In the back of her bedroom, sitting precariously on her desk, lies a simple unassuming brown book, chock full of scribbles.
Xiangling's diary.
And what a unique diary it is!
Instead of the usual records about any one day's activities one would expect from a person of her age, it's, oh 95%?, filled with drawings. …No she's not trying to intrude upon Xingqiu's space! These are drawings of animals, hostile beasts, critters like butterflies, and food. Lots and lots of food, at that…or to be precise, future food. Future cooking. Notes of all kinds, like a hypothesis of how a hilichurl's club might taste if you freeze it, thaw it, or drop in into a broth. Would the wood add a 'boom-Shaka-laka' feeling to dinner? Xiangling's diary contains all there is to know on the subject. What about frog legs mixed with bird eggs, topped off with a Hydro Potion she got from a Mondstadt alchemist last time she was there? So many possibilities…the world of cooking is truly an infinite one. It's why she's already on her third diary after all, the other two tucked away into drawers.
But that other 5% of the book do contain writings about events of the day, mostly reserved for tracking her journeys across Liyue. And of course, there's a slight increase in these entries as we arrive closer to the present- coinciding with when her friendship with a blonde began to really take off….
And thus we arrive at a pair of entries:
10th day of the 3rd month
Dear Diary,
Today was an excellent day! I mean, everything went well at Wanmin, of course! We had extra fish from the harbor, and even after we added them to the menu, we still ended up with more leftovers than we knew what to do with~ Gouba seemed especially happy by this development. Guess we'll all be eating a lot of fish the next few days. I'm already drooling, just thinking about it…!
But this isn't actually about that! It's the end of the week, and you know what thaaat means~ Yup! Tomorrow I go exploring/hunting/gathering with Aether again! He's still in Liyue after all, no way am I going to let him shirk this. Last time we went to Qingce Village, and this time we're going to the mountains nearby. It'll be so fun!
I'm having a bit of trouble deciding what to cook for him though. The 'Sweet and Salty Pyro Goulash' last time didn't seem to work out (he didn't even ask for another helping either! Phooey!) So I'll probably just use what we find on the adventure instead. Hope he likes it!
And now I'm too excited to sleep…but sleep I must! See ya!
The jovial mood she was feeling back then was naturally reflected in the wistful handwriting displayed. But as for the next entry-
11th day of the 3rd month
Dear Diary,
Today was mostly really fun! I woke up early, got Gouba, and we went off! Aether and Paimon were waiting for us by the entrance of Liyue, and good thing too, we had a lot of ground to cross!
I did decide on our objective when getting ready: the elusive Violetgrass! It grows mostly on rock walls, making it a real pain to collect. But when I told Aether about this, he just smiled and said 'leave it to me'. A-At least I think so~ Apparently I spaced out a bit here, heheh~ But with our goal in mind, we were off- naturally with a ton of extra snacks for the journey. It always amazes me with how much food Paimon is able to stuff down- she's like a bottomless barrel! But when I pointed this out, she got all mad at me!
It was kind of cute, though…ssshhh~
It was quite a trek to be sure, but we told each other some stories about what we'd been doing to pass the time, which included Aether's travels throughout Tevyat. He has so many interesting tales to tell, and I just love to listen to them all~
But anyway, we kept going and going, eventually reaching a spot that had quite of bit of Violetgrass. I definitely owe Aether for this one, by the way! He made climbing look so easy, leaping around like it was nothing. I wonder if he learnt how to do that back in Mondstadt… The speed at which he was able to grab them, it was insane! And never once did he give me new samples crushed or broken, truly amazing~
So everything was going completely fine up until the specific point where, something…a bit weird happened? I'm not sure how to describe it honestly…
With enough collection, we had a lot of Violetgrass, more than I was expecting and I decided to make my famous 'Semi-Rainbow Surprise' for lunch, combining the purple hue of said herb with the beautiful wings of an Anemo Crystalfly I had in reserve. Add in some Mint and particularly ripe Harra Berries from Sumeru and you have a worldwide dish that's colorful, flavorful, and healthy!
But when I set everything up and started to cook….I found that I…couldn't?
No, I didn't lose anything! No I didn't forget how to make it! It's my recipe after all, I would never forget!
