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Frowning, Xiangling perused Mondstadt General Store’s ingredients. Hibiscus pots decorated the fountain square for the upcoming Windblume festival. Vines ran between buildings, flowers drooping down. Green carpets lined the streets. A small crowd had gathered at Blanche’s general store to shop for tonight’s dinner.
Xiangling stood in the back, holding an onion and a matsutake in each hand. She bit her lip. Maybe I should make Tianshu Meat and Bountiful Year for this year’s Masterful Chefs competition. Tianshu Meat is one of Teyvat’s most technically difficult dishes and Bountiful Year has so much to offer with all of its side dishes. “No, wait,” she muttered. Tianshu Meat would be too heavy of a dish after eating Bountiful Year. “Ahhh! What do I do?”
Head bowed, Xiangling gripped the ingredients tighter. I traveled all the way to Mondstadt for inspiration and I’m still struggling. Just what kind of chef am I?
A quiet voice said, “Hello, Miss. My brother said you can tell onions are fresh if they’re firm. If that’s what you’re wondering.”
Blinking, Xiangling looked down. A child in a red dress and large newsboy cap stared up at her. Xiangling’s heart melted like butter on toast. “Aw, thank you for the tip! And who is this who’s so cute and friendly?”
She beamed. “I’m Klee!” Questions tumbled out of her like a gushing stream. “What’s your name? You don’t look like you’re from around here. Ooh, is that a vision? A pyro vision! Wanna blow things up together?”
“H-huh? Hold on, back up. I’m Xiangling, a chef from Liyue.” Smiling, Xiangling squatted down to Klee’s height. “What are you up to? Shopping?”
Klee gripped her backpack’s straps. “I’m trying to make pancakes for big brother Albedo for the Windblume festival! He always makes me such yummy food, just like the way Mommy makes it. But…” Klee’s eyes welled with tears. “I keep messing up. They come out all lumpy and I burn them and flip them over wrong and, and… I’m a disaster at everything, aren’t I?” Her jaw quivered.
Xiangling’s chest ached. “Oh, Klee…”
Eyes alight, Klee gasped. “Wait, you’re a chef, right? Could you help me? Please!”
“Absolutely!” Rising, Xiangling adjusted her grip on the onion and mushroom to not drop them. “There should be a public stove around here, ri—?”
Klee yanked on Xiangling’s hand. “My house is this way. Come on!” They darted into the crowd.
“W-wait, I haven’t paid for this food yet!”
Klee’s house took Xiangling’s breath away. “Oh, wow…”
Klee opened the door to a dining room with a kitchen on the side. A staircase on the right led upstairs. A gorgeous painting of Mondstadt’s landscape hung on the wall. Curios Xiangling could have sworn weren’t from this world rested inside cabinets and on high shelves that framed the room. Soft light streamed from an open window. The breeze smelled like grass.
Klee approached the stove. Globs of pancake batter were splattered all over the floor and stone countertop.
Xiangling chuckled. Yup, this was me when I was her age. “Well, let’s get started!” They searched the overhead cabinets and shelves of vegetables and fruits. Ingredients gathered, Xiangling called Klee over. “First, we need to pour flour and baking soda in a bowl. Then salt, sugar, and mix!”
While Klee mixed the dry ingredients together, Xiangling started on the wet ingredients. “Now where’s the vanilla extract…?”
“We need more flour!” Klee dumped the whole container. Mounds of flour covered the counter like a white desert. Klee blinked. A slow grin broke across her face. She raised her hands.
“Wait, Klee, don’t!”
Laughing, Klee repeatedly pounded her hands in the mounds, sending plumes of flour into the air.
Xiangling wiped her burning eyes, while grimacing. “Time for take two.”
This time Xiangling handled the mixing. Afterwards, Xiangling scanned the shelves. “Should we add chocolate chips? Or valberries?”
Frowning, Klee grabbed a fistful of batter. “It’s all goopy. Almost like… oh, I know what this is!” Klee slathered the batter all over her face. Globs dripped off. “It’s like Mommy with her makeup face mask! Do I look pretty?”
“Ahh! Your brother won’t be happy if he sees you like that! Hold still.” Xiangling vigorously toweled off Klee’s face. Exhaling, Xiangling smiled. If I had a sibling, would this be what cooking with them would be like?
The front door opened. Gasping, Klee bolted towards the entrance. “Big brother Albedo!”
A blond male dressed in the Knight’s alchemy uniform stepped inside. “Hello, Klee. I hope you’ve been staying out of…” Albedo took in the sight of turned over containers, flour on the walls and floor, and a stranger standing in the middle of his kitchen. “What happened here? Who is this person?”
