This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 74 A Little Knowledge of Incense
"Uncle Lin."

"Hehe, Shi'an is here."

The kitchen was noisy, and Lin Ming didn't notice the two returning. When he saw that Chen Shi'an had arrived at the house, he stopped what he was doing and came out of the kitchen to greet him.

At school, Lin Ming was the principal who had the final say, but at home, he was just like a stay-at-home dad.

He wore slippers, light and comfortable casual pants, and a basketball jersey with the school emblem on his upper body. He liked to wear the basketball jersey as home wear, feeling very comfortable and unrestrained.

"I happen to be free today, so I was thinking of having Mengqiu invite you over for a casual meal so you can try my cooking!"

"Yes, I'll save my food for Uncle Lin's meal. I'm hungry right now."

"Come, Shi'an, please sit down. Don't be shy at my house, make yourself at home."

Lin Ming smiled warmly and was very friendly. He took off his apron and hung it up, then guided Chen Shi'an to the tea table in the living room to make tea.

"Uncle Lin, you're too kind. I've cooked a lot of meals myself, so please don't hesitate to ask if you need any help."

"No rush, no rush. Have a cup of tea first. I just finished preparing the ingredients. I can cook a few dishes quickly. Shi'an, are you hungry?"

"It tastes better when you're hungry!"

Lin Ming laughed when he heard this. Seeing that Chen Shi'an was not restrained, he also liked this relaxed state between them.

The two sat down at the tea table, and Lin Ming took out the jar of Xuan Yue Xue Ya tea that Chen Shi'an had given him last time to brew.

Speaking of the Xueya variety alone, it is certainly not the best tea in his collection. The difference is that it is grown and picked by Jingchen Temple itself! If it weren't for some distinguished guest, Lin Ming would not be willing to let others drink it.

"Uncle Lin, do you like this tea?"

"That's naturally good tea, how could anyone not like it!"

"Perfect timing. I brought some homemade incense for Uncle Lin this time. He can light one while drinking tea to relax."

As Chen Shi'an spoke, he took out an incense holder that he had prepared beforehand. The incense holder was made of spotted bamboo and its main purpose was to preserve the incense sticks inside. Most incense needs to be aged, like red wine, so it needs to be sealed well but not completely sealed. Bamboo or wood is the most commonly used material for preserving incense.

"Hey! Shi'an, look how polite you are... You're just coming over for a simple meal, why did you bring gifts!"

"They're nothing valuable, just things I made myself in my spare time. I only know a little about incense, so please don't laugh at me, Uncle Lin. If you like them, I have plenty more in my temple. I just brought some with me this time."

"You're too kind, Shi'an."

Despite saying that, Lin Ming's smile deepened, and he liked Chen Shi'an more and more as he looked at him.

I want what he makes himself! I don't care for what I buy outside!

During the month that Lin Ming studied Taoism with Master Chen, he knew that Master Chen's incense-making skills were superb. As Master Chen's personal disciple, how bad could Chen Shi'an's skills be?

Lin Ming took the tube of incense that Chen Shi'an handed him. He opened the lid and looked inside. There were exactly thirty sticks inside, enough for a month if he used one stick a day.

The moment the lid was opened, a faint yet lingering aroma immediately captured his sense of smell.

"Uncle Lin, you can light one up and try it."

"it is good!"

Lin Ming took out an incense stick and lit it.

The moment the incense stick touched the flame, a wisp of bluish-gray curled up, like a startled mist hesitatingly stretching its body, and then a clear, cool scent wafted out along the patterns of light.

Although Chen Shi'an named this incense "Awakening Incense", the fragrance does not achieve its purpose of awakening the mind through direct "stimulation". Rather, it is more like the morning dew rolling off pine needles and taking away half of the moonlight. It is like waking up in the morning and being in nature, where the elegant and tranquil wind carries the scent of hundreds of herbs and flowers, slowly dispelling all the fatigue of the mind and bringing a natural sense of "awakening".

"Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!"

Lin Ming's eyes widened in amazement. "It's called 'Awakening Incense,' but it's more like waking up in the morning than refreshing. The fragrance is very faint, but it smells elegant and lingering. I know a little about incense, but this is the first time I've ever experienced such a unique and mysterious fragrance!"

Lin Ming was incredulous. He had tasted the incense made by Master Chen and thought it was already the best in the world. He never expected that Chen Shi'an would surpass his master in the art of incense!

On the other side, Lin Mengqiu, who was sitting quietly reading a book on the sofa, was also drawn to the sound of the two talking.

