"Yo, taking photos? How come you didn't wait for your big brother?" Bosacius said with a grin.
The group had just come in from the courtyard when they saw Bonanus and Xiao taking a photo together.
"I'm not going to skip you. Don't be so impatient." Bonanus chuckled. She wanted to wait until they cut the cake before taking more photos.
"So it's a kamera. What a wonderful device. If we had these back then, we could have captured so many memories of friends." Granny Ping said softly, her voice warm.
Hunched over, she couldn't help but think of her old friends from days gone by.
It had been so long. She had almost forgotten what they looked like.
All she remembered were their names—the marks they had left on this world.
Realizing this wasn't the best topic for the occasion, Granny Ping quickly changed the subject.
"Yanfei's cooking has improved again. Looks like I'll be eating well from now on."
"Hehe, of course! Besides law, I've been getting interested in cooking too." Yanfei said proudly. She was happy to hear her grandmother's praise.
"That's wonderful. It's always good to find new interests." Granny Ping nodded.
"If I get the chance, maybe I can learn a thing or two from you, Yanfei." Menogias chuckled.
"I should be the one learning from you, Lord Menogias!" Yanfei rubbed her head.
After some casual chatter, everyone took their seats. Looking at the feast before them, a sense of happiness spread through each of them.
Especially Bosacius. His face was practically beaming. Life was good. So much delicious food.
"Big Brother Bosacius! Your image! Watch your image!" Bonanus laughed. Her brother looked like a starving beast who hadn't eaten in a hundred years.
She didn't know what to say.
"We're still missing someone. Don't rush." Menogias smiled.
"Only Bosacius would act like this." Xiao shook his head.
"You wouldn't understand." Bosacius rubbed his belly and laughed heartily.
Just as they finished speaking, a familiar, gentle female voice came from the courtyard entrance.
The voice was particularly soft, accompanied by the jingling of bells.
Who else could it be but Ganyu?
"I hope I'm not late." Ganyu peeked in from the courtyard entrance, holding a box in her hands.
Clearly, the coconut sheep hadn't used the front door. She had jumped into the courtyard and made her way over.
Everyone turned to look. The moment they saw Ganyu, smiles lit up their faces.
"Not at all! Come in, Senior Ganyu!" Yanfei welcomed her warmly.
"Coconut Sheep! Sit next to me!" Bonanus waved enthusiastically.
"What coconut sheep? My name is Ganyu." Ganyu said helplessly. Even after all this time, Bonanus still used those strange nicknames for her.
"Of course, Wangmei! Got it, Wangmei!" Bonanus said playfully, making everyone laugh.
"Sigh..." Ganyu sighed softly. She walked over and handed the box to Bonanus. Inside was her gift.
"What's this?" Bonanus stood up and took the box curiously. What could be inside?
"It's a plushie that looks like you. A little gift from me." Ganyu smiled.
Hearing that, Bonanus's head filled with question marks. A matching plushie? What was that?
With anticipation, she opened the box.
Inside was a chibi-style plushie that looked a lot like her.
Well, it wasn't just similar. It was her.
A pair of cute button eyes. A chubby face. Short, stubby limbs.
A long tail. Soft little horns. And that familiar color scheme...
Wow. Bonanus couldn't believe it. This was definitely made to look like her.
But she had to admit, the plushie felt amazing. So soft. Girls like her loved plushies like this.
If it were bigger, it would be perfect for hugging in bed.
"Whoa! Since when did Liyue start selling these?" Bonanus said in surprise. She hadn't seen anything like this when she was out shopping during the day.
"They've been selling them recently. I heard they're quite popular, so I bought one." Ganyu explained with a smile.
"Haha, little sister, you've been away so you wouldn't know. Besides yours, they also sell plushies of me, Menogias, and Alatus." Bosacius laughed.
"Yes, I actually had to pay them a visit since they started selling them without permission." Yanfei shook her head.
"The Yakshas didn't really mind, though. After they compensated for it, the matter was settled." Yanfei continued.
"Really?!"
Bonanus hugged the small plushie in surprise. But she had to admit, it was adorable. She loved it.
Those people sure knew how to make money.
Wait—from what her big brother said, there were still Xiao plushies available?
That was... amazing! Just imagining a pile of cute plushies keeping her company at night made her feel like she was in heaven.
"Hehe, so soft~" Bonanus smiled blissfully.
Seeing her reaction, Ganyu nodded in relief. She had been worried about what gift to give. She was glad Bonanus liked it.
"Thank you for the gift, Ganyu. Come, sit."
Bonanus led Ganyu to a chair at the table. Ganyu's figure was truly something—even just sitting there was captivating.
She returned to her own seat. After a brief pause, everyone picked up their chopsticks and began to enjoy the food.
Since everyone was here, it was time to eat!
Bonanus gently picked up a piece of meat with her oversized chopsticks and placed it in her mouth. A sound of pure bliss escaped her as a smile tugged at her lips.
This is incredible! She suddenly felt like she was dining at a fancy restaurant. If she ever had nothing to do in the future, she would definitely drag Yanfei and Menogias into opening a restaurant together.
"Though I knew you could cook, I never expected it to be this good. Why didn't you show off before?" Bosacius said, chomping down on a chicken leg as he spoke.
"When would I have had time to show off my cooking? And we didn't have this many ingredients back then."
Menogias shook his head. During the war, they never had time to cook. They were Rex Lapis's strongest warriors, always sent to the most dangerous places.
In that environment, there was no way to showcase culinary skills.
"What a pity. Reminds me of those days when I was barely conscious, scraping bark off trees to eat." Bosacius closed his eyes and shook his head casually.
"Back then, even tree bark was probably a rare commodity."
War was terrifying. The immense power involved made it hard for any plant life to survive.
Bonanus said softly, then picked up a piece of braised pork and placed it in Xiao's bowl.
Eat more meat. You'll grow taller.
"Indeed. But there were plenty of dead trees left." Bosacius said, taking another big bite of his meat.
"That's only natural." Xiao said flatly. Those times had been truly harsh. The cold snow could be scooped up and eaten.
It would briefly fill the stomach and provide hydration.
"Then eat more now. Make up for all the years you missed." Bonanus grinned. She turned her gaze to Ganyu. Why wasn't she eating?
"Wangmei, why aren't you eating?" Bonanus asked, puzzled.
"It's... the grease. It'll make me gain weight..." Ganyu said, her hands on her knees, a little embarrassed.