Chapter 3: Camellia Fragrance
After being on the sea for a long time, they reached their final destination. Fangsu removed the blanket from Tian and cleaned the trough, "Tian we're here." Tian happily neighed in response as a result of being restless on the ship. Fangsu laughed at Tian and guided him off the ship. The horse happily stepped on the solid ground, rolling in the dirt after being not being on solid earth beneath him for so long.
"Tian must have not like being caged for so long." Fangsu's grandpa chuckled at Tian.
"Tian was once a wild horse, " Fangsu dusted off the dirt from Tian's coat, "We can't domestic him fully, he's meant to freely run out in the wild."
Her grandpa could feel how lonely his granddaughter felt ever since she was a child. He would have to mature her quickly so that she can depend on herself when the time comes for him to go. " Come, child, we have to go."
Her grandpa summoned a Qilin to his side, the Chen family's mythical beast. Depending on each family member, the Qilin summoned will vary in terms of abilities but they still retain their main ability to manipulate plant life to a certain extent of the contractor's potential. Fangsu followed her grandpa on Tian and they travelled to a forest. Many lush green trees that shone like emeralds when the sun hit them. The scent of freshly rained dirt gave off an earthy scent indicating the high quality of the soil. The steam water burbles as it travels along its bed, bubbling over rocks and branches. The various magical animals that crowded a distance in the forest bowed before the Qilin as a sign of respect. After entering the forest centre, they were at the foot of the mountain. They scaled up to the top of the mountain where a house sat in the middle of a body of water. The surrounding area was a multitude of plant life flourishing at their peak quality of both common and legendary rarity; flowers, spices, herb, vegetables and medicinal plants that have absorbed the Qi from their surroundings evolved to another level and increasing their properties.
Fangsu stared at the abundance of plant life that inhabited the ancestral home of her family. There were plants that she had never seen before in her life. Her grandpa dismissed the Qilin which disappeared out of thin air, "Child, we must offer respect to our loved ones." He bought out the three stone tablets each having the name of the deceased, his eyes were filled with despair with a hint of helpless. Fangsu's eyes became teary but she held them back. Following her grandpa to the backside of the mountain, a pagoda stood desolate. The plants that flourished there were poisonous or symbolises death or doom.
The two figures both an elderly man and young girl entered the pagoda which had an offering table with numerous stone tablet in shelves similar to the ones that the elderly man which held burning incenses behind. The pagoda was filled with smoke of the incenses and stung the eyes of the visitors who came to offer respects. The lower parts of the pagoda had the names of the beginning members of the Chen family while the higher parts had more recent members who have already passed. Climbing the stairs to the highest level of the pagoda, with the three stone tablets. Fangsu and her grandpa set each of them inside an empty shelf and inserted incenses. After giving respects to them, they went back into the main room and kneel in front of the offering table and kowtowed three times showing respect to those who had deceased. Tears had already begun running down the cheek of both figures as they kowtowed in front of the offering tables and they remained praying until it was nightfall.
Fangsu helped her grandpa up to his feet and guided him towards the ancestral home, which he went to his own room without giving Fangsu a tour around the house. However, this was much preferred by Fangsu, wandering through the house. The bridges hovered over bodies of water, giving way to a ledge that leads into the water, removing her shoes. Fangsu dipped her feet into the cool water kicking her feet back and forth in the water which gave resistance against her movement. The parts of the water illuminated as the early dawn began, lights floated to the surface and up into the air making it seem so ethereal and otherworldly.
From another perspective
The sheer beauty of the scene, a young but still maturing beauty, her long ash grey hair rested gracefully at her sides loosely tied by a beige ribbon. Sitting at the ledge with her feet dipped in the water which ethereal lights slowly emitting from the water, surrounding her. The scene was simply mesmerising, to say the least.
Her grandpa who had just woken up seeing the back of a lonely child similar to that of an individual he once knew. Fangsu aware of her Grandpa's presence turned to him, "What are these?" Fangsu pointed to the lights in the air which shone beautifully at the peak hour of dawn.
"They are called Dawn's Breath, as they only show themselves at dawn giving breath to the morning," her Grandpa sat beside her with a towel at hand, which Fangsu gladly accepted, "Inhabiting only Morning Dew Water, and they glow the brightest around an individual who has a kind heart." Her grandpa explained while staring at the bright lights, figuring if they even glowed this brightly before.
Fangsu dried her feet with the towel that was given to her, "Grandpa what do you want for breakfast?" She wandered until she found the kitchen where there was dust was laid thick on all the utensils before she would start making breakfast she would have to clean the kitchen. Fangsu changed into some old robes that she didn't mind getting dirty, she also made a makeshift mask so she wouldn't inhale the dust. After cleaning the kitchen, Fangsu wrapped an apron around her waist. Fangsu venture outside of the house to the harvest ingredient for breakfast, using her scent of smell, she could easily find walnuts and jujubes. After harvesting the fresh ingredients she returned back to the house to prepare breakfast. Her grandfather directed her to the pantry where there was a supply of grains, such as rice, millet, wheat and various other grains and other condiments. However, she only needed millet and rock sugar.
Preparing the walnuts, millet, jujube, water and rock sugar. Fangsu deshelled the walnuts to reveal the pristine white flesh adding them to a pot along with millet, jujube and water. After letting the pot boil, she added rock sugar to sweeten it, finally, the rock sugar dissolved. Grabbing two bowls, she spooned the walnut and millet porridge and serving it to her Grandpa who quietly ate the meal. "Child you will learn the Chen family secrets and you mustn't disclose these techniques to others otherwise they will take advantage of it and use it for their own purposes."
Fangsu nodded, "Yes Grandpa." Giving reassurance to her grandpa that she would be careful not to disclose the family's secret. She collected the dishes and cleaned them. After Fangsu finished her task, she followed her Grandpa to apprentice under him and learn all the wealth of knowledge and techniques passed down from generation to generations of the Chen family.
Fangsu's grandpa quickly briefed Fangsu to prepare her for the coming days of study, "Child we won't start on anything today, but tomorrow we will start on your studies." Her grandpa turned to a room that seemed to be an office, shelves of books were stacked against each other, a table made of Cypress wood must likely Weeping Cypress. Calligraphy brush were on a hook over an inkstone. Her grandpa was writing something on a sheet of paper and the contents of the paper Fangsu had no clue about, dismissing the idea that it would be related to her. Fangsu entered her own workplace where a copper distiller was placed on a desk.
When her grandpa was overviewing the topics for her studies, he had given her a copper distiller very much like the one she used before, however, it was much polished with the crest of the Chen family; a Qilin with a character Chen overlapping it. Flipping through the pages of her book, she began experimenting with Camellias and to find other flowers to could complement them.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
RosminCos
RosminCos Weeping Cypress has a grassy yellowish-brown tonality, and is sometimes slightly streaked with red. Drying is relatively slow, and requires attention to avoid warpage problems. Afterwards, it is highly resistant to rot and insect damage.