Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“So.” Beidou swirled her cup, the remaining ice inside clattered loudly. The chunks of ice barely had time to melt before Beidou chugged her iced coffee in one go but her complexion was still rosy. “Are you interested?” She leaned backwards to roughly clear her throat, still prickling with lingering spice despite her cold drink, and coughed. “Dammit. Maybe I shouldn’t have dared Xiangling to use so much spice. A-aHEM! Shit.”  

It was nice to be able to spend lazy days with good company. Spring was a busy season for professional gardeners like Ganyu—flowers burst forth in abundance, weeds sprang out of every nook and cranny, grasses grew fast and tall.

Ganyu and Shenhe, who was the second half to her two-woman team, were called out to tend all of those tasks and more. Ganyu especially enjoyed watching people try out gardening—real, serious gardening! With the pollen and the sneezing and headaches and plant-related joys that came with it—for the first time. The not-so-great parts were oh, the allergies, the bug bites, people learning that they were allergic to said bug bites…

Anyway, when those same people learned the hard way that they’ve gotten way over their heads and underestimated the task and needed a professional to come in and wrangle their yards back into shape.  

Yaoyao, who expected the spring weather to continue being cooler for a while longer, did not schedule another appointment for Ganyu to attend for the rest of the day—how nice it was to have an assistant to do all the scheduling; Ganyu was very appreciative of that part. 

It was nice to be able to meet up with Beidou again—whose own busy schedule actually recently ended when winter did. Surviving on a boat for months on end for deep sea tuna fishing in Sheznaya, Ganyu learned through Beidou’s enthusiastic story-telling over lunch at Wanmin Restaurant, was quite the adventure. 

Beidou managed to recount the nitty-gritty details into one epic over lunch. Xiangling was gracious enough to allow her friends to sit at the table in her restaurant for long hours for them to finish, even joining them for a spell when the lunch rush hour slowed down enough for her to take a break. 

Now, late into the afternoon, Beidou and Ganyu were finishing off the rest of the day with nice, cold drinks. Beidou, having exhausted her harrowing tales at sea for today, changed course to a new topic.

Ganyu, meanwhile, was still nursing half of her own iced coffee, light ice and half a packet of sugar. “You said it was Ningguang’s friend?” 

“Yeah. Works at that big university around here. I think they went to school together there too.” Beidou tossed her straw and the lid of her cup into a nearby waste bin to chew on the ice next.  

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that she kept up with connections there,” Ganyu mused.

“That’s not why the admins like calling her up all the damn time though. She’s a pretty big donor to their business department, so there’s a bunch of people that like to suck up to her.” 

“Is this Keqing person one of them?”

Beidou let out a loud chortle. “Oh, hell! No way! God, if she was here now, she’d give you a mouthful! No, she’s a professor but she’s not even in the business department in the first place.”

“Oh?” 

“She’s with the history department.”

Ganyu sipped her drink to disguise her mild surprise. Her ice was nearly completely melted and it diluted her drink. She remained silent for her friend to explain further.

Beidou crunched on more ice. “Mhm. Her family knows Ningguang’s too—real estate stuff, y’know. They were business partners…? I don’t know, something like that—but they kept in contact. They go out together sometimes too. Anyway, Keqing’s going off on a trip for a while and needs someone to take care of her plants. She’s paying real good for it, and I’d do it—though I’d probably kill them all in a week.” 

Ganyu laughed. “You’re exaggerating, You kept that little succulent alive for about a month.”

“An achievement that may never happen again,” she said. “But to ask me to take care of a whole goddamn garden? Hell no, I’m not touching any of it! Knowing her, she might make me pay for every single plant that dies. And Ningguang, ah. She won’t do it herself.” Beidou gave Ganyu an appraising look. “Besides, you’re the pro.” 

Well, she wasn’t wrong. It has already been a few years since Ganyu started her professional gardening and landscaping services and was fortunate enough for it to become a successful and lucrative career. “I’m glad that you went out of your way to recommend me to potential new customers. If it’s alright with Ningguang’s friend, then I’d be happy to try my hand at it”

Beidou grinned widely. “I knew we could count on you. I’ll pass the message on to Ningguang and she’ll get in touch with you about the details later. Sound good?” 

And someone did eventually get back to Ganyu. Later on in the week, Yaoyao received a message from Ningguang, who then passed the message to Ganyu, along with an address and date to visit the estate in question. 

So when Ganyu hopped out her truck, clad in her work overalls and boots, in front of an old two-storied cottage styled house on the outskirts of the city and rang the doorbell, she stood at the ready to meet her new client. 

What she did not expect was to see Ningguang to be the one to open the door. 

Ganyu blinked. “Oh. Miss Ningguang. Good morning.” 

Ningguang smiled pleasantly—no matter how many times Ningguang insisted that Ganyu drop the prefix, she couldn’t help it; old habits die hard it seemed. “Good morning to you as well, Ganyu. I hope you were able to find your way just fine?” 

“It was no trouble at all,” Ganyu replied. A bit of lie; when her GPS continued to lead her further and further outside of the city borders, she started to worry. 

Before she stepped inside, Ganyu glanced over her shoulder, noticing Ningguang’s fancy luxury sedan on the driveway, completely out of place compared to the old cottage and the otherwise empty road—the only house in sight. No sign of the real homeowner’s car either. Still parked in the garage probably, Ganyu presumed.

It turned out that the exterior of the house made it deceptively larger than it appeared. The space was small, and depending who one might ask, one might argue it was cramped or cozy—or would’ve been anyway..

She glanced around, taken aback at the stark bareness of the interior. 

There was nothing on the cream colored walls, except for the faint rectangular outlines of what might have been picture frames at some point, several shades lighter than the rest of the paint that aged darker with time. A set of brown faux leather couches faced a large television, a narrow rectangular coffee table— all topped with a matching thin layer of dust on the surface. To the side was a narrow staircase leading up to the second floor. The living room extended freely into an open kitchen, and from where Ganyu stood, seemed to be just as empty. No appliances, no cookware, no utensils. No sign of life.

The house seemed practically abandoned. 

For a second, Ganyu thought she might have gotten into the wrong house if it weren’t for the undeniable presence of Ningguang beside her.

On cue, Ningguang sighed loudly. Despite reconciling the fact that she was with Ningguang in an otherwise empty, old house, Ganyu still startled slightly at the sound.

“I would offer you tea if I could, but it seems that we lack even that basic necessity,” Ningguang groused. 

“So, um,” Ganyu started, “where is the homeowner…?”

“Not here, obviously,” Ningguang said flatly. “I’ve badgered Keqing to join me, but all she did was leave me with the keys instead. To her house! To deal with her problem! Of all things, she had the nerve to say that she was too busy today to come.” Ganyu heard her mutter irritatedly: “Like I wasn’t busy today too.” 

Ganyu fumbled trying to find the right words to say next. “Is it okay for us to be here?”

“If it wasn’t, she wouldn’t have given me the keys.” Ningguang dangled them for Ganyu to prove her point. A set of three keys on the key ring. One for the house door, one probably a master key for the interior rooms, the other… The garage? A shed in the back? 

“Even so… This is Miss, uh, Keqing’s house, isn’t it?”

“She owes the property on paper, but she doesn’t live in it.”

Ganyu continued to frown. “Well, is she arriving later then?”

“She’s not coming. That woman, I swear.” Ningguang clicked her tongue. “Beidou told you that she’s going on a trip, correct?” 

“She said that she was going to be gone for a while.”

“Keqing is preparing to go out of the country for an academic research project. She should be back in several months; she still has to prep and teach for the following semester. Until then, someone is to maintain the yard in the back.”

“That long?” 

“Will that be a problem?” 

Ganyu shook her head. “No. I mean, it shouldn’t be. But if she wanted someone to take on this job for that amount of time, she should have the courtesy to meet with them,” Ganyu replied, more sharply than she intended.

“That’s what I told her too. But she was being stubborn about it, for whatever the reason.” Though it seemed to Ganyu that Ningguang was reluctant to share more than necessary. She began walking to a door at the end of the kitchen. “Regardless—come on now. Take a look at this.” 

Ningguang swung open the wooden door, the half-rusted hinges creaking loudly in return.

Outside was a sight that Ganyu had never seen before. 

It was like a jungle, with how overgrown the weeds and the grasses and trees were. Not only that, the size of the yard seemed so immense that describing it as something as measly as a simple garden wouldn't suffice. No—it was like being out in the utter expanse of wilderness with no end in sight. 

A little further off and hidden in the thick of tree branches and leaves and a tall wall of bamboo appeared to be a roof to a gazebo. Perhaps it might have been used to entertain guests in the past, but now rendered inaccessible to the greenery surrounding it. 

Ganyu walked gingerly several steps further out, onto the stone pavers of the patio area. The tip of her boot hit a raised edge of a misaligned paver. She glanced down; the ground was sunken in and uneven and weeds grew relentlessly between the cracks. Ganyu had to be mindful not to have her feet tangle in them or she’d trip. 

Ningguang followed her, her heels clacked against the stone. She did not seem to mind the walking hazards around her feet. “It’s a piece of work, isn’t it?”

Ganyu nodded. Breathlessly, she replied: “It-it quite is.” 

“Shenhe is the only one that works with you, yes? If it’s too much for the both of you to handle…” 

That was true; Yaoyao remained in the store and didn’t go out on jobs with either Shenhe or Ganyu. And the scope of this was far beyond anything she’d ever done for any one job before. For any one or two persons really. Shenhe typically had her own appointments to attend to as well.

“It is quite astonishing how Keqing let it go this far, she—”

Ganyu reached up, gently touching the surface of hanging tree leaves. On the branches, she spied clusters of buds; the tree was healthy enough to bear fruit, which was a good sign. She wondered what it might grow. She wondered what else was here? How far did this stretch of man-made jungle of a garden go? She couldn’t see very far out with the foliage in the way. Could she see more if she peered from a window on the second story of the house?

“—I’m surprised she hasn’t gotten cited for it yet. This property is still within the city limits.” 

 “You said that she doesn’t live here, right?”

“She inherited the property when her grandfather passed away. Until earlier this year, she was keeping up with the maintenance. She had a crew coming in regularly for the yard and someone else for the housecleaning. But as you can see—either she stopped doing business with them or they stopped doing business with her. This is a lot of work. Keqing herself can be hard to work with.” 

Ganyu had to smile a little at the jab. “I’m assuming that Miss Keqing hasn’t lived here since she acquired it.”

“I only know that she checks up on it from time to time.” 

“Why doesn’t she sell the property if she has no interest in it?”

“To put it simply, Keqing is stuck with it. Believe me, I’ve pestered her about it before and Keqing actually did try to get rid of this place. But it’s been a hard sell. I’m sure you can tell. The house itself is small. Not to mention it’s so far on the outskirts; it makes going back and forth from here to the city every day an inconvenience. Who would want to trouble themselves? The yard costs a fortune to maintain, unless someone was willing to dig it all up—what a waste that would be though. When her grandfather was still around, it used to be absolutely gorgeous.”

Ganyu perked up. “You’ve seen what it was like before?” 

“I visited a few times before when he was still alive, and yes,” Ningguang commented, unexpectedly wistful. “This whole place used to be a grand, beautiful garden. Keqing said that when he retired, he specifically chose a location to have the space to do as he wanted in peace. Obviously, Keqing doesn’t share the same sort of passion.”  

“He must’ve been quite the ambitious one to grow it to this size,” Ganyu mused, her hand brushing the leaves of a shrub. The one too was seemingly healthy, just needed trimming. She’d still have to check the undergrowth for any hidden problems. The soil seemed slightly damp, as if the plants were watered earlier; there must be an irrigation system installed. Ganyu surmised. That was a good sign at least. 

“At any rate, you needn’t put actual backbreaking labor or love into it—I’m sure that Keqing won’t mind. The people that she hired last did simple trimming and weeding. You don’t have to worry about watering; there’s a timed irrigation system,” Ningguang said, confirming Ganyu’s suspicions. She did the same as Ganyu and inspected a leaf of a branch overhead. She frowned and let the branch go; the sound of the leaves rustling loudly scared a bird from a nearby tree and it flew off. “Considering the size of the property, it’ll definitely take much of your time.”

“Certainly. This will be the biggest job that I’ve ever taken on,” Ganyu replied absently. 

Ningguang made a sound from the back of her throat. She was staring at something behind Ganyu, slightly above her head. She was still frowning openly though, at whatever it was she saw—probably at the wildly overgrown wall of bamboo quickly encroaching the patio area or thick tangle of brush over yonder there or the dead patches of flowers whose sunlight was smothered out by the greedy trees arching their trunks to capture more light. “Does that mean that you’re willing? I’ll give you another fair warning: this is a long-term, time-consuming job.”

Ganyu smiled courteously. To the side, she spied the corner of what seemed to be a raised bed full of dirt, hidden in the brush. Absently she walked toward it, “It sounds to me that you don’t want me to do it at all.” 

Ningguang followed closely beside her as she continued to speak. “I’m saying this for your best interest, Ganyu. Keqing wanted for this to be a contractual arrangement, meaning you won’t be able to back out of the job if it becomes too much.” Ningguang’s heels clicked against the stone pavers until they reached the end of the path, the stone making way for grass and bare dirt. “Besides, if I am to play the role of mediator today, then I want you to be clear with what you might be getting yourself into. As your friend, I simply do not want you to be stuck with something that Keqing failed to take care of in the first place.” 

Ganyu crouched down next to the raised bed. Only a handful of glaze lilies were left and planted in the soil, their petals sagging and dull. But the soil was still fertile and clean, with no weed in sight. Glaze lilies were notoriously hard to grow, much less maintain. The fact that they lasted this long despite the apparent lack of attention to the rest of the yard must mean that someone was still caring for them at least. 

But who could that someone be?

She caressed a dull green leaf of a flower very gently. There was still time to bring it back to health. Ganyu turned to Ningguang, who was still standing beside her. “What kind of person is she? Miss Keqing, I mean.” 

Ningguang’s lips curved into a half-smirk, half-smile. “I suppose I should be a fair mediator.” It already sounded like whatever she was going to say next was going to be anything but. “Very well. Here’s something that happened a while ago. Have I ever told the time I made the mistake of inviting her to one of my company luncheons?”

Ganyu had a feeling that she might have started a snowball of a rant. “Tell me more.” 

“Apparently, a Fontaine investor came to our table while I was away entertaining other guests. He was trying to goad Keqing into telling him more about me. Investors like him are like sharks, after all. You can’t trust them. Yet I still require that our companies stay on good terms. Naturally, you just play the game: give him a sliver of what he wants, and I get a bit of what I want. That’s how things work. But do you know what she told him?”

“Hm?” 

“The investor wanted to know what kind of gifts I fancy or things that have caught my attention, so to speak,” Ningguang said with a shake of her head. “He was banking on Keqing to slip up.”

“She didn’t say anything compromising to your business, did she?” asked Ganyu.

“Depends on how you define compromising,” Ningguang said. “I was told by one of my staffers who happened to be eavesdropping on their conversation that she very curtly responded with something along the lines of ‘Ningguang doesn’t give a single damn about your suck-ups. Keep your crap to yourself.’”

Ganyu burst out laughing. She dusted off her bottom and her knees as she rose, despite not having dirtied her clothes. “She said that?” 

“She did and apparently even more, by the gods. My staffer had to interject before the conversation really went off the rails. Long story short, I lost an important investor that day,” Ningguang growled. “The fault is mine—I should’ve known that she'd have something to say if I left her alone. That person she chewed out was planned to eventually to become a key sponsor for other projects.”

“If you expected that might happen, why did you invite her in the first place?” 

“Do you think Beidou might willingly volunteer to attend those events with me?”

Ganyu laughed again. “She’s not the type but for you, she’ll endure it.”

The smallest of smiles crept onto Ningguang’s face. “You’re not wrong. But there was a reason why I specifically wanted Keqing to begin with.” She gestured back towards the back door to the house to go back inside. “It’s well-intentioned, I can assure you, even if it may not seem like it. She has a good judge of character. If there’s someone that rubs her the wrong way, then it’s someone that I do not want to do business with.”

“You trust her that much? When you had so much riding on the line?” 

“She has keen instincts and quick wit. I haven’t mentioned it yet, but she’s a seasoned veteran in field, prior to current profession. Her name still gets a fair amount of recognition amongst certain circles. Had she not turned to academia, she would have definitely been quite successful in corporate,” Ningguang replied. “We would’ve butted heads often too. There are days that I have to remind myself that it was for the better that she stepped away from corporate; she seems happy with what she's doing. For me, I’d rather have her be as a mouthy unaffiliated outsider instead of an actual competitor of mine. A nuisance that woman might’ve been, ugh.

“Besides, Keqing wasn’t wrong about that investor—I really do despise those types of people. Worst still is if they’re someone that I have to make deals with. They’re always up to something unsavory and I don’t like dealing with snakes… Anyway, if Keqing’s sharp tongue can filter out even a few of those pests out of my life, I greatly appreciate it. Keqing does it gladly regardless; I think she gets a kick out of it.” 

“She sounds more like a handful than anything else.” 

That garnered a snort from Ningguang. “I’m telling you this now because you asked. You can formulate your own impressions about her as you go along,” Unrelentlessly, she continued in a bluster. “She’s brutally honest to the point that you’d want to punch her jaw to make her shut up. She’s as sharp as a knife but the woman can’t pick up some of the most basic of social cues—do you know how many times—you know what, nevermind. You’d think she’d have rocks for brains from how much she loves them! And would it kill her to pick up the phone when I call? She’s a handful indeed!”

Yet… There was no denying the fondness and respect in Ninggaing’s golden amber eyes, despite the complaints. 

There weren’t many people in the world who could win the trust of such a formidable person or stand as her equal. Or get under her skin—this was a first that Ganyu seen Ningguang so flustered. Even Beidou didn't the same sort of reaction, no matter what the mishap. That alone made Ganyu a bit curious. 

Ganyu hummed, mulling over her thoughts. Normally, she didn’t need to consult Shenhe or Yaoyao about picking a job, but considering the circumstances… “Miss Ningguang, do you mind if I give you an answer later?”

Ningguang collected her bearings quickly. She removed a card from her purse. “Of course. But since you agree that you should to at least talk with the homeowner first, take this. You can contact Keqing yourself when you’re ready.” Before Ganyu could grab it, Ningguang procured yet another item from her handbag. She handed Ganyu both the card and a closed envelope. “These are the terms and agreement. It elaborates more on what we’ve already talked about. Inside, you’ll find everything you’ll need to know, including the pay. If you decide the terms are agreeable and manageable, you can return it to either me or Keqing.”  

They stepped into the front yard; Ningguang locked the front door behind them. She replaced the house keys with her own car keys from her bag and pressed a button. Her sedan made a “beep-beep!”. “One more thing.”

“Yes?” 

“Don’t call her. She hates answering the phone.” 

Keqing’s envelope was left on the counter by the cash register. The documents that were kept inside were now with Yaoyao, who repeatedly read and re-read the contract’s fine print. There was one particular piece of paper that she paid close attention to. Every so often, she would raise that paper close to face so that her nose nearly touched it, squinted, and put it back down. And every time she did, she would exclaim: “That’s a lot of mora!”

Likewise, Ganyu would respond with an amused: “Yes, it is.” 

It was late in the afternoon by the time that Ganyu returned to the shop. After giving Yaoyao a brief summary of what had happened earlier in the day, Yaoyao practically ripped the envelope open in her excitement. Not that Ganyu minded—compared to herself and Shenhe, who oft were out on jobs most of the day, Yaoyao was typically stuck with watching the store by herself on weekends. It was only around closing time that the three of them were together like this.

Their families had known each other for a long time, such that Ganyu and Shenhe regarded Yaoyao as a little sister. Now in her final year of high school and after much insisting, Yaoyao joined the team as a part-timer to assist Ganyu and Shenhe with the shop.

The paper was by Yaoyao’s nose again. “This is the stipend? This much? Per month?”

Indeed, When Ganyu saw the amount printed on the document, it was hard to believe. University professors could not be paid that well. 

Shenhe came in from the adjacent room and removed her dirty gloves to hang on a rack. She rolled her eyes, but her lips were tugged into an amused smile like Ganyu’s. “If that’s what it says on the paper, then it must be correct.”

“That’s a lot of—”

“Yes. We get it. It’s a lot.” 

Ganyu chuckled to herself. “It is more than I expected. The size of the yard is incredible. I didn’t get the chance to see all of it today but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were rare plants that could use the extra care.” Briefly, she thought of the glaze lilies. “It might explain why she’s willing to pay so much.” 

“Or,” Shenhe came closer to the two. Yaoyao gave the document for her to see for herself, “maybe it is a mistake. Might be a typo.”

“From what Miss Ningguang told me, it’s unlikely that Miss Keqing made a typo,” replied Ganyu.

Shenhe shrugged. “And from what you told us, this Keqing also allowed it to get to that bad of a state on purpose. Even if she doesn’t physically live there, she should be keeping things under control.” 

Ganyu couldn’t argue with that. 

Yaoyao slammed the papers down on the table, mostly for dramatics. “We have to do it.” 

“Oh yeah, sure. And then when we fall for some ponzi scheme—” 

“You should ask her about it!” Yaoyao said excitedly to Ganyu, ignoring Shenhe’s skepticism. “Y’know, just to be sure that there isn’t an extra zero in there.” 

“Someone sounds like they’re interested,” Shenhe commented dryly.

Yaoyao crossed her arms over chest. “Hey, even without an extra zero, that’s still pretty good mora at the end of the day.”

“I was already planning on contacting her soon to clarify a few things. I can ask if the numbers here are correct,” Ganyu said.  

“Soon?” Shenhe glanced at her wristwatch. She never liked staying past business hours. Shenhe was very punctual about her workday. 

