Both the woodshop owner and his son, the assistant woodworker, beamed brightly at Liu Tián Qǔ when she entered the shop. After greeting the woodshop owner and his son. Liu Tián Qǔ explained she wanted two games to be made for a friend. The assistant woodworker hurriedly brought over material for Liu Tián Qǔ to sketch out her ideas. The first game was a Jenga wooden block game and the second game was a classic wooden labyrinth board game.
Since it was already late in the day, the assistant woodworker informed Liu Tián Qǔ that they wouldn't be ready until tomorrow noon.
Liu Tián Qǔ then promised the assistant woodworker that if he would have the board games made by mid-morning tomorrow that she would play one of each game with the assistant woodworker so he would know how the games are played. She also promised to grant the woodshop owner the right to make and sell the game in the woodshop.
The woodshop owner hurried forward and practically shoved his son out of the way. The woodshop owner bowed deeply and promised that if he had to personally stay up all night himself to complete Liu Tián Qǔ's order, her order would be completed by mid-morning tomorrow.
As Liu Tián Qǔ bid farewell to the woodshop owner and his son, she inwardly laughed and shook her head at the antics of the woodshop owner who seemed to have a money-loving heart.
Liu Tián Qǔ hired a carriage to return home. She barely made it back before tears began to pour from her eyes.
As Liu Tián Qǔ had bid farewell to the woodshop owner and departed from the woodshop, She was suddenly hit by an intense wave of homesickness. She missed her family of her previous life so much, she had barely stop the tears from gushing from her eyes. She missed her Little Taro, her mother, father, sister, and younger brother.
A weeping sad, lonely Liu Tián Qǔ walked through the dark silent Liu Residence to the hidden enclosure.
Truthfully Liu Tián Qǔ was enjoying the life that she was creating in the Tolling Lands. Before falling in love with Wang Fèn Yǒng, she would have said that she wanted to return to her previous life. Now she no longer wished to return. She just wished she could bring her family to the Tolling Lands to be with her. However, she felt guilty, even wishing for something so selfish. Her family had a life of their own.
She accomplished much in her past life. She had four degrees, master several disciplines of martial arts, and became proficient in a few more. She loved and had her heart broken badly. She made it to fencing tournaments and archery tournaments.
She rescued her family from dire straits and even carried a major corporation out of a desperate situation. She was blessed to be born in a beautiful family that had a deep culture that enriched her life on so many levels and even carried over to her second life.
Although she never made it to the age of forty. With just the thirty-six years that she was given, she lived a beautiful blessed life, and accomplish more than most people would ever accomplish in a lifetime. Liu Tián Qǔ was not ungrateful. She just missed her loved ones so much that she felt physical pain in her stomach.
When Liu Tián Qǔ entered the hidden enclosure, the dense aura and energy of the Knell Stones greeted her. As Liu Tián Qǔ sealed the enclosure close behind her, she muttered under her breath in a gloomy voice, "I guess Meng Po soup was I lie. Not that want some, the memories of my past life are too precious to me. I just find it interesting Meng Po never came to offer me any soup. Humph! Maybe she ran out of soup when it was my turn to get some."
Grumbling under her breath about Meng Po and her soup, Liu Tián Qǔ made her way over to the clearing where the tea garden once stood. Earlier while wearing the leather gloves that Lady Wu Yǐn Rán had made for her, Liu Tián Qǔ had carefully cleared the area of all Knell Stone, where the tea garden once stood. Sinking into a crossed leg position, Liu Tián Qǔ emptied her mind of all distractions and began to calm herself.
It was unknown to Liu Tián Qǔ how long it took her to calm her heart and mind. When her heart and mind were finally, calm Liu Tián Qǔ began to meditate. Not long after, sitting in the hidden enclosure surrounded by the dense aura and energy Liu Tián Qǔ consciousness drifted into a meditation of peace.
On the last day, which was day fourteen, Liu Tián Qǔ awoke in the hidden enclosure feeling so much better. Her mind felt extraordinarily clear. Her body felt infused with well being and energy. It was still a couple of hours till dawn when Liu Tián Qǔ left the hidden enclosure. She made her way to her courtyard to freshen up and begin her daily exercise. Over the past two weeks, she fell off of her daily regime badly.
Liu Tián Qǔ was so busy running here and there that many times she didn't even have time to eat so she would miss meals. She didn't have time to brew her strengthen potion, and Hòu Dao was staying with Manager Kuo's family with Doctor Ru and Lì Qiáng. So she hadn't drank her strengthening potion over the past two weeks. Many days she also didn't have time to work out. Liu Tián Qǔ got a bit frustrated when she noticed she was losing the weight that she worked so hard to gain.
