Chapter Thirty-One: Hues

Once the idea took hold, it was hard to suppress—especially since Li Le had just tasted a bit of success. After all, once a wolf has had meat, why would it ever return to eating grass?

Li Le sat upright, seemingly composed, but her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and schemes, the faint outline of a somewhat wild plan beginning to take shape.

A soft squeak broke the silence.

Tuan Tuan, who had been set aside, woke up groggily and called out.

The sound pulled Li Le back from her reverie, the coldness deep in her eyes dissipating somewhat. She exhaled slowly, pressing the matter down for now.

This wasn’t something to rush—it demanded careful deliberation.

Another series of squeaks.

Li Le’s brows curved in a gentle smile as she rubbed the furry little creature in her palm, instantly feeling her mood lighten.

Indeed, harmless fluff was the greatest balm.

“Don’t rush me, Tuan Tuan. I’ll make your house right away.” After she’d had enough of petting, Li Le placed the dazed Tuan Tuan on the table and patted her hands lightly.

She smiled at the little thing sprawled obediently on the tabletop, then turned to rummage through the cabinet.

Muttering to herself, she said, “Luckily I remember getting curious about these little gadgets when watching videos in my previous life. Tried making them myself—otherwise, this would be tricky…”

“…Tree resin… Scissors…”

“…Bamboo…”

…

Li Le searched through everything, crouched down, and carried out a heap of supplies from the cabinet.

“All right, let’s get started!” She piled the materials onto the table, raised her brows, rolled up her sleeves, and gave herself a little pep talk.

Beside her, Tuan Tuan watched almost blankly as Li Le sized up the bamboo, using a bone knife and needle to smooth the sides of the wooden planks; then, tying a stone to one end of a string and an ancient needle to the other, she planted the needle in the middle of the wood, stretched the string taut, and traced a white mark around the board with the stone.

…

She embedded parts, drilled holes according to size, and skillfully combined the bamboo and other slender pieces together.

Li Le’s gaze remained focused, her hands moving so quickly Tuan Tuan could barely follow. She’d glance at Tuan Tuan from time to time, murmuring softly,

“Lamp base…”

“…The radius of the center is…”

“…Let’s make it a little smaller—Tuan Tuan’s tiny anyway, and it’ll save materials…”

…

Soon, the lantern’s frame was nearly complete: black wood for the base, bamboo for the structure.

Li Le patted the black wood gently, feeling its solidity before nodding in satisfaction.

The black wood beneath was solid, with the sheen of black iron, extremely sturdy. She’d spent considerable effort drilling through it—so it could bear weight and wouldn’t break easily.

“Next, I’ll glue these transparent sheets inside and attach a handle—that should do it…”

Picking up the sheets again, Li Le worked diligently, adhering them with tree resin.

Though called transparent, the sheets were actually a faint yellow, blending seamlessly with the resin, leaving no wrinkles or gaps, saving her a great deal of trouble.

…

Finally, she installed a straight bamboo stick as the handle, and a pale yellow-handled lantern was finished.

“Done!”

Li Le lifted the lantern, examining its soft yellow body, a satisfied smile tugging at her lips.

Tuan Tuan watched, mystified but impressed, echoing with excited squeaks. Its small black eyes were wide open, suddenly looking anything but sleepy.

“You think it’s beautiful, too!” Li Le smiled knowingly, her eyes crinkling as she looked at Tuan Tuan, unable to resist stroking it again.

“Don’t worry…”

“When I wrap the bamboo handle with a layer of red thread and lay some soft fur at the base—it’ll be yours for sure.”

“When the time comes, we’ll leave the city together, and I won’t lose you.” Li Le laughed softly, setting the lantern next to Tuan Tuan. She stretched, then poked Tuan Tuan with her index finger.

Unexpectedly, Tuan Tuan turned and hugged Li Le’s finger, pressing it under its belly, its beady eyes full of accusation.

Squeak, squeak—

‘Stop messing around!’

Li Le’s lips quirked upward as she wiggled her finger, gently teasing Tuan Tuan’s soft stomach. Tuan Tuan sprang up, fur bristling.

Li Le coughed, ignoring Tuan Tuan’s protests as she withdrew her finger.

“It’s already so late…” She paid no heed to Tuan Tuan’s objections, gazed at the lamplight outside, and sighed.

But as she looked more closely, Li Le paused, doubt flickering in her eyes.

Was the tower’s light always this color?

Why did it seem… just a shade deeper than before?

Yet, in a blink, the light appeared as usual. Perhaps she was just being overly sensitive.

Li Le shook her head, mocking herself, “After all those paintings my roommate forced me to look at in my previous life, now everything I see has double images…”

Despite her words, a shadow surged irrepressibly in her heart.

“Big Brother!”

“District Chief!”

…

A burst of lively voices echoed from outside.