Chapter 27 Sisters Tea Party ~ Milk Tea Mahjong Poker...

After seeing 996's message in the group, Li Qinglan planned to rush over to cheer her up.

However, since she had a scimitar in her hand which was at the critical moment of forging, she could not leave immediately. Therefore, when she hurried to the training base, the players' challenge game was nearing its end.

Of course, as expected, her friend 996 not only won the challenge, but also won the reputation of a group of players.

Uh... Although she is now surrounded by a group of players who are asking her to become their apprentice, she looks very embarrassed.

At this moment, Li Fenglan seemed to react as if by telepathy, and immediately waved and shouted towards 996.

Her shouting was like the sound of nature to Zhu Yu at that moment. She quickly broke free from Tong Qiao's embrace and backed away while saying:

"We'll talk about this later when we have a chance. My friend is here. Yes, he has something urgent to talk to me about. I'm leaving now."

After several attempts, Zhu Yu finally left the training base with Li Fenglan amidst the crowded crowd.

"Thank you so much just now."

Zhu Yu thanked his friend while breathing slightly.

The previous challenges did not seem strenuous to her, but the short journey from the third floor of the training base to where they were now made Zhu Yu feel exhausted.

"You don't have to be so polite, 996. No, I should call you Zhu Yu. After all, this is our first offline meeting."

Li Fenglan smiled and extended his hand to Zhu Yu:

"By the way, let me formally introduce myself. I'm Li Fenglan, player 0782, and my profession is a foundry craftsman."

After the introduction, Li Fenglan glanced at the time and said, "I sent a message to Xiaoqi ten minutes ago. She has already picked up a number at the hot pot restaurant. Calculating the time, it should be her turn soon."

"Hot pot restaurant?" Zhu Yu was stunned.

"Yeah, you were busy before, so I didn't have a chance to invite you. If you are free this time, would you like to have a hot pot together?"

"What a coincidence! I have nothing to do next."

It had been a long time since I had eaten hotpot with others, and Zhu Yu was quite looking forward to it, so he happily accepted Li Fenglan's invitation.

The two walked into the bustling hot pot restaurant, and Li Fenglan pulled Zhu Yu straight up to the second floor.

After turning right, Li Fenglan pushed open the door of a box.

In the private room, the copper pot on the table was still empty, obviously waiting for them to arrive before ordering.

Ou Qi was wearing a casual sweater and was concentrating on looking through the menu. She immediately looked up when she heard movement at the door.

"Hi, Zhu Yu! Long time no see!" Ou Qi greeted excitedly.

Zhu Yu smiled and sat down opposite Ou Qi. Li Fenglan followed and sat beside her. He picked up the menu and asked, "Zhu Yu, what do you want to eat? We're treating you today to celebrate your victory!"

"For the three of us, why don't we order a big dango hotpot?"

The hotpot restaurant was warm and cozy, and Zhu Yu leaned back in his chair and relaxed.

"Okay, then how about the best-selling tomato hotpot and spicy beef oil hotpot?" Ou Qi said, pointing to the hotpot options on the menu.

Zhu Yu and Li Fenglan both agreed, and the three of them quickly ordered the dishes and hot pot snacks.

While waiting for the ingredients to cook, Zhu Yu picked up a bowl of rock sugar and snow pear soup and started drinking it first.

The snow pear stewed with rock sugar has a light amber luster and is served in a porcelain bowl, exuding a sweet aroma.

The soft and glutinous stewed pear melted in her mouth with a light bite, and the sweet juice flowed out.

After a while, steam was rising from the pot and the three of them started to eat hotpot.

Ou Qi picked up a piece of beef and dipped it in the homemade sauce. Her eyes lit up, "Wow, this time I used the secret dipping sauce shared in the group, and it tastes amazing!"

"Really? Send it to me, I want to try it too!"

"What's in the dipping sauce?"

Zhu Yu and Li Fenglan asked almost at the same time.

"Okay, okay, wait a moment, I'll send it to you."

Ou Qi said as he forwarded the secret recipe for the dipping sauce to the two of them.

After preparing the new dipping sauce, Zhu Yu picked up a piece of frozen tofu soaked in tomato soup, dipped it in a small bowl, and then put it into his mouth.

