In the Star Kingdom in the Silk Province in the Rainbow City lived two dear female friends: Liling Heng and Mei Shun. Currently, both of them are 18 years old. These two friends knew one another since childhood and they have strong family relationships as the parents of Liling are close friends to the parents of Mei.
Both Liling and Mei are tailors and it was Liling's mother, Hua Bohai, who taught them the tailoring profession so that they can run their own business and achieve their financial independence early in life. Hua Bohai used to run a tailor shop named the Lily Tailor Shop but she then handed over the shop to her daughter, Liling, and her friend, Mei, and she became content with the supervision of the ongoing work of the shop.
Currently, the Lily Tailor Shop has three rooms: the display room, the fitting room and the tailoring room. The display room is where clothes are displayed for sale so that customers can see and examine them. The fitting room is a private room that allows a customer to change clothes and try one of the displayed clothes to make sure it ideally matches his/her size. The tailoring room is where Liling and Mei tailor clothes using different available tools of that time. There are two modes for tailoring clothes at this shop: on-demand tailoring and in-advance tailoring. On-demand tailoring is when a customer requests a piece of clothes that matches certain specifications of size, color, cloth type, etc. In-advance tailoring is when Liling or Mei tailors clothes without the request of customers to show them for sale in the display room. A customer who likes a piece of clothes from the display room can try it in the fitting room and if he/she likes it, he/she can buy it directly. For on-demand tailoring, Liling and Mei charge 50% of the demanded cloth price upfront. For example, if the price of the cloth is 50 golden taels, Liling must receive 25 golden taels from the customer before she starts tailoring that piece. Liling and Mei tailor all kinds of clothes starting from socks and underwear and ending with stylish outer garments for both male and female customers. They have a great reputation in the Rainbow City and they are busy most of the time.
One day, Liling invited Mei to her house to have dinner and her mother prepared for them Seafood Soup, Shanghai Noodles, Beef with Mushrooms and Ginger Chicken. The two friends had marvelous joyous time and they talked about different topics. Here is a snapshot of part of their conversation:
Mei: We have not found our future husbands yet. Circumstances are moving against our wishes.
Liling: Yes, I am faced with the difficult equation of marriage: I do not want those who want me and those whom I want do not want me.
Mei: Yes, I can relate to you in this. I am also faced with this painful equation of marriage.
Liling: I dream of a noble husband who loves me deeply and treats me with the best manners. He must be brave, generous, handsome and self-reliant.
Mei: Yes. I am similar to you in my wishes and I want my husband to be loving, caring and considerate. We are going to spend our entire lives with our husbands and they must be carefully chosen.
Liling: I wish we can tailor our husbands as we tailor clothes with precise specifications and attributes.
Mei: [Laugh] It is nearly impossible to find a husband who meets all your expectations. It is the nature of human beings that they are perfect in certain aspects and imperfect in other aspects. Finding absolute perfection in a human being is nearly impossible and we have to cope with this simple rule of life.
Liling: You are right. We have to accept life with its trade-offs and we should not expect to find the best thing in everything. At times we have to lower our sights if we want our life to keep moving forward.
Liling: Let us play a game together. Recently I learned about a game named: Distinguish Truth from Falsehood.
Mei: Nice. What are the rules of this game?
Liling: Each one of us present three statements in an alternating fashion. Two of those statements must be false and one of them must be true. The mission of each one of us is to guess which statement is the true one. Of course, the success of this game requires that all players are truthful because if a player lies about his true statement, he/she can mislead the other player and deprive him/her from scoring points. At the end, the player with the highest score is the winner of the game. Is it clear?
Mei: Yes, it sounds an interesting game. Let us start. We need a slip to record our scores.
Liling: Yes, I will bring the slip now and I will be in charge of recording our scores as we progress in the game. Let us play the game with twenty total questions.
Mei: Who begins? Me or you?
Liling: You are my guest so you should go first.
Round 1:
Mei: 1. I was born in the Year of the Rat. [false]
2. I was born in the Year of the Ox. [false]
3. I was born in the Year of the Tiger. [true]
Liling: My guess is that you were born in the Year of the Tiger.
Mei: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 1 / 20.
Liling: 1. I was born in the Year of the Hare. [false]
2. I was born in the Year of the Dragon. [true]
3. I was born in the Year of the Snake. [false]
Mei: My guess is that you were born in the Year of the Dragon.
Liling: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 1 / 20.
