From then on, little Hu Tao always watched Xiu Yuan's funeral ceremonies very attentively.
Clever as she was, Hu Tao learned a great deal from them.
"Funeral rites are a mortal's final dignity. The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor puts the final stroke on the painting of a person's life. Whatever our clients' standing in life, we must give them a funeral befitting it."
That was what Xiu Yuan taught Hu Tao. No matter how mischievous she normally was, the moment a funeral began, she would quiet down and become exceptionally solemn.
Later...
Something else shattered her understanding of funerals.
During that day's funeral, the entire Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Xiu Yuan even sang a merry funeral song during the ceremony, making everyone roar with laughter with his wit and humor.
For a moment, Hu Tao was taken aback.
She had never imagined that a funeral, always so solemn and dignified, could turn out like this...
She found it hard to understand.
After someone died, wouldn't it be a very long time before anyone could see them again?
How could they be so cheerful about something so sad?
But considerate little Hu Tao did not interrupt this unusual funeral ceremony. Instead, she crouched quietly in a corner.
Watching Xiu Yuan laugh so happily, Hu Tao suddenly felt as though he were a stranger.
It seemed she had never seen Grandpa this happy before...
How could he laugh so freely on such a solemn, dignified occasion?
The relaxed, cheerful funeral did not last very long, but to Hu Tao, it felt like an eternity.
Once it ended, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's workers began cleaning up. Xiu Yuan, who had noticed Hu Tao long ago, walked over at an unhurried pace.
"What's wrong, Little Tao? You don't seem very happy. Has someone been bullying you?" Xiu Yuan asked gently with a faint smile.
"Grandpa... I don't understand."
Her tone was strange, almost angry-and her anger seemed to be directed at Xiu Yuan.
"After people die, they do enter the cycle of reincarnation. But before that, they must pass through the Border to reach it. Until they reach the Border, they still exist in the human world. We simply can't see or touch them."
Xiu Yuan gazed at the flowers and ribbons scattered across the floor as he spoke with a serious expression.
"The Border... what's that? Why can't we see or touch them?"
Clearly, even clever little Hu Tao struggled to understand what Xiu Yuan was saying.
"The Border is the place between life and death. Once people cross it, they are truly dead and have fully entered the cycle of reincarnation.
"But if the dead had lingering attachments in life, they may be unwilling to enter the cycle and wander around the Border instead.
"A living person is a combination of body and soul.
"Your body is your little face.
"Your soul is all those strange ideas in your head right now.
"When someone dies, only their body dies. Their soul lives on. We can't see souls, but that doesn't mean they don't exist."
"Oh..." Hu Tao replied, only half understanding. It seemed this was still a little too difficult for her to grasp.
Xiu Yuan did not rush to continue. Instead, he gave Hu Tao some time to take it in.
"Then... can souls see people?"
"They can," Xiu Yuan answered without hesitation.
At his answer, Hu Tao furrowed her brows slightly, seemingly pondering something.
She felt as though she vaguely understood something, but she could not put it into words yet, which frustrated her greatly.
Then a red petal drifted down before her eyes, and she finally grasped the elusive thought floating through her mind.
"Oh... so today's funeral was cheerful because they didn't want their loved one's soul to see them looking sad?"
Xiu Yuan froze for a moment. He had not expected Hu Tao to understand so quickly.
He gently rested his hand on her head, then smiled warmly. "That's right."
"Our Wangsheng Funeral Parlor takes Mora from the living and sends the dead on their way. We shoulder a double responsibility: we must satisfy those on both sides of life and death."
"Every funeral client has their own wishes. Some prefer a quiet departure, others want a lively one, and some wealthy families care most about a grand display."
"What we do and how we do it depend on our clients. Arranging different funerals according to their wishes is our responsibility at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor."
Xiu Yuan's words branded themselves deep in Hu Tao's heart.
She now understood why that day's funeral had been so lively.
At the same time, she gained a deeper understanding of funerals.
Night fell.
Little Hu Tao skipped back to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
To spread her little rhymes, she had to lead her friends in reciting poetry and making merry every evening.
As for singing over drinks... since they had no wine, they could only substitute fruit tea brewed using Yuan Chen's family's secret recipe.
There was not much of it, so they only opened it for a little sip when holding their "grand ceremonies."
That night, Hu Tao had once again stayed out playing until very late.
"From now on, you'll have to learn to bathe yourself, Hu Tao." Xiu Yuan towel-dried her hair.
"Why? Grandpa, are you going to die?" Hu Tao's wide eyes filled with confusion.
Xiu Yuan froze at her question.
What the hell kind of filial remark was that...?
"Uh..." Hu Tao's interruption made him forget what he had been about to say.
"No. It's because you're growing up, Hu Tao. It wouldn't be appropriate for Grandpa to keep helping you bathe."
"Why wouldn't it be appropriate?"
"Because men and women need to keep proper boundaries, and Grandpa is a man too."
"Okay..." Hu Tao nodded, only half understanding.
Fresh from her bath, little Hu Tao happily skipped outside.
Only then did Xiu Yuan take off his clothes and begin bathing.
Although Hu Tao was still young, she was old enough to understand things, so he naturally could not let her see a man's body so casually.
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