Chapter 528: Chapter 187 Jasmine_4
Under Hongxing Building, where they sell bejeweled hair accessories, an aged woman