After traveling all day, Jiang Ning and Shenhe were quite hungry.
"Senior Sister, let's find somewhere to eat... though I don't know what places are good here. We should have asked that Millelith fellow earlier."
Jiang Ning rubbed his stomach, feeling a bit empty.
"..."
Shenhe was also helpless, as she really didn't know either...
Jiang Ning looked left and right, mumbling: "At times like this, follow the longest queue... Found it!"
Jiang Ning spotted what seemed to be a brightly lit restaurant not far away.
There were many people coming and going... looking at the departing diners' glowing faces, the food must be quite good. This was the place.
Holding Shenhe's hand, he walked quickly over.
A simple two-story building, the restaurant wasn't very large, and the decor was quite simple, but the aroma wafting from inside confirmed Jiang Ning's choice.
A sign hung at the entrance of the building with three large characters: "Wanmin Restaurant."
"Senior Sister, is this place okay?" Jiang Ning asked.
Shenhe said: "Whatever you choose." Jiang Ning nodded and entered the restaurant.
Perhaps because it was past peak dining hours and a group of customers had just left, there were several empty seats.
Jiang Ning casually chose a table in a corner, sat down, and started looking at the menu.
"What would you like to eat, Senior Sister?" Jiang Ning asked,
"Order anything!"
He had travel money from the grateful farmers, plus what he'd... collected from those foolish bandits who'd tried to rob him and his senior sister along the way... consider it tuition fees for teaching them to be better people.
He could definitely afford at least one meal.
Shenhe shook her head: "I'm not very familiar with these dishes... Little brother, you decide."
Jiang Ning nodded: "Hmm, then... one order of Golden Shrimp Balls, and Senior Sister, you like the taste of Qingxin flowers, right? Then one order of Stir-Fried Qingxin, plus two portions of rice and some tofu soup, how's that?"
Golden Shrimp Balls, according to the information, was Keqing's favorite dish, to the point of obsession, so Jiang Ning was curious about how it would taste.
"Boss, ready to order!" Jiang Ning called out.
"Coming, coming! What would you like to order, honored guests?"
An energetic voice reached Jiang Ning before its owner.
Then came a young girl, looking about fifteen or sixteen, with deep blue hair tied in two buns at the back of her head, wearing practical Liyue clothing that was part short qipao, part training outfit.
Over it was an apron with a ladle print.
Her slender, straight legs were confidently exposed to the air.
And behind the girl was... a bear?
That came up to her waist?
Jiang Ning was stunned.
"You two are new faces, and judging by your clothes, it's your first time at our little shop? What would you like to eat?" The girl said cheerfully.
Jiang Ning repeated his order, and the girl quickly wrote on the menu, then said: "Alright! Coming right up! Guoba, let's go!" "Lu-lu~" The little bear called Guoba waddled after the girl.
"Senior Sister, do you think that might be an adeptus too?"
Thinking of how his master was a bird, seeing such a human-like bear made Jiang Ning curious.
Shenhe shook her head: "I don't sense any adeptal energy within it." "I see..." Jiang Ning nodded.
Soon, all the dishes were served.
Jiang Ning finally satisfied his curiosity about the Golden Shrimp Balls - crispy outside, tender inside, and while expertly seasoned, it didn't overpower the shrimp's natural sweetness.
Clearly a superior dish.
Whoever cooked this must be an amazing chef.
Jiang Ning marveled.
After enjoying a wonderful meal with his senior sister, Jiang Ning felt very satisfied: "Boss, check please."
"Coming, coming! That'll be 200 Mora for you two!"
Looking at the menu earlier, Jiang Ning had realized that the currency's purchasing power here was similar to his original world.
So 200 Mora, for this quality, wasn't expensive at all - it was quite affordable. Moreover, Qingxin flowers typically grew in the mountains.
They were relatively difficult to harvest, so the raw ingredients weren't cheap.
As expected of Wanmin Restaurant, their selling point must be good value for money.
Now that it was late and well past dining hours, the restaurant had gradually emptied until only Jiang Ning's table remained.
So the young girl had time to chat with them briefly: "Were you satisfied with the meal?"
Jiang Ning gave a thumbs up: "Very satisfied. Your chef is very skilled."
The girl giggled: "Thank you for the praise! I'll keep working hard!"
"You cooked this?" Jiang Ning was very surprised.
Amazing - his own cooking skills were purely from system rewards, but this girl, about his age, was already such an amazing cook?
"Yep!" the girl said proudly. "Very impressive." Jiang Ning praised generously. "Hehe, thanks! Oh right, I'm Xiangling, and I run this Wanmin Restaurant with my dad. Are you two touring Liyue?"
Xiangling observed the two - the woman was ethereal and elegant, cold yet beautiful, while the boy was delicately alluring... though that might not be the best way to describe a boy. But this little brother was truly the most handsome youth she'd ever seen.
And their clothing, while in Liyue style, was like those from demon-hunting families, but somehow... how to put it? Xiangling inexplicably felt these two seemed more professional? Curious, Xiangling pulled over a bench and sat down.
"Well, not really. My senior sister and I are here to meet our senior apprentice sister..." Jiang Ning said.
"Oh, so you're from a mountain sect in Liyue?" Xiangling realized, perhaps like her friend, they were disciples of some sect, though they didn't seem to be from her friend's Guhua Clan.
"Something like that... By the way, since we just arrived, could you recommend where we might stay? Also, how do we get to Yuehai Pavilion?"
"Finding lodging in Liyue is quite difficult right now... with the Rite of Descension approaching, all the inns are full."
Xiangling thought for a moment, then continued: "But aren't you here to find your senior apprentice sister? Can't you stay with her?"
Jiang Ning scratched his head: "Well, the main thing is, we've never met this senior sister... don't know if we'd be imposing."
"But you just asked about your senior sister being at Yuehai Pavilion?" Xiangling asked.
They must be from a really impressive sect to have someone working at Yuehai Pavilion!