"Is that a known thing with alternate universes?"

"Well, I hadn't heard of it before, but it must exist because we're watching their TV."

"Now we've both learned new things today."

"I guess that would explain why their hairpins make no goddamn sense."

"Mmm, I'm not sure it's a full explanation--"

"It is, the people who wrote the children's stories did absolutely no research about China."

"... Okay that is a full explanation."

"Or... were somehow getting information from an alternate universe where China is very different?"

"Does that seem very likely? This is children's entertainment we're talking about."

"No, but it seems even weirder if they just matched up for no reason!"

"It's a mystery for the ages."

"Much like everything about the multiverse."

"Doors to magic bars! Universes of children's entertainment!"

"The universe is really much stranger than I would have supposed even knowing about quantum mechanics."

"And you've had more time to get used to it, what with the 'quantum mechanics' and waiting around."

"It turns out you can in fact violate the second law of thermodynamics! Occasionally via transforming so you're wearing a brightly colored princess outfit!"

Jing Yi is maybe picturing 'princess outfit' wrong. "That'd be convenient. You're always ready for court on short notice. Just boom, princess outfit."

"--oh right you talk to actual princesses and not five-year-old girls pretending to be princesses."

"Our five year olds do it to! ... Then again most of the five year old girls I've interacted with have been the daughters of generals, so."

"I bet the princess thing is universal."

"In every universe, somewhere there is a small child pretending to be a princess."

"And yet none of them are playing princess with me."

"The world is truly cruel."

He pokes the wall. "Hey, Landlords, send us adorable small children who want to play princess. --At least if Jing Yi likes kids."

"I like 'em well enough to see what the landlords would do."