Round 2:
Mei: 1. My mother was born in the Year of the Horse. [false]
2. My mother was born in the Year of the Sheep. [true]
3. My mother was born in the Year of the Monkey. [false]
Liling: My guess is that your mother was born in the Year of the Sheep.
Mei: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 2 / 20.
Liling: 1. My mother was born in the Year of the Fowl. [true]
2. My mother was born in the Year of the Dog. [false]
3. My mother was born in the Year of the Pig. [false]
Mei: My guess is that your mother was born in the Year of the Fowl.
Liling: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 2 / 20.
Round 3:
Mei: 1. Yesterday I ate seafood. [false]
2. Yesterday I ate beef. [true]
3. Yesterday I ate chicken. [false]
Liling: My guess is that yesterday you ate beef.
Mei: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 3 / 20.
Liling: 1. Yesterday I ate an apple. [true]
2. Yesterday I ate an orange. [false]
3. Yesterday I ate a banana. [false]
Mei: My guess is that yesterday you ate a banana.
Liling: Wrong guess. Yesterday I ate an apple. You lost one point. You current score is 2 / 20.
Round 4:
Mei: 1. I like crab. [false]
2. I like shrimp. [true]
3. I like oyster. [false]
Liling: My guess is that you like oyster.
Mei: Wrong guess. I like shrimp. You lost one point. You current score is 3 / 20.
Liling: 1. I like chick peas. [false]
2. I like broad beans. [false]
3. I like lentils. [true]
Mei: My guess is that yesterday you like lentils.
Liling: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 3 / 20.
Round 5:
Mei: 1. I drink wine frequently. [true]
2. I drink wine rarely. [false]
3. I do not drink wine. [false]
Liling: My guess is that you drink wine frequently.
Mei: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 4 / 20.
Liling: 1. I drink orange juice frequently. [false]
2. I drink orange juice rarely. [true]
3. I do not drink orange juice. [false]
Mei: My guess is that you do not drink orange juice.
Liling: Wrong guess. I drink orange juice rarely. You lost one point. You current score is 3 / 20.
Round 6:
Mei: 1. My favorite color is black. [false]
2. My favorite color is white. [true]
3. My favorite color is blue. [false]
Liling: My guess is that your favorite color is blue.
Mei: Wrong guess. My favorite color is white. You lost one point. You current score is 4 / 20.
Liling: 1. My favorite color is yellow. [false]
2. My favorite color is red. [false]
3. My favorite color is purple. [true]
Mei: My guess is that your favorite color is purple.
Liling: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 4 / 20.
Round 7:
Mei: 1. My favorite animal is the dog. [false]
2. My favorite animal is the cat. [false]
3. My favorite animal is the horse. [true]
Liling: My guess is that your favorite animal is the horse.
Mei: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 5 / 20.
Liling: 1. My favorite animal is the peafowl. [false]
2. My favorite animal is the pigeon. [false]
3. My favorite animal is the panda. [true]
Mei: My guess is that your favorite animal is the panda.
Liling: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 5 / 20.
Round 8:
Mei: 1. My favorite subject at school is mathematics. [false]
2. My favorite subject at school is reading. [false]
3. My favorite subject at school is writing. [true]
Liling: My guess is that your favorite subject at school is reading.
Mei: Wrong guess. My favorite subject at school is writing. You lost one point. You current score is 5 / 20.
Liling: 1. My favorite subject at school is music. [false]
2. My favorite subject at school is housekeeping. [true]
3. My favorite subject at school is painting and sculpture. [false]
Mei: My guess is that your favorite subject at school is housekeeping.
Liling: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 6 / 20.
Round 9:
Mei: 1. I prefer day to night. [false]
2. I prefer night to day. [true]
3. I like day and night equally. [false]
Liling: My guess is that you like day and night equally.
Mei: Wrong guess. I prefer night to day. You lost one point. You current score is 5 / 20.
Liling: 1. I prefer sunrise to sunset [true]
2. I prefer sunset to sunrise. [false]
3. I like sunrise and sunset equally [false]
Mei: My guess is that you prefer sunrise to sunset.
Liling: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 7 / 20.
Round 10:
Mei: 1. I prefer summer to winter. [true]
2. I prefer winter to summer. [false]
3. I like summer and winter equally. [false]
Liling: My guess is that you prefer summer to winter.
Mei: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 6 / 20.
