From the moment her grandfather buried the peach pit in the courtyard, little Hu Tao had always thought the small mound of earth was the peach pit's grave. She had even mourned for it.
But to her surprise, that little grave had sprouted.
The moment she saw this miraculous sight, she immediately called her grandfather over to see the tiny sprout.
When he came and looked, a kind smile spread across his face. "Silly child, this is the peach tree we planted. Isn't it normal for it to sprout?"
Hu Tao blinked in surprise. "The peach tree we planted? Can this little sprout really grow into a big peach tree?"
Her grandfather patted her head and laughed. "Of course. Growth and death are both natural parts of life."
Hu Tao's eyes lit up. "So it will bloom and bear fruit too?"
Her grandfather nodded. "Of course."
Hu Tao exclaimed excitedly, "Then from now on, I'll plant every peach pit I eat in the ground. Will that grow a whole peach orchard with countless peaches? Grandfather, should we change our business? Sell fruit on the streets of Liyue? Hmm... fruit combined with funerals? A new funeral package?"
The thought of a new business made Hu Tao's eyes sparkle. Combining fruit-selling with funerals—what a little genius she was!
Her grandfather was speechless. He had no idea what went on in this child's head. Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was in the funeral business. How could they sell fruit on the streets of Liyue? Even if they did, who would buy from them?
After helping little Hu Tao water and fertilize the sapling, her grandfather picked up his beloved thrush cage, sighed, and walked out of the courtyard. "Hu Tao, stay and watch the parlor. I'm going out to promote our services."
At the mention of promoting services, Hu Tao immediately perked up. "Grandfather, I want to come too!"
Her grandfather's kind face turned serious. "Hu Tao, be good. Grandfather has important work to do."
Hu Tao looked a little disappointed. "Oh."
The next moment, she smiled and saw her grandfather off at the gate, then began playing in the courtyard by herself. Sometimes she climbed onto a coffin and mimicked her grandfather holding a funeral. Sometimes she climbed the wall and gazed at the distant Wuwang Hill. She never stayed still for a moment.
Eventually, she grew tired and sleepy. She ran inside and glanced at a newly made coffin in the room. A new idea struck her. Would taking a nap inside a coffin be a different experience?
Without hesitation, the sleepy Hu Tao used her small arms to push the coffin lid with all her might, creating a gap. She carefully climbed inside, bit a blade of grass, lay flat, and covered her face with her poetry book.
Closing her eyes, she drifted off. This solid wood coffin was surprisingly comfortable to sleep in.
...
While Hu Tao was napping in the coffin, on the streets of Liyue, her white-haired grandfather walked along, carrying his thrush cage in one hand and a stack of flyers in the other, promoting Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's services.
"Big sale at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—come take a look!"
But after walking through the streets of Liyue, he hadn't made a single sale. Instead, he was left breathless and exhausted.
"Sigh, I'm getting old. My legs can't carry me like they used to. When will I be able to pass the parlor on to little Hu Tao?"
Sighing, he walked into a famous little teahouse in Liyue and called out without hesitation.
"Boss, a cup of plain tea. The cheapest one."
In the past, whenever he entered a teahouse, he would order the best and most expensive tea. But ever since his son's accident, business at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had declined. The aging grandfather had to care for little Hu Tao and manage the parlor's affairs. Life was tight. He no longer had the confidence to order good tea.
After placing his order, he sat down without hesitation beside a "young man." Only then did he notice that on the teahouse stage, a storyteller with a fan was telling the great tale of Rex Lapis—his battles with evil dragons, his expeditions.
Across from him, the "young man" sipped his tea, listening with obvious enjoyment.
Cautiously, the grandfather placed his beloved thrush cage on the table and smiled at the young man. "Young man, you're not a local from Liyue, are you?"
For locals, these stories of Rex Lapis had been heard hundreds of times and were no longer new.
The "young man" replied with a flat expression. "On the contrary, I am a local of Liyue, just like you."
This "young man" was named Morax. In truth, he was the Geo Archon of Liyue, who had lived for thousands of years.
Today was the first time Morax had entered a teahouse to sip tea and listen to someone tell stories about himself. It was such a leisurely feeling. After just one try, he had grown fond of it. It was time to start planning his retirement.
But Hu Tao's grandfather had no idea that the young man before him was the great Rex Lapis. He simply treated him as a younger generation.
The grandfather played with his thrush and smiled. "Whether you're a local or not, this must be your first time listening to stories in a teahouse, right? Tea and storytelling—it's a specialty of Liyue. You won't find this treatment anywhere else."
Morax nodded slowly. "Indeed."
Sipping tea and listening to the storyteller recount his own glorious deeds, even the stoic Morax couldn't help but recall his own illustrious battles and the companions who had fought beside him.
And so, two strangers met and began a pleasant conversation. They talked about storytelling, opera, food, funerals, and the Liyue Qixing. The more they talked, the more astonished the grandfather became. This "young man," who looked barely over twenty, was like an encyclopedia of Liyue. He knew everything. He could even explain the funeral rites of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor flawlessly, without a single error.
The grandfather sighed. "Young people these days are so learned. It seems I really am getting old. Time to retire."
Morax: "…"
Seeing the grandfather's misunderstanding, Morax, a first-time visitor to the teahouse, couldn't be bothered to explain. He couldn't exactly say, "I am the great Geo Archon, Morax," could he? Even if he did, the grandfather wouldn't believe him.