“It’ll be quick.” 

“I vote on saying yes! We should do it!”

“We?” Shenhe cocked a brow. “You don’t go out on the job with us.”

“‘Cause you guys won’t let me!” 

“Someone needs to watch over the store and answer to potential customers,” Ganyu said patiently. “You were the one who said you were okay with that in the first place—so you can have time to study.”

It was one of the terms they agreed upon when Yaoyao was first hired on. 

After many a day of insisting and discussing with Baizhu, her guardian, Yaoyao finally convinced him to allow her to work under Ganyu and Shenhe instead of going to cram school—as long as she kept up her grades.  It had been working out for her, but Yaoyao had a restlessness in her that sitting in a chair by her lonesome couldn’t satisfy. 

Yaoyao pouted. “Yeah but! It gets so boring being here by myself. Take me with you guys next time. Or better yet, the next time that you go back to that lady’s house, let me tag along. It’ll be better for me when I have to assess your future schedules.”

“How reliable.” Shenhe stepped forward to settle her hand on top of the younger girl’s head to ruffle her hair.

Yaoyao’s face scrunched. “Ew, nasty. Wash your hands at least.” Despite her grumbles, she did not pull away. 

“I had my gloves on the entire day. Didn’t even touch a patch of dirt.” 

“Okay? And? You reek of sweat. Yuck.” 

“Hmph. Shame that you’re so rude. Where did you get it from? Certainly not from Madame Ping.”

“Hey, I’m telling you how it is.”

Shenhe sighed. “Anyway, Ganyu—”

“Don’t ignore me!” 

“—I’m going to finish locking up. Are you going to give that Keqing a call?” 

“Is that her new nickname? ‘That Keqing’?” Ganyu was very amused. “She could be our next client.” 

Shenhe shrugged. “I’ll address her like any other of our clients once she officially becomes one.” 

“It’ll only take a minute.”

A nod and Shenhe was gone again. Yaoyao packed her books and pens into her bag and stretched in her chair. “I’ll go with her.” 

“Do you need us to take you back home?” 

“You know my house isn’t too far from here. I can walk,” Yaoyao said, then added: “But since you’re offering, sure!” 

Ganyu smiled. “Alright. When you and Shenhe are done, we’ll head out.” 

“Roger that!”

Ganyu leaned over the register counter with her work phone in her hands. It was an older model, the shell was slightly dinged and scuffed from years of use, but she’d preferred to use something more rugged than her nicer personal cell phone. 

In fact, she already since made up her mind after parting with Ningguang. 

A part of her was quite interested in the prospect. The mora was definitely generous, yes—Yaoyao was sure to bug Ganyu about it if she were to refuse. More than that, the garden that really caught her attention. 

To have an opportunity to see what else might be growing there—she simply could not quell her curiosity, even if she might be biting more than she could chew. 

The clock was closing in on five in the afternoon. Shenhe might have been right; it was too late to have a proper conversation with Keqing. Ganyu could do it in the morning instead, once she better collected her thoughts and had the time for a more formal discussion. With so much mora on the line and the massive scope of work, Ganyu felt obligated to hash every little detail out with the homeowner for each party to be crystal clear on terms.

One of Ningguang’s parting words of advice was that Keqing was easier to get a hold of through messaging, she remembered. Except for emergencies or other urgent business, she won't bother, Ningguang advised. It was best to heed that advice for today.

Ganyu kept her message brief: a short introduction of herself and her business, how she heard of the job, her connection to Ningguang, the state of the yard in question earlier today, and a clarification on the pay. 

I look forward to speaking with you.

Sent.

Chapter Text

"My apologies for not being able to meet with you and Ningguang today. Thank you for taking the time to visit the property. The numbers on the contract are correct; whatever you see on the paper are the numbers I will honor. I understand what I am asking of you is no small task, so I made sure to offer an appropriate compensation. Unless it is not enough? I am willing to negotiate as needed. 

Feel free to ask any questions using this number.

Keqing”

.

.

.

Ganyu woke with the sun. Sunlight filtered in through her blinds and lazily, she stretched her arm over to the nightstand by her head. She grabbed two phones—her personal and her dinged-up work phone. She spent the first five minutes of the early morning scrolling on her personal cell phone—suddenly, a text! So early in the morning. There was only one person who did that and that person did it often enough such that when Ganyu glimpsed a picture of a dewy white flower in her notifications, she reflexively swiped it away. She glanced at her other phone, tossed her blanket off, and went into the kitchen.

Shenhe stumbled out of her own room around the same time and ducked into the bathroom first to wash up. Ganyu filled a kettle full of water to heat up over the stovetop. She laid out the makings for a simple breakfast: eggs and diced tomatoes. Beat the eggs; sliced the tomatoes, mix in a slurry of cornstarch and water—just a little bit. Salt. Pepper. Two pinches of chili flakes. 

Shenhe emerged from the bathroom and without a word, the two seamlessly switched places—Ganyu took her turn to freshen up while Shenhe minded the stove, starting with heating a small wok with oil. In the span it took for Ganyu to return, Shenhe was already plating up their food and pouring both of them a cup of hot tea. Ganyu washed a bowl of strawberries from the fridge and placed it in the middle of the table for them to share. 

Ganyu balanced a portion of eggs and tomatoes over rice on chopsticks. To fill in the silence while they ate, she said: “She texted back.”

Shenhe chewed, swallowed, quickly. The motions were repetitive and nearly mechanical. “Hm?”

“Keqing.”

“Hm.” 

“She said that the numbers are correct.” 

Another swallow. Shenhe took a swig of her tea to wash the acidity down; she was already halfway through her plate. “That’s good.” 

“I thought you weren’t interested in the job.” 

“I’ll do it if you’ll do it.” 

In comparison, Ganyu was barely a quarter the way done of her plate. “You aren’t suspicious? I thought you were.”

“It doesn’t matter much in the end,” Shenhe replied. “Mora is mora. And this is a lot.”

“That’s true.” 

“Besides, if that Keqing were to swindle us, I’m sure that Ningguang will be the one that will deal with it.”

It was amusing to hear. “You really don’t trust her,” said Ganyu. 

Shenhe shrugged. “I trust Ningguang. But do you know who I trust most of all?”

“Who?” 

“Yanfei.” Shenhe plucked strawberries from the small bowl. “Because if either of those two corporates swindle us, I trust Yanfei to win us a hefty amount of compensation mora.” 

Ganyu laughed. “Let’s hope that it won’t get to that point then.” 

Shenhe smiled. She leaned back into her chair, her gaze floated towards the window filtering warm sunlight into their small apartment kitchen. Shenhe always ate quickly, no matter how luxurious or simple the food was in front of her, so she typically was the one that finished first. Every morning at the table, she would watch the world outside the window in a tranquil silence, as if it were a sort of meditation, and waited patiently for Ganyu. Ganyu, meanwhile, appreciated the company.

It was nice to have slow mornings like this. Together, in their small corner of the world. 

It would be later on, when the two of them were saddled up for the rest of the day, that the conversation picked up again. 

Shenhe sat in the passenger side of Ganyu’s beat-up truck—Shenhe kept her own truck parked outside their store for quicker access when going out on location. “Are you going to formally accept the job then?”

“No. Not… yet. I want to though,” Ganyu said. In a smaller voice she said: “I’m sorry, I know that I should be consulting you and Yaoyao about this. Things are a little bit…” Shady? Odd? “...different with this job, I know.”

“I figured you would.” Shenhe nodded. “What’s holding you back?”

“Well, for starters, I’d like for you to see more of the property before agreeing to go through this with me. I’ll need your help.” 

“How bad is it?”

There would be landscaping work to be done, most likely—the fences, the pavers, and whatever else they might find there—but even that shouldn’t take the entirety of, oh what was it, several months? They weren’t specifically tasked to grow anything new either, so it essentially boiled down to keeping the plants alive until Keqing returned from her trip. Ganyu was very good at that. Best of all? Everything was essentially paid for. Keqing’s overly generous stipend meant that any leftover costs would be pocketed by Ganyu and the others—and that was still a hefty sum, no matter how much Ganyu turned it over in her head. Plus, there was an indefinite time frame to have everything completed… “Not that bad?” 

Shenhe’s eyebrows shot up with undisguised skepticism. Ganyu laughed nervously. 

Ganyu’s phone rested on a mounted stand clamped to the air vent. “I messaged Keqing about scheduling a meeting with her before we left this morning, so she could give us a proper tour. I didn’t have the chance to see more of the property when I was with Ningguang. But…ah, just go read it.” 

“Unfortunately, there have been last-minute changes on my end. My flight was moved up and I will not be able to make the time to make a visit. Whatever you deem necessary to do in the yard, I’ll allow it. I’ll trust your judgment. So long as everything is clean and presentable by the time I return, you’re free to do whatever you want.”

Shenhe skimmed the message over and over again. “‘Whatever you want’... Isn’t that a reckless thing to say. You think the reason why she’s paying so well is because if we mess up, that Keqing lady will sue to get all the mora back?” 

“That’s a little too far-fetched? Maybe?” Ganyu couldn’t imagine Ningguang being friends with someone that nefarious. She wouldn’t be… right? 

“Say, for example’s sake, of course—only hypothetically—if we were to pilfer something of worth during our seemingly unsupervised stay, then what? One at a time, little by little. Not enough to rouse immediate suspicion until it is too late.” 

“Absolutely no stealing. The house is completely empty anyway.”

“Rare plants?”

“No, stop it.” 

“I’m just pointing out the folly of unearned trust. It’s irresponsible.” 

She parked right next to Shenhe’s larger truck outside the shop. They went to the register—ever since Yaoyao came on board the team, she usually organized and scribbled out their appointments for the entire week for them.  Having such a person to be responsible for such things certainly helped the operations go much smoother. 

While Shenhe reviewed her own schedule, Ganyu responded back to Keqing. “Are you sure you’re okay with leaving these decisions up to us? It is your property that we’ll be overseeing for the next several months.”

A swift reply, as if prepared in advance: “Don’t worry about me. Just see to it that everything looks proper by the time I return.”

…Well, maybe that Keqing was a little bit infuriating to work with after all. 

Ganyu quietly huffed.

“Oh, yeah. Here.” Shenhe shoved her phone into Ganyu’s face. “Got flower picture from Mom again.”

In exchange, Ganyu did the same to her. “Me too. Here’s another flower picture from Mom.” 

At the same time, they both replied back to their mother: 👍

The three of them loaded up into Ganyu’s truck—with Ganyu at the wheel, Shenhe in the passenger seat, and Yaoyao squeezed into the backseat next to Ganyu’s bucket full of tools. When asked if Yaoyao truly had the day off and wasn’t skipping class, Yaoyao replied: “My attendance is fine! Don’t you worry ‘bout a thing, I’ve got it excused today!” 

It was at Ganyu’s suggestion that they go back to the residence to see what they might be getting themselves into. At the end of the day and regardless of Ganyu’s personal intentions, they were still a team after all. Even Yaoyao, who hardly went outside of the shop, tagged along to provide a second opinion on whether the job really was too much to take on, regardless of the mora. This time, Ganyu didn’t object. 

They made a quick trip to Ningguang to pick up the keys and then headed out.

“Y’know,” Yaoyao started when they encountered fewer and fewer cars the further they drove out towards the city outskirts, “you should let me practice driving.” 

 Ganyu turned the radio’s volume down a few notches. Her wheel hit a bump in the road and creaked as the suspension bobbed up and down. 

“I want to start learning how to drive soon. This road looks pretty easy.” 

“Have you asked Madame Ping? What about Baizhu?”

“Well, I mean, they keep brushing me off! ‘Oh, maybe next time,’ she said. Or: ‘I’m busy this weekend, how about the next?,’ he said. Except they’ve been saying that for weeks now.”

The truck dipped on a small pothole. Ganyu said: “If I teach you on this road, then I’d hope you’d be willing to do some weeding with me at Keqing’s while we’re up here. How about that?”

“What, you mean it?” Yaoyao’s eyes lit up. “I didn’t expect you to actually say yes so easily.” 

“I don’t see why not,” Ganyu replied. “Of course, on another day. We’re just here to survey the rest of the land.”

Yaoyao grinned. “Yes! I’ll hold you up to that. Don’t forget!” 

Upon stepping out of the truck, Ganyu watched her companions’ expressions. Shenhe’s low judgmental hum and the narrowing of her eyes when she saw the overgrown foliage spilling over the weather-worn fences that stretched far and wide to encircle what was probably the entire perimeter of the property; Yaoyao’s look of wonder at the quaint, cottage-style house.

“Well,” Shenhe sighed, “I suppose we can start with some trimming.”

Yaoyao ran up to the door and rang the bell despite knowing no one was home. The chime echoed loud and deep, clearly audible from the outside. “Can we go in?” 

Ganyu fumbled with the three keys, testing each one until the door unlocked. Yaoyao’s excitement was undeterred from the house’s lack of furnishing; when she saw the narrow flight of stairs, she urged Ganyu and Shenhe to go up with her. 

There were four rooms on the second floor. As expected, another key opened all the interior doors to reveal a tiny bathroom, a cozy guest bedroom, a slightly larger bedroom which could possibly be the master bedroom, and a—

The last door resisted. Ganyu inserted the first, the second, and the third key for good measure, into the lock to no avail. None of the keys were the right one apparently. Another mystery to the curious little cottage house. 

“Anyway,” Ganyu eased her companions back downstairs, “let’s get back on track. To the backyard. Now.”

Yaoyao piped: “If you gimme a minute, I can lockpick it.”

Ganyu smiled sweetly and put her hands on Yaoyao’s shoulders to physically, forcefully guide the younger girl to the back yard. “We are gardeners, not lockpickers.” Also directed to Shenhe a stern reproof. “Gardeners! Not thieves.” 

Shenhe only shrugged. “I’ll go look around.” Without preamble, Shenhe moved not onto the paved path leading further into the foliage but followed the fencing enclosing the perimeter of the yard. 

It’ll be good to know the size of trouble we’ll be dealing with, Ganyu reasoned and left Shenhe to her own devices. 

Ganyu and Yaoyao took the path to see where it might lead. In Ganyu’s breast pocket of her denim overalls was her pocketbook; she always kept one on her person for jotting notes. For the plants that she could easily identify, she wrote them down in her notebook. 

The walkway extended into a network of paths bustling with blooming perennials and bushy shrubs and brown patches of dead foliage on either side.

“Whoops!” She heard Yaoyao squeak, nearly tripping on a tangle of weed and vine that stretched across uneven pavers. “Watch your step!”

Ganyu paused to handle a cluster of flower buds. She gave it a delicate sniff—the faint smell of peaches. Osmanthus? Those would be wonderful to see in bloom. 

They spotted a tall gazebo, more than wide enough to accommodate a single small, rusted round tea table and chairs for two. A lonely sight. Perhaps it was used for larger gatherings in the past. Keqing might’ve gotten rid of any other outdoor furnishing when she was sizing down the rest of the house. The structure saw better days—the white paint chipped and the weather-worn. The shingles on the roof could use some repairs. 

Nearby was a man-made pond. Yaoyao gingerly stepped through the tall grass, as if she anticipated to step on a sleeping snake, to a two-tier pond. The surface was covered in a mat of green algae at the bottom tier, but the water continued to flow down relatively clear from the higher level. 

Off the side was a section that might've been the real, more practical garden in the huge expanse of the wild backyard: prepared rectangular beds of soil in rows and rows. Nothing was growing of course, but it would make for a substantial harvest. Judging from the numerous burrows and holes in the ground, it seemed that the dirt patches had no shortage of visitors, however.

Yaoyao stuck closely to Ganyu as they wandered about. “This is pretty fun, huh? Feels like we’re lost in the woods in Mondstadt or something.”

“You’re having a little too much fun with this.”

“Hey, it’s not every day that you get to go to cool places like this one.”

Ganyu was amused. “You think this is cool?” 

“There’s a charm to it.” Yaoyao’s grin grew a touch wider. “I’d skip class again to come with you.” 

“Don’t be a troublemaker!” Ganyu playfully swatted at her. Yaoyao laughed as she scooted away.

But she couldn’t deny it either. The original planner of the yard had a good eye for aesthetics and space. The grandness of it all too—it added a touch of magic to the place; a majesty quite unlike any other.

Except…

At the far end of the yard was strangely enough—a wall of bamboo, thick and overgrown. She noticed it during her first visit, but now that she had a better grasp of land, its position came off as rather odd. The variety was often used to section spaces off in typical Liyeuan landscapes and it being present here made it a strange sight compared to the rest of the greenery. It was easy for bamboo to quickly spread to more ground, as it seemed was the case here due to the lack of maintenance. Past that, was there even more to see?

They wandered separately for a spell. Yaoyao ducked into the bamboo grove. Behind the towering stalks of green was strangely enough, a continuation of the paved walkway that only went deeper, prompting Yaoyao to continue. Ganyu, meanwhile, dutifully continued to take notes until Yaoyao reemerged from the thicket.

When they returned to the front of the yard. Shenhe was already there waiting. 

“It’s a pretty large place,” Shenhe opened her own small notebook and drew a rough outline of the property perimeter with a pen. “The property stretches far out. Fence is still good for the most part. Just a couple of gaps to patch up.”

Taking the pen and notebook, Yaoyao drew in smaller shapes—to represent the sections of various planting beds she and Ganyu walked past, a circle and square for the pond and the designated area of planter beds, a long rectangle to represent the bamboo. She labeled the shapes. 

“There’s a stone garden…. Here.” Shenhe pointed at the space beyond the bamboo. “Towards the east end. Complete mess.” 

“I saw that too.” Yaoyao drew it in. “Kinda weird, huh.”

A very atypical design choice, Ganyu had to admit. No wonder the bamboo hid it from sight. The contrast the rocks and the rest of the yard would have thrown off the entire aesthetic. But she considered herself grateful for having less of the property to manage. Professional gardener Ganyu may be, however—stones were not plants. 

“Anything else?” 

Ganyu gently grabbed the notebook away from Yaoyao and with her own pen, she drew tiny squares. “Here, by the front. We passed by it, but I saw them there before. Small flower beds with glaze lilies.” 

Shenhe was intrigued. “Were they alive?”

“They’re not in the best shape, but they’re thriving.” 

Shenhe made a sound, curious. Glaze lilies were notoriously finicky flowers to grow—the domesticated kind anyway. Ganyu pondered on it for a moment. What if Keqing or her grandfather managed to find wild glaze lilies seeds? Those were the more hardier variants. Obviously, they were largely uncommon in most nurseries or to be sold in packets in the stores, but it wasn’t impossible to find. 

The seeds might’ve scattered in the wind and taken root on their own. Someone might have transplanted the fully grown flowers and they somehow managed on their own. Because other than Keqing, no one else should’ve been able to care for them…

“Yaoyao, do we still have time?” Ganyu asked. 

“Your next appointment is in about—oh! But we have to drive back to the shop first, so…” Yaoyao mumbled to herself then replied: “Just don’t dawdle.” 

“That’s fine. Shenhe? May you lead us?”

They walked one full round of the perimeter together. Ganyu and Shenhe discussed all the while as Yaoyao continued to jot down notes, taking pictures as they went. When Ganyu asked about the copious number of pictures that Yaoyao was snapping, the younger girl replied cheekily: “So when I update your website, you can show off how you guys cleaned this place up! It’s good advertising!”

The fences were in no dire condition, as Shenhe mentioned. The material cost and labor to patch it were chump change for the stipend. Beyond that, the only real issue was getting the overgrowth under control. The weeding and the trimming and the uprooting was going to take time. They could nitpick about the smaller tasks later.

They piled into Ganyu’s truck again. Yaoyao tapped the butt of the pen against her chin. “I think I’ve already got you scheduled with your regular clients for most of the season. When summer comes around, I’ll find you something more flexible if you wanna work out here more.”

Ganyu nodded, allowing Yaoyao to ramble to Shenhe too. 

It really was a shame to see all the space go to waste. What was the future of the property after Keqing returned from her trip? If all the efforts that Ganyu put into the yard was merely a pretense to prepare the property to go back on the market, that would be fine. A little bit heartbreaking, but fine. That stuff happened all the time. But what if instead, the yard were to be overturned and dug up, cut down, plowed flat… That would truly be a waste. 

She could just imagine how magnificent it might’ve looked in its heyday. 

She sighed; she shook her head to shoo away the thoughts.

It wasn’t her decision in the end anyway. 

Ganyu drummed her fingers against the tabletop. Shenhe, having finished her tasks faster than Ganyu, volunteered to drive Yaoyao home early. As she waited for Shenhe to return, Ganyu mulled over her thoughts. 

Whatever she wanted… Surely there must be specifics, or limitations to such a broad statement? It ate away at her the entire day. The job could not be so straight-forward.

She texted her doubts to Keqing again and the answer was just as blunt. 

“That’s what I said.” Plus a follow-up: “I hope you aren’t planning to commit illicit activities while I’m away.”

“Hah!” Ganyu let out a loud, incredulous guffaw. The sound of it almost seemed to echo in the empty store. Was that woman serious? What was wrong with her? What an incredible suggestion. She typed back furiously. “That was not what I meant.”

“There will not be anyone to supervise you. While I’m giving you permission to work freely in the yard, please do so responsibly.”

“Says the one who wants to leave her house to a bunch of strangers!” Were this any other client, Ganyu would have no trouble cutting it off there; there was no need to entertain rude people. It was only because Ningguang and Beidou reached out to Ganyu on Keqing’s behalf that she didn’t outright refuse. But that didn’t mean that she would tolerate first—the disrespect, and second—the unwarranted suspicion of her professional integrity. She could nip this in the bud before she entangled herself. 

Her fingers typed out instead: “How should I inform you of our progress then?” 

