Gu Yanzhao was momentarily stunned. In his haste to take Tangtang back to the capital, he had actually forgotten all about her master.
Thinking of what had happened this morning, he gave an awkward, light cough: “Don’t worry about the burial; Daddy guarantees that your master will leave in grand style!”
Wasn’t it just money?
As the dignified Crown Prince of Dayong, the last thing he lacked was money!
Tangtang pursed her lips, a glimmer of hope carrying in the gaze she directed at Daddy.
If she could let Master be laid to rest in peace, Tangtang would kneel before the Patriarchs of the Three Pure Ones and swear that if Daddy told her to hit a dog, she would never bite a chicken!
Gu Yanzhao fumbled in his bosom and came up empty, his slender fingers halting abruptly.
Oh no!
He had left in too much of a rush and hadn’t managed to bring any silver notes at all!
“Daddy?” Tangtang blinked her clear, black-and-white eyes. “Did you not bring enough copper coins? It doesn’t matter, Daddy, can you wait a few more days for me?”
At the latest, in ten days, she would definitely save enough silver to buy the boards!
The little girl’s question was asked with utmost caution, looking very much like a small beast afraid of being abandoned.
She could dig the hole and fold gold and silver paper ingots herself; for the tombstone, she could find a piece of wood and ask Daddy to write Master’s name on it.
Although it would be a bit shabby, once Tangtang earned money in the future, she would definitely dig Master up and replace him with the finest coffin boards and buy an inscription-bordered tombstone.
A warm sensation welled up in Gu Yanzhao’s heart as he raised a hand to tap the tip of her nose lightly: “You go pack your things, Daddy is going out for a bit!”
Although his clothes had a few holes torn in them, the fabric was top-quality celestial silk, which he figured could still fetch a few stray pieces of silver.
Tangtang stood in place, staring blankly at Daddy’s departing figure.
After quite a while, she scrambled forward on her short little legs to chase after him, but there was no longer any sign of Gu Yanzhao.
Yaya landed on Tangtang’s shoulder, affectionately rubbing her little face with its small head.
“Tangbao, don’t worry. Your dad must have gone down the mountain to look for money, he’ll be back in a while…”
Yet after hearing this, Tangtang’s tightly furrowed brows didn’t relax at all. She only stared at the path leading down the mountain and muttered, “Daddy’s injury isn’t healed yet…”
The summer heat was scorching and the sun blazing, and with the mountain path rugged and difficult to traverse, Gu Yanzhao endured the sharp pain radiating from his chest as he made his arduous way down the mountain.
When he reached the town, his face was as pale as paper, and cold sweat broke out all over his body.
He strode into a pawnshop, pointed to the torn clothes on his body, and asked, “Shopkeeper, do you accept the clothes I’m wearing here?”
The pawnshop clerk looked him up and down and curled his lips in disgust: “Your clothes have all sorts of big and small holes in them, we don’t take them!”
Their pawnshop wasn’t running a charity; they didn’t accept any old rags!
Hearing this, Gu Yanzhao furrowed his brows tightly. He had promised his daughter that he would let her master leave in grand style.
His peripheral vision swept to the shoes on his feet, and after a moment of silence, he asked, “These shoes for a final pawn—how much silver?”
Half a cup of tea later, the clerk raised five fingers toward Gu Yanzhao: “Five taels of silver!”
The shoes were finely crafted with superior materials; if it were ordinary times, a final pawn would fetch at least seven taels of silver or more, but… who told this customer before him to be in urgent need of money!
Gu Yanzhao closed his eyes, never having imagined that one day he would be reduced to selling his shoes in exchange for silver: “Deal!”
Coming out of the pawnshop, he walked barefoot down the main street, drawing sidelong glances from passersby, though Gu Yanzhao paid them no mind at all.
Inquiring all the way, he arrived at a coffin shop and spent four taels of silver to buy a medium-grade cypress coffin, instructing them to deliver it to Xixia Taoist Temple early tomorrow morning.
Thinking of his daughter’s skinny appearance, he bought ten meat buns and two sugar figurines as well.
