The Lost People of Teyvat

Chapter 171: The Contract of the Hall of Rebirth
Chen Tianfeng opened his eyes and looked at the roof that he had become quite familiar with in the past few days. Several wooden boards and beams made of unknown wood interlaced to support the green tiles, leaving a triangular space facing upward.

"Yawn~"

Chen Tianfeng yawned, got out of bed, rubbed his eyes, put on his clothes and shoes, and staggered to the backyard to fetch a bucket of cold well water.

First take out the toothbrush and toothbrush cup to brush your teeth, then wash your face, then throw the towel into the basin to soak it, take it out and wring out excess water, unfold the cold towel and apply it to your face, hold your breath, and count the time in the dark.

It felt like a long time, but it was probably only three or five seconds.

Chen Tianfeng grabbed the towel and rubbed his face hard, then took it off to wipe his hands and threw it into the basin.

"call--"

He let out a breath, feeling that all the tiredness from getting up early in the morning had been washed away by the cool well water.

After tidying up a bit, Chen Tianfeng stretched, walked slowly into the kitchen, took off his apron and put it on, and began to prepare today's breakfast.

Well, breakfast for two.

Chen Tianfeng thought of the old man next door who said he wanted to taste the food from another world, so he came to eat almost every morning, forcing him to get up early. The old man slammed the kitchen knife in his hand on the chopping board.

what is this?
Meet in another world and enjoy delicious food?
Chen Tianfeng shook his head, finished the preparations, put down the kitchen knife, wiped his hands on his apron, turned around and left the kitchen.

"Dong dong."

The knock on the door came at the right moment, neither too fast nor too slow, and it was obvious that the person knocking was very patient.

"I'm coming."

Chen Tianfeng responded and opened the door: "Mr. Zhongli is still so punctual. Today... eh?"

Chen Tianfeng blinked his eyes and looked at the girl in front of the door wearing a Qiankun Tai Gua hat, with a blood plum mark under her eyes and a delicate and lovely face. He asked in surprise: "Master Hu?"

"Chen Tian... Ahem, it's you, my dear guest. It's been a long time since we last met."

Hu Tao raised her head, greeted with a smile, and her eyes focused on the apron on Chen Tianfeng.

Zhongli stood aside, his smile still gentle, but there was a barely perceptible hint of helplessness in his eyes.

"Chen Tianfeng, has Hall Master Hu forgotten my name?"

Chen Tianfeng and Zhongli looked at each other, trying to get useful information from it - but naturally they got nothing.

He and Zhongli are far from reaching the state of mutual understanding where they can read each other's eyes.

Chen Tianfeng made way and Hu Tao entered the courtyard, with Zhongli following behind like an old father.

"How could I forget your name? I was just joking and wanted to give you a surprise."

Hu Tao looked around the courtyard, then turned around and looked at Chen Tianfeng, raising her chin slightly: "So, it was you who kidnapped my guest from the Wangsheng Hall? Humph, he has been missing for several days and didn't even show up to the Wangsheng Hall for a show."

Abducted? Missing?
Chen Tianfeng's eyes twitched, and he looked at Zhongli, who looked helpless: "Didn't Mr. Zhongli say that he had asked for leave?"

"Yes."

Zhongli sighed and said helplessly: "But the hall master disagrees."

"Of course I won't agree." Hu Tao crossed her arms and stared at Zhongli with her big watery eyes. "In the past, when there was nothing to do in the hall, you would at least come here for a while, and then leave after the hour to hang out in Liyue Harbor. Now, you don't even go for a show! Zhongli, how can I go against everyone's opinion and give you double salary if you are like this!"

"If you don't get paid, when will you be able to repay the money that's been credited to the Hall of the Dead?"

Hu Tao muttered to herself, deliberately ignoring the fact that even if Zhongli was paid double, there was no way he could pay off the bills with his salary alone.

Zhongli's expression became more and more helpless, but he couldn't interrupt her. He had to wait for Hu Tao to finish her mumbling, thinking that Hu Tao should vent all the resentment accumulated in the past few days, and then he said, "Why did the hall master suddenly think of looking for me?"

"……snort."

The girl snorted softly, turned her head, and swung her reddish-brown twin ponytails. She said, "I checked the account book and found that you didn't send any new bills in the past few days. I thought it was strange, so I came to take a look."

"I see. Thank you for your concern, Master."

There was a smile in Zhongli's eyes.

Hu Tao glanced at him, without any arrogant retort or any meaningless awkward words like "I don't care about you". She immediately turned her eyes to Chen Tianfeng, looked him up and down, frowned slightly, and said in surprise: "It's been a long time since we last met. Why do you look so dead?"

It was as if she would die at any moment, but she was still alive, which was quite miraculous. If she had not possessed the miraculous method of the Hall of Rebirth, she would probably be like an ordinary person and would not be able to see the death aura on Chen Tianfeng.

Walnut pinched her smooth chin and nodded in praise: "Sir, you are indeed foresighted and have made all the necessary preparations. Judging from your appearance, it won't be long before you can use the funeral package ordered from the Hall of the Dead."

Chen Tianfeng's mouth twitched. Ever since he had a full meal in Mondstadt, the death aura on his body has become more obvious. Even if he used various methods to restrict it, he could only hide it from people who were not very familiar with life and death, but not from special people like Hu Tao who specialized in life and death.

Fortunately, Hu Tao could only see the aura of death around him, instead of seeing the fact that he had been dead for a long time like Zhongli did.

"Oh my, could it be that you are returning to Liyue Harbor because you thought of the Wangshengtang meal you ordered, so as to avoid dying outside and having me or a guest run to collect your body?"

Hu Tao stood on tiptoe, patted Chen Tianfeng on the shoulder, and praised: "Sir, you are thoughtful."

"…It's just some accidents that will be resolved soon. Don't worry, Master Hu, I can still live for a long time."

Chen Tianfeng bowed, explained briefly, and changed the subject: "Master Hu, have you had breakfast? If not, please let Master Hu have a taste of my cooking."

"Isn't this bad?"

Hu Tao glanced at Zhong Li, rolled his eyes, smiled slyly, and then raised his pale little hand, full of energy and said: "Got it, I will also come to help, so that it is not a free meal."

Zhong Chi Baishi Li laughed dumbly and shook his head: "I will help too."

The three of them entered the kitchen. Hu Tao took a quick look and volunteered to take charge of the fire. Zhongli looked around, took out the spare apron from the kitchen and put it on, then picked up the kitchen knife with a gentle smile.

Chen Tianfeng stood in front of the stove, holding a spatula and a spoon. If it weren't for the casual apron he wore, he would have been a handsome and elegant chef.

"What are you going to do? Do you have boiled fish and shrimp dumplings?"

"Master, it is not appropriate to eat foods with strong flavors like boiled fish in the morning. Light porridge and side dishes are the most suitable."

"Huh, who said that? How come this hall master doesn't know?"

"It's not what anyone said, it's just..."

"Master Hu, the fire is too big, turn it down a little! The food is going to burn!"

(End of this chapter)