Chapter 32: 32

No matter how heavy the rain was outside the house, it would eventually stop. The water stains on Luo Yu’s cotton robe had long since dried up completely, but he was still sitting on the wooden chair, motionless, as if pinned in place.

Staring at the woman in front of him, the palm on his knee clenched into a fist, showing that his mind was not really calm.

“Qing’er, just now, I saw that you arrived from the carriage of the Xie Manor. The Master of that Manor is the Commander of the Jin Yi Guards. He kills people like they are sacks and is the most ruthless. How could our small family have contact with him?” Although Luo Yu served in the Imperial Court of Judicial Review, his official position was low, only an Eighth-rank retainer. Naturally, there was no opportunity to deal with the people of the Northern Zhenfu Division, but the Jin Yi Guards were extremely popular in the capital. It was impossible for him to not recognize the Xie House’s emblem.

Luo Yu seemed concerned on the surface, but the tone of his voice had a hint of probing. They had been husband and wife for two lifetimes, both in her past and current life. Zhou Qing knew this person’s nature very well. With a touch of sarcasm in those almond eyes, she said, “The Commander came to the Herbal Store earlier and became a bit interested in herbs, so he asked me to make a trip to the Xie Manor every three days to blend herbs.”

Zhou Qing replied perfunctorily. She did not intend to mention the Xuande furnace. Anyway, she was destined to part ways with Luo Yu and the Luo family, so why bother spending so much effort?

Seeing the woman’s porcelain-white flesh and delicate lips like buds on a branch, Luo Yu’s heart tightened with indescribable panic. His Qing’er was so dazzling, a rare treasure. What if someone else had set their eyes on her?

“Qing’er, Xie Manor is like a dragon’s den–”

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Qing interrupted him. She looked up, glanced outside, and said softly, “It will be dark soon. If you don’t go back, my mother-in-law will be worried, and then it will be my fault again.”

To know a son was to know the mother. This saying was also true when said the other way around.

No one in the world could know Mother Luo’s nature better than Luo Yu. She painstakingly brought up the two siblings and regarded the pair of children as the apples of her eye. From the first day Qing’er married into the Luo family, Mother Luo felt disgruntled in her heart and always picked bones in her eggs. If it weren’t for the Zhou family’s strong background, she may have done worse.

The two stared at each other. Being gazed at by those pair of clear almond eyes, Luo Yu only felt that his inner thoughts were all seen through. He turned his head in embarrassment and frowned tightly while endless regret surged inside him.

His Qing’er was the best woman in the world. She has a generous nature, never calculative but open-minded. She would see some things clearly, but would not disclose them. Such a good wife could have grown old with him in harmony. But because of his momentary confusion, she completely distanced herself.

The more he thought about it, the gloomier Luo Yu became. His insides were burning like fire, and his handsome face displayed wretched pain.

Taking a deep breath, he said, “Qing’er, I will go back first then. You also return home early. The child cannot be separated from his father. Do not let our family of three be separated for too long.”

Hearing those words, Zhou Qing lowered her eyes and felt incomparable sarcasm in her heart. Waiting until the man’s back completely disappeared from within the Herbal Store, she stuffed the crumpled brocade handkerchief into her sleeve and turned around expressionlessly to go back to her room.

Sitting in front of the case table, she set aside her jumbled thoughts and turned to an ancient book from the previous dynasty.

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Zhou Qing was not studying herbal recipes today but intended to make a special herbal ware – a gilt-silver fragrance ball.

The previous dynasty was prosperous, and the number of people immersed in herbs was far greater than the current dynasty. There was a skilled craftsman; because his wife and daughter loved fragrances, he created this kind of easy-to-carry gilt-silver fragrance ball with the herbal cake, ash, and herbs placed in the ball. Because the middle of the ball had a hinge connected, it could be easily opened and closed. The inside contained two rings, holding the small pellet of burning herbs. No matter how one turned it, the small pellet would always face up. The herbal ash inside would not spill in the slightest, only the fragrance would spread out. Along the silver ball’s surface was an exquisite pattern, which was more well-crafted than those on the herbal sachets.

Unfortunately, after the collapse of the previous dynasty, the practice of silver fragrance balls was completely lost. Fortunately, several generations of the Zhou family made a living from running a herbal store, and the family stored a lot of ancient books. Zhou Qing searched for a long time and finally found the practice of making silver fragrance balls.

With the book in her hand, she walked quickly in the direction of the study, stood at the door, and knocked lightly a few times.

Zhou Liangyu opened the door. When he saw his sister, there was a bit of softness in his eyes, he asked, “Qing’er came over at this hour. Is there something wrong?”

With her face tinged scarlet, Zhou Qing opened the pages of her book. She laid the pattern of the silver fragrance ball on the table, saying softly, “Brother, you used to make some gold and silver artifacts, and you are familiar with the blacksmiths in the suburbs of the capital. Can you help me make this silver fragrance ball to hold herbs?”

Zhou Liangyu was not only well-read in poetry and books, he also liked these “strange skills and tricks” when he had not yet reached his coming-of-age, and his craftsmanship was much better than those old craftsmen.

With a charcoal strip in his hand, he sketched out the figure of the smoked ball on the paper. The more he looked at it, the brighter his eyes became. He could not help but praise, “Wonderful! The fragrance ball is originally hollow, but because the double ring is tightly connected, the small pellet containing the herbs will not overturn. It is equivalent to carrying a herbal censer. Such ingenuity is not seen in recent years.”

With noticeable expectation in her apricot eyes, Zhou Qing asked, “Brother, this kind of fragrance ball is very difficult. Can you really make it?”

Zhou Liangyu smiled, “If you think brother does not have the ability, why send the drawings to me? I will go to the iron Store on the outskirts of the capital tomorrow and try to make the fragrance balls.”

In addition to a wide variety of herbs, the Zhou family’s Herbal Store has many herbal wares. But ordinary people could not afford to use a copper censer. Most of them were replaced then with low-cost porcelain censers instead. Those people who have a lot of money, wanted to walk with the fragrance permeating the air. They would deliberately wear the herbal sachet or use a smoking cage to treat their clothing. The fragrance would be unforgettable.

The herbs in the fragrance bag could not be burned. Naturally, the smell could not be fully stimulated. But replaced by this silver ball, it would not only be a waste of materials but also very convenient. If the pattern on the top could be made more exquisite, people would certainly buy a lot.

Imagining the family’s business booming and completely sinking the Herbal Pavilion under her feet, Zhou Qing felt a burst of joy in her heart, the corners of her pink lips slightly rose, and shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks.

Seeing the delighted look in his sister’s eyes, Zhou Liangyu squeezed the page hard, secretly determined to make this silver fragrance ball, but forgot to ask what the purpose of this object was in the end.

Author Notes: The introduction of the silver fragrance ball is from the “Fragrance floating – flower and bird pattern gilt silver fragrance ball (Herbal sachet) | National Museum – Narration.”

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