The special abilities of the ink stick, are they really useful?! (Seeking follow-up reads)

Little Ink Marker directed the woodworking tools to work much faster than Shen Le could ever manage on his own.

For this very picture frame, even with the help of various power tools, it would have taken Shen Le two full workdays to finish. With over a dozen woodworking tools working in unison, it was completed in less than a day!

"You guys are already done?"

Shen Le held the frame in his hands, inspecting it from left to right, unable to hide his astonishment.

The lines were smooth and rounded, the patterns vivid and exquisite; it was clearly the handiwork of a master craftsman. The feathers on the mandarin ducks were as fine as hair, one moving forward while the other turned its head, necks intertwined in an intimate, affectionate pose.

"It's beautiful!"

"Of course! We've been at this for many years!"

Carving, painting, and waiting for the paint to dry. Early the next morning, Shen Le delivered the frame to the hospital. The husband had not yet been discharged and was half-reclined in bed, watching his wife tidy up their belongings. Shen Le smiled and handed over the frame.

"A narrow escape brings future blessings. This is just a small token of my sincerity, considering the incident happened at my place..."

The wife's face flushed, looking a bit embarrassed as she prepared to decline. However, the husband had already sat up, his eyes locked onto the back of the frame, tracing the fluid carving marks.

"This..."

"This craftsmanship, it feels so familiar..."

With the frame resting on his knees, the couple sat shoulder to shoulder, leaning quietly against each other.

Zheng Xiaohua, one hand still sporting an IV drip, raised his other hand to point out the details on the frame to his wife.

"Look, the lilies on the edge of the frame—the finish on the stamen has a little barb. When I was a child, my father taught me woodcarving, and this was his signature technique..."

"And the lotus leaves here, the wave patterns, the edges curled inward. This was my mother's specialty. The headboard of the bed at home... ah, that bed was sold..."

"And the feathers on these mandarin ducks..."

One by one, piece by piece. Every detail he had never paid attention to before was now crystal clear, vividly stirring up memories of his childhood, his youth, and his early adulthood.

"Mm..."

His wife listened intently, without a hint of impatience. After the father reminisced for a while, he suddenly changed the subject.

"By the way, I've thought about it. Let's have Linlin learn the carpentry trade from me. In this day and age, having an extra skill is always a good thing.

Besides, he likes it, and it would be a shame to let the craft his grandmother taught him since he was little go to waste..."

"Alright..."

So, it had begun?

And what about the effect of the frame?

Little Ink Marker, you swore it would work, but how effective is it really? Will the couple stop arguing for now, or will they stop for good?

Shen Le retreated to the hospital room door and silently activated his Spirit Eye to observe.

The couple, leaning against each other, had faint auras of light flickering around them—one slightly brighter, one slightly dimmer. Every time they drew close, the auras would spark and push each other away.

However, with the frame placed between them, a subtle vortex could be seen swirling on its surface.

The light from the husband and the light from the wife were both absorbed into the vortex. When it swirled them together and released them, the faint crackling sound was gone, as was the dangerous feeling that they might explode at any moment.

As the vortex continued to blend their energies, the atmosphere between the couple became increasingly harmonious and fluid. After watching for a while, Shen Le felt relieved.

It seemed Little Ink Marker was right; this little guy really had a knack for this.

For couples who no longer loved each other and were completely at odds, the things it created might have no effect. But for those who clearly loved each other, only to be hindered by the pressures of life and uncontrollable irritability and bickering...

It was incredibly effective!

Live well!

You must live well!

Your fathers and mothers, your grandparents, supported each other through a lifetime of trials and tribulations.

They would also hope that their children and their family could be as happy as they were...

Shen Le smiled, shouldered his ink marker, and leisurely slipped away. Halfway there, his phone suddenly rang.

"Hello? Is this Mr. Shen? When is your Little Puppet coming to work? The customers have been waiting for a long time!"

What?

The Little Puppet has to go to work too?

What time is it?

Shen Le checked his watch and gave a wry smile. With one thing after another over the last two days, he had been so excited that his schedule was completely ruined.

Only after receiving the call did he realize it was already past nine, long past the time he was supposed to take Xiao Ling to work.

Oh, the sin of it all. He was definitely late today. Deduct wages, deduct bonuses, deduct performance pay, deduct the perfect attendance bonus...

Wait?

His agreement with the Landlady of the Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant was verbal, and it didn't seem like they had mentioned anything about a perfect attendance bonus, right?

Regardless, being late was never good. Shen Le offered a few apologies, returned home to scoop up the Little Puppet, and hurried toward the Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant. As he stepped through the door, a lamb bone came flying toward his face.

"Oh!"

Shen Le dodged to the side, leaning back to narrowly avoid the blow. Before he could even steady himself, a loud crash erupted in front of him as a table was smashed into splinters right before his eyes.

What on earth was happening?

Shen Le scrambled outside the shop, finally finding the composure to use the doorway as cover while he peeked back inside. One look, and good heavens!

The two individuals fighting inside were easily over six-foot-three, and their weight had to be well over two hundred pounds.

Even more terrifying were their bulging, massive muscles; they wouldn't look out of place next to a heavyweight boxing champion.

The pair tumbled and grappled, fighting from one side of the room to the other. Tables were shattered, chairs were kicked over, and the waitstaff had all retreated to the kitchen, peeking out with nervous curiosity.

It was fortunate there were no other customers in the restaurant, leaving them free to wreck the place. Otherwise, if they had hit a bystander, it would have been a guaranteed seven-day stay in the detention center!

...So, could he even go in there? Was this place still suitable for a puppet show?

Shen Le clung to the doorframe, trying his best to make himself invisible, and cast an inquiring look inside. The Landlady smiled brilliantly, strolled out, took Xiao Ling from his arms, and began to sing softly:

"Leaving Emei and arriving in the south of the Yangtze, Who knew the world held such beautiful lakes and mountains;

On one side, the Baochu Pagoda reflects in the shimmering waves, On the other, fine pavilions stand close by the Three Pools..."

Her voice was like a gentle breeze, like a soft drizzle, dousing the flames in their hearts and extinguishing the fury of the two brawlers. Shen Le stood to the side, and just as the verse ended, he saw the two men sheepishly stop their fight.

The Landlady then smiled as she walked inside, handed Xiao Ling to the waitstaff, and told them to continue the performance. She then walked up to the two men, stood her ground, and held out her right hand:

"Pay up!"

Who carried cash around these days?

Shouldn't she be bringing over a QR code scanner?

Shen Le muttered to himself. Then, he watched as the two fighters—one clutching a swollen forehead, the other holding a bleeding nose—each pulled out a thick wallet:

They opened them, emptied them out, and slammed them onto the table. Two thick stacks of red bills, each appearing to be over twenty thousand yuan, were tossed onto the only remaining table without even a count.

The Landlady finally beamed, nodded, and let the two men go, allowing them to tuck their tails between their legs and flee the restaurant, never to return.

Afterward, she picked up the red bills from the table, tapped them into a neat stack, and with a graceful, swaying gait, walked toward Shen Le...

Was this money enough to cover the damages?

Would she ask me to pay, too?

ps:

Happy birthday, Red Comet Mars!