I'm a male god in Liyue

Xiangling already recognized this customer with black glasses, but unfortunately the other customers arrived too quickly. She chatted with him for a few words with a smile, and then went back to her work.

However, this is a good sign.

After finishing his meal, Xia Zhi returned to the Seaview Hostel, wrote a draft for a while, then took a shower and went to bed.

--

Meanwhile, Mount Ozang.

Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhenjun finally crossed thousands of mountains and rivers and flew back to his immortal abode.

In a pavilion overlooking a clear pond, a white-haired woman with a cool and aloof demeanor suddenly turned around, her indifferent tone tinged with a hint of surprise.

"Master!"

Chapter Twenty-Nine: What Godly Sense of Smell?

The sound of the ocean tides lingered, and I slept without a dream.

The next morning, Xia Zhi got up, washed up, packed up his belongings in the room, and then went to the lobby on the first floor to cancel the room and get his deposit back.

Stepping out of the hostel, I saw the warm sunshine bathing the streets; it looked like it was going to be another beautiful day.

Crossing the street, Xia Zhi arrived at the snack stalls in the port area. Even before getting close to the stove, he could smell the mixed aromas of different foods in the air.

A flash of knowledge about various spices crossed Xia Zhi's mind, and in a moment, he was able to distinguish from these aromas which spices were added to the food sold by these vendors, and in what proportions.

Based on this, if he wanted, he could easily replicate the snacks sold at these stalls that supposedly used "secret recipes".

That's the terrifying thing about spice connoisseurship.

Xia Zhi hesitated for a moment, then finally chose one of the fish noodle stalls for breakfast.

The fish here are all caught from the sea in the morning and killed on the spot, so the meat is especially fresh. They are cooked in a white soup made from fish bones, then topped with a handful of thin, round vermicelli and drizzled with chili oil made from fried chili peppers.

My appetite for the whole day was awakened by this bowl of spicy and fresh fish noodles.

Xia Zhi put down his chopsticks, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and felt very satisfied.

After paying, Xia Zhi took a walk on the dock and then went to the Adventurers' Association at Tiger Rock.

Catherine at the front desk still had a smile on her face: "Towards the stars and the abyss! Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild."

"Hello."

"I am Catherine. Are you here to accept a commission or have you already completed one?"

"No, I want to post a request here."

"I understand, please wait a moment... Please explain your request so I can record it for you."

"I'm opening a specialty beverage shop in Liyue soon, but I'm short of a waiter, so I'm hoping an adventurer can help me find someone suitable for the job."

What are the requirements for this job?

"Applicants must be under 30 years old, female, good-looking, friendly, and literate. They need to come to my shop for an interview."

What is the address of your store?

"Feiyun Slope is right next to the Hall of Rebirth."

"And what is your payment for this commission?"

"I'm not quite sure about the going rate for this kind of job to find someone. Miss Catherine, could you tell me about it?"

"Of course, this is a simple and safe commission. The normal reward ranges from a few hundred to a few thousand Mora. However, the higher the reward, the more enthusiastic the adventurers will be to complete it."

"Let's set the fee for this commission at 1 Mora, because my shop is about to open and I hope to find a suitable person as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, with such a high reward, there will definitely be many adventurers willing to accept the commission... I have recorded the commission information for you. Please give me your Adventurer's Certificate and the commission fee of 1 Mora."

"Ah."

After posting the quest at the Adventurers' Guild, Xia Zhi returned to his shop, took out his key, and unlocked the door.

Pushing open the door, there was still a chilly, eerie atmosphere inside.

Xia Zhi didn't care at all. He ran up and down the stairs, opening all the windows upstairs and downstairs to let the warm sunlight in.

The temperature inside the room gradually rose.

Because it had been idle for so long, there was a lot of dust accumulated on the floor and furniture.

At this point, the disadvantages of having a house that is too big become apparent.

Xia Zhi is blind, so cleaning is very troublesome. He went to the market near Huyan and found a few aunties who specialize in this kind of work to help clean the store.

The women were very efficient; they cleaned the house thoroughly in half a day, and the wages were not expensive.

