Autumn Comes When You're Not Yet Done

Prologue

A tall man seemed to strut along the docks of Liyue Harbor late at night. He enjoyed long strolls after the sun had set. These strolls would take him through his home, Liyue Harbor, and much of the surrounding area, even taking him to Wuwang Hill. Wuwang Hill. Such a peaceful hill. A subarea of Bishui Plain and located near Qingce Village. Not many people got close to Wuwang Hill as it was supposedly haunted. But this man, he is not afraid to take his nightly walk on Wuwang Hill. Death has surrounded this man his entire life. He works as a consultant of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, but the corpses in the funeral parlor are not the only dead people he has seen in his time. This man happens to be Morax, the Geo Archon and God of Contracts, to the locals in Liyue he is most often referred to as Rex Lapis. Despite being a divine being he does not wish for Liyue's citizens to know his true identity. This man uses the name Zhongli. Zhongli, a young man in his late 20's and an employee of a local funeral business. A lonely man with no family. All he has is his close friend Hu, the director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. Hu knows who Zhongli really is but has no intention or letting out his dear friend's secret. Zhongli is doomed to outlive his closest companions including Hu.

I awoke with a cramp in my neck. I must've slept in an uncomfortable position last night. I can see the sun's light streaming through my window, it must be close to 9:00. I slowly push myself off of my bed and begin my morning ritual. I am quite broke, lacking in money as I have difficulty keeping what I make at my job which starts in an hour. I hurriedly eat my left over rice from the previous night and get myself dressed so that I can attend my shift at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.

As I walk to work I enjoy observing the children near my dwelling play amongst themselves. I believe their names are Keqing and Beidou, though I do not know the names of the others. I remember everyone whom I have ever spoken to. Shop owners, waiters, fisherman. I have exceptional memory. As I arrive at the funeral parlor I am greeted by my good friend Hu. Hu is an old man, roughly 83 years of age. He looks quite well for being that old.

"How are you this fine morning Zhongli?" Hu calls out as I come into his line of sight.

"I am doing quite well my friend." I reply almost instantly, drawing close to Hu.

"Lan had the baby last night, I figured after your shift I could take you to meet my new granddaughter." Hu announced proudly, a smile lit his face at the mention of his son's child.

"I would love to meet her, I hope that Lan is doing alright. First time childbirth can be extremely difficult, I wish her the best." A granddaughter. I felt very happy for Hu, having legacy to take over the funeral parlor after he passes. His son had chosen not to inherit Wangsheng as he thought it was a terrible business. Terrifying being around corpses all day long, he had hated the thought of being near dead people and Lan felt the same way.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

After my shift ended, Hu and I made our way over to Lan and Zhang's house. I felt immensely happy for Hu, he loved his son and I could see it on his eyes that he was beyond excited to see his new granddaughter.

I stood back as my friend knocked on the door. A few moments later a handsome, young man opened the door.

"Father! I didn't expect to see you so soon, I thought that you would have too much work to do before coming over this early." Zhang exclaimed.

"Paperwork can wait, I would love to see my granddaughter, and I have also brought a friend with me to meet her as well.'

"Ah Mr. Zhongli, it is a pleasure to see you again. It has certainly been a while, hasn't it?" Zhang's faced betrayed his surprise to see me again.

"Yes, it has been quite a while since I saw you last." I replied.

"Well, come on in, I'm afraid I do not have any tea ready at the moment. Please excuse me, it's been a rough night with the new baby and all."

"It's fine, I completely understand." It must be very difficult, having a brand new child. Babies tend to cry very often, they seem very needy.

I walked inside of the house and sat down upon finding a seat on the main room. I took notice quickly of Lan sitting against a large, soft looking chair while holding a small bundle in her arms.

"We have decided to name her Tao." Zhang said, standing beside where I sat.

"Oh, Mr. Zhongli, what a pleasant surprise." Lan said wearily, "It has been a while."

I nodded, my attention drawn to Tao in her arms.

"Lan you seem quite tired why don't I take her for a bit." Zhang reached down and took Tao from Lan so that she could rest.

"Mr. Zhongli, would you care to hold Tao?" I looked up at Zhang as he asked if I wanted to hold his daughter.

"Sure." I said simply and Zhang handed me his child. I gazed down at this small girl, so small. She has such soft, smooth skin. I rocked her back and forth in my arms, making sure not to disturb her peaceful sleep. Such a calm child. I glanced at Hu, he was staring at his granddaughter with joy in his eyes. I could tell what my friend was thinking. This girl will succeed him in being the next director of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. I just hope that Hu lives long enough for her to not have to take the job too early in her life. That would be a shame.

She will be a wonderful director.