It felt…almost like…my body was rejecting the idea? Of making the Surprise, I-I guess? As you can tell, dear diary, I don't understand what happened… I kept trying to hype myself up like always, imaging how happy Aether and Paimon would be once they tried it. B-But that only made things worse, as apparently I spaced out here AGAIN! Next thing I know, Gouba was tugging at my leg and Paimon was waving her hand in front of me, asking about how it was going. Here I gave up on my original idea and pivoted to a simple salad. Boring I know! But, I had no problem cooking this time…I think Xingqiu would call that supporting evidence… was something wrong with the Surprise's ingredients? Is that it? I'll check when I get home tomorrow! (Remember, future Xiangling~)
Anyway though, we all ate (though I couldn't really focus) and continued on! Any additional Violetgrass we find can be added to the restaurant's stockade now, so it's my time to help Aether gather them as wlell. I wish I could float like Paimon though, hahaha~ It'd be so easy~
Speaking of Aether, he cooked dinner- a full course chicken dish that he learned from a nun in Mondstadt. It was SO good too! Even Gouba was impressed with how quickly he improved; I guess some people are just that amazing~ Aether definitely qualifies!
We've set up camp around the cliffs of Lihua, it should allow us to avoid any monsters, but I'm not worried anyway. Aether is super strong, and I'm no slouch either! Honest! Paimon and Gouba though…well, they're asleep now, so what does that tell you~? I don't know if Aether's still up, separate tents and all, but probably not…
W-woah, I can feel my mind start to wander, plus I'm a bit warm from all of today's work, so I'll turn in too~ Night dear diary!
(Unsurprisingly, when Xiangling returned home the next day, Violetgrass practically leaking from her pack, she found no problem with any of 'the Surprise's' ingredients. This just made her even more confused though.)
-0-
…When night falls, a door is opened and a pen is gripped. Tightly.
17th day of the 3rd month
Dear Diary.
Something is wrong.
Something is seriously, very wrong.
Let me explain…today's work at Wanmin was mostly terrific. The harbor caught a ton of perch, common for this time of year, so Black-Back was 'back' on the menu. It's always a huge hit, and today was no exception! Some even tried my spicy variant of it, with extra pepper to really feel the heat…but, ah, that's the problem…
I was on my way to deliver a particularly spicy helping of it to a table (this is honestly the best part of having a Pyro Vision by the way), when I looked ahead. …And the person who ordered this…w-was Aether. Weird right? I would've never expected him to ask for something like this…maybe Paimon asked for it? B-But then to make it even weirder, once I realized that the Black-Back Perch Soup order was to him…I couldn't take another step! Just like last week with the Semi-Rainbow Surprise, but this time I already had the food out! It was like my…ah, what's the word….ah! Right, my conscious wouldn't let me get any closer. And I have no idea why! I just stood there, rooted to the spot, making an awkward scene. And it was about to go from bad to worse…
Apparently I was standing right next to a table, so the sharp smell of the soup overtook everything nearby, which drew the objection of a very irritated customer. He was dressed all nice too, like Mr. Zhongli, but nowhere near as polite or nice. He stood up and basically started screaming at me…yelling about his eyes, the spice, and who knows what else.
At this point I noticed Paimon's back begin to turn to where I was, all the noise was probably getting to them. I'm…not too proud of this next part, to be honest..
I kind of…. gave the Black-Back Perch to the man in question…not Aether. Despite the fact that he clearly didn't want it, I just…panicked and pawned it off on him…
And I have no clue why I even did it! I want to make everyone smile why my cooking, so why did I basically do the opposite?
AND, just to make even worse, I didn't even stick around! Before I knew it, I was back in the storage room with Gouba. Even he was freaked out by that! But then I started hearing a loud commotion back by the tables…I couldn't look though!
….Aaaaaah, this is all wrong! I'm not being like myself, why?! Why can't I give Aether my wonderful dishes anymore? This was never a problem before….but now it just feels so…wrong!… It's like there's a pit in my stomach that just eats and eats…what is going-
"Xiangling? You're still up, yeah?" A sudden voice pierces through the darkness, however distant. But she's not startled at all- there can only be one person at this time.
"Dad?"
"Yes ma`am. Can I talk with you?"
"…No problem! Come in!" Despite her enthusiasm in that, she's not really looking forward to this talk, namely because it's almost certainly about her little "stunt" in the restaurant today. Also, though she doesn't understand why, she shoves the diary out of sight.
