"Sir, doing business outside inevitably carries some risks. Would you like to pre-order a coffin? You might need one someday! The Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is having a promotion now, the second tablet is half-price!"
Hu Tao intercepted a plump merchant and launched into a sales pitch, her enthusiasm overwhelming him.
"Uh, thank you for your kindness, but I don't need one!"
The merchant was speechless in the face of Hu Tao's fervent service, just wanting to leave.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't rush. If you don't need it, you can still get one for a friend or family member. The quality of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's coffins is famously good!"
Seeing the merchant about to leave, Hu Tao immediately ran in front of him to block his path, pushing her sales with all her might. She had already been promoting for a whole morning and hadn't made a single sale. This wouldn't do.
"I've already said, I don't need it! And don't block my way!"
The merchant's face darkened. If he hadn't been well-bred, he would have punched the person cursing him like this.
"Wuwu..."
Seeing that Hu Tao was not willing to give up, Feng Yi immediately ran behind her and covered her mouth.
"I'm really sorry, Hu Tao doesn't mean any harm!"
Feng Yi looked at the merchant in front of her, finding him somewhat familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before.
"Oh! That's right!"
Back when she was in the reception hall of Yuehai Pavilion, Feng Yi had accompanied Ganyu to meet two merchants from the Millelith Trading Company. This fat man was one of them. His surname was Wang, if she remembered correctly.
"You're too kind, sir. Children say what they think; I don't mind at all!"
The plump merchant clearly recognized Feng Yi's identity. The memory of requesting an audience with Ganyu was still vivid. Since she was so close to Lady Ganyu, she must be an unfathomable big shot.
With a keen mind, the plump merchant chuckled and brushed the matter aside, preparing to exchange pleasantries with Feng Yi and strengthen their connection.
"Since we last met at Yuehai Pavilion, I..."
"I suddenly remembered I have something to do. We can chat again next time!"
Feng Yi caught a whiff of danger and quickly uttered a phrase before hurriedly hoisting Hu Tao onto her shoulder and fleeing.
"Hoo~ That was a close call."
Seeing that the fat man didn't follow, Feng Yi let out a long sigh of relief and put Hu Tao down from her shoulder.
"If that fat man had said a few more words, and accidentally revealed my connection with Ganyu, Hu Tao would have found out, and there would have been a lot of trouble!"
Fortunately, her crisis awareness was sharp. The moment she sensed trouble, she had grabbed Hu Tao and run, narrowly escaping.
"What close call?!"
Hu Tao looked suspiciously at the somewhat inexplicably nervous Feng Yi and immediately asked.
"Of course, I was afraid you'd be arrested by the Millelith! Who goes around the street promoting coffins?! Isn't that cursing people to die?"
Feng Yi hadn't expected Hu Tao's hearing to be so sharp. Her soft murmur had been heard by her. Just as she was thinking of how to gloss over it, inspiration struck, and she used Hu Tao's recent actions as an excuse.
"I didn't do anything wrong! Why would the Millelith arrest me? The heavens have their order, fate is unpredictable, and death is inevitable. But it also has its rules. Only by understanding it and respecting it can one comprehend the value of life. I was just helping them understand life and death correctly; I wasn't cursing them!"
Hu Tao argued earnestly. In her view, facing death rationally was the way to appreciate the preciousness of life. Therefore, coffins would be used sooner or later, and preparing one in advance would save trouble.
Moreover, she had even offered them a discount: the second tablet half-price. They should be grateful to her, not reporting her to the Millelith.
"You dummy! Ordinary people wouldn't understand these things! In their perception, coffins are things that bring bad luck, so it's normal for them to subconsciously reject coffins."
Feng Yi flicked Hu Tao's forehead with her finger. This girl had been accompanied by a coffin since childhood, so she didn't think much of it. But she always overlooked the common sense of ordinary people, almost causing a huge mess.
Especially some merchants, who were very superstitious about fortune. If they went bankrupt one day, they would definitely blame Hu Tao's coffin promotion, believing she brought them bad luck.
Then they might complain to the Millelith, accusing Hu Tao of disturbing public order.
Even though Hu Tao would be fine under Zhongli's protection, it was best to avoid such trouble if possible.
"Ah! That hurt! I-I just wanted to earn more Mora. After all, I promised you I'd provide room and board for you in Liyue."
Hu Tao clutched her head in pain from Feng Yi's flick, her eyes welling up. The thought of Feng Yi's appetite that morning made her feel that if she didn't earn enough money, she wouldn't be able to support Feng Yi, and she would break her promise.
That's why Hu Tao had been promoting her products on the street. However, due to the special nature of her products, she hadn't sold a single one all morning.
She had worked so hard, and Feng Yi didn't understand her. Hu Tao felt very wronged, with tears welling up in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault. Let me rub it for you!"
Feng Yi hadn't expected Hu Tao to do this just to fulfill her promise to him. She immediately apologized and helped rub the sore spot on her forehead.
Although Hu Tao's methods were questionable, her intentions were good. Putting herself in her shoes, he could understand that feeling of grievance.
Feng Yi then bought a cup of Slime Jelly Milk Tea from the Wanmin Restaurant as compensation, successfully earning Hu Tao's forgiveness.
"Indeed, there's nothing a cup of milk tea can't solve. If there is, then two cups!"
Hu Tao drank the milk tea, sitting on a stone step with Feng Yi, happily sipping it.
Feng Yi's understanding of her difficulties made Hu Tao very happy. The milk tea was secondary.
Feng Yi glanced at Hu Tao, who was drinking milk tea beside her, and sighed inwardly. There were some things she needed to explain clearly to Hu Tao.
"Hu Tao, I've received your intentions, but the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is different from other businesses. Ordinary people find it hard to accept death, and it's normal for them to reject the coffins from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Of course, this doesn't mean the quality of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's coffins is poor."
Feng Yi fumbled for words for a long time before speaking. She had to explain the pros and cons while also considering Hu Tao's feelings. This was harder than practicing spear techniques that morning.
"I-I understand, but then there's no way to earn Mora. Without Mora, I..."
A hint of disappointment flashed in Hu Tao's eyes. She wasn't a fool; Feng Yi's words made her understand the logic.
But rather than failing to fulfill her promise to Feng Yi, she would rather be misunderstood, even disliked, by ordinary people.
In Hu Tao's heart, Feng Yi was ten thousand times more important than those people. She was content with just Feng Yi.
"Who says the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor only sells coffins? We can change our approach and sell some talismans that can calm the spirit and ward off evil. Then we can earn Mora!"
Feng Yi seemed to be able to read Hu Tao's thoughts and decided to offer her a suggestion.
"Huh? I don't remember the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor having anything like that."
Hu Tao's plum blossom eyes were filled with confusion.
"Don't forget, we have an all-knowing guest, Zhongli!"
Feng Yi chuckled. With free labor, why not use it?
At that moment, Zhongli, who was listening to a play somewhere: "Achoo~"