The soft and tender frozen tofu melts in your mouth, the sweet and sour taste of the tomato soup blends perfectly with the unique taste of the secret sauce, and the slight spiciness in the dipping sauce is just right.

"Well, this combination is really delicious." Zhu Yu couldn't help but nod and praise.

After eating for a while, Ou Qi suddenly remembered something and asked in confusion: "I don't think I saw the owner of the hot pot restaurant today. Did she also go to the training base to watch the fun?"

"How is that possible? He is an NPC in the game, how could he be interested in the players' affairs?" Li Qinglan analyzed seriously.

"Ahem, yes, Qinglan is right." Zhu Yu coughed twice and quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Ou Qi, what's the situation with the blue iron ore you mentioned online before?"

"Ah, this is a long story..."

Ou Qi immediately became excited and began to tell about the various strange stories she encountered during her adventure, while Li Fenglan shared the strange players she met and collaborated with in the game.

The three of them ate and chatted, and the atmosphere gradually became more and more relaxed. The steam from the hot pot seemed to isolate everything from the outside world.

"What? Zhu Yu, you need to find an orange-quality flame crystal? Are you sure the wandering merchant is not teasing you? Where can you find a flame crystal in an environment of more than 100 degrees below zero?"

When Ou Qi heard about Zhu Yu's experience of meeting a wandering merchant while he was out fighting monsters and collecting experience scrolls, his eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes," Li Fenglan also nodded, "This is simply too unreasonable."

Zhu Yu smiled helplessly, "I think so too. That's why I don't dare to post this task on the task board, for fear that other players will think I'm cheating."

"It's really tricky," Ou Qi shook his head and sighed, "But don't worry too much, maybe there really is a place in the game where the flame crystal is hidden. If we find a clue someday, how about we team up and explore next time?"

"Okay, I will definitely give you a generous commission as a reward when the time comes!"

"Come on, come on, let's have a toast to this agreement first—"

When the soup base was gradually boiled dry, the three of them finished the hotpot meal with satisfaction.

"Thank you so much for inviting me today." Zhu Yu smiled at his two friends, "I'll invite you again next time if I have the chance."

Li Fenglan and Ou Qi smiled and waved their hands, "Then we won't be polite. We'll wait for you to treat us to a big meal next time!"

Just as the three of them walked not far from the hot pot restaurant, Zhu Yu suddenly spoke up: "By the way, have you ever been to the underground hot springs here?"

"Underground hot spring?"

Ou Qi looked confused.

"Xiaoqi was out exploring for a mineral deposit a few days ago. She just moved in with me yesterday. She hasn't been to the underground hot spring yet." Li Qinglan explained.

"In that case, since we're here now," Zhu Yu curved his eyes at the two of them, "Why don't we just go take a hot spring bath? It'll just be a good way to get rid of the hot pot smell on our bodies."

"Yes, that's a good idea!" Ou Qi's eyes lit up and he agreed.

"We just ate, so we shouldn't go directly into the hot spring from the entrance of the hot pot restaurant. Let's take a detour and go in from the entrance on the central hall side. We can help digest the food while walking there." Li Qinglan suggested.

"Okay!" Ou Qi burped and agreed.

Zhu Yu had no objection, and the three of them slowly strolled along the path of the fortress to another entrance to the underground hot spring.

At the entrance of the hot spring area, the hot steam dispels the cold outside.

After taking a shower and changing into yukatas, they slowly walked towards the hot spring pool.

Zhu Yu and Li Fenglan were already very familiar with this place. They walked calmly into the hot spring and sank their bodies into the warm current.

"Tsk, this is more comfortable than taking a bath!" Zhu Yu sighed slightly, feeling the warm spring water wrapping around her body, dissolving all her fatigue.

Ou Qi was a little reserved. She stood by the hot spring pool, tested the water temperature, carefully put her feet into the water, and then opened her eyes wide in surprise, "It's so hot! This is too hot!"

"Don't be nervous, take it slow," Li Fenglan encouraged her, "It will feel a little hot at first, but once you get used to it, you will feel very comfortable."