Her door swings open, and in comes the gentle Chef Mao- carrying a pooped out and asleep Gouba. Wordlessly, she allows him to move over to the Stove God's bedding and gently lets him down. The two then step outside of her room, as to not disturb their family.
"So, Xiangling…" Chef Mao begins, but hits an immediate snag. "…Hm…well…..how do I say this…?…"
Xiangling tilts her head, making the braid-forming locks that she unties at home fall off both shoulders at once. They hang limp, awaiting judgement.
But of course it's not going to be as easy as a needed reprimand would look at first glance. From Mao's perspective, he doesn't want to come across as too strong- the type of father who won't let a single mistake pass, who pressures his daughter to be perfect and never slip up. That'd be awful, and it's not who Chef Mao is. Yet on the other hand, what happened today resulted in chaos… the screaming, the crowd, the reassurances of 'this won't happen again, sir!' needed… and if it develops into a more frequent occurrence, that will affect business, which will of course directly impact their personal lives…and yeah. So he puts a hand on her shoulder and kneels down.
"What happened today…that wasn't like you. Is everything ok?"
"…Hmmm…oh!.…E-everything's fine~ I just…made a mistake and delivered the wrong order, like I said!"
Alas, poor Xiangling. She rarely, if ever, tells a fib of any kind, even a little white one. So although her dad would never claim he's a living lie detector or similar, he can easily tell when she's not being truthful.
"I….I see. Are you sure?"
"Absolutely! I promise I'm fine! I just…needed some time to think about that accident. I'm sorry for leaving it all up to you today."
"Apologize to Gouba, Xiangling. He's the one who really rose to the occasion." But after she nods happily to that, Chef Mao grows concerned again. "So, did you get the time you needed to think then?"
"…"
Xiangling falls silent. Her mouth sputters another lie - 'Yes I did~' but it comes out as nothing more than a murmur. She can't work up the strength to consciously lie again; she loves her father too much. Plus, she hasn't even begun to work this problem out yet.
"Xiangling?"
The young prodigy takes a deep breath before speaking. "H-Hey Dad…what do you do if there's something you just…don't understand?"
"…Pardon?"
"Y-You see….. If there's something you just don't- can't seem to wrap your mind around, what do you do? Ignore it…?"
The seriousness is starting to really hit her father, Xiangling can tell by his pauses.
"…I would ask others for help. People I know, people I trust, my family." He winks at her with the last word. But Xiangling doesn't notice this, lost by a bright star shining through the pit in her stomach.
Of course!
Why didn't she think of this right away?!
She has her friends! She can ask them!
"Hey Dad! Do you think I could…skip helping out at the restaurant tomorrow? I need to talk with my friends!"
Internally, her father happily sighs. Is it too selfish to wish that his daughter trusted him the most out of anyone? But sense is regained right after, it's for the best that she has trustworthy people her age instead. So he smiles right back, only feeling relief.
"You don't need to ask for permission. Take all the time you need. …Although, I'll probably need Gouba for help until you're back, ok?"
"O-Of course! Thanks Dad, I love you~" Xiangling happily says, tightly embracing him.
"Love you too honey, good night…" A quick separation occurs as both father and daughter return to their own rooms satisfied.
For Xiangling, that means deciding who in specific to talk with. Quietly of course, to not wake Gouba.
Original plan is Xinyan and Yunjin. They both experts when it comes to understanding themselves and being direct when needed, they're sure to be able to help! Plus, Xiangling has this strange feeling…that it'll be easier to talk about whatever this with other girls.
…But then she remembers that they're both in Fontaine right now for a concert. Drat.
Time for plan B then, Xingqiu and Chongyun!
…
Plan B and C!
Bingqiu and Chongyun! …No, Bookworm and Chongyun?
…This isn't funny.
Xiangling shakes her head and gets back on topic. While they're both guys, the three of them have been incredibly close since they were kids. Talking to them about this will be easy….she hopes.
There's a slight feeling of nervousness, but Xiangling lets out a smile…and an unexpected yawn too. Right, it is pretty late… So with religious practice, she goes down to where Gouba still snoozes away, puts an arm over him, and finally begins to relax a bit.
Tomorrow will surely be interesting….