Liling: 1. I prefer fall to spring. [false]
2. I prefer spring to fall. [false]
3. I like fall and spring equally [true]
Mei: My guess is that you prefer spring to fall.
Liling: Wrong guess. I like fall and spring equally. You lost one point. You current score is 7 / 20.
Round 11:
Mei: 1. I like clear weather the most. [false]
2. I like cloudy weather the most. [false]
3. I like rainy weather the most. [true]
Liling: My guess is that you like cloudy weather the most.
Mei: Wrong guess. I like rainy weather the most. You lost one point. You current score is 6 / 20.
Liling: 1. I like cloudy but not snowy weather. [false]
2. I like clear but not cloudy weather. [false]
3. I like clear, cloudy and snowy weather. [true]
Mei: My guess is that you like cloudy but not snowy weather.
Liling: Wrong guess. I like clear, cloudy and snowy weathers. You lost one point. You current score is 7 / 20.
Round 12:
Mei: 1. My favorite ambience is when I am at a green plain. [false]
2. My favorite ambience is when I am at the beach of a sea. [true]
3. My favorite ambience is when I am on a lofty mountain. [false]
Liling: My guess is that your favorite ambience is when you are at the beach of a sea
Mei: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 7 / 20.
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Liling: 1. My favorite ambience is when I am in the vast desert. [false]
2. My favorite ambience is when I am at the beach of a lake. [false]
3. My favorite ambience is when I am at the bank of a river. [true]
Mei: My guess is that your favorite ambience is when you are at the bank of a river.
Liling: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 8 / 20.
Round 13:
Mei: 1. My favorite man is the brave. [false]
2. My favorite man is the generous. [false]
3. My favorite man is the compassionate. [true]
Liling: My guess is that your favorite man is the compassionate.
Mei: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 8 / 20.
Liling: 1. My favorite man is the loyal. [true]
2. My favorite man is the smart. [false]
3. My favorite man is the successful. [false]
Mei: My guess is that your favorite man is the successful.
Liling: Wrong guess. My favorite man is the loyal. You lost one point. You current score is 8 / 20.
Round 14:
Mei: 1. I hate the stingy man the most. [true]
2. I hate the coward man the most. [false]
3. I hate the disloyal man the most. [false]
Liling: My guess is that you hate the disloyal man the most.
Mei: Wrong guess. I hate the stingy man the most. You lost one point. You current score is 8 / 20.
Liling: 1. I hate the liar man the most. [true]
2. I hate the coward man the most. [false]
3. I hate the weak man the most. [false]
Mei: My guess is that you hate the liar man the most.
Liling: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 9 / 20.
Round 15:
Mei: 1. I wish to have no children. [false]
2. I wish to have one child. [false]
3. I wish to have two children. [true]
Liling: My guess is that you wish to have two children.
Mei: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 9 / 20.
Liling: 1. I wish to have sons but not daughters. [false]
2. I wish to have daughters but not sons. [false]
3. I wish to have both sons and daughters. [true]
Mei: My guess is that you wish to have both sons and daughters.
Liling: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 10 / 20.
Round 16:
Mei: 1. I believe that the upbringing of sons is more difficult than the upbringing of daughters. [true]
2. I believe that the upbringing of daughters is more difficult than the upbringing of sons. [false]
3. I believe that the upbringing of sons and daughters has equal difficulty. [false]
Liling: My guess is that you believe that the upbringing of sons and daughters has equal difficulty.
Mei: Wrong guess. I believe that the upbringing of sons is more difficult than the upbringing of daughters. You lost one point. You current score is 9 / 20.
Liling: 1. I believe that sons are more obedient to their parents than daughters. [false]
2. I believe that daughters are more obedient to their parents than sons. [true]
3. I believe that both sons and daughters are equally obedient to their parents. [false]
Mei: My guess is that you believe that both sons and daughters are equally obedient to their parents.
Liling: Wrong guess. I believe that daughters are more obedient to their parents than sons. You lost one point. You current score is 10 / 20.
Round 17:
Mei: 1. I believe that money can bring great happiness. [false]
2. I believe that money can bring some happiness. [true]
3. I believe that money is irrelevant to happiness. [false]
Liling: My guess is that you believe money can bring some happiness.
Mei: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 10 / 20.
Liling: 1. I believe that saving money can bring great happiness. [true]
2. I believe that saving money can bring some happiness. [false]
3. I believe that saving money is irrelevant to happiness. [false]
Mei: My guess is that you believe that saving money is irrelevant to happiness.
