NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 201: Chapter 201
By noon, Miss Yanfei arrived.
Xia Zhi treated the great lawyer to her favorite dish, Mapo Tofu, spiced with a touch of extraordinary chili. The lawyer was so moved that she nearly cried.
After the meal, Miss Yanfei took out a labor contract and handed it to Xia Zhi.
"Diona, come here."
"Boss?"
"Here, I asked the best lawyer in Liyue to draft a labor contract for you in Mondstadtian. Take a look at the terms. If there's anything you'd like to change, we can discuss it. If everything's fine, just sign it."
"Oh! Let me see."
Diona took the contract from him and read it carefully. She found that the terms were quite lenient—she could even terminate the contract at any time without paying any penalty.
As for the treatment and conditions, they were exactly as promised.
"Boss, I've read it!"
"How is it?"
"No issues!"
"Then sign it."
"Okay!"
Both of them signed their names on the contract.
"Looking forward to working with you, Diona."
"Looking forward to it too, Boss!"
After sharing a pot of tea, Ganyu and Yanfei bid everyone farewell and returned to work.
In the afternoon, Zhu Zi and Diona took Yaoyao out shopping.
"The food containers at home are almost empty. Remember to buy some more."
"Got it, Boss!"
Qiqi and Shenhe weren't interested in going out and stayed behind at the shop.
"We finished the instant noodles we made last week. Let's make some more."
The two girls nodded expressionlessly, replying softly, "Okay."
Last week's instant noodles were at the master chef level, but this week's were at the grandmaster level. Even though the ingredients were the same, the difference in taste was significant.
This time, Xia Zhi made a bit extra, planning to send some to Ningguang as well.
She's so busy, yet she takes time every day to visit the shop and support the business, bringing in a lot of customers. It's only right to give her a little "advertising fee."
After making the noodles, Xia Zhi had Shenhe draw some talismans to seal the food containers. They would deliver them when they took Yaoyao home later.
Qiqi also took two boxes, as she was going to gather herbs in the mountains tonight.
The shop was now left with only Xia Zhi, Zhu Zi, Diona, and Chi Yu.
Closing the shop, everyone sat around the table to enjoy the instant noodles.
After adding hot water and covering the containers, they waited for two minutes. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, followed by a unfamiliar man's voice: "Boss Xia, are you in the shop?"
Hearing this voice, Diona froze for a moment, then her expression turned to one of disbelief. "Dad?"
The others were surprised. "Huh?"
"I'll go see."
Xia Zhi stood up and walked toward the door, with Diona quickly following behind him. Miss Chi Yu, holding her bowl of noodles, retreated into the kitchen.
Opening the door, they saw a middle-aged man with a beard standing outside, dressed in Mondstadt-style clothing and sporting a pair of cat ears.
Above his head was a black iron progress bar: [0%].
Diona peeked out from behind Xia Zhi, her face lighting up with surprise. "Dad?"
The man's eyes softened with relief when he saw her. "Diona."
"What are you doing here?"
"I received your letter and was a bit worried, so I came to check on you."
"I'm doing great!"
"That's clear to see... This must be Boss Xia of Summer Shop, right?"
"That's me. You're Diona's father?"
"Yes, my name is Draff. I'm a hunter from Springvale. My daughter has been causing you trouble these days."
"She hasn't!"
"Trouble? Not at all. Diona has been doing a great job at the shop. Thank you for coming all this way. Please, come in and have a seat."
"Thank you."
Draff stepped into the shop and was immediately captivated by the aroma of the instant noodles. He couldn't help but sniff the air and glance at the food containers on the table.
"This is Zhu Zi, another employee at our shop. And this is Diona's father, Mr. Draff."
"Oh, Miss Zhu Zi, nice to meet you."
Zhu Zi quickly stood up. "Mr. Draff, nice to meet you."
Diona puffed out her cheeks, walking behind her father, clearly a bit unhappy. However, her tail, betraying her true feelings, stood upright and wagged back and forth.
"Mr. Draff, did you just arrive in Liyue today?"
"Yes, I came straight here after entering the city."
"Then you must not have eaten yet? We're having instant noodles. If you don't mind, why not join us?"
"Thank you."
"Diona, go get another container of noodles from the kitchen."
"Oh! Dad, if you're hungry, you can have mine first!"
Draff nodded appreciatively. "Alright."
A moment later, Draff finished the broth in the container. Looking up, he noticed everyone staring at him and blushed slightly. "Sorry for the embarrassment."
"No problem, Mr. Draff. If you're still hungry, feel free to have another one. We made plenty today."
"Then, thank you..."
Draff nodded sheepishly, then sighed with emotion.
"Boss Xia's cooking is even more impressive than what Xiangling described..."
Xia Zhi was curious. "Xiangling? You've met her?"
"Yes, a few days ago, Miss Xiangling passed through our Springvale. I heard she was the new Culinary Champion, so I asked her to help promote our town's meat products. Later, she even had a cooking competition with Brook, the best chef in our town. She won easily, but when everyone praised her, she humbly said she still had a long way to go. Then she mentioned your name, Boss Xia..."
"I see. How is Xiangling doing?"
"She seemed full of energy. After that, she left Springvale for Mondstadt City. She's a kind person too—she treated everyone to Rainbow Juice and even helped me find an ancestor from hundreds of years ago..."
"??"
"It's hard to believe, but it's true. At the time, Xiangling and Brook had agreed to a cooking competition, so she took Guoba out to gather ingredients. She said she accidentally wandered into an underground ruin, where she encountered a Cryo Regisvine, some frozen boars, and a hunter who was nearly frozen stiff. She defeated the Cryo Regisvine and brought back meat from boars that had been extinct for over three hundred years, as well as the hunter. But none of us recognized him until he said his name was Olaf. I remembered seeing that name in our family records, but it was from hundreds of years ago..."
Diona's eyes widened. "So he's my great-great-great... many times great grandfather?"
Draff nodded. "Yes."
Xia Zhi felt like he'd gained some new knowledge. He offered Draff another container of noodles and a cup of Rainbow Juice, and they chatted for a while.
As the sky began to darken, Draff stood up to leave, planning to find an inn for the night.
Xia Zhi invited him to come back to the shop for lunch tomorrow, and Draff happily agreed.
Diona stood at the door, watching her father's retreating figure, unusually quiet.
Zhu Zi suddenly asked curiously, "Diona."
"Hmm?"
"Didn't you say your dad was a drunk? Why didn't I see him carrying a flask?"
"Eh? You're right! Where's his flask?"
Xia Zhi chuckled. "Earlier, he mentioned that Xiangling treated them to Rainbow Juice. Maybe that's why he quit drinking."
"?!"
"So, Diona, your wish has already come true. You don't have to stay at the shop anymore."
Diona froze for a moment, then quickly shook her head.
"No, no! We just signed the labor contract this morning. I'm not going back on it!"
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