Mr. Zhongli, we can't slack off anymore!

"It is not the real Eye of God, but a replica made of glass."

"Oh, just like the one on your back, right?" The traveler quickly stopped himself from saying anything more suggestive.

"Exactly."

The traveler breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, he didn't mind her momentary slip of the tongue.

The traveler accepted the hair ornament inlaid with the shape of the Eye of God.

"Take it with you tomorrow, so you can use your elemental power without any worries," Zhongli reminded him.

"it is good."

……

I'm afraid that time will suddenly become quiet... and the two of them will suddenly fall silent.

The traveler didn't know what else to say; she felt that making conversation was annoying.

It's late, let's stop here for today.

"Mr. Zhongli, get some rest early, good night." The traveler planned to go back, take a bath, relax, and then go to sleep.

"Would you like to sit down and have a cup of tea?" the host invited.

"Okay!" She had just agreed when she thought again that Zhongli was just being polite and probably didn't really want her to stay. Besides, she couldn't sleep after drinking the tea. "Never mind... let's all get some rest."

“I have some rare tea here, but it won’t be suitable to drink it after today. Please have a cup before you leave,” he insisted.

"Hmm... alright then." The traveler sat down at the tea table with a sense of ease: "What kind of tea is so delicate?"

"Let's call it 'Guest-Retaining Tea' for now." Zhongli took a can of tea from the wooden cabinet and placed it on the specially made tea table, then rinsed the teaware with boiling water.

"A tea with this name must be exceptionally fragrant," the traveler remarked casually, his attention completely focused on Zhongli's movements as he brewed the tea.

That's too "elegant".

After listening to the traveler's words, Zhongli smiled helplessly.

Without stopping, he put some tea leaves into the teapot, washed away the dust and broken leaves with hot water, added more hot water, covered the pot, and then poured hot water over the teapot.

Before the teapot had cooled down, the teapot and teacups were placed on a tray and served to the traveler.

"Isn't it hot...?" the traveler asked, puzzled.

"You'll get used to it," Zhongli said, pouring the traveler a cup of tea.

"Thank you!" the traveler said, picking up his teacup.

"Don't rush, smell the aroma before you taste the tea." Zhongli picked up a teacup and demonstrated.

"I've learned it." The traveler imitated the gesture, smelled it, blew away the heat, and took a bite: "Wow, it smells so good..."

"It would be a shame not to try such a delicacy."

"I hope we can drink it tomorrow too."

"Tomorrow...maybe that will work too." Zhongli lowered his eyes and blew away the steam from his cup.

"Didn't you say..." The traveler then realized the meaning of "tea to keep guests company".

"Just buy another one."

"Mr. Zhongli, if you have time, please tell me a story," the traveler said with a smile.

The time is perfect, and everyone is here with some free time, so why not listen to a story?

“Alright.” Zhongli looked out the window and said, “A long, long time ago, a celestial star fell from the sky of Teyvat…”

The traveler put down his teacup, rested his chin on his hands, and listened as the man told his story.

One story ends, another cup of tea is poured, and the next story begins... Before you know it, it's late at night.

Two bottles of Qingxin (a type of herbal tea) swayed gently in the sea breeze beside the bed.

*

The next day, early morning.

As agreed, Zhongli knocked on the traveler's door to wake her up for breakfast.

Having accidentally stayed up too late yesterday, the traveler struggled to get out of bed and first untied the medicine packet wrapped around his wrist.

The medicine from Bubulu was very effective. After applying the ointment to my wrist overnight, the pain was gone, and I felt much better.

"I'm awake! I'll be downstairs right away," the traveler said as he dressed.

The new outfit is so cool, it looks much better than the skin from Ami's 128...

Standing outside the door, Zhong Li said through the door, "I'm waiting for you downstairs for breakfast."

“Okay!” the traveler agreed.

*

After having breakfast, the two arrived at the Hall of Rebirth.

"Oh my, who's here?" Hu Tao came over as soon as she saw the traveler's new clothes. "Now that's more like the people from our Rebirth Hall! Looks like there's no rush to order clothes for you. I'll just add the money I save from making the clothes to your salary this month."

"Thank you, Master." The traveler was overjoyed.

"By the way, Old Meng is here today, so you can learn bookkeeping from him," Hu Tao assigned the traveler a task.

"Is this not the right course for me...? I just arrived." The traveler was filled with anxiety.

This kid dares to let a stranger manage the accounts?

Moreover, if I were in charge of bookkeeping, wouldn't Zhongli empty out the secret treasury of the Rebirth Hall?

