Soon, the food arrived.
The taste was just as good as the last time they came to eat.
Shenhe tried a bit of each dish but didn't eat much.
Xia Zhi guessed that she might not be used to the food, so he didn't urge her to eat more, afraid that she would feel pressured and force herself to eat.
After finishing their meal, they sat and rested for a while before leaving Liuli Pavilion and heading toward Chunxiang Kiln.
On the way, they passed by their own summer shop, and Xia Zhi pointed it out to Shenhe: "This is our shop."
Shenhe took a look and said, "There are several people crowding at the shop entrance, looking rather suspicious. I'll go drive them away."
"Wait!"
Xia Zhi quickly held her back.
"They're probably customers like Young Master Xingqiu, just that they came at the wrong time today. There's no need to drive them away."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
Only then did Shenhe relent.
Xia Zhi let go of her hand, feeling somewhat mentally exhausted.
With Shenhe's personality, it was too easy for good intentions to go wrong. He figured he'd have a lot to worry about in the future.
He'd have to remind Zhu Zi more often to help keep an eye on Shenhe as well.
Yanfei found the whole situation quite amusing and was secretly smiling on the side.
When they arrived at Chunxiang Kiln, a woman in blue and white clothing was standing at the entrance.
She wore a gentle smile, and her demeanor was very soft. Even without actively soliciting customers, her presence was eye-catching.
But for Xia Zhi, what caught his attention more was her hairstyle—hair tied in a single ponytail, wrapped around the nape of her neck, and falling over her right chest.
This hairstyle matched her gentle demeanor perfectly, making her look exactly like those married women in anime.
And typically, such characters would meet their swift demise within a few episodes.
The first time Xia Zhi met Miss Ying'er, he was attracted by this "death flag" hairstyle of hers and stopped at Chunxiang Kiln's entrance.
"Dear customer, seeing your handsome features, why don't you come take a look inside Chunxiang Kiln? We guarantee an unforgettable experience~!"
"Is this place..."
"Of course, it's exactly what you're thinking~ Genuine goods at fair prices~"
"..."
"Don't you know? The upper echelons of Liyue allow us to operate such private kilns, so don't worry too much."
"..."
"Just imagine, those delicate parts like willow branches, those full parts... though stunningly beautiful, they contain passion like fire..."
Then, she pulled him into Chunxiang Kiln, where he ended up touching all the exquisite porcelain pieces inside.
He had to admit, they felt great to touch.
"Dear customer, are you satisfied?"
"I am very satisfied."
Then, under Miss Ying'er's expectant gaze, he turned and left.
That was the entire process of Xia Zhi's first meeting with Ying'er, back when Zhu Zi hadn't even started working at the shop yet.
It wasn't that he couldn't afford the porcelain; he mainly felt that Miss Ying'er liked to tease people too much, so he decided to pay her back in kind.
Several days had passed since then—surely she couldn't still be angry?
Xia Zhi walked over and greeted her naturally: "Miss Ying'er."
Seeing him, Ying'er's eyes flickered with an odd light, but her face remained naturally cheerful: "Customer, you're back! Have you made up your mind?"
"Yes, I have... though this time my needs are quite substantial. I'm afraid what your shop has might not be enough to satisfy me."
"Oh? How substantial?"
"Very substantial. My shop currently needs hundreds of fine porcelain cups daily, and I have some customization requirements."
"Hundreds per day? Customer, you're playing quite big, aren't you?"
"Yes, and if your kiln can meet my requirements for these cups, I'll consider establishing a long-term cooperation with Chunxiang Kiln."
"And by long-term, customer means...?"
"I'm planning to sign for one year initially."
"!!!"
Hundreds per day meant over thirty thousand in a year—this was real business performance!
Great! Now she'd have money! She could buy lots of precious flower medicines! She could make perfumes to her heart's content!
Ying'er's smile grew even warmer.
"Customer, why don't we discuss the details inside? Though Chunxiang Kiln is private, our porcelain quality is no worse than official products. We definitely won't disappoint you!"
"Alright."
Xia Zhi nodded. Seeing Miss Ying'er smile so happily, it seemed she wasn't angry about last time after all.
Inside the shop, they proceeded with normal business negotiations.
"The cups need to be more slender than normal water cups, not too heavy, easy to hold."
"The outer wall shouldn't be too fancy, just need 'Xia's Summer Shop' printed on one side, and one of the seven elemental symbols on the other side."
"Regarding the elemental symbols, Geo element should take up 50% since this is Liyue, then Cryo and Pyro elements 1% each, and the other four elements 12% each."
"That's about all the requirements."
Ying'er carefully noted everything down and said, "I understand. I'll inform the kiln and have them make some samples first. Once you're satisfied, we can proceed with mass production."
"Good."
"Then shall we sign a simple contract first?"
"Sure. Miss Yanfei, if you would."
"No trouble at all. Getting paid to do work is only natural."
Soon, the contract was drafted. Xia Zhi signed it, kept one copy, and said, "My shop urgently needs these cups. I hope Chunxiang Kiln can produce the samples as soon as possible."
Ying'er nodded seriously, "Rest assured, I'll urge the kiln to hurry."
"Then we'll take our leave. If anything comes up, Miss Ying'er can come find me at the shop anytime."
"Alright, take care on your way."
Ying'er rose to see them off.
Leaving Chunxiang Kiln, Xia Zhi took a light breath of the fresh air outside. Then, looking at Miss Ying'er's gentle smile from a god's eye view, a thoughtful expression crossed his face.
During their discussion in the shop, Xia Zhi had detected a faint fragrance from Miss Ying'er. It wasn't the usual perfume or powder that girls commonly used, but rather a mixed scent of various flower petals.
With his expertise in fragrances, if he wasn't mistaken, Miss Ying'er must be researching some kind of mixed perfume, and the formula seemed quite complex, showing her deep attainment in this field.
However, the mixed fragrance he detected on her had some subtle conflicts, indicating that her research seemed to have hit a bottleneck.
But no matter how complex the perfume formula was, it still hadn't reached transcendent quality.
If Xia Zhi were to see her formula, he would only need to think for a moment to offer several optimization suggestions.
Thinking of this, Xia Zhi couldn't help but smile slightly.
It was rare to find someone who spoke the same language, and moreover, a girl with such an interesting soul. If there was a chance in the future, he might have some in-depth discussions with Miss Ying'er.
He'd wait and see when she would figure it out.
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