Tensing, Xiangling frantically waved her hands. “Hi, I swear I’m here for no reason! I-I mean, for good reason! Wait, can we start over? I’m Xiangling, a chef from Wanmin Restaurant in Liyue. Klee wanted some help making food so she invited me over.”
All of Albedo’s tension eased. “Ah, Xiangling. I’ve heard about you from the Traveler.”
“She mentioned me?”
“In passing. It was in the context of discussing my cooking. I’m not a professional like yourself, but I do possess some culinary abilities. My name is Albedo. I’m—”
Klee tugged on Albedo’s coat. Batter dripped off half of her face. “Am I beautiful?”
Albedo hid a chuckle behind his hand. “Very. Although, Klee, do you remember Alice’s instructions about people you don’t know?”
Biting her lip, Klee balled her dress and swayed side to side. “But, but she’s a nice lady.”
“I just want to keep you safe, Klee. Please be careful, okay?” Albedo eyed her flour-and-batter-stained clothes. “I’ll make dinner, so why don’t you clean yourself up in the meantime?”
“Yay!” Cheering, Klee dashed up the stairs.
“Dinner, huh? Ah!” Xiangling blocked the pancake batter from sight with her body and held out her arms. “We were making… a recipe of mine, but we should do something else because uh, uh, reasons! Oh, that is, if you don’t mind me staying here longer and helping.”
“After hearing tales of your skill, I’d be honored. Thank you. And you have my gratitude for watching Klee.” Albedo beheld the mess along the counter. “It appears Klee played more with her food than actually cooked.”
“It’s okay; it was fun!” Xiangling could remember agonizing over a menu for the Masterful Chefs competition late into the night, long after Wanmin had closed. I haven’t enjoyed cooking for a while now. Is that what I’m missing?
Albedo approached the food shelves. “How does Crab, Ham, and Veggie Bake sound? Or is your preference something more high-class?”
“No, no, that sounds just fine!”
Albedo nodded. They silently worked alongside each other preparing ingredients. As Xiangling sliced the ham, she glanced up. Albedo was working the sauce on the stove, slowly adding milk and whisking it. His expression was flatter than a flatline. Xiangling cleared her throat. “So, um, do you know of any place I could stay the night?”
“With Windblume upcoming soon, every inn is likely fully booked. You can remain here tonight. We don’t have a guest room, but you can use Alice’s bedroom.”
“Who?”
“Ah, my… aunt of sorts. She’s Klee’s mother. When I arrived at Mondstadt, Aunt Alice took me in. She’s not here, so you can use her room.”
“Wow, thanks so much! You really saved my bacon.”
Albedo added cream before resuming stirring. “No worries. It’s hardly an inconvenience, given she’s rarely home.”
Xiangling’s smile dropped. “Oh…” The sight of her mother’s casket flashed before her eyes.
A chill radiated off the stone walls. The sunlight from the open window dimmed. The pan fizzled.
Xiangling shook the memory away. Forcing a smile, she dusted off her hands. “W-well, I’ve done all the chopping!”
“Thank you.” After accepting the meat and vegetables, Albedo began to stir fry them.
Crossing her arms, Xiangling rested against the counter. “So why do you cook, Albedo? What’s your cooking style?” This is my chance to learn about Mondstadt techniques! That’ll give me an edge in the competition.
Albedo paused. “Why do I cook? Hmm, there’s a bit of a story behind that.” He took a cup, scooped up some sauce, and tossed it in the trash.
Xiangling froze. “Huh?”
“Hm?”
“You… you just threw out food.”
Albedo blinked. “Oh, sorry. It’s become such a habit that I hadn’t realized what I was doing. Not that I normally waste food; there’s a reason. My inspiration for cooking and why I discard food is the same story.”
Shaking her head, Xiangling waved her hands. “I didn’t mean to pry! If it’s personal, you don’t have to share.”
Albedo lowered the spatula to look at her. “It’s all right. If it assists a friend of the Traveler, then I don’t mind.” Inhaling, Albedo gazed down at the pan. “Before coming to Mondstadt, I traveled with my master, my mother. One evening I attempted providing dinner, but I charred it to a crisp. Even so, Master said she enjoyed it. Afterwards, I discovered she had thrown out her portion.”
Xiangling’s brows furrowed. “I see…”
“Sounds callous, doesn’t it? But it was a kindness. She had the chance to tell me it was overdone but chose not to. She didn’t want to discourage me.”
Smiling, Xiangling pressed a hand to her chest. She remembered all the times Chef Mao grinned after struggling to swallow her latest concoctions. Or how he would serve almond tofu when she’d scrape a knee or hot soup when she was sick. “Yeah, parents are great like that, huh?”
