"No, nothing's wrong!" Xianyun shook her head. While Jiehu and Houzhang had yet to come over, she lowered her voice and said to Shenhe, "Listen, Shenhe. Today, your master is cooking personally. You have to come!"
Shenhe: "..."
"Master, are you really doing this?"
Xianyun nodded, then took a step back and glanced at Houzhang and Jiehu standing to either side of her. "Of course! Even your honored seniors Houzhang and Jiehu are coming. How could you not?"
"Then... what about Senior Sister Ganyu?" Shenhe blinked, went silent for a moment, then suddenly asked.
Hearing that, Xianyun finally realized it. "Right! There's still that child Ganyu!"
"What kind of master are you? This is such an important matter, and you still managed to forget Ganyu?" Jiehu remarked from the side.
Xianyun did not argue with him. Instead, she thought it over and murmured, "Today is Lantern Rite. The Ministry of Civil Affairs and Yuehai Pavilion shouldn't have much urgent work. Getting Ganyu to come over shouldn't be a problem..."
Shenhe quickly said, "Then I'll go invite Senior Sister Ganyu!"
Xianyun gave Shenhe a thumbs-up. "As expected, your master wasn't wrong about you, Shenhe!"
Meanwhile, as Xianyun was busy dragging more people into this, Lora was not idle either. She was visiting Ping'er at Yujing Terrace.
"Ping'er, thank you for having Yaoyao deliver the message. Otherwise, Xianyun might have slipped away." Lora and Ping'er sat on either side of the stone table. She took a sip of tea and smiled as she spoke.
"Festivals are meant to be enjoyed!" Ping'er smiled at Lora. "Xianyun is always at home tinkering with one invention or another. It was time to find her something else to do!"
The two looked at each other and both laughed.
Lora then said to Ping'er, "Speaking of which, are you truly unwilling to meet that Dvorak?"
Ping'er shook her head. "If one keeps chasing after memories of the past, they only become shackles on the present."
"But you said it yourself. Dwelling on the past only becomes a shackle on the present. Then what about you now? Isn't your current appearance also because of Guizhong?" Lora looked at Ping'er, took another sip of tea, then continued.
At that, Ping'er laughed. "Miss Lora, do you know where Streetward Rambler comes from? I came from the mortal world, so naturally, I must return to the mortal world."
"Whether the heart grows old and hastens the aging of the body, or the body grows old and causes the heart to age, it's hard to say..." Lora looked at Ping'er, sighed, and continued, "But I think if Guizhong were still here, she wouldn't want you to change yourself because of her. She would want to see the bright and lively you."
After hearing Lora's words, Ping'er only smiled and said nothing more.
In the thousands of years since the Archon War, Lora was the only one who would say such things to her. The other adepti, Zhongli included, avoided bringing these matters up as much as possible out of consideration for her feelings.
But what Lora said did make sense.
While Ping'er was thinking, Lora noticed Shenhe walking over from the distance. She quickly called out, "Shenhe, over here!"
Seeing Lora waving at her, and then remembering that today was Lantern Rite, Shenhe took a step back. But she knew that simply running away would be rude. After all, Lora was an elder.
So Shenhe braced herself and walked up to Lora, then bowed to her and Ping'er. "Greetings, seniors."
"I rarely see you around here. Are you here to go shopping?" Lora asked. She looked around and added, "Though there doesn't seem to be much to shop for here."
Shenhe shook her head. "Master went to Qingyun Peak to invite the honored seniors Houzhang and Jiehu. I came to invite Senior Sister Ganyu."
"Houzhang... Jiehu?" Lora blinked, looking a little confused.
Who were they?
"They are Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper. You have seen their human forms before. I simply never mentioned their names to you," Ping'er said gently from the side.
"Oh! Those two!" Lora suddenly understood, and immediately figured out what Xianyun was planning. "Looks like she's planning to drag everyone down with her..."
"Just as well. Those two rarely come to Liyue. Perhaps this year's Lantern Rite will become the most unforgettable day in their memories..." Ping'er added.
Lora laughed, then said to Shenhe, "Then hurry and go find Ganyu. She should still be working at Yuehai Pavilion."
As she said this, Lora also felt that this girl working all year round without rest was truly remarkable. Just like Neuvillette, she was exactly the kind of talent Fontaine needed most. Unfortunately, Ganyu was deeply bound to Liyue. There was no way to lure her away.
Shenhe respectfully bowed to the two of them, then took her leave and went to find Ganyu.
The sun gradually moved west, and the sky slowly darkened.
Once Lora judged that it was about time, she rose from her chair and said to Ping'er, "Come on. Let's go to Xianyun's place for dinner!"
Ping'er smiled and shook her head. "I won't be going. I'm fine here."
"Huh? You're not going?" Lora paused. She had thought Ping'er was worried Lora would mess with her, so she said, "Don't worry, I won't prank you!"
Ping'er smiled and shook her head. "It's not because of that."
"Not because of that?" Lora frowned in confusion, then asked, "Did I make you angry?"
"No." Ping'er shook her head again. She said slowly to Lora, "The things you said earlier do make sense. It's just that any decision requires careful thought. I need time to consider it."
"Time, huh..." Lora understood. She nodded and said, "All right, then I'll go ahead. I hope you can make a decision you won't regret. No matter what you decide, I'll understand!"
"Thank you," Ping'er said with a nod.
After leaving Yujing Terrace, Lora walked toward Xianyun's home.
In that alley, she saw Zhongli and Hu Tao coming this way. Hu Tao was skipping ahead, while Zhongli followed behind her, looking exactly like an old man raising a beloved granddaughter.
"Hey! Isn't that Miss Lora?" Hu Tao spotted Lora and waved while bouncing over. "Miss Lora, long time no see!"
"Long time no see!" Lora greeted Hu Tao, then said, "Let's go in first."
Once they entered, quite a few people were already in the courtyard. Xingqiu and Chongyun were gathered together, chatting. Venti had grabbed Jiehu and Houzhang and was trying to challenge them to a drinking contest. Makoto and Xianyun were busy in the kitchen, with Zhongyue helping out.