Keqing was quick to respond, as Ganyu was learning—Ningguang was right about that part of her. “Don’t bother. The area that I’ll be doing in research will be off the grid in the deserts of Sumeru. I expect that it may be difficult for you to contact me until I make a trip back into town.” 

Still, Ganyu did not want to risk the chance of any legal issues if Keqing were to try something funny upon her return. She recalled Shenhe’s own skepticism in the day. 

This job might really be too good to be true. The generous wage, the freedom to do whatever she wanted—unless, were there cameras in the yard? She did not notice any during their visit. 

Ganyu pursed her lips into a thin line, a growing paranoia was taking root at the back of her thoughts now. 

While she was caught up in her whirlwind of internal conflict, another message came through. 

“I’ll be going back and forth between the excavation site and Aaru Village often, but I do not have a set schedule of when those days may be. I’d ask Ningguang to check in on you, but she would have the same difficulties reaching me in Sumeru as you will.” 

“As a gesture to prove my trustworthiness, I’d like to be able to continue to communicate with you while you are on your trip. That will be my only requirement for accepting your request.”

This time, Keqing did not reply so readily. Any moment now, Keqing would give her an opportunity for Ganyu to say no—to let her walk away from this dodgy deal and save herself months’ worth of trouble. 

Ganyu was so engrossed with her phone that she didn’t even notice the jingle of keys and the loud slamming of the door—Shenhe walked in, regarding Ganyu strangely when she saw her hunched over the counter with her phone in a death grip—and continued waiting with bated breath to see what Keqing’s next move might be. 

Ping!

“Reasonable enough,” Keqing texted back. “You are right.”

Huh. 

“There should be a way to monitor your accountability. I’ll agree to that and I appreciate your insistence. Let me make an amendment to the contract.” 

Another pause. Ganyu held her breath.

Then—Keqing was typing again. 

“How about this? The stipend is already set to automatically transfer to you at the end of each month (if you would like to change that to a weekly or biweekly wage, tell me immediately). In return, you must send me a report of duties that you have accomplished during that time before then. You must describe to me what was done and send proof of your activities. If you do not make the deadline, I’ll withhold it until I see your report or hear from Ningguang instead, as it is the only way for me to hold you accountable.” 

A report? Was Keqing treating her like one of her students? Ganyu didn’t like the sound of that. This was definitely not what she meant at all. How would she be able to show her anyway? “How would you like to receive it? Should we schedule a call?” 

A lightning-fast reproval. “I don’t answer phone calls or video calls.” 

Ganyu clicked her tongue in annoyance.

“Due to the unpredictability of my work, you might be better off mailing it to my mailbox in Sumeru.” 

“Are you really serious?” muttered Ganyu. Watching with great intrigue from afar, Shenhe stood silently by the door, sipped her bubble tea through a straw. 

Keqing continued: "The Akademiya will be handling my postage. Anything that is received for me will be forwarded to a courier in Aaru.” 

“If that’s your preference.” As an afterthought, Ganyu also added: “What about email?” 

And a terse: “As long as I can receive it securely.” 

She waited for a final follow-up, but there was none. It seemed that the conversation was at an end for the evening. 

Ganyu groaned heavily with her face buried in her hands. 

“So.” Shenhe sidled over, pressing a cold drink against the exposed skin of Ganyu’s nape; she had bought her an iced qingxin lemonade. One of her favorites. “Looks like you had a fun time.” 

Ganyu flinched at the sensation to meet Shenhe’s eyes but otherwise didn’t move even as Shenhe helped herself to her messages. “Why is she making things so difficult?” 

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves an interesting client.” 

“I thought you didn’t want to do it.”

“That Keqing is funny.” 

“You’re joking. Everyone’s joking with me right now.” 

“You know I don’t joke like that.” Even as Shenhe’s face was as impassive as ever, Ganyu knew better than to believe her on that. Shenhe had her own sort of mischievous streak. “So I’m guessing we’re doing it? You accepted?” 

Ganyu lazily stabbed the straw through the plastic film and replied now with a disdainful groan. “Do you want to?” 

Shenhe sipped at her own drink. “I don’t mind either way. I’ll help you with it too, the report.” She stifled a laugh. “She really is an interesting one. Are you really going to do that?” 

Another groan.

“You asked for it.” Shenhe pointed out.

“I’m trying to be responsible!” Ganyu exclaimed, throwing her hands up in a fit. “What I don’t understand is why she’s so flippant about everything. It feels like she’s…”

“Try not to overthink it,” Shenhe said reassuringly, interrupting her. “Whatever the details are with Keqing and her house is her own business. For us, it’s just another job with a couple of eccentricities tacked on it. It's not a huge deal.”

“Seems to me that you’re the one having all the fun here. You, Yaoyao too.” 

“Anything we want,” Shenhe repeated again, wryly and pulled away. “While we were visiting, I gave it some thought and you’re right—I am having fun, with the idea of it anyway. Getting paid to do whatever we want—doesn’t everyone want a job like that? I think we shouldn’t waste this opportunity.”

“Yeah?” 

“Our apartment is cozy, but y’know. There’s no space to grow our own garden.” 

“I always wanted one of our own,” Ganyu sighed. “Maybe after we finish with Keqing’s job, we can use that mora to get ourselves a proper house. With a yard or something for a garden. I’d be happy with anything.”

Shenhe nodded. “Mom has a really nice one back at home.”

Their childhood house was nowhere as near the size of Keqing’s property, but it was sizable enough such that their family could sustain themselves on homegrown fruits and vegetables and still have excess to share. To say that it was part of the reason why she made a career out of it was no exaggeration.

“Really nice,” Ganyu said. “She likes to invite everyone in the neighborhood over to show off her plants. I think Uncle said she’s getting ready for new crops this year.” 

“Guess that’s a good thing. It’ll be nice to see something new from her. She sends us all those pictures but it's the same thing every year.”

“Or… instead she could just stop. Sending us random pictures all the time.”  

They exchanged a look.

“She won’t shut up about her plants. She never did, even when we were kids. Don’t you get tired of her bragging?” Shenhe said.

“She really does love to brag,” Ganyu muttered.  

“About how great her tomatoes looked this year and that year and the year before that; how big her flowers have grown or how beautiful their blooms are?” Fumed Shenhe.

“How she grew so many vegetables that she made one of our uncles drive all the way to the city to deliver us a care package because she was worried that we weren’t not eating enough? How we ate eggplant and bitter melon and sunsettia for two weeks straight?” Ganyu ranted.

“And jueyun chilies.” 

“So many chilies.”

“I’m tired of listening to talk about her tomatoes.” 

“I wish she’d stop texting me pictures of her qingxin.”

“The flowers look as beautiful as they did yesterday, Mom!”

“Honestly!”

“We should send her vegetables too one day.”

“We should.” 

“I’d like to have bragging rights to our own garden one day.” 

“We don’t have space in the apartment for a garden,” Ganyu said.

“We don’t,” Shenhe agreed. “But I know someone that does.” 

Silence.

Ganyu stared at Shenhe, uncomprehending. Shenhe inclined her head, along with a quiet, purposeful rise of her brow. She did a tiny bob of her head, jutting her chin towards Ganyu’s phone.  

Finally—realization.

A scandalized gasp. “Shenhe!” 

“What?”

“We can’t do that!”

“She gave us permission.” 

“That’s a client!”

“Whatever we want, that’s what she said.” 

“We are professionals!”

“Who were given explicit permission to do so.”

“I—I have to make a report,” Ganyu said, rather meekly however. Her will to argue back was deteriorating fast. 

Shenhe leaned in. Her breath was warm and ticklish on the curve of Ganyu’s ear. “Then you can tell her all about the tomatoes we’ll be growing in her garden.”

Chapter Text

.

.

.

This morning was quite unlike the norm.

Ganyu, who technically only just finished with her prior appointment, found herself walking at the side of Ningguang on an unexpected rendezvous of Liyue’s most prestigious university.

Ningguang, being a rather significant donor and distinguished alumnus to the university, was often invited by the administration and faculty alike to attend various sorts of social and academic functions. 

Ganyu meanwhile, was here to speak with the university’s gardening club. She visited a few times a year to mentor the students on how to tend to the university’s own vegetable garden and the greenhouse. How she came about this role was by chance some time ago—a strange fellow sauntered into her shop one day while Shenhe was away on a job. The man, tall and slender clad in his sleek form-fitting suit and with a gentlemanly air, went up to the counter after perusing the store trinkets and seed packets and garden gloves and aprons. He asked very courteously: “By any chance, do you like rocks?”

To which Ganyu returned the smile with her own, polite and helpful, and very promptly replied: “Sir, this is a gardening services business.”

The man named Zhongli’s face reddened a smidge when he apologized for the poor excuse of a joke—that, he confessed rather embarrassedly afterward, was suggested by a friend who accused him of being a big stick in the mud—but he stayed to chat for a while longer. A good while longer, because as it turned out, the man liked to talk.

She learned that Zhongli was the president of the university and was out looking for plants to contribute for the newly renovated garden area primarily maintained by the gardening club, after an invitation from the head of the agriculture department. 

“But,” he said after reading the back of a seed packet, “when I suggested a mini rock garden, the students sternly said no.” He laughed goodheartedly. “Rocks are not plants, they said. But do they not coexist in the same space? In all natural and unnatural spaces? Wouldn’t the simple landscape of stone and rock only elevate the harmony and serenity of the garden, not detract? However, my opinion was still turned down. The students were very stern and they would prefer to have more room to grow vegetation to use for their community kitchen—a fine idea, mind, promoting social bonding with their peers. However, I still endorse the idea of mediation with others in a Zen stone garden, should they change their mind.”

“I’d argue that spending time outside to work on the plants can be just as relaxing.” Ganyu had finished ringing him up at the register with several seedlings. “There is a worthwhile satisfaction to be able to grow and cook one’s own food.”

He smiled. 

When he finally bid farewell, Zhongli left Ganyu with his contact card and extended an invitation to visit the university if she was curious. She did, acquainted herself with the gardening program, and that was that. 

“I was lucky to have caught you,” Ningguang said as they turned the corner of the paved cobblestone path going away from the main business and accounting classroom building. Ahead was the exceptionally large campus library and even more classroom facilities. They must have been an odd pair to see: Ningguang in her smooth silk blouse, wide pleated trousers, and tall heels and Ganyu clad in her cuffed dark indigo dungarees, a simple shirt, and heavy boots. “I’ve finished meeting up with the faculty to arrange another round of internships at my company. I still have time to kill before the informal meet and greet with the students.”

“What were you planning to do in the meantime, had you not seen me?” 

“Oh, maybe hide away somewhere until it’s time? I’ve left much of the pressing matters with Baishi before I left the office this morning.” 

“You didn’t bring anything else to work on?” 

“I have decent assistants,” said Ningguang. “Like I said, I don’t have anything too pressing today—because I made sure to clear my schedule. But you’re not wrong. I’d rather be doing something productive with my time rather than twiddling my fingers waiting around.” She clicked her tongue. “Anyway, what brings you here?” 

Ganyu went on to explain her morning session at the campus garden. 

Ningguang smirked. “I should have guessed. And Shenhe? Is she not here with you?”

“She’s at Keqing’s house.”

“Is she now?”

“Only to drain water from the pond. I don’t want it to continue to accumulate gunk while we’re doing other things. It’s gotten pretty gross.” 

“Are you going to meet her later then?”

Ganyu hummed in consideration. “Probably not. Both our schedules are pretty open today. She might head back to the shop on her own once she’s done.” 

“And you?”

“I’m done for the day as well, more or less.”

With featherlight fingertips, Ningguang touched the underside of Ganyu’s elbow to gently guide her forward. “Would you walk with me?” 

Ganyu smiled, taking her place at the other woman’s side. It was a beautiful day and perfect for a walk. “If you want the company, I’ll gladly do so, if you pay for my lunch.”

“The cafeteria food isn’t so bad, if I remember it correctly enough. I always liked their mora meat and there’s plenty of vegetarian options. Come along then; we can walk and talk.” 

The campus was a sight to behold, thanks to old-fashioned architecture of beautiful faded burgundy shingles on every classroom pavilion, elegant arches that frame the crosspoints of the cobblestone pathways, neatly trimmed greenery lining the paths. Students were milling about, a largely Liyuean population but the university had a healthy international program too—welcoming those from all walks of life and backgrounds to come study on its grounds. Being located in the capital of the nation and the largest port city in the continent, the campus had no lack in community-orientated events or visitors either. It prided itself for its reputation.

Ganyu’s own college experience was nothing as presumably grand as this. Her college was small and cozy, with equally as small and cozy sized class sizes. Professors were pleasant, helpful. Learning and studying were like second nature to her—there were some restless nights, many sleepless nights, as did all typical university life was like. Ganyu did what was expected of her—she studied; she learned; she graduated. 

It was fascinating then to her, to be on campus buzzing with so much energy. 

A slew of students poured out from a nearby building. Nearby, a pair of women chatted animatedly to each other. A man in tight-fitting athletic gear jogged past them. Over yonder were more people casually milling about. “Are you familiar with the campus, Ganyu?” Ningguang asked.

“I’ve only really been to the gardens, the greenhouse, and ah, I suppose the agriculture department,” Ganyu replied.

“Over there was the Mathematics and Engineering department. They have their own labs and additional facilities at another part of campus.” 

“Hm.” 

“Is there anything you’d like to do while I’m giving you the personal tour?”

Ganyu rubbed her chin. “You studied here, Miss Ningguang?” 

“That’s right.”

“How was your experience?” 

“Not terrible,” Ningguang said flippantly. “Well I suppose, I did enjoy some parts of it too. Keqing was a nuisance, even back then.”

“Ah, was she…”

“Was studying business, like me, yes. I feel like we’ve been somehow attached at the hip since adolescence. What a curse from the gods.” She let out a tiny huff. “We did not attend the same schools growing up either, yet we constantly bumped into each other regardless. It was by coincidence that our interests were similar too.”

Ganyu commented: “Great minds think alike?” 

Ningguang clicked her tongue. “We both majored in business while in university. We never consulted each other prior and it just so happened that a fair chunk of our classes overlapped.” Ningguang looked at Ganyu curiously. “Speaking of the fool, I hope that she’s been treating you well?” She chuckled. “She never fails to surprise me, that woman.” 

Now Ganyu rubbed the back of her neck. “I didn’t really know what I was thinking at the time when I suggested it. The stupid reports.” 

“It’s better to have a paper trail than to not.” 

Ganyu sighed. “I was simply being responsible.” 

“And know that I am very grateful for your initiative,” Ningguang said. “You have saved me the effort of spying on you.”

Ganyu whipped her head at the taller woman so fast.

“Partially joking, of course.” 

That did not make Ganyu feel any better. 

“I’m sure that Keqing wouldn’t want to come back to see her property in complete disarray—not that I distrust you. But Keqing isn't so trusting, so I hope that your little ‘grade checks’ help puts her at ease.” 

Suddenly, Ganyu was very grateful to have Yanfei on speed dial. 

Ningguang took one glance at Ganyu’s face and laughed. “You didn’t really think she would be giving you full reign, did you?” 

Ganyu avoided her eyes guiltily. “I mean, I get to plant tomatoes in her garden…” And oh, how glorious it was going to be! After she finished prepping the soil to begin planting anyway. Ganyu and Shenhe already planned it all out—tomatoes and sweet potatoes and watermelons and cucumbers and jueyun chilies and— 

“Because you impressed her well enough.” Ningguang brought Ganyu’s attention back to her. “She’d initially wanted to hire a larger crew. Keqing wasn’t that keen about taking you on initially since you are essentially a two-person team. Naturally, she had her doubts, yet couldn’t hastily ignore your proposition, especially at such last-minute notice. But you singlehandedly changed her mind. She’s a stubborn one too; she’s not an easy one to impress.” She put her hand lightly on Ganyu’s shoulder. “Well done.” 

Despite herself, Ganyu felt her ears warm. “She—she could’ve said that herself.” 

Ningguang withdrew. “Keqing is more partial to speaking her mind, but there are times where she knows how to be discreet as well.” 

“So she was messing with me?” 

“The spying was really an afterthought! Truly.” 

 Under her breath, Ganyu muttered darkly. “Rich people, I can’t stand them.” 

Nevertheless, Ningguang chuckled again, apparently finding great humor in the conversation. “You have my apologies on her behalf.”

“It’s not your apologies I want,” Ganyu bristled. “She can say that herself too.” 

Ningguang smiled mysteriously. “Tell that to her face. She’ll like that.”

“What?”

“She likes it when a woman can speak her mind right to her face.” 

Ganyu… ah, well, did not know how to respond to that so she didn’t. She faked a cough into a fist, hoping to divert the conversation away. “She hired someone else to work around the property. A housekeeper.”

A faculty member stepped outside from one of the classroom buildings and caught Ningguang’s eye and waved. Ningguang returned the courtesy. “I’ve heard.”

“There’s not much house to keep after.”

“True. Still, she’ll be around to keep things tidy for you if you choose to make it a little more… homely. Keqing gave you permission to use the utilities there, correct? You might as well take full advantage of that. Add a tea kettle for yourself, at least. It’s awfully bare in there. The housekeeper will appreciate seeing the place being used a bit more, I’m sure.”

Ganyu arched a brow. “You're familiar with them?”

“I am.” Ningguang led her to a bench to sit. “Her grandfather used to hire people from the same business after his health started to decline. I never caught the name of the woman who is scheduled there more regularly, but I know she does exemplary work. That said, she never did much with the plants, but sometimes she’d go out to the rock garden. Did you see it already?” 

“I did.” That was good; Ganyu was glad that someone else was burdened with that task instead. 

“To be perfectly honest, I was always fond of that place,” Ningguang confided. “It’s a very tranquil place. It puts my mind at ease. Keqing too—I think she spent more time sitting by the rocks than she ever spent with the gardens.” 

Ah, so Ningguang was another one of the rock-heads, Ganyu idly thought. The same as Keqing and the gentleman Zhongli. 

A memory passed by Ningguang then; her expression thoughtful. “There was a time that Keqing and I were caught heatedly arguing in the garden—I forget why. Keqing was easy to snap, even more so than she is now. Myself, well—you can say I was less… tempered than how I am now. To make us stop, Keqing’s grandfather forced us to meditate by the rocks until our heads cooled down.” 

Ganyu remembered Beidou mentioning an off-hand comment of Ningguang’s habit to meditate in her office whenever she was stressed. “You must have spent a lot of time there.”

“I wouldn’t go that far. It just so happens it’s a memorable place.”

 “You and Keqing must be close.” 

Ningguang didn’t say anything then. The silence made Ganyu think that Ningguang might have fallen into a mediation right there. Slowly she said: “I don’t dislike her.” 

That seemed to be putting it mildly. Ganyu wondered if stubbornness was a trait that both of them learned from each other growing up. A peculiar friendship. 

“Her family treated me kindly,” Ningguang continued, “Keqing, for all the grievances she’s given me in the past, she’s a good person. Moreover, she’s one of the few people that I can wholeheartedly trust.”

Ganyu felt her herself smile at Ningguang’s admissions, until Ningguang gave her a pointed look. She hissed lowly. “That said, Ganyu, I don’t want this repeated to anybody else. Especially to Keqing. Do I make myself clear?” 

“Of course.” Ganyu’s smile grew a bit wider. Those two truly did have a peculiar relationship—they seemed to vibe on a similar wavelength. “Oh.” She nearly forgot. “Beidou said that Keqing works with the history department.” 

“Hm? Oh yes. She is. It’s not too far away from us. Would you like to go visit?”

“No, that’s fine. I was just wondering… what does she do?”  

“She didn’t tell you? Turns out that sitting by the rocks at her grandfather’s house really did give her rocks for brains.” She shook her head. “Keqing is a part-time archeology lecturer in the meantime. She’s working on finishing her credentials to become a fully-fledged professor.”

Archeology? 

The surprise was plain on Ganyu's face that Ningguang was compelled to continue. “I know. All the original faculty from the business department had the same face when they discovered their outstanding, profitable alumnus returned to teach bones and stones instead of company-crunching numbers and strategies.”

“Ah.” Suddenly Ganyu made the connection. “So, the reason why she’s in Sumeru…”

Ningguang nodded. “For her dissertation and whatever else she needs to finish her research. While I doubled down on business during my time in university, Keqing dabbled in with the history program until she graduated with degrees in both fields. She continued with it even while she was working in corporate.” 

The rush of students had trickled out by now. Ningguang leaned back, basking in the warmth of the sun, the light glittered in the silvery threads of her hair. A lull fell between them and Ganyu chose to bask in that quiet comfort with her before speaking again.

“To leave all that behind her… Her entire career—was that wise?” 

Ningguang inhaled deeply, considering. “Who’s to say? Her grandfather was rather amused by it. He was also quite the history buff himself. It’s no wonder where Keqing might’ve gotten it from.”

“How well did you know him?” Ganyu asked. “Her grandfather.”

“Well enough, I suppose. Why do you ask?”

Instinctively, one of Ganyu’s hands reached upward towards her chest, stopped, then fell back down to her lap. She wasn’t wearing her overalls today and the notebook that would normally be tucked inside the breast pocket would still be there. “I have some questions, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t.” With a tiny contented sigh, Ningguang rose to her feet. Ganyu did the same. “But now—lunch.”

When she finally did return to the shop, she found Shenhe and Yaoyao huddled over a laptop next to the register. “What are you two doing?” 

“Spying,” said Yaoyao. Neither of them turned to look at Ganyu.

“No spying.” Ganyu sighed. What was up with people being so intrusive these days? 

“I’m kidding.”

“Then what are you actually doing?” 

 “Being nosy,” Shenhe replied this time.

“I thought we should get to know our fancy client.” Yaoyao beckoned Ganyu to come closer. There were a multitude of tabs open on the browser, but the current page was just large blocks of text. “So I looked her up!”

“Who?”

