"Ah!? Aaaah!"
Hu Tao bounced over to Lin Mo in sheer delight.
Her unique plum blossom eyes scanned him up and down with intense curiosity.
"Uh..."
Lin Mo could tell right away.
She'd recognized him.
But not entirely.
Because this face of his was from his younger days.
In the world of the Hundred Lifetimes Invitation quest, though...
He and Hu Tao had lived into their seventies or eighties as an old couple!
Sure, Lin Mo had kept up with exercise every day, slowing the march of time a bit.
But those final decades? His looks back then were worlds apart from now.
A charming old man versus a fresh-faced youth.
It wasn't just the face, either—the vibe was totally different.
So Hu Tao couldn't quite commit to confirming who he was just yet.
She blinked her eyes, curiosity bubbling over as she asked, "Excuse me, handsome knight... mind telling me your name~?"
Lin Mo figured he'd tease her a little.
Recognition? Sure.
But not right away.
"What can I do for you?"
He replied politely.
"Oh, it's just... I have this natural admiration for dashing knights~! Can't wait to etch their names into my heart!"
"Yeah! Exactly!"
Hu Tao nodded vigorously, convinced she'd nailed a solid excuse.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Lin Mo asked with a sly edge, "Well then... miss, whose names have you already got tucked away in that heart of yours?"
Ah! Aaaah!
What a tricky question!
How should I even answer?!
Hu Tao's mind raced in panic.
"Uh... well..."
But on the surface, she forced down the awkwardness and beamed with enthusiasm:
"Hey~!"
"The truth is, the second I laid eyes on you, Hall Master here forgot every other knight out there."
"I only want to know your name."
"So, handsome knight, could you tell me? Pretty please?" Hu Tao asked again, refusing to give up.
Lin Mo had to fight back a laugh.
Good thing he knew this girl was full of tricks.
If some random girl pulled this on him the first time they met, it'd scream gold-digging flirt from a mile away!
"Me? I'm Mode Ganqing."
Lin Mo said with a grin.
"Mode Ganqing? Really!?" A flicker of doubt crossed Hu Tao's eyes.
"You think I'd forget my own name?" Lin Mo shot back with a smile.
He could hardly wait to see her reaction.
"Oh~! Got it, got it~!" Hu Tao said, suddenly enlightened.
There was a tiny hint of disappointment, sure.
But the next instant, something clicked, and her eyes lit up.
"Right! I know!"
Hu Tao burst out excitedly, "You've gotta have a long-lost twin brother from Liyue, someone named Lin Mo! Am I right?!"
"Nope."
Lin Mo replied coolly.
"Oh... no twin either, huh..."
Now Hu Tao was truly deflated.
"Sorry... didn't mean to bother you..."
With that, she grabbed her bag of cheap tea leaves and trudged toward the corner of the pavilion.
Next door was the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, her home base for work and life.
"Oh? Giving up just like that?"
Lin Mo watched her retreating back.
A pang of guilt tugged at him.
Had he taken the joke too far?
Should he call her back, spill the truth?
After all...
In the Hundred Lifetimes Invitation quest,
She was the only one who'd stuck with him till the end, growing old side by side—this quirky, spirited Hu Tao.
Right now, though, Lin Mo wasn't the only one lost in tangled thoughts.
Hu Tao's heart was a whirlwind too.
Of course she knew.
In the real world, there was no such person as Lin Mo.
Because in her dreams...
Lin Mo had been the boy next door, from the family right beside hers.
They'd been inseparable since childhood.
Whenever he had something tasty, he'd share it with her first.
Any fun new game? He'd drag her into it.
Lost in the memory, Hu Tao couldn't help but gently touch the plum blossom hairpin on her hat's brim.
That hairpin pinned to her hat's edge...
It was a replica she'd had made from the one in her memories—the one Lin Mo had given her.
She remembered so clearly what he'd said.
"Plum blossoms embody noble qualities: blooming defiantly in snow, fragrant against the biting cold, with an iron will and unyielding heart."
"Hu Tao, don't you think plum blossoms suit your personality perfectly?"
She remembered it crystal clear.
That year, she'd only been sixteen.
"Huh? Do they? Where's the resemblance?"
Hu Tao had blinked in genuine surprise.
Because in her eyes, all those virtues he rattled off didn't match her wild, carefree self one bit.
"Of course they do!"
Lin Mo had insisted, matter-of-fact. "Look—'blooming defiantly in snow' means braving the harshest winter to show your colors, right? That's you to a T.
"You know folks hate when you pitch funeral services.
"But you don't back down from the challenge. Even knowing you'll get turned away or disliked,
"You keep pushing Wangsheng Parlor's business with everything you've got."
"Oh yeah! It does kinda match me!"
"Guess that's why we're a perfect pair—like the 'double plums' in that old poem?"
Lin Mo's words hit her like a splash of cold water, clearing the fog.
But a beat later, she tilted her head, puzzled. "Weird... Lin Mo, why'd you bring up plum blossoms out of nowhere?"
He'd just smiled softly.
Then, in the next moment, he placed an exquisite black rectangular gift box on the counter.
The box was adorned with a delicate red plum relief carving.
Its craftsmanship? Top-shelf stuff—even by the standards of Xigu Antiques or Bubu Pharmacy.
"What a gorgeous box~!"
