Chapter 2 – Dinner with the living.
After travelling all day, Hu Tao finally made it back to the city. She made quick work of sneaking into the back courtyard of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, where she promptly climbed her way up the back wall and slipped through her bedroom window.
Wasting no time, she threw her travel bag onto her bed and fished out the scroll containing the map of the border realm, pinning it up on her wall. For years now she had been working on mapping out the border and marking all the lost souls she helps. She pulls out her journal and flips to the most recent entry.
"Lost Spirit #462 – He wishes to see his family happy one last time. Wife and son live in Qingce Village. I need to find a way to bring them to Wuwang Hill. Wife runs a restaurant in the village."
She adds a new line below.
"Wish fulfilled, was able to see his family. Peacefully moved on. No troubles."
Moving on further down the page she adds a new entry.
"Lost Spirit #463 – "
She leaves it blank. She rips off the next page and starts drawing a little sketch of the woman the old man described. Grey hair, black dress…
knock knock knock*
Hu Tao looks up and sees her door opening to reveal one of the undertakers working at the Parlour.
"Aiya, how did you know I was back!?"
"Dinners ready downstairs Miss Hu."
"Yeah yeah I'll be down soon." She responds.
The undertaker looks at her with a gloomy expression. "You should know, uh, the Director is waiting for you, he's… uh, he hasn't been well these past few days."
Hu Tao snaps back. "Again? Jeez what are you feeding the poor man! I swear whenever I leave you all forget to take care of him!"
The undertaker doesn't respond but instead flashes an annoyed look back at her.
"Okay! Okay! I'm coming… Sheesh."
Hu Tao makes her way past the undertaker and runs downstairs. She bursts into the dining room.
"How are you sick again grandpa? I thought these goofballs were supposed to be taking care of you!"
"Oh, don't blame them little Tao, they take very good care of me… heh, I suppose once you get to my age some things just become inevitable." Old Hu responds back.
"Yeah, yeah, sounds like an excuse to me! I just think you need to take better care of yourself!" Hu Tao quips as she takes a seat at the table.
Old Hu looks at her before continuing. "Haha, if only it were that simple. Some things in life aren't so easy little one. My prime has long passed. There comes a time in everyone's life where the physical body fails them. I fear that I myself have long passed that point."
"Ah, don't be so droll grandpa! You always get over it. I swear, they really must be feeding you something depressing!"
"Haha… perhaps… Now how about you eat something little Tao, Miss Ming made all this food for us and you never touch any of it! You need to eat more!" Old Hu said with a more serious tone.
"Uh grandpa! But I'm not hungry!"
"That's because you're not paying attention little one! You ought to listen to your own body once in a while. Unless you want to become one of those spirits you spend so much time with!
"hmph" Hu Tao sighed knowing he was probably right.
Now go on, eat up! Otherwise, your gonna end up like me, sick!"
"Okay, okay! You've made your point! Gosh…" Hu Tao responded defeated in this endeavour.
Hu Tao starts taking a few bites at the grand feast in front of her.
Old Hu continued on knowing he had won the argument. "There's plenty here too, so next time you sneak off you better take more with you! Don't think I don't know how little food on your silly adventures."
"Hey grandpa! They're not 'silly adventures', okay?"
"Hahaha… Where'd you end up this time? The Dunyu Ruins, or perhaps Mingyun Village?"
"… uh…" Hu Tao looked down at her food awkwardly.
Old Hu's face changes "Or perhaps, mmm… Wuwang Hill again?"
"N-Not at first!" Hu Tao snapped back.
"Yet you always seem to end up there." Old Hu sighed.
"I'm just helping out the lost spirits there! Like you taught me!" Hu Tao insisted.
"Right, right, of course… So how was the border this time? Quiet, I hope? Hassle-free, I hope?
"Yeah...! Just the usual lawyer missing their career, or husband looking for his wife! A-At least at first…
"… at first?" Old Hu inquired.
"Yeah… until a spirit or two popped up that insisted on returning to our world... I-I dealt with them though! I'm getting way stronger! It was a piece of cake!"
"I'm sure you are but still, you need to be careful little one. You've already grown up too fast, leave the dangerous spirits to the experienced exorcists. Your parents would never forgive me if they got to see you before me! Hahaha!"
Just as soon as Old Hu finished chuckling, an awkward silence took over the room.
"…" Hu Tao looked down refusing to meet his gaze and started poking at her food.
Director Hu's gaze changed from joking to sombre. He took a few moments before continuing.
"Ah, I'm sorry Little Tao, I didn't mean to bring that up."
Hu Tao sat there in silence, still not meeting his gaze.
Silence filled the air for the next few moments before Director Hu spoke again.
"I know you don't believe me, but I know your parents really are at peace."
Feeling the emotions welling up within her Hu Tao lashed out. "… Uh grandpa I don't want to talk about it! I'm going to my room."
"Mmm, wait! At least take some food before you go!" Old Hu tried to get in one last comment but it fell on deaf ears.
Hu Tao ran off back upstairs without taking any food.
Hu Tao ran into her room and pushed her desk behind the door.
She walked over to her bed and slumped face first into the pillows and laid there for a while.
"He just doesn't get it. Whatever. He'll understand when I find them. Agh… He's not even looking! I know I'm getting close! I just have to go back to where I found that old man. All the spirits there are missing their loved ones. If they're anywhere in there, that's where they'll be."
Hu Tao wipes a couple tears from her eyes and sits up. She grabs her journal.
"Next time I will travel up that straight down that channel, back to the exact same spot. I know they will be there somewhere; they have to be!"
Hu Tao grabs the sketch of the old woman and begins working away at perfecting it.
Many minutes later Hu Tao hears a knock on her door.
knock knock knock*
The door budges against her desk but can't open.
She thinks about yelling out to leave her alone, but she can't bring herself to do it.
She slowly gets up, pulls the desk away from her door and opens it. She finds her grandpa standing in the hallway with a sombre look on his face.
"Can we talk? He says softly."
"Uh, fine." She reluctantly agrees.
He walks in and sits down on the end of her bed.
"Listen, I'm sorry for bringing up your parents little one. I know how much they mean to you."
"Ah, I-It's okay grandpa, I get it, you didn't mean to."
"No, I didn't, but after all this time maybe it's good that I did."
She looks up at him confused.
"Don't think I don't know why you spend so much time at the border little one haha." He chuckles.
"If you know then why don't you look with me? Don't you want to see them again?!"
"Little Tao, of course I do. But there's so much more to it. I believe that where ever you parents are, they are at peace. That means that the last place they would be is Wuwang Hill."
"No, you're wrong! They have to miss me! Hu Tao starts crying."
"Little one, of course they miss you. But they also know that you are safe, and that you are going to live an amazing life. One day you will be reunited but you have a lifetime to live before that, and I'm sure wherever they are, they want you to live that life first before you see them again."
Hu Tao sniffles. "But a lifetime is too long…"
Old Hu chuckles. "Maybe for you, your only 13! I had to wait 60 years before I even got to meet you!"
"But the first time I set eyes on you was the best day of my life. That 60 years is what made it special."
Hu Tao sat there crying as he comforted her with an arm around her shoulder. She wanted to believe him but how could she let go?
They both sat there until Hu Tao had calmed down. Not wanting to leave her alone tonight, Old Hu laid back with her and they both soon fell asleep.