12dz Chapter 294 Chopsticks and Joy, holding a spoon, accompanied by Daddy and the cricket…
Chapter 294 Chopsticks and Joy, holding a spoon, accompanied by Daddy and the cricket…
Back then, in the courtyard of the Lizheng Hall in Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty.
Sizi looked shocked. "What? You guys also know that I can only live to be twelve years old?"
Zhi Nu looked reluctant to part with her child. "Si Zi, Father said you were the lucky star of the Tang Dynasty. Without you, there would be no empire for me..."
"What? What exactly is going on?"
“From a young age, you were frail and sickly, with all sorts of strange and unusual ailments that seemed incurable no matter what doctors did or what medicine they used. This truly worried your father and me. Later, your father consulted the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, who determined that your birth chart indicated a weak constitution, and you would only live to be twelve at most. After your mother passed away, your father immediately took us in and raised us together…”
Sizi's eyes curved into crescent moons, her face beaming with smiles, and she said in a clear, cheerful voice, "Haha, I see, bro, don't look so down. From now on, I'll make sure you're all happy, and I'll make sure you're all happy too..."
"You have such a sweet tongue, how can you be so happy?"
"That's right, I cherish every season and do my best to fulfill the mission of Fuwang Datang... But, on my twelfth birthday, I have to ask my brother for a present!" As she spoke, she tilted her head and a playful smile appeared on her lips.
"What gift? Whatever it is, your brother will grant it!" Young Li Zhi said with a doting expression, agreeing without hesitation.
Sizi blinked her bright eyes, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense. She slapped her forehead and pretended to be troubled, saying, "Oh dear, I haven't thought it through yet. Once I've figured it out, I'll come ask you for it right away. You can't go back on your word, okay?"
Having said that, she skipped and hopped away, leaving behind only a string of silvery laughter, filling the young girl with curiosity. At that moment, a kind of dark matter quietly lingered in the air...
In the design studio in the spring of 2026, Zhen Zong's eyes sparkled: "Xiao Yao, this time we're going to design a doll with the courtyard of the Lizheng Hall in Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, as the background. The main character is Xiao Si Zi. She is Li Shimin's most beloved little princess, and we have to make modern young people fall in love with her at first sight!"
Chen Xiaoyao pushed up her gold-rimmed glasses, her eyes gleaming with excitement: "President Zhen, I just learned that your nickname is Zhen Xiaosi! I want to design Xiaosi as a round, chubby 'glutinous rice ball'! What do you think—"
She quickly pulled up the sketch: "The chubby figure looks like it just ate three big bowls of sesame cakes, with short legs curled up into a little ball of flesh, and when the head is slightly raised, a stubborn tuft of hair will stick out on the top of the head! The hair is specially selected to be short down in a light canelé color, and it feels like the texture of a baby rhinoceros that has just shed its puppy fur, sparse but smooth, absolutely healing!"
Xiao Yao pointed to the facial design and continued, "These big eyes need to be made with a 'starry eye' technique, with each eyelash clearly defined and the upturned corners giving them a naturally charming look. The round nose has a frosted texture, and a small pink mole is subtly placed on the tip. The most amazing thing is this smile—the corners of the mouth are slightly crooked, just like a little princess who has secretly eaten some frosting and hasn't wiped it off properly! The gold and ruby necklace around the neck has miniature Tang Dynasty intertwined floral patterns hidden in each gemstone; you need a magnifying glass to find the Easter egg!"
Zhen stroked her chin: "Interesting! What about the rhinoceros ornament she's holding?"
"This is the key!" Chen Xiaoyao smiled mysteriously. "The rhinoceros ornament is made of translucent hard plastic with gold foil embedded inside. When shaken, it 'flows' with a 'whooshing' sound, simulating the little rhinoceros holding a 'treasure that makes it snow.' The carved wood grain contains miniature Tang poems, which is both a tribute to historical literature and allows young people to experience the fun of ancient poetry in a new way! The little rhinoceros is specially designed to hug the ornament in a 'bear hug,' with even its hooves curled up nervously, as if afraid that the treasure given by Father will be snatched away!"
