Chapter 50 Flower Dew

In the blink of an eye, spring has come to an end, and all things are growing.

The flower cuttings that Aman had previously propagated have all grown, with lush new shoots that will be ready for transplanting in a few days. The plum tree has also sprouted tender buds under her careful care; the pale yellow buds delight Aman.

The learning process with Master Cheng was also gradual. Master Cheng said that although Aman had no talent for embroidery, she had an extremely high talent for needlework. In just two months, she learned to use flying needles on her own.

When the needles are inserted into the acupuncture points, the patient's pain is greatly reduced. Now, when there are patients with leg injuries, Dr. Cheng will let Aman try the technique while he provides guidance.

"It really doesn't hurt anymore, young lady, you have excellent skills!" The middle-aged woman who was treating the patient was originally unwilling for Aman to give her acupuncture. Firstly, because Aman was young, and secondly, because Aman was a woman, she looked down on her.

But this girl looks young, but her technique is quite skilled, and it doesn't hurt at all when she inserts needles.

Moreover, since they were all women, she no longer felt the shame of being approached by strange men.

"Young lady, next time you come for acupuncture, I'll definitely come back to you!" The woman paid and left. Ah Man was delighted to hear her words and asked, "Grandpa, when can I learn your acupuncture technique?"

She was getting a little anxious. To be honest, she had been studying medicine with Master Cheng for four months, and recently, she had clearly felt that she was becoming more and more proficient at acupuncture.

She couldn't wait to learn Master Cheng's unique skills so she could heal Fu Yunxiu's leg.

But Old Cheng stroked his beard and said casually, "It's still early, no rush."

Aman's hands are steady now when she applies acupuncture, but her mind isn't. It won't be too late for her to learn when her mind is more stable.

“But…” Aman wanted to say that she felt she was fully capable, but seeing that Old Cheng had closed his eyes and started to doze off, she had to swallow her words. “Alright then!”

If you're not in a hurry, then you're not in a hurry.

Old Master Cheng has already said there's no rush, so what's the use of her being anxious?

Now, Aman only comes to De'an Hall in the morning. Since she is not in a hurry to learn new acupuncture techniques, she can arrange her own time in the afternoon.

With nothing to do, Aman rented a carriage and took a stroll around the flower shop outside the city.

As spring transitioned into summer, the greenhouse was filled with new flowers, replacing many of the old ones. Aman approached the greenhouse manager and bought all the remaining flowers at a very low price.

Six whole sacks filled the entire carriage to the brim.

Aman was planning that once these flowers were used up, the flowers for the Marquis's mansion could be replenished. By then, the flowers she had transplanted herself should also be ready to use. If that were the case, she could expand the scale, produce a little more each day, and earn a little more money.

When it comes to making money, Aman feels full of energy. The backache and leg pain he had been experiencing from giving acupuncture to people every day suddenly disappeared.

Back home, Fu Yunxiu read his book as usual. He saw Aman carrying large and small bags in through the window, but he wasn't surprised at all.

When Mantou opened the burlap sack and saw the flowers inside, he immediately understood that Aman was about to start making rouge.

"But if you plant so many flowers at once, won't they all spoil over time?" Mantou asked.

"So I plan to dry them into dried flowers first, and when I need them, I can just add water, grind them, and crush them."

That being said, drying flowers is not an easy task. Different flower varieties require different drying methods. Some can be dried directly in the sun, while others need to be dehydrated first before drying.

After dinner, before it got dark, Aman selected some of the best flowers and made a batch of rouge. She sorted the rest according to different varieties and planned to dry them the next day.

The weather in Yongzhou had been quite nice for the past few days, and unsurprisingly, the next day was another sunny day. After having breakfast, Aman went out to buy groceries, and then went to the clinic to give acupuncture to patients with leg ailments. In the afternoon, Fu Yunxiu and Mantou were painting and practicing calligraphy in the pavilion, while she began to dry flowers.

The colorful petals were scattered all over the ground, and the rest needed to be dehydrated before drying.

Since the petals were all piled up in her room, Aman was too lazy to take them out, so she simply dehydrated them in her room using the small stove she used to make rouge.

The water on the stove was boiling. Aman filled a bowl with flower petals and was about to pour them into the pot when suddenly there was a loud "bang" outside, followed by a "ah" from the steamed bun.

The noise was so loud and sudden that Aman's hand trembled, and the entire bowl fell into the pot, splashing hot water everywhere. Luckily, Aman reacted quickly and avoided getting hit. But at that moment, Aman didn't care about anything else. She carelessly put down the lid and ran out the door.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?"

Aman hurriedly walked to the pavilion and saw that Fu Yunxiu's silver-threaded auspicious cloud inkstone, which he had used for many years, had fallen to the ground and broken into two pieces, with black ink splattered everywhere.

Mantou pushed Fu Yunxiu, and the two of them stared blankly.

"What happened?" Aman walked into the pavilion, his probing gaze falling on Mantou's still somewhat shaken face.

“Look,” the steamed bun pointed to the table, “it’s all its doing.”

