Lovia dragged her famished body towards the city outskirts.
Food inside the city required Mora, and with her pockets nearly empty, she had no choice but to pin her hopes on the bounty of the wilderness.
She remembered the Sunset Fruit tree from before still had some fruit left, and there was a clear stream outside the city—perhaps she could catch a few fish?
Lovia walked along the main road leading out of the city, the setting sun casting her long shadow behind her.
Hunger was like an invisible hand, gripping her stomach tightly, making her steps feel weak and unsteady.
Just as she was about to pass the last scattered stalls, a warm, sweet scent drifted into her nostrils—the mingled aroma of perfectly steamed rice nests and some kind of hot soup.
Her steps involuntarily slowed, her gaze drawn to a simple food stall set up by the roadside.
Behind the stall was a white-haired, kindly-faced Old Woman, leisurely wiping down a table.
On the stall were several bamboo steamers holding freshly made, plump black rice nests, and beside them, a pot of thick mixed vegetable soup bubbled away, its enticing fragrance filling the air.
Lovia's eyes were locked onto the steaming food as if magnetized. She subconsciously swallowed, and her stomach even betrayed her with a soft, embarrassing gurgle.
She knew she couldn't afford it, but the desire was so strong she couldn't move her feet. She just stood there dumbly not far away, staring longingly.
The Old Woman soon noticed the young girl staring intently at the food. She took in Lovia's face, which clearly spelled
and smiled understandingly.
'Little girl,' the Old Woman's voice was gentle, carrying the kindness of years gone by, 'hungry, aren't you? It's getting late, and I'm about to pack up. If you don't mind this leftover food, take it to fill your stomach.'
Lovia snapped back to reality, her cheeks instantly flushing red with the embarrassment of being caught peeking. 'Ah? N-no, it's alright, Granny, I...'
She instinctively tried to refuse, but her hunger made her words sound hollow.
The Old Woman, however, had already deftly taken a sheet of oiled paper, wrapped up a few rice nests, ladled out a small bowl full of the mixed vegetable soup, and thrust it towards her without another word.
'Take it, child. You look like you're from out of town? When you're away from home, everyone faces difficulties. A full stomach gives you the strength to figure things out.'
The warm food was pressed into her hands, heavy and substantial. The heat passed through the oiled paper to her palms, warming her all the way to her heart. Looking at the Old Woman's affectionate smile, Lovia's nose suddenly tingled. The unease, anxiety, and hunger she had experienced since her transmigration seemed to Melt away a little with this bowl of hot soup.
'Th...thank you, Granny,' she whispered her thanks, her voice choked. This time, she did not refuse.
'Eat up,' the Old Woman said with a smile, waving her hand and continuing to tidy up.
Clutching this unexpected gift, Lovia walked to a large rock by the roadside and sat down. She carefully took a bite of the rice nest—soft, sticky, and sweet. She then sipped the hot soup—savory and delicious, with tiny bits of minced meat and well-cooked vegetables.
At this moment, this simple food surpassed any delicacy.
She ate in small bites, feeling the energy and Warmth from the food gradually dispel the chill and weakness in her body. As she ate, she watched the Old Woman continue her work, her heart filled with gratitude.
Liyue Harbor had shrewd businessmen like Shopkeeper Sun, but it also had kind and warm-hearted ordinary people like this.
With her stomach full, her body regained strength, and hope seemed to become more tangible. She carefully cleaned up the oiled paper and bowl, returned them to the Old Woman, thanked her earnestly again, and offered to stay and help, but the granny refused with a smile.
Leaving the stall and continuing towards the city outskirts, Lovia's steps were noticeably lighter. Night had already fallen, but the last traces of sunset glow still lingered on the horizon. She looked back at Liyue Harbor with its twinkling lights and touched her stomach, which seemed to still hold the Warmth of the food.
'I need to figure out a stable source of Mora...' she thought, 'or maybe, next time I should write something more sensational?'
This thought made her eyes light up, and she felt the quill pen in her hand itching to move again.
The Warmth from the full meal dispelled the slight chill of the night, but it also highlighted the awkwardness of having to sleep rough.
Lovia found a dry spot away from the path, concealed by bushes, and carefully curled up. She wrapped herself tightly in her miraculous hooded cloak, trying to fend off the coolness of a Liyue wilderness night.
She couldn't sleep.
Hunger had temporarily retreated, but excitement, anxiety, and uncertainty about the future swirled in her mind.
'Will the owner of Sanyu Bookstore actually use that manuscript?' she whispered to the stars in the night sky. 'If he does, when will it be printed? If it's printed, will it sell well? The payment... will it be enough for a few decent meals? Enough to rent the cheapest room?'
Her tail twitched restlessly under the cloak. The Melusine constitution seemed more sensitive than a human's. While she didn't feel cold, the nighttime coolness and the hardness of the ground made her miss a soft bed all the more.
'No, I can't bet all my hopes on one manuscript,' Lovia sat up, pulling out the quill pen and small notebook. 'I need to prepare a follow-up! In case Shopkeeper Sun isn't interested, I'll still be penniless and have to keep foraging. And if he *is* interested and wants the next piece, I can't just cram for it.'
Besides, the first piece was relatively 'restrained,' written to test the waters and play it safe. If the response was decent, then the next step... a bolder, more reckless, but potentially more lucrative plan began to take shape in her mind.
'Record of Shi Po's Wanderings could be a series, each piece a small story, just writing about the 'antics' Lord 'Zhongli' gets up to because he's 'out of touch with mortal affairs'?' The more she thought about it, the brighter her eyes became. 'For example... he has no concept of pricing for various goods? Or he tries to use the value of an antique to price a bundle of greens?'
'Pfft—' She was the first to be amused by the mental image, quickly covering her mouth and looking around warily.
'Or again...' Her pen tip scratched unconsciously on the paper. 'He could critique the various adepti! In that utterly serious tone, 'Streetward Rambler's tunes have become increasingly lively of late, likely influenced by the worldly atmosphere of the market, quite interesting indeed'...'
Would writing this get her tracked down by an adeptus and squashed flat? Lovia shrank her neck in, but the desire to create and the impulse to 'make a big splash' outweighed the fear.
'Never mind, I'll just write it down for now.' She scribbled furiously, capturing each fleeting thought on the page.
Perhaps because she was a Melusine, with some night vision, the night didn't seem much different from daytime to her.
Under the moonlight, only the soft scratching of the quill pen and her occasional, barely suppressed, low giggles could be heard.
It suddenly occurred to her that she didn't know the 'time' she had arrived in, didn't know if the Geo Archon had faked his death yet, didn't know if the Traveler had been here.
Hmm... when the time comes, she could just go to the market and ask! Just ask... when this year's Rite of Descension is scheduled to begin! (Liyue people:?)
Lovia jotted down inspirations as her mind wandered.
She wrote almost until the small hours of the night. Only when sleepiness finally defeated excitement did she carefully put away her little notebook and pen, wrap herself tightly in the cloak again, and force herself to sleep.