Chapter 293

After a while, the first round of the tournament inside the teahouse ended.

Only Ying'er lost, while the others successfully won the chips from the other three players. Now, they faced two choices:

First, give up the qualification for the next round and exchange the chips they'd won for Mora.

Second, continue to the next round. If they lost, they'd get nothing.

A small number of participants chose to withdraw from the tournament and cash out, while the vast majority chose to continue.

Mr. Zhongli and Ying'er walked out of the teahouse.

"Mr. Zhongli, it's such a pity that you're stopping here."

"It's fine. As long as I enjoyed myself."

"Mr. Zhongli, aren't you going to keep watching?"

"I'd like to check on the situation of my two old friends."

"Oh, here's some snacks I made today. Take them with you."

"Alright, thank you."

Mr. Zhongli left with a bag of Bliss Rice Pops. Judging by his calm expression, he probably truly didn't care about winning or losing this time.

For him, being able to play such a game with an old friend was a blessing in itself.

Xia Zhi turned to comfort Ying'er. "It's fine. Losing is just losing."

"Boss, I didn't embarrass you, did I?"

"It's just a game of luck. Winning and losing are normal. Even if I participated, I might lose in the first round. There's no such thing as embarrassment. As long as you had fun, that's what matters."

"Mm!"

"What do you want to eat for lunch?"

"Huh? Can I still order even if I lost?"

"It's a hidden benefit. If you lose, you can order once."

"That's awesome! Then let's have chicken."

"…What kind of chicken?"

"The braised chicken you made. It was so good!"

"Alright. We'll go to the market later and buy two fresh chickens."

"Great! Oh, Miss Yun Jin is here too."

"Hi, Ying'er."

"I wasn't feeling great before, but now I'm feeling much better."

"Because of the braised chicken?"

"Yes! It's really delicious! Miss Yun Jin, you haven't tried it, have you? It's the boss's new dish."

"No."

"That's such a pity."

"…"

Xia Zhi smiled and shook his head. "What's there to pity? Since Miss Yun Jin is on a day off today, why not come to our shop for lunch?"

"This…"

Miss Yun Jin looked tempted.

After having lunch at Mr. Xia's shop last time, she didn't eat dinner that night when she returned to the Yun-Han Opera Troupe.

Partly because she felt guilty for eating too much at lunch, so she decided not to eat, and partly because she had no appetite for ordinary food.

Even in the following days, her appetite remained poor.

Today, when she saw Mr. Xia from upstairs, she was overjoyed and immediately came over to greet him. Besides simply wanting to see such a confidant and teacher, there was also a hint of wanting to free load.

"Then I'll trouble Mr. Xia."

"It's no trouble. Having a big star like Miss Yun Jin visit is an honor for our little shop. I hope you'll come more often."

As they chatted, Miss Yun Jin noticed Ying'er pulling out a package of oiled paper and started eating fragrant rice puffs.

Noticing Miss Yun Jin's gaze, Ying'er handed the bag over. "Want some?"

Miss Yun Jin quickly waved her hands. "No, no need!"

It was a difficult refusal.

Ying'er blinked and smiled. "You're so disciplined."

"Not really."

"It seems so hard."

"Not really."

"Oh, by the way, boss! I had a new inspiration last night."

"Really?"

"I didn't have any at first, but Zhu Zi told me that drinking tea might help, so I brewed a cup of tea, and it really worked."

"Be careful not to brew too much."

"I know. Zhu Zi reminded me. I only brewed one leaf."

"Mm, what's the inspiration?"

"Miss Xia Ci told me last time that I could try making a lipstick-type perfume. I've been thinking about it. The fragrance is easy to adjust, but the color is a bit tricky. Then I thought of…"

Lipstick?

Xia Zhi was momentarily stunned.

His cousin wanted to make lipstick? But this direction wasn't bad. If it worked out, he could give it to Shenhe to try. It would probably taste great too.

After listening to Ying'er, Xia Zhi thought for a moment. "Your idea is right, but the efficiency isn't high. The process of extracting natural pigments isn't actually that complicated, but it requires some alchemy tools. If you haven't , it's true that you'd have to find another way."

"Alchemy? I don't know anything about that… Does the boss know how?"

"I happen to know a little."

"!"

"Want to learn? I'll teach you."

"Yes!"

"Then we'll go to the market later to buy some alchemy tools. As for the price…"

"Is it expensive?"

"Not as expensive as you might think. It's only a few thousand Mora."

"That's fine. I have money. I'll buy it!"

"Mm."

Miss Yun Jin listened on the side, looking slightly dazed. "Mr. Xia knows alchemy too?"

"I've treid it before. I was interested, so I learned a bit."

"Drama, medicine, cooking, alchemy… Mr. Xia is truly knowledgeable."

"I've just learned a bit of everything. It's nothing to boast about."

"You're being modest."

"No, no, I really can't compare to talents like you who dominates one field."

After chatting for a while, the second round of the tournament also ended.

This time, Zhu Zi and Diona lost.

Zhu Zi came out and immediately grabbed Xia Zhi's sleeve, whining.

"Wah, boss, I'm so unlucky. I was so close…"

"It's fine, it's fine."

"Zhu Zi, let me tell you a secret. Even if you lose, you can still order a dish."

"!"

"Really? I lost in the first round, and the boss told me there's this hidden benefit."

"Did you order?"

"Yes."

"What did you order?"

"Braised chicken."

"Nice!"

"Order something different."

"Mm, let me think. I feel like eating sweet and sour fish."

"I want that too. Order it!"

"Boss, can I order sweet and sour fish?"

"Sure."

"Thank you, boss!"

Diona came out a bit later, her ears drooping.

"Diona, come here! Don't be so down."

"Ah, Senior Zhu Zi, you lost too? Why are you so happy?"

"The boss said that even if you lose, you can still order a dish once."

"!!"

The cat's tail, which had been drooping, immediately perked up, and she became energetic.

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Then I want fish!"

"I already ordered sweet and sour fish. Order something else."

"Then let's have chicken."

"I also ordered braised chicken."

"Hmm… then lion's head?"

"Great!"

Miss Yun Jin listened on the side, feeling a bit dazed.

What's lion's head?

It feels like the dishes they eat daily are all very new things.

After a while, Miss Chi Yu and Shenhe also lost.

"I want to order braised pork!"

"Alright. What about you, Shenhe?"

"Sour and spicy shredded potatoes."

"Senior Shenhe! This is a rare opportunity. You should definitely order a big dish!"

Shenhe remained calm.

"I just want sour and spicy shredded potatoes."

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