In the days that followed, the owners of Liyue Harbor's teahouses, theaters, restaurants, antique shops, and other entertainment establishments were surprised to discover that their regular customer, Mr. Zhongli, had gained a companion: a man of roughly the same age who bore some resemblance to him. The man introduced himself as Zhongyuan, Mr. Zhongli's brother.
That man was, of course, Azhdaha in human form. At first, Azhdaha had wanted to call himself Zhonggui, taking inspiration from the meaning behind Zhongli's name, but when he saw Zhongli's expression instantly darken, he abandoned the idea. Zhongyuan it was, then.
It seemed that, to Zhongli, the two characters making up Guizhong's name were more than just two simple characters.
When Zhongli brought Zhongyuan to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, hoping Hu Tao would arrange a job for his younger brother, Hu Tao's first instinct was to refuse. She saw shades of Zhongli in Zhongyuan. This guy isn't going to become a second Zhongli, is he? I can barely stand having one. How am I supposed to handle two?
However, compared with before, the bills Zhongli had sent back over the past few days were clearly all for two people. Meals for two, storytelling for two, tea for two-damn it, even the tips had doubled.
Good grief, has this guy been getting Zhongli to treat him all along? He's already cost me plenty of Mora before even joining us. If I don't hire him, won't he just keep eating and drinking on my tab without having to work?
No, I still have to hire him. At least he can do some work to make up for it. And so, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor gained another consultant, heralding a doubling of Hu Tao's suffering from that day onward.
During this time, the Liyue Ministry of Civil