Turning my head, I saw an ordinary-looking incense stick burning in the incense burner on their tea table. I don't know if my father was being polite, but he kept praising Chen Shi'an's incense.

Where is this fragrance coming from? I can't smell it... Huh?

Lin Mengqiu's house was quite large. The tea table was near the balcony. When the airflow gently carried the mysterious fragrance to the girl's nose, Lin Mengqiu was stunned.

It has a very faint fragrance, yet it makes you want to savor it. After smelling it, you feel as if your foggy mind has become clear.

She quietly moved closer, but the fragrance remained very faint and did not become stronger because of her approach.

What's going on? Is it possible that this fragrance never dissipates? It smells the same whether you smell it from afar or up close?
She sat closer, and sure enough, it was still the same!

The fragrance was truly unique. She couldn't help but close her eyes and sniff it closely. For some reason, she felt as if she wasn't in the living room, but rather in the mountains in the morning, with an exceptionally rich and layered scent.

Lin Mengqiu had overheard their conversation, and the thought that such a peculiar fragrance was actually made by Chen Shi'an himself filled the girl with disbelief...

Aren't you a Taoist practitioner? Why are you practicing this too?!
……

Of course, fragrance will eventually dissipate, but Chen Shi'an imbued the fragrance with meaning by using objects to convey ideas while making incense.

At least in the not-so-large living room, this small stick of incense is enough to fill the entire space with its meaning.

The way of incense is also a way.

The art of incense making has a long history, encompassing multiple aspects from ritual incense to aesthetic experiences, and during the Song Dynasty, a hundred kinds of incense flourished.

To go far in the art of incense appreciation, an exceptional sense of smell is essential. This is the most basic and core talent, far surpassing the average person's ability to "smell fragrances."

The essence of fragrance is to carry emotions. Fragrance making is an art. Only by combining the scents of different materials with different processes or techniques, and through cross-sensory association and creativity, can truly good fragrance be made.

A perfumer who only follows a fixed formula can only be considered a perfume craftsman.

In Chen Shi'an's eyes, everything can be fragrant. Whether it is common spices, or flowers, herbs, pine wood, or even lychee shells that can be found everywhere in life, he can analyze the characteristics of the materials based on his extremely sensitive sense of smell. Then, through different methods, such as steaming, frying, burning, sun-drying, baking, or aging, he can bring out the characteristics of the materials and make fragrances with different effects.

Online sources say that making incense is a money pit, because the production process of popular incense always involves agarwood and sandalwood, two of which are incredibly expensive.

The incense made by Chen Shi'an does not contain either of these two materials. He uses materials sourced directly from the mountains. He can even bring back a bamboo stick he picks up from the roadside to make incense. Don't underestimate bamboo sticks. New bamboo, old bamboo, rotten bamboo... just different shapes of bamboo produce a variety of flavors. Even the sticky powder used when making incense is made by peeling tree bark.

No one else has his exceptional sense of smell. Even if Chen Shi'an gives out the fragrance formula, no one else can replicate it. After all, they are just ordinary ingredients. Fragrance blending is extremely complex and requires a lot of imagination. If there is even a slight mistake, the scent will be completely different.

……

"Alright, Shi'an, sit down and have some tea and rest. It's almost time, so I'll go cook for you."

Lin Ming picked up the teapot and refilled Chen Shi'an's cup of tea, then turned to Lin Mengqiu, who was sitting cross-legged on the sofa reading a book, and said:

"Mengqiu, you have that property management app on your phone, right? Could you help Shi'an register for the access control? It'll be more convenient for Shi'an to come over next time."

Lin Mengqiu: "???"

The girl listened in disbelief, wondering if Chen Shi'an had put drugs in the incense. Her father had only smelled it a few times, and now he even had to record his access control.

"Oh! And our home WiFi too. I know you young people need WiFi wherever you go. Mengqiu, what's our WiFi password again? Can you help Shi'an connect to the internet?"

Lin Mengqiu: "..."

The girl felt she couldn't stay in this house any longer. Who knew if her dad would give her room key to this stinky Taoist priest one day! "Okay, you guys play first, Dad will go cook for you."

"Uncle Lin, let me help you."

"No need, no need, haha, Shi'an, don't be so polite with your uncle, just make yourself at home!"

"Alright, thank you for your hard work, Uncle Lin."

Lin Ming put his apron back on and went to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

Chen Shi'an leisurely finished his tea and then walked to the balcony to look at the view from the seventeenth floor.

After looking around, I went inside and curiously looked at some of the decorative items and calligraphy and paintings that Lin Ming had collected.