Aman followed his hand and looked over, only to find that the culprit, Fu Bao, had somehow gotten onto the table. He was a round little thing, moving his three-lobed mouth, sniffing left and right.

It's highly likely that this inkstone was also taken down by it.

"..." Aman twitched the corner of her mouth and asked, "Are you all alright?"

"Luckily I was quick-witted and nimble-fingered, otherwise the young master would have been in trouble," said Mantou. "It's just a pity that the young master spent so long painting this picture."

Upon hearing this, Aman looked at the painting on the table.

"Hey, don't do that yet," Fu Yunxiu tried to stop him, but it was too late.

Aman has already picked up the painting.

Looking at it from left to right, Aman's eyes lit up immediately. "Young master, this painting of yours... looks just like me!"

“And that plum tree,” Aman said, pointing to the lush plum tree in the yard. “It’s painted so beautifully.”

Fu Yunxiu had originally wanted to deny it, but now he had no choice but to admit it, nodding, "Yes, didn't you say before that you wanted a painting to hang in the house? I just happen to have some free time today."

That being said, judging from Fu Yunxiu's expression, he was lying.

Actually, he was just idly doodling when he came to his senses and saw Aman's image vividly on the paper. He was startled and instinctively picked up Fu Bao from his arms and placed her on the table. Unexpectedly, Fu Bao was startled and accidentally pushed the inkstone off the table, which led to what happened next.

Fu Yunxiu pushed the wheelchair over and said, "It's a pity that Fu Bao dirtied this painting. I'll repaint one for you another day."

As he was about to raise his hand to put the painting away, Aman beat him to it again, saying, "I think it's great."

Aman picked up the painting again and examined it carefully.

The painting depicts her watering the plum tree this morning. She is focused, her face beaming with satisfaction and joy. The first rays of morning light shine through the leaves onto her, so bright and dazzling.

In the hazy light, Aman seemed to see a deep sense of love through the painting.

Moreover, the presence of Fu Bao's black paw prints on it makes it seem even more heartwarming.

"Young master, is this painting really for me?" Aman held the painting, unable to put it down.

Fu Yunxiu wanted to say no, but since he had already said it, he couldn't take it back. After hesitating for a moment, he still said, "How about I draw you another one?"

"No need, young master, I like this one."

Seeing how much Ah Man liked the painting, Mantou couldn't help but come closer. However, no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't see anything special about it.

Moreover, it's obvious at a glance that this is just a casual doodle by the young master, not even one-tenth of his skillful work.

I really don't know why Aman likes it so much, she even refused the young master's request to paint another one.

"It doesn't look like anything special," said Mantou.

“That’s because you have no taste,” Aman retorted.

“Yes, I have no taste,” Mantou wrinkled his nose, “but you, who have taste, have you burned something?”

"Huh?" Aman was a little confused, then sniffed the air and smelled a faint burnt smell mixed with the rich aroma.

Ah Man then remembered the pot on her stove and exclaimed, "Oh dear, my flowers!"

I ran back to the room in two strides. The water on the stove was bubbling loudly, and the steam pushed open the lid, spreading a slightly burnt smell throughout the room.

"Oh dear!" Aman hurriedly stepped forward, carefully placed the painting in her hand on the bed, then picked up the rag beside her and took the pot off the bed.

In the rush, the lid was put on the pot upside down. Now it's very hot, and Aman can't check the situation inside. He can only cover the pot and wait for it to cool down.

"Aman, are you alright?" Mantou called out from across the yard.

"It's nothing, the pot just got burnt," Aman said.

Fortunately, this was the last batch.

Aman exhaled a breath of stale air, his gaze falling once again on the painting.

Although Mantou said it didn't look like much, she just liked it.

We need to find a place to hang it up.

Aman looked around and searched for a long time before finally choosing a spot.

Unframed paintings are difficult to hang; they always curl up on one side or the other. It took Aman a lot of effort to finally fix them to the wall.

A gentle breeze stirred, slightly ruffling Aman's hair, but the smile on her face shone brightly in her eyes.

"Aman?" Fu Yunxiu waited in the pavilion for a long time without hearing any movement from Aman, and feeling worried, he came over to check on her himself.

Hearing his voice, Aman smiled even more brightly.

He suddenly turned his head, pointed to the painting on the wall, and said, "Young master, look."

Aman's bright smile was like a beautiful crabapple blossom in spring. Fu Yunxiu was caught off guard and felt his heart being struck by something, pounding wildly.

He hurriedly looked away, but his gaze fell on the painting by sheer coincidence, making him feel even more embarrassed.

He felt embarrassed that his thoughts had been seen through, and his cheeks flushed red.

"Why are you still..." Fu Yunxiu's voice was hoarse, and his throat tightened, making it difficult for him to speak.

"I thought it looked nice, so I hung it up. Didn't you say you were giving it to me, young master?"

"..." Fu Yunxiu was speechless for a moment. He looked at Aman for a long time and finally sighed.

Well, if Aman likes it, let her be. At least no one else will notice.

After Fu Yunxiu left, Aman stared at the painting for a long time, becoming more and more satisfied with it. It wasn't until a while later that she remembered she still had a mess to clean up.

