Chapter 40: Tavern and xia sha

Hmm, decided.

Tonight’s dinner will be at that shop!

“Welcome—”

Under the clear candlelight, Keti quietly walked into a tavern on the commercial street.

The moment she stepped inside, she heard a hearty and straightforward female voice greeting her.

Keti’s gaze was immediately drawn over, and she saw a woman in her forties, wearing a headscarf and an apron, dressed simply, approaching her.

Keti then showed a relieved smile, and greeted the familiar landlady who was coming up to her:

“Ah, Sister Xiasha~”

“Hm?”

Hearing her name spoken so directly, Xiasha froze for a moment.

After a short pause, she gave a straightforward laugh and then patted her own head.

“Ah, looks like you’re a regular, huh? Look at me, can’t even remember anymore…You’re such a cute young lady~ How could I have no impression at all? Ah, don’t take it the wrong way~”

Suddenly remembering she looked completely different now, Keti realized…she might have slipped up just now.

The other party didn’t recognize her at all, but she acted as if they were old acquaintances!

This…cough, cough, no, she had to quickly cover it up!

“Ah, no, no, actually it’s my first time here~ Ahahaha…I just heard from friends about this tavern and Sister Xiasha, the loyal landlady, so I came by myself to give it a try~”

The silver-haired girl quickly waved her hand, looking a little guilty as she explained.

Xiasha just smiled quietly and nodded after hearing this.

“I see, that’s how it is. I thought so…I remember all the regulars here, and I’ve never seen such a cute little one before~ Welcome! What would you like to eat?”

“Um, yes! Then…please give me a large portion of Fried Noodles, no spicy!”

When it came to food, the silver-haired girl’s eyes lit up with stars.

Hearing the familiar terms in a row, Xiasha was surprised for a moment, then chuckled.

“Oh, you know quite a bit, huh? I haven’t even given you the Menu yet~”

Cough, cough, cough…

Feeling that she was acting a little off again, Keti awkwardly coughed.

But the landlady didn’t mind at all, instead she smiled and patted her shoulder before saying cheerfully: “No problem. Find yourself a seat first. Kitchen, one large Fried Noodles, no spice—!”

After a while, Keti sat down dejectedly in a corner.

She really wasn’t quite used to her new identity yet.

Although her name hadn’t changed, unless she brought up the transformation herself, others saw her as a completely different person.

After a moment, she looked around the tavern and her mood improved.

Everything was still so familiar.

On a Rest Day evening, this tavern, known for being cheap and affordable, was bustling.

Many workers, farmers, and small traders from around the Imperial Capital had gathered here.

Some came with their families, some poor couples came here on dates, but mostly it was groups of big men with their shirts off, linking arms, singing and dancing, drinking and playing cards, bursts of laughter breaking out now and then.

Such a lively atmosphere…

Keti was introverted, but she didn’t dislike this kind of liveliness.

Although joining in felt a bit embarrassing, just being surrounded by the cheerful energy was fun and soothing.

“Hey, you over there with the white hair~ Want to come drink with us, hahaha~”

Just as Keti was resting her chin waiting for her food, the group of drinking uncles suddenly turned their heads and called out to her.

The silver-haired girl smiled helplessly.

She knew these men were just teasing and meant no harm.

After all, back when she was still a boy, these guys greeted her the same way.

Once, they even forcibly pulled her over to drink and dance despairingly around the campfire…

Damn!

Recalling that experience, Keti coughed twice.

After a moment, she waved at the uncles, worried for a bit that they might try to drag her over again…

But it turned out she was overthinking.

Seeing her refusal, the uncle who called her shifted awkwardly and then laughed with the others’ teasing: “Ah, such a cute little girl. If only my daughter was that adorable~”

“Pfft, all I know is, if my sister-in-law saw you just now, you’d be done for~ hahahaha.”

Laughter erupted again from the uncles.

Keti smiled helplessly.

Coming back to her senses, a big bowl of Fried Noodles was already placed on her table.

Standing next to her, Xiasha turned to the drinking men and shouted: “Hey, you lot, drink properly and don’t scare off my adorable new guest! Honestly, you old rascals…”

“Ah, sorry, sorry, landlady, just joking, hahaha—”

Xiasha snorted, then turned back to look at Keti with a gentle smile: “Don’t mind them, little girl, those guys just have too much free time.”

“No worries, I understand…”

Keti smiled.

She hadn’t really minded, but inside she felt a wave of warmth.

That’s right.

The reason she often came to this tavern in the past, besides the affordable food, was this hearty and kind landlady.

Sister Xiasha was like the big sister of this place.

She knew how to deal with those rough working men, commanding their respect, yet always gentle to introverted young people like herself.

Everyone respected her, and that’s why this tavern had such a good reputation.

“Huh? You really seem like one of my regulars, not like a first-timer at all. Haha, you’ve got this old lady curious, little girl.”

“What’s the name of the friend who brought you here? I want to thank them properly for promoting our tavern~”

“Uh…ah, well…”

Faced with Xiasha’s curious gaze, Keti suddenly got stuck.

This…wasn’t right.

Shouldn’t she have been asked for her name first?

Hmm…she had already prepared a fake name to bluff her way through.

Now this was a bit difficult.

If she gave another name, she couldn’t remember any other guest names anyway, and if she made one up, Xiasha, who apparently remembered every regular’s name, might find it weird!

After some thought, she decided it wasn’t a big deal.

So the silver-haired girl lowered her head quietly and said softly: “My friend is…K-Keti.”