Lin Mengqiu sat barefoot on the sofa, cross-legged, reading a book, occasionally stealing a glance at him to see what he was doing in her house.

"Squad leader, your house is pretty big, it must be almost 150 square meters, right?"

"Ah."

"Squad leader, where is your room?"

"……What's wrong."

"No, I was just curious."

Lin Mengqiu ignored him.

The house has four rooms and a study, but Chen Shi'an stood precisely in front of a room with the door closed, turned to her and asked, "Class monitor, is this your room?"

"..."

Do you usually read in your room or in the study?

"All."

While browsing around, Chen Shi'an saw a family photo next to the TV cabinet.

The picture shows a family of three.

In his younger days, Uncle Lin held Lin Mengqiu, who was about three or four years old, in his arms. At that time, she had a lively ponytail, a chubby face, and very big eyes. She looked at the camera with a sweet smile and was very happy.

The young woman standing next to Lin Ming, holding his arm, looked about 60% like Lin Mengqiu. She wore a gentle long dress, had a graceful temperament, a beautiful face, and a natural happy smile on her lips.

Chen Shi'an knew without asking that this was Lin Mengqiu's mother.

Chen Shi'an had often followed his master down the mountain to perform rituals since he was a child. He thought he had long since become indifferent to matters of life and death. It wasn't until his master also passed away that he truly understood how difficult it was to let go of such feelings.

Chen Shi'an didn't ask Lin Mengqiu any questions, nor did he linger in front of the photo for long. After glancing at it briefly, he moved on to other places.

Lin Mengqiu didn't notice his pause. When she glanced at him from her book, she saw Chen Shi'an bending over and teasing the fish in the fish tank.

"Squad leader, did you raise these fish or Uncle Lin?"

"My dad raised it."

"Where's the little goldfish inside?"

Chen Shi'an pointed to the ordinary goldfish in the tank, which was completely different from other varieties of fish, and turned to ask with a smile.

In the 1.2-meter fish tank, with so many fish, he noticed that inconspicuous little goldfish. It has to be said that this stinky Taoist priest has really sharp eyes.

"...I picked it up before."

"Picked it up?"

Chen Shi'an was very surprised. "Aren't fish supposed to live in water? How did you pick them up? I've heard a lot about people picking up kittens and puppies, but this is the first time I've ever picked up a fish."

“Last year, I don’t know who moved, but they put this goldfish in a corner of the lobby on the first floor. There was a small fish tank in it. I saw that no one had taken it for two days, so I picked it up.”

"So that's it."

Chen Shi'an suddenly realized, and looked at the goldfish in the fish tank, seemingly talking to the goldfish, or perhaps talking to himself—

"You're really lucky! If no one had taken you in, you would have died, and now you live in such a big fish tank!"

"..."

Lin Mengqiu ignored him; anyone who talks to fish is a fool!

"Did the class monitor give it a name?"

"Who would name a fish...?"

"I think we should call it 'Picking Up Gold' instead."

Lin Mengqiu was stunned for a moment before realizing the meaning behind his choice of name.

Finding gold, finding gold is not bad...

Hey! Why do I need you to name my fish?!
"The class monitor is such a kind person, with a heart full of love."

"~~~"

Lin Mengqiu's expression remained unchanged, but her feet, which were hidden cross-legged on the sofa, quietly twitched.

She could sense that Chen Shi'an's praise this time was not just empty words, but rather a very sincere compliment. Perhaps he was thinking about his own experiences?

Thinking about it this way, Lin Mengqiu suddenly felt sorry for Chen Shi'an. It was bad enough that he didn't have parents, but he was so poor that he didn't even have a cup to drink water from...

How about I buy him a cup another day?
But what reason should I give him to send him a cup without hurting his pride...?

As the class monitor, who had a heart full of love, was pondering this, Chen Shi'an, who had finished teasing the fish, plopped down on the sofa and sat down next to her.

The soft sofa sank in, and the sudden approach of his presence made Lin Mengqiu instinctively clutch the cushion in her arms, looking at him warily.
"what?"

"Squad leader, what's your home Wi-Fi connection?"

"...Give me your phone."

Chen Shi'an then handed her the phone.

Lin Mengqiu had never used such a slow phone in her entire life, and it took her a lot of effort to get him connected to the home network.

Chen Shi'an took back his phone and, seeing the WiFi icon appear on it, he pushed his luck.

"There's also a access control system, right? Uncle Lin just said you can record here, right? After recording, I won't be stuck outside, right?"

Chen Shi'an chuckled; he remembered the girl's act of settling a personal score just now!

"..."

I'm so petty! I'll deduct one point from your score!
(End of this chapter)