In contrast to the bustle of Wanwen Bookhouse, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was very quiet.
Even the warm glow of the lamps seemed somewhat cold and cheerless.
At this moment.
Zhongli and Hu Tao, having finished their meal and feeling quite satisfied, returned to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
"Director, Mr. Zhongli, you're back."
Hearing the chatting voices of Hu Tao and Zhongli approaching from afar, the female undertaker closed her book and rose from the bench to welcome them.
"How did the book delivery go?" Hu Tao asked with a smile after responding to the female undertaker's greeting.
"Replying to the Director: about half have been given out. Just now, a few people even came on their own initiative to collect books. We should be able to give them all away by tomorrow," the female undertaker smiled and said.
"That'll do."
Hu Tao stroked her smooth, fair chin, chuckled softly, and said, "Fang Qiu's books are indeed becoming more and more popular. Looking at it this way, my new preferential policy can be implemented. As long as someone handles business at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, they can receive a free book by Fang Qiu. For those performing funeral rites at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, we'll give one copy of Fang Qiu's book to every family member. What do you think?"
"Uh... that might not be very good," the female undertaker said with a troubled look, sounding somewhat hesitant.
"Director, if there is nothing else, I will return to my room to read first," Zhongli said.
"Go ahead, go ahead. Remember to tell me your thoughts after you finish reading. I mentioned your opinions to Fang Qiu last time, and she even said your insights were unique and that you are a person of profound learning," Hu Tao nodded and said with a smile.
"Miss Fang Qiu praises me too highly," Zhongli said calmly.
"Alright, alright, stop being modest. You go back to your room; I have to have a good talk with her about why we should give away Fang Qiu's books," Hu Tao waved her hand and said.
"Meow."
Sanmi, lying on Hu Tao's shoulder, also let out a meow.
"Mm."
Zhongli nodded. After bidding farewell, he walked into Wangsheng Funeral Parlor and went all the way back to his own room.
After lighting a candle, he brewed a pot of hot tea, then sat upright at his desk.
A good book naturally required good tea.
"Your Name. Name? It is somewhat interesting, though I do not know what kind of story it is this time."
Looking at the title on the cover, Zhongli turned his head to glance at Fang Qiu's three works quietly arranged on the bookshelf, then turned back to open the pages.
The story began with Miyamizu Mitsuha's ordinary yet slightly abnormal daily life.
And while Zhongli began reading, Hu Tao also finished explaining the reasons for giving clients Fang Qiu's books.
"How about it? Can you understand my painstaking efforts now?" Hu Tao put her hands on her hips and said with a beaming smile.
As her voice fell, Sanmi on her shoulder also let out a cry, then rubbed its furry head against Hu Tao's fair and rosy pretty face.
"I can understand the reasoning, but I still feel it isn't quite right," the female undertaker said helplessly.
"Forget it, let's talk about this next time. I'll go back to my room and read for a while first," Hu Tao waved her hand and said.
"Take care, Director," the female undertaker smiled helplessly and said.
Seeing Hu Tao go all the way up to the second floor of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, the female undertaker finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a bit of a headache.
She was a woman who had read everything from Your Lie in April to Your Name.
Setting aside Your Name, which she hadn't finished yet, just the first three books—Your Lie in April, The Eternal, and Sword and Fairy—which one of them didn't make people shed tears and feel sorrow rising from the heart?
If these were given to the families of the deceased, it would surely end up sending away a few more grief-stricken family members...
Mr. Zhongli really is...
Clearly, he is the person most likely to persuade the Director to change her mind, other than Miss Fang Qiu herself, yet every time he pretends to turn a blind eye.
Mm...
Speaking of which, Mr. Zhongli had also previously invited that rock singer named Xinyan to perform in front of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor...
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
What method should be used next time to make the Director give up on her unconstrained and fanciful ideas?
...
Hu Tao carried the two books and went all the way back to her room.
"Sanmi, go play by yourself."
Hu Tao rubbed Sanmi's little head and spoke.
"Meow."
Sanmi let out a dissatisfied cry and jumped down from her shoulder. After landing, it used its paws to smooth the fur Hu Tao had messed up, then trotted all the way to the cat tree and started throwing cat punches at the yarn ball hanging there.
Meanwhile, Hu Tao sat at her desk, looking at the two books before her: Junior Sister, Go Easy, Senior Sister Hurts and Your Name.
After hesitating for a moment, she chose the former.
She was really somewhat curious about what content this book actually held to make Fang Qiu act so abnormally that day.
As for Fang Qiu's Your Name, she could savor it carefully after finishing Junior Sister, Go Easy, Senior Sister Hurts.
After all, good books are meant to be savored, especially Fang Qiu's books.
Besides, if she read Your Name while constantly thinking about the content of Junior Sister, Go Easy, Senior Sister Hurts, it would ruin the reading experience.
Thus, she stretched her waist, loosened up her body, opened the cover, and began to read carefully.
Although there was a gap in writing prowess compared to Fang Qiu, it could still be considered top-tier.
The writing was smooth, and the perspective shifts were natural.
The story began with a sect.
Only, as she read on, a faint blush began to mist over Hu Tao's originally fair, pretty face.
This book actually told the story of a woman named Zi Ling falling in love with her junior sister, Li Qiuyao.
The emotional depiction between the two girls was extremely delicate, especially when Li Qiuyao was beaten into heavy injuries to save her sister, lying in the muddy mire covered in blood.
"Senior Sister... help Qiuyao."
Just as Li Qiuyao was about to fall into a coma, Zi Ling arrived.
"Rest assured, leave the rest to Senior Sister."
After stabilizing Li Qiuyao's injuries, Zi Ling annihilated the enemy with an attitude of absolute domination.
Seeing this part of the plot, Hu Tao couldn't help but think of Fang Qiu's back as she protected her that day.
For some reason, as soon as she recalled that delicate back, Hu Tao felt her heart rate accelerating, thumping non-stop.
Her pretty face, already tinged with a shy flush, became even more rosy.
"I wonder what Fang Qiu is doing right now," Hu Tao murmured, casting her gaze out the window.
However, just as her voice fell, Sanmi on the cat tree nearby let out a cry.
"Meow."
Hu Tao turned her head to look.
Sanmi was still striking heavy blows against the yarn ball. Seeing Sanmi's goofy and cute appearance, Hu Tao couldn't help but smile knowingly.
"She should be teasing Tingyu and playing, right."
After murmuring a couple of sentences, Hu Tao continued reading.
After returning to the inn in the city, Zi Ling stripped off Li Qiuyao's clothes and used her hands to heal her.
Seeing the meticulous and detailed description in the book, Hu Tao couldn't help but freeze, and immediately her pretty face flushed completely red in an instant.
It was even redder than before.
No wonder Fang Qiu blushed that day...
So this book was actually written about this kind of thing...
____
________________________________________
🌸 Help Love Bloom!
Our girls need a little push... and you can help!
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 20 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