Chapter 10: Wanmin Restaurant

"Dragon disaster?"

Every day, Master Mao is busy in the kitchen of Wanmin Restaurant. When he hears about the dragon disaster, he immediately becomes interested.

"Yes, a dragon disaster. A green-colored dragon attacked Mondstadt."

Of course, Wang Daoyi knew that this giant dragon was the guardian dragon of Mondstadt—Stormterror, also known as Dvalin.

However, he now plays the role of an ordinary adventurer returning from Mondstadt, so the story he tells can only be from the perspective of an ordinary adventurer.

"Attacked by a dragon? Didn't their god punish the dragon?" Even the scattered diners nearby were drawn in by Wang Daoyi's words.

The people of Liyue couldn't imagine how the capital of a city-state could be attacked by a dragon. If a monster dared to attack Liyue Harbor, it would face only the spears and swords of the Qixing, or in severe cases, even the Geo Archon

However, someone interjected, "Ha, you don't understand, do you? Mondstadt is a free city, their Anemo Archon doesn't interfere in their affairs, unlike our Lord of Geo. He walks alongside us commoners."

"In a city-state without gods, how can that be? If Liyue didn't have the Lord of Geo, I wouldn't dare to imagine what it would be like!"

Wang Daoyi listened to the discussions around him and couldn't help but feel moved. The people of Liyue, under the protection of Morax, were indeed much happier than the people of other countries.

Looking at these diners chatting away, he wondered what expression they would have when Morax "died."

"Yes, Mondstadt's Anemo Archon is the God of Freedom and generally doesn't interfere in Mondstadt's affairs, just like we have the Qixing managing various affairs in Liyue. Mondstadt also has the Knights of Favonius managing various affairs in Mondstadt!"

"Then, what about this dragon disaster? Doesn't their Knights of Favonius take action?"

"They do, but unfortunately, their Grand Master took most of the knights with him on an expedition, so now Mondstadt doesn't have the means to deal with the dragon disaster."

...

The diners were good at chatting, and chatting with them gradually made Wang Daoyi feel like he was discussing international affairs with the community elders in the park in his previous life.

"Here it is, stir-fried pork slices, special fried radish balls, and Wanmin Restaurant's signature boiled perch. Enjoy your meal. As new customers, remember to give us your feedback!"

Soon, Xiangling brought the food on a tray.

Looking at Wang Daoyi picking up his chopsticks, Xiangling's eyes showed an eager anticipation that a chef would have for customer feedback.

Wang Daoyi was not polite either. He picked up a slice of pork and put it in his mouth.

The pork slices, stir-fried over high heat, adorned with bright red chili peppers, were as spicy as a beacon in the snow, instantly igniting the taste buds on his tongue, making him want more. Wang Daoyi couldn't help but praise it.

Seeing Wang Daoyi enjoying the food, Xiangling also showed a happy smile. For Xiangling, a customer enjoying their meal was the greatest compliment.

"Ha ha, and there are these fried radish balls and boiled fish. You should try them too."

After swallowing a fried radish ball, Wang Daoyi looked at another dish.

Wanmin Restaurant's signature boiled perch, cooked fish dishes, the fish slices were firm and full, delicious and flavorful. Upon tasting it, there was a strange aroma that made people want more.

When Wang Daoyi asked about this strange aroma,

Xiangling showed a happy smile. "It's from the glazed sac. The biggest secret of Wanmin Restaurant's boiled fish is that powdered glazed sac is added to the hot oil, which makes the dish spicy but not dry, and also gives it the aroma of the glazed sac."

Xiangling didn't care about Wanmin Restaurant's so-called secret recipe. In her view, even if someone stole Wanmin Restaurant's secret recipe, they couldn't steal Wanmin Restaurant's philosophy.

And that's exactly the case. Wanmin Restaurant has never hidden its so-called secret recipes, and even the kitchen is open, yet no one can replicate the deliciousness of Wanmin Restaurant.

"It's truly a cuisine that leaves people wanting more." Swallowing the last bite reluctantly, Wang Daoyi patted his stomach, feeling somewhat nostalgic.

"Ha ha, as long as you like it, you can come to Wanmin Restaurant anytime. Although we don't have Xiang Ling cooking every day, my skills, Chef Mao, are also famous!"

As he cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks, Chef Mao heard Wang Daoyi's sigh and happily advertised himself,

"Of course, this time I'm going to stay in Liyue for a while. Chef Mao, do you know if there are any places to rent in Chihuyan?"

