Rising Storm || Genshin Impact

21: "A secretary has her ways."

alternative title: "Y/N not knowing how to cook for 1115 words"

...

"Ganyu?" Y/N squaked.

The half-adeptus raised a blue eyebrow.

"Why yes, traveler. Have you heard of me before?" she sang.

"Ah..." Y/N stammered, sheepish as she scratched her forehead. "Well...I'm working with the Knights of Favonius. And Aether! Ah, yes! You're familiar, right? He's mentioned you before."

That was a lie, but Ganyu didn't have to know.

Good save, Y/N. Good save.

"Anyway," she continued, walking towards a batch of sweet flowers and plucking them into a bundle. "Here, sorry for eating your flower. But these ones are much prettier."

She handed the bouquet to Ganyu, in which the later accepted, hesitant as she reached out her hand to select a single blossom from the bunch.

"Well...this is certainly embarrassing." Ganyu murmured as she admired the honey-coloured petals of the delicate flower. "Please, ignore this shameful encounter. I wouldn't usually abandon my work like this, but..."

Her words trailed off as she picked at the plant's stem. 

"Nevermind," she sputtered as she turned to face Y/N "Is there anything I can help you with, traveler?"

"Oh!" the girl exclaimed. "I was sent here to learn how the people of Liyue dry their meats for...research purposes. But it turns out that the friend I wanted to teach me is out on an expedition, and so far no merchant is willing to share their methods."

"How unfortunate," Ganyu shook her head. "What are you planning to do now?"

Y/N sighed, "What else is there to do? I'll go back to Mondstat and tell the Knights that I didn't succeed."

She layed the remainder of the bouquet on the soft grass beside Ganyu, smiling with a twinge of disappointment as she spoke.

"It was nice meeting you! I'll take my leave now."

Ganyu watched as the strange girl walked away, suddenly feeling the urge to run up and stop her from leaving. She could help her, couldn't she? Then again, there was still so much work left for her to do, and she had already wasted enough time wandering outside, contemplating the choice to indulge or resist.

Y/N was a stranger, and yet, why did Ganyu feel so indebted to her?

Was it simply because the girl offered her a flower? How absurd.

"Wait!" Ganyu called out despite her reluctance.

Y/N turned around, and slowly, the regret started to sink in. But alas, it was too late.

 "I can help you." Ganyu spoke. "I'll find someone to teach you."

...

"Are you sure about this?" Y/N heaved as she dragged a block of freshly-hunted boar over her shoulder. "What did you even say to get that butcher-guy to agree? He was unmoving when I asked him!"

Ganyu grinned, her eyes gleaming with tenderness and sweetness, but the words she spoke reflected the opposite. 

"Don't worry, Y/N." she smirked. "A secretary has her ways."

"Damn!" Y/N sputtered, "Did you feel that? The wind just got colder."

She made a mental note to never get on Ganyu's bad side.

When they finally made it to the butcher's shop, Y/N slammed the dead boar down on the wooden table. The shop's owner glared at her with his mouth open, his eyes ricocheting across the room in fear. Ganyu only smiled, which seemed to horrify the butcher even more.

"Alright, let's start." Y/N exclaimed as she wiped sweat from her forehead, oblivious to the shop owner's visible terror.

"Y-yes ma'am!" the butcher stammer, jumping to his feet. "We're making Wind-cured Boar belly today...please, be patient with me."

(this isn't an actual dish in genshin but its based off the Sichuan Wind-cured pork belly (la-rou)

And so, they got to work. Ganyu decided to stay and watch, just in case the butcher tried at anything. 

He opened an ornamental cabinet, revealing a tray of various spices; red, gold, green, brown; spicy, savory, sweet, pungent. Their tangy, zesty aromas immediately filled the air, Y/N coughed at their eccentric scents.

The butcher picked out an assortment of herbs and brought them to a large, wooden table with two knives sticking out at the corners. There was star anise, Jueyan chili peppers, salt, ginger, and a seed Y/N didn't recognize.

The butcher carefully demonstrated his cutting technique, slicing the boar belly into beautiful, two-inch strips. Y/N tried her best to mirror his skills, but her cuts were uneven and choppy.

They made incisions on both ends of each strip of meat, a wool thread was pulled through each chunk of muscle and tied with a sturdy knot at the end.

The butcher heated up a spoon of oil over the pan, lightly frying the array of selected spices. It sizzled against the black surface, creating bubbles that danced and popped as the piquant scent of herbs was laced with the richness of oil.

The shop owner's spices were gorgeously toasted to an opulent golden color. Y/N's spices, on the other hand, were on fire.

"Y/N!" Ganyu shouted from outside the kitchen. "Take it off the heat! Take it off the heat!"

The girl screeched as she flailed the flaming pan in the air. The oil slipped out of the pan, bubbling as it touched the ground. Ganyu came rushing into the workspace and dumped a cup of water over the pan. Y/N breathed a sigh of relief, the butcher stood to the side with his mouth agape.

"How did you manage to burn spices?" Ganyu scolded. "The heat is so low too! Let me show you how it's done."

Y/N backed up, letting Ganyu take the lead. She watched in awe as the half-adeptus twirled the wooden spatula with grace, effortlessly flipping the heavy pan with a flick of her wrist. The shining oil seemed to glaze the spices in golden waves, the tossing of the pan was perfectly in sync with the wooden stick. Even the butcher gazed in astonishment.

"Done." she beamed as she took the pan off the heat. "There you go, use this."

Y/N stared down at the finished product being poured into a bowl like a rich waterfall.

"Woah, Ganyu!" she exclaimed. "Who could've guessed you'd be good at cooking?"

The latter blushed, "Oh, haha! Just a little something you pick up over the years."

They brushed the oil and spice like paint over a meat canvas. The butcher hung the cuts on a wooden rack and set it aside in a cool room with a single opening for airflow.

"Good work today." he smiled. "We'll let them dry for a week until they're ready for steaming - or frying - or whatever other method you'd like to use."

He whipped his head towards Ganyu.

"Ms. Ganyu...I agreed to your rules. M-my shop is spared now, right?"

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sorry for not updating in a while asofhafhais