Ou Qi hesitated for a moment, mustered up her courage, and slid into the hot spring little by little. The water temperature gradually surrounded her body. After a moment, she finally relaxed.

"So it turns out that hot springs are so enjoyable!" Ou Qi exclaimed softly, her cheeks slightly flushed due to the temperature, and the hot air on the water surface gently surrounded her, "Why did I discover this place only now! It's so comfortable!"

After soaking for a while, Li Qinglan seemed to have received some news. She opened her personal page and said to the two people paddling in the hot spring after reading the content:

"Xue Ling sent me a message just now, saying that the product she had been researching finally produced results, and she invited us to a tea party together."

"What is she studying?"

Zhu Yu swam to the shore and asked curiously.

"She didn't say anything. I guess she wanted to keep it a secret." Li Qinglan paused and blinked at the two of them: "But I think I can guess something."

Zhu Yu and Ou Qi looked at each other, then approached Li Qinglan in tacit understanding, raised the corners of their mouths slightly, and said in a serious tone: "Tell me, what is it? If you don't tell me, we're going to take action."

Li Qinglan shook his head, took a step back deliberately, and put on an innocent expression: "Don't be like this, you two. I'm not hiding anything."

"Stop pretending! Speak now!" Ou Qi chuckled and pretended to raise his hand to hit her.

The three of them immediately started playing together, their laughter echoing in the steaming hot spring.

After playing for a while, everyone stopped, leaned against the pool to rest, and quietly enjoyed this moment of tranquility.

After soaking for a while, Zhu Yu and the others got up, dried their bodies, changed their clothes, and then walked towards the exit.

Originally, Li Qinglan planned to take the two of them directly back to the ice house, but since they were going to have a tea party, how could they miss snacks?

So they decided to go to the hot pot restaurant to pack some hot pot snacks before returning to the residential area.

On the way, Li Qinglan explained to Zhu Yu: "Xiaoqi and I have a large ice house, so the tea party will be held in our ice house.

Not long after walking, Zhu Yu arrived at the ice house where the two people lived.

The room is spacious and bright. The walls are crystal clear and reflect soft light. It is tidy and neat.

There was a huge hand-painted map hanging on the wall, and Zhu Yu recognized at a glance that it was made by Ou Qi.

She leaned in for a closer look and saw that many of the explored locations were marked on the map.

"Welcome to our little world!"

Ou Qi walked towards the map and patted it proudly. "This is my proudest work. I walked every route myself."

"It's really amazing! The map you drew is more detailed than the one provided in the game." Zhu Yu praised generously.

She also noticed that there was a small room in the house with the door half-open, revealing a faint metallic luster.

The room was piled with various casting tools and materials, and several unfinished weapons were placed on the table, which was messy but still in craftsman style.

It was obvious that this was Li Qinglan's workshop. Zhu Yu was embarrassed to check the other party's work privacy, so he just glanced at it and then looked away.

Just at this moment, someone knocked on the door.

Ou Qi ran to open the door and saw two girls standing outside.

"Dangdang! Look what I brought this time!" Yang Xueling and Sheng Miao were excited, each holding a large bucket of something in their arms, and walked into the ice house excitedly.

When the two saw Zhu Yu, the smiles on their faces paused for a moment, then blossomed even wider: "You are player 996, right? Sister Qinglan has mentioned you several times!"

Sheng Miao said: "I saw your battle video in the group chat today. It was super popular. Thousands of people downloaded it. You are really amazing. You killed the B-level giant lizard with just a few moves!"

Yang Xueling and Sheng Miao both have life-related professions, so they admire Zhu Yu, a powerful combat player, and they immediately start talking when they see her.

Zhu Yu smiled and gently interrupted their enthusiasm: "You two, I shouldn't be the protagonist tonight, right?"

Her eyes moved to the buckets they were holding in their arms, her face full of curiosity.

"Ah, yes!" Sheng Miao quickly called everyone together, smiled mysteriously, and then opened the large thermos in his arms, "Smell it, what is this smell?"

As the lid of the thermos was opened, a sweet aroma instantly filled the air, a mixture of milk aroma and a hint of tea fragrance. This familiar taste was mouth-watering.

