Genshin Impact: The Sharpshooter of Teyvat

Chapter 1230 Ningguang Washes Ying's Feet

The two stared at each other, and the air fell silent for a moment, with only their slightly rapid breathing filling the bedroom.

After a few seconds, Shao Yun took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and threw the question to Ying.

"Fine, you say I ruined her, then tell me, what am I supposed to do with Ningguang?"

Seeing that Shao Yun was finally willing to listen to her thoughts, Ying quickly sat up straight and earnestly explained her plans.

“I want to leave her at the ranch to help out for now. Once the situation in Liyue has calmed down and the immortals’ anger has subsided, we can try to contact the people in Liyue and send Ningguang back.”

"We can have a proper talk with Zhongli then; maybe there'll be a chance to turn things around. We can't just cut off her way home!"

As she spoke, she said somewhat naively, "Ningguang definitely still thinks about Liyue. If you let her settle down in Nata, she'll regret it for the rest of her life."

"Let's wait and see, maybe things will change?"

After hearing Ying's idea, Shao Yun felt a lump in his throat. He turned away abruptly and began to criticize Ying's naiveté.

"Are you kidding me? You're waiting for the situation in Liyue to calm down so Ningguang can go back? Have you forgotten what I told you?"

"If she goes back, it's not a question of whether there's any hope for the future; it's a death sentence!"

Shao Yun was very dissatisfied with Ying's "unrealistic expectations," and besides, wasn't Nata a good place?

"Besides, what's wrong with Nata? Life is simple and peaceful, without any conflict. For Ningguang right now, it's practically paradise!"

Seeing that Shao Yun completely failed to understand her good intentions, Ying became anxious. She stood up, walked to Shao Yun's side, and retorted:

“I’m not saying Nata is bad! I just don’t want to see Ningguang trapped in Nata for the rest of her life. This is not her stage at all!”

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her tone, but couldn't hide the regret in her heart.

"To put it bluntly, Nata's talents are completely mismatched with Ningguang's! You know, Ningguang's forte is business operations and economic management, but what is Nata?"

"There is simply no fertile ground for commercial development here. To let her live here alone, in Liyue's words, isn't that 'burning the zither and boiling the crane,' a waste of resources?"

"Her talent has nowhere to be displayed. Isn't that torture for her?"

"So she can use her talents while staying on our ranch?" Shao Yun turned around and looked at Ying's eager eyes.

Finally, Shao Yun decided to stop hiding it and lay it all out, telling everyone what was on his mind.

"Alright, since we've come this far, I won't pretend anymore. Let me tell you the truth: the reason I was in such a hurry to arrange a job for Ningguang in the head office and have her move out is simply because I don't want Ningguang to continue living in our house."

"Why?" Ying asked, puzzled.

"Ningguang is all alone now, so staying at home means she has someone to look after her. Besides, she's very hardworking and always helps with housework; she hasn't caused us any trouble!"

Why don't you want her to live here?

Looking at Ying's innocent and naive appearance, Shao Yun was speechless.

"Why? Because this is our home!"

Shao Yun felt a surge of frustration and disappointment.

He paced back and forth in the bedroom for a couple of steps, then began to list out the reasons why he didn't want Ningguang to live at home.

"Why don't you understand? Let's talk about the family first."

"You are my wife, and we'll spend the rest of our lives together; Paimon, you've been with us all over the country for so long, we're practically family now, like a goddaughter."

"And then there's our daughter Xi, the apple of our eye. Do I need to say more? We're a real family of four, it's only natural that we live together!"

“Kong, that’s your own brother, my brother-in-law! He lives with us without any problems; he’s family by blood!”

"And then there's Shen He, our daughter's godmother! She cares for Xi more than she cares for herself, both in name and in practice. It's perfectly reasonable for us to live together!"

"Not to mention Yuan Shang! That time in Feng Dan, he was willing to risk his life to save you and our daughter!"

"I'm willing to let my baby recognize him as his uncle, and I didn't say a word when he lived at home!"

At this point, Shao Yun pointed to the closed bedroom door, emphasizing an undeniable fact.

"But what about Ningguang? Who is she? Tell me, why is she living with us?"

“I know you pity her and think she's pitiful and helpless, but I haven't mistreated her! What did I arrange for her? A job in the head office!”

"I'll have Vulcan Mavica personally handle the coordination and arrangements!"

He stepped forward, staring intently into Ying's eyes: "Go ask around the entire continent of Teyvat, no, go ask around there!"

"What down-on-his-luck person could be as fortunate as Ningguang? She arrived at a new place and the local deity personally arranged her work within the core organization, providing her with food, lodging, and even the opportunity to save money!"

"This kind of treatment is something many people would kill for!"

Finally, Shao Yun took a deep breath, softened his tone, but still insisted on his opinion:

"Ying, you should be content! I'm not mistreating Ningguang, I'm paving the best path for her! Listen to me, stop worrying about it, this is better for her, and better for our family!"

Ying was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly looked up at Shao Yun and, following his "realistic" line of thinking, proposed a compromise.

"Then... I can let Ningguang stay at the ranch as a babysitter, okay?"

Immediately afterward, before Shao Yun could object, she quickly added, "Have her help Shen He clean the house, cook together every day, and share some of the housework."

