Lovia put down the bowl and chose her words carefully, not wanting to dampen Xiangling's enthusiasm. "Hmm... it's very fragrant, the Mushroom flavor is strong, but... it feels like the flavors are a bit cluttered."
She did her best to describe her feelings.
Upon hearing this, Xiangling immediately clapped her hands. "Exactly! That's the problem! I wanted to use Dendro Slime juice to add a bit of forest-like freshness to go with the Mushrooms, but I just can't handle that bitterness and earthiness properly. Instead, it just made the soup cloudy!"
She scratched her hair in frustration. "I've tried so many methods—blanching, adding spices to mask it—but none were ideal. Either the flavor disappeared, or it got even weirder."
Maybe it's because the elemental reaction wasn't handled well? Add more water, and maybe it'll produce Dendro Cores? Hahaha.
Lovia looked at the pot of soup, and her Melusine senses of taste and smell sparked a few ideas in her mind.
She hesitated for a moment and suggested softly, "Sister Xiangling, do you think... instead of adding Dendro Slime juice directly to the soup, what if you used something else to pair with it? Or, perhaps add a new ingredient to neutralize the Dendro Slime juice?"
She didn't explicitly name any specific plants, fearing she might arouse suspicion, but she tried her best to describe the feeling.
As Xiangling listened, the light in her eyes brightened again. "Neutralize? Oh, right! I've been thinking about how to fight it; I never thought about neutralizing it!"
"What should I use? Use that... no, that won't work, maybe use..."
Muttering to herself, she had already started rummaging through the kitchen, her face glowing with renewed energy. "Lovia, you're a genius! Guoba, quick! Help me get those dried frostflower petals over there! I'm going to try a new recipe!"
Watching Xiangling dive back into the fray, Lovia felt a sense of relief and even a small spark of achievement. It felt good to be able to help and make these creative dishes—which suited her own palate—even better.
As for human palates??
Lovia could only pray silently in her heart that Xiangling wouldn't use these dishes to plague ordinary customers; otherwise, Wanmin Restaurant might end up staging a "Flight of the Diners."
Then again, wasn't Xiangling's stomach a bit ridiculously strong? To be able to taste even Melusine specialities without batting an eye, her digestive system was practically the strongest in all of Liyue—no, in all of Teyvat!
She's got real skills!
And so, back and forth it went, until Lovia practically became an "off-staff taste consultant" for Wanmin Restaurant. Xiangling discovered that Lovia had an exceptionally sharp sense of taste, especially with a miraculous understanding of the characteristics of ingredients related to elemental power.
Though Lovia always gave vague explanations like "just a guess" or "it's a feeling," Xiangling attributed it to a child's sharp intuition and unique talent. She didn't look into it further and instead cherished her "little consultant" even more.
In return, Xiangling didn't just frequently invite Lovia to taste new dishes; she would also stuff some snacks into her hands when she left, like sugar pills made with valberry nectar, or glutinous rice cakes with a bit of Slime Condensate added for a bouncy texture. These were all among Lovia's favorites.
Sometimes, after a busy spell, Xiangling would pull up a small stool and sit beside Lovia, chatting with her while she rested. The topics ranged far and wide, from Liyue legends to strange ingredients she'd encountered, and she'd even vent about difficult customers.
"Last time, a customer insisted I make a dish that had both the heaviness of the land and the freshness of the ocean," Xiangling said, imitating the customer's tone. "I made him Salt and Pepper Slime with Qingxin-sauteed Seagrass, and he actually said it wasn't what he wanted!"
Lovia was mostly a quiet listener, occasionally chiming in with a few words or asking childish questions, which only made Xiangling more certain that she was just a somewhat special, shy child.
This mode of interaction made Lovia feel more relaxed than ever before.
With Xiangling, she didn't need to deliberately maintain a "normal" palate. She could be happy simply because of a delicious dish, and she could think through a cooking problem together with Xiangling.
This friendship, based on a shared "hobby" (though they started from different points), was simple and pure.
Of course, she still didn't take off her hooded cloak.
However, under Xiangling's warm smile and Guoba's curious gaze, that protective shell used for self-preservation seemed to unknowingly become less heavy and cold.
"Maybe... coming out to play like this once in a while is pretty good too." Lovia watched Xiangling's busy figure in front of the stove, the corners of her mouth curling slightly beneath her Hood.
[Gift Bonus Progress Bar: 134%]
(Yes, you read that right, I still owe you one bonus chapter. It'll probably have to be pushed to tomorrow, sob! There's a small chance I can get it done today, so stay tuned...)
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