"Milk tea?" Zhu Yu raised his eyebrows and asked with a little surprise.

No wonder this gathering is called a "tea party", it really lives up to its name.

"That's right! This is the milk tea we made ourselves. We brought it here specially for you to try!" Yang Xueling opened another thermos bucket. This bucket was filled not with milk tea, but with round brown meatballs.

"We have prepared two different flavors of milk tea tonight," Sheng Miao said excitedly, "This is classic milk tea. If you want pearl milk tea, just add pearls yourself! Which one do you want?"

"Wait a minute, I want to ask where did you get these pearl balls?" As soon as Ou Qi asked, he immediately reacted: "Could this be what you, Xueling, have been researching before?"

"Bingo! Correct answer!" Yang Xueling snapped her fingers happily and said:

"After finding a plant that was a substitute for tea leaves, I dug up a plant stem similar to cassava in the snow. After continuous extraction and various experiments, I unexpectedly made the pearls in bubble tea!"

Wow, professions can be played like this. Zhu Yu was amazed at the other party's imagination and hands-on ability.

Li Qinglan took out a few glasses from the kitchen and poured everyone a cup of warm milk tea.

Zhu Yu took the milk tea and saw the milk foam floating gently on the surface.

She carefully scooped a spoonful of black pearls from another bucket and put it into her milk tea.

But how should she suck these pearls next?

“Hiss—” Sheng Miao scratched his hair in annoyance. “Oh, we were in such a hurry to make milk tea that we forgot to make some simple paper straws!”

"It's okay, just wait a moment!" Li Qinglan turned and walked into her workshop.

In less than five minutes, she came out with five brand new glass straws and handed them to everyone, "Here, the problem is solved, use them!"

"Thank you!" Everyone took the straw and started enjoying the bubble milk tea in their hands.

Zhu Yu looked at the two life-oriented players in front of him with envy, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: The skills of the life-oriented players are too practical. Her skills are completely useless except for beating up the giant lizard.

"By the way, the heating in the living room has been turned on, and the mahjong table and playing cards that I asked the craftsman to customize have also been received. Which one do you want to play tonight?"

Zhu Yu has become numb to the various functional developments for lifestyle players, but when he heard about the mahjong table, he still gasped: No, how come you lifestyle players have even researched and invented this thing!

"How about we play Sichuan Mahjong? How about we play a few rounds to relax?"

Sheng Miao suggested.

When Zhu Yu heard this, he smiled awkwardly: "Well...actually I don't know how to play mahjong."

"I'm not very familiar with the rules of Sichuan Mahjong." Ou Qi on the side also raised his hand.

The other three were stunned for a moment, then smiled at each other. Li Qinglan waved his hand and said, "It doesn't matter. Since you don't know how to play Mahjong, let's play Landlord! I just happen to have some playing cards prepared."

"I know how to play Landlord!" Zhu Yu breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

After reaching a consensus, the five people sat on the carpet in the living room, each holding a cup of milk tea.

On the coffee table, there were snacks they packed from the hot pot restaurant, all placed in exquisite small plates - crispy fried milk, stewed pear with rock sugar, rose and lychee jelly, osmanthus wine jelly, sweet and sour pineapple jelly, classic brown sugar jelly, wolf tooth potatoes, brown sugar glutinous rice cake, fennel fried dough sticks, red dates and white fungus soup, salt and pepper chicken wings, crispy pork, cheese pumpkin tarts...

This time, Zhu Yu volunteered to pack up the food. As the owner of the hotpot restaurant, she didn't want to spend any money, so she simply took several plates of each dish, which was enough for five people to eat for a while.

"Shunzi, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, is there any - this osmanthus jelly tastes good."

"Eighty or ninety pickled egg K, hehehe I guess you definitely don't have it - Miaomiao, don't poke me."

"Skip--chew-chew."

"Wait a minute, I've finished my milk tea and need a refill."

"Bomb—hahahaha, I have no cards left, I win!"

"Ah, I knew it. Ou Qi, your luck is so high. You have won several times!"

"Come again, come again, my luck is not low, I don't believe that I can't get a good card--"

“…”