act19mini

The youngest, the young mistress, is uninterested in such mundanity, dedicating herself to music. She is a musician renowned far and wide.

Based on your tone, it sounds like they have their hidden flaws?

I dare not say, I dare not... Who would care for the opinion of a lowly servant such as I?

But... from my bystander's point of view, these three children are not particularly close to the master.

The three of them moved out when they came of age, rarely returning even during festivities...

Does Master Wan have a bad relationship with his children?

*sigh* Another long story, I'm afraid.

When the master was but a shepherd boy, he had nothing. It was only after much bitter toil that he was able to start the family businesses.

But when it came to the care of his children, he found himself willing but unable.

It isn't hard to imagine.

Tianshi Lin, surely you do not suspect...?

I simply understand the situation a little better.

By the way, why does your master value this stone so? Did he plan to sell it?

That has never been the case, as far as I know.

That stone is the master's most precious treasure. We staff normally never have the opportunity to see it.

I once suggested taking it to the jade store to be appraised, but he scolded me with a great fury in return. I have never dared mention it again ever since.

I do remember one thing, though. The master once mentioned a strange individual thinking of buying the stone, one who has been thinking for several decades now.

Several decades...?

Your master mentioned finding this stone in the river several decades ago...

Does this place still exist?

I'll be off now, master...

Right. Do I still owe you any wages? If so, I'll think of a way to—

It's all settled. The beams and pillars that survived the fire were made of top-rate cedarwood. The coffinmaker's already gathered them up. The money that's left over... I put it on the stove.

Then... Then you can go now. And there's no need to call me 'master' anymore.

Brother Wan... You've done lots of good deeds, enough that nobody would think you any less virtuous than anyone else. How did it all go so wrong...?

I didn't do all that just to cultivate virtue and show off.

Who would've thought your good name would make you a target for vicious robbers! Damn it all, how can Heaven be so blind?! Letting such evil men go free just makes it harder for us honest folk!

Alright, alright... That's enough of that.

I'm halfway to being old and gray, my family and funds scattered to the four winds. Being able to hold on to my life and... this stone... means I'm still rather lucky.

The middle-aged man holds a wooden box tight to his chest. The blood slicking his hair hides spots of gray. He is no longer young.

The 'house' he painstakingly built, brick by brick, tile by tile, all by himself for half his life, is now no more than himself and the stone.

Have I come at a bad time?

I'm afraid I can't offer you hospitality this time around.

Fate is a cruel, cruel mistress...

Here for the stone again?

At first, yes, but...

How do you feel now? Do you believe it to be an ordinary stone?

I believe...

It's a totally ordinary stone, and I'm a totally ordinary person. A gust of wind and some drizzle is all it takes to bury us in mud.

I've met many people before, but very few of them were like you, dragging yourself out of abject poverty through sheer stubbornness and grit to achieve greatness.

Even fewer can... No, nearly nobody your age can crawl back up after losing everything in a flash.

Are you saying I should just resign myself to fate and abandon it all? Including the stone?

No... I simply wished to ask you one thing: Have you given up?

Of course not!

I've crawled out of the gutter once, and I can do it again... I <i>must</i> crawl out!

The middle-aged man seems to have set his mind on something. He lifts up the box, and speaks to the kindly man solemnly.

You always wanted this stone, didn't you? I'll give it to you, but I'm not abandoning it. I'll come to redeem it one day.

You mean this is to be collateral?

That's right. With it, I'll borrow some money from you.

I'll plant saplings where the trees were burnt down and lay new bricks where the walls collapsed. Right, I might be getting old, but I'm not dead yet!

It's just a fresh start. I've done it all once, and I can do it all again...

But this time, I'll do it even better!

Hmm, I understand. But... Ah, never mind.

Hah, don't tell me you'll only accept it if I give it to you for nothing?

I wouldn't accept it if you did.