Liling: Wrong guess. I believe that saving money can bring great happiness. You lost one point. You current score is 10 / 20.
Round 18:
Mei: 1. I wish to travel to the Pearl Kingdom one day. [false]
2. I wish to travel to the Ruby Kingdom one day. [false]
3. I wish to travel to the Cloud Kingdom one day. [true]
Liling: My guess is that you wish to travel to the Cloud Kingdom one day.
Mei: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 11 / 20.
Liling: 1. I wish to live in the Pearl Kingdom one day. [false]
2. I wish to live in the Cloud Kingdom one day. [false]
3. I wish to live in the Crown Kingdom one day. [true]
Mei: My guess is that you wish to live in the Crown Kingdom one day.
Liling: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 11 / 20.
Round 19:
Mei: 1. I believe that inner beauty is superior to outer beauty. [false]
2. I believe that outer beauty is superior to inner beauty. [false]
3. I believe that inner beauty and outer beauty are equally important. [true]
Liling: My guess is that you believe that inner beauty and outer beauty are equally important.
Mei: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 12 / 20.
Liling: 1. I believe that necklaces beautify the woman the most. [true]
2. I believe that bracelets beautify the woman the most. [false]
3. I believe that rings beautify the woman the most. [false]
Mei: My guess is that you believe that necklaces beautify the woman the most.
Liling: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 12 / 20.
Round 20:
Mei: 1. I believe there is only one god. [false]
2. I believe there is more than one god. [true]
3. I believe there is no god. [false]
Liling: My guess is that you believe there is more than one god.
Mei: Correct guess. You scored one point. You current score is 13 / 20.
Liling: 1. I believe there is only one god. [true]
2. I believe there is more than one god. [false]
3. I believe there is no god.. [false]
Mei: My guess is that you believe there is more than one god
Liling: Wrong guess. I believe there is only one god. You lost one point. You current score is 12 / 20.
Mei: Congratulations, dear Liling. You won by an extra point. You scored 13 / 20 whereas I scored 12 / 20.
Liling: Thank you, dear Mei. It was a pleasure playing this game with you.
Mei: Thank you for teaching me this new game. It helped us read the minds of each other and reveal our personalities and preferences better in an interesting and exciting way.
Liling: I am glad that you liked the game and we can play it in the future.
Mei: Since you taught me this game, I want to teach you a new game in return. Have you heard of the Rock-Paper-Scissors game?
Liling: No. Can you describe it to me? What are the rules?
Mei: Rock-Paper-Scissors is a simple hand game played between two or more players. Let us assume two players for simplicity. The two players hide one of their hands behind their backs and countdown 3 2 1. When the countdown ends, the two players reveal their hands from behind their backs simultaneously with one of three shapes: a rock (a fist), a paper (a flat hand) or scissors (two fingers shaping the letter V). Here are the rules of the strength of these objects:
1. The rock is stronger than the scissors and weaker than the paper. The rock breaks the scissors but the paper covers the rock.
2. The paper is stronger than the rock and weaker than the scissors. The paper covers the rock but the scissors cut the paper.
3. The scissors are stronger than the paper and weaker than the rock. The scissors cut the paper but the rock breaks the scissors.
As you can see, each object defeats a second object and is defeated by a third object. Here are the possible game states between two players.
Player 1
Player 2
Result
Rock
Paper
Player 2 wins and Player 1 loses
Rock
Scissors
Player 1 wins and Player 2 loses
Paper
Scissors
Player 2 wins and Player 1 loses
Rock
Rock
Draw
Paper
Paper
Draw
Scissors
Scissors
Draw
image [https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2013/07/12/15/02/fingers-149296_1280.png]
Dear Liling, is the game clear enough to you now?
Liling: Thank you dear Mei. The game is crystal clear and I am interested in playing it with you. It is interesting how brilliant people are! Think about those smart people who invented such games and added plenty of pleasure to people's lives. One person or a few invented a game and thousands, if not millions, of people enjoy this game over and over.
Mei: True. I wonder how many games humans can discover but they are currently undiscovered in our era.
Liling: The more people live, the more discoveries arise. I believe that there is room for more inventions and discoveries in the future. Let us begin our game now.
