Chapter 77 Heart Palpitation
Upon seeing this, Tao Tao immediately realized what was happening, turned around and returned to her original position, bowed her head and clasped her hands in front of her, waiting quietly.
The door creaked shut again.
At that moment, the air seemed to freeze, and there was no sound.
Why be so reserved?
The voice above was calm and emotionless.
She paused for a moment, then smelled the aroma of food. She slowly raised her head and saw that he was holding a white jade bowl, which contained fish soup made from the remaining half of the fish.
She used the other half to braise, but fearing she might not handle it properly, she added a lot of ginger and scallions. She wondered how it would taste.
Anyway, she doesn't taste the things she makes; whether they're salty or bland depends entirely on her sense of touch.
"Is it not very tasty?"
She asked shyly, her fingers intertwined, feeling a little guilty.
Upon hearing this, the man glanced up at her, noticing her anxious expression. He then took a sip of the strangely flavored fish soup, feeling a burning sensation on his tongue.
"It's alright."
"That's good."
Tao Tao breathed a sigh of relief and found a place to sit down, leaving Duan Gan Ning, who was about to ask her to sit down, speechless.
She sat on the armchair on the left, tossed the teacup on the small square table aside, and leaned down on it.
"You can eat it. I'll take the food away when you're done."
Seeing how relaxed she was, he blinked his long eyelashes and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"A small-scale war recently broke out on the northern border with the Liao Kingdom, resulting in the deaths of many soldiers. These soldiers devoted themselves to our Celestial Empire and died for it, but their bodies could only be buried on the battlefield, causing immense grief to their families and great sorrow to His Majesty."
"Therefore, we want people to build cenotaphs for these soldiers who sacrificed their lives."
"A cenotaph?!"
Tao Tao's ears immediately perked up, and she looked up at him with bright eyes.
Duan Gan had never seen her so radiant before, and was momentarily stunned. But after a few seconds, he realized what was happening, lowered his eyes, and hummed in agreement.
“A cenotaph is good! Uh, no, I mean I also feel heartbroken, not happy.”
She patted her forehead helplessly and sighed deeply.
"Death is a common occurrence in war; there is no need to feel regret about it."
He took a handkerchief, wiped his lips, and casually packed the things into the food box.
"The register is here, and their belongings are marked after their names. In accordance with the wishes of their families, these items have been placed in the cenotaph."
With a thud, the dark blue booklet was thrown onto the table.
Tao Tao got up and walked over, stood in front of the table, reached out and picked up the book to flip through. It was full of traditional Chinese characters, which was dazzling, but it was okay, it just hurt her eyes a little.
Seeing that she showed no sign of anything amiss, and pretended to look at him, Duan Gan raised an eyebrow slightly and asked in surprise:
"You can read?"
Without looking up, she said, "Of course I know it. Otherwise, how would I manage to do business and read the ledgers?"
Suddenly, she paused, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and she looked up at him with a smile, waving the book in her hand.
"Thank you for providing this opportunity to make money. I knew I hadn't misjudged you. The Grand Marshal is truly a great person."
He looked up and met her gaze silently for a moment, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Is this how you define a good person and a bad person?"
"Of course not. In my heart, I would only say that to someone I like."
Tao Tao tilted her head and blinked her bright eyes. She reached out and poked the back of his hand with her fingertips, leaving a crescent-shaped mark on his pale skin with her pink and white nails.
He lowered his eyes and remained silent, watching her subtle movements on the back of his hand, his Adam's apple bobbing unconsciously.
"real?"
"Of course, Heaven and Earth can attest to that."
His long, thick eyelashes trembled, and he suddenly felt a pang of fear. His fingertips twitched slightly, and just as he was about to grab her hand, she straightened up and withdrew her hand.
She asked, "Will Chen Jinghe still be my contact person then?"
"Yes, he will help you. Just let him know if you need anything."
The pleasant, magnetic voice made her ears tingle slightly, and she felt that it was a little lower and hoarse compared to the previous voice.
"I also plan to develop a new business in the shop: pet funeral services. I've noticed that many high-ranking officials and nobles keep birds and beasts as pets."
"If rich people cherish their pets so much, what if one of them dies of old age? Wouldn't they have to be given a tomb, or have some of their fur taken as a memorial, just like people do?"
Do you think they'll buy into it?
She looked into his eyes, waiting for his advice.
"Yes, you do have a unique idea."
He looked at her intently, his words devoid of any perfunctory tone.
Indeed, nowadays, princes, nobles, and wealthy merchants in the capital do keep pets, mostly cats, dogs, birds, and rabbits.
They cherish and protect it very much, and there are indeed people who will pay for it.
“Of course, I need to go back and think about what to do, so I’ll head back now.”
Tao Tao took the food box, pushed open the door, and went out.
Duan Gan watched her disappearing figure, then looked down at the red crescent mark on the back of his hand. Recalling what she had just said, a soft smile appeared on his lips.
On the way, she put her things home in a good mood, and then went to the shop to discuss the matter with them.
They rest when the sun sets.
She sat on a stool in the room, flipping through the list he had given her during the day by candlelight.
The dim candlelight cast a shadow on her profile, her focused expression fixed on the window, swaying in the breeze.
The more I look at it, the more alarmed I become.
Looking at the names, it really doesn't seem like a small-scale war.
Although the cenotaphs are simple, there are too many of them, so she needs to recruit more people.
Tomorrow, we still need to bury the old lady of the Niu family. We also need to discuss with Chen Jinghe how to do it safely. The family members will definitely come, and we should use some military force to control the situation.
Lost in thought, she lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
Work at sunrise.
After breakfast, her younger brother went to the private school, and she and Tao's mother went to the shop.
Tao Tao called on the Yu brothers, Yu Shan and Yu He, to go to the Niu family together. They found a small road leading out of the city, avoiding the main streets, and left the city with great fanfare.
After the burial and the erection of the tombstone, a small hill rose up abruptly, and a long white banner whistled in the wind, as if it were the old man's final farewell.
The two adults and one child of the Niu family knelt before the grave, wailing incessantly.
Tao Tao and others assisted in burning longevity money, paper offerings, and some of the deceased's clothing and personal belongings.
A person's life, apart from this hill, leaves no trace of the human world.
In ten or twenty years, who will remember a dead person? If there are things one wants to do while alive, one should do them as early as possible to avoid having regrets.
She sighed. Yu Shan and Yu He beside her hadn't seen enough of them yet, and were already moved to tears by their presence.
As noon approached, the Niu family, following custom, invited them to stay for a vegetarian meal, but Tao Tao declined. After settling the bill, she returned to her shop.
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