The winter afternoon was calm and peaceful inside the heated courtyard residence of Lotus-Prince Street.
In the center of the flagstone courtyard, Grandma Chen had set up a low wooden table beside a small iron brazier. A heavy copper kettle hummed gently over the glowing fruitwood charcoal, filling the crisp northern air with the sweet aroma of roasted jujubes, dried longan, and fresh ginger broth.
Six-year-old Little Guo’er sat on a thick woolen mat, swinging her small feet in her soft embroidered cotton shoes.
Her porcelain cheeks were rosy and plump, dusted with a touch of powdered sugar. In her small hands, she held a warm steamed sweet potato, blowing on it with little puffs of breath before taking delicate, happy bites.
Above her head, a prompt of purest celestial gold floated without a single blemish:
[Little Guo’er: Goodness 100 / 100]
[Cultivation Status: Innate Pure-Lotus Body (Dormant)]
[Special Trait: Unstained Soul of Celestial Purity]