What I want is a totally ordinary stone. You haven't let go of your obsession with it, so this stone would be too heavy for me.

The kindly man puts down the basket on his back and sifts through it. From amongst many artifacts of porcelain and jade, he pulls out a fowlbeast crafted of pure gold.

From that golden fowlbeast, he plucks many feathers, also made of purest gold. They are heavy, and clink together with a crisp melody.

Here.

Why are you helping me?

I am accustomed to the road here. On whichever day I feel like seeing if the stone is still there or not, I need only walk two paces to come over.

But if you were to fall into ruin and wander off with that stone, I would not know where to look for it. And that would be rather troublesome for me, don't you think?

According to the elderly gentleman yesterday, this should be the area where he found the stone.

The river has become a graveyard... Even the trees that only sprouted after the deluge seem decades old.

There's someone here...?

Hey, I told you you should've come with us.

Look at me, I became a mandarin a long time ago. It doesn't matter if it's flowers and trees or vases and pots; in Garden of Grotesqueries, when they see me, they have to bow with respect and call me—

Wh-What do they call you?

'The Young Minister of Rains!' Heh, I told you, where it rains and where it doesn't rain in Garden of Grotesqueries is all up to me.

I simply need to jump in a pond and—Pow! There shall be rain!

Sounds really impressive.

What about you? What ministry are you with? What do others call you?

Nothi... W-Wait! They call me... 'Great Hero'!

Great Hero? What ministry is that under? How come I've never heard of you?

The Great Hero is... is a big wooden box. When I'm inside it, nobody can open it!

Th-That does sound rather impressive... But I'm a Young Minister, so why are you a 'Great' Hero? That's not right! When you come with me to the Garden of Grotesqueries, you shall be called 'Young Hero'!

Oh, okay...

Look at you, did you just wake up? I'll tell you something. Once, we were both in a basket carried on someone's back. The basket's master was carrying us through the river, when you suddenly fell out of the basket—

Tell me, what were you thinking then?

I... I don't really remember.

Then do you at least remember how you 'woke up'? All of our siblings who were brought back to the Garden of Grotesqueries were awakened by the master. Who knew there'd be someone outside the Garden powerful enough to make even willful stones bow their heads!

What do you mean, powerful... He's just a stinky rock! And he's stupid and mean too!

On rainy days when you're supposed to rest, he runs out to the fields. When other workers have gone home already, he goes to the river to dig up rocks while his tummy's rumbling.

He said he wants to build a new house! He's got no money to get people to lay the foundations, so he's doing it himself with a shovel. He can't afford bricks, so he makes his own out of yellow clay.

It took him seven or eight years to build that home by himself, but he still wasn't done. As soon as it was finished, he was out the door to go do business.

What an idiot! Stupid rock!

He worked so hard on that business to get results, but once he got robbed, he had nothing left!

*sigh* So he did all that hard work for nothing?

He could have settled down and lived out the rest of his years earning an honest living. But he just wouldn't give up, and put himself through all that torture again—

But he's finished now that he's sick... His children are unfilial, and the family and friends who visit just want his stuff.

What really makes me mad is that right now, he's still blaming himself for not looking after the box! He still thinks he lost the stone!

It sounds like... you're a bit angry at him, but you also pity him a little? If that's the case, why did you run out here instead of staying with him?

Because I... I don't really know... Why does he never know when to give up?

I heard from some friends from outside the Garden of Grotesqueries that things like people fall into holes really easily and are unable to climb out their entire lives.

If that's the case, then come with me to the Garden of Grotesqueries. I'll introduce you to my brothers and sisters. They all know loads of stuff, so they can definitely help you figure things out!

Garden of Grotesqueries... What kind of place is it? Is it fun there...?

Of course it's fun! You definitely won't regret coming with me! I'm telling you, that place has—

This is bad, someone's here.

Wait a moment—!

Lin Qingyan reveals herself, stepping towards the big tree. The two young voices cut off abruptly.