Carving

"It's finally done."

Wuma Xiu was holding a gourd, about to report to the God of Time, when a sudden inspiration struck him.

"Hehehe, it seems... it's not entirely impossible."

He'd been working diligently on this gourd for almost half a month. Now that it's finished, shouldn't it be alright for him to play a little trick?

--Hmm, not excessive.

Wuma Xiu asked himself the question and answered it in his mind. Then he took out a carving knife from his sleeve and slowly approached it.

The carving knife grinned: Hehehe, be good and don't move, let me take good care of you.

The gourd screamed, "Ahhh--No, don't come any closer!"

Unfortunately, no one could hear the gourd's screams.

A full half hour passed before the carving knife finally stopped, and the artist coldly examined his masterpiece, letting out a snort:

It's alright; the whole world should see it.

The gourd, its face streaked with tears, whimpered and curled up into a ball.

Oh no, I'm so ashamed...

Two tiny figures were carved on the gourd.

The chibi version of the God of Fate is clinging tightly to the leg of the chibi version of the God of Wine, with a speech bubble above its head saying:

"God of Wine, save me!"

Wuma Xiu stared at the scene, and finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Since he can't expect the God of Fate to cry and beg him for help in reality, surely he can draw one himself?

--I'm sure you'll be very happy when you see it.

Wuma Xiu walked towards the Temple of Time, so happy that he couldn't help but hum aloud.

The morning breeze caressed my face, the sunlight was gentle, and even the roadside weeds seemed exceptionally pleasing to the eye.

But as he walked, he suddenly frowned.

He always felt like he'd forgotten something.

Wuma Xiu racked his brains, finally managing to catch a vague idea, but before he could think about it further, he looked up and the Temple of Time was already right in front of him.

Never mind, let's talk about it later.

He rushed to the door, taking three steps at a time, and before he could even raise his hand, the door silently swung open to both sides.

He once said that this was a privilege that belonged only to him.

Wuma Xiu smiled, his eyes crinkling, feeling a warm glow in his heart.

He truly deserves to be his good friend.

He hopped and skipped across the threshold, hopping and skipping again, like a rabbit that had just received candy, and disappeared nimbly behind the door.

The doors of the Temple of Time slammed shut behind him with a deep, muffled thud.

Before Wuma Xiu had taken more than a few steps, he saw the God of Time standing in front of him, tall and elegant, with a calm expression, as if he had been waiting there all along.

"Hour--"

He called out loudly, strode forward, and held the gourd in both hands, presenting it to the other person with bright, sparkling eyes.

"I've finished making your gourd. Take a look, do you like it?"

As he spoke, he observed the expression on the face of the God of Time, his eyes never leaving him.

Wuma Xiu was absolutely certain that the other person would like it.

Especially the image of the God of Fate begging for mercy that he carved himself—it's so interesting! Shi would definitely laugh if he saw it.

However, a moment later, Wuma Xiu's smile froze slightly.

The God of Time lowered his gaze to the gourd, his thin lips slightly pursed.

Wuma Xiu's heart skipped a beat.

He knew that expression all too well.

Every time I see something he dislikes or disagrees with, he looks like this.

How could I not like it?

Wuma Xiu muttered to himself, somewhat unconvinced.

He poured his heart and soul into making this gourd, putting in more than ten times the effort he put into making the one on his body.

He spent several nights polishing the gourd's shape until it was smooth and lustrous. He also put a lot of effort into expanding the space inside, making it more than ten times larger than his own, more than enough to hold anything.

Besides, he added a lot of clever ideas.

For example, gently patting the belly of a gourd can produce a pre-recorded melody that is crisp, melodious, and lingering.

How could anyone not like such a beautiful, useful, and interesting gourd?

The God of Time lowered his eyes to look at the gourd in his palm.

He really didn't like it at all.

It actually had that guy, Fate, engraved on it, clinging to the leg of the wine maker.

Snort.

Why are you being so intimate?

The God of Time exerted a slight pressure with his fingertips.

In the painting, a chibi-style figure of the God of Fate looks up, clinging to the leg of the wine maker, and tearfully cries out, "God of Wine, save me!"

This is so glaringly obvious.

The God of Time pursed his lips, his gaze fixed intently on the painting.

Wuma Xiu understood.

Just like him, Shi really hated Fate.

I hate it so much that even seeing a chibi-style character makes me show such obvious disgust.

Wuma Xiu's fingers tightened around the gourd.

He suddenly felt a pang of regret.

My original intention in carving this picture was to amuse people, hoping that they would smile as soon as they saw the gourd.

But now, instead of bringing joy, the painting has only added to my frustration.

Shi was naturally aloof and didn't like to get close to other Gods, so there weren't many things that could make him smile.

If every time I take out this gourd in the future, my eyes fall on this painting first, and a feeling of disgust rises in my heart...

Then the gourd became a burden.

That's not good.

Wuma Xiu lowered his eyes and sighed softly in his heart.

He still hoped for more happiness, even if it was just a little.

"You don't like this painting, do you? That's okay, I'll fix it for you."

Wuma Xiu raised his head, his voice becoming lighter, as if a dark cloud had been parted.

The God of Time erased the pattern on the gourd and handed it back.

As soon as Wuma Xiu took the gourd, he thought to himself, "Just as I expected."

Hmph, that annoying God of Fate.

Wuma Xiu took it, pulled the carving knife from his sleeve, and hovered the tip of the knife over the belly of the gourd, but hesitated to drop it.

He tilted his head and examined it for a long time, his mind racing, but he couldn't think of anything to change it to.

"At that time, do you have any suggestions?"

Wuma Xiu turned his head to look at the God of Time, a hint of obedient smile in his eyes.

His thoughts were simple.

He'd carve whatever the customer liked. That way, there wouldn't be any more mistakes, right?

However, he did not expect that his question had struck a chord with the God of Time.

With a slight movement of its fingertips, the God of Time conjured a scroll in its palm, its ribbon gently untied, and it slowly unfolded.

"Wine, is this okay?"

Wuma Xiu took the scroll, looked down at it, and was slightly taken aback.

The painting depicts a vivid and lifelike scene.

It was his waist when he hugged her, her face buried in the crook of his shoulder, her eyes crinkling with laughter, carefree and without a care in the world.

As expected, he truly deserves to be his friend.

Even at times like this, they still cherish their friendship, and all they want to see is the two of them happily together.

Wuma Xiu felt a warmth in his heart, his eyes crinkled into a smile, and he said:

"Sure."

He picked up the carving knife again and placed the blade against the belly of the gourd.

The carving knife gave a cold snort: Hehehe, here I come again.

The gourd let out a long, mournful cry: Ah-- It's you again...