Genshin Impact, the spear remains.

The autumn sky is unlike that of midsummer; gloomy clouds cover the sky, casting a gray haze over the originally clear blue sky.

As the year draws to a close, a time when heavy snow should be falling, a light, misty rain is falling over Liyue Harbor.

Thanks to the rain, Xiao Xiangling didn't have to go to the private school today.

With slightly unsteady steps, the little girl walked alone down the street carrying a basket.

Since she didn't have to go to school today, her dad asked her to go out and deliver some notes to her regular customers who had placed orders, and also to buy a few jars of seasoning to take home.

"Oh, isn't this Xiangling? Are you here to buy something for Master Mao today?"

The auntie at the grocery store looked at little Xiangling with a smile.

—This child is amazing; he's only a few years old and he's already running errands for the adults in the family.

The little one stood prettily in front of the counter, carrying a basket. The tall counter blocked his view of everything except for his bright, lively eyes looking around.

"Ah... um, Dad asked me to buy some seasonings, I remember it was... um..."

The bottles and jars piled up on the shelf behind the counter dazzled Xiangling, and for a moment she forgot her father's instructions when she left home.

Chili peppers, black pepper, white pepper—aren't they all pretty much the same?

The little guy smacked his lips a couple of times, still unable to remember what he wanted to buy.

However, Master Mao had anticipated this. After looking around for a while and realizing that she really couldn't remember, Xiangling lowered her head and put her hand into the basket, rummaging around.

"Here, this is for you!"

Xiangling leaned against the counter, stood on tiptoe, and with some effort handed over the note she had just taken out of the basket.

The grocer took it, opened it, and saw that it contained exactly what Master Mao wanted to buy.

"Small red chilies, black pepper, Yunnan chili peppers..."

The aunt put down the note and started fiddling with the shelves behind her. Soon, several jars were placed in front of Xiangling.

However, she looked somewhat troubled.

"We're out of Jueyun peppers in the store. It's also raining today, so the delivery will probably be late. Sorry."

She only realized last night when she was sorting through the inventory that the store was out of stock. Ordering now would take a day or two, and with the rainy weather making the mountain roads difficult to travel, the farmers delivering the goods would probably be delayed.

Upon hearing this, Xiangling put the basket down and filled all the bottles and jars.

She wasn't particularly concerned about not buying anything; she'd let her dad worry about it when they got back.

The little guy carried his basket, which was full to the brim, and hummed a song all the way back to his family's little restaurant.

Perhaps because of the rainy weather, there weren't as many customers dining today as usual.

Even so, the lobby was still noisy, and there were a few familiar faces standing at the entrance ordering food.

Standing under the signboard of her own restaurant, Xiao Xiangling's big eyes darted around. The customers in front of her were all tall and somewhat frighteningly tall and strong, and they quickly buried the little girl's figure.

Standing at the back of the crowd, Xiao Xiangling quickly squeezed in while a table of guests left.

"Dad, I'm home!"

Upon entering the kitchen, a thick cloud of smoke made it difficult for the little guy to open his eyes.

Xiangling covered her mouth and nose with her fair and delicate hands, and stood in the corner coughing uncontrollably.

"Oh? Xiangling is back."

Hearing the sound behind him, Master Mao, who was flipping a large ladle, took a moment to turn around and look.

The little guy was so choked by the cooking fumes that he could barely open his eyes and could only cough while leaning against the wall.

It pained him to see this, but he couldn't put down his work, and he was caught in a dilemma.

Fortunately, someone helped him out of the predicament.

An ordinary-looking woman lifted the curtain and walked in. Her face was gentle, but the fumes that hit her made her frown slightly, though she didn't say anything.

She pulled Xiangling from the corner, put the things in her hands aside, and carried her out of the kitchen.

"mother...."

Unlike her unruly behavior when facing her father, Xiangling immediately became docile upon seeing the lady before her.

She lay weakly in her mother's arms, blinking her eyes.

The woman watched this scene with a mixture of heartache and amusement.

"Your dad is really something, actually letting you go out to buy things."

A pair of gentle hands stroked the little one's back, constantly patting her back to help her breathe, her words full of reproach.

"By the way, Mom, Dad said the Jueyun peppers he wanted to buy are out of stock at the shop."

The naturally active Xiangling couldn't stand lying in the woman's arms all the time, so as soon as she felt a little better, she struggled to stand up.

"Oh dear, that is indeed a problem."

Even though the woman wasn't a great cook, she knew the situation at her family's restaurant. There were just too many places where Jueyun peppers could be used, and since it was mealtime, the remaining stock probably wouldn't last long.

But it seems like I can't find a suitable shop in a short time. There aren't any shops close to home, and if I want to go further away, it seems like I don't have enough time.

The woman's heart sank. She lifted the curtain, turned around, and went into the kitchen to discuss the matter with her husband.

Smoke billowed from the stove as Chef Mao prepared the spicy sea bass ordered by the guests. Perhaps it was because of the rainy day, but the guests seemed to prefer spicy dishes today.

There aren't enough of the Jueyun peppers at home, and he just asked the little guy to go buy some more, but he doesn't know how many he bought.

"Hey, you in charge of cooking."

The kitchen fumes were so strong that the woman had to cover her mouth and nose when she spoke to her husband.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Chef Mao, focused on seasoning, stared at the fish in the pot and casually gave his replies.

"Jueyun Jiaojiao's shop is out of stock today. Are you in a hurry? If not, I'll go check at the dock."

Even though her husband said he was anxious, she didn't have any good ideas.

"Out of stock?"

Upon hearing this, Chef Mao was startled. Judging by the situation today, the little bit of Yunnan chili peppers left in the kitchen would definitely not be enough. If they ran out of stock, then...

The man placed the lid on the pot and began to simmer.

Actually, it's not that he didn't have a stock of peppers, but the recent days of continuous rain caused all the peppers on the shelf to spoil, and their spiciness and aroma were completely substandard. Only some that he had casually placed next to the stove escaped this fate.

In order not to lower the quality of the dishes, he hurriedly asked Xiao Xiangling to help him with the shopping.

Listening to the bubbling sound in the pot, Master Mao was preoccupied with finding a solution for Jueyun Pepper.

The dish in front of me isn't anything special, but if we ordered one or two more...

"Master Mao, two plates of stir-fried pork and one plate of spicy chicken!"

The voice of a regular customer came from the lobby, startling Master Mao.

This, this, this...

The man's face was a mixture of emotions, as if he were thinking about something.

After a long while, Master Mao calmed down and turned to look at his wife.

"Let's borrow some from Tingyu Pavilion."

"Listening to the Rain Pavilion? Perhaps..."

The women of Tingyu Pavilion naturally knew where it was; as a long-established restaurant in Liyue Harbor, many of their generation had eaten there.

It's just a few steps ahead on the front street of Wanmintang. The two families had a pretty good relationship before. When Master Mao was young, he worked odd jobs there and was deeply taught by Master Bai.

Upon hearing the name, the woman understood why her husband had hesitated before, but she felt that the bigger picture should be taken into consideration, so she sighed and agreed.

She stepped out of the smoky kitchen, took Xiangling's hand as she strolled outside, and walked towards Tingyu Pavilion, whose nameplate had been removed months ago.