“That Keqing lady.” 

Ganyu wondered if they were going to say Keqing’s name normally one day. 

“Aren’t you interested in our mysterious millionaire?” Yaoyao beckoned her forward. 

There was no harm in it. It wasn’t like Ganyu was going to have the chance to speak to her eccentric client normally any time soon. Was Keqing really a millionaire? It would not be surprising if she was. 

Ganyu scanned down the page and scrolled—and down, and down? And down, goodness. “She certainly has been… busy.”

The article was a briefing of Keqing’s general background and childhood: grew up in a wealthy neighborhood of Liyue Harbor whose parents were major players in the nation's real estate market and were top investors; had a very distinguished education; attended the prestigious Liyue University and graduated at the top of her class. 

Then the rest of the page was chockful of her academic contributions and outlined her business achievements; following in her parent’s footsteps before choosing to carve out her own path through innovative and at times, risky or controversial ventures. And finally, how she came to return to her alma mater in hopes to become a professor, which was a somewhat a recent development, albeit a surprising tangent, in her career. 

That explained where Keqing got the exorbitant amount of mora to pay for Ganyu’s services—not that she was complaining. More mora was good mora. “Well, this is all very interesting, I suppose.” 

“I think we lucked out on this one,” Shenhe said. “We get hired by some rich person who is willing to pay us enough to afford a vacation or two or three and better yet, she’s off in a whole other country playing with sand so we don’t have to deal with her breathing down our necks if she thinks we’re doing a crap job!”

“I think we’re doing a fine job,” Ganyu huffed. 

“I agree. Hijacking her garden so we can take it ourselves was the best idea we could’ve thought of. Good job, Ganyu.”

“Excuse me? It wasn’t my idea—”

“Wanna see a picture of her?” Yaoyao interjected. 

The grin as sly as a fox and that telltale glint in her eyes made Ganyu brace herself.  “I don’t know if I want to.”

In a very matter-of fact voice, Shenhe plainly stated: “She’s pretty hot.” 

Yet for some reason, Ganyu felt herself flare crimson. She knew the plot that Shenhe was laying out for her and very keenly, Ganyu felt she was about to walk right into it. Like a bear trap in the woods. “Shenhe!” 

“I mean, she’s not my type,” Shenhe added, completely unfazed by the outburst, “but objectively—she’s pretty good.”

Yaoyao piped in. “On a scale of one to ten?”

“With one being the least hot and ten being the hottest?”

“Yeah.”

“Mhmm, six and half. You?”

“No comment. Not into older ladies.” 

“Oh, right.” Shenhe snorted, unladylike. “Child.” 

“Hag!”

“I-Isn’t six and a half kinda average?” Ganyu could not believe they were having this conversation. Even worse, that she was partaking in it!

“Slightly above average,” corrected Shenhe without skipping a beat. “Objectively—I’d give her a solid seven and three-quarters.”

Like a fool, Ganyu squeaked: “I-I still wouldn’t say that ‘super hot’ high though.” 

“You’ll rate her higher then?”

Ganyu awkwardly cleared her throat. The teeth were digging in. “That’s… uh. I won’t, if I don’t think she deserves it.” Well, now Ganyu can’t help but to wonder! “I mean—I-I don’t…” Something caught her eye and she squinted. Squinted harder… “Wait. Hey, isn’t that—Don’t use the work laptop for these things!” 

“Oh, it’s alright!” Yaoyao was hardly apologetic. “It’s all clean. It’s not like we found her sexy side gig.” 

“She has a—?!” 

“No. Not that we found yet. But if she really does have one, I might be able to find it eventually.”

“Not on the work laptop!” 

Yaoyao shrugged. “But anyway, come. Look.” 

“Oh, archons. Now I’m scared.” Ganyu pinched the bridge of her nose and wrenched her eyes shut. Rex Lapis, please give me strength. She stretched out her hand to blindly close the screen down.

Yaoyao was laughing and Ganyu felt Shenhe hold her by the wrist to make her stop flapping her hand around. “I said it’s clean!” 

“Turn it off!”

“You just read a news article on her. You know it’s clean! Just give her a number.” 

“Yaoyao, I swear to Rex Lapis, if you have something inappropriate on my work laptop that has all my clientele information…”

“One through ten! Look. Look!”

 Caught in Shenhe’s firm grip and unable to pull away, Ganyu, hesitantly, squinted her eyes open.

On the screen, there’s a picture of a woman clad in a slim-fitting violet-black blazer and white blouse, the very picture of prim and proper. Her hair was lavender, a pale shade of purple with a tinge of blue at the ends. The portrait of the woman wore only a slight smile of a restrained courtesy, but there was an air of confidence that emanated out of her regardless. Maybe a touch of arrogance that was somehow captivating. Her eyes were like glittering amethysts, unmistakenly intelligent and piercing. And so very intense.

But there was a sense that the camera the picture was taken on or the laptop screen couldn’t quite pick up all the details. The soft touch of elegance and a bit of a handsome charm that tempered the harshness of her gaze. Ganyu wondered what the woman might be like in person. 

Now that she had a face to the name, she could almost imagine it now. She thought about the back-and-forths they had over texts and how Keqing might’ve reacted to each of Ganyu’s rebuttals.

The woman on the other side of the phone line might had furrowed her brows as she moved to sent a word of chastisement; a half-smirk when she thought she had the upper hand; a look of disbelief when Ganyu proved her satisfactory results than what was expected otherwise—

Ah, but the rude tone. Ganyu did not fancy rude people. 

“Seven.”

“That’s it?” Yaoyao asked.

If Ganyu continued to stare at the picture, she feared she might see it again in her dreams tonight. She tore away from it. “Fairly average, I’d say.” 

By then Shenhe had long since let go of her wrist. “Only a seven?” Then she asked: “Subjectively or objectively?”

“Does it matter?” 

Shenhe clicked her tongue. “What a shame. I thought that for sure she was your type.” 

Ganyu loudly cleared her throat, feeling the tips of her ears warm. When she blinked, she could see a bit of amethyst behind her eyelids. She shook her head slightly in disagreement and to shake the vision of the woman from entering her thoughts again. “What makes you so sure she’s my type? I never told you.”

“Of course I would know.”

“She’s not—ugh, she’s alright. I guess. She’s… pretty.”

“Pretty?” Shenhe urged.

“Pretty?” Even Yaoyao joined in with an echo. 

There was a pause.

As the moments ticked by, the warmth inching across her face was rising still. 

Finally Ganyu grumbled when defeat was inevitable: “Hot.” 

But Shenhe wasn’t going to let her off the hook so easily. “Subjectively?”

“Do I really have to?”

“Subjectively?” Shenhe persisted.

Grimacing, Ganyu replied. “Eight and a quarter.”

“Okay.” Shenhe nodded. “But, honestly this time.”

Ganyu sighed, feeling herself relent a smidgen more.

Truth be told, she also didn’t dislike women with a little bit of spice to them either. 

Through clenched teeth, Ganyu muttered under her breath. “Nine point three.”

.

.

. 

Ganyu never wrote a letter before.

She had written plenty of reports during her academics. That was nothing new. Letters, surprisingly, were.

Keqing’s letter had been sitting on Ganyu’s desk ever since she received it in the mail. Clearly, Keqing must have sent it out immediately after their last correspondence; Ganyu was still dubious to believe that the international courier system was that fast, even if Keqing chose the highest priority shipping speed. 

The envelope still had granules of sand lining its sides and every time Ganyu thought she dusted it all away, it seemed like it reappeared on the paper again the next time she opened it. She recalled Baizhu having visited Sumeru before and he complained how he continued to find bits of sand in his belongings for weeks afterward, no matter how many times he washed them.  

“Sand once, sand forever,” Baizhu had sighed wearily, removing his shoe yet again to shake it out.

But as she stared at Keqing’s letter now, she wondered how to approach it. 

Keqing’s tone was professional, if not a little bit terse. Quick to remind Ganyu of her limits, but cordial enough. 

Ganyu tapped the tip of her ballpoint pen on the edge of her desk. Her writing pad was still blank. She could try to imitate Keqing. Salutations from Liyue. No, that sounded ridiculous. It was better to play it safe.

There were a few updates to the garden, so that was also fair game. Ganyu scribbled out several ideas she had in mind: cleaning and draining out the pond; tending the shrubs and bushes; prepping for the summer crops; other maintenance tasks that will probably become ongoing projects for the duration while she was there. Just to name a few. Oh, yes. And a show of gratitude as well.

In fact, Yaoyao modified her future schedules such that Ganyu would be stationed at Keqing’s property full-time—it was for the best too. She didn’t want to half-ass her job and having more time to observe the garden would be useful for her in the long run. In fact, being allowed permission to use the house too was a very pleasant surprise. Ganyu mentally prepared herself to tough it out when the weather became harder, but this was a luxury she was eager to partake in. 

Ganyu was tempted to ask more, but she suspected that Keqing might barely know much about the flowers at all. Anyway, the fact that she prioritized the glaze lilies’ health was enough to show that they were important to her. Ganyu couldn’t ignore that request. 

Shenhe suggested growing new flowers on the premises too, where there were dirt patches that looked like they could use a bit more life. Ganyu, still reluctant to do more without proper permission, added that tidbit for Keqing’s judgement. 

By the end of it, Ganyu filled out several sheets of paper, full of strikeouts and hasty edits. Some more time later and Ganyu rewrote everything down on clean sheets, even adding several progress pictures that she and Shenhe took during their previous visits, printed on plain paper. In the future, she might have them professionally printed instead. 

Ganyu slid everything into a large rigid mailer to be dropped off in the morning. The stipend that she was going to receive from Keqing was going to pay for the speediest mail service available.

Was there anything else she should add? 

She scooted away from her desk and found her field notebook. Whenever she felt like she made a new discovery about the property, she added it to her notes. 

When she opened it, there was a small, thin stemmed flower pressed into the pages. The petals were a pale blue with a gradual shift to a pink-violet—a common wildflower that grew rapidly and in clusters all over this region of Liyue. Ganyu had been pulling weeds out of the ground when she visited last; it must have been swept in while she was moving around and wasn’t paying attention. 

Ganyu returned to her desk to pull out a drawer. She removed a clear, plastic sleeved bookmark and preciously inserted the flattened flower inside the sleeve with a backdrop of light blue washi paper. The seal was not airtight, so the flower would not last long inside, but it would serve. 

She tied a length of lavender-dyed twine into a loop and threaded it through the hole at the pointed end of the bookmark. She dangled the finished piece in front of her. Simple and decorative; Ganyu used to craft little trinkets similar to this in the past. At the very least, she hoped that Keqing wouldn’t mind it. 

Finally, she wrote a tiny addendum at the bottom of her letter:

Chapter Text

Ganyu lifted the wide brim of her straw hat to wipe her brow with a handkerchief. 

Ganyu rested beneath the foliage of a cluster of sandbearer trees. It was not yet noon and her water bottle was nearly empty. As she looked on over the rest of the grounds, the air seemed to shimmer and her vision swam. By her feet was a wooden crate full of newly picked tomatoes and jueyun chilies. 

She had finished doing her morning rounds and harvested a decent number of crops before stopping for a break.

The shrubby pathway that led from the house to the rest of the yard was a clever design. At the end of the path were several axes to go from there with more informal walkways. which were almost indistinguishable due to the overgrowth of tall grasses and weeds. It was one of the first tasks that Ganyu set out to do around the property.

Keqing’s grandfather must have been going for a rustic Fontainian style with organic rhythm and flow. The wall of bamboo, she now realized, was a purposeful visual divider between the two wildly different atmospheres of the landscapes.

She was deliberately holding off on setting the pond again until Shenhe was available to help. They cleaned out the muck from the bottom and found themselves in a gnarled mass of underwater plants. There used to be fish inside too—they made the rotted discovery as they were uprooting the excessive foliage. At any rate, Ganyu salvaged whatever she could and stored lotus tubers into water-filled jars until they were ready to be reestablished into the pond again. For now, leaving it empty meant there would be less mosquitoes in late afternoons and evenings.

In the vegetable garden, Ganyu installed trellises and a low fence around it. She had her suspicions but that certain section of the yard has its own share of visitors. Now that the vegetables with bearing produce, she confirmed it.

There was a family of groundhogs that were gorging on their crops! Shenhe set up a camera which captured the critters snatching their vegetables and nibbling on them during the early morning hours when Ganyu had not yet arrived on the property. Their burrows might damage the network of plant roots underground if left unchecked.

With a grunt, Ganyu picked up the crate of vegetables and slowly made her way back to the house.

All the natural foliage made for good spots of respite from the heat. The plots for the general garden area were under complete sunlight and she needed to be mindful of the risk of heat exhaustion. 

Like today—the sun blazed overhead. The rest of the week was forecasted to have record high temperatures and thus record heat waves, which have been gradually more common over the years. 

She sighed heavily. It was no good to continue to work when the heat was this oppressive. 

She ducked under as much shade as she could. She thought of Shenhe, who should be doing landscaping work for another client right now unless she also needed to take a pause due to the weather. As she trudged back, she passed her growing clusters of lavender, snipped off a sprig with her shears, and carefully placed it into the crate.

Her last stop was the glaze lilies.

The flowers were flourishing in the summer heat. In a previous letter, Keqing explained how the flowers were a crossbreed between wild varieties and the more commonplace domesticated ones found in shops. They should be more hardier to disease and have a stronger scent when in bloom. The entire flower bed used to be full of them before their numbers slowly dwindled. As such there was plenty of room left in the bed, which in turn made the remaining flowers look paltry by themselves.

Ganyu considered planting other perennials to fill in the space but decided against it.

With the base map that she drew together with Shenhe and Yaoyao, Ganyu made several enlarged copies to sketch out various landscaping designs. So far none of the ideas that came to mind seemed fitting for this area. It might be better to move the flowers elsewhere to better showcase them since there were not many left. 

Ganyu inspected one of the flowers for pests on the petals and under the leaves. Seeing that there was none, she moved on. 

Inside, the house was warm and stuffy. There was a rattle from above from the air conditioner slowly ramping up; Ganyu set up the AC to turn on during her breaks when she retreated inside. 

Ganyu poured herself a glass of water from the pitcher in the fridge, with several cubes of ice from the dispenser tray from the freezer. Since Ningguang advised her to make the place more comfortable, Ganyu added in a few basic necessities: an electric kettle, mugs, a container of instant coffee, a tin of tea leaves, and the said pitcher to keep water. During a previous visit, Shenhe she brought extra tableware and cookware, as well as several leftovers from last night’s dinner to eat for their lunch. Shenhe had no qualms with helping herself to the amenities, so she often took full advantage of the kitchen space.

Today’s lunch was sliced, roasted tomatoes from the garden and mozzarella cheese, on buttered toast with a drizzle of olive oil. Shenhe liked to stash a myriad of food in the fridge as if she were using it as additional storage; Ganyu constantly had to remind her to only bring what she would feasibly use.

Still, Ganyu thought as she carefully removed the toasted bread off the skillet and plated the tomatoes and cheese on top. A sprinkle of salt and pepper and bite… hm, delicious. This wasn’t so bad at all.

When the first paycheck came in, Ganyu impulsively ran to the bank to make sure that it was legitimate. No fraudulent activity, no suspicious sender, and most importantly, not a cent missing from the agreed payout. True to her word, Keqing did as promised. 

The teller gave her a strange look but otherwise did not say a word when Ganyu requested a printout of the transaction. Shenhe framed it for their apartment.

The lavender she collected earlier was now pressed firmly inside a dusty old textbook that she found lying around the house—‘Records of Jueyun,’ volume six, whereas all the previous volumes housed a couple of drying flowers too. 

After she prepared the trinket of a bookmark for Keqing, Ganyu’s little childhood hobby resurfaced in full. A justification for it canted in her head whenever she inserted another flower into the pages of an aging book.

There will never be an experience like this that will come her way again. When this job was over, she would have the mementos to remind her of the garden that she might never see again. She hoped that the homeowner didn’t mind her sending a few of them to her. If nothing else, Ganyu hoped that it might remind Keqing of the beauty that she left behind. So far, there have been no questions nor complaints. 

Suddenly, she yawned.

Ganyu had grown into another habit over the weeks. 

Afternoon naps. 

There wasn’t much to do while the heat was so oppressive. Staying outside meant risking heat stroke. 

Ganyu went to the sofa—stretched her legs out long—and curled up into a ball. She set the alarm for an hour.

She closed her eyes and drifted into a dreamless sleep. 

.

.

.

Wakefulness breached her consciousness like a slow-moving tide. She tried to fight it, to continue in the blissfulness of the sleepy embrace. It was so comfortable… The temperature was about perfect, sans that her toes were just ever so slightly chilly from the air conditioning. Ganyu sighed and kicked the blanket down to cover her feet from the draft.

Except she didn’t go to sleep with a blanket. Yet when she wriggled her fingers, she grasped a thin fabric draping over her torso to her ankle.

Ganyu froze. She held her breath. There were sounds coming from the kitchen. Footsteps. Shuffling around. The fridge opened; a person—a woman, humming; the clinking of ice into a glass. The sound of someone pouring themselves a drink.

Slowly and quietly, Ganyu rose from the sofa, one vertebra at a time until she sat upright. As she did so, awareness crept back in.

There was somebody in the house with her. What should she do? She needed to find out who—no wait, before that, her alarm!

As if on cue, her phone blared with an obtrusive melodic ringing, nearly deafening in the peacefulness of the house. Ganyu’s face flooded deep crimson and she hurried to turn it off. But now, the intruder was sure to notice—

“Oh!” The other’s voice squeaked in surprise.

Ganyu sucked in a breath.

Rounding to the living room from the kitchen was a young woman with silvery hair, but the kind green eyes and Mondstadt style of dress really made her pause. 

The woman smiled courteously. Her fingers pinched at the hem of her dress, crossed one foot over the other, and did a curtsy. 

“Madame Ganyu, yes?” There was an accent to the woman's voice. “I am pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Noelle and I am the assigned housekeeper.” She gestured for the kitchen. “Would you like a cup of tea?”

Ganyu openly gaped at the housekeeper, numbly nodding assent and her face still flushed scarlet. Noelle smiled brightly at her in return.

Noelle unfolded a sheet of white tablecloth and smoothed it over the small kitchen table. She placed one porcelain plate down and a teacup on a saucer, all of which were ornately designed with curling stems of beautifully enamel-painted flowers. The housekeeper also placed a tiered pastry tower full of scones and mini-cakes and sandwiches cut into the quarters. With a flourish, Noelle directed Ganyu to a chair and Ganyu could not find the chance to refuse. 

Where did the housekeeper get these from? The fridge was practically empty unless Noelle packed and traveled all the way here with them? Ganyu was so enthralled by the sight that she almost did not hear Noelle’s question.

“Hot or iced?”

“Ah, huh?”

“Do you prefer hot tea or iced? The tea will only take a few more minutes to prepare. There's also iced lemonade if you’d like that.”

“Oh, um. The lemonade then, please.” Underneath the tablecloth, Ganyu’s fingers nervously played with the ends of the fabric as Noelle replaced the teacup and saucer with a tall glass from the cupboards and a knitted coaster, which was also very strange because weren't the cupboards empty too? 

Noelle scooped ice from the fridge’s ice tray and poured lemonade from a large pitcher—one that was not Ganyu’s because she spotted her pitcher still in the fridge and full of her own brewed tea.

“Please, help yourself,” Noelle said. “I’ve made them with your dietary preferences in mind. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.” 

“H-how did you…”

“Yes, Madame Keqing informed me about your situation.” Calling it a ‘situation’ was kind of… Ganyu tried not to fidget in her chair. “The Madame also made it clear that I might help you with your accommodations as much as possible. Miss Ningguang tipped me to your food preferences. You are vegetarian, correct? I’ve made sure to carefully prepare today’s selections, but I’m not completely sure if it might be to your taste.” 

“I-I see. Thank you.” Ganyu took the tiniest sip from the lemonade. Refreshing and tart with just the right amount of sweetness. She rubbed the condensation from her hands off with a fancy off-white napkin. “I knew of you, from Miss Ningguang, but I never saw you around. I’m sorry that I haven’t introduced myself earlier.” 

“It is not a problem, madame!” The accent was Mondstadian, Ganyu surmised. The sound of it, along with Ganyu’s nerves, was making her stomach do flips. She hadn’t recovered from her earlier surprise yet. “My designation was only to be inside the house and at the rock garden, so our paths never crossed. I do not dally when my tasks are completed.” 

“You don’t have to call me madame.” Ganyu cleared her throat when the sour aftertaste lingered at the back of her mouth. “Ganyu is fine with me.” 

“If you insist, Miss Ganyu.” 

That might be the best she could get out of the housekeeper. “Still,” Ganyu continued, “have you not gone through the backyard? Even while I work, I wouldn’t mind the company, even if it's just a greeting.” Without Shenhe, it was admittedly more lonely than expected to be by herself in the large property. 

Noelle bowed her head. “My apologies, miss. The garden area is outside my jurisdiction. While the Madame did not forbid it, it is simply not written in our agreed contract for me peruse the premises unsupervised and the house tasks I’ve been assigned are not so…” Noelle paused for a second before resuming, “...time-consuming.” That was putting it politely. “After I clean up here, I must move on to my next client. Therefore I’m rarely present for long.” 

Ganyu supposed that shouldn’t come as a surprise. The house was hardly used to begin with. Ganyu herself mainly used the kitchen and never went upstairs. Noelle must have already been hired for occasional maintenance work long before Ganyu came on board. And while Ganyu didn’t have any idea on how to maintain a rock garden, it was hard to imagine it being a monumental task. Rocks were… rocks. Though Ganyu started to go there more often when weather was agreeable; Ningguang had a good point about it being the perfect place for mediation.

Ganyu glanced at Noelle, who was still standing.