The small pot had been sitting on the table for a while and had cooled down completely. When Aman opened the lid, he saw that the flower petals inside had been cooked into a paste, and the bottom of the bowl that he had accidentally dropped in was even burnt, which was why it had a burnt smell.

Aman took out the bowl and saw that there was a lot of water inside. Just as he was about to pour it out, he suddenly smelled a strange fragrance.

It smells purer and more pleasant than the original scent of the flower.

magic.

Aman couldn't resist dipping his hand in the water in the bowl. It felt smoother and warmer than regular water, and seemed quite nice.

Suddenly, something flashed through Aman's mind. She used more water to moisten her hand and applied it to the back of her hand.

Previously at Lirenfang, the makeup artist there mentioned that some fresh flowers, when crushed and applied to the face, have beautifying and nourishing effects.

This water is also the juice produced by boiling these flowers, perhaps...

Aman waited for a while, and sure enough, the water stain dried quickly in the air, but the area where the juice had been applied was still moist and slippery to the touch.

Aman's eyes lit up, and an idea immediately formed in his mind.

She found a porcelain bottle and carefully collected all the water inside, planning to try it out that evening.

In the afternoon, Aman prepared dinner early. After dinner, instead of chatting and laughing with Fu Yunxiu and the others in the pavilion as usual, she packed her things and went back to her room to rest early.

Mantou was also confused by her rambling, but ultimately didn't ask any more questions.

Before it got completely dark, Aman cleansed her face and applied all the flower essence she had collected at noon to her face.

If her idea is true, then she's going to make a fortune.

Ha ha!

Having slept without a dream, the first thing Aman did upon opening his eyes the next morning was to look in the mirror.

Unfortunately, the bronze mirror was blurry, and Aman couldn't see anything. However, her face did feel much smoother and softer than before.

Feeling that it was effective, Aman went to bother Master Cheng again, planning to ask if there was anything that could beautify and nourish the skin, so that she could add it in for even better results.

At first, Old Master Cheng did not intend to pay attention to her. After all, every medicine has its side effects. Although Aman knew some pharmacology, she was only a half-baked practitioner. It would be bad if something went wrong when she used it.

However, Ah Man was very persistent, using a combination of shoulder massages, back rubs, and delicious food as bait. After a while, even Old Cheng couldn't resist.

"Yes, there is, but if you go and make this flower dew, aren't you going to take care of that brat?"

"How could that be?" Seeing that he had relented, Aman fawned over him, massaging his shoulders and back. "Now that the days are longer, I make rouge and sell hydrosol in the morning, and then continue to learn from you in the afternoon."

“You’re certainly greedy,” Old Cheng sighed, “but can you handle it?”

Old Cheng did not object to Aman making money on her own by showing her face in public; on the contrary, he greatly approved of her having such ambition.

But if she works this hard for a long time, even someone made of iron can't keep up!

"It's okay, I can handle this little bit of hardship," Aman said nonchalantly.

She now has two wishes: one is to take her rouge business to the next level, and the other is to heal Fu Yunxiu's leg as soon as possible.

"Grandpa, when can I learn your acupuncture technique?" She has been helping him with acupuncture for over a month now, when will it ever end?

However, Master Cheng still said the same thing: "No rush, you're not ready yet, you can't rush it."

Therefore, in addition to helping out at the clinic every day, Aman devoted himself wholeheartedly to the research and development of flower dew.

With the help of Master Cheng, a master of traditional Chinese medicine, Aman naturally achieved twice the result with half the effort, and soon she created a new flower dew.

The delicate floral fragrance is interspersed with a hint of medicinal aroma, creating an extremely natural and pleasant scent. Moreover, its effects are clearly visible.

After using it for seven or eight days, Aman's face and neck were already two different colors, which shows its whitening effect.

Aman has been working tirelessly on Hua Lu these past few days, and Fu Yunxiu has naturally seen it all. Now that he sees her success, he is genuinely happy for her.

"When I have money, I'll open a shop and be the boss, and you, young master, will be the accountant," Aman said at the dinner table, outlining her plan.

"What about me? What about me?" Mantou asked eagerly.

“You…” Aman glanced at him, “You’ll be working as a waiter in the shop!”

"Why should I?" Mantou protested. "I don't want to."

"Then tell me, what can you do?" Aman asked.

"I..." Mantou wanted to argue, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that he didn't really have any special skills. "Then... even if I'm a waiter, I should be the one with the highest wages."

"Promising."

The group laughed heartily, and soon the sun set and the sky gradually darkened.

Aman cleared the dishes and went into the kitchen, but Fu Yunxiu's expression was solemn.

Ah Man's flower dew is indeed a good thing. Although the method is not difficult, there are many tricks involved, and it is difficult for ordinary people to imitate it.

However, possessing such a treasure is a crime, and he was always afraid that Aman would be targeted because of it.

"Steamed bun, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you in a few days."

"What is it, young master?" Mantou asked, puzzled by his young master's somber expression.

"You'll find out in a few days," Fu Yunxiu said.