After some hesitation, Aether finally nodded and agreed to Hu Tao, following her all the way to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Actually, she thought about it carefully; Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was so big, there should be staff dormitories, right?
She didn't necessarily have to sleep with Hu Tao, so Lumine's plan might fall through.
Of course, she could also choose to take the initiative…
Aether was a bit hesitant. Looking at Hu Tao's performance today, it seemed it wouldn't be difficult to take her down directly if she wanted to.
She had already promised Lumine to make an effort regarding Hu Tao.
Since that was the case, she would wait for the opportune moment.
"Director, you're back," It was already late, and a Baiduren was standing at the entrance of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, her true name not worth mentioning.
"Mm-hmm, this Director brought a good friend to stay in the parlor for a night," Hu Tao nodded and said casually.
"Oh?" The Baiduren lady turned her head and looked at Aether behind Hu Tao.
"Are you perhaps Miss Aether?"
"Yes… You know me?" Aether looked at the Baiduren in surprise.
"Mm-hmm, the Director has told me about you. You are indeed as beautiful as the Director said," The Baiduren lady nodded, a kind smile on her face.
"Tha-thanks…" Aether's mouth twitched slightly. What on earth was Hu Tao telling her employees?
"Come, come in first. It's a bit cold inside, but the sleeping place is warm enough, don't worry," Hu Tao was about to pull Aether through the door, but unexpectedly, the Baiduren lady suddenly called out to her.
"Eh, Director, are you keeping Miss Aether overnight in the parlor?"
"Yes, why?" Hu Tao tilted her head, looking at the Baiduren lady in confusion.
"Director, have you forgotten? A new Old Meng came recently, and now there are no empty rooms," The Baiduren lady reminded her.
"Old Meng? Ah, yes…" Hu Tao paused slightly, then suddenly remembered.
The employees of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor were relatively stable; many even worked there their entire lives, and not many employees left, so the dormitories naturally became gradually full.
Of course, Wangsheng Funeral Parlor didn't recruit often, but that Old Meng was special; he came by himself, seemingly having encountered some difficulty and hoping to work at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor for a while.
Hu Tao had agreed at the time, and because Old Meng lived far away, he moved into the last available staff room in Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
Before this, the rooms provided for employees at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor had never been fully occupied; it was the first time there were no empty rooms like this.
"Um, maybe I should still go next door…" Seeing this, Aether tentatively spoke.
She knew that if her suggestion was rejected by Hu Tao, then Lumine's grand plan would basically succeed.
"No, don't! The bed over there isn't set up yet, how uncomfortable would it be for you to sleep on the floor?" Hu Tao held Aether's hand, seemingly not intending to let her leave.
Seeing this, Aether basically understood the situation.
"How about you stay in my room for one night? My bed is very big, enough for both of us," Hu Tao tentatively asked.
… Aether opened her mouth, not knowing what to say for a moment.
If she slept with her for one night, whether Hu Tao could get out of bed tomorrow was another story.
"Alright," Aether didn't hesitate for too long and then agreed.
"That's great! Tonight I want to chat all night with my close friend, sleeping foot-to-foot," Hu Tao said happily.
Foot-to-foot?
Aether had never heard of this expression before; perhaps it was a unique Liyue term, Aether could roughly understand it from the literal meaning…
She couldn't help but look down at Hu Tao's small feet, encased in a pair of white knee-high socks and black leather shoes.
Her heart stirred inexplicably.
—
Hu Tao's room was deep within Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, with no one else living nearby, making it a very good environment.
In all aspects.
Aether was somewhat guilty, especially when she thought of Zhongli, whom she had met once today.
That person was extraordinary, and his relationship with Hu Tao was unusual.
Rather than a superior-subordinate relationship like Director and consultant, Aether felt it was more like father and daughter.
If Zhongli were here, Aether would have to reconsider, otherwise, directly taking down Hu Tao in front of her old father might not be good.
But Aether had specifically asked Hu Tao just now, and Zhongli rarely stayed overnight at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, which also made her slightly relieved.
"Come, sit down first. Sorry, the room is a bit messy," Hu Tao took off her hat and placed it aside.
"No, it's not messy," Aether came back to her senses and shook her head.
Hu Tao's room wasn't very big, and even the "big bed" Hu Tao mentioned wasn't truly a big bed.
It only seemed big because of Hu Tao's petite figure.
And the room was very simple; besides the table, chairs, and bed, there was also a large bookshelf filled with many books.
Presumably, these were books related to Hu Tao's profession.
Aether walked to Hu Tao's bed and slowly sat down.
Hu Tao ran to the wardrobe and took out a pillow embroidered with plum blossoms, identical to the one currently on Hu Tao's bed.
It seemed to have a pleasant scent.
She handed the pillow to Aether's hand, then slowly stretched.
It was just a pity that Hu Tao's heart was not strong enough.
"Aether, do you want to take a bath?" Hu Tao asked Aether, feigning nonchalance.
"If possible, of course. But is there a place to bathe in Wangsheng Funeral Parlor?" Aether nodded, then asked curiously.
Before, she and Lumine had wanted to take a bath to relax, but the inn didn't have private bathrooms, so they could only simply wipe themselves with a basin of water and a towel in their room.
Of course, they wiped each other.
"Wangsheng Funeral Parlor is so big, of course you can bathe," Hu Tao's eyes flickered, but her face still maintained its usual expression.
After all, so many employees lived in Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, so all kinds of living facilities were naturally complete, including bathhouses.
"It's just that at this hour, there should be quite a few people in the bathhouse. If you mind…" Hu Tao hesitated for a moment, then looked up at Aether.
"We can also go to the room next door and get a bigger bathtub."
"Then, let's go to the room next door and use the bathtub to wash," Aether quickly said.
How could her physique possibly dare to go to a public bathhouse?
As soon as she walked in, it would definitely be a lamb entering a wolf pack.
Or a wolf entering a lamb pack, but either way, it was absolutely not permissible.
It was best to wash alone.
"Um, Aether, do you mind bathing with me…? To save some time and hot water," Hu Tao added afterwards.
Aether was slightly stunned to hear Hu Tao's words. Looking at Hu Tao's feigned calm, yet somewhat flustered, small face, Aether pondered for a moment, then revealed a smile.
"Sure, we're all girls, it's fine."
"Alright, I'll go prepare it now," Hu Tao nodded happily, feeling both nervous and expectant.
She was going to bring out the largest bathtub.
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