[ on the morning of december 25, which hua cheng has come to understand is christmas day, a knock on the door will herald the arrival of a gift. it's nestled in a box and wrapped in paper of his signature crimson and tied with a gold ribbon, both very auspicious colors for such an auspicious(?) holiday!
the box, when opened, contains a palm-sized magical compass not unlike this. it's comprised of eight concentric rings, each etched with different characters (in hua cheng's perennially terrible calligraphy) and painted images (which are much, much better than the calligraphy), and accompanied by a handwritten guide that explains the meaning of each. the gist is that she can use combinations of characters and drawings to describe to the compass an object or a desire, and the needle will then point her in the right direction.
along with the compass is a brief note from hua cheng, thankfully in a neater hand than the characters inscribed on the compass. ]
Xiaojie —
May you find everything your heart seeks and more.
( 12/25 ) — xmas ding dong ditch
the box, when opened, contains a palm-sized magical compass not unlike this. it's comprised of eight concentric rings, each etched with different characters (in hua cheng's perennially terrible calligraphy) and painted images (which are much, much better than the calligraphy), and accompanied by a handwritten guide that explains the meaning of each. the gist is that she can use combinations of characters and drawings to describe to the compass an object or a desire, and the needle will then point her in the right direction.
along with the compass is a brief note from hua cheng, thankfully in a neater hand than the characters inscribed on the compass. ]
Xiaojie —
May you find everything your heart seeks and more.
— Chengzhu