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“Mr. Zhongli,” one of the new undertakers, an impressionable young man whose voice cracked more often than not, approached him, “your speech on parting rites was amazing as usual!”
“My,” Zhongli politely nodded, “it was naught but my duty. I gather it enlightened some of your previous doubts then.”
“For sure!” The young man smiled, but there seemed to be something else he wanted to say.
“And may I help you with anything?” Zhongli prodded.
“Oh, um… I don’t mean to bother, but I had matters to discuss with Director Hu and nobody seems to know where she is, so…”
Zhongli sighed, closing his eyes and the book in his hands. Ah, yes, Director Hu. She surely had run off to some place on her own during the class. It's not like she had to take the class, after all, Zhongli was sure she already knew everything he was saying, however, it would be good if she stayed around to settle other matters.
“Don’t worry about that," he started, "I’m sure you’ll be able to catch her tomorrow. If I happen to see the Director, I’ll say that you wanted to have a word with her.”
That did seem to assure the boy who nodded with a soft smile, “thank you very much, Mr. Zhongli!”
He returned a polite smile and watched the undertaker leave, closing the door behind him. Zhongli rested his back against his dark wood chair, looking at the register book of the Parlor he had been reading. Flipping the cover, there was a messy signature with a small butterfly next to it, asserting the ownership of those records to no one other than the 77th Director herself.
Zhongli had decided to go through it once he became a consultant and occasional teacher for undertakers. It was a register book about all the funerals conducted under the Director Hu’s care, and it surprised Zhongli how well organized, recorded and detailed the information there was. More so, the sheer amount of funerals had made him raise his eyebrows. Hutao was, by all means, young, but the total number of parting rites she had conducted, overseen or that just had a bit of her touch was enormous.
Zhongli, as an archon, knew about his people and the ones in his territory who received a vision surely were outstanding in their own ways, but… he just didn’t really look into every single person. Hutao was one of those who had slipped under his radar in the last few years, especially since she didn’t seem to have much regard for contracts and laws like Yanfei had, for example, and well, what can he say? Even an archon has his favorites.
Ending up as Hutao’s was something he didn’t pay any mind to, but as soon as he started working with her, Zhongli realized the young woman was a bit too much, even for his standards. Well, especially for his standards.
Hutao was erratic to say the least. She was unpredictable, hyperactive, eccentric and unique. None of those things were bad, of course, the world was so full of amazing diversity because different people were allowed to be themselves. However, Zhongli didn’t know if he had the required patience or the energy to handle the pyro-vision user.
All of that being said and first impressions sticking so tightly, Zhongli didn’t expect her annotations to be so strictly precise and rich in details. Nothing seemed amiss, even when it came to documents she hadn’t penned herself, all that was under her care and related to funerals was meticulously done.
Zhongli still had to clean up after her a lot. If it wasn’t directly tied to her work, she would disappear and return with weirder and weirder stories about adventures no one could wrap their minds around. Thus, he had started giving up on understanding the director and just going with it when it came to her, as uncomfortable as that felt for him.
“Indeed,” he ran a finger over the messily drawn butterfly, “of an unique character that one.”
He closed his eyes and rested his head against the chair, letting his mind calm down for a second, the mixed sounds of nature flowing in his ears and provoking nothing short of bliss. Zhongli wasn’t as deeply connected to his statues as he once was, but they still held his power and their immediate surroundings worked as an extension of his body.
Listening to the sounds of birds and grass being caressed by the winds, he couldn’t help but frown when his ears caught on to a heavy, human sigh.
Focusing a bit more, he realized the statue in question was the one to the northwest to the Harbor. It was a pretty deserted Statue, located near the ever filled with monsters, Duyun Ruins. To hear someone there was surely surprising. Interest duly picked, Zhongli quirked an eyebrow, trying to hear any other sounds.
And, oh, did he hear it.
“Hey there, Mr. Statue of Seven. Or are you a Miss? Maybe you’re none of that.”
Zhongli’s eyes snapped open. It was Hutao’s voice. What was she doing there, so far from the Harbor? Actually, what was she doing seeking one of his Statues? Was she in need of healing? Surely she couldn’t be praying. Hutao was not known for being devoted to the archons, having a pretty dismissive attitude even about her own vision. This is getting more and more curious, he thought, sensing that Hutao was moving around the area, probably sitting near the Statue.
“It’s been a long time since I last came here! Did you miss me?” Hutao chuckled and, if Zhongli hadn’t noticed something off with her voice tone, her next words made it clear. “Of course not. Who does?”
Intrigued by both the words and tone of the young pyro-user, Zhongli listened in.
“Now, I know what you’re thinking. ‘Stop being like that! Chin up!’ Or something… well, let me tell you, oh, amazing Statue, I know all about it. All those reassuring and encouraging words, I know them all. By heart even! I have whole motivational speeches memorized.” There was a deep sigh. “Not because anyone would give them to me, obviously. I just make them up myself. Because, ” she forced out a loud laugh, “if I don’t, then who will!”
“You’re probably thinking ‘well, it’s your fault for being a weirdo’ and I’d say that you’re absolutely…”
Wrong, Zhongli automatically said in his mind, filling the silence that only another sigh occupied, that is not right.
But Hutao didn’t seem to agree.
“I’d say… I’d have to say you are right. Absolutely, completely right. It’s my fault I’m so weird. Please, just the face of that guard when I said I was on my way to a heart-to-heart with a Statue of the Seven said it all. Maybe ‘weirdo’ doesn’t even start to cut it. I’m pretty much of a creep.”