However, the following day her servants would be returning, and she could go back to her daily routine and begin taking better care of herself.
Late morning found Liu Tián Qǔ at the woodshop. The Jenga wooden block game and the wooden labyrinth board game was ready. Liu Tián Qǔ took the time to show the assistant woodworker and the woodshop owner how to play both games.
When Liu Tián Qǔ left the shop a short time later, she left a very excited father and son. The assistant woodworker quickly became obsessed with the wooden labyrinth board game. The shop owner seemed to be fascinated with the Jenga wooden block game.
Liu Tián Qǔ quickly hurried to Wang Royal Manor. Wang Fèn Yǒng had been summoned to the palace, so Liu Tián Qǔ didn't get to see him. That was okay because she wanted to spend the day with Little Dumpling, she had missed him.
When Liu Tián Qǔ arrived in Little Dumpling's courtyard, she almost tripped and fell on her face in shock when a wretched-looking, beat-up looking Little Dumpling came limping out to greet and welcome her.
Little Dumpling had two big swollen black-eyes, a big swollen lump at on his forehead, his lips were so swollen they looked like sausages, and his face looked like a pig head.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
The sack Liu Tián Qǔ was carrying slipped from her hand and she hurried towards Little Dumping in deep shock. Liu Tián Qǔ felt deep anger quickly swelling up in her over the thought that someone came and beat her Little Dumpling into this wretched-looking state.
While hurrying over to Little Dumpling, Liu Tián Qǔ lost her composure and yelled, "Who! Who was it Little Dumpling?! Who beat you up?! Tell me, and I'll go get revenge for you?!"
However, Little Dumpling's reaction almost caused her to stop in her tracks. Instead of being angry that he got beat up, Little Dumpling's face blushed blood red in embarrassment and shame. When Liu Tián Qǔ stopped in front of him, Little Dumpling wouldn't meet her eyes and kept looking down in embarrassment.
That gave Liu Tián Qǔ pause, 'Hum... I don't think Little Dumpling got beat up. There must be another explanation for why he looks like someone threw a bag over his head and beat him with a bat.'
"First, let's go inside, then we will talk about what happened to you." Liu Tián Qǔ hurried over and retrieved the sack she dropped. She then came back over and assisted the wretched beat-up limping Little Dumpling back inside.
Liu Tián Qǔ assisted Little Dumpling over to the high table in the receiving/sitting room in the chambers of his courtyard. Not see any servants around, Liu Tián Qǔ thought Little Dumpling must have dismissed them like last time.
Liu Tián Qǔ quickly set her sack down near her seat and went about pouring out a cup of water for both Little Dumpling and herself. With his lips so swollen, she didn't think he would be able to drink hot tea comfortably. As she poured out the water, she kept peeking over at the quiet Little Dumpling. She couldn't stop wondering what happened and why her Little Dumpling was looking this way.
Little Dumpling face remained blood-red in embarrassment. This made Liu Tián Qǔ all the more curious to know what happened. Now that her temper cooled down, she realized that with Little Dumpling in confinement, the chances of him getting beat up were small. Who could actually manage to successfully sneak into Wang Royal Manor to beat Little Dumpling up? And why would someone want to sneak into Wang Royal Manor just to beat up Little Dumpling anyway?
Liu Tián Qǔ sat across from Little Dumpling with eyes that glittered with curiosity and asked, "Little Dumpling, what happened?"
Little Dumpling glanced up at Liu Tián Qǔ with a face red from embarrassment and said, "I fell."
Liu Tián Qǔ dubiously looked at Little Dumpling and asked sarcastically, "Where? From the sky?"
Blood seemed to drip from Little Dumplings' face, as he pointed to the ceiling, "No, from the roof."
"The roof?" Liu Tián Qǔ blinked at Little Dumpling. "What were you doing on the roof?"
"I was looking through the telescope, and I fell," Little Dumpling answered. However, he still avoided Liu Tián Qǔ's gaze, and his face was blood red in embarrassment.
Liu Tián Qǔ suddenly started getting a niggling suspicion.
Little Dumpling's level of embarrassment and shame reminded Liu Tián Qǔ of when she caught her younger brother watching porn in her past life. 'Hum... could Little Dumpling have been spying on someone doing 'that' and fell off the roof in his excitement?'
Liu Tián Qǔ inwardly grinned to herself and thought, 'It's only one way to find out.'
Liu Tián Qǔ allowed the grin to manifest on her face as she looked at Little Dumpling sitting across from her. "Did you see everything? How far did they go? Was it good?"
