"I wonder how much longer I can stay by her side..."
Elliot looked at himself in the mirror and murmured softly.
The man reflected back at him had short white hair, a gentle face, and a warm smile—like sunlight on a winter day, comforting and soft.
After getting dressed, he stepped out of the bathroom.
Once Hu Tao's hair was dry, he lay down with her to sleep.
"Good night, Grandpa."
"Mm... good night."
Watching Hu Tao sleep curled up on his chest, Elliot smiled gently.
They used to sleep in separate beds, but Hu Tao always crawled into his during the night. Eventually, Elliot decided it was easier to let her sleep with him from the start.
She was small, and liked to curl up like a kitten against his chest. When he held her, she slept even better.
He knew this because she often had nightmares—and whenever he hugged her, she would calm down quickly.
She was also terrified of ghosts, especially ghost stories. Hearing one would keep her awake all night, needing Elliot to soothe her to sleep.
"So adorable..." Elliot lightly poked her soft, fair cheek and chuckled.
"Mmm~..." Hu Tao purred like a cat, nuzzling his hand and curling in closer.
Elliot wrapped his arm around her and drifted off to sleep...
...
Time flowed quickly.
As Hu Tao learned more about funerals, her personality also began to change noticeably.
Most obviously—she was no longer afraid of ghost stories.
Now, whenever she overheard one, she'd jump in and rewrite it into something warm and comforting.
"Ghosts are just people's souls. They won't hurt us, or try to scare us."
"Ghosts are so pitiful! They can't eat yummy things like fried meatballs, mung bean cakes, or ice cream... but they can float around—so cute~"
"One ghost, two ghosts, three ghosts, all drooling over tasty food!"
Her doggerel poetry had also become second nature. She could now rhyme on the spot with ease, creating from the heart and speaking off the cuff.
This was thanks to her habit of studying ancient poems daily. Her mind was filled with literary fragments—though admittedly, most of it was a hodgepodge mix.
But that was exactly the spirit of doggerel—unrefined and playful.
Still, none of that compared to the strange habit she developed...
Sleeping in coffins.
Elliot discovered this just recently, one morning.
That day, Hu Tao wasn't beside him like usual.
He thought she had woken early to study poetry, but when he looked around and asked the staff, no one had seen her.
Panic set in. The entire Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was mobilized. Staff searched the streets, questioned every friend she had.
They nearly turned all of Liyue Harbor upside down—but she was nowhere to be found.
Just when Elliot was about to despair, a coffin quietly creaked open.
The sight froze him in place.
In all his years doing this work, he had never witnessed anything like it. He leapt back in shock, scrambling to his feet, ready to run—when a small, familiar hand reached out from the coffin.
"Ah~" Hu Tao yawned and sat up.
Seeing her stunned grandfather, she waved cheerfully. "Good morning, Grandpa!"
"Little... Little Tao...?" Elliot was stunned speechless.
He never imagined she'd climb out of a coffin.
He thought maybe he was hallucinating from the panic—he rubbed his eyes, pinched his arm... but it was real.
Slowly, he walked over.
"Little Tao... why were you sleeping in there?" he asked curiously.
"Oh... I wanted to become a spirit, so I thought I'd try this and see if it works. Hehe..." she scratched her head and grinned.
"You..." Elliot sighed, words catching in his throat, then smiled faintly. "Don't do this again, okay?"
"Were you really worried, Grandpa?" Hu Tao noticed the sweat on his forehead and asked, a bit guilty.
"Yes. I was very worried. You mustn't go missing like that," Elliot nodded.
Hearing that, Hu Tao threw her arms around him and whispered, "I'm sorry, Grandpa... I won't do that again."
"Good girl... I'm just glad you're okay." He gently stroked her dark green hair.
Afterward, Elliot called back the staff and personally apologized to everyone they had disturbed.
News of the event spread across Liyue Harbor, and the townsfolk breathed a sigh of relief—then immediately started teasing Hu Tao.
"This little Hu Tao is always full of quirky ideas."
"Tell me about it. Last time, I saw her with a bucket, washing the two stone lions outside the General Affairs Office!"
"Hahaha! She's such a character. I saw that too—she called them Leo and Maicon!"
"She even spooked the night guards once! They said she was out there late at night, silently bathing the lions."
"I heard the guards talking about that too. They said just when they got used to her nighttime visits, she suddenly stopped. One of them asked her why—and guess what she said?"
"What did she say?"
"She said, 'Leo and Maicon need to grow up on their own now! They don't need my care anymore! I'm busy discussing life with the statues these days!'"
"Hahahaha, this kid is hilarious!"
"Isn't she though?"
...
Since then, Hu Tao would often nap in a coffin—but she always told Elliot beforehand.
One day, she suddenly asked with curiosity:
"Grandpa... you said before that some souls don't move on to reincarnation. Why's that?"
"Because of lingering attachments—people they miss, things they never finished, or a longing to see loved ones one last time..." Elliot answered casually.
"Oh... is there any way to help them let go and move on?"
"There isn't. That's why we need to live well while we're alive. That way, when the time comes, we won't have regrets. Just follow your heart, do what you truly want to do—and there'll be no lingering attachments."
"Then... is there really no way for us to see the dead again?"
"Not for most people. But for those of us at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—yes."
"We can?!" Hu Tao suddenly lit up, bursting with excitement.
"That's right. If you go through Wuwang Hill, you can reach the 'boundary.' There, you can meet souls with lingering attachments."
"Wuwang Hill...? Where is that?"
"It's a secret passed down through generations of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. I'm telling you now—but you must never tell anyone else."
"Got it!"