I have absolutely no way to deal with him.

If Wangshengtang goes bankrupt, where will she find a job with little work and high pay?

What if the traveler is caught by the General Affairs Department for falsifying accounts?

Isn't this book called "Transmigrating to Another World and Squatting in Jail"?

Travelers must never allow themselves to break the law or commit crimes.

"I think you're born for this, it's alright. I believe in you. I'll cover for you if anything goes wrong." Hu Tao trusted the traveler's conscience even more than the traveler himself.

"Master Hu's intentions are good, so just accept it," Zhong Li chimed in from the side.

He must have ulterior motives.

“Mr. Zhongli, if I were in this important position, I would never write false or bad accounts. Especially not if someone tried to secretly add something,” the traveler said, neither humble nor arrogant.

“It seems… the finance position is perfect for you.” Zhong Li added fuel to the fire.

"Good! This master needs someone like you!" Hu Tao grasped the traveler's hands tightly.

“Um…” The traveler took a deep breath and unleashed his trump card, ready to fight them to the death: “But I can’t read.”

The script in Liyue is very different from modern simplified Chinese characters, and it is difficult to recognize if you have not studied it.

“No problem, I can teach you! However… I’m busy with official business lately, so I’ll have my guest elder teach you.”

"I will do my best to fulfill the request made by the Master." Zhongli smiled, his eyes narrowing into slits, just like when he first retired.

"It's settled then," Hu Tao declared.

"Traveler, come with me to the inner room to practice calligraphy," Zhongli called to the bewildered traveler.

"Fine then..." The traveler shook his head helplessly and gave up struggling.

Inside the main hall of the ancestral hall, there is a large office desk and a wall full of customer files.

The decor is extremely down-to-earth; to travelers, it feels like working in the underworld.

"Please sit down." Zhongli walked to the side of the desk. The traveler sat down opposite him.

Once the traveler was seated, Zhongli skillfully ground the ink: "Let's learn the characters used in the account book first."

In the traveler's eyes, he was eager to make the traveler learn immediately and get involved in the work, and then use his position for personal gain.

"Yes, I'm ready." The traveler focused his attention and sat up straight.

Two hours later.

The traveler discovered that whether or not he could learn something had nothing to do with who the teacher was.

For two hours, her mind was blank.

Because the teacher was someone I pushed, and all my attention was on him, I was completely captivated by the irresistible charm of the Rock King Emperor.

The incense burning on the table couldn't mask the subtle fragrance emanating from him.

"You seem very nervous?" Zhong Li noticed her unusual behavior early on, but waited for the right moment to point it out.

"I'd better tell the hall master that I can't do this, and ask her to arrange some rough work for me." The traveler thought his excuse was flawless.

Hehe, this time I should be able to escape.

"It's my fault for not teaching well. Sigh... I'm getting old, I can't even do this little thing right." Zhongli sighed, rubbing his forehead.

Old Deng even started acting.

"No, no! Don't think like that. You taught me exceptionally well! It's me who didn't learn well." Even though the traveler knew he was faking it, he went along with his act.

“I’d rather find a quiet place and live in seclusion in the mountains. Traveler, I won’t be a burden on you on your journey. Take care of yourself, and if you can visit my broken body in your spare time, I’ll be content.” Zhongli’s eyes were full of guilt.

"Sir, I will study hard," the traveler admitted defeat.

“This child is teachable,” Zhongli affirmed. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Why not start by learning how to write? It’s easier to remember things by using a pen.”

"Okay." The traveler raised his hands in surrender.

Zhongli stood up and stood behind the traveler, holding her hand that was holding the pen, and said in her ear, "Sit up straight, with the pen tip perpendicular to the paper." The traveler instantly felt hot all over.

Does he even know what he's doing?

Guided by Zhongli, the brush tip, dipped in ink, wrote lines of characters on the notebook.

Although the traveler did not know what he was writing, he knew that his handwriting was very beautiful, no less than that of a master calligrapher, vigorous and powerful, with sharp edges in all directions.

"Huh? Isn't this character 'New'? New... Yuexuan?" The traveler discovered that the characters in Liyue were actually a variant of ancient script, and she recognized most of them based on their shapes.

"The next line shows the night market expenses, hotel expenses, and the number of Mora..." The traveler understood something, broke free from Zhongli's hand, and closed the notebook.

The blue cover had two words written on it: "ledger".

"Ha, I knew it. Mr. Zhongli, you're such a bad person." The traveler looked at Zhongli with disdain.

“Traveler, you learn very quickly.” Zhongli tried to deceive him.