Little Dumpling's two swollen black eyes somehow managed to pop open wide in shock as he looked up at Liu Tián Qǔ. 'Aha! I caught you!' Liu Tián Qǔ grinned as she thought to herself.
"Big...Big Brother!" Little Dumpling stuttered.
Liu Tián Qǔ grin turned into a chuckle, which soon turned into full-blown laughter. Liu Tián Qǔ felt all the loneliness of last night, and the stress that she was feeling over the past few days fall away. "Little Dumpling if you're going to climb up on your roof to watch people do that. Then be careful. You could have broke something falling from the roof."
Little Dumpling was so embarrassed he didn't know what to do with himself. Out of curiosity, Liu Tián Qǔ asked, "Who was it that you were watching do that?"
"It was a washer maiden and a house guard," The red-faced embarrassed Little Dumpling muttered in a low voice.
"Want to talk about it?" The grinning Liu Tián Qǔ asked Little Dumpling.
Little Dumpling's head shook back and forth like a rattle drum before he stopped and winced in pain. He waited until the pain eased before he peered at Liu Tián Qǔ through his two swollen black eyes and said, "Don't want to, I don't want to talk about it."
Liu Tián Qǔ chuckled lightly and said, "If you don't want to talk about it, then we won't, but be more careful next time. If you seriously hurt yourself or fall to your death in excitement. Then it would be too late for regrets. So be careful."
All throughout the afternoon, sounds of laughter and were heard coming from the courtyard of Wang Jǐng Jiè.
At Little Dumbling's request, Liu Tián Qǔ started filling him in on all the things that had recently happened.
After talking for a long time, they began playing Jenga.
Little Dumpling became obsessed with winning against Liu Tián Qǔ. He forced her to play the wooden block game over and over until he finally won.
They stopped for a late afternoon lunch. Liu Tián Qǔ didn't eat much because her stomach was hurting once more. Liu Tián Qǔ thought it was because of all the laughing. So she paid it no attention.
As they ate lunch, Little Dumpling came up with an idea that made a host of thoughts explode in Liu Tián Qǔ's mind.
Liu Tián Qǔ had noticed that as they ate lunch, Little Dumpling seemed to be distracted, so she asked, "You okay Little Dumpling? You seem a bit distracted, is there something wrong?"
"If you are serious about helping slaves and commoners, I think the garrison city that you will build will be the perfect place to build a foundation. It's a city that will completely belong to you, so how you choose to run it will be up to you." Little Dumpling said before slowly sipping more of the cold soup with his swollen sausage lips.
Liu Tián Qǔ sat gaping at Little Dumpling in utter shock. She didn't think that far ahead, but come to think of it, what Little Dumpling said was absolutely true.
If she built a big market place that exclusively sold the best-imported goods, the best entertainment district, redlight district, the best restaurants, wine houses, and tea houses and trained commoners and formers slaves to run them. Or, in some instances, even allowed them to own them by investing in them, then it would bring about a real change.
The Garrison was less than a half days ride from the Imperial City. Liu Tián Qǔ knew from her past life that bored rich people wouldn't mind traveling to eat excellent food, drink the best of wines and have fun. That was a fact.
Liu Tián Qǔ sat there thinking that if she could somehow manage to turn the garrison into a place that had the best of everything, and also turned traveling to the garrison city for a day of fun into a trend amongst the rich and nobles. Then that would help tremendously, and also bring about a big change in the movement to embetter the lives of former slaves, and the commoners she wanted to help.
Liu Tián Qǔ finally looked up at Little Dumpling and said, "Little Dumpling, you are a genius!"
Liu Tián Qǔ chuckled under her breath as she watched Little Dumplings' cheeks turn pink under her exclamation of praise.
After lunch, Little Dumpling turned his attention to the wooden labyrinth board game. Liu Tián Qǔ showed him how to play it. Little Dumpling immediately became obsessed with trying to successfully get the marble through the labyrinth without it falling into any of the holes, and completely neglected and ignored Liu Tián Qǔ.
A short while late, Liu Tián Qǔ left Wang Royal Manor, leaving Little Dumpling to his labyrinth board game.
With nothing better to do, Liu Tián Qǔ decided to see if she could begin putting some plans into motion. Liu Tián Qǔ went back to Liu Residence and spent the whole day putting together packages. These packages consisted of the sketches, drawings, plans, designs, and/or instructions of the plans she wanted to implement.
Liu Tián Qǔ worked all through the late afternoon and evening. She continued working late into the night, putting together the many special packages. She was so focused on completing the packages that once again, she forgot to stop and eat.