A short, grim lady, dressed in the imperial green and golden robes, sat on a velvety seat, reading a scroll intently while running her fingers along the silky hem of her long flowing sleeves. She started writing figures on a scroll, in a script that was as tight-knit like her.

"Elder Lady Ruan?" a feminine voice sounded at the door of the chamber. "Here is the new ornamental pen you had asked for." A maid entered and bowed.

"Keep it here," came the lady's curt reply.
"Yes, Elder Lady," the maid obeyed, almost tripping over the mess on the marble floor.

Elder Lady Ruan looked at the freshly cleaned girl, now wearing the same green and gold of their Sect, sitting on the floor, with her legs spread out, amidst a huge tangle of thread, fabric and knitting wool.

Her dark chocolate hair was messily tied up in a ponytail, the stray locks cupping her face. Her pretty little face wore an ugly scowl as if hoping that the fabrics would turn into ash.
Seeing that the feat wasn't going to happen anytime soon, she heaved a heavy sigh.

"You, Ruan Caihong, what are you sitting there glaring at the embroidery, huh? Finish it up, you still have three hours of knitting to do," Elder Lady Ruan remarked.

Caihong responded with a frown and a pout.
'How boring... Grandma... How do you... Oh, bitter gourds..'

In case you are thinking why Caihong was sitting on the floor and doing embroidery out of everything else in the world, let me clarify.
She had been punished with an entire shawl to decorate, followed by three hours of knitting.

Well, as far as Anbai was concerned, her assumption turned into reality, and she could do nothing for her poor mèimei, who was screwed.

Caihong gazed out of the window which gave her a clear view of the compound. She could see Zhang Taio, standing afar, methodically teaching the recruits of the army, and smiled longingly.
"Ah... How I wish... I could be there too... Ge is teaching them so well, aiya..."

"Stop muttering to yourself and finish the sewing already," Elder Lady Ruan spoke, a bit of irritation evident in her voice and slightly affecting her grim contours.

"Just look at me here, slouching and doing embroidery...aish... I will sew bitter gourds in the cloth, hhmph," Caihong mumbled, clearly pissed at her daydream being broken.

"Finish the sewing," her grandmother shot at her. "How much longer are you going to take?"

Caihong suddenly smiled, and now that she had bathed after the training, the smile shone even brighter. The older lady was taken aback.

"Grandma," she smiled sweetly, disentangling herself from the mass of fabric and crawled over to the Elder Lady Ruan, and sat down at her feet.

"Oh, my sweetest Grandma... You see, sewing, embroidery and knitting are such noble jobs,... womanly jobs... Please let me go, my dearest Grandma... Please... See, by doing all these, by punishing me to do all these, you and I are disgracing this job, aren't we? Please, Grandma... Let me go... Pleeeassseee??" Caihong pleaded with the largest puppy eyes she could muster, and her cutest pout which blew people away. She even blinked a couple of times for extra measure.

The Elder Lady Ruan gaped. She couldn't take her eyes off the super adorable face of her younger granddaughter.

"Pleeeassseee, sweet, darling Grandma... me sewing brings this highly celestial, divine, refined art down to the level of.... the level of... oh yes, rotten, slimy bitter gourds with dirty white patches. Let me go, please? Grandma, please? Pwetty pweeeaassseee?" she batted her long thick eyelashes.

The older lady stared mystified, her mouth agape. She was already in the clutches of the child's spell.

'Please let this work, holy GuanYin...' Caihong started to pray, fervently.

Elder Lady Ruan was on the verge of withdrawing the punishment.

'This is my only way to flee... Please...'

The older woman began to desperately try to pull herself out of the daze. 'Pull yourself together, Ruan Yao Ahlam.. ugghhhh.....' she thought.

'Please, I pray... Make this work, make Grandma let me go, GuanYin...'

The woman shook her head vigorously, trying to free herself from the clutches of this spell.

'Screw her charms,' she thought determinedly.

'This is my mightiest weapon... THE ALMIGHTY CUTENESS OVERLOAD OVERDOSAGE....'

Elder Lady Ruan squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. She sighed.

"FOUR HOURS OF KNITTING," she declared, tossing her head, and hastily went back to reading.

Caihong's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates in horror.

"NOOOOOO!!!!" she groaned, burying her face in her hands.