Wangsheng Funeral Parlor
The day had passed quickly. Before they knew it, the sky had gradually darkened, though not yet to the point where lamps were necessary.
During this time, the five of them had sat quietly chatting. More accurately, only Bosacius had been doing most of the talking.
The other four were his listeners. Surprisingly, Hu Tao—usually so energetic and talkative—had remained completely silent. She seemed unusually calm now.
She quietly lay on the table, like a little girl eager for adults to continue telling fairy tales.
She loved listening to stories. She remembered when she was very young, the war had already been over for several years.
It was during that period that Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was considered by many to be an extremely unlucky existence. After all, the Parlor was an establishment that handled funerals.
Many people back then had forgotten that during the Archon War, when death and suffering were everywhere, it was Wangsheng Funeral Parlor that had prevented terrible plagues from spreading.
It was Wangsheng, with mortal bodies, that had stopped all of that. Because of Wangsheng, there was now Liyue Harbor. Truly a pity people forgot.
Because of this, combined with Hu Tao having lost her father at a young age, many children mocked her, calling her a girl without a father.
Back then, children thought this was something amusing. "I have a dad, you don't, so I'm going to show off about it."
It was fun for them. They felt no guilt.
Young Hu Tao had few friends and was often bullied. They'd set traps for her to fall into, throw dirty water on her, drop insects on her.
They even hurled insults like "descendant of ghosts," "fatherless brat," "jinx," and so on.
Regarding all this, the parents of these children simply turned a blind eye. At most, they'd tell their kids, "Don't use bad language," or "Be careful you don't catch any bad luck."
Truly despicable.
Hu Tao would always go home crying to her grandfather, because he was her only friend. With him, she could complain, she could play games.
Because of her grandfather, Hu Tao developed a habit of not wanting to go out. Going out meant enduring bullying from kids her age.
If she was just going to be bullied, she'd rather stay in Wangsheng and have her grandfather play with her.
Her grandfather worked hard to make outsiders truly understand Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. He hoped his efforts would let his granddaughter make friends and stop being bullied.
His efforts paid off. Hu Tao's grandfather was very clever. He had an old friend who was a storyteller.
This storyteller was very popular, with many people coming to hear his tales every day. So Hu Tao's grandfather started there.
He wanted people's views of the Parlor to change.
Through stories, he made people aware of Wangsheng's history from the Archon War to the present. He made them know what the early directors of Wangsheng had done for Liyue Harbor.
When one person knew, a second would follow. Word spread quickly. Then as now, people loved gossip.
That time, those who had once cursed Wangsheng arrived with large gifts to apologize. Wangsheng's contributions during the Archon War amazed everyone.
Cursing a hero was tantamount to betrayal. The people of Liyue revered heroes, and so they felt deeply ashamed.
Even the children who had bullied Hu Tao were severely punished by their own parents. Looking back now, many found it bitterly ironic.
Back then you just watched, watched your child torment another. Then later, upon learning that child was a hero's descendant, you shamelessly go apologize.
Truly disgusting.
Regardless, Hu Tao's grandfather succeeded. Though many still considered Wangsheng unlucky, a significant portion's impression had changed from bad to good.
Because of this, Hu Tao made some close friends outside—like the young Xingqiu, Chongyun, and Xiangling.
As for those who had once tormented her, Hu Tao paid them no mind. Hah, she held grudges!
She even learned to fight back. She started setting traps to ambush those who had bullied her. Every time those brats ran home crying to their mothers, Hu Tao would laugh heartily.
And with her new friends being so lively and full of ideas, Hu Tao gradually came under their influence.
Most happy of all was Hu Tao's grandfather. Every time he came to pick little Hu Tao up, seeing her beam with joy from making friends...
This elderly man would nod contentedly. His granddaughter was happy, and as her grandfather, that brought him great joy.
"Grandpa! I made many new friends today!"
"Wow! Little Hu Tao, that's wonderful!"
"Grandpa! I also set some traps today and taught those bullies a good lesson!"
"Little Hu Tao is so capable! Tonight, Grandpa will make your favorite—boiled black-back perch—how about that?"
The old man lifted Hu Tao up high. Though advanced in age, he was still quite sturdy.
Besides, little Hu Tao wasn't heavy at all. Light enough to lift with one hand.
"Hooray! Grandpa's the best!"
"Little Hu Tao, promise Grandpa this: no matter what happens, always smile, always live happily. Don't hide at home anymore like before, afraid to go out."
"Hmph hmph, I'm different now! I'm not just some coward who gets bullied and runs home crying to Grandpa anymore!" Held up high, little Hu Tao put her hands on her hips, striking a confident pose.
...
The old man wanted to watch Hu Tao grow up forever. But fate is unpredictable. They were mortals, not Adepti. A mortal's life goes through birth, aging, sickness, and death.
No one can resist natural death.
And so, the first funeral young Hu Tao ever conducted was for her own grandfather...
Throughout the funeral, Hu Tao's tears never stopped. She tried to hold them back, tried to keep smiling, because she remembered Grandpa saying she should live happily, so she shouldn't cry.
But she couldn't help it! The grandfather who had always been by her side was gone. The one who told her stories was gone. Her only family had left her!
All she could do was face it. Conduct this funeral for Grandpa properly, and then become the 77th Director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
After that, though Hu Tao was despondent for many days, she still tried to go out and clear her mind.
Fortunately, she had a group of good friends. Their laughter and warmth helped her recover. She remembered Grandpa's words again.
"Live happily!"
...
Whenever she thought of these things, Hu Tao would be sad for a few minutes, but then regain her energy and smile again.
And now, she had made many more friends—even Adepti were her friends. If Grandpa knew, he'd surely be proud of her!
"Hehe..." Hu Tao lay on the table, giggling foolishly.
Bonanus noticed Hu Tao's silly laughter. Looking at her, she couldn't help but shake her head slightly. This Hu Tao really didn't seem too bright.
Thinking this, Bonanus unconsciously reached out and patted Hu Tao's little head. Hu Tao had taken off her hat, so it was very nice to touch.
"Hey, little Hu Tao, stop giggling. We're listening to stories."
"Huh? Oh, oh! Okay!"