Hu Tao's eyes widened in delight. "Is the red box for me? Right? Right?!"
Lin Mo watched her glee and shook his head with a wry smile. "You already know it's a gift box... doesn't that mean you figured there might be something inside?"
"Whoa! A gift?!"
Hu Tao's eyes went saucer-wide with shock. "What is it!? Why a gift for little old me?"
"It's your sixteenth birthday today."
"What, too buried in work to remember your own big day?" Lin Mo teased as he handed her the box.
"My birthday..."
Only then did it click for Hu Tao.
Yeah, today was her birthday.
But she never bothered tracking it herself.
With Lin Mo around, he'd always been the one to nudge her.
[Happy birthday, little Hu Tao~]
[Birthdays are for celebrating another year wiser, y'know?]
[Hey, c'mon—how do you even forget your own birthday? Need everyone else to remind you?]
This year was no different.
Except...
Birthdays before sixteen? He'd baked her cakes every time.
But this one? A gift.
And it looked pricey.
Hu Tao tore into the box without a second thought.
Inside: a flawlessly crafted plum blossom hairpin.
"Whoa! It's stunning!"
The way her plum eyes trembled...
She was head over heels for it.
But the next second, she turned those big eyes on Lin Mo, fretting. "Lin Mo... this must've cost a fortune. Wangsheng Parlor's business is in the dumps, your salary's nothing to write home about—how'd you swing something this fancy?"
"You like it?"
Lin Mo asked with a grin.
"Like it? I love it!"
Hu Tao nodded furiously, then shoved the box back at him. "But it's too much—let's return it. Your thoughtfulness means the world to me~!"
"It's handmade by yours truly. How could it possibly be 'too much'?" Lin Mo waved it off casually.
"Eh? For real?" Hu Tao lit up like fireworks.
Before, she'd been terrified of damaging it, insisting he take it back.
But now that he'd said it was handmade...
She finally dared to touch the delicate treasure inside.
And there she was, fiddling with the hairpin oh-so-carefully, like it was the most precious thing alive.
Clearly, she adored it.
Though... a moment later, a frown creased her brow:
"But... I always wear this Liuli Pavilion hat, y'know."
"It's Grandpa's heirloom—symbol of the Wangsheng Hall Master."
"Won't be many chances to wear a hairpin with it."
"Yeah, I thought of that."
Lin Mo nodded with a smile, then prompted her: "So check this out—the hairpin's got a little pin on the branch, right? Perfect for clipping it onto your hat."
His nudge made it click.
Hu Tao spotted the hidden pin on the hairpin's stem right away.
She clipped it onto her hat's brim in a flash.
Then, beaming with anticipation, she turned to him: "How's it look? How's it look!?"
"Perfect~"
Lin Mo nodded, grinning.
"By the way... Lin Mo, why a hairpin of all things?" Hu Tao finally circled back to that.
She never dolled herself up, after all.
So she was dying to know what had sparked the idea.
"Who's to blame but you, staring at all those girls in their fancy outfits?"
Lin Mo chuckled ruefully.
"Our line of work's got us stuck in these somber colors day in, day out."
"You've got no time—or heart—for primping like other girls."
"But that doesn't mean you can't add a little flair.
"A single hairpin can brighten up the gloom of our trade, make us seem a touch less off-putting.
"And these plums? They thrive in the dead of winter.
"Next time things get tough,
"Glance at these blossoms.
"Don't let a rough patch snuff out that spark to shine."
Just then, Hu Tao—who'd been heading toward Wangsheng Parlor—halted in her tracks.
She lifted her oversized hat from her head and cradled it in her hands.
Those plum blossom eyes fixed on the hairpin clipped to the brim.
"Don't let a rough patch...
"Snuff out that spark to shine..."
In that instant,
The words Lin Mo had once shared with her flooded back.
And so,
she whirled around.
There he was, still watching her.
That faint smile tugging at his lips...
It was so like the Lin Mo from her memories!
"Hey~! Wanna swing by my place for some tea~!"
Hu Tao held up her tea leaves: "I've got just the right batch of fresh leaves here!"
"Pfft!"
Lin Mo burst out laughing.
Just moments ago, this girl had been muttering about how broke he was, couldn't even afford decent tea.
"Nah, I'll pass—your bargain-bin brew's not my speed." Lin Mo waved her off with a grin.
"Mmph..."
Hu Tao puffed out her cheeks, clearly not ready to throw in the towel.
She'd stick around, chat him up, confirm if this guy was really the old man from her dreams who'd shared her life.
Only then would she let go.
She was racking her brain for a way to keep him there when,
Surprise—he beat her to it: "Hu, Hall Master—had dinner yet?"
"Nope! What's up?"
Hu Tao blinked, puzzled.
"I'm about to grab some food at Liuli Pavilion."
"If a lively, cheerful, sweet-as-pie girl tagged along, who knows? Might make the meal taste even better~!" That smug, gleeful smirk on Lin Mo's face...
It planted a seed of suspicion in Hu Tao's heart.
He has to be the Lin Mo from my dreams.
She had no clue why he was a Westwind knight now, or this "Mode Ganqing" alias.
But that infuriating, teasing grin when he messed with her?
She'd burned it into her brain for an entire lifetime!
Hmph! If it's really you, you're done for this lifetime!
"Fine, I'm in! But heads up—Hall Master's got a huge appetite!"
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T/N:
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