Birthday/Hu Tao

• Sender: Hu Tao
• Time/Date: 2021-07-15 (During Version 1.6)

My dear friend, I have some especially good news to deliver to you - it's my birthday today! When I woke up, I felt myself brimming with creativity and was dying to write you a poem.

The daughter of Hu came into being, all the world now to be seeing.

Flame butterflies flutter like falling plum petals, in a transient dream a fragrance settles.

The wind rises, the clouds drift, the impermanence of life is a gift.

The flowers bloom, the mountains still, and with it the truth reveals.

Moreover, I have passed Wuwang Hill many a time, where the flowers bloom among cliffs. The vigor and vitality it embodies brings me such joy, much like your own.

It is said that consuming these delicate flowers with coconut milk whets one's appetite. I've tried it, I hope you try for yourself soon!

Come visit Wangsheng Funeral Parlor when you have time! I miss you!

• Sender: Hu Tao
• Time/Date: 2022-07-15 (During Version 2.8)

Recently, I have been very interested in fishing, but I couldn't catch anything even after sitting by the pond for days. In hindsight, I think it's because I lacked an assistant.

When it comes to fishing, I immediately thought of you, my dear friend! You're the perfect person to count on. You travel the world and fished all over the world — You are the master of masters in fishing! Come and help me out. Are the fish here too full? Or maybe they don't like my bait?

Though I failed in fishing, I plunged into the water and successfully caught quite a couple of nice fish! Tender fish slices go perfectly with Yang Chun Noodles — aromatic and fresh, a perfect combination of stillness and movement. Such a dish is simply food for the soul, I mustn't have it all for myself!

A grain of rice on the ground, a bird flying in the sky.

With me, Hu Tao around, you'll be so happy you could die.

Come quick! I'll be right here waiting for you!

• Sender: Hu Tao
• Time/Date: 2023-07-15 (During Version 3.8)

Recently, I've been asking Xiangling to teach me the culinary arts! She obviously agreed, and my first task is to go up into the mountains and gather ingredients, and the ingredients must be "innovative."

Now, my dear friend, having read that, I am sure your eyebrows must be furrowed as you wonder: Anything that flies in the sky, swims in the sea, or runs around on the ground and can fit into a mouth has already been tried by Xiangling, so how can one still find "innovative" ingredients?

Even I was confounded, and wandered about with hands most empty indeed, until I found myself sitting high in the boughs of a tree, legs swinging free, when the answer hit me!

Superb ingredients may be found at the ends of the sky, but also right beneath your eyes! This pine is solid, sturdy, and full of fragrance, so it'd be perfect for roasting chicken!

Ideas burst forth like water from a spring, so I shall dedicate a poem:

The mountains are beautiful beyond compare, trees aplenty and mushrooms rare,

So long as your friends are there, even if eating grass most bare.

I've chopped the pine and prepared the fowl, and the fire is already roaring... Now all I need is for you to come taste my progress!

• Sender: Hu Tao
• Time/Date: 2024-07-15 (During Version 4.7)

These days, I find myself lacking inspiration, and my words do not flow as they should when writing poetry. I thought about seeking inspiration far and wide, but instead stumbled upon a book on divination at Wanwen Bookhouse...

Believe it or not, it turned out to be quite amusing! I divined that Xiangling would encounter a "crimson omen" yesterday, and lo and behold, she found some exquisite Jueyun Chili in a basket of rice...

No wonder her rice has been so fragrant and spicy lately!

So, I decided to divine my own fortune based on my birth date, and surprisingly, the result was "a friend as precious as gilded gold, bringing great fortune to both."

Oh my, who else could this be referring to? Hehe, how interesting!

I've already prepared a meal, so hurry over and let's catch up, old friend. Let's see how we can bring ourselves some great fortune today!

• Sender: Hu Tao
• Time/Date: 2025-07-15 (During Version 5.7)

A single day parted feels like a lifetime. Let me count... how many lifetimes has it been since we last met?

Hehe, everything is well here in Liyue Harbor, including with my consultant, Xiangling, and Qiqi. Everyone's fine, everything's great, it's just... the parlor was a little quiet for a while — with no visitors here to trample it, the lawn outside grew three inches!

But never fear, I was up all night, and I came up with a plan:

"New guests may slip away, but old friends should never feel blue.

"Paper boats are loaded down — those you love remember you.

"Want to send your ancestors some new clothes? Trousers, shirts, you name it, all cut from the finest paper! Does a passed-on pet want butterflies to chase? Fiery wings will carry paper ones to the other shore!"

And wouldn't you know it, the orders came rolling in. I just finished making a paper pig, perfectly plump and pleasantly porky. Why not drop by and appreciate my work? We can wait till it gets dark and then deliver it to Wuwang Hill. I'll start a fire, and you can fan the flames. Then we'll sit atop a tree branch and admire the view — all while munching on a few apples. How about it?

• Sender: Hu Tao
• Time/Date: 2026-07-15 (During Version "Luna VIII")

Had absolutely nothing to do yesterday, so what did I do? Spent the entire day sorting through bills! They were mostly tabs run up by our dear consultant over at Xinyue Kiosk, Liuli Pavilion, Baiju Guesthouse...

Honestly, this feels rather interesting. It feels like I'm a mother cleaning up after her kid.

You must know exactly what I mean, right? After all, you're raising a little Paimon of your own! Though, she strikes me as the type who demands cold, hard cash upfront.

So, to balance out the subtle difference between cash and credit — and to really lock in our bond as best friends — yours truly had a brilliant idea: I'm sending a bill your way too!

"Order placed: One cake. Destination: Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, for Director Hu's birthday bash. Cost: 1,000 Mora. Payment date: To be determined."

Hehe, well? What do you think? I opened a genuine tab right in your name! Do you feel a sudden, heavy surge of responsibility washing over you? Don't you dare skip out on the bill, now!