“But the Madame—”

“Hold on, wait.” Ganyu suddenly stood. Noelle watched her curiously when Ganyu headed towards the cupboards. Lo and behold, there were additional serving plates and cutlery that were never there before. “Noelle, have these cups and plates always been stashed away in here?” 

“No, miss.”

“Are these yours?”

“No, miss.” 

“Where did these come from?” 

“During a recent correspondence with Miss Ningguang, the Madame instructed me to take them back into the house.”

That explained it then. “And these?” Ganyu gestured at the sandwiches on the tiered stand. 

“I made them.”

How did the housekeeper bring all this in without Ganyu noticing? She didn’t think she was that much of a deep sleeper.

“Did you know I was going to be inside today?” Good archons, did this place really have cameras?

Noelle bowed slightly. “My apologies for the presumptuous behavior. Per the Madame’s instructions, I prepared them today with the intention of properly introducing myself. With the summer heat wave, I thought I might find you taking shelter from the sun. So Miss Ningguang took the tableware out of the storage and that cabinet was where the previous homeowner had kept them.” 

Oh, thank god.

“You mean Keqing’s grandfather?” Ganyu returned to the table with another plate and fork to set right in front of Noelle. “Hot or iced?” 

Noelle blinked, uncomprehending. “Pardon?”

“Or lemonade?” Ganyu went to the fridge and opened it. “How does the rest of your day look like, Noelle?” 

“My following appointment was rescheduled for another day. So this is my last house.”

“May you join me then?” Ganyu returned to the table with both the jug of lemonade and her own homemade brew of iced herbal tea. “I can’t stay outside while the weather is so hot today.”

“Ah.” Understanding filtered onto Noelle’s face. “If it’s not a bother.”

“It’s not. Tea? The one in the fridge is one that I made myself.”

“Please.” 

Noelle sat on the other side of the table, watching as Ganyu poured her a glass of tea and then returned to her seat. Noelle murmured a tiny word of thanks before taking a drink. Ganyu studied her reaction as she nibbled on an egg salad sandwich. Had she known the housekeeper was going to bring food, Ganyu wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of making lunch earlier. 

Noelle commented: “It is wonderful.” 

Meanwhile Ganyu’s sandwich was absolutely sublime. Lightly toasted golden brown slices of bread filled with a mixture of mashed hard-boiled eggs and mayonnaise with a dash of salt, pepper, and cayenne. There was a bit of crunch to it too thanks to a tiny portion of finely minced onion, only slightly browned to take the edge off the pungency off while retaining its texture. Ganyu hadn’t eaten it this way before. 

Ganyu reached for a sandwich filled with fruit and whipped cream next. “The tea is a mix of mint, sweet flowers, and white tea leaves. I’ve started a patch of herbs by the vegetable plots. Miss Ningguang said that she was in the mood for something refreshing the last time she visited but unfortunately, I didn’t have anything to offer her then. But she also likes her tea with a more subtle taste. I’m afraid this one isn’t very strong.” 

“I’m sure she’d appreciate it greatly nevertheless.” Noelle giggled. “The Madame is very fond of mint drinks. She would like the taste of this as well.” 

“You think so?” Mint and sweet flowers could be grown all year long and require little maintenance. If Keqing was ever in the mood to go out to brew it herself, Ganyu could pass on the recipe to her and the herbs would be right there in her own backyard.

“Yes! Her grandfather often grew herbs as you are doing now. His favorite tea was a mint osmanthus blend, which he often served to the Madame and other guests.”

Ganyu already knew that part; Ningguang shared several nuggets of information with her when they had lunch together. She suspected that the herb patch that she was currently using now was also the same one he might have used too. 

Both the sweet flowers and mint ran rampant in the herb patch, overrunning any other herbs that might have used to grow there with them. Ganyu had to uproot a fair amount of them to make room for new plants. 

“How long have you been working with them? Keqing and her family, I mean.”

A faint smile crept onto Noelle’s face. “My, how long has it been now… Several years, I suppose. It was the Madame that hired me when her grandfather was starting to slow down.”

“Was he sick?”

“No, he aged very gracefully, if I may say so. He was the picture of health. He passed away from old age rather than sickness. The Madame said that he was fortunate for that.”    

As if anticipating Ganyu’s following questions, Noelle continued. “He was always bad with housework, you see. The Madame was constantly scolding him for leaving the house in disarray, when he was always so tidy in comparison when it came to his gardening. When the Madame used to visit him, she’d pick up after his research notes and books he left around the rooms before she made the decision to hire a housekeeper for him.”

“Research?”

“Ah, it was more like a hobby that he enjoyed. He didn’t make a career out of it like the Madame did. She told me how they used to spend hours of the day discussing Liyuean history and culture, ever since she was a child,” Noelle explained. “Did you know that their family all worked in corporate?”

Ganyu nodded.

“The family business started with her grandfather and he continued with it far into his years. The Madame said that she shadowed and interned at their own company headquarters without telling her coworkers about her family background. She didn’t want to be treated differently because of it.”

Ganyu nodded again, having heard a piece of that from Ningguang. But she didn’t know the lengths that Keqing went through to disguise her identity.

“The Madame admired him greatly. She meant to continue the family business. So her decision to leave caused quite a commotion at the time. On top of that, there was lingering tension amongst her family when she was in charge. Disagreements on how she handled certain projects and the internal changes she wanted to make, I think? Only her grandfather was supportive of any of it.” 

Ganyu chewed thoughtfully as she bit into her second sandwich, letting that information sink in.

“When was the last time that you spoke to her?” asked Ganyu. “Did she call you?”

“Hm? Oh. No.”

Was Keqing really that averse to it? It was almost comical. Ganyu had to stifle a chuckle at the thought. What a strange woman.

“Is there a message that you wanted me to pass on?”

Ganyu shook her head hastily. “No, it’s nothing. I was just wondering, that’s all.” When Noelle’s inquisitive gaze didn’t falter, she added: “I have her number too. If there was anything I wanted to ask, I could.”

It wasn’t like Keqing said she could not text her…

Right?

“The Madame completed a portion of their exploration and returned to a village to rest. She contacted me then,” Noelle continued. She pulled out her phone to set it on the table for Ganyu to see the screen. “Here. I received these as well.”

It was a picture with a strange point-of-view: feet dangling off the edge of a cushioned saddle, high off the ground, and on the back of a huge animal. Noelle swiped to a picture of the back of the animal’s wide head and fluffy brown fur. 

“That’s a sumpterbeast,” Noelle supplied. “The Madame and her crew rode them through the forested areas and used them to carry their equipment through the desert. See?” The subsequent photos were of various landscapes—hilly and thickly forested areas, a bright and grassy clearing overlooking a river at the bottom of a ravine; a bustling town with an enormous tree in its center; an arid land at the cusp of greenery and sand separated by a towering arched wall; an unrelenting sandstorm; the dimly lit cavern of stone with peculiar engravings etched into the walls; the circling shadow of a bird of prey, maybe like a vulture, on the sand; an frenzied shot of a swarm of scorpions approaching that seemed to be the size of a large dogs.

What a change in lifestyle, Ganyu thought. While she knew that Keqing’s expedition was only due to her finishing her credentials, it was still extraordinary to see. 

The only frame of reference that she had for Keqing’s previous career was Ningguang and it was plain to see how structured and hectic Ningguang’s life was in comparison. Ningguang often traveled around for her job as well but not like this. 

Working in corporate wouldn’t be such a bad thing either, Ganyu contemplated. Structure and fast-paced action helped make the time go faster. There were days where Ganyu became awfully restless when there was little to do besides twiddling her thumbs when waiting for a client to call. 

Maybe it wasn’t so hard to comprehend why Keqing made the switch after all. 

Despite herself, Ganyu felt disappointed somehow. Seeing the pictures of Keqing’s experiences admittedly made her a bit envious. 

Ganyu’s slipper lightly scuffed against the floor. “It’s—it’s good to see that she’s been doing well.”

Noelle’s reply came a second belated. “So far, she said that they’ve been making swift progress.” Her green eyes flickered towards Ganyu before she added: “She sends her regards and hopes that you are well too, despite how the agreement between you two was initially formed.” 

“Ah.” Ganyu stalled. That point had been reiterated to Ganyu enough times by now. “Yes, thank you. I-it’s not a problem. The arrangement has been working out fine for me, Shenhe, and Yaoyao, so I haven't got any complaints. Really.” 

Besides, Ganyu was still tasked with giving updates to the garden to her client. It was a tedious task, but much more so if she had to send everything—the information, pictures, suggestions, questions, and then some—via text messages or email. It was easier to sift through her compilations if it was already printed out, assuming Keqing didn’t mind the physical copy. Mailing it was simply more efficient, or so she told herself. Just as Keqing said. 

She swiped again, stopping on an image of people gathered around a campfire. The group was next to a small oasis, chatting amongst themselves jovially under the backdrop of a beautifully clear and starry night sky. 

Her finger poised to move on to the next picture before she stopped. At the bottom right next to a heavy boot—presumably Keqing’s, considering the perspective—was an opened, leather-bound notebook. Resting across the pages was a familiar cut of blue paper and purple twine. And if she zoomed in—the outlines of petals and stems. 

She was using it.

“Miss?” 

Ganyu covered her mouth with the back of her hand as she finished the last of her sandwich, suddenly feeling a tad bashful. When she lowered her hand, the blossoming curve of her lips was still there. “This is quite good.” 

Noelle’s green eyes glimmered with a sort of understanding. The housekeeper was too perceptive for her own good, Ganyu thought, but it didn’t put a chip in her smile. 

Noelle smiled back. “I had hoped it was to your liking, miss.”

“Thank you for showing me this.” Ganyu returned the phone. 

Noelle said: “You two will have much to catch up on when she returns.” 

“As long as we get the chance to talk. That’ll be enough for me.” 

“I’m sure you will. If the Madame finds it truly important, she’ll be the one who’ll find you first.” 

A woman sat silently on her chair, lost in the grasps of her thoughts. On her desk was a neat stack of loose papers and notebooks pushed off to one corner, heavy textbooks and stuffed binders on the other. In front of her now were fresh sheets of parchment. Thoughts were spinning, spinning in her head; there was so much. Information, data, records, ideas, plans. History and numbers. Business and meetings. Those thoughts were easy to work with no matter how much was there.

The ones that were making her head spin were much more mundane.

Why was the gardener asking so many questions? Didn’t I tell her to do whatever she wanted? 

She picked up her pen for a moment and set it back again as she pondered what to write down. 

In search of inspiration, she pulled out her desk drawer to procure a letter—less like a letter, really, and more like a report of observations. The person that she hired to tend to her property was surprisingly more diligent than anticipated. She honestly did not believe that they would actually start exchanging letters—she only meant it was a joke! But the fault was on her and not clarifying it earlier. Therefore she was stuck with the task of replying to said letters, since the person receiving them would be expecting a response every time.

Ningguang meanwhile had sent her long strings of texts—each message delayed in the vastness of satellite-wave ennui until her phone had steady cellular signal to receive them—which bombarded her in an instant as soon as she reentered Aaru Village. 

Ningguang knew better than to pester too much while she was abroad on her research trips, so the messages between them were relatively formal, sans the occasional jab and bluster. 

She has been working full-time at your house now. Isn’t that great? But before you decided to stash everything away, you could’ve at least left a tea kettle behind. How am I supposed to supervise her without a cup of tea? 

The flowers are doing well. I suspect that she has been giving them extra attention. They look so much better thanks to her. I’m surprised they lasted so long with you, the serial plant killer! 

There’s a tea kettle now, thank god. I enjoy a lovely, brewed cup whenever I choose to visit. She prepares me a fresh cup of an herbal concoction with the plants from your backyard and along with a little snack. It’s very sweet of her. She’s gotten chummy with Noelle to the point that they’ve been exchanging recipes. How cute. But you—Where was this hospitality when you were here? 

Don’t come back if you don’t have the basic decency to serve tea to your guests!

That last bit was completely untrue! Ningguang always helped herself to her kitchen—including the tea kettle—whenever she came to visit her flat in the city. Why bother making tea when Ningguang always insisted on making her own cup instead as soon as she stepped through the door? Ningguang never liked any of the tea that she brewed for her anyway.

She clicked her tongue reflexively at the thought of Ningguang. Women , she thought sourly. So hard to please.

Otherwise… Things were well back at home, and for that she was quite grateful. And at last, the gardener met Noelle. How long were they tiptoeing around each other? Noelle followed her contractual terms so strictly that an intervention needed to happen to get them to meet. 

The woman exhaled slowly. 

Her gardener has been asking for her opinion on every single minor detail, it seemed. Even going as far as to add photos and hand-drawn diagrams for reference. She received packets full of information on crops, flowers, and landscaping ideas. Was this a typical fare for this particular landscaping and gardening service? None of the previous ones she hired before was like this.

This was so much more trouble than she asked for. She came to Sumeru to focus on the ruin of Khaj-Nisut, not a bunch of plants. Yet here she was diverting precious time and energy into this instead. Was the gardener some sort of mastermind? The tables had turned and suddenly it was the gardener giving her homework instead! Hah! 

Nevertheless, an amused smile found itself on her lips. 

If she had a person as meticulous as her gardener when she was still working in corporate, perhaps… 

Someone was at her door. Knock, knock!

“Come in.” The woman unfolded her legs and twisted in her chair to face the door. “Cyno. What’s wrong?” 

He stepped forward, closing the door but not enough to shut it completely. He dressed down for the evening, in casual baggy cargo shorts that reached his kneecaps and a black shirt. The temperature in the desert dropped enough at night such that she dressed more warmly, but Cyno was unaffected by the slight chill. “Oh, nothing much. Except that Tirzad got drunk as hell again. Don’t be surprised if he has a massive hangover in the morning.”

“Seriously? Again?” She groaned, exasperated. 

Tirzad was a knowledgeable academic and leading expert regarding the expedition’s main focus of research: the ruins of Deshret. But outside of the pyramids, he was a drunkard. 

His research was at standstill and while the crew was making great strides, Tirzad remained pessimistic and funneled that pessimism by staring at the bottom of a bottle whenever they reentered the town. Luckily the rest of the crew were much more reliable, but she didn’t like having to drag Tirzad out of bed on the mornings that they needed to head out again. She’d have to find a way to thank Candace, one of the village’s leaders, for her hospitality, and Jebrael, another experienced guide, for his patience. 

Tirzad and Jebrael in particular did not seem to get along. Fortunately, Cyno never had to intervene when disagreements became severe—Jebrael knew when a conversation was not going to be productive so long as Tirzad continued to be so hard-headed, and wisely pacified any ensuing clashes by simply walking away from it.

Beyond that, things were moving along smoothly on this front too. She was making great strides in her research since her arrival—there was only so much she could learn with only academic journals and textbooks. So when Cyno, a good acquaintance that she met during her first visit to Sumeru around the start of her career change, reached out with the opportunity to be part of the expedition team, she couldn’t pass it up. Fieldwork was a necessary part of her curriculum and she was very glad to make the trip, despite it being so spontaneous. 

Once this was over, she would be one step closer to finishing her credentials. She had to focus. 

Cyno glanced at her desk. “I was wondering what kept you. You didn’t come down to eat—I’ve put aside your share. Unless you’ll have it in your room? I can reheat it and bring it up.” 

It was then that she noticed the faint gurgle in her stomach. She must have lost track of time again. “Sorry.”

“I figured you were occupied, so I didn’t give you a call.” When the woman grimaced, amusement glittered in his eye–the one uncovered by his fringe falling across half his face. “The Akasha National Telecommunications Service System is so nice, you gotta admit! Everything is lightning fast, including our internet speed. I always get high frame rates in my games; it’s one of the reasons I’m always top ranked.” He glowed with pride, with the slightest hint of smugness in his voice. 

“It’s a shame that its reception doesn’t reach all the way out in the pyramids then,” she quipped back.

He shrugged. “Can’t have everything in life. But even if it did, it’s not you’d answer the phone anyway.” 

“I pick up for you or anyone else relevant to the expedition team, don't I?”

“Yeah, and you always sound so sour when you do.” 

She scowled. “The ringing is disruptive and annoying.”

The phones constantly rang in her office when she was still working in business. Non-stop ringing and ringing and ringing, bah! Finally, she reached a breaking point and snapped. Eventually, the task of answering the phone was delegated to others in her stead.

“Email me a briefing if it’s important,” she used to tell the assistants. “Hang up if it’s not. Don’t allow them to waste my time or your own. If it’s really that important, I’ll go to you first for more details.”

“Tonight’s stuff had a surprisingly good kick to it. But the interesting part is that the chef said he got the ingredients from you. When did you have time to go to the market?” Cyno must have spotted the open letters on her desk next because teasingly, he said: “What’s that you got there? Did you get another assignment?” 

He was the only person on the expedition crew that knew about it and teased her about it at any chance. While they were out in the ruins, there was a dutiful courier who made frequent trips to and fro the city and the village and back to the campsite to ensure they were always stocked up on supplies. Cyno was the one hired to protect and supervise the caravan that the courier traveled with. The regular packages addressed for her from a mysterious woman from Liyue plus the equally frequent return mail didn’t fail to slip his notice as a result.

“You know that large box the courier brought in today? It’s from the gardener back at home; she sent them over.” In hindsight, she had no idea what brought that about. She never asked the gardener for them. But the package arrived nonetheless, specially packed to ensure that the perishables were still good when they arrived in Sumeru. Judging from the shipping label, the gardener used the fastest possible shipping speed as well. Just what in the world was she spending the stipend on?

“We obviously can’t lug it around with us, so I donated it to the inn to use. Chef must’ve used the jueyun chilies.” 

“It’s too bad they’re so expensive in our markets.” Cyno lamented. “Too much, in my humble opinion. Us Sumeres like a healthy amount of spice to our food and that has the perfect amount.” 

Very briefly, Ningguang flashed into her mind. Ningguang did not do much in exports, but she definitely had connections that did. This information might be useful to share with her. If she could put a foot in the door between the Sumeru-Liyue trade lines, she could—

“Tell your gardener to send over more,” he continued, cutting into her thoughts. “I overheard the chef wanting to put it into his curry dishes next.” 

She rolled her eyes. “Since you seem eager, do you want to reply to my gardener for me then?” She made a dramatic flourish of the gardener’s stacks of paper.

“You mean talk plants to her?” Cyno laughed. “You’re barking up the wrong tree. That’s a question that Tighnari or Collei would be better suited to answer. You know what—I can give her a call right now, if you need a fast answer.”

Tighnari, she knew, went off to Liyue as a visiting adjunct professor for the biology department for the semester and was incredibly well-versed in the botanical sciences. Collei, who by certain circumstances has been living with Tighnari and Cyno for several years now, was also knowledgeable in the field too. “I have her number.”

He laughed again. “Y’know, I’ve been considering taking a vacation in Liyue when Tighnari is done with his business over there. He’ said he’ll give me the grand tour! You can show me this house of yours once the gardener fixes the place up!”   

She gave him a half-smile. Structurally, the house was fine for its age; she made sure that anything that needed ‘fixing up’ was completed and up to par ever since she acquired it. Noelle was there for emergency fixes anyway. But it wasn’t a place that she’d like to use to host guests anyway.

The yard on the hand… 

Well, that was what the gardener was for, right? 

“Let’s do a rain check on that. Anyway, since you don’t have anything useful to add,” she waved the letter in her hand for emphasis before folding it neatly back into its envelope, “what are you really here for?”

Cyno grinned. “Your deck. I know you brought it.” 

She did actually, anticipating this—Cyno was very passionate about the new card game that was sweeping through the continent. Her own cards were still packed in her bags, but she put great care into assembling her deck. “Oh? You’re looking for a round?”

“I’m looking for a win.” 

“Big talk for a second-rate duelist with a third-rate deck.”

“Hah! Prepare for an ass-whipping!”

“Well, well, it seems to me that someone needs to knock your confidence down a notch,” she said, challengingly.

“I’ll be back with your food and we’ll game as soon as you’re done,” he shot back. 

Cyno closed the door behind him. The woman shook her head, amused. She shouldn’t dally then; she should finish this up for the night. 

She dialed a number. Within five rings, a meek voice answered. “Hello?” 

“Hey, it’s me. Are you busy, Collei?” 

“Oh!” There were the sounds of paper shuffling on the other end. “Y-yes, yes! I am!”

“Really? Were you studying?”

“Ah, um, sorta? I was reviewing the notes that Mr. Tighnari left for me. I was j-just about done for the evening anyway and was tidying up.” Collei cleared her throat. “Is there anything I can help you with, ma’am?”

“You don't have to be so formal.” Collei’s modesty was endearing, but she hoped one day that Collei would learn to speak more freely with her.

“S-sorry.” 

“I have questions about...” How did the gardener put it? She skimmed through the stacks of paper for the right phrase, but it was too much to quickly sift through.

“Yes?”

There was too much information in her head and in her hands. “Plants, I mean. How to make them look nice, like in a yard.”

“...Oh?” 

“It’s for my house, in Liyue.” 

There was a pause as Collei considered this. “I thought you lived in a flat?”

This time, she allowed herself to sigh. “It’s… a long story. Actually, it might be too much to explain right now. Do you mind if I send you pictures if that might help you? If you’re willing.”

Collei noticeably brightened. “Yes, of course, I can help!”

“Will it take too much of your time?” 

“Uhhh… depending on what it is, it may take time to organize my suggestions, i-if that’s okay…”

The crew will be heading back out to the ruins again the day after tomorrow; the gardener will have to wait a bit longer for a reply on that topic. “How about I’ll follow up with you later? The information I’m going to send you will need more than a fortnight to get through. I don’t want to rush you.”

“I see.” Collei sounded more intrigued now. “Okay, I’ll look into it. Then is there anything else you need?”

Was there?