Xia Zhi gave them some extra Mora as payment for the tea they hadn't bought them, and the older women accepted it happily without hesitation.

He ate lunch at Wanmintang Restaurant. He didn't care whether the food was good or not; his main goal was to increase Xiangling's favorability.

In the afternoon, the large water vat, glass cups, bedding, pillows, pots and pans, and other household items that he and Yanfei had bought at the store the day before were delivered to the store one after another.

It took Xia Zhi quite a while to organize all these things by herself.

Only then did the shop finally regain some of its lively atmosphere.

Xia Zhi carefully checked the list again and found that only the custom-made signboard had not yet been delivered.

The shop owner said yesterday that it would take three to five days to finish, and since it would also take him a few days to hire someone, there's no rush.

Xia Zhi went to the kitchen behind the shop and cleaned the large water vat.

The water was brought in from a distant mountain spring through a metal pipe, somewhat like the tap water in the original world. It was said to be a technology from Fontainebleau, which was very convenient.

The water quality looks good; it's clear and tastes a bit sweet.

However, just to be on the safe side, Xia Zhi decided to boil the water completely before using it.

Behind the stove, large bundles of firewood were neatly stacked, a gift left by the previous shop owner.

Xia Zhi filled a pot with water, then lit a fire. Once the water was hot, he ladled it into a water vat.

Before long, the three water tanks were filled with boiled water.

Next, just wait for the water to cool down before using it.

Let's take advantage of this time and have dinner at Wanmintang.

While sitting at the table waiting for the food to be served, Xia Zhi observed Chef Mao's cooking techniques and discerned the proportions of seasonings in the aroma.

Learning by working backwards in this way can be quite interesting.

After dinner, Xia Zhi called Xiang Ling over to settle the bill.

"One serving costs three shreds, and 80 Mora."

"Ah."

As Xiangling collected the money, she smiled and said, "Mr. Xia has been dining at Wanmintang these past two days. It seems he is very satisfied with our dishes."

"Yes, the food at Wanmintang is delicious." Xia Zhi nodded, her tone suddenly becoming a little regretful. "However..."

"But what?"

"Personally, I think there are some areas where this braised shredded vegetables dish can be improved. When seasoning, you could add a little bit of rush pith to enhance the flavor, and add a little more..."

Xia Zhi slowly revealed a spice recipe that Xiang Ling had never heard of before.

Xiangling listened in a daze, her expression shifting between frowning, confusion, understanding, and surprise. She murmured, "So this is a possible combination...it really does seem better..."

Just then, a customer shouted, "Xiangling! Order! I'd like a squirrel fish!"

Xiangling suddenly snapped out of her daze, only to find that Mr. Xia was no longer there. For some reason, a feeling of regret suddenly rose in her heart.

Then, she rallied her spirits and continued with her work: "Coming!"

Wanmintang is doing very well every day, and today they were busy until late at night again before closing up shop.

Master Mao came out of the kitchen, wiped his sweat with a towel, and was about to take a break when he saw his daughter Xiangling suddenly run into the kitchen again, pick out ham, poultry, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms, and start cutting them into thin strips on the cutting board.

"Guoba, quickly help me start a fire!"

Master Mao took a sip of water and heard the sound of stir-frying coming from the kitchen again. Feeling a bit strange, he went in to check. "Xiangling, are you making a new dish? Wait a minute, isn't this supposed to be braised shredded vegetables? Oh, you put the wrong seasoning! Why did you put in some small rushes? And... what did I teach you!"

Master Mao frowned as he watched Xiangling's "haphazard" cooking. Then, he suddenly smelled a strange aroma wafting from the pot.

The aroma is much more enticing than that of the normally prepared braised shredded vegetables.

Master Mao stared at the food in the pot, his face filled with disbelief: "How could this be?"

Xiangling served the dish, took a bite herself with her chopsticks, and murmured, "This dish has indeed improved a lot. Mr. Xia was right..."

Master Mao looked somewhat bewildered: "Xiangling, who is Mr. Xia?"

"It's that guy with the black glasses who's been coming to Wanmintang to eat these past few days..."

Xiangling told Master Mao about what happened that night.