"I've been around long enough. Do you think I can't tell what you're thinking?"
Granny Ruoxin's voice was gentle, but serious. "You need to think this through. Love can hurt you badly. Ryou is an excellent man, but… he is already married."
"I know."
Yun Jin glanced toward the figure in the pavilion. "I'm not a child anymore. I know what I'm thinking."
Then she turned back to Granny Ruoxin. "If the trip weren't so inconvenient, I would really love to invite you to tomorrow night's new performance."
"Next time," Granny Ruoxin said, shaking her head. "Too many things have happened in Qingce Village lately. I need to stay here."
"Is that because…" Yun Jin started to mention someone, but when she saw Granny Ruoxin's look, she stopped. "All right, all right. I won't say it."
She rose to leave. She still had to return to Liyue Harbor and prepare for the performance.
"Be careful on your way back," Granny Ruoxin reminded her.
Yun Jin nodded. As she passed the steps, she gave Granny Ruoxin another small nod, then left.
Ryou took a sip of tea and smiled without saying anything.
Qingce Village was breathtaking right now, like a painting spread open beneath the evening light.
"Ryou, what are you thinking about?" Keqing walked to his side and asked.
"Nothing." Ryou looked at her. "Keqing, why did you come back alone? Where are Hu Tao and Tabibito?"
"Don't mention those two," Keqing said at once. "They teamed up and bullied me."
She looked up at him. "Ryou, you didn't help me at all. Do you like them now?"
"Stop making wild guesses." Ryou rolled his eyes. "I was cleaning up your mess. Who told you to provoke so many people last night?"
Then he glanced at the sky. "Keqing, there are still two hours before evening."
Keqing's face flushed bright red, and she said nothing.
[Ding! Keqing's stamina has increased by 10%!]
After some time, Qingce Village slipped into evening. Sunset light spilled across the village, turning it into an even more beautiful painting.
Beside the fields, Tabibito and Hu Tao had caught quite a few fish and crabs.
"Paimon, quick, catch that one!" Tabibito pointed left.
Paimon swung the net and scooped up a fish by force, then stuffed it into the bucket.
"Paimon caught so many fish! This is definitely enough for dinner tonight," Paimon said.
"Paimon, didn't you say you were afraid of water?" Tabibito looked at her. "Turns out you can stop being afraid if food is involved."
"Nonsense!" Paimon put her hands on her hips. "If you were cooking, Paimon would still be afraid of water. But if Ryou is cooking, Paimon can jump straight in!"
"Wow," Tabibito said dryly.
Hu Tao lifted a bucket. "It would be even better if we had crayfish."
"Ryou's crayfish last night were amazing. I could eat three more meals of that."
"Qingce Village doesn't have crayfish," Tabibito said, shaking her head.
She had asked the locals when she arrived. They said there were fish, and even some crabs, but no crayfish. Those were only found by the sea.
Thinking of that bowl of spicy crayfish made Tabibito swallow. "When we get back to the city, let's buy some crayfish and have Ryou make spicy crayfish again. What do you think?"
"Sounds good." Hu Tao nodded.
"Today I also—ow! Watch where you're going!"
Hu Tao had just started to say something when someone bumped into her.
She looked up and saw a middle-aged man clutching several manuscripts, running uphill in a panic.
"Hey! You bump into this funeral director and think you can just leave?"
Hu Tao chased after him in a few quick steps.
"Hu Tao!"
Tabibito and Paimon hurried after her.
By the time Tabibito caught up, Hu Tao had already grabbed the man.
"Hey, you ran into me and you're not even going to apologize?" Hu Tao said. "What's that supposed to mean? Do you want this funeral director to dig a pit and bury you?"
The people nearby startled when they heard that and quickly backed away.
Hu Tao might be young, but she was famous all over Liyue Harbor.
Had anyone else gone door to door selling coffins?
Had anyone else gone to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to sell coffins?
Had anyone else gone to Yujing—well, anyway, Hu Tao had done plenty of outrageous things like that.
"D-Director Hu!" the middle-aged man stammered. "Sorry, I'm in a hurry! I lost two manuscripts, and I'm losing my mind over it!"
"What happened?" Paimon asked.
"Chang the Ninth?" Tabibito said, surprised.
"Tabibito!" Chang the Ninth looked just as surprised. "Please help me explain. I really have something urgent to do. I need to go back and find my manuscripts."
"Hu Tao, this might be a misunderstanding," Tabibito said on his behalf. Then she turned to Chang the Ninth. "Where did you lose them?"
"I don't know," Chang the Ninth said, shaking his head.
"Can't you rewrite them?" Paimon asked.
"I poured so much effort into those manuscripts. Rewriting them would take far too long." Chang the Ninth was frantic. "And if I don't send them out today, it'll be too late. Tabibito, could you please help me look for them?"
