Capítulo 8: Chapter 7: Yijiangnan
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Liang Yi held onto his junior sister's hand, exerting quite some effort to navigate through the dense crowd to arrive within Pan Yang Town.
After skillfully navigating seven twists and eight turns, the two found themselves in a secluded alley, where a small unnamed shop was located at the very end.
"What is this place, senior brother, and how come you know it so well?" Su Youyi curiously gazed at the store not far away while continuing to question Liang Yi.
"Don't sweat the details. The specialty dishes here are unmatched in the entire world. I guarantee that once you try them, you'll definitely be longing for more," Liang Yi confidently introduced to Su Youyi.
His claims were not an exaggeration. Indeed, the food at this store was unparalleled, his favorite dish from his previous life, but that wasn't the real reason he was here.
He was here mainly to complete a task, a hidden quest.
The task was simple, just requiring the answer to one question. If the answer was correct, the task would be considered complete. This was also one of the most challenging questions since the launch of "Mystical Mechanism," because despite many versions passing, no one had answered it correctly yet, until he time-traveled.
But Liang Yi was confident, since he had actually obtained the answer in his previous life, but just when he was boosting his chef skills on his alt, he time-traveled before getting a chance to answer on his main account.
Under Su Youyi's expectant gaze, Liang Yi led her directly in by pushing the door.
The shop was small, with no clerk around, and seemed extremely desolate; in fact, there were no customers at all. Unexpectedly, the decor of the shop was quite elegant, making one feel immediately comfortable upon entering.
The middle-aged shopkeeper, who was napping on the counter, hurriedly sat up and greeted Liang Yi and his companion with a smile:
"What would the guest like to eat? The menu is on the wall, please feel free to choose, and if it's not tasty, feel free to complain without worrying about my feelings."
Hearing this, Liang Yi almost burst out laughing. He had heard this phrase countless times before and never thought much of it, but now, knowing the truth, he almost laughed until tears came.
Suppressing his laughter and not looking at the shopkeeper, he instead said to Su Youyi, "Order whatever you want, junior sister, your senior brother has money."
He knew that the restaurant's menu was not fixed and changed daily; he had never seen any repeat dishes, so no matter what Su Youyi chose, they would be dishes he hadn't tried yet.
Su Youyi glanced at her senior brother, then looked toward the blank wall behind the shopkeeper filled with menu items.
"I'd like to try the 'Qin Sang Yu Lu Zhi,' 'Phoenix Nods Thrice,' and 'Summer Eyes Turn Yellow Warbler,'" Su Youyi excitedly picked three dishes that interested her most, then turned to Liang Yi to see what he thought.
"Shopkeeper, just these three dishes. Oh, and bring a bottle of 'Jiangnan Spring' too," Liang Yi added at last.
The shopkeeper stared at Liang Yi with a peculiar expression, his eyes twinkling as if wondering how he knew of "Jiangnan Spring."
Unperturbed, Liang Yi remained composed, holding his junior sister's hand as they took a seat by the window.
The shopkeeper shook his head, no longer pondering; he just ran the shop, and whatever the customers ordered, he would serve.
Turning his head, he erased the dishes Su Youyi had ordered from the wall and went into the kitchen. His shop never made the same dish twice.
It didn't take long for the shopkeeper to bring out the dishes. Three dishes, two bowls of rice, and a small kettle of fruit wine. Just from the appearance, the three dishes were indeed eye-catching—not figuratively, but literally physically sparkling.
Upon closer inspection, one could see that each dish emitted a soft glow. Not only did this not make the dishes look strange, but it actually increased the appetite.
"Here, give them a try. The dishes at this shop change daily. Although I haven't tried these particular dishes, I assure you the taste will not disappoint."
Liang Yi picked some mouth-watering meat products and placed them in his junior sister's bowl.
"Have more, you're still growing, you can't go hungry and get slim, otherwise I would feel heartbroken."
Hearing her senior brother's caring words, Su Youyi rolled her eyes at him: How can you let a girl eat so much, what if I get fat and senior brother doesn't like me anymore?
However, she was still curious about her senior brother's strong recommendation, so she quickly took a bite from her bowl. As her taste buds came into contact with the flavors of the dish, her eyes immediately lit up: It's so delicious!
Seeing the girl eating ravenously in front of him, Liang Yi hurriedly joined the battle too, fearing that if he watched her for a couple more moments, he would have to settle for plain white rice alone.
Both of their appetites were quite large, and it didn't take long before they completely wiped out the meal. They then collapsed onto their chairs in unison, rhythmically rubbing their bellies clockwise.
After resting for a bit, Liang Yi opened a bottle of Jiangnan Spring and poured a glass for both himself and his junior sister.
"Is it okay to drink? It's fruit wine, not very strong." Liang Yi wasn't sure if this counted as encouraging underage drinking.
"Senior brother~ Don't forget, I'm already a cultivator of the Third Realm, this level of alcohol is just like water to me." Su Youyi was displeased about being treated like a child by her senior brother; after all, she was already older than many adult women.
Hearing this, Liang Yi didn't say anything more and passed the cup of wine to her.
Upon seeing his junior sister accepting the wine cup, Liang Yi raised his own cup towards Su Youyi and drank it all in one go.
"This cup, thanks for saving me, otherwise I wouldn't know when I would have been able to get out." Liang Yi was sincere
"You're my senior brother, you once saved my life, saving you is my duty, it's not for any other reason."
Su Youyi lowered her head, feeling awkward, she really didn't expect Liang Yi to say this, but her gaze was a bit vacant: Senior brother indeed has lost his memory, but after losing his memory, is it possible that he will no longer just see me as his junior sister, and maybe...
At that thought, Su Youyi fiercely tapped her head, quickly dispelling this embarrassing thought, and lifted her wine cup, throwing her head back and swallowing the wine.
Liang Yi was stunned; he didn't expect his junior sister to drink wine so boldly. With no one to toast with, Liang Yi had no choice but to also down his cup of fruit wine in one go.
It was still the familiar taste: the refreshing aroma of Spirit Fruits blended with the rich fragrance of clear sake, and there was a hint of an unusual floral scent lingering faintly in the air.
Upon savoring it carefully, the taste of the wine changed, becoming warmer instead of cool, like the first rays of the sun shining on mountain rivers, leaving an endearing aftertaste.
It felt as though they were in the springtime of Jiangnan, making one's mood expansive.
"Ding! Congratulations on tasting the fine wine [Jiangnan Spring], obtaining All Attributes enhancement."
He opened his attribute panel and saw that it was still an unparalleled All Attributes +5, effective for 24 hours.
"As the sun rises, the river flowers are red and fiery, spring comes and the river water turns blue as though painted, can I not recall Jiangnan?"
"Indeed, Jiangnan Spring is a rare fine wine of this world." Liang Yi generously praised.
Su Youyi also nodded in agreement, the inherent scenery of Jiangnan within the wine also evoked a bit of longing for Jiangnan in her. The wine did not intoxicate but instead filled her with strength now.
"Dear customer, you truly are a great scholar! May I carve this line of poetry on our signboard? I've been worrying about what to inscribe on it, but hearing this, now I know!" The Shopkeeper came up, not sure when he had arrived.
-- Presente
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