What Lumine had said left Aether momentarily speechless.
"Anyway, let's find a place to stay first. We're not in a rush—no rush at all…" Aether picked up the bowl of soup in front of her and took a slow sip.
"It's super urgent!" Lumine pouted, though she didn't press the issue and went back to enjoying the food on the table.
Come to think of it, with Aether's constitution, someone might actually throw themselves at her.
After all, that Yuheng Star had already met Aether once… Lumine quieted down and continued eating breakfast in silence.
As for Paimon, she'd been eating since earlier and hadn't paid much attention to their conversation.
She barely understood what they were talking about anyway, so she might as well focus on the food.
While they weren't looking, she'd snatch all the tasty bits… After breakfast.
They didn't leave in a hurry; instead they planned to wait until Xiangling had a free moment so they could chat.
But business at Wanmin Restaurant was apparently booming—the place stayed busy the entire morning, and by the time Xiangling finally had a breather, it was almost noon.
Even though the locals hadn't arrived for lunch yet, ingredients had to be prepped right then; otherwise there'd be no way to keep up later.
Under the circumstances, Aether and Lumine really couldn't bother Xiangling any further.
"Well then, we'll be off," Aether said, bidding Xiangling farewell.
"Mm! Sorry I couldn't look after you these past few days. Once Wanmin Restaurant isn't so hectic, I'll come find you guys!" Xiangling said apologetically.
"Sure… but does Wanmin Restaurant ever have slow days?" Paimon tilted her head in puzzlement.
"Of course! Otherwise I wouldn't have had time to go gather ingredients around Liyue," Xiangling replied with a smile.
The lull usually came when nothing major was happening in Liyue Harbor and all the sailors had set out to sea.
Then her dad could handle the restaurant alone without needing her.
"When that time comes, you'd better give us a grand tour… Oh, right, Xiangling, do you know where we could rent a place?" Lumine asked.
"Mm, preferably somewhere the rent isn't sky-high," Aether added with a nod.
"A rental? Let me think…" Xiangling tapped her chin in thought.
In a place as pricey as Liyue Harbor, cheap rent is hard to come by.
Even if you find one, it's usually in some out-of-the-way corner that's really inconvenient.
"I do know of a place with fairly cheap rooms, only…" Xiangling's tone suddenly turned hesitant.
"What's wrong?" Aether asked, puzzled.
"Um… have you heard of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?" Xiangling scratched her head and asked.
"Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?" Aether and Lumine exchanged glances, then shook their heads in unison.
From the name alone they couldn't tell what sort of place it was.
"It's a shop that specializes in funeral services. The place I'm talking about is right next door and has been vacant for ages."
Originally it had been a shop, but because it neighbored Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, anything other than funeral goods sold terribly.
Over time fewer people were willing to rent it, and former tenants even started rumors that it was haunted.
Of course, Xiangling didn't believe in ghosts; if any really lingered near Wangsheng, the parlor's owner would never ignore them.
She just wasn't sure how Aether and Lumine felt about the situation.
Although the space had started as a shop, living there wouldn't be a problem.
"No worries, we'll go take a look. Thanks, Xiangling, you've been a huge help!" Aether beamed and clasped Xiangling's hands.
She couldn't care less about ghosts; anything terrifying would be annihilated by her bat.
"I-it's nothing, really," Xiangling stammered, her face flushing, though she didn't pull her hands away.
Aether's palm was surprisingly warm—warmer than her own cooking-hardened hands. It felt… nice. ——
"A-are we seriously renting the haunted house?" Paimon finally blurted out.
They were following Xiangling's directions, on their way to check the place.
"Is little Paimon scared?" Aether teased with a grin.
"I-I'm not scared! I'm just worried about your safety!" Paimon insisted.
"There's no such thing as ghosts. The first tenant probably couldn't sell anything and invented the ghost story to save face when moving out," Lumine analyzed rationally.
Her reasoning was probably spot-on.
"Y-you're right… now I'm not scared anymore!" Paimon nodded earnestly.
"Oh? Weren't you just saying you weren't afraid, only worried for us?" Aether asked innocently.
"A-ah, Xiangling's cooking is amazing—should we come again tonight?" Paimon changed the subject awkwardly.
…
"Come to think of it, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor isn't in some remote location," Lumine remarked, looking ahead.
Feiyun Slope was one of the busiest commercial districts in Liyue Harbor, packed with famous old shops and bustling with customers.
Wangsheng Funeral Parlor sat in the southern part of Feiyun Slope; a short walk north brought you to Xigu Antiques, a well-known curio shop in Liyue.
Admittedly, the parlor's entrance was rather discreet, not directly facing the main street.
The house they intended to rent lay between Wangsheng and Xigu Antiques.
It should be the one right next to Wangsheng… "Huh? Someone's up ahead," Aether said, snapping Lumine out of her thoughts.
Lumine looked up. In front of the house they planned to rent stood a girl with twin ponytails, a black hat, a long black coat, and black shorts, scrutinizing something.
"No one's going to rent that house before us, right?" Lumine arched a brow; if that happened, they'd be downright unlucky.
"Xiangling said it's been empty for ages—surely it won't get snatched now?" Aether murmured.
"Mm, let's go look. If someone is renting it, it's up to you, Aether."
"M–me?"
"Mm-hmm." Lumine nodded.
After all, she's still a young lady; with Aether's charm, a little negotiation might persuade the renter to give the place up.
As the title says, family stuff kept me out all day. Just got home—utterly wiped. With this month's attendance bonus already gone, I've zero drive to type.
Really sorry!
But! Starting next month I'll explode with updates—rest assured, or I'll be eating dirt.
Anyway, super sorry!!!
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