"I'll do what I can, but I can't promise we'll find them," Tabibito said.
"Thank you. I'll repay you properly."
"No need. I'm not short on Mora," Tabibito said.
"You're not short on Mora?" Chang the Ninth looked confused.
In his mind, people became adventurers because they needed Mora. Why was Tabibito saying she did not?
Hu Tao noticed his confusion and said, "She made three hundred million Mora in Mondstadt."
"Th-Three hundred million?" Chang the Ninth froze.
"That's right! Paimon and Tabibito are rich now!" Paimon said proudly, hands on her hips.
"Paimon, that's my money," Tabibito said.
"Paimon and Tabibito are family, so Paimon is rich too."
Tabibito rolled her eyes. "Forget the reward. Let's hurry up and find the manuscripts."
"Oh, right." Chang the Ninth nodded quickly.
Tabibito searched Qingce Village with Chang the Ninth. On the way back, they ran into Granny Ruoxin and finally learned that the manuscripts were with her, so they followed her back.
When they arrived, Tabibito saw Ryou and Keqing sitting together and drinking tea.
"So you're back, Tabibito," Ryou said.
"Why are you two sitting here drinking tea?"
Then she looked at him eagerly. "Ryou, I caught a lot of fish and crabs. Can you cook them for us later?"
"Sure." Ryou nodded.
"Thank you, Ryou-san!" Chang the Ninth said gratefully. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even have had the chance to enter the light novel contest."
"I need to hurry and send the manuscripts in. I'll take my leave!"
Chang the Ninth rushed off.
"Will he still make it in time?" Tabibito asked.
"It doesn't matter whether he does or not. I looked over those two manuscripts," Ryou said. "The content isn't that good. Getting into the contest might be possible, but placing high is almost impossible."
Then he smiled. "Besides, I know who wins first place."
Keqing looked puzzled. "Haven't you never been to Inazuma?"
"I haven't, but that doesn't stop me from knowing who takes first place," Ryou said.
"Who is it?" Keqing asked.
"Secret," Ryou said.
"Tell me." Keqing hugged his arm.
"I said it's a secret."
Ryou lifted his cup and took a sip. "We should head back for dinner soon."
"Can Paimon and I come eat with you?" Tabibito asked.
"Can I come too?" Hu Tao asked.
Ryou glanced at Hu Tao. "Don't you need to deal with your client?"
"Deal with what?" Hu Tao looked toward the outskirts of Qingce Village. "Meng is watching things over there. That's enough."
Then she looked back at them. "Did you all feel it?"
"You felt it too?" Keqing looked at Hu Tao. "My husband noticed it as soon as we entered Qingce Village. He said there was a coldness here. Not normal cold, but something eerie."
"Eerie?" Hu Tao looked at Ryou in surprise. "You know about this stuff too?"
"A little," Ryou said.
"Most outsiders wouldn't know about things like that. Usually only exorcists like Chongyun understand a bit." Hu Tao leaned closer. "Come investigate outside Qingce Village with me tonight. How about it?"
"No," Ryou said without hesitation.
"What if a girl like me runs into danger?"
Hu Tao walked to his side and hugged his arm. "Wuwang Hill is right above Qingce Village. There are demons, monsters, and all kinds of strange things there. Could you really bear to watch me get bullied?"
"Yes," Ryou said.
"You… how can you be so cold-hearted?" Hu Tao glared at him. "Would it kill you to help me?"
"Help you with what? You've been running Wangsheng Funeral Parlor for years. You're scared of trouble now?" Ryou rolled his eyes and set down his cup. "Ask Zhongli. Or that new assistant. Either of them can help you."
"Zhong Lishui… hmm. He's a strange one. He really likes drinking tea."
Hu Tao thought about it. "I feel like those two are weird. They sit together drinking tea and chatting whenever they have time. And they keep dragging me into their conversations too."
Keqing knew that person was Mountain Shaper.
And as far as she remembered, Hu Tao had known Zhongli for quite a while. The two of them got along very well, yet Hu Tao still had not noticed anything strange?
Paimon said, "Hu Tao, you're something else."
"Paimon heard Zhongli has to work at the Ministry of Civil Affairs now, and then he still has to come back and help you?"
"Doesn't that mean Zhongli works all day?"
"So what if my consultant helps me?" Hu Tao glared at Paimon. "My consultant has been looking much better lately."
"And do you know what else?"
"My consultant never used to carry a single Mora on him."
"But yesterday…"
"I found fifteen hundred thousand Mora on him!"
"What?"
"Fifteen hundred thousand Mora? Zhongli?" Paimon's eyes went wide in disbelief.
[End of chapter]
[200 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/BellAshelia]
[Thanks for your support!]