Chapter 746: Chapter 726: Old Master Jimo’s First Lesson
The car soon arrived at Han Moxuan; unlike the bustle of the day, the place was somewhat deserted at night, after all, it was difficult to discern the true from the false during the day, and even more so at night—who would dare come shopping then?
Within Han Moxuan, it was just the same, with no customers coming and going, yet the lights were still brightly lit, the light on the counter somewhat yellow, adding a touch of classical flavor after ten days. Upon entering the door, Luo Qianqian faintly detected a fragrance but upon closer inspection, it eluded her.
"What’s wrong?" Jimo Cheng looked at Luo Qianqian curiously and hurriedly asked.
"I think I smelled something fragrant?" Luo Qianqian scratched her head awkwardly, "It’s not the smell of food, just a pleasant scent, but it seems to disappear upon closer sniffing."
"Miss Jin Yuee is referring to the scent of this, right?" The steward said with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth after hearing Luo Qianqian’s comment, "Today, Young Master Kong visited and specifically lit some agarwood, which has already burned out, so the scent has dispersed some."
Luo Qianqian leaned close to the small incense burner and nodded lightly, "Yes, that’s it." Her eyes shone with excitement, "This is quite interesting indeed. But does Han Moxuan also sell incense?"
Jimo Cheng helplessly put his hand to his forehead. So, Luo Qianqian had no clue about this place at all? Wasn’t this her teacher’s territory after all?
"Oh? Jin Yuee is also interested in this?" Jimo Kong heard someone had arrived in the quiet Han Moxuan, and after waiting a long while without hearing approaching footsteps, he couldn’t stand to wait any longer and walked out. He had been waiting all that time without eating. Don’t these two youngsters know to respect their elders?
But as he came out to investigate, he couldn’t help but join the conversation when he heard Luo Qianqian’s curiosity about the fragrance.
"Grandpa Kong," Luo Qianqian greeted the old man with a sweet smile as she saw Old Master Jimo emerge, "Do you know how to make perfume? And rouge? Lipstick and facial cleanser too? Incense also smells good, but if you knew all these, it would be even better!" She was visibly excited.
Jimo Kong opened his mouth but was at a loss for words for a moment. Perfume involves a distillation and purification process, and rouge is a harmless dyeing process. As for lipstick and facial cleanser, she does use them, but...
He wasn’t a researcher, was he? Was it necessary to know how to make everything one used?
And they eat every day, does that mean everyone must know how to cook?
Therefore, Jimo Kong confidently puffed out his chest, his voice full of firmness, "No!"
Luo Qianqian blinked, so you’re proud of not knowing? But clearly, brother had... She paused, took a light breath, and decided it was better not to inquire too deeply into certain matters.
She looked at Jimo Kong, covering her mouth gently and laughing.
Jimo Kong watched Luo Qianqian’s reaction, feeling somewhat helpless. After glancing at the two of them a few times, he said, "Come with me."
They quickly followed him to a room, where Luo Qianqian was surprised by the quaintness; there was no bed or bookshelf, just a dining table, a tea stand, and some meditation cushions. Luo Qianqian inwardly groaned, worried this was going to be a lesson in tea arts.
Once the three of them were seated, attendants started bringing in dishes. Luo Qianqian couldn’t help but be amazed; she had seen only a few people earlier, so where did all these servers suddenly come from?
Looking at the delicious-looking dishes on the table, Luo Qianqian was perplexed. The food at Mo Studio had been strictly vegetarian, so why the sudden shift to meat dishes here?
It didn’t seem to fit Old Master Jimo’s personality—more importantly, there was no need to go to this length for a student, right?
Blinking her eyes, Qianqian hadn’t spoken yet when she heard Old Master Jimo say, "Hurry up and eat; we’re pressed for time once you’re done." After all, they had to consider Luo Qianqian getting back to school, and Old Master Jimo let out a small sigh of relief because the dishes were still hot, which meant they wouldn’t have to waste the ingredients by reheating them.
Luo Qianqian dared not speak but nodded repeatedly and only started to eat her meal after Old Master Jimo had picked up his chopsticks.
When she picked up a rib, she was surprised to discover that it was actually tofu skin wrapped around white beech mushrooms.
Yet, astonishingly, the taste was almost indistinguishable from real ribs; it was so delicious that her eyes squinted with pleasure.
She secretly wished her own grandfather would eat such vegetarian dishes as well.
However, what about Old Master Luo? At this moment, he was on the verge of tears faced with stir-fried celery with shredded potatoes, celery mixed with peanuts, celery buns (without meat), celery porridge, and celery cakes.
After the meal, Old Master Luo had someone tidy up before he put on a stern face.
Luo Qianqian knew that she might be facing a ’merciless’ lesson tonight, so she didn’t dare eat too much in case she couldn’t pose correctly later, leading to unflattering photos.
Old Master Jimo walked over and sat down on the cushion, while Luo Qianqian didn’t dare to sit, following him over and standing respectfully. As for Jimo Cheng? He had already gone out to fetch something.
"What’s your understanding of tea?" Old Master Jimo asked.
Luo Qianqian’s only thought was: sure enough...
But she quickly gathered her thoughts and said, "According to the records, tea culture began during the Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Qing Dynasty. There’s also a common saying, ’Seven necessities open the door: firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, and tea.’ Lu Yu of the Tang Dynasty once synthesized earlier records and composed ’The Classic of Tea.’"
After she finished speaking, Luo Qianqian blinked and looked at Jimo Kong, who had closed his eyes and hadn’t spoken for a while, as if he had fallen asleep.
"Is that all?" Jimo Kong slowly opened his eyes, embarrassment flashing in his gaze. He would never admit that he had almost dozed off—after all, feeling sleepy after a full meal was natural.
"Mhm," Luo Qianqian nodded, knowing she really didn’t know much; after all, the little she knew was because Master Luo loved drinking tea.
"What do you think is the purpose of drinking tea?" Jimo Kong asked calmly.
Luo Qianqian blinked, "Cultivating one’s character? Health preservation? Killing time? Or just love for the flavor?" Luo Qianqian had no clue really; she had drunk tea, but never found it particularly enjoyable. Given the choice, she’d rather buy a bottle of tea-flavored drink than bother with boiling water and warming a teapot.
For a moment, Jimo Kong was at a loss for words—killing time? He couldn’t believe she’d come up with such an answer.
Luo Qianqian, however, felt it was perfectly reasonable. After all, if one weren’t idly whiling away the hours, why bother spending so much time brewing so little tea? Even though the color looked nice, she honestly didn’t find it tasty. As for health preservation, that was purely a guess based on Master Luo’s habit. It seemed those who frequently drank tea didn’t suffer from serious illnesses and didn’t have dependencies like some coffee drinkers might.
"Do you know what tea art is?" Jimo Cheng’s face bore an expression of helplessness. If the person wasn’t interested, could he really force it upon her?
If it were about the service industry, Jimo Kong would definitely be unhappy. Luo Qianqian pondered with her head bowed for a long time, "Perhaps it’s about serving guests to show respect?" At least, that’s what she had seen in animations with matcha and other tea ceremonies, which she had watched many times.
