[In Hu Tao's eyes, death was something light and effortless.]
[Other people's deaths were simply business to her.]
[But after losing your family, you couldn't accept that attitude at all.]
"Kael, let's go today and...."
You cut her off coldly.
"I'm not interested. Go by yourself."
[Hu Tao widened her eyes, confused. "But today's your day off. You don't need to go to the old house anymore, so why stay home alone? Come shopping with me. It'll be fun~"]
You frowned at her.
"I don't want to buy funeral offerings with someone who has no respect for the dead. It insults their funeral."
[Hu Tao blinked, still not understanding why you sounded angry.]
"But people reincarnate after they die. Why should we be scared of it? Isn't life and death normal?"
"Exactly!"
[Your voice rose before you could stop it.]
"People can reincarnate, but what about the ones they leave behind? Have you ever thought about how their families feel?"
"Death hurts. It's a pain that carves itself into the bones of the living!"
"You don't understand anything!"
You knew Hu Tao was only eight years old. She couldn't grasp what death meant.
But you had been drowning in memories for months.
And no matter how mature you acted, you were still only twelve, still just a child.
Your mind was close to breaking.
After shouting at her, you returned to your room.
You pulled Mr. Cyclops from your luggage and clutched it tightly, as if the toy could give you the Strength to keep moving.
Revenge was the only reason you were still alive.
You sat in your room the entire day. When you finally looked up, night had already fallen.
You stretched your stiff limbs and stepped outside.
The moment you opened the door, you saw Hu Tao squatting in the courtyard, talking to the stone rabbit again.
"Lele, should I bring food to Kael? He didn't eat anything all day."
"But… I think he's mad at me."
"Hmph, Grandpa said death is normal. We shouldn't be overly afraid of it."
"Fine! I don't care about him either!"
"But… other than Grandpa, he's the only one like me. He can see ghosts too."
"I really wanted to be his friend…"
Her muttering reminded you of someone...
Katarina.
Both girls were mischievous, spirited, endlessly full of strange ideas.
Your heart softened.
You stepped forward and interrupted her.
"Why did you name the rabbit Lele?"
Hu Tao sprang to her feet. She clearly realized you'd heard everything, but she didn't look embarrassed at all.
After all, everything she'd said was true.
She really did want to be your friend.
She grinned at you. "Because this rabbit reminds me of someone else whose name has 'e and l' in it."
"It's always standing here all alone, and all its friends are far away."
"So I come every day to keep it company."
You sighed, feeling helpless and a little amused.
How were you supposed to deal with a girl like her?
"I'm hungry."
Hu Tao's face lit up. She picked up the bowl of steamed buns at her side.
"See? I brought food for you! I'm super thoughtful, right?"
You chuckled softly. "Yes, yes."
Hu Tao had touched the soft place in your heart, the one you'd kept locked away.
You began opening up to her.
And the more time you spent together, the harder it became to separate.
Soon it wasn't just days off—you even worked side by side.
The Director seemed to be encouraging it, often assigning the two of you to the same tasks.
Hu Tao became your only friend in Liyue.
[Age 13: You and Hu Tao became an increasingly perfect team.]
Hu Tao loved talking to people. Her favorite pastime was going out to the streets to expand the business.
Most people avoided discussing death and stayed far away from the funeral industry.
Hu Tao's bluntness often rubbed people the wrong way.
"Do you want to sign up for our membership? Coffins are thirty percent off right now! And you don't have to buy only for yourself, you can buy for your family too. Think of how much you'd save!"
Every time Hu Tao's mouth got ahead of her brain, you stepped in.
You had a natural talent for persuading people.
Even the most outrageous words sounded reasonable coming from you.
No matter what Hu Tao said, you always found a way to soften it and uncover what the other person truly wanted.
This strange combination—Hu Tao talking nonsense, you smoothing things over—actually brought the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor several new clients.
Kael perked up while reading this part.
The Deceiver talent was turning out to be extremely useful.
[Age 14: On another bright and sunny day, Hu Tao dragged you out again to expand business.]
[Suddenly, a passerby slammed into your shoulder.]
["Ah, sorry."]
[He left the apology behind and hurried away.]
[Hu Tao frowned. "Why run so fast? I haven't even started my sales pitch yet."]
[You felt a slip of paper pressed into your palm.]
[Without changing your expression, you curled your fingers around it.]
[You turned to Hu Tao and said naturally, "We were at Chihu Rock a few days ago. Let's head to Feiyun Slope today."]