Chapter 6: The Puppet Master and the Audience Performer’s Encounter
Meanwhile.
In an ordinary household.
A little girl was fiddling with something in her room.
She had a simple and plain puppet that looked like random clutter and wasn’t anything particularly special or eye-catching.
But the girl holding the puppet was incredibly cute, with cheeks as smooth and delicate as freshly peeled eggs, which were beyond enticing.
Sigh…
Afterwards, the girl placed the puppet aside, propped up her elbows on the table, and buried her cheek into them, gazing out the window at the blue sky.
Her wrapped white legs gently swung back and forth, kicking graceful arcs in mid-air.
Probably due to her overly smooth skin, the white silk covering them seemed like a second layer of skin, incredibly delicate and smooth—like ice cream.
Boredom…
The girl was Lianhua, about fourteen years old, with a fondness for ancient puppet shows.
She loved puppet shows because her mother used to perform them for her when she was young.
Over time, she grew to love these performances.
But long ago, her mother fell ill and passed away.
The simple wooden puppet next to her was the most fantastic gift her mother ever gave her.
Lianhua cherished it greatly.
Not long ago, her father found a new partner, making her stepmother.
This made Lianhua feel a bit uncomfortable in her heart, but she wouldn’t oppose it because it was her father’s choice. Even if she was unhappy inside, she would show no sign of it.
She was also willing to listen to her stepmother, as long as it wasn’t too unreasonable.
After getting to know her stepmother for a while, Lianhua felt she was strange. Her eyes held an aversion towards her, but there was no expression or words to match it. It seemed like she was playing the role of an ideal wife in front of someone, which felt quite fake.
Lianhua knew this was for her father.
Her stepmother didn’t like her.
Lianhua could tell.
However, that was fine.
She didn’t like her stepmother either; her mother was irreplaceable.
When they were alone at home, they acted like strangers, not talking to each other and doing whatever they pleased.
I want to see a puppet show…
After her mother passed away, Lianhua rarely watched puppet shows anymore.
Though there were many videos online, she enjoyed live performances more, which felt more interesting.
Unfortunately, fewer people now staged the ancient performances.
Perhaps some still loved them, but only a small portion did.
In the past, Lianhua learned a little from her mother, and through self-practice, she could now put on simple puppet shows.
However, her father was always busy at work and didn’t have time for her performances.
Lianhua disliked her stepmother even more and didn’t want to put on a show for her. She was stuck in a constant state of frustration.
Sigh…
The sophisticated face wore a look of worry. Her smooth arms squeezed her soft cheeks, and she sighed softly.
She had no friends.
Sometimes, interests and hobbies really could be key in making friends.
It was hard to connect with people without shared topics.
At school, she only fantasized in her mind, occasionally chatting about incomprehensible subjects with classmates.
Yeah, no one around her cared about puppet shows.
With the advancing times, most people’s hobbies changed. Lianhua was part of the minority who remained attached to old hobbies.
Now, she felt a kind of desire to perform that she didn’t know whom to perform for, which made her very depressed.
Her mother’s puppet box was in her room, filled with intact performance tools.
Her stepmother almost threw it away when she first arrived, but Lianhua stopped her and brought it back to her room.
Every time she opened it again, Lianhua felt a surge of desire to perform puppet shows, reliving old feelings and feeling her mother’s warmth.
Still… It wasn’t the same without anyone watching her.
Mumble… Let’s go out.
After some thought, Lianhua grabbed the puppet box and headed out.
Her stepmother was watching TV in the living room. When she saw Lianhua, she calmly asked:
“Where are you going?”
“Out to play.”
“The dinner is ready soon, and your father will be home shortly. Come back early.”
“Okay.”
Lianhua replied casually and walked out.
Although her stepmother didn’t like her, she wouldn’t deliberately bully her. It looked like she feared Lianhua might complain to her father.
All she wanted was to keep things as they were.
The woman in the living room watched Lianhua leave with a look of disgust.
“Hmph, just like your mother. Wait till you see what’s coming.”
…
Lianhua arrived at a nearby park.
There weren’t too many people, and it was close to home, so safety wasn’t much of a concern.
Right here is perfect.
Lianhua found a quiet spot, placed the puppet box, and began entertaining herself.
Though she could perform at home, she didn’t like the stuffy atmosphere.
It felt too empty.
Outside was different.
The sun was bright, and the park attracted passersby.
Even if there was only a tiny chance, Lianhua wished she could attract an audience, just like how she watched her mother perform when she was young.
It must feel amazing!
Hehe~
Lianhua picked up the simple puppet and couldn’t help but smile happily.
The puppet in her hand was the main character in every puppet show her mother performed, as though it was her own self, giving it a sense of grandeur.
Lianhua placed the simple puppet on the miniature stage of the open puppet box, manipulating it herself, smoothly performing various actions.
Operating a marionette gave Lianhua joy, being able to give it all sorts of ideas, controlling everything with strings, as though giving it a life of its own.
The marionette danced solo on the stage, despite the obvious stiff movements, there was a unique charm.
Unfortunately, her puppet show didn’t draw crowds. Most passersby only glanced over as they left.
But Lianhua didn’t care. Maybe her performance wasn’t engaging or interesting enough yet; perhaps it was her own shortcoming.
Now she focused solely on the puppet, her favorite.
Performances weren’t only great with an audience.
After a while, Lianhua paused her performance, pinching her snow-white arm softly, then exhaled.
Huff… Let’s stop here for now.
She decided to take a break and prepare to practice other techniques.
One day, she also wanted to use her puppets to tell a complete story, just like her mother did.
Lianhua had just sat down to eat when applause startled her.
Clap, clap, clap!
What?!
Lianhua panicked, nearly dropping her water bottle.
Quickly catching the bottle, she breathed a sigh of relief and glanced towards the source of the applause, wondering which “cute little thing” was scaring her.
A silver-haired loli stood nearby, her vermilion eyes sparkling like twinkling stars, gazing at her with admiration.
Amazing!
Lianhua tilted her head, still confused.
“You… are you talking about me?”
Yep! Yep!
