Another night passed, and Monday arrived once again.
Early in the morning, the people from Scent of Spring delivered the samples of the newly ordered cups. It was unclear what Ying'er had said to them, but the speed was truly impressive.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata inspected the cups and found them to be in line with her design. She nodded in satisfaction.
Xia Zhi also thought they were good and signed a new commercial contract with the supplier.
"Cousin, help me write a notice."
"What should it say?"
"The shop has added a new drink. Members can purchase Rainbow Wine, one cup per day, limited supply, and no takeout for now."
"What about the price?"
"Let's set it at 300 Mora per cup."
"That's about right."
"Today is the first day of Rainbow Wine sales, so it's half price as usual."
"Got it."
When the shop opened in the morning, a faint, enticing aroma of wine filled the air.
Many customers had heard about the miraculous Rainbow Wine that had appeared at the Jade Chamber banquet a few days ago.
It was said that the esteemed guests had praised this new wine, claiming that after drinking it, all their ailments had disappeared. Some had even seen Diona mixing the wine and tried to replicate it at home using chilled Rainbow Juice and various alcohols, but the results were nowhere near the same.
In short, rumors about Diona and the Rainbow Wine had been circulating around the city for the past two days.
Unfortunately, the shop had been closed, so curious customers had to wait. Today, when they saw the new notice posted outside, the members were overjoyed, while those who weren't members began to fret.
Especially when they saw the member customers praising the Rainbow Wine after drinking it in the shop, they couldn't wait any longer.
Thus, the lively scene of "high-priced recycling of Cryo and Pyro cups" began again outside the shop.
Thanks to the reputation of the Jade Chamber banquet, many more customers came to the shop today. Some lucky customers drank two cups of juice, sold their cups when they left, and even managed to make a small profit.
By the time the shop closed at noon, the small wine jar for the limited supply was, unsurprisingly, empty.
This new drink was indeed very popular.
In the evening, after dinner, everyone went out for a stroll. When they passed by a flower shop, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata went in to take a look.
After some pleasant bargaining, she bought a bunch of flower seeds.
"Why did you buy so many seeds? Where are you going to plant them?"
"In vases, to decorate the tables. I think the shop's decor is too sparse."
"This is minimalist style. It's nice."
"Come on, you're blind. How would you know? Listen to me!"
"…Alright."
His cousin hadn't been very cute lately, always using his own magic against him.
Zhu Zi was a bit puzzled and asked, "But aren't vases for fresh flowers? Don't seeds need to be planted in soil?"
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata nodded. "Yes, but I have a Dendro Vision."
"! I've never seen it before!"
"I left it in my room. I don't usually need it."
"Is that so?"
"Of course. Do you think a girl like me would dare to come out alone to find my cousin without some kind of protection?"
"That makes sense."
Diona immediately said, "But Senior Zhu Zi sneaked out all by herself! She didn't have any protection. So brave!"
Zhu Zi covered her face. "Let's not talk about the past! If it weren't for the boss, I would've starved to death!"
The group was filled with cheerful laughter.
Since they needed to buy vases, they took a detour to the Chihu Rock market.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata enthusiastically browsed the shops, dragging Ying'er, the porcelain expert, along to nitpick. In the end, she managed to buy a bunch of vases at a low price, with free delivery.
Back at the shop, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata went to her room to retrieve her "Dendro Vision" and showed it to everyone.
She filled a vase with water, sprinkled in a seed, and then extended her hand, channeling a trace of Dendro energy into it. Instantly, a stunning Sumeru Rose bloomed in the vase.
"Miss Xia Ci, you're amazing!"
"Right?"
"I get it now!"
"What?"
"The cream mushrooms and other things the boss used to grow at home must have been with Miss Xia Ci's help using her Vision!"
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was slightly taken aback but then nodded with a smile.
"Yes, back then, my cousin kept begging me to help him. I had no choice but to oblige."
"So that's how it was!"
"I was still young back then, and my control over elemental energy wasn't very good. But my cousin didn't care. Even when I said I couldn't do it anymore, he still forced me to…"
Xia Zhi listened expressionlessly as the goddess spouted nonsense.
Yes, you really had it tough back then, cousin.
I'll reward you later.
"Cousin, it's time for your massage."
"Ah? Wait… wait a moment!"
"Wait for what?"
"I haven't finished with the vases yet!"
"Do it tomorrow morning."
"No!"
"Then hurry up."
"I still need to take a bath!"
"Alright, go take a bath. I'll wait for you inside."
Xia Zhi smiled at her and walked into the back hall.
"…"
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata watched his retreating figure, feeling a sense of foreboding.
After dragging her feet to fill all the vases with flowers, she went to the bathhouse with everyone else.
Thinking about the impending sensation that made her want to die, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata couldn't help but swallow nervously. She looked at Shenhe.
"Shenhe, save me!"
Shenhe silently averted her gaze.
I need to conserve my energy for tonight. I don't have enough as it is. How can I help anyone else?
No hope, just wait for death. Goodbye.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata looked at the others, but it seemed there was no help to be found.
Forget it, I'll just go. It's not like it's the first time I've embarrassed myself in front of my cousin.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata sighed, wrapped herself in a towel, and went to the back hall.
"I'm here."
Xia Zhi's voice was gentle.
Hearing it, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata inexplicably felt her legs go weak.
"Cousin, I was wrong!"
"You weren't wrong."
"I really was wrong."
"Alright, you were wrong. Now lie down."
"No! You have to swear first!"
"That's childish. Mortals swear to gods, but who can gods swear to?"
"…"
Damn it, my cousin is using my own magic against me.
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata lay down with a look of resignation.
Just as she was preparing to face the intense mix of pleasure and discomfort, she suddenly realized something was off.
"Cousin…"
"Hmm?"
"Don't scare me. If you're going to punish me, just get it over with."
"Hey, I told you, I'm not mad at you."
"Really?"
"Really."
"That's a relief."
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata let out a sigh of relief.
"Cousin, I shouldn't have lied."
"You didn't lie."
"Huh?"
"You were helping me grow mushrooms, weren't you?"
As Xia Zhi spoke, he took out the [Serenitea Pot] and smiled warmly.
"Cousin, I'll need you to keep helping me with that in the future."
"…"
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