Watching Hu Tao smile as she lost herself in her memories, Ellin could not help smiling too.
Hu Tao had summed up her experiences in just a few words, but Ellin knew her life had been far less easy than she made it sound.
The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was a family-run establishment that oversaw funeral rites throughout Liyue, dealing with the dead every day.
Death was the greatest taboo among the people of Liyue. Even talking about it was deeply taboo.
In real life, if you knew the person sitting beside you worked at a funeral home, you would probably feel a little uncomfortable.
It was easy to imagine what Hu Tao would face, having been born into such a family.
As a little girl, Hu Tao had no playmates. Even when a child occasionally agreed to play with her, their parents would soon scold them.
"You can't play with her! It's bad luck!"
It was the same when she attended school. The other children refused to approach her, and even her teacher thought she brought bad luck.
So, at three, she recited books while standing on her head and read through renowned poetry collections. At six, she began skipping school to sleep in coffins. At eight, she spent her days at the parlor, studying funeral rites and etiquette.
Her grandfather was her only source of support. Whenever she was mocked or shunned outside, she would run home and pour her heart out to him.
And her grandfather would stroke her head, comfort her, and encourage her.
His importance to her went without saying, so it was easy to imagine how devastating his passing had been.
Even now, people did not have many good things to say about her.
When Zhongli spoke of Hu Tao, he bluntly admitted he could