"The base of the scene must be worthy of the grandeur of the Tang Dynasty." Zhen Zong tapped the base of a doll.
“We were prepared!” Chen Xiaoyao brought up the 3D model. “The apricot tree in the courtyard of Lizheng Hall has petals that can rotate! With a gentle touch, they will fall down with a rustling sound. There is also a miniature music box hidden in the base, playing ancient music from the Tang Dynasty.”
The round stones under the tree are no ordinary decorations—three of them are engraved with 'Zhenguan,' 'Xiangrui,' and 'Chang Le,' and when pieced together, they form a unique code for the little rhinoceros! The base frame has an antique bronze finish, with hidden reliefs of the twelve zodiac animals within the subtle patterns; turning it unlocks hidden zodiac stories!
"What about the material and size?"
"The main body of the doll is made of baby-grade antibacterial plush, and even the tuft of hair has been treated with anti-static agents. The soft rubber face incorporates temperature-sensitive color-changing technology, so it will blush when touched! The resin base is specially made with a jade-like texture, making each piece look like an artifact unearthed from the Daming Palace ruins. The overall size is controlled at 12 centimeters, just enough to fit into a Starbucks travel mug, allowing young people to 'carry the Tang Dynasty' with them anytime, anywhere!"
Ms. Zhen raised an eyebrow: "Don't let the packaging fall apart."
"Everyone! Get ready to scream with amazement!" Chen Xiaoyao suddenly unfolded the design drawings, her fingertips tapping heavily on the center of the paper. "Look at this top-and-bottom box—the gold-stamped lines are like a flowing galaxy, perfectly replicating the national treasure, the Tang Dynasty animal-head agate cup! This treasure was unearthed from the ground in Hejia Village, Xi'an in 1970, and it's now housed in the Shaanxi History Museum; you can't even touch it!"
She gestured on tiptoe: "The cup is 6.5 centimeters high, a size larger than the palm of your hand; it's 15.6 centimeters long, just the right size to fit in your palm. The most amazing thing is the animal head design, with horns serving as the handle and a gold cap on the animal's mouth. You can even count the individual eyelashes! This is the only polychrome jade carving from the Tang Dynasty. It was probably used to pour wine for Yang Guifei back then!"
Lowering his voice, he said, "But we're going to try something new! Let's replace the animal heads with adorable little rhinoceroses, a unique one-horned rhinoceros version!" He picked up the side of the drawing, "See this scratch-off coating? Scan it with your phone, and the little rhinoceros will 'whoosh' out of the apricot blossom rain, stepping to the beat of drums, holding an agate cup, dancing the Hu Xuan dance, its ribbons swirling even more stylishly than the flying apsaras of Dunhuang!"
The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly became lively, with someone pulling out their phone to simulate scanning. Chen Xiaoyao, however, smiled slyly: "This is just the appetizer! Hidden within every 100 boxes is the ultimate surprise—a miniature gilded sachet hidden in the base's interlayer! Open it, and you'll find a birthday card handwritten by twelve-year-old Xiao Sizi, along with a mysterious code that unlocks the 'Travel to the Tang Dynasty' AR murder mystery game!"
In the silence, Zhen suddenly slammed her hand on the table and stood up: "This isn't a packaging box! It's clearly a Tang Dynasty blind box buried inside a delivery box! Opening each one is like digging up an antique, and it even comes with its own time-travel script! Get this project approved immediately, I can already hear the whole internet saying 'Wow!'!"
Si Zong twirled the gilded miniature model in his hand, then suddenly raised an eyebrow: "Xiao Yao, you replaced the animal heads with a little Si Zi. Aren't you afraid the experts will say we've drastically altered a national treasure?"