Chapter 37: How Do You Know This Scent?!
Old Master Shen watched him quietly from the side.
One must not be disturbed when blending fragrance; it was easy to lose focus, and a single milligram’s difference in the ingredients could ruin the entire batch.
“Grandpa, is there any morning dew here? I need the very first drop of dew from a flower petal at the crack of dawn.”
Liang Sheng turned to ask, his hands never stopping as he laid the necessary materials out on paper, picking out the essence of each.
“We have that. Every dawn, I have people collect the dew from the white magnolias in the back garden. However, it’s usually used for brewing tea. Sheng-sheng, what do you need morning dew for?”
The Old Master asked with great interest. He had devoted his entire life to the fragrance industry, and he was exceptionally enthusiastic toward someone who shared his passion.
“I want to use the morning dew to cleanse the altar and pray for blessings—to ask the Goddess of Fragrance to grant a smooth blending process.”
Liang Sheng’s gaze was pious. This had been his habit for many years of fragrance making; he didn’t know why, but it felt like a faith carved into his very bones.
The Old Master was slightly surprised. He hadn’t expected Liang Sheng to have the exact same habit as him before starting his work.
After all, young people today had received modern educations; very few still held faith in gods or Buddhas.
“In the jade cup in front of you, there is dew collected just this morning.”
The Old Master gestured for him to look forward.
“Thank you, Grandpa!”
Delighted, Liang Sheng took the glass vessel, scooped out a spoonful of dew, and sprinkled it across the worktable.
The Old Master rested his face on one hand, narrowing his eyes slightly as his gaze fell on Liang Sheng’s slender back.
The other’s habits and specific movements while blending fragrance gave him a sense of familiarity—a familiarity that felt as though it had been absent for many years…
Once the various materials were prepared, Liang Sheng used a special brush made of peacock feathers to lightly sweep the spices into a small incense burner.
As he began to mix the scents, he actually took off his shoes and stood barefoot on the slightly cool floor.
The Old Master saw at a glance that Liang Sheng wanted to use the soles of his feet to sense the ground temperature to judge the progress of the spice fusion. Fragrance was easily affected by the ambient temperature; if not controlled well, it would directly impact the purity of the scent.
For someone who usually seemed indecisive, Liang Sheng was quite rigorous when it came to this craft.
The Old Master nodded in approval, poured a cup of hot tea nearby, blew on it gently, and took a shallow sip.
Liang Sheng found a warm suet-fat jade bead from a cabinet and slowly rolled it through the spices to stir them, using the spiritual energy of the jade to add a touch of “soul” to the fragrance.
A burner of incense was finally complete. He leaned forward slightly and exhaled gently onto the incense three times as a final ritual.
The Old Master had finished his tea.
The moment Liang Sheng lit the burner, the Old Master smelled the fragrance carried in the curling blue smoke that diffused through the air.
At first, it was a fresh, woody scent that made one feel refreshed and clear-headed. A hint of sweet fruitiness was mixed within, appearing and disappearing like a sugar mandarin in summer—quenching thirst and dispelling all irritation.
Just as the Old Master thought there were only these two scents, Liang Sheng placed the burner before him, and he smelled a faint floral aroma. It was jasmine, lilac, and magnolia. There were no impurities mixed in; it felt like being in a sea of flowers accompanied by the dawn air—cool and refreshing, yet elegant.
He couldn’t help but feel astonished. “You used so many floral scents as the base, yet the fragrance isn’t overwhelming. Sheng-sheng, how did you do it? This is something only a seasoned master perfumer can fully control!”
Liang Sheng scratched the back of his head sheepishly and explained with a smile, “I added a bit of fragrance liquid to mellow the scent.”
“Oh? Which fragrance liquid?”
The Old Master looked at him excitedly.
“It’s not one from the market. It’s a liquid I formulated myself using pandan leaves. They have a very unique cooling effect that happens to neutralize the intensity of floral scents. I discovered this by accident while eating pandan cakes in the past.”
Liang Sheng’s eyes were bright, and he spoke very seriously. He hadn’t experienced this feeling of describing his materials and process to someone in a long time.
It truly felt like a flashback to his traditional Chinese medicine classes in college, where he stood on stage proudly describing the aromatherapy treatments he had developed.
The Old Master found it truly incredible. He hadn’t expected that someone as young as Liang Sheng could complete such a complex and tedious mellowing process in such a short time.
He considered himself the person who understood fragrance best in the industry—second to none. He had studied the mellowing process for years, and though he had created the best time-saving solutions, looking at it today, they truly couldn’t compare to this novice youth before him.
Seeing that the Old Master was staring at him with a look of doubt and scrutiny, Liang Sheng grew embarrassed. He hurriedly knelt down and asked with concern, “What is it, Grandpa? Has your headache improved at all?”
As he spoke, he brought over some boiled pandan water, mixed in some orange juice, and handed it to the Old Master.
“Grandpa, this is a drink I just made. Drinking it will help alleviate your headache. My mother used to have frequent headaches too, and medicine never helped, so I often boiled this for her. She got better after drinking it for a few days! Grandpa, you should try it too! See if it suits your taste.”
Liang Sheng prattled on, but the Old Master had no heart to listen. His attention was entirely on the fragrance liquid the boy had mentioned. He took a perfunctory sip of the drink; after smelling the aromatherapy, his headache had indeed lessened.