"Do you really intend to leave all the household chores to Shen He? She already has enough to do every day, taking care of Xi."

Upon hearing this "practical issue," Shao Yun calmed down slightly, but still subconsciously refuted Ying's point of view.

"Isn't Yuan Shang there? He doesn't have much to do usually, so why not just have him help Shen He out a bit?"

“Yuan Shang?” Ying raised an eyebrow and immediately put forward a very realistic assumption.

“What if my brother has something to do and needs Yuan Shang to go? In that case, I’ll take Paimon and our little dragon to take on the job, and you can go to the pasture to herd sheep and cattle. Shen He will be all alone at home.”

"She has to take care of the child, cook, and do housework. Can you bear to let her be so tired? And the child will grow up. Don't you think about the future?"

Shao Yun was speechless when asked the question; the situation Ying described was indeed possible.

He opened his mouth, but still stubbornly said, "I think you're underestimating Shen He..."

“Even the most capable people get tired!” Ying persisted, focusing on the point that “Shen He is taking care of the child alone and there aren’t enough people to help him,” and even brought up Yuan Shang’s gender.

"Besides, Yuan Shang is a man after all! When you and I aren't home, Shen He and Yuan Shang are alone together, so it's not appropriate for them to interfere in certain matters, is it?"

"And our daughter... I think you should know that, right..."

Shao Yun felt that Ying's explanation was a desperate attempt to find a solution, and that she had stubbornly come up with an absurd reason.

"Then... then I'll discuss it with Yuan Shang. How about I have him sterilized? That way he won't be a 'pure man' anymore, and it'll be easier for him to get along with Shen He!"

(Yuan Shang: Um... my true form is an abyssal demon, so I don't seem to have that kind of ability...)

……

In short, after Ying's dramatic display of crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide, Shao Yun began to waver... Keeping Ningguang around didn't seem like a bad idea after all.

Putting everything else aside, just take tonight's dinner as an example. Ningguang not only volunteered to help in the kitchen, but the Liyue side dishes she made were also exceptionally flavorful.

Moreover, she was exceptionally diligent in cleaning and washing dishes, showing none of the airs she used to have as Tianquanxing, and instead seemed like a down-to-earth person.

Shen He really does need a helper... a girl like her should be able to cooperate well...

But then he thought again, and deep down he still didn't want Ningguang to live at home.

After all, "home" is a warm harbor, and having an outsider always makes one feel less at ease.

Moreover, Ningguang's gaze always carried an almost dependent eagerness, which made him feel uneasy. He was always worried that if this continued, it would cause unnecessary trouble.

What if the gun accidentally goes off and kills someone?

Just as Shao Yun was caught in a dilemma about whether to stay or not, a soft knock came from the bedroom door, interrupting his thoughts.

"Who is it?" Shao Yun asked instinctively, his tone somewhat impatient.

Ningguang's soft, yet somewhat cautious voice came from outside the door.

"Um... excuse me, may I come in?"

Before Shao Yun could respond, Ying, standing beside him, said with a smile, "No problem, come in!"

She had been wanting to have a private talk with Ningguang, and now that Ningguang had come to her, it was the perfect opportunity.

Upon hearing Ying's reply, Shao Yun couldn't help but turn and give her a reproachful look, but since the words were already out, he could only let it go.

With a soft creak, the bedroom door was gently pushed open.

Ningguang was carrying a wooden foot bath basin, from which steam rose faintly, indicating that the water had just been prepared to warm up.

She had a clean white towel draped over her left shoulder, and she walked in cautiously with her head slightly bowed, her posture as humble as a maidservant serving her master.

She was still wearing the shirt and jeans that Shen He had worn while helping in the kitchen during the day, and her hair was simply wrapped in a headscarf. Although it looked a bit messy, it couldn't hide her inherent refinement.

But this exquisiteness is now wrapped in a layer of humble caution.

Seeing Ningguang's expression, Shao Yun's impatience grew even stronger. He frowned and asked Ningguang, who was carrying the foot bath basin:

"What are you doing here? Why aren't you resting so late? What are you doing in our bedroom?"

Ningguang stiffened slightly upon hearing Shao Yun's somewhat stern tone, but still maintained a humble demeanor.

She gently raised her head, a hint of ingratiating smile in her eyes, picked up the basin of water, and offered it slightly forward, explaining:

"I...I saw that Miss Ying must have worked hard taking care of the child today, so I wanted to wash Miss Ying's feet to relieve her fatigue..."

As she spoke, she immediately walked over to Ying, who was sitting on the bed, and said ingratiatingly, "Miss Ying, soaking your feet will make you feel much better."

With so many years of experience, Ningguang has figured out Shao Yun's temperament and character. If you try your best to please him, the effect will be "twice as much as half as you want". If you are not careful, you may even bring disaster upon yourself.

For example, the night Ningguang seduced Shao Yun with her body.

But Ying is much simpler. As long as you please Ying, she will be happy. Even if Shao Yun is unhappy, as long as his wife whispers sweet nothings in his ear, everything will be fine.

But if you anger Ying, you can contact the "Hall of Rebirth" in Liyue to hold funerals.

For example, Barbatos, who kidnapped Ying, Paimon, and Xi, still has the giant wind field that he transformed into.