Her eyes went back to the letter then flitted to her personal journal. A corner of blue peeked out from the pages and she gingerly removed it. She took the handmade bookmark to play with the colored twine with her fingertips.

It was a peculiar addition to the rest of the package. Why did the gardener send it? With no context as to why. The question also spun in her head since she received it. 

The flowers were a common sort, that much she did know. They bloomed during the spring all over Liyue and persisted until late summer. However, these flowers were not adequately preserved or sealed inside the plastic sleeve. They survived the journey to Sumeru, but how long would they last with her now? 

And it had not been simply one occasion. With their regular exchanges, the gardener has been leaving more flowers within the pages of the thick stacks of reports. No explanations with those either. And without knowing what else to do with them, she kept the pressed flowers back into the pages of her own textbooks—it felt like bad etiquette to throw them away without knowing why they were sent to her in the first place. 

Therefore she was convinced there must be another reason as to their purpose. It could not be a mere pleasantry. Corporate experience taught her that much: receiving flowers from strangers usually meant they had an ulterior motive in mind…

But what was the gardener’s intent? Was there a motive?

“Just one more question.”

“Yes, Miss Keqing?”

Keqing held the flower bookmark preciously in her hand. “What does it mean when a woman sends you flowers?” 

.

.

.

Chapter Text

There was a change, somehow.

Small changes, sure. Wishful was too optimistic of a word to describe it, with too much weight behind it. One might call them insignificant too. 

Their exchanges became a constant. To say that Ganyu looked forward to seeing her mail after arriving back home from work was no exaggeration. People liked constants, and Ganyu was no exception. 

Ganyu wondered if it was the same with her recipient. After staying in Sumeru for quite a while now, Keqing must have gotten used to her own type of routine. There was a thoughtfulness in the lines now, as if the words on the page carried a bit more meaning to the writer now; her penmanship was less of a rushed scrawl and more of a flowing, elegant script. It was no longer an afterthought or a response penned for the sake of discussion or argument. Still always eager to dive to the point.

Amusement was in Ganyu’s smile when she opened Keqing’s last letter.

It was obviously not meant for her; the papers were mistakenly shuffled into Ganyu’s typical, more intentional reply. Was it a rough draft of whatever her research might be? It was an interesting glimpse into what the other woman was up to during her travels. All Ganyu knew was that they needed to go back to their proper owner. Keqing will need them.

Another little glimpse was another, torn sheet of perforated notebook paper.

This one was definitely not meant for Ganyu to read. Concise, hastily written, like a stream of consciousness jotted down on paper. From a journal perhaps? 

Ganyu’s own little notebook was full of similarly organized chaos of personalized notations and abbreviations. It was a necessity in Ganyu’s case to track the little details of her jobs—even more so with the massive scale and variety of Keqing’s gardens. She had already filled up several notebooks since starting this particular job.

But Keqing would not get to see Ganyu’s little notebook. 

Sending this particular sheet back meant that Keqing would know that she read it, and Ganyu knew what it was like to find out when someone else read her private entries… 

She placed another handmade bookmark of dried flowers into the envelope—properly preserved this time with the intent to be used for a long time—along with her regular reports and Keqing’s misplaced research papers. She sealed the envelope closed. 

She hoped that her recipient didn’t mind much. 

The dreaded day had arrived. 

“Okay.” Ganyu unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the driver’s side door of her janky blue truck. Mentally she did a quick prayer to Rex Lapis. “Yaoyao, switch places with me.” 

“Yeah!” Yaoyao, in her excitement, kicked open the passenger’s side door—the rusted hinge screeched almost like in pain from the sudden force—and scrambled to the other side. Ganya dropped the car keys into the younger girl’s hands and they repositioned themselves: Yaoyao now as the driver and Ganyu as the passenger. 

Shenhe piped in from the back. “Do you know where everything is?”

Yaoyao snorted. “Sure I do!” 

“Show me.” 

“Windshield wiper, emergency lights, headlights—low beam, high beam—and turn signals.” She demonstrated each one respectively.

Ganyu nodded in confirmation. “Good.”

Yaoyao adjusted the seat so her feet could more comfortably touch the pedals and then the mirrors, strapped in her seatbelt, and put the key to the ignition, and…

A full five heartbeats of silence passed. Ganyu prompted Yaoyao. “You ready?” 

“Mmm.”

“What is it?” 

Yaoyao squinted, her hands loosely gripping the steering wheel. “Everything looks different on this side,” she said, referring to her seat on the driver’s side instead of her usual seat on the passenger side.  

“It’s the same road back home,” Shenhe said. “You walk it all the time.” 

“Uh, no. Like—it’s hard to explain? The streets look different than before.”

“You’re nervous.” Even Ganyu was a nervous wreck when she first started out too. That, and her mother was an awfully frightening driver, and an even more frightening driving instructor to boot. Uncle Jiehu and Uncle Houzhang eventually took charge of teaching her instead, much to her mom’s grousing. “We’ll guide you through it.”

“Going home is too easy, I think.” From behind them, Ganyu heard the “click!” of the seatbelt being strapped in. Shenhe, with her tall build and long limbs, appeared cramped in the backseat. “What do you want to eat for dinner?”

Yaoyao peered into Shenhe’s reflection as she adjusted the front mirror. “Dinner?” 

“I’ll text Baizhu to let him know that you’ll eat with us tonight. We’ll go to the store and pick up groceries. We’ll head back to our place and cook something nice together. How’s that?” Shenhe suggested. 

Yaoyao beamed. “Can we get milk tea too?”

“If you can drive there, sure.”

“Just don’t drink too much to spoil your appetite,” Ganyu added. “So, are you ready? Let’s go.”

Yaoyao pulled out of the narrow parking spot and onto the street, the roll of gravel and the Yaoyao’s inexperienced foot on the pedal made the action much more bumpier than it should had been. 

“To Second Life on Feiyun?” Yaoyao asked.

“You know how to get there.” Ganyu answered. 

Yaoyao flexed her fingers, adjusting her grip on the steering wheel. “Right, yeah. I got it, I got it.” 

While she drove, her eyebrows knitted and her lips pursed in her focus. All the while, her eyes were constantly flickering back from the road in front of her, to the back mirror and the side mirrors. 

Noticing her tenseness, Ganyu commented: “Relax a little.” 

“I should be in the other lane,” Yaoyao murmured to herself.

“You can do it,” Shenhe supplied helpfully, watching the side. Yaoyao flipped on her blinkers and carefully glided into the adjacent lane.  

A traffic light was ahead. Luckily, the streets seemed emptier than usual despite the hour. A nice, easy ride. Decent for a beginner like Yaoyao. Though having some traffic would make things more interesting, Ganyu mused.

Yaoyao cruised to a stop at the light, the intersection now two one-way streets. She inched a little forward, trying to look past a large van in the adjacent lane for incoming cars, but the van was just smidge too far ahead that Yaoyao couldn’t get a clear view. Ganyu, from her seat on the passenger’s side, saw that she was able to safely make the turn but chose not to say anything—Yaoyao was the one driving and therefore she should be the one making the decisions. Besides, no one was behind them. Waiting a few extra seconds never hurt. This particular light went pretty fast too—oh, see, there it went, green light—

At the same moment as Yaoyao stepped on the gas to make the turn, a large truck skidding to a near stop behind them, barely coming bumper to bumper, and blared their horn at them. Startled, Yaoyao’s foot jerked and their car lurched. Yaoyao muttered under her breath, but her hands grasped the steering wheel hard, her knuckles blanching. “I’m going, I’m going. Geez!” 

Yaoyao rounded the corner and then the truck behind him bolted ahead to pass her and move in the neighboring lane—only for both cars to stop at yet another red light at the next block. 

Obnoxiously loud music was playing too, along with unintelligible murmurs like muffled yelling, ugh. It was always those kinds of drivers, Ganyu thought with a grimace. The ones that think that could do anything they wanted in their big, imposing trucks. She did her best to pay them no mind.

Then the music grew substantially louder and the murmur became actual yelling—what in the world?

She turned to see that Yaoyao had rolled down her window to face the driver of the truck, an older woman red-faced with either alcohol or rage, who was actively shrieking at her—

“Yaoyao!” Ganyu hissed harshly. “Close your window. Don’t listen to them!”

But the only thing that came out of the younger girl’s mouth was a bewildered: “Uhhh…?”

Thankfully the light went green the next second. Yaoyao averted her eyes and started to frantically roll up her window. But of course, people liked to get in the final word and the rude lady in the truck screamed out before zooming off again: “Get off the fucking road if you can’t fucking drive! DUMBASS!”

Incredible thing to say from someone who shouldn’t be driving in the first place! 

Yaoyao continued to drive, more slowly now, in a stunned silence. Even Ganyu was too shocked to react.

But they were still driving. In the car, on the streets. 

“Don’t listen to her,” Ganyu repeated, quickly snapping out of it. “There are crazy people out there and you’ll encounter them all the time. Don’t listen to them. You’re fine.” 

“Yaoyao.” Shenhe’s voice cut in like a cold knife. “Pull over.” 

Yaoyao found her words again but they were shrill and high. Her eyes were misty and wide. “Because I’m a bad driver?!” 

“You’re doing fine, Yaoyao,” Ganyu repeated, more firmly now.

Shenhe was muttering nonsense under her breath. No, it was a string of characters and numbers. Ganyu knew what it was because it was the same string of characters and numbers running on repeat silently in her head too—the license plate of the other car.

From the backseat, Shenhe ground out: “Pull over and switch places with me.”

“Wait.” Ganyu then saw the red filling Shenhe’s eyes reflected in the front mirror. “Shenhe, no.” 

The other truck, still flying far ahead, was weaving through traffic and turned to merge onto the onramp freeway. 

“The fucker is getting away.” 

“Sh-should I pull over?” 

“No, we are going to the store—”

“We should follow that asshole.” 

“—and we’re going to have a nice, peaceful dinner together—” 

“Should I move to the side?”

“I’m going to beat that dipshit’s head in—”

WHOOSH! 

Yet another car blew past them, red and sporty and with the engine loud and bassy. From its breakneck speed—this was not highway for god’s sake!—Ganyu and the others felt their dingy truck rattle and shake from merely grazing it. The sports car ran a red light further down the street that elicited a fanfare of horns from other drivers, and also drove up on the on-ramp in a blitz. 

“That fucker,” Shenhe growled out lowly. “Where do they think they’re going that fast, huh? What if you hit someone? Yaoyao is driving, what the hell is wrong with you? If they hit Yaoyao, I’d find them and bust their skulls open and throw them into the river. Bitchass shitstain better run.”

Ganyu mentally typed out a new string of characters and numbers—neatly filing the two license plate numbers in the file cabinet in her head. She was going to remember this and remember them, oh yes. She would remember the two awful, reckless pieces of human garbage that—

Suddenly, Ganyu remembered something important, something poignant. 

Suddenly, she was very happy to be employed by Keqing. Very happy that Ganyu was in charge of tending her large expanse of land, which was also home to several species of rare plants—especially Keqing’s special breed of glaze lilies. One might even call them endangered. 

Endangered plants were illegal to dig up. Throw a body in the hole with a glaze lily on top and not even the Millelith could—

“How about we go get that milk tea right now!” Yaoyao exclaimed abruptly, after catching a glance of the malicious intent in Ganyu’s face and hearing Shenhe’s murderous mutterings in the back. “There’s one nearby, I know you guys like that one!”

Ganyu snapped out of it slightly. “Oh, but we need to go to the—”

“You know what, I’m not that hungry!” With a sudden jerk, Yaoyao steered the car into another lane, then again—clearly going off their original destination—and onto another street. “We can pick up our drinks and some deep fried tofu as a snack and head home. You guys still have that spicy instant ramen? Let’s eat that. I like that one,” she said hastily, despite the fact that eating spicy foods usually upset her stomach. 

She pulled up into a driveway of the milk tea store, parked, reversed out, and corrected her parking two more times. 

Ganyu unbuckled her seatbelt, her lips thinned into a tight grimace. Shenhe, still muttering words of murder, did the same. Both of them grasped the handle of their respective car doors, only for Yaoyao to lock it with the control panel on her driver’s side door. Ganyu unlocked it and Yaoyao re-locked it again. “Hey, you—”

“NO!” 

BEEEEEEEP!

Yaoyao abruptly slammed her palms into the steering wheel. The car horn blared deafeningly. Both Ganyu and Shenhe flinched. 

“What is wrong with you two?” Yaoyao screeched.

Neither of her two passengers uttered a reply because Yaoyao was just getting started. 

“Before anyone leaves this car, I want to make it abundantly clear—”

Shenhe found her words. “We weren’t really going to—”

“Shh! I’m speaking!”

“Seriously, we weren’t—” Even Ganyu was quickly shut down. 

“Oh.” Accusation was thick and harsh in Yaoyao’s voice. “Okay. I see then. It’s like that huh? So it’s not like you two really go chase people down and beat them up?”

Ganyu and Shenhe exchanged looks for the briefest of moments.

“Oh, for archon’s sake!” 

“That one time was all Shenhe’s fault—”

Yaoyao narrowed her eyes at Ganyu. “Ah-ah-ah! Like you weren’t thinking about bloody murder right now too! I can’t believe you two! I What are you, dumb savages? Your road rage! Oh—my—god.” She held out hand and extended her pinkie finger. “Now, c’mon. C’mon!”

Shenhe and Ganyu exchanged another glance, only to be interrupted by another insistent: “NOW.”

The three of them laced pinkies. Ganyu and Shenhe wore deep grimaces while Yaoyao made them sit and listen. “You will, absolutely under no circumstances, go out and do something crazy while you are driving. Do you understand me?” 

In a small voice, Ganyu and Shenhe begrudgingly replied. “...yes.”

“Louder!”

“Yes!” 

“I want you to be on your best behavior when we go inside that store. You got that?” 

“...Okay.” 

“Good, good.” Yaoyao said. “Also I need someone to cover for my drink today. I bought a new book yesterday and I forgot I won't get paid until the end of the week.”

Shenhe visibly relaxed. She smiled, a genuine one now, at Yaoyao. “It’ll be my treat.” 

“I’ll cover for the fried tofu,” Ganyu added.

They shook on it. Yaoyao beamed and unlocked the car doors. “Glad to hear it, ladies!”

Together, they went into the store. They made their order on the kiosk and found seats by a window. After hearing their order being called, Shenhe volunteered to grab them.

When she returned, displeasure was clearly written on her face. 

“What is it?” Ganyu asked.

Shenhe shook her head. “No, it’s nothing. They got my drink a little wrong. It’s fine.” 

She was about to stab the end of a straw into her drink when Yaoyao stopped her, snatching the receipt in the process. "No. Oh no, you won't."

“What?” Shenhe asked. 

"You are not drinking that."

"It's a small mistake. Whatever."

“No. C'mon. Let's go.”

Yaoyao and Shenhe went back to the cashier, waited for the other customer in front of them to step off to the side. Shenhe put her drink on the counter. The woman behind the register smiled tiredly. “How may I help you?” 

“Hi! I’m sorry.” Yaoyao passed the receipt back to the cashier, along with Shenhe's drink. “But she asked for no pearls.” 

Shenhe shrugged—because if they were going to do this, then so be it—leaned down to whisper into Yaoyao's ear instead of the cashier who was actively listening in front of them. “Tell her I wanted less ice too.” 

“She said that she wanted light ice,” Yaoyao reiterated. 

“I want it remade, without the boba,” whispered Shenhe to Yaoyao.

“May we have a new drink, please?” 

The cashier at the register sighed. “Of course.”

Ganyu signed off of her laptop and gathered a variety of papers into her hands; she tapped one end of the stack on the table, flipped on its side, tapped, and again, to even it out into a nice clean stack. She added several new diagrams to Keqing’s next letters and they needed to plan for autumn so it was good to let her know far in advance.

Yaoyao was helping Shenhe unload tools into their storage shed, leaving Ganyu to watch the storefront. The weekend was upon them, and they were in discussion on how to spend it. 

Ganyu spent another gloriously quiet day at Keqing’s house today. Noelle’s visits were sparser than Ganyu would’ve liked—only about once a week for quick chores and busywork. Now whenever she did visit, Noelle would greet her warmly and they would retreat into the kitchen for small chat. Shenhe had since stopped accepting for other potential clients to help Ganyu every day now. Occasionally Yaoyao tagged along on the weekends. If they were lucky, Ningguang might make an unexpected visit. What was once a lonely little scene inside the tiny kitchen area became a lively one during those days. 

With more visitors, Noelle suggested that they make the space more welcoming for hosting. A cushion and throw blanket for the couch for naps; more dishware and cups for guests; new curtains for the kitchen window for decorative flair.

Needless to say, Ganyu was becoming comfortable there. 

Suddenly, her phone rang. Ganyu wondered who it could be—it was nearly ten minutes before closing. Quickly, Ganyu clipped the stack of papers with a binder clip and answered the phone, without giving a glance to the caller’s name.

“Hello—”

“TIRZAD!!” 

Ganyu abruptly jerked the phone away from her ear. A woman’s voice continued to rant on, loudly and passionately. Someone was incredibly pissed off.

“—do you know how dangerous that was?” The woman blustered on. The voice blared so loud despite not being put on speaker. “You can’t keep going off on your own like that! There’s a reason why Jebrael said—”

Who? No, the names were somewhat familiar. Ganyu knew of them because she read—

“—follow their instructions! Listen, I understand how important this is to you, but that doesn’t mean we should be reckless! Did you know what happened to the last research group that came through here? There are traps everywhere! If Jeht didn’t—” 

Ganyu’s screen blinked on after she moved it away from her ear. There she saw the name of the caller.

“—and for archon’s sake, quit taking things out of the pyramids! Cyno caught you trying to stuff your bag full of precious items! We need to respect the agreement made with localities. If someone else found you, we could’ve had excavation and research permits revoked! Do you get that? Or maybe you don’t! —”

“Uh, okay, hold on.” When the woman didn’t falter, Ganyu spoke more firmly to stamp it down. “Can you give me a minute, I—”

“No, I’m not done yet!”

“You—” 

“Maybe I should report your ass—”

Her patience all but snapped. “YOU HAVE THE WRONG NUMBER!” 

There was a lull of silence.

Seconds past. Ganyu checked if the call disconnected but no, the line was still there.

But it felt strange if she were to speak up again, so Ganyu continued to wait. 

“You’re not…” The woman on the other side sounded like she was catching her breath. Her voice slowed, as if she was gradually processing the grave mistake in her head, like a balloon slowly deflating. “You’re not… ah.” 

Ganyu cleared her throat awkwardly. Her chest started to burn. Heat flooded towards her neck and up to her cheeks from the secondhand embarrassment. Good Archons. “Uh, ma’am?” 

Ganyu heard a low groan accompanied by something else that sounded like, “oh fucking hell.”

“You’re Keqing, aren’t you?”

Keqing, too, awkwardly cleared her throat. Her voice was small.. “And you’re… Ganyu, right?”

“Yeah. That’s me.”

“Ah.”

“...Yeah.” 

“Listen, I-I… that wasn’t… I didn’t mean…” 

“Oh, yeah. Um, don’t worry about it,” Ganyu said automatically. “I know that you… Um. Yeah.” 

Ensuing silence. 

Well! Wasn’t this a wonderful way to smash any pleasant preconceptions Ganyu had for her mysterious employer.

In the corner of her eye, Ganyu spotted Shenhe and Yaoyao at the door, watching her carefully. Ganyu didn’t notice them entering but how could she when she was also busy being wrongfully berated at? Maybe they heard her yelling. Maybe they heard Keqing yelling—it felt like the other woman was yelling for the whole world to hear. Like a series of thunderclaps breaking the still of the afternoon. 

Without thinking, she said to them: “It’s Keqing.”  

“Yes?” 

Ganyu startled; she meant to address Shenhe and Yaoyao but also forgot to mute herself on the line. 

Shenhe, thankfully, read the panic in Ganyu’s wide eyes. Yaoyao also mutually understood the situation. They scuttled away.

No doubt they both would be eager to hear about it later after Ganyu was done. 

“Uh, Ganyu?”

She startled again. “Y-yes! I’m still here.” 

“Good! Good. Ah. Archons... Listen—I’m sorry.” Keqing’s tone mellowed considerably, seemingly having recovered more of her composure. “I didn’t mean to yell at you like that.” 

Playing pleasantries was always the correct move in these situations. “It sure gave me a fright,” Ganyu said. 

“I really didn’t—”

“Whoever this Tirzad is, it makes me really glad that I’m not in his shoes right now.”

That elicited a small half-laugh, half-sigh of relief from Keqing. Good, thought Ganyu and she breathed her own internal sigh of relief. The edge of the conversation needed to be smoothed out.

“That’s true,” said Keqing. “Rest assured, you’ve gotten no complaints from me.” 

Ganyu felt herself warm again. Something was seriously wrong with her this evening. Keqing was throwing her off balance.  

“He is one of your colleagues?”  

“We’re working together for this expedition,” Keqing said briskly. “Don’t worry about it. We’ve just had some disagreements as of late.” 

Which was another way to say, it was none of her business. It sure sounded much more than simple disagreements. 

Ganyu nodded silently. At the same time she couldn’t help herself. Chalk it up to a morbid curiosity but if she had to sit through an intense verbal berating, she might as well learn why. “Is everything okay?” 

“With what?”

“I mean with your research. Your travels.” Certainly, this was overstepping her boundaries to ask this much. “I just—I hope things are fine with you and your team?” She eked out. Keqing then made a disapproving sound, making her instantly regret bringing the topic up. 

“No, it’s fine, it’s no trouble to me, ” Keqing answered. “We’ve been making great strides. Much of our success thus far is owed to our experienced guides. We’ve been fortunate to have people like them with us.”

