As soon as Hall Master Hu said this, the atmosphere among everyone seemed to freeze instantly. Her choice of gift was both unexpected and yet, within reason; it seemed they had all grown accustomed to it.
Seeing this, Hall Master Hu asked in confusion, "What's wrong with you all? This gift of mine is very practical and will definitely come in handy. Plus, it's quite valuable; if Wangsheng Funeral Parlor were to handle a funeral like this, it would easily cost tens of millions of Mora."
Paimon exclaimed, "Tens of millions of Mora? Just for a funeral?"
Hall Master Hu replied, "What's there to be so surprised about? Last time when we held the Rite of Parting for Lord Rex Lapis, the Liyue Ministry of Civil Affairs paid Wangsheng Funeral Parlor over a hundred million Mora."
Paimon opened his little mouth wide and said, "That expensive? Let me think... back then, the everlasting incense only cost three million Mora, right? Plus brewing the essential oil, buying Noctilucous Jade, finding wild Glaze Lilies, hiring people to help, and so on... wait, that doesn't seem to add up to that much money, does it?"
Hall Master Hu laughed, "That's right, what you mentioned are just the costs. But we at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor need to make a profit too, right? The rest is the fee for hiring Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to handle it. After all, besides our consultant Zhongli, who would dare take on the job of sending off Lord Rex Lapis? It's only normal to charge a bit more."
Upon hearing this, Paimon quickly flew to Lumine's ear and whispered, "So handling funerals is this profitable? It seems Zhongli isn't broke, he just doesn't carry money; his money is all kept with Hall Master Hu. We should find a chance to shake down this wealthy Hall Master Hu."
Hall Master Hu asked with some dissatisfaction, "What are you whispering about over there?"
Paimon quickly replied, "Nothing, we didn't say anything. By the way, Xingqiu, Baizhu, what have you prepared?"
Xingqiu said, "It's embarrassing to say, but I feel that for a divine couple like Mr. Miyashiro and Madam Shenhe, one shouldn't measure the value of a gift with mere worldly possessions. Therefore, during this period, I have created a new martial arts novel based on the two of them as a wedding gift."
Upon hearing this, Hall Master Hu immediately perked up and said excitedly, "What, what! Young Master Xingqiu wrote a martial arts novel about Miyashiro and Shenhe? That's amazing! Young Master Xingqiu, why don't you do me a favor? I'll tell you about the odd things I encounter every day, you write them into a book, and then I'll get consultant Zhongli to endorse it. It will definitely be a bestseller! We can split the profits then, how about it?"
Xingqiu smiled awkwardly and managed to politely decline Hall Master Hu's offer.
Subsequently, Baizhu said, "I heard that Madam Shenhe is pregnant. I came here this time specifically bringing a prescription for calming the mind and nourishing the fetus from Bubu Pharmacy. This prescription has been practiced in Liyue for many years and can effectively prevent symptoms like breech presentation and poor fetal development. I gift it to Madam Shenhe, hoping it can be of help to her, and even to all expectant mothers in Inazuma."
Lumine and Paimon listened to the gifts from Xingqiu and Baizhu—one was a new work by the famous author Zhenyu, and the other was a secret anti-miscarriage prescription from a renowned Liyue doctor. Both were much more reliable than their own gift, which made Paimon and Lumine feel anxious. However, thinking of the gift Hall Master Hu had brought, they felt much more at ease.
By the way, the gift prepared by Paimon and Lumine was a cookbook they had compiled themselves, containing various delicacies from the four nations of Mondstadt, Liyue, Inazuma, and Sumeru, including new and creative dishes that Lumine had figured out during his travels.
The purpose of giving this cookbook was simple: they thought about that guy Miyashiro, having so many mouths to feed at home, and quite a few foreigners too—it's hard to please everyone. If they were forced to eat Inazuman food every day just to adapt to local customs, that wouldn't do. They wanted them to be able to eat food from their own hometowns, and also let Miyashiro occasionally change his palate.
It didn't matter if Miyashiro and Shenhe couldn't cook; the kitchen staff at the Regents Office surely could.
After some pleasantries, everyone headed together to the banquet hall of the Regents Office. They saw Miyashiro and Shenhe, dressed in their finest, standing at the entrance, welcoming every guest with a smile, while Chongyun sat shyly to the side, diligently recording the gifts from each guest.
However, when facing some less important guests, Miyashiro's smile seemed a bit forced, and as for Shenhe by his side, one could only say that she had fulfilled the necessary courtesies.
When Miyashiro saw the group of Baizhu, Lumine, Paimon, Xingqiu, and Hall Master Hu, the smile on his face finally showed a hint of sincerity. He even personally stepped out to welcome them and shook hands firmly with Baizhu.
Miyashiro said, "Mr. Baizhu, you've finally arrived. If you and Qiqi weren't present at our wedding, it wouldn't feel like it could even begin. Just now, when I saw Qiqi, I knew you would be arriving soon."
Baizhu felt a bit unaccustomed to Miyashiro's enthusiasm and said, "Regent, you are too kind."
Shenhe also walked over at this time and bowed respectfully to Baizhu, saying, "Mr. Baizhu, Miyashiro has told me everything. If it weren't for your exquisite medical skills and high medical ethics, Miyashiro wouldn't be alive, and he certainly wouldn't have today. You deserve this respect."
Baizhu smiled faintly, "Regent's wife, you are too flattering. Saving lives and healing the wounded is the duty of a physician. I only fulfilled the duty of a physician; I cannot bear such high praise from you. Besides, didn't the Regent later pay off the medical expenses by collecting herbs? That way, no one owes anyone anything."
Miyashiro replied, "A life-saving grace cannot be measured by a mere hundred thousand Mora. Eat well and drink well today; I will have a generous reward for you later."
Subsequently, Miyashiro greeted everyone one by one. When he learned that Xingqiu had given a novel based on himself, Baizhu had given an anti-miscarriage prescription, and Lumine and Paimon had given a cookbook of various nations, he showed an expression of surprise and happiness.
After all, with the status and strength that Miyashiro and Shenhe now possessed, gold and jewels were already worldly possessions of little consequence. He valued practicality and the sentiment of the gift-giver more, and that was exactly what these gifts were.
However, when Miyashiro took that "Buy One Get One Free" voucher from Hall Master Hu's hand, his smile froze. This quirky Hall Master Hu always came up with new tricks. "Buy One Get One Free"—was she trying to send him and Shenhe away?
Seeing Miyashiro's deflated expression, Hall Master Hu immediately felt a sense of satisfaction and said brightly, "How is it? Miyashiro, this is good stuff, it will definitely come in handy in the future. Keep it safe, okay? This Hall Master honors the voucher, not the person."
Seeing this, Miyashiro tucked the voucher into his pocket for safekeeping, then revealed a mischievous smile, "I appreciate your kindness, Hall Master Hu. As it happens, I also have a gift here. I originally intended to give it as a return gift after the wedding, but it seems I should give it to you now."
Hall Master Hu suddenly had an ominous premonition and asked cautiously, "What return gift?"
Miyashiro snapped his fingers with a mischievous grin. A void suddenly appeared above Hall Master Hu's head, and then, sheets of paper began to flutter down like snowflakes.
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