Oh, Zhongli didn’t like where this was going.
“I’m… I’m just so tired, ” Hutao paused, “ things have been harder lately for some reason. Maybe it’s because grandpa’s death anniversary is coming up. And, yeah, objectively I know what the spirits have to say about that. Grandpa didn’t have any regrets, he passed on the best way possible, and a death anniversary shouldn’t be an excuse for me to be moping around. ” A soft sniffle. “But I miss him. I can even picture him, you know? Sometimes… yeah, that’s a lie, most of the time, I wish he was still around. I… I really love the Parlor and the thing I’m the most proud of is being its Director, but… still. Grandpa should’ve led it longer, he should have been the Director up until now. Am I… Am I even doing a good job?”
There was a low chuckle, a humorless, practically self-deprecating one.
“This is the real boogey-man, isn’t it? The only thing I can actually do is this. What if I’m doing a bad job? Should I be more attentive? Should I try to be, well, less me? Tell me, marvelous Statue,” Hutao’s attempt of humor fell flat, “just… tell me. Because I know nobody else will. They’re all freaked out by me. I can’t even approach people without getting stinky looks, you know? I mean… I’m not that much of a bother, right? I’m just… death isn’t the worst thing ever! I want to help… and obviously make a living, heh.”
Zhongli looked at the register book in his hands, looked at how dedicated and precise all of Hutao’s actions in the Parlor were, looked around him and wondered how much of that were product of her incessant work and effort.
“Who am I kidding,” and her tone, so subdued, so utterly sad , was starting to weigh on his heart. “Of course I am a bother. If I wasn’t I wouldn’t have to be talking to a Statue right now. No offense, ” she quickly added and he almost smiled at it. “I’m sure you have a lot of troubles. I mean, look at how many monsters! Nobody ever visits you, right? This is not good. Oh, you’re covered in weeds as well! Here, let me help.”
Zhongli could picture Hutao springing to her feet, making quick work of cleaning the Statue. She started humming a song, an old folktale and he closed his eyes again, trying to digest her words. Never he would’ve thought Hutao had these doubts, these feelings. But well, why am I so surprised? Zhongli had a lot of years on his back and if there’s something he learned was that people - humans, adepti, anyone - were multilayered puzzles. Nobody is only what they show at face-value. He thought back to the annoying little wind wisp from Mondstadt and how much his drink habits bothered him, how much it hurt him to remember how that small archon was all smiles and songs hiding a turmoil of pain inside. Zhongli slowly blinked his eyes open, listening to Hutao’s song. Yes, he shouldn’t have been surprised.
“There! Looking good, Statue. I bet you rock everybody’s heart with those stone abs.”
Zhongli sighed, he shouldn’t be surprised with that type of commentary either.
“Anyway. Thanks for listening, even though you didn’t have much choice. I’ll put you in my next poem as a gift, so don’t be too upset, alright? I should be going now, I need to make sure everyone handed in their work. Oh! Yeah, Zhongli had the new undertakers write him a paper, can you believe it?” She giggled and Zhongli couldn’t really understand why that was something funny. He just wanted to ensure the content of his classes were learned. “He is a good teacher. I’m very glad he started working with us, even if I annoy his brains out. ”
Well, at least she knows, he thought, but there was no bite to it.
“ Have an amazing night!”
Zhongli listened in for a few more minutes, until he was sure she had left. Sighing, he headed to her office.
It took some time for Hutao to appear and Zhongli guessed the walk had given her enough time to hide away all the worries and heavy thoughts weighing on her shoulders by the bright smile she gave him.
“Mr. Zhongli! It’s pretty late, what are you doing here? Oh, yeah, working overtime, right? I have to say that if you’re looking for extra mora, then we should have a long talk about it…”
“Director Hu,” he interrupted her, putting the register book on her desk.
Hutao rolled her eyes. “Come on, no need to be so formal!”
“I’ve read through your register books and other documents.”
That gave Hutao pause. She stopped on her tracks to her desk and looked at him. There was the hint of self-doubt in her eyes, something so small Zhongli maybe wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t just heard everything she said to the Statue.
“Ah, is that so?” Her tone was chirpy.
“Yes, I did and I have to say…” Zhongli smiled, “they are very well-done. You’re a very young director, but the way you registered the finances and human resources matters speaks of great dedication and care. The annotations are very clear and concise, I had no trouble understanding them and it’s great to know the Parlor is in such good hands.”
Hutao's steps towards her desk halted and she turned to him with a confused smile. "Ah? Yeah, of course!" Hutao cleaned her throat and put her hands to her waist, "I take my job very seriously, you know!"
Zhongli knew she meant that in a boastful tone, as if brushing off what he said, as if she wasn't surprised, as if she knew all of that. But Zhongli could see the hidden doubt still weighing on her shoulders, and so decided to press further.
"Yes, I'm aware. But it was still impressive to see the amount of effort put into them. No matter how big or small, all the funerals you conducted were perfect to a fault, always aiming for the satisfaction of the living and the comfort of the dead." Zhongli pensively hummed, "indeed, I believe your work as the Director is irreplaceable."
That seemed enough for her disguised surprise to appear. Hutao's red eyes were wide, her mouth a bit slack as she spluttered something along the lines of "Mr. Zhongli, are you really trying to get a raise" and "it's just my job".
But, embarrassed as Hutao may have been, the relieved look on her face told Zhongli he had made a point.
And he decided that, from that moment on, he would try to be a bit more lenient towards the great Diretor Hu.