After a few more pleasantries, everyone had mostly finished eating. The two bowls of vegetarian dishes in front of Nahida had vanished at some point, though she hadn't touched a single bite.
"It's getting late, so I'll be going now. I'll definitely visit again tomorrow when you open. Goodbye."
The girl left in a hurry, as if fleeing. Perhaps she had witnessed something during the meal.
"I say... why did she run off so fast? It's not like we were going to eat her."
Bronya, standing nearby, twitched her lips. You ate the only two dishes she ordered, and that's not even counting the greedy look in your eyes. You looked like a creepy old man.
"Master, the bill."
Chef Mao hurried over. His daughter wasn't in the shop, and with so many customers today, he was certainly busy.
"Guest, the total is 2560 Mora. I'll round it down for you and make it 2500."
He took out Mora from his system space and paid the bill. Then, the group headed towards the entrance. As soon as they reached a less crowded area, Lu Ze felt two hands inexplicably wrap around his waist. Sigh, he couldn't escape this fate.
"Explain yourself. Why were you staring at that girl?"
"And also, did you take a liking to her? Were you even thinking about how to hit on her while eating?"
Feeling the pain in his waist, his life was going to be difficult. After all, he no longer had an immediate reaction. Perhaps he had gotten used to it?
After a difficult explanation, the two finally relented. After all, they were still outside, and there were passing pedestrians, making it inconvenient to start a fight.
"Alright, please don't be angry. We'll be busy starting tomorrow. Let's have a good stroll tonight. I'll buy you anything you want."
Hearing the mention of going out, Xilin and Liliya, the two little ones, became more active. Perhaps this was just the nature of children, something that couldn't be changed.
The others followed along, mostly seeing it as a form of relaxation. It was rare to have a chance to go out and have fun, so they decided to make the most of it today.
Perhaps because the commercial street was crowded, Xilin hid next to Lu Ze, tightly grasping his right hand. However, some pedestrians who saw Xilin couldn't help but look shocked.
"Look, isn't that the little girl from the promotional video a while ago? I remember her name was Xilin. Why is she in Liyue? She's really cute. But why is her life so tragic..."
"Exactly! And that Honkai Will is also a huge problem. Although it gave Xilin the power to take revenge, it also sealed her doom. Such a good little girl..."
Listening to the whispers around her, for some reason, Xilin felt a warmth in her heart. This was a feeling she couldn't experience in Mondstadt. In Mondstadt, she could only feel an overwhelming longing and enthusiasm... like a madwoman.
It reminded her of all the unbearable past events...
"Here... your name is Xilin, right? Grandma has candied hawthorns. Let's give our little Xilin one. Don't be afraid. We Liyue people are very caring towards children."
An old woman with white, wispy hair leaned on a nearby cart. The cart had countless holes, each with a candied hawthorn stuck in it, and even other types of sweets.
Xilin cautiously broke free and took a tentative step forward. Halfway there, she looked back at Lu Ze, who gave her a reassuring look.
"Here, your candied hawthorn, little Xilin."
To the grandmother, a twelve or thirteen-year-old child was indeed a little one.
The purple-haired little girl looked up, seemingly trying to etch the grandmother's appearance into her memory. Her little mouth puffed out, looking adorably cute.
"Children are so interesting. You can come to Grandma's stall for candied hawthorns next time. Grandma is here every day."
Everyone behind them smiled. Liliya also peeked out, extending her delicate little hand as if asking for one too.
"No rush, no rush. There's one for you too."
Bella, looking like a young girl, did not step forward. Although she could control her form, she might have been too shy, being an adult dragon.
"Thank you!"
The two little lolis said in unison. These two simple words made the old woman beam as if she had eaten honey.
Such a harmonious scene made even the passersby stop to watch.
"Is this the difference between two countries? I heard Mondstadt believes in the Anemo Archon. It seems this Archon isn't very good at managing things. We both have 'wind' in our titles, why is there such a big difference?"
Venti muttered silently. The incident at the Honkai merchandise store a while ago was still fresh in her memory, with those crazy citizens... they were worse than a stranger in Liyue.
"That's not necessarily true. Everyone has their dark side. We can't just look at the surface, but we also can't just look at the inner self. Only by combining both can we truly understand a person."
As she spoke, she took out a bag of Mora from her system space. After all, she had no habit of taking things from others without paying.
"Alright, Xilin. We should go explore other places and head back early. As a child, you shouldn't stay up too late."
As she said this, she squatted down and picked up the little girl, lifting her high. At that moment, she handed the bag of Mora to the old woman. Before she could even speak, they walked away.
After the initial incident, Xilin was no longer as afraid of the people in this area. Instead, she boldly looked around, developing a fondness for this place.
"Liliya wants a hug too."
Unable to bear the pestering of the blue-haired little loli, Lu Ze reluctantly picked up both girls. Fortunately, he was an S-rank Valkyrie, or he might not have been able to carry them.
For the first time, the little girls felt so high up and joyfully looked ahead.
They browsed for over an hour, buying not only food and snacks but also two outfits for Venti and Bronya. Women, after all, deserved to be pampered.
As a result, Lu Ze almost became a human hanger. Fortunately, he had the system space, otherwise, he truly wouldn't have escaped this fate.
It was nearly 11 PM when they finally returned to the shop. They had indeed had a very fun night. Venti and Bronya, who had been slightly annoyed by Nahida earlier, had temporarily forgotten about it due to their new clothes.
"Alright, hurry up and take your baths and go to sleep. No more playing games, it's too late."