saw this—
She'd definitely receive three strikes of the ruler again.
But unfortunately for them…
This was Jiang Yan's house.
And Jiang Yan himself was lying lazily in his chair like a salted fish, letting out a satisfied burp.
After all, the three little disciples had taken care of everything.
So naturally he had nothing left to do.
Disciples helping their master with chores?
Jiang Yan thought that was perfectly reasonable.
In fact—
He strongly supported it.
After all…
He was very lazy.
While lying there, Jiang Yan suddenly had a thought.
Since the three girls were about to begin learning immortal arts and martial skills, maybe he should find them suitable weapons.
In his previous life:
Ningguang used catalysts
Beidou used a claymore
Shenhe used a polearm
But he couldn't immediately think of the most suitable weapons.
Hmm…
Forget it.
He could just go to Barbatos and ask for the Skyward series weapons.
Then he'd visit Morax and borrow some of Liyue's five-star weapons.
After all, most of Liyue's legendary weapons were created by Morax anyway.
If Jiang Yan was giving weapons to his precious little disciples—
Then they had to be the best.
He'd just gather them all and let the girls choose.
Too bad weapons like Elegy for the End or Freedom-Sworn from Barbatos weren't suitable for them.
Otherwise—
Even if he had to snatch them, Jiang Yan would grab a set.
Wait…
He remembered that Andrius's lingering spirit possessed a Wolf's Gravestone.
But… that weapon had belonged to Andrius's friend.
Taking it wouldn't be very appropriate.
"Master, the food is packed."
Just as Jiang Yan was lost in thought, little Ningguang walked over with the neatly packed meal.
After handing it to him, she said sweetly:
"Go bring it to Master's Wife. It's so late—she must be very hungry."
Jiang Yan stood up and gently rubbed Ningguang's head.
"Then I'll leave the house to you until I get back."
Ningguang nodded seriously.
"Don't worry, Master. Ningguang will watch over the house."
Jiang Yan smiled and nodded.
Then, under the watchful gazes of the four children, he stepped out of the house and headed into the night. 🌙🍜
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