The two friends played the game for twenty rounds and here are the results:
Round
Liling
Mei
Liling's Score
Mei's Score
1
Paper
Scissors
0
1
2
Rock
Paper
0
1
3
Rock
Scissors
1
0
4
Scissors
Rock
0
1
5
Paper
Paper
0
0
6
Rock
Scissors
1
0
7
Paper
Rock
1
0
8
Scissors
Scissors
0
0
9
Paper
Scissors
0
1
10
Rock
Rock
0
0
11
Scissors
Paper
1
0
12
Paper
Rock
1
0
13
Rock
Paper
0
1
14
Scissors
Rock
0
1
15
Paper
Paper
0
0
16
Scissors
Rock
0
1
17
Scissors
Paper
1
0
18
Paper
Rock
1
0
19
Rock
Rock
0
0
20
Scissors
Rock
0
1
Total Score
7
8
At the end, Mei won the game by an extra point where she scored 8 / 20 while Liling scored 7 / 20.
Liling: Congratulations, dear Mei. I enjoyed the game and thank you for teaching me this new source of enjoyment.
Mei: My pleasure. I am happy that you liked and enjoyed the game. Games are important between friends and they create an atmosphere of pleasure and delight.
Liling: Yes, that is true. I like when the game combines both benefit and joy.
Hua Bohai: Where are you my lovely girls? I want to talk to you when you are free.
Liling: Of course, my mother. We are coming to speak with you. Mei, let us go to my mother.
Hua: How are you? I hope you had a marvelous time together. Did you like my food?
Liling: Yes, certainly, my mother. You are a very clever cook and everything that you make is so delicious. Thank you for the great banquet.
Mei: Thank you, dear aunt. I really loved all the diverse foods you cooked. You are really a skilled chef. I am honored to taste your delicious food. Thank you for the marvelous banquet.
Hua: I am glad that you are happy and liked the food. When you cook with love and care, your food becomes superb. I want to share with you some pieces of advice. People only advise those whom they love and care for.
Liling: Thank you, my mother. We appreciate your love and care for us. We are excited to listen to your pieces of advice.
Hua: The first piece of advice: As two adult girls, you must guard your chastity, modesty and virginity. In our Chinese traditions, a woman must only be deflowered by her husband after formal marriage. Only the woman's husband has full access to her body and no one else. Never allow any man to deceive you and allure you to have sexual intercourse with him. That is something shameful in our Chinese culture. Remember that only prostitutes share their bodies with anyone. Prostitutes are shameful and has the lowest value in society. Is my advice clear to you, my sweethearts?
Liling: Yes, thank you so much, my mother, for caring for us and for your sincere advice. I will obey your instructions always and will never let you down.
Mei: Thank you, dear aunt, for your golden advice and for reinforcing our genuine Chinese values and traditions. I will guard my chastity, modesty and virginity always.
Hua: The second piece of advice: I wish you donate some of your profits at the tailoring shop to poor people. When you donate to charity, you feel better and achieve a greater sense of happiness for helping the needy.
Liling: Thank you, my beloved mother, for your nice advice. Do you have some poor people in mind to whom we can donate?
Hua: Yes, I know some of our far neighbors are in need and I would like to help them with whatever we can. We should not scorn any help even if it is little. What is little in our eyes can be of great help to the poor.
Mei: You are right, my dear aunt. You are very wise.
Hua: The third piece of advice: Do not be extravagant. Spend your money for only what is important and needed. Since you are now both working at the tailoring shop, you must appreciate money and realize how hard it is to make money and the amount of hard work needed to acquire every golden tael. Money is very important and it will guarantee for you a good future if you save and spend it wisely.
Liling: I truly appreciate your advice, my beloved mother. I will do my best to save and spend money wisely and stay away from extravagance.
Mei: Likewise. I will do my best to save and cherish every golden tael I earn.
Hua: One last piece of advice: Have a plan for your future growth. Ask yourself: Where do I want to see myself in three years from now, five years from now, ten years from now, twenty years from now? Imagine the ideal state or position that you wish to see yourself in and plan wisely to take serious action to realize your dream. Do you want to stay tailors for the rest of your lifetime? Do you have any plans for growth and advancement?
Liling: Thank you, my mother, for this precious piece of advice. Maybe I am shortsighted and do not think a lot for my future. I am content with being a tailor for now and I do not have other plans in mind.
Mei: Thank you, dear aunt, for your valuable advice. I also do not have future plans other than keeping my tailoring profession moving forward. Perhaps we should broaden our horizons and think of different options and alternatives that can improve our lives remarkably.