It sounded as if she’d practiced that reply in advance. If Ganyu could only pry out a little bit more… “And Tirzad?”

“He’s…”

Oh nosy, nosy. Ganyu must’ve picked that up from her mom. “He’s doing fine too, then?” 

“Fine enough to lead this crew for the meantime, I guess.” 

That was putting it nicely. Still, getting unrightfully berated for someone’s else wrongdoings still left a sour taste in her mouth. Ganyu already didn’t like him, if only to just be petty. 

“No, I shouldn’t be so ungrateful.” Another sigh and Keqing added: “I’m technically a junior member of the expedition, so I don’t have much skin in the game. Tirzad is the one leading and organizing the project since this is his research. But recently he’s been acting odd. He’s been obsessing over these ruins for a while and now he’s…” Keqing paused to hunt for an adequate word .

“Stealing?” Ganyu supplied.

She could imagine Keqing wincing on the other line. “There’s specific customs and policies we have to adhere to while we’re out here. The Akedeymia isn’t on the best terms with the Eremites and other folk in the desert, so we have to be mindful about not disrespecting the fragile relations we’ve built. Cyno and Jebrael—our guides—have been generous with their patience but that’s a line I don’t want to keep testing. So while we are allowed to bring things out of the ruins for temporary research, there’s proper procedures to go about that.” 

“Sounds complicated.”

“It’s not so bad, I guess. At any rate, I’ll have enough information to complete my own projects soon enough.”

“That’s good,” Ganyu replied. “Noelle showed me some of your pictures. I hope you don’t mind. The forest and the city—was it Sumeru City? It was beautiful. It must be exciting to be out in the desert and exploring the sites.” 

“It’s certainly much different than anything in Liyue, that’s for sure.”

“Mhm, I saw that you rode on a sumpter beast. That must’ve been fun.”

“A friend of mine recommended it—Cyno, I’ve mentioned him. He’s the real reason why I joined the team to begin with… Except I wished he didn’t schedule the sumpter beast ride as soon as we arrived at the airport.” 

“From the airport? You mean you rode it from the airport all the way into the city?”

“Partially. Economy seats are absolutely killer on the lower back, no matter how many pillows the attendants give you. The sumpter beasts are surprisingly popular among tourists. Though half-way through, I feel like I might’ve messed up my back even more.” 

Ganyu chuckled. She relaxed forward in her chair to rest her elbow on the counter, adjusting the position of her hand when her wrist started to cramp.

“So.” There was shifting on the line too. “Enough about that. How about you? How are you holding up?” 

It struck Ganyu only then that she was really having a conversation with Keqing A real one, not done via proxy or by mail. “Very well, actually. I was going to write you the details about it later, but since you’re here, would you like to hear about it now?”

“Isn’t it getting late in Liyue? I don’t want to keep you.”

The sun was low but not close enough to the horizon for dusk to settle in. There was still quite a bit of time before night. 

Shenhe was already gone. She should have taken her own work truck back home to their apartment, leaving Ganyu with her trusty ol’ blue truck. 

“It’s fine.”

“Put some of it in writing,” Keqing said. “It’ll be useful to continue to have a paper record of it, in case either of us wants to refer back to it at a later point.” 

“I–I’ve actually been making copies of my notes before sending them to you, with that same intention,” admitted Ganyu. “Keeping a journal of the progress is very useful.”

“A journal?”

“Yes. Just a habit of mine.” Ganyu laughed nervously. “I’ve been taking a lot of notes on your garden, as you can probably tell.” 

“I suppose that explains a lot. No wonder.”

Ganyu blinked. “Pardon?” 

“Your letters. They feel more like reports rather than notes. It takes a bit of time for me to read it all.”

A sudden surge of old indignation rose up in Ganyu’s throat when she remembered how flippant Keqing was when the suggestion was originally brought up. She managed to stamp down most of it, but a little bit of snark still leaked out. “You did say to ‘report’ back to you about my progress.”

“I did.” Keqing agreed. What she said next threw Ganyu into a spin. “I didn’t think you’d take it so seriously.”

Ganyu frowned. “What do you mean?”

“The reports, of course. I didn’t expect you to really do it.” 

“So you were joking? The entire time?” 

Keqing must have picked up the exasperation in Ganyu’s voice. “Uh, no? Not really? I mean, if you never sent me anything, I wouldn’t have called you out on it.”

This fucking woman. 

Ganyu audibly groaned.  

Quickly, Keqing said: “It’s very informative! I’ve learned a lot from reading each page.”

“So my reports are tedious? Is that what you’re saying?” 

“More details is better than less!”

“You just said it takes you a long time to read.” 

“Hey, I don’t know jack shit about flowers in the first place. I am under the assumption that you seem to know what you’re doing if you can explain everything you have done in writing.”

“Should I stop? If you don’t want it, I’ll keep it to myself.”

To Ganyu’s surprise, Keqing said: “No. Don’t.”

 “No?”

“It was my fault for not clarifying.”

“Obviously.” 

“Let me finish. You’ve put a lot of effort into your work. You’re very meticulous.” 

Ganyu frowned. “About that—I’ve been meaning to ask, but how often did you tend the gardens beforehand?” 

Keqing sounded taken by surprise. “Me?”

“Your garden. Your property. When you hired other people to care for the property, did you supervise them? When there wasn’t help available, did you do it yourself?”

“I’ve tried… in the past,” Keqing said, faltering. “It’s not something I’m especially proficient at.” 

But Ganyu already figured that out. Regardless, it was surprising to hear her admit it out loud. “Even if your trip was spontaneous, you should have been properly managing it before you left. Shenhe and I spent a long time on simple cleanups and trimming.” 

“ I’ve been trying to have maintenance done remotely but it’s been hard to book a team that can go out there on a regular schedule. It’s a big place. You should know—it’s a huge time sink.”

”Sure.”

Ganyu could practically imagine Keqing rolling her eyes at the snide reply. A note of asperity was in her voice. “Look, it might not have been my best effort, but that’s why I’ve got you now.”

Meanwhile, Ganyu herself rolled her eyes. “You…” Are full of shit. “…might be right.” Maybe, maybe not. Though Ganyu agreed that having a small team allowed her to be very flexible with clients. It made scheduling easier than other larger scale landscaping organizations too. Shenhe and her joked that Yaoyao’s part-time position at the shop might be cut temporarily since they no longer needed a person to handle scheduling now that they have exclusively became Keqing’s personal gardeners and landscapers.

“I at least tried to keep up with the trimming and weeding. Noelle helped with that.” 

“I thought she wasn’t supposed to do garden work?’ 

“Not anymore, though she was very adamant that she could do it all by herself.” 

By herself? That sounded like a very Noelle-thing to say. “Shenhe and I have been managing.” That was a stretch, admittedly, even for seasoned professionals. “But for one person, that’s…” 

“For one person, plus still taking on her other usual clients? No way.” Keqing huffed. “I finally had to put my foot down when she kept insisting.” 

The memory of Ganyu waking up for a full assortment of sandwiches and treats on the day that they first formally met came back to her and Noelle’s oddly strict terms prohibiting her only to the rock garden and house. “That does sound like she would do.”  

“The contract I have with her is for her own good, if I may speak candidly. Anyway, you’re here now.”

“I guess I am.” 

Keqing hummed in acquiescence. 

Quietly, Ganyu pulled backways to rub soothingly at the bridge of her brow. Seriously, she couldn’t tell whether their conversations were going well or not.

It wasn’t like she had many expectations to begin with but… maybe she was starting to romanticize their first encounter a little bit. Tonight seemed like it was going to put an end to that silliness. 

Ganyu cleared her throat to move things along. “Then… Anyway, I’m considering installing extra lanterns at night. One of my employees said it was like walking in the woods. I think she might’ve been watching too many dramas, but it’s a little spooky to be walking around after dark. Almost like being in an abandoned garden of a haunted house.”

“Haunted? You sure?”

“Just an exaggeration.” 

“I made Hu Tao perform an exorcism on the entire place as soon as I inherited it.”

Oh—okay?

“My grandfather loved the place, sure, but not enough to linger. Dying wouldn’t make him irrational.”

“You, uh, believe in ghosts?” 

Keqing scoffed. “I know that ghosts and spirits aren’t actually real. But did you know that several thousands of years ago, there was a prolific clan that specialized in guiding spirits into the afterlife? In the present day, who can say that such things were real or not, when so many people still believe in those old traditions? Personally, I think that the most significant thing about human culture throughout the ages is our ability weave and believe in these stories, which in turn gives it its own power—” 

“Ma’am, we are getting off topic.”

“Ah. Right. The lanterns, right? It’s a good suggestion. Go for it.” 

“Would you like that in writing as well? I’ll add it into my next report.” Ganyu paused and added: “But If you don’t want them, I won’t share them with you anymore. I’m only suggesting it so you can refer back to them after I’m gone.”

Gone.

It sounded strange to even Ganyu’s own ears. It was hard to imagine now—the day that Ganyu would no longer be employed to be Keqing’s gardener. Dare she say, she grew quite a personal connection to the property after toiling on it for a long while now.

“If you're going to continue to go through the motions, just send me a copy while you're at it. There’s no harm to it.” Just like Ganyu, Keqing briefly contemplated something else before she spoke again. “So, you’re still willing? To continue working with me?” 

“I-I never said that I wanted to stop.” How could she refuse the extravagant pay at this point of time now? “I’m committed to working with you until you return. That was on the contract, wasn’t it?” 

“It is.”

Ganyu silently nodded, more to herself than anything else. Keqing fell quiet too. 

This was a good point to leave off on. The conversation might be at its end now, Ganyu mused. Yet strangely, she found herself wishing for a way not to let the phone call end just yet.

Luckily, she didn’t need to ruminate on it for very long because Keqing softly piped in first. “Have you already started?” 

“On what?” 

“On your next round of reports. Since you’re already on the line, how about instead of writing it out on paper, you can brief me on it now.” 

“Right now?” Her notebook was inside her overalls pocket. She hadn’t gotten around to organizing any of the newly-written information inside yet.

“Is it a bad time?” 

She flipped the pages, finding where she last left off and suddenly finding her personal notations as near-indecipherable. 

Keqing seemed to catch on to Ganyu’s hesitation again. She was surprisingly attentive, at least. “Then can you summarize what you’ve been doing until now? I know I have it all with me on paper here, but if there’s anything you’d like to add, then I’d like to listen. It’ll be easier for me to remember if you can give me a refresher.”

It was of no surprise that talking about work was easy.

Ganyu first touched bases with their previous exchanges through the mail; Keqing waited until she was certain Ganyu said all that she needed to be said before replying; Ganyu followed up with any points of clarification; Keqing parried back either suggestions for future plans or words of affirmation to Ganyu’s ideas. 

Which was good, Ganyu liked that her clients were open-minded to her suggestions. After hearing what Keqing had to say, there was one particular part that she was, however, very adamant on. 

“And that is why,” said Ganyu decisively, “you should let me modify that clause in the contract.” 

“And I said that I’ll think about it.” 

“Careful, ma’am. If you think too hard, the weeds along the back porch will grow in again.” 

There was lighthearted exasperation in Keqing’s voice. “Hey. I don’t know what impression you have of me but it doesn’t sound like a good one.”

A ghost of a smile tugged at Ganyu’s lips. “You are probably the worst employer I’ve gotten in recent times.” 

“I didn’t think you were the rude type either.” 

“I wouldn’t be, if I wasn’t yelled out so angrily earlier today.” 

“Archons.” sighed Keqing. “You’re not going to let that go.”

“Not yet anyway.”

“You know I—” A new, muffled voice entered the background. Keqing answered to it, apparently keeping the phone away from her lips, making Ganyu unable to clearly listen in. 

“Ganyu,” Keqing returned suddenly. “Sorry, I must have lost track of time. I have to go downstairs.”

“Oh.” Ganyu also glanced at the clock. Already? The time passed so quickly. So soon.

“We’ll have to pick this up later,” Keqing said. 

Later—when might that be? It took them this long to communicate directly with each for the first time—and it was by mistake. Ganyu had half the mind to clamp down on the words before they impulsively left her throat. “No, that’s… that’s fine. I should get going too. Shenhe might be waiting.” 

“Leave it in your next correspondence, along with your written reports.” 

“Okay.” After a moment of hesitation—because this was safe to ask, right? Right?—Ganyu added: “Should I expect another phone call?” 

When her answer didn’t come promptly as expected, Ganyu was certain now this time she really did overstep. 

“Did you want me to?” 

There was no judgment in Keqing’s tone. No bite. No expectation. Only genuine curiosity. 

Ganyu wracked her brain. What did she want?

Wanting her to call back? That was different from needing her to call back. For work? For…? No, she was putting too much thought into it. 

Thankfully, Keqing saved her the trouble of replying. “If I’m able to, you might expect one from me again.” 

Ganyu released a breath. 

“Shoot me a message first. If I can receive it and send you a response, then you know that I have a decent enough connection to hold a call.”

“Okay.”

“Would around the same time work with you?”

“I was about to close the shop when you called.” 

“So it’s fine then?”

“I’ll answer.” 

“Alright then.” Keqing made another pleased hum. “I’m glad that we had this opportunity to talk, Ganyu.” 

Ganyu felt her stomach do a flip. “Yes. Me too, Keqing.”

“Have a restful evening.” 

“Y-you too.” 

“I’ll try. But I still need to give Tirzad a good talking to. Rightfully deserved for making me embarrass myself in front of my personal gardener.” Keqing was smirking at her from the other line, miles and miles away. Ganyu just knew it because when Keqing finished with the kicker: “Thanks for the warmup, by the way. Tirzad is in for a real good one when I find him.”

“Good. While you’re at it, give him a nice punch on the jaw. Courtesy of the gardener.” 

Chapter Text

The letters stopped coming in.

It was midway into December. Keqing’s most recent responses became noticeably shorter, more succinct. Ganyu had the feeling that there was a lot going on on that side of the world. Then after Ganyu sent a reply more than two weeks ago, she had yet to receive one back.

The holiday rush might be to blame. Keqing never missed writing back a reply. It was easy for mail to get lost. It would be disappointing if Keqing had sent a letter only for it to be misplaced during its travel.

Were Keqing and her team allowed to have time to themselves to spend the holidays? Did they spend it together if they weren’t allowed to go back to their homes? As far as Ganyu knew, Keqing was the only one on her team that came from another country. Would she fly back to Liyue?

That was fine if she didn’t, Ganyu sighed. Her nerves fluttered with no small amount of anxiety at the thought, and at something else. As to what or why that something else might be—she didn’t want to dig deeper into it.

Something inexplicable changed within her—after that one chance phonecall— and it stuck with her. She had to be careful not to let it color her expectations. That would not do. She was going to set herself up for disappointment and she needed to be realistic. They were merely in business together after all.

But she should send a follow-up letter just in case.

Winter was chilly. They saw no snow beyond the occasional frosty dawnlight of morning. Crops were scarcer as well; Ganyu and Shenhe decided to scale back to only grow enough for themselves. Whatever was extra was to be shared with a very small handful of others. The soil should take the season to prep and replenish. There was plenty of time for growing in abundance in the spring and Ganyu looked forward to just that.

Fall had left them with plenty of food, more than they could handle. It was Yaoyao’s idea that they cleaned up a wall in the shop to display and sell fresh produce. They crafted a handmade sign to post outside to entice passerbys to browse the wares. It was a surprisingly successful venture such that it might be worth trying again in the spring. Ganyu made no complaints either—better have the vegetables be used and consumed by others than become food waste.

She also continued to attempt to send produce to Sumeru. Kirara, their faithful courier from Komaniya Express always somehow managed to deliver her postage—and her packages—across the Liyue-Sumeru border and directly into the hands of the man named Cyno, the person who Ganyu came to know as part of Keqing’s caravan.

Except, however today.

Ganyu was hunkering down in the warmth of the cozy little house from the chill after attending to the morning chores. The workload was considerably less now, which in turn, prompted Shenhe to start taking on smaller jobs just for the sake of filling up her time whenever able.

At Noelle’s suggestion, Ganyu had essentially converted the second floor’s spare bedroom into a second home-away-from-home: a very soft pillow and thick fleece blanket to sleep with, new curtains for the window, spare clothes and slippers in case she spent the night. The days were shorter after all, and there were already far too many times that Ganyu found herself disinclined to make the commute back when night fell early. Noelle had made a very good point—with Ganyu putting in so many hours at the estate, why not make it more comfortable to her own tastes?

The nagging thought at the back of her mind was that if Keqing were to barge in here without prior notice, Ganyu could only fathom her ire once she saw what she did. Noelle would jump to her defence but she was stepping over certain boundaries. But anyway! It would be easy to take everything down before Keqing would have the chance to see.

It was slowly becoming more homey. Would the ghost of Keqing’s grandfather mind? Homes were meant to be lived in. He would understand, Ganyu was sure.

Thus, after changing into her fuzzy socks and warm pile-line sweats and sweater, Ganyu helped herself to a hot cup of spiced aromatic tea—a return gift from Keqing—and one of the dusty books that were left behind in the house.

She was in the middle of flipping through a passage from a volume of Rex Incognito , when the doorbell rang, low and echoing.

Which Ganyu thought was odd as she reluctantly removed her fleece blanket from her shoulders. Who might that be? Shenhe made no plans to join her later today and Ningguang hadn’t mentioned a visit.

Instead what she found at the entrance was a slip of paper, two large insulated boxes, and the courier.

Kirara beamed. “G’morning!” She scanned Ganyu’s very casual attire. “Day off today?”

Kirara was Ganyu’s and Shenhe’s main courier for their apartment in the city, so the first time that Ganyu encountered her way out here as part of her delivery route was a pleasant surprise to know that she was the main courier for this house as well.

Ganyu smiled back. “I finished early.”

“Ooh! I do love half-days myself.”

“You especially should take more,” Ganyu chided. “Isn’t it busy around the holidays? Do you want to come in for a drink? There’s coffee, and if you’d like—warm milk.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine!” Kirara brushed it off with a lighthearted smile. “I’m saving up my mora for a trip to Fontaine. I have a friend that I want to visit, so I need the extra shifts. Anyway!” She reached down to her hip to retrieve a digital terminal. “Your signature, please.”

Ganyu eyed the boxes, finding them familiar. “I don’t think I’ve ordered anything?” Not that she would ever use this address for mail or parcels, gods be good. She wasn’t that bad.

“It’s a return,” said Kirara as Ganyu penned her signature on the device. When Ganyu looked perplexed, she added: “Y’know, your care package from a few days ago.”

Ganyu read the side of one the boxes again; she had repurposed them from one of Shenhe’s prior packages. The label, now that she recognized it, was the same under the layers of packaging tape. “Hm. Couldn’t get them across this time?”

From the terminal, Kirara printed a receipt of the transaction. “It was sent back.”

“Sent back?”

Kirara nodded. “According to the logs, the recipient left instructions not to receive incoming packages for the time being.”

“Is that so?”

“Or… Maybe they’re not able to receive it,” Kirara said after a beat. “That happens too, for a variety of reasons. Like a change of address.”

“It can’t be helped then.” Keqing should have mentioned it in a letter if she didn’t want new packages. But she hadn’t sent one so how could Ganyu have known? Now what would she do…? “Say, Kirara? Would you like them instead?”

“Me?”

“I’m sure the vegetables inside haven’t spoiled yet. I made sure to pack them very cold. It’s well-insulated too.” The best part of Komaniya Express was that their service was exceptionally fast. Even though this delivery had to loop back around only to return at Ganyu’s doorstep, the speedy turnaround meant that the vegetables still had some shelf life once unpacked.

Kirara became slightly sheepish. “Well, I appreciate the gesture. But, um. It might go to waste with me. I don’t do a whole lot of cooking… It’s easier to grab something quick while I’m on the road.”

“I hope you’re not gorging on fast food. It’s not good for you.”

“Oh, it’s fine! I walk enough to burn off the calories!”

Ganyu shook her head fondly. “That doesn’t mean you should be eating it all the time anyway. Wait here a minute.” She ducked inside the kitchen and grabbed several leftover sandwiches that Noelle left behind in the fridge. In fact there were too many leftovers in the fridge—Noelle had the tendency to make far too much food. “The bread might be a bit stale, but it’s still good. Take them.”

“Really? You mean it? I can have it?”

“Looks like I’ll have plenty of leftovers to get through myself.” Ganyu gestured to her returned boxes. “No junk food today. You got that? The next time you’re in this area, come by here. I usually cook too much for myself anyway. I’ll pack you something to eat.”

Kirara beamed. She bounded forward with a quick step then abruptly paused, as if doubting herself. “Ganyu?”

“Yes?”

“Can I hug you?”

Right when Ganyu replied yes, Kirara was a streaking comet leaping into her arms. “You’re the best!”

Ganyu stepped backwards to rebalance herself and hugged the younger girl back. “D-don’t overwork yourself. Remember your work-life balance.”

Kirara murmured something that sounded like an agreement as she nestled close and nuzzled into her collar. Internally, Ganyu fretted.

What to cook tonight?

And—maybe she shouldn't send that follow-up letter after all.

They were enjoying what was left of an overcast afternoon for a late lunch. Noelle, who diligently whipped up a wonderful meal with the remaining produce in the fridge—thank Rex Lapis too, even Ganyu could grow wearisome from eating the same thing all the time. But Noelle’s Mondstadian recipes were well-appreciated to their palettes; the same ingredients were given new life when prepared with different techniques and flavors. Shenhe was peculiar with her eating habits, always pecking away a sample of each dish at the table first as if testing out which one she preferred the most, before fully digging in. To Noelle’s relief, Shenhe enjoyed all of her dishes so far.

Content and full and warm, Shenhe was to stay the night in the little house with Ganyu. She kept spare clothes stashed away for those occasions, and she changed into them after her meal.

