Seeing Fang Qiu's puzzled expression, Xiangling explained the Moonfin Festival culinary competition to her.
Only then did Fang Qiu understand: while the Moonfin Festival was similar to the Mid-Autumn Festival, it had its own unique traditions.
For instance, every year during the Moonfin Festival, Liyue Harbor would host a special event. This year's event was a culinary competition, personally organized by Tianquan Ningguang.
That was why they had come — to ask about food recommendations.
Hu Tao's answer was poached fish paired with shrimp dumplings, and she had even devised an elaborate philosophical theory to justify it.
Poached fish represented motion; shrimp dumplings represented stillness. Motion and stillness in harmony — each bringing out the best in the other.
"All things under heaven — birth, aging, sickness, death; sweet, salty, fragrant, and spicy — each has its own natural order and proper place," Hu Tao said, smiling warmly as she looked at Fang Qiu. "Fang Qiu, do you think I make a good point?"
"Mm, very good point," Fang Qiu agreed with a nod.
She hadn't entirely followed what Hu Tao was saying, but it had certainly sounded impressive. When in doubt, just nod.
"See? Even Fang Qiu agrees with me," Hu Tao said, grinning.
"All right, if even Fang Qiu says so, I'd better write that down. Oh — Fang Qiu, what's your favorite dish?" Xiangling asked.
"Me? Just something sweet and simple is fine," Fang Qiu said with a smile.
"That's a terribly vague answer," Xiangling said helplessly. "Can you be a little more specific?"
"More specific? Something light and refreshing — sweet without being cloying," Fang Qiu said.
"Light, refreshing, sweet without being cloying — got it," Xiangling murmured, nodding thoughtfully.
"Paimon loves sweets too, especially Slime Condensate Candy! Miss Fang Qiu, you'll have to try some with Paimon next time!" Paimon chimed in.
"Uh… definitely, next time for sure," Fang Qiu replied with a slightly awkward laugh.
Thankfully, Paimon didn't press the matter. If she had, Fang Qiu honestly wouldn't have known how to respond.
"Alright, I think we've asked everything we need here. Next stop, Bubu Pharmacy!" Paimon declared.
"Bubu Pharmacy… heh, I'm sure they'll have a very interesting answer," Hu Tao said with a cheeky grin.
The corner of Fang Qiu's mouth twitched upward despite herself.
Going to Bubu Pharmacy and asking about food… wasn't the answer already obvious? She could already picture Qiqi's blank-faced response: coconut milk.
"Oh, right — Hu Tao, and Miss Fang Qiu, do you two want to come along to Bubu Pharmacy?" Paimon asked.
"I'll pass," Fang Qiu politely declined.
It wasn't for any particularly complicated reason. Mostly, she was afraid that when Qiqi started talking about coconut milk, those blank little eyes would drift down and stare at her chest… and that would just be deeply awkward.
"I've got things to take care of too. You all go ahead," Hu Tao said with a warm smile.
"Alright then," said Paimon.
After exchanging farewells, Xiangling and the Traveler departed from Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"Hu Tao, if you've got things to do, I can head home too," Fang Qiu said.
"Hehe, keeping you company is the most important thing on my agenda," Hu Tao replied, smiling contentedly.
"…Huh?"
Fang Qiu blinked, momentarily thrown off. Keeping her company… was the most important thing?
"Oh, right — Fang Qiu, come somewhere with me tonight," Hu Tao said, her smile never wavering.
"Where to?" Fang Qiu asked, caught off guard.
"Heyu Tea House," Hu Tao said.
"Heyu Tea House?" Fang Qiu looked puzzled. Was Yun Jin debuting a new opera tonight or something?
"The Feiyun Commerce Guild is hosting a poetry competition there tonight. Quite a few acclaimed poets will be attending, and I've already registered to compete," Hu Tao said brightly. "First place not only wins a hundred thousand Mora in cash, but the winner's handwritten poem will also be auctioned off at Heyu Tea House — with zero commission fees taken. On top of that, the winning poem will be displayed in the most prominent spot in the tea house for a full month for everyone to admire, before finally being delivered to the buyer. In other words, if I win this competition, I can do wonders for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's publicity, and business will come flooding in. I've already composed several poems in preparation — I'm confident I'll absolutely dazzle the crowd."
"That sounds great," Fang Qiu said with a small smile.
Hu Tao's poetry really was something else. Take the Hilitune she was always quoting — that piece was a genuine masterpiece. Apparently, quite a few enthusiasts and storytellers had been so struck by its deceptively simple yet profoundly deep style that they had made pilgrimages to Wanwen Bookhouse specifically to seek out Hu Tao's works.
Seeing Fang Qiu agree, the smile on Hu Tao's face grew even brighter. She pulled Fang Qiu down to sit beside her and began chattering away about the amusing things that had happened recently.
For instance: just the other day, Hu Tao had spotted Zhongli on Feiyun Slope, playing chess against an old man who bragged he was undefeated across all of Liyue and called himself the Chess Saint. The wager was a hundred Mora.
They played for an entire afternoon. By the end, the old man had not only lost every last Mora he had on him, but his chess board too.
The next day, she and Zhongli had gone to Wanmin Restaurant for a meal — and who should they run into but that same old man. The moment he laid eyes on Zhongli, he abandoned his chess board entirely and bolted. He moved like a man half his age, nothing at all like someone who was supposedly eighty years old.
After finishing the story, Hu Tao added that Zhongli had absolutely fleeced the poor old man.
Hearing this, Fang Qiu grew even more curious about this consultant named Zhongli. He had a sterling reputation in Liyue Harbor, and yet he kept doing the most peculiar things — like inviting Xinyan to perform at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, and now apparently hustling an elderly chess player out of his life savings.
What was strangest of all was that, despite everything she'd heard, she still hadn't actually met this Zhongli in person.
Time drifted quietly onward, and before long, night had settled over Liyue.
The warm scent of hearth and home grew rich in the air. Out on the streets of Liyue Harbor, the spirit of the Moonfin Festival was in full swing.
Fang Qiu followed Hu Tao through the lantern-lit streets until they arrived at Heyu Tea House.
The tea house was already packed to capacity.
Just as Hu Tao had said, many literary-looking scholars and poets had gathered, clearly people of culture and refinement.
Fang Qiu and Hu Tao found seats in a corner — on the second floor, directly to the lower right of center, with a view of the sea.
The table was already set with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
"The buyers are all seated on the third floor — Liyue Harbor's most wealthy and prominent figures, with representatives from the Feiyun Commerce Guild among them. I didn't attend the last one, but apparently the year before, one poem fetched a full million Mora at auction. Some deep-pocketed fool bought it," Hu Tao said conspiratorially the moment she sat down.
"Is that so," Fang Qiu murmured, nodding thoughtfully.
A million Mora for a handwritten poem — that was genuinely top-tier wealthy. Back in her previous life, a million was nothing; cars worth that much were everywhere, and five-million-Mora cars were practically as common as stray dogs.
But cars and calligraphy were on entirely different levels.
As far as she knew, the things that commanded that kind of price were usually antiques and the like. Then again, maybe she was just out of touch.
Suddenly she felt terribly…
She lifted her gaze toward the third floor.
Mm…
The third floor was enclosed. She couldn't see a thing.
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