"You're looking to rent a place? Well, it just so happens that Granny Sun at the end of the street is planning to retire to Qixing Manor. Her house is going to be rented out. If you're interested, I can take you to see it."

As soon as Chef Mao heard Wang Daoyi was looking for a house, he immediately began enthusiastically introducing it.

Granny Sun at the end of the street runs a teahouse. Recently, because she's getting older and her family is busy managing the tea plantation at Qixing Manor, she's planning to retire to Qixing Manor, and the teahouse in Liyue Harbor is ready to be rented out.

Wang Daoyi's eyes lit up. It really came without any effort. He thought he would have to search for a long time, but he didn't expect that his biggest housing problem could be solved just by having a meal.

Immediately, Chef Mao informed Xiang Ling to watch over the shop and took Wang Daoyi out to the end of the street.

Liyue is a tea-loving nation, not only do the people of Liyue enjoy drinking tea, but many foreigners also enjoy Liyue tea. The tea plantations of Qixing Manor in Liyue export large quantities of tea

 leaves to other countries every year.

Within Liyue Harbor, there are dozens of teahouses, large and small, such as the famous He Yu Teahouse with the renowned Cloud-High Society stationed there, always bustling with people. There's also the mysterious Yan Shang Teahouse, where the clientele are not ordinary commoners, and the Sanwan Guogang Teahouse, where storytellers recount old tales every day.

However, Granny Sun's teahouse in Chihuyan is evidently not like He Yu Teahouse, where people watch performances, nor does it have storytellers. It's the opposite of Yan Shang Teahouse. Because Chihuyan is close to the port's loading and unloading area, there are large numbers of dockworkers working there every day, and Granny Sun's teahouse primarily serves these port workers.

They use inexpensive tea leaves, and corresponding to the inexpensive tea leaves are cheap and good-quality tea drinks. A mug or a ceramic jar of cheap tea water is the favorite of the dockworkers.

When Wang Daoyi and Master Mao arrived at Granny Sun's teahouse, a person carrying a large tea jar emerged from the teahouse. Seeing Master Mao, the foreman greeted, "Oh, isn't this Chef Mao? What brings you here? Buying fish?"

This place isn't just Liyue's largest loading and unloading port; there are also numerous fishermen setting up stalls here. There are large numbers of people buying and selling seafood here every day, and Wanmin Restaurant also procures some ingredients here.

"Ha, it's Old Gao. I'm not buying fish today. I'm here to take this young man to see Granny Sun."

"Looking for Granny Sun, oh, to see the house, right? Ah, if Granny Sun leaves, we won't be able to drink this cheap tea water anymore! We'll have to spend more money to buy tea water from those crafty merchants."

Foreman Old Gao felt a bit dejected, then looked at Wang Daoyi, seeming to realize there was some ambiguity in his words, and hastily explained, "Ha, I wasn't talking about you, young man. Granny Sun's teahouse has the cheapest tea water in the entire port. If we lose this cheap tea water, I, as a foreman, will have to spend more mora to buy tea water from other teahouses."

Dockworkers have laborious jobs, and each worker drinks large quantities of tea water every day. Of course, the tea water here isn't just tea leaves; there's also green bean soup, bayberry soup, and the like.

Although the port has the most workers in Liyue, it also has the most foremen. If even the tea water during busy work hours can't be guaranteed, the workers naturally wouldn't follow you.

Therefore, the foremen at the port always need some inexpensive yet good-quality tea water drinks.

"Roll, they can all roll."

Hearing the foreman's explanation, Wang Daoyi expressed his understanding. He hadn't really thought much about it; he just wanted to find a place to settle down first.

"Don't worry, Uncle. If Granny Sun sells this teahouse to me, we'll naturally continue with this tea business!"

"Well, then, I wish you success in taking over this teahouse! Master Mao, I still have work to do, so I'll take my leave!"

Hearing Wang Daoyi's words, the foreman nodded happily, bid farewell to Master Mao, and headed towards the port.

Then, with Master Mao's help, Granny Sun and Wang Daoyi went to the General Affairs Office and completed the transfer procedures before sunset. Wang Daoyi bought the teahouse located between Chihuyan and the port for a super low price of 250,000 mura.

Afterward, the three of them went to Wanmintang together for dinner, celebrating Wang Daoyi's settlement in Chihuyan and also celebrating Granny Sun's resolution of guilt towards her father.

(End of this chapter)