Noelle stole a glance at Shenhe’s fuzzy pale blue socks and smothered a laugh. “You two look like you've adjusted well.”

Shenhe leaned back into her chair, balancing her weight on the back legs. “It’s pretty nice here, I have to admit. Thanks for fixing the heating, by the way.”

“It’s my duty to serve.” Noelle set down her tea towel, having finished drying the plates and utensils. “Is there anything else that I might assist you with? I’ve laundered and replaced the towels in the washroom as well as tidied up the upstairs.”

“Do you like Liyuen opera?” Shenhe asked suddenly.

“I haven’t seen a performance yet. My supervisor has been asking me about them so I have been meaning to go to one myself. She was curious to know how different it was to Mondstadian theater.”

“Do you want to watch one with us? Not a live one, but there’s new performance streaming online. We’re planning on watching it tonight. It’s our movie night.”

Once a week, she and Shenhe would watch a movie together. Occasionally, Yaoyao joined in. Last weekend all three of them did an overnight stay at Keqing's house. They opted not to use the spare bedrooms upstairs and instead clustered together in the living room with sleeping bags and blankets in front of the TV to watch a new movie that aired during the Fontinalia Film Festival. It was called The Two Musketeers . One of the main actresses had received critical acclaim for her role. She had gotten so much buzz online that Yaoyao had talked them into watching Kamisato Ayaka's debut film. Inazuma’s newest rising star, everyone called her.

“Oh? Oh!” Noelle appeared quite flattered by the offer and she flushed shyly. “Th—thank you for considering me. However, regretfully, I have to decline. I still have places to be as well as other errands. I don’t think I’ll be able to join you if it’s in the evening.”

“A shame.”

“It is,” Noelle replied cordially. “Do you like watching theater, ah, operas I mean? In Mondstadt, plays and musicals are very popular. My supervisor—Miss Jean—likes to go out to watch them with her wife, who is especially fond of them.”

“There’s singing—I like that part the most,” Shenhe mused, “and there’s dancing… The actress’ movements are beautiful to watch.” She sighed. “I’d like to see more of them in person, but…”

“Shenhe keeps missing every single showing for her favorite actress,” Ganyu supplied. “As soon as the dates and times are announced and go live, they sell out in minutes.”

Shenhe clicked her tongue irritably. “Archons above, I’m not paying that goddamn scalper price but I swear to Rex Lapis I’ll punch someone’s jaw in if I can’t get in the next time around.”

“What we’ll be seeing tonight is a compilation of her most recent performances,” Ganyu added. “As for seeing an opera live… There are other troupes that perform in the city. We can plan to go out together to watch a show. I’m sure they’ll have something that fits your schedule.”

“That—that would be wonderful. I’d love to.”

“Let us know when you’re free,” Shenhe said. “We’ll get the whole group on it. Yaoyao too.”

Ganyu clapped her hand, once. “Then it’s a date!”

Ganyu didn’t exactly enjoy going back to her mother’s house.

Out in the rural neighborhood in a small town at the foot of Mt. Aocang, going to visit her meant making the long trip to reach her. Her family used to call home in Liyue—her childhood house was located deep in the heart of the Feiyun Slope. But when both Ganyu and Shenhe were of age and therefore, out of the house to enjoy life independent from their mother’s wing, Xianyun made the decision to move far away.

Her mother, Xianyun, didn’t explicitly explain what prompted the move. She seemed to fit right with the hustle and bustle of the city and had established strong connections with the community throughout her years, but move she did. When asked why, Xianyun often gave the same response.

With an upturn of the head, a wrinkle of the nose, and a loud scoff, Xianyun would say: “Hmph! Perhaps I might like to have a little more space in the backyard to grow more than a couple stalks of tomatoes and corn each summer. It’s too crowded here.”

Whether or not that was truly her main reason for leaving the city, Ganyu didn’t probe further. At any rate, it didn’t seem like her mother regretted her decision because it was clear from her demeanor how much she enjoyed her current accommodations.

Xianyun’s house in the countryside was, admittedly, much larger than anything they could've gotten in the city at the same cost, as well as being more accommodating to entertain guests. Maybe too accommodating because Xianyun also liked to complain about how often their uncles Jiehu and Houzang liked to visit.

They’d gathered for the holidays; Ganyu and Shenhe took a road trip to their mother’s house, having left the city a few days prior. Jiehu and Houzang have always lived in the rural neighborhood but made frequent trips around the nearby towns and to the Harbor whenever they liked. In their eyes, the countryside offered little ways to keep them entertained or busy.

The table in the kitchen was covered in various fragrant dishes, made from scratch with the winter crops Xianyun had grown. After eating, all of the guests moved into the living room and were in the midst of a rather one-sided discussion.

“You’d think these two would stop accosting me to get out of the house. ‘Go outside to visit the tea house for a game of cards’, they’d say. ‘Go out to the river to fish with them’, they’d say. ‘Go with them to the city and watch a show at the theater’, they’d say,” Xianyun said in a flurry, with a nondescript nod at the two men sitting on her essentially, almost brand-new couch. Almost, because Xianyun never removed the protective plastic covering on the entire piece of furniture after she purchased it nearly a decade ago.

Ganyu crossed her legs as she sipped at her tea. The protective plastic was also on the matching loveseat that both she and Shenhe sat on. It crinkled loudly as she adjusted. “Why don’t you come down to the city more often? I’m sure the crowd at the Heyu Teahouse would appreciate it. They love listening to your stories. And you’d get to see Grandma Ping! It’s been a while since you’ve last seen her. She says she misses seeing you.”

“Hear that? Even this here Ganyu thinks you should go,” Houzang said, pointing with his chopsticks. He was still nursing a bowl of stir-fried vegetables and rice, having brought it over from the kitchen table. Xianyun didn’t protest against people eating in the living room, but it did vindicate her use of plastic on the furniture. “You were the one that said that we should go out more often, and yet you hardly step outside of the house.” 

It was also true that when left her own devices for too long, Xianyun habitually became so engrossed in whatever she was doing that she would tunnel-vision on it for days, weeks even.

Again, Xianyun turned up her nose. She was sitting on one of the wooden dining table chairs that she dragged over from the kitchen. “Do you think I appreciate the constant solicitations? I did not invite you just to hear your incessant jabbering! If you have a problem with me or with being here, you can go outside!”

“I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Pray tell, how did you mean it?”

“What he means—” Jiehu tried but was interrupted.

“I go outside more than enough! How else can my garden care for itself? You think I hired the slugs to pick my crops?”

Jiehu sighed. “No, that’s ridiculous.”

“So you think the weeds chose not to grow between my plots because they are so considerate?”

“Now you’re being unreasonable.”

“And I suppose you must think—oh, you must truly believe!—that I must grow so tiresome of being on my own so often. That can explain why the two of you go out so frivolously.”

Houzang and Jiehu exchanged looks, understanding that no words could save them from Xianyun’s long-winded rant.

“I am perfectly well! Were you not amazed by the contraption that I built last week? A new automated, self-flying kite? How could I come up with so ingenious were it not for the time I’ve spent developing the prototype?”

“It’s not really a kite if it’s self-flying,” Shenhe commented behind the rim of her teacup.

“Or the homemade fireworks kit I crafted last fall to celebrate the autumn festival with the neighbors?”

“Please stop making dangerous things. You don’t have that kind of insurance,” Ganyu muttered silently.

“How else can I build such things if I am pulled away from the workshop for aimless escapades? I can assure you that I am properly entertained in the comforts of my own home,” Xianyun finished with a satisfactory nod of her head.

Jiehu sighed defeatedly. “Well, if you do want to accompany us sometime to the city, I am just saying we’re open for you to join us. We were planning to go see the Lantern Rite festival next, if you wanted to go see.”

“From how grand they like to make their fireworks show, I would not be surprised if I can see it from all the way over here,” Xianyun said then after a moment and asked: “They’ve started doing those drone light shows in recent years too, haven’t they?’

“They’re spectacular!” delighted Ganyu. “They fly them over the sea! Last year, they had a huge show based on the old legend: ‘The Descension of Rex Lapis’.” A particularly stand-out moment, as well as being Ganyu’s favorite part out of the entire program, was the drones simulating the battle of between an old sea god versus the adepti and brave human warriors. “You’d love it, I’m sure. You should go!”

“I’d only want to see how the drones coordinate and fly. It’ll be good for my research, if I want to recreate it. In fact, I could make a better light show. An even better display that would put the festival organizers to shame.”

Despite what she said about preferring to be alone, her mother did yearn for opportunities to show off her inventions to others. Her inventions and stories were especially a big hit with the children. For a small and quiet community such as here, Xianyun’s eccentricities probably made for great entertainment.

Houzang set his bowl down on the round coffee table in front of him. “Anyway, girls,” he turned the conversation over to Ganyu and Shenhe, “it’s been a while since you’ve visited. I hope business has been well.”

Shenhe agreed. “Very well.”

“Thank you again for sending us that package from before,” he said, referencing the box full of vegetables that Ganyu had shipped out to them months prior. “We had to share with the neighbors when we saw that we couldn’t have finished it all in time before our next trip.”

“Of course. If anyone wants more, let us know.”

Inwardly, Ganyu flinched a little at Shenhe’s presumption. She shouldn’t make that sort of promise so mindlessly. They still could be let go from their job at any point. If they no longer worked for Keqing’s estate, there would be no garden or produce to be had.

“I have some questions about that.” Xianyun settled more comfortably into her seat while Ganyu shifted nervously in hers. They’d summarized the unique situation to her in very simple terms over the phone once before. Ganyu often shared pictures of whatever crops she grew as well as the harvests, to which Xianyun would send some of her own. They’ve had many conversations about Keqing’s garden since… But her mother’s growing interest in Keqing was beginning to bother Ganyu…

Xianyun even attempted to grow her own little patch of glaze lilies after a picture for Ganyu. although with middling success. Glaze lilies were a finicky flower indeed! “Do you’ve any idea when she might return?”

Shenhe shrugged.

“You mentioned that you’re allowed to use her facilities freely.”

Shenhe drank the last of her tea. “If it’s too hot in summer, we’ll wait in the house with AC on. If it’s stormy or too cold in the winter, we’ll hunker down inside with the heater turned up. When we’re tired, we’ll take a rest.”

“Does she charge you for using her utilities?”

“Why would she do that?”

“It sounds that she’s very liberal with her contract. She gave you free reign of the place! I, for one, would be cautious of letting strangers into my house to do as they will while I was away.”

Ganyu injected. “Keqing…” Happened to be okay with them filling up the fridge and pantry with snacks, with using taking hot bubble baths for as long as they wanted, and crashing in the bedroom for naps at any time of the day—actually, Keqing didn't know any of that. Ganyu wasn't going to share that part with her! “...is very lenient with us. If you saw the actual size of the property, you’d understand why she’s considerate to our needs. It’s a lot of work for just the two of us. We need the breaks, especially during the busier months.”

“Considerate, you say?” The gears in Xianyun’s head were spinning. Ganyu could practically see it churning out questions ready to fire like bullets from the tip of her tongue. “You must have good relations with her, yes?”

She thought about their prior phone call and how late it ran into the night. Ganyu pursed her lips tightly to smother a growing smile and replied belatedly. “I… suppose so.”

“Very good, very good.” Xianyun bobbed her head, as if pleased with Ganyu’s response. “You are correct; someone who extends their goodwill and allows others in their wealth are hard to come by these days. I’m sure she must be delighted to be working with you! She must be charmed by your diligence and work ethic!”

Ganyu wouldn’t say it like that but Keqing liked to constantly reassure her that her efforts were appreciated and that was enough. By now, Ganyu had the impression that Keqing might’ve seriously taken Ganyu’s criticisms to heart and reflected upon on it. Good!

Xianyun continued. “You must not betray that trust. So—is it nice?”

“What is?” Ganyu had been in charge of tending to the yards the entire time, so of course she thought she'd done a good job.

“The house. I hope it’s not a shack. You've only sent pictures of the backyard.”

“Oh. Well. The house is well-maintained for its age.”

“Is it big?”

“It’s big enough for two people,” Ganyu replied. “Three might be a stretch but it can work if someone doesn't mind sharing a room. It’s quaint.”

Xianyun nodded again approvingly. “I’m sure that the property must be quite expensive. How much does it cost?”

“I never thought about it? But I know it’s been up for sale multiple times already without a deal.”

“And that’s where you've been doing all your gardening,” said Xianyun. “Does she know about that? That you’ve been using her space as your own personal interests?”

Ganyu colored a little. It wasn’t an accusation per se, but depending on how someone might frame it, it did sound that they were taking advantage of the property whilst its owner was away. “We’ve already told you that Keqing agreed to it. She knows what we’re doing. I keep in correspondence with her and through her housekeeper.” Bringing up their regular letter exchanges would only complicate things. 

“Why would she need a housekeeper to begin with? You have just said that the house isn’t that large.”

“She comes by regularly as per her own contract with Keqing. I don’t know the details, but I’m glad she’s there. Noelle is great to have around!”

“Noelle?”

“The housekeeper’s name. She can cook the most wonderful meals. Isn’t that right, Shenhe?”

Shenhe nodded. “It was a shame that she couldn’t join us for movie night. We should start looking for shows that she can join us on.”

“Oh! You’re right. We should! I should ask for her schedule again,” keened Ganyu. "Ah, we're going to watch an opera with her. It'll be her first time to see one. It'll be so fun!"

“She has plenty of interesting stories to tell from her job. She travels around a lot. I think you’d like her,” Shenhe said to Xianyun.

All the while, Houzang and Jiehu were giving the two women peculiar looks. Xianyun furrowed her brows. “You are… very fond of her.”

Ganyu beamed. Noelle was, in fact, very pleasant company. “Yes!”

Then, Xianyun took off her glasses, placed them safely onto the coffee table, and proceeded to bury her face into her hands with a long, exasperated sigh. “Oh, by the gods!”

Her mother was prone to strange outbursts, but Ganyu could not figure out what triggered this one. “Sorry?”

“My daughters are such fools!” Her mother exclaimed pitifully.

“That’s rude.” Shenhe commented dryly.

Xianyun put on her glasses again and glared—glared!—at them. What in the devil prompted this? “Do you know what you have just told me?”

“That we found a job with great pay and great benefits and our client lets us do whatever we want?” Shenhe supplied.

“That you’ve contracted with a wealthy benefactor and have been invited into their home as you please—and what do you do?”

Shenhe narrowed her eyes, suddenly suspicious. “Our work?”

“Flirt with the housekeeper!”

Ganyu leapt up from her seat, heat flooding to her cheeks. “Wha—how could you—what is wrong with you!”

“What is wrong with you!” Xianyun shot back, aghast. “All this talk about you landing the eye of a rich, educated, beautiful woman and you have to gall to tell me that I should meet her housekeeper!”

“What are you going about!”

“Ganyu.” Xianyun scooted closer and unexpectedly, rested a hand on top of Ganyu’s—a gesture that only confounded her ever more when her voice dropped into one of affectionate, genuine concern. “You know that I only want the best for you.”

Even Shenhe was watching the scene with unabashed confusion. Ganyu spared a glance at her but found that she would be of no use in helping her get out of this ridiculous situation.

“I have always been very happy to support your and Shenhe’s aspirations. I know how much you love your job. Your true pride and joy.”

“...Thank you?”

“So I want to listen carefully to what I have to say next.” Xianyun held her hands firmly and looked at her daughter straight in the eyes as she spoke with the fullest of conviction: “You need to seduce the homeowner.”

Ganyu wrenched away, face burning bright and embarrassed beyond belief. “Mom!”

Now she remembered in the most visceral way possible why she did not like to visit home.

“Am I wrong! No! Listen. Listen! ”

“We are NOT talking about this!”

“So you want to continue to put your poor mother’s heart in distress?” Xianyun clutched at her heart for dramatic effect. “I just want to know, only to have an idea—when will you start looking around? When will you settle down?”

“I said we are not talking about this!”

“What do you expect me to think then, when you sing praises about the housekeeper and naught for your rich client?”

“Is that what you care about? Mora?!” There was nowhere to escape. Being sandwiched between Shenhe, her mother, and the table, Ganyu couldn’t run. If only the earth could swallow her up now! “Noelle is a friend! And besides I’ve never met Keqing.”

“What?” Xianyun was suddenly inexplicably confused.

And the strangeness of her confusion rebounded onto Ganyu. Her mother knew that part her and Keqing—Ganyu had told her. Why was that a surprise? Ganyu exclaimed again to stress her point. “We’ve never met. Never. ”

Disruptively, Jiehu exhaled loudly and stretched. He looked between the two women and absorbed the tension still circulating in the air. Ganyu’s uncle Jiehu, was a bit of a tactless person. Which might have been the reason why, after only a brief pause for consideration, he went ahead to say: “You know, if you think about it, marriage is only a financial agreement.”

Ganyu opened her mouth to protest at the same time Xianyun pointed enthusiastically at him. “Exactly that! Happens all the time, financial agreements that is. You see my dear, you know what you can do? You can marry her—and divorce her when the time is right. All your combined assets will be split and you can discuss taking the house for yourself. Don’t forget to include that in your prenups, that’s the most important.”

“All that trouble!—Who in their right mind… Do you hear yourself right now! You want me to be a gold-digger for some rich lady? Are you crazy!” Ganyu spat.

“No!” Xianyun cried out, distraught that her daughter would say such a thing.

“So what!”

“You misunderstand! If you want her, have her!” Again, Ganyu was ready to refute but Xianyun stood up from her seat to exclaim loudly: “I want her property !”

The force of her words and frankly, simply just her words, threw the group into a stunned silence. Shenhe awkwardly reached for her tea, tried to sip, but forgot it was empty. Again, awkwardly, she put it back down.

It took several moments of regaining herself before Ganyu could begin to process what her mother said. “You want… the house?”

“I want her property.” Xianyun corrected.

“I–I thought… you said that… what about the settling down part? With K-Keqing?”

“Oh, that—do it with whomever you like! If you want my humble opinion, I think Keqing would be a perfect candidate for you but!—The land is more valuable. You and Shenhe find it desirable too, don’t you? Do you want to stay in that cramped little apartment forever? I think not. Take the house and the garden then! I know how much you love it there! It’s the perfect location to settle down in! Or if you find it not fit to live in… you can redevelop the land to make it profitable instead. You are a resourceful girl! You’ve been given an excellent opportunity through your connection. I do not want to see it being squandered. Think of the things you can do! As for myself, I can think of many things.”

Oh by the archons. Ganyu pinched the bridge of the nose in her frustration.

“However I will not fight with you over it,” Xianyun finished. “As much as I want it, it is only right that you should have the first chance.”

There was a telltale crinkling of plastic. Houzang tapped at Ganyu’s kneecap to draw her attention. “Ganyu.”

“What?” Ganyu snapped.

“Ah, what’s her name again—uh, Keqing? Is she nice?”

“I think she’s… nice.”

Jiehu asked tentatively. “Do you like her?”

Does it matter that she liked her? How could she put an end to this conversation right now? “Archons, I don’t know. She’s alright, I guess. Maybe, I don’t know!”

Discreetly, Shenhe gave Ganyu a sympathetic half-smile and shrugged.

Ganyu shrugged back, not having an answer.

“I'm sure you are quite the catch. You are my daughter after all! That woman will fall for you in an instant. I know it!” Xianyun rambled on, more like an afterthought after her confession to her ulterior motives. “I’d reckon that if you are that one that were to ask about the price, her generosity might be extended to me, perhaps at a discount. Therefore I’d like for you to inquire how much she’s willing to sell it for.”

“The house is older, you said?” Houzang piped in. “Jiehu and I can help with renovations if you wish to make it more modern.”

“No. I want it the way it is. If I don’t like something, I’ll be the one to change it,” Xianyun said promptly. “It’s far enough from the city that no one can bother me, and yet still close enough that I can pick up supplies and go to the store whenever I want. It takes too long to drive out of this town to find what I need.”

Shenhe frowned. “Who said anything about you living there? I thought you liked this one.”

Xianyun’s excitement was in full force. “I hear that it is big enough to fit three people.” She pointed at herself, Shenhe, and Ganyu. “One, two, three! Oh, and the beautifully grand space for the garden and to build a brand new workshop! How marvelous!”

Ganyu tried again. “I don’t think—”

Xianyun forced something into her palm. A scrap of ornately decorated stationery paper. “If you do not want to take the initiative, that is fine. I will do I must. Thus, you must give this to Keqing. It has my contact information. Tell her to email the necessary documents to me if she is still willing to sell it, but to me instead.”

“MOM!”

While all of this was happening and Ganyu was busy fighting for her life, unbeknownst to her she received a message.

Her old reliable work phone, that she carried around on her person everywhere she went, had gone into a sporadic period of retirement. Now with her regular scheduling of being mainly in charge of Keqing’s property, most of the other, smaller jobs were forwarded to Shenhe. Even now as Ganyu was on her vacation, her phones—both her personal and her work ones—came with her.

She grew out of the habit of checking it as often however. There was even less inclination to do so while she was celebrating the holidays. So when Ningguang mistakenly called her work phone instead of her personal one, it went ignored and went straight into her voicemail:

Good evening, Ganyu. Happy holidays. Are you still in town? If you are, might you be available to go on a day trip with me? Beidou is going off to Inazuma and I’ll be driving her to the airport. Do you want to tag along for a quick lunch together with us tomorrow before her flight? Our treat.

Coincidentally, I’m picking up a certain someone at the airport as well. Has she told you? Her flight won’t be until later in the evening so I’d thought it’d be nice to have company to kill time with until then. It might be presumptuous to think you’d want to see her out of the blue like this… I just wanted to ask anyway. She’d be so surprised! Hah!

But I understand if you don’t. It’ll be a long day out anyway. I’ll drive you back home if you just wanted to get lunch.

Let me know if you are interested.