Seeing her father's shock, Xiangling spoke excitedly, "See, Dad? The instant noodle market is huge!"
"Merchants and adventurers traveling long distances always carry dry rations. They can't eat hot meals easily. Even if they could, they'd need to find a pot, cook the food, and settle for mediocre taste."
"But with instant noodles, whether they soak it or eat it dry, it's delicious either way."
"Of course, everyone's taste is different. That's why we can create seasoning packets with various flavors. Customers just pick whichever one they like."
"We can even make custom packaging with our Wanmin Restaurant logo and your name on it, Dad. Every time someone eats our instant noodles, the first person they'll think of is you."
The more Xiangling talked, the more excited she became, listing all the potential uses.
Chef Mao felt his own excitement building.
She's right!
These instant noodles were too convenient.
No wonder they were called "instant" noodles!
"Yes!"
Chef Mao exclaimed. "This way, Wanmin Restaurant will be famous across Teyvat! Even Liuli Pavilion and Xinyue Kiosk won't be able to compete!"
Chef Mao had always wanted to surpass the two top restaurants in Liyue.
In the culinary world of Liyue, Li and Yue cuisine reigned supreme. Wanmin Restaurant was only ranked third.
But with this instant noodle recipe, he was confident they could overtake both giants.
"So Dad, that 100,000 Mora you spent on that jar was a steal."
Xiangling looked at him seriously. "This recipe alone is priceless. No amount of money could buy it. And that's just one item from the shop."
"No wonder the Millelith guard the shop. No wonder Lady Ningguang and Lady Keqing went there themselves. It all proves how mysterious that Jar Shop really is."
"I wonder who the shopkeeper is. To put something like this in a jar and sell it to anyone who opens it..."
"100,000 Mora? It's way too cheap."
By the end, her tone was filled with awe.
This recipe had been casually placed in a jar and sold for 100,000 Mora.
It wasn't even about how much it was worth anymore—it was a priceless treasure.
She desperately wanted to know why the shopkeeper would put something like this in a jar and not care who took it. It was hard to believe.
If it were her, she would never sell something like this so casually.
At this moment, Xiangling was filled with curiosity about the shop's owner.
"The shopkeeper is young. About your age. A young man."
Hearing her words, Chef Mao took a deep breath. "As for who he is, I don't know. But he's definitely not ordinary. I even suspect he might be one of the Liyue Qixing. Don't forget—there are only two Qixing currently active: Lady Keqing and Lady Ningguang."
"Not all of the Qixing operate openly. Maybe this mysterious shop is run by one of them. Of course, it's also possible he isn't. But if he's not, why would Keqing and Ningguang personally visit? And why would the Millelith be stationed at his door?"
"Next time you see Lady Ningguang, you should ask her. You two have a good relationship."
Chef Mao recalled the shopkeeper's appearance.
So young. Handsome, too. He had never seen such a striking young man in Liyue before.
And he had placed this recipe in a jar without batting an eye, letting someone else take it.
Thinking about how he had almost left without taking the slip of paper, Chef Mao felt a chill run down his spine.
At the time, after Guoba broke the jar and he paid, he had been ready to leave in frustration. But the shopkeeper had called out to him—don't you want what's inside?
If the shopkeeper hadn't said anything, he wouldn't have picked up the paper.
At the time, he'd thought he was being scammed. Now he knew—it was a massive profit.
Chef Mao felt deeply grateful to Felix.
He didn't believe Felix didn't know what was written on that paper. If he hadn't reminded him, Chef Mao would have walked away empty-handed.
But Felix had reminded him anyway, even though he seemed indifferent to the contents of the jar.
Thinking about how close he came to leaving it behind, Chef Mao broke out in a cold sweat.
"Tomorrow, we're going to the shop to thank him."
Chef Mao looked at Xiangling seriously. "No matter what, we owe him our gratitude."
"Yes, yes!"
Xiangling nodded eagerly like a pecking chicken.
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