In his mind, an image involuntarily surfaced of Tangtang puffing out her cheeks and eating until her mouth was oily, and his cold, stern brows softened of their own accord.
…
Tangtang sat listlessly on the large stone by the entrance, her eyes fixed intently on the path not far away.
Past noon already, and Daddy still hadn’t returned…
Were Master’s boards too expensive, and did they scare Daddy away?
A flash of dejection crossed Tangtang’s dark eyes; even if Daddy was scared away, Tangtang wouldn’t blame him…
Because she had already experienced what it felt like to have a dad, and from now on she would never envy other little kids again!
Thinking of this, the little girl took a deep breath and patted her own head: “Be a good girl, Tangtang. It doesn’t matter even if you don’t have a dad~”
Yaya dove straight into Tangtang’s arms, muttering muffledly, “Tangtang still has Yaya, Yaya will stay with you forever!”
Hearing this, Tangtang pursed her lips and smiled, and when she spoke again, her voice was much lighter: “Right! Tangtang still has Yaya! We’re good friends, we’ll be together forever!”
Just as Tangtang turned around, a familiar voice rang out: “Tangtang, I’m back! Look what Daddy brought you?”
Tangtang’s small, frail body paused. She slowly turned around, her dual pupils filled with disbelief.
Daddy is back?
She reached out her small hand and instinctively pinched her face; the clear sensation of pain made her snap back to reality instantly.
It wasn’t a dream, Daddy really was back!
Daddy hadn’t abandoned Tangtang; she wasn’t an unwanted wild child!
“Daddy!” Tangtang’s eyes turned red, and she sprinted over to hug Gu Yanzhao’s leg. “Why did you take so long to come back?”
Tangtang’s little milky voice still carried a trace of imperceptible grievance, making Gu Yanzhao’s heart ache with pity.
He waved the buns and sugar figurines in his hand, explaining gently, “After buying the coffin for your master, I saw buns and sugar figurines for sale, so I was delayed for a little while! It’s Daddy’s fault for letting Tangtang wait anxiously…”
Daddy bought the boards? The little girl instinctively looked behind him, but didn’t see anything at all.
Gu Yanzhao chuckled softly and explained, “The coffin won’t be delivered until early tomorrow morning. After burying your master, Daddy will take you home, alright?”
Tangtang nodded, and inadvertently catching sight of Gu Yanzhao walking barefoot, she asked with a curious tilt of her head: “Daddy, where are your shoes?”
Gu Yanzhao’s gaze flickered slightly, dodging Tangtang’s question: “Let’s head back quickly, the meat buns will get cold in a moment. Look~ Daddy even bought sugar figurines for you and the little crow!”
As he spoke, he handed over the sugar figurines, but Tangtang didn’t reach out; instead, she stared straight at Gu Yanzhao’s feet.
She knew everything!
Daddy went to the coffin shop to snatch boards and lost his shoes running back!
And the meat buns and sugar figurines were also snatched back by Daddy!
At this thought, the little rims of the little girl’s eyes suddenly reddened, and she burst into tears with a wail.
“Wuwuwu… Daddy… Tangtang doesn’t want the boards anymore… Daddy, don’t get arrested by the yamen… I don’t want the meat buns or sugar figurines either… Tangtang wants Daddy!”
Master’s boards could be saved up for slowly, but if Daddy got arrested by the yamen, he would get his head chopped off!
Her good ghost friends said having your head chopped off hurt terribly, and even after turning into a ghost, your head would roll around everywhere grunting from time to time.
With Gu Yanzhao swearing oaths and making guarantees one after another, it took a very long time before Tangtang’s little face gradually cleared up.
Only then did Tangtang take the sugar figurine and bite into it cautiously. The pure, sweet taste made her narrow her eyes happily, revealing two shallow dimples on both sides of her cheeks.
“Daddy, have a bite too!” Tangtang held up the sugar figurine, offering it to Gu Yanzhao’s mouth.
This was Tangtang’s very first time eating a sugar figurine; naturally, she had to share it together with Daddy!