Li Daoxuan needed to leave the house to find someone capable of building a custom 200:1 scale model.
However, now that he knew the sandbox contained a living world set in the late Ming Dynasty, he found it difficult to leave it unattended. He could not shake the uneasy thought that he might return home to find his floor littered with tiny corpses.
After a moment of deliberation, an idea struck him.
He retrieved his home security camera and carefully positioned it beside the sandbox, adjusting the angle until it provided a clear view of Gao Family Village.
Then he opened the camera's companion app on his phone.
The village appeared on his screen in perfect clarity.
Only then did he finally feel at ease enough to leave.
He hailed a taxi and headed straight for his friend Cai Xinzhi's home.
Fifteen minutes later, he arrived.
Li Daoxuan stepped into Cai Xinzhi's living room.
Cai Xinzhi was a professional model maker. Car models, ship models, figurines, robots, dinosaurs—he crafted nearly every kind of model imaginable with exceptional skill.
In fact, when Li Daoxuan had received the sandbox as a birthday gift, Cai Xinzhi had been his first suspect.
Seeing his old friend, Cai Xinzhi broke into a grin.
"Well, well. If it isn't Li Daoxuan. What are you here to swindle from me this time?"
Li Daoxuan laughed.
"No swindling today. I'm here to place a paid commission."
Cai Xinzhi gave him a suspicious look.
"You still haven't paid for that Liaoning carrier model from last time. Every visit you make costs me money."
Without a word, Li Daoxuan pulled out his phone and transferred 1,000 yuan.
Cai Xinzhi stared at him in shock.
"You paid that fast? No way. Whatever you want must be ridiculously troublesome. I'm not taking this job."
Li Daoxuan burst out laughing.
"You scoundrel. You don't mind when I owe you money, but when I actually pay, you refuse?"
Cai Xinzhi folded his arms smugly.
"That's a businessman's intuition."
Li Daoxuan gestured with his hands, indicating roughly half a meter.
"I need a Hakka Walled House model. About this size. Scale ratio: 200:1."
Anything placed inside the sandbox would enlarge two hundred times. A half-meter model would become a hundred-meter structure inside the box, perfectly matching the scale of a real Hakka walled house.
Cai Xinzhi blinked.
"What on earth do you need that for?"
Naturally, Li Daoxuan could not tell him the truth.
"I recently watched Big Fish & Begonia," he said casually. "It made me interested in Hakka walled houses. I want one as a display piece."
"I see," Cai Xinzhi said. "In that case, there's no need for a custom order. I have ready-made models at 100:1 scale. They look magnificent."
"No," Li Daoxuan said immediately.
"I only want 200:1."
Cai Xinzhi frowned.
"Too large? I also have 144:1 scale—"
"No."
Li Daoxuan did not allow him to finish.
"It must be custom-made. Exactly 200:1."
Cai Xinzhi sighed deeply.
"I knew it. Clients who pay quickly are always the most troublesome. Go on, tell me the rest of your ridiculous requirements."
Li Daoxuan chuckled.
"The structure must be made from extremely durable material. No foam board. No plastic. Wood is unacceptable as well—it burns too easily. What material would you recommend?"
Cai Xinzhi thought for a moment.
"Compressed composite panels. Strong, lightweight, and easy to handle."
Li Daoxuan considered this carefully.
Once scaled up two hundred times, even a few millimeters of thickness would become an enormous defensive barrier. Ming Dynasty swords and firearms would be completely ineffective against it.
But then another thought struck him.
"How thin can those panels be?"
"Three millimeters," Cai Xinzhi replied.
Li Daoxuan froze.
Three millimeters multiplied by two hundred became sixty centimeters.
That was far too thick.
Interior walls of such thickness would drastically reduce usable space.
"Anything thinner?" he asked.
Cai Xinzhi shook his head.
"No. Unless you use sheet metal. That can be as thin as one millimeter."
Li Daoxuan's eyes lit up.
One millimeter would become twenty centimeters after scaling.
Perfect.
Durable, compact, and far more space-efficient.
"Then use sheet metal," he said.
Cai Xinzhi frowned.
"A model made from sheet metal will look cheap. It won't have that premium finish."
"I don't care about appearance," Li Daoxuan said calmly. "Functionality comes first."
He paused, then continued.
"The interior must be fully structured. Every room built to scale."
Cai Xinzhi exploded.
"Impossible! A Hakka walled house has over two hundred rooms! If I have to build detailed doors and windows for each one, that's an enormous amount of labor."
He pointed at Li Daoxuan accusingly.
"Add ten thousand yuan."
Li Daoxuan nearly choked.
That expensive?
He reconsidered immediately.
"I don't need doors or windows. Just leave openings where they belong."
Cai Xinzhi nodded, relieved.
"Much more reasonable."
"Also," Li Daoxuan added, "modify the drainage system using modern engineering."
Cai Xinzhi stared at him as if he had gone insane.
"It's a model! Why would drainage even matter? If I change it, it won't be historically accurate anymore!"
Li Daoxuan smiled faintly.
"I'm the client. Accuracy is irrelevant."
Cai Xinzhi fell silent, his face filled with suppressed frustration.
After a moment, he muttered sarcastically, "Why don't I just add wheels and a motor too? Turn it into a mobile fortress."
Li Daoxuan froze.
Then his eyes lit up.
He slapped his thigh.
"That's brilliant!"
Cai Xinzhi blinked.
"…What?"
"Add wheels. Add a motor. Add remote control. Turn it into a Hakka Walled House Tank."
Cai Xinzhi nearly collapsed.
"That would be a toy! Not a proper model!"
Li Daoxuan laughed heartily and clapped him on the shoulder.
"That's exactly what I want."
"And make the tires larger," he added. "It needs off-road capability."
Cai Xinzhi covered his face.
"This client is insane."
After a long pause, he sighed.
"Fine. Wheels, motor, and remote control. Extra 1,000 yuan."
Li Daoxuan paid immediately.
They agreed on delivery within one month.
With that settled, Li Daoxuan returned home.
On the way, he stopped by a supermarket near his apartment and bought a chicken breast for five yuan.
After returning home, he opened the sandbox and gently placed the chicken breast before Gao Yiye.
—
At that moment, Gao Yiye was carrying water back to her home.
Her steps were slow and careful as she balanced two heavy buckets.
Suddenly, a colossal hand descended from the heavens.
It held an enormous slab of meat.
She froze.
The hand lowered the meat gently before her, then withdrew into the sky.
A calm, gentle voice echoed above.
"A reminder. Those unaccustomed to meat should not overeat. Consume it in moderation."
Gao Yiye fell to her knees immediately.
"Tianzun…"
Her voice trembled with reverence and gratitude.