The ruthless hand reaching out towards Lingbao was abruptly cut off by the terrifying guillotine called "Eternal Playmate"! At least on the surface, no one dared to cross the line.
The storm is gradually subsiding.
In the backyard of the General's Mansion, Lingbao's exclusive play corner had been redecorated. The floor was covered with a thick, freshly woven crawling mat, made from the softest cotton by Ah Luo and her maids. Only a few toys remained: a cloth rattle Su Li had sewn herself, a few smooth, rounded wooden blocks Xiao Jue had carved for her from scraps, a colorful hand-cranked bell Chenbao had strung from discarded abacus beads (perfectly safe), the largest and brightest "guardian candy" Erbao had contributed (protected by Su Li in a fine mesh bag, only visible, not chewable), and a miniature model of Sanbao's cloud boat (the unpowered version).
Lingbao sat in the center of the crawling mat, oblivious to the tidal wave she had caused. Spread out before her was a giant sheet of specially made "graffiti paper"—made from multiple layers of the most flexible mulberry paper, resistant to tearing or biting.
In her hand, she clutched a handful of colorful soft crayons made with edible plant pigments (a new development by A-Luo). The little girl seemed to have an endless passion for color and smudges. She plopped down on the paper, her chubby hands clutching the crayons, and began her imaginative creation.
She drew a lot of crooked circles, representing cities? And a lot of wavy lines, representing rivers? She connected the circles with messy lines. On the east side of the paper, she drew a large, solid red circle (like her favorite candy), on the west side, a few huddled blue triangles (like mountains?), on the north side, a lot of crooked dots (like snowflakes?), and on the south side, a tangled mass of green curves (like vines?).
As she continued to draw, she seemed unsatisfied. She reached out and grabbed a piece of the soft, colorful clay (similar to plasticine) that Xiao Jue had given her to play with, and began to knead it vigorously. She flattened the red clay and placed it on the large red circle on the paper; rolled the blue clay into strips and pressed them onto the triangles on the west side; pinched the white clay into small pieces and sprinkled them on the dots on the north side; and stretched the green clay into long strips to cover the curve on the south side...
Thus, a "map" outlined by crayon lines and filled with oil clay, full of childlike fun and bizarreness, appeared on the paper.
Su Li and Xiao Jue stood not far away, quietly watching their daughter concentrate on "creating".
With the silent analysis of the Chenbao abacus, the distribution patterns and relative positions of those seemingly meaningless circles, wavy lines, triangles, dots, and curves unexpectedly coincided with the stunning defense map Lingbao had previously "drawn" by chewing on the bamboo stick. Lingbao's "shaping" with clay was like a vital deconstruction and reshaping of that cold defense map!
The red clay (Donghuang) is thick and solid; the blue clay (Xiling) is rugged and steep; the white clay (Beidi) is cold and loose; the green clay (Nanjiang) is entangled and spreading... The territories and characteristics of the four countries are kneaded and shaped in the baby's palm, just like the ball of colorful clay in her hand that can change shape at will.
Xiao Jue slowly approached and crouched beside his daughter. He gently placed the Guihong ruler aside. He extended his broad palm, not touching the graffiti containing the shocking message, but gently covering Lingbao's chubby hand, which was kneading a ball of purple clay.
Lingbao raised his head, his little face stained with a few spots of colorful mud. He grinned at his father with a toothless, brilliant smile and called out incoherently, "Dad... Dad..."
Xiao Jue's hardened heart melted completely at the tender call and his daughter's innocent smile. His deep eyes reflected his daughter's smiling face and the "river and mountain" on the crawling mat, made of crayons and clay, which was childish but seemed to contain infinite possibilities.
He raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing the rooftops, casting his gaze upon the vast expanse of mountains and rivers shrouded in the smoke of war and the strife of the four nations. Then, he lowered his head and spoke softly, in a voice that only he and his daughter could hear, filled with infinite tenderness and a hint of sadness:
"The Jade Seal and Military Orders can be turned over like sand in the palm of your hand."
"The clamor of iron horses and golden swords will eventually become a lullaby."
"This nine states of war, this vast expanse of rivers and mountains..."
His fingers gently brushed away a bit of purple mud on Lingbao's little face, just like brushing away a tiny speck of dust.
“…it was just a ball of plasticine in my son’s palm.”
The wind blew in through the open window, bringing with it the fresh scent of early summer grass and trees, gently brushing against Lingbao's scribbles on the play mat. The ball of purple clay shifted shape in Lingbao's hands, and finally, with a "snap," she slapped it right in the center of the scribble paper, like a newly sprouted fruit, innocent yet full of life.
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