"Tea?"
After taking the books, Ganyu was slightly stunned, then said with a touch of hesitation: "Next time. Next time let's invite Miss Fang Qiu along too, and we'll find somewhere to sip tea and enjoy some pastries."
"Mm, that works too."
Hu Tao nodded with a smile and said: "Then I won't keep you from your work. I'm going upstairs to see my clients."
"Mm."
Ganyu nodded and said: "Thank you, Director Hu, for gifting me books a second time."
"It's nothing, nothing."
Hu Tao waved a hand and said: "I'm off."
With that, she pulled her little cart into the teahouse. After asking a clerk to keep an eye on it, she grabbed three books and headed straight for the second floor.
"Sorry to keep you two waiting. It's freezing cold out, so the clerks are moving a bit slowly."
Hu Tao walked up to Mountain Shaper and Moon Carver with a grin.
"It's no matter."
Mountain Shaper said flatly.
As he spoke, he glanced downstairs at Ganyu, who was already walking off into the distance, and felt a slight sense of relief.
Thank goodness Ganyu hadn't accepted this child's invitation to come upstairs for a cup of tea.
Ganyu was familiar with the human faces the two of them had taken on.
If Ganyu knew that the two of them, in order to buy books for her master, Cloud Retainer, had gone out of their way to purchase a funeral package from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, things would have gotten quite awkward.
"Then let's discuss the contents of the package."
Just as Hu Tao was about to sit down, the two Adepti stood up and said: "We'll come by the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor another day to talk it over with you in detail."
"That works too."
Hu Tao nodded.
She could understand their eagerness to go home and read.
After bidding each other farewell, Hu Tao pulled her little cart all the way toward the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Watching Hu Tao walk farther and farther away, Mountain Shaper couldn't help but smile and said: "This generation's Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is rather interesting."
"Let's go, back to Jueyun Karst. Who knows whether she's grown impatient waiting."
Moon Carver said.
"By the way, didn't we just hear that a play written by Fang Qiu is now showing at the Reflection Pictures Studio? Shall we go take a look first?"
Mountain Shaper asked with a smile.
"Let's skip it this time. Let's head back to Jueyun Karst first, and not keep Cloud Retainer waiting too long."
Moon Carver shook his head as he spoke.
"Alright then."
Mountain Shaper said with a smile.
They made their way out of the city, chose a secluded spot, and then wind stirred beneath their feet as they rode off upon it, leaving behind only the snow and wind churned up by the gale.
As for Hu Tao, she pulled her little cart all the way back to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
She had just reached the entrance when she saw several Wangsheng Funeral Parlor employees waiting there.
"Good afternoon, everyone."
Hu Tao waved with a smile in greeting.
"Good afternoon, Director." "Good afternoon, Director."
The group greeted her one after another.
"Old Meng, you're all gathered here—is something the matter?"
Hu Tao asked with a grin.
"Director, you know perfectly well why we've come here."
Old Meng rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and said with a smile.
"Oh? Then let me guess."
Hu Tao said with a mischievous smile: "If I'm not mistaken, you all came here together for just one purpose, hmm?"
"Yes, yes, yes."
Old Meng nodded.
"Then out with it—which package would you like?"
Hu Tao asked with a smile.
"Package? What package?"
Old Meng was taken aback.
"The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's packages, of course. Seeing as you're all Wangsheng Funeral Parlor employees, I'll give you seventy percent off—how about that? Quite the bargain, isn't it?"
Hu Tao put her hands on her hips and said smugly: "This is an employee benefit, you know."
Seeing the mischievous glint in Hu Tao's eyes, Old Meng couldn't help but press a hand to his forehead and said: "Director, we're not here to arrange a package."
"If you're not coming to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to arrange a funeral package, then what are you here for?"
Hu Tao asked.
"Director, we're here to collect Miss Fang Qiu's new work, 'Weathering With You.'"
Old Meng gave Hu Tao a helpless look, sighed, and said.
Given how well he knew Hu Tao, how could he not realize that the Director had known their purpose all along and was simply having fun at their expense?
Although Director Hu had long since been able to handle everything on her own, her fondness for teasing people had only grown more intense.
According to the young female undertaker, the Director had once passed off her own poetry collection as one of Fang Qiu's books and handed it to Mr. Zhongli, only to be caught in the act by Mr. Zhongli on the spot.
"Oh, so you're here to collect Fang Qiu's new book. You should have said so sooner."
Hu Tao said with a grin.
Fortunately, Hu Tao didn't rush to keep teasing them; instead, she turned and handed out the books to them.
"Well then, we'll take our leave now."
Once he had his book, Old Meng promptly took his leave, and the rest bid farewell one after another, departing together with Old Meng.
From their chatter, it seemed they were off to find a teahouse together to read.
Having seen off Old Meng and the others, Hu Tao handed the little cart over to the young female undertaker.
She didn't refuse either; taking the little cart, she dragged over a long bench and sat down by the entrance.
"Where's Zhongli?"
Hu Tao asked.
"As for Mr. Zhongli, he's in his room."
The young female undertaker said: "He's probably reading right now. After all, Mr. Zhongli is also very fond of Miss Fang Qiu's books."
"True enough."
Hu Tao dragged over a stool and then pulled a copy of 'Weathering With You' from the little cart.
On the cover of 'Weathering With You,' a boy sat atop a tall building with a face full of delight, while a girl stood beside him, shielding her eyes from the sunlight with her hand.
Only, besides the sunlight, the cover also depicted raindrops glinting with the sun's rays.
Clearly, the sky had just cleared.
After studying the cover for a moment, Hu Tao opened it, and the sentence written on the title page suited the cover illustration perfectly.
[From now on, the sky is going to clear.]
"This line matches not only the cover but the weather as well. What a coincidence."
Hu Tao looked at the snow flying across the sky and the overcast heavens, and said with a smile.
The snow these past few days had been so heavy that she hadn't been able to invite Fang Qiu out to have fun.
It was about time the sky cleared up.
After marveling at the weather with the young female undertaker for a while, Hu Tao turned another page.
The story began with a boy on a boat in Inazuma.
Outside the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, snow drifted slowly through the air.
In front of the Wanwen Bookhouse, a long, dragon-like line still snaked, and upstairs in the Wanwen Bookhouse, the proprietress Jifang, her fingers reddened from the cold, rang up the novel enthusiasts without pause.
At this moment, Fang Qiu was sleeping soundly.
Atop Mt. Aocang, vast snows drifted through the air.
"Why aren't they back yet? Don't tell me Fang Qiu has released some new film again, and the two of them sneaked off to watch it?"
Cloud Retainer murmured to herself.
The last time Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper finished watching the 'Your Name' film, it was through their introduction that she learned 'Your Name' was in fact the only one among them with a good ending.
And so, that very night, she dragged them to Liyue Harbor and watched the 'Your Name' film.
In the end, though, it was left unclear whether Mitsuha Miyamizu ended up with Tachibana Taki.
It couldn't really be called a happy ending, but it was precisely this sort of open-ended conclusion.
Compared with the other books, it was an ending that couldn't have been any better…
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