“It really doesn’t hurt much anymore.”
The Old Master rubbed his temple in surprise and set the cup down. He had suffered from these headaches for half his life, yet they had actually improved because of Liang Sheng. It was a miracle!
It seemed this little fellow did have some skill after all.
“That’s good! If Grandpa likes it, I’ll make more over the next few days. It’ll definitely get better!”
Liang Sheng said confidently, his eyes crinkling with a smile.
“Good. Then I’ll have to trouble Sheng-sheng.”
The Old Master nodded with relief.
“It’s no trouble at all! This is what I should do. As long as Grandpa likes it, that’s my greatest motivation!”
Liang Sheng waved his hands hurriedly. When he turned to tidy up the table, the Old Master hesitated before calling out to him: “Sheng-sheng.”
Liang Sheng tilted his head. “What is it, Grandpa?”
The Old Master cleared his throat, his gaze gentle. “Can you let Grandpa see that secret fragrance liquid of yours?”
“Of course!”
Liang Sheng nodded, took a tiny jade bottle from his pocket, and handed it over.
The Old Master took it, narrowed his eyes to examine the ordinary-looking bottle, then opened it and tentatively held it under his nose to catch the scent.
This smell…
The moment he identified the scent, his eyes snapped wide. He raised the bottle and questioned urgently, “The formula and preparation for this liquid—who taught it to you?!”
Seeing his expression suddenly change, Liang Sheng grew a bit lost. He answered honestly:
“No one taught me. I… I researched it myself.”
“Impossible! How could you know this scent?!”
The Old Master was suddenly overcome with emotion. He slammed his hand down on the table, making the teacups rattle. A few drops of tea splashed out onto Liang Sheng’s pants.
Liang Sheng shivered, frightened by the Old Master’s sudden rage. His eyes instantly turned red, and even the confidence in his explanation became weak: “Ah… it’s true. It really was just me…”
“Then where did you learn this formula?”
Bloodshot veins appeared in the Old Master’s eyes as he stared fixedly at Liang Sheng.
Liang Sheng felt like that gaze was about to pierce through him, and his legs were shaking. Yet his face flushed, and he gathered his courage to repeat once more: “Sheng-sheng isn’t lying to you. I really made it myself!”
Seeing that the boy was about to cry but his gaze remained firm, as if he weren’t lying, the Old Master was momentarily speechless.
Liang Sheng bit his lip, timidly checking for any abnormalities in the elder. Even his speech became cautious: “Grandpa, what’s wrong? Why… are you angry?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Grandpa just got a bit excited and scared you, didn’t I?”
The Old Master took his hand, his kindness returning.
Liang Sheng shook his head aggrievedly.
The Old Master let out a sigh, the corners of his mouth drooping. His features were filled with endless weariness and loneliness.
“Grandpa just recognized this scent. It felt so familiar, so dear—as if the last time I smelled it was in another life…”
He murmured, his gaze drifting to the old wind chime hanging from the eaves. He seemed to be remembering something; a few tears gradually welled up in those cloudy eyes.
Liang Sheng saw that the Old Master was actually crying.
This was the second time the elder had shed tears in front of him.
He hurriedly supported the Old Master’s trembling body and called out with concern, “Grandpa, are you alright?”
“It’s nothing… Grandpa just remembered an old friend.”
The Old Master regained his composure and shook his head sorrowfully.
“An old friend?”
Liang Sheng was confused; he had never heard the Old Master mention one.
The Old Master nodded. “He was Grandpa’s oldest and dearest friend—a companion since childhood. Our bond was the best back then; so close we could have shared the same pair of pants or slept in the same bed.”
As he spoke, he let out a silent laugh.
Liang Sheng asked curiously, “Then where is Grandpa’s friend? Why haven’t I seen him come to visit?”
The nostalgic light in the Old Master’s eyes instantly dimmed. The smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by pain:
“He is gone…”
Liang Sheng felt an immediate sense of guilt. “I’m sorry, Grandpa. I didn’t know. I’ve made you sad…”
“Just now, when I saw your habits while making fragrance and smelled that liquid… it was too familiar. It was just like him. Grandpa couldn’t control his emotions…”
The Old Master forced a smile. When speaking of that old friend, his eyes shimmered with tears of memory:
“My dear friend also loved making fragrance during his life. We even opened a factory together back then, vowing to make the perfume industry great!”
Hearing this, Liang Sheng quickly sealed the fragrance liquid and placed it in the Old Master’s hand, comforting him: “Sheng-sheng is proud to have made a liquid with the same scent as Grandpa’s old friend. I’ll give this bottle to Grandpa. Please don’t be sad; I’m sure Grandpa’s friend in heaven wouldn’t want to see you cry.”
But the pain in the Old Master’s heart only intensified.
With trembling hands, he clutched the bottle to his chest, and a heavy, suppressed sob escaped him:
“He will never forgive Grandpa… it was all my fault. Grandpa harmed him. I’ve lived in regret all these years; not a moment goes by where I feel at peace…”
“Could there be some misunderstanding? Grandpa is such a good person—the only one in the Shen family who treats Sheng-sheng well. I don’t believe Grandpa would do anything to harm a good friend!”
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