Albedo looked over his shoulder at the Mondstadt painting. “As we traveled, Master preoccupied herself with research. Meals were a rare opportunity for us to be together. So although I, too, had more work to complete than enough time in the day, I squeezed in practicing culinary arts.” Albedo turned to Xiangling, blue-green eyes softening. “Because then or now, whenever I cook for someone it’s because I want to say thank you. To show my appreciation. To say I want to spend more time with you.”
Xiangling’s breath caught. “Wow, that’s…”
Head back, Albedo gazed into the distance. “I haven’t seen Master in years. She’s… she’s gone. But to this day in her memory, I throw out a bit of everything I cook. Her portion.”
Xiangling smiled. “That’s a good tradition.”
Nodding, Albedo slid the pan onto a rack in the oven. “And you? Why do you cook?”
“Me? Oh, uh, lots of reasons! Since my dad owns a restaurant, family meals were really important. When Mom was alive, we’d always have these great meals and after she died…”
Xiangling’s eyes misted over, lost in a memory. She remembered Chef Mao sitting on the edge of the road, a hand over his eyes. Rain fell. Xiangling handed him a misshapen, undercooked dumpling. Chef Mao bit into it. After swallowing, he grinned and flashed a thumbs-up, his tears mixing with rain.
Xiangling breathed, “I started cooking because I just… wanted to see my dad smile again.”
Albedo quietly studied her. “I see.”
Little feet pounded down the stairs. Klee entered the kitchen, a frown on her face. “I can’t get the stains out of my clothes…”
Chuckling, Albedo wiped off some batter by her mouth with a rag. “It’s all right, Klee. Dinner should be done soon. Could you help me set the table?”
“Uh huh!”
Xiangling gazed down at her hands, stained with batter and vegetable juice. I’ve learned a lot about cooking by staying here… She clenched her fists. And I think I have an idea.
The following day, Xiangling carried several food containers through the streets of Mondstadt. All the public stoves were in use for the Windblume festival, so Xiangling had to cook with a campfire outside the city. People danced in the streets. Giggling, children darted about. Xiangling stepped off the main street. She approached a large red brick house with a Windwheel Aster garden.
When Xiangling knocked, Albedo opened the door. “Xiangling, hello. Klee was worried when we couldn’t find you this morning.”
“I was making this. Here!” Xiangling thrust the containers of food into his chest. “These are for you and Klee. To thank you for reminding me of something really important. I was so wrapped up in creating technical dishes for this year’s Masterful Chef competition that I forgot about the importance of having fun cooking. That food isn’t just about flavor…” Xiangling closed her eyes. Memories of birthday parties, celebrations, and wedding receptions Wanmin Restaurant hosted replayed in her mind. All the people smiled and laughed, making memories. “It’s also about who you share it with. If I want to win the contest, it shouldn’t be because I want to be the most creative or technical chef, but because by winning my food can touch more people. Bring families and friends closer together. So I have here for you Sweet Madame, Flaming Red Bolognese, and Moon Pie: Mondstadt’s finest comfort food!”
Smiling, Albedo accepted the dishes. “Thank you, Xiangling. I’m glad we were able to lend assistance on your journey for inspiration. It just so happens that Alice is here visiting for the festival. She’s inside.” Albedo stepped aside to show Klee and a woman wearing robes and a pointed mage hat working at the stove. They had pushed aside the table and chairs and set a blanket on the floor for an indoor picnic. “It’s a tradition of ours that Alice returns with a dessert recipe from her travels and we bake it together when she visits. Want to help?”
“Sure, I’d love—”
Boom.
Batter and food dye exploded in the kitchen. Coughing, Alice waved away smoke. “That had more of a bang than anticipated. Batter Bomb 2.0 will need to be less—”
Pointing, Klee cried, “Mommy, your hair is on fire!”
“Huh? Haha, so it is!”
Albedo bolted inside. Eyes wide, Xiangling ran into the kitchen. “Quick, where’s water?”
“Hold still!” Albedo tossed a bucket of water.
“Mommy, are you okay?!”
“I’m fine, I’m fine—”
“Aunt Alice, that was incredibly dangerous.”
“Oh, please. Give me more credit. This was hardly the most dangerous thing I’ve done today.”
“Waaah! Mommy’s hair got hurt because of me…!”
“Honey, it’s all right! It’s not even a scratch. And the next Batter Bomb will be even better—!”
Albedo crossed his arms. “Considering you set yourself on fire, there shouldn’t be any further attempts to make bombs.”
“Spoil sport! Come on, you only live once!”
“I’d like to live for as long as possible.”
Standing apart, Xiangling watched the family fuss over Klee and bicker with each other. Xiangling closed her eyes, remembering cooking with her mother and father as a child, laughing that dumpling batter had gotten on her nose. A warmth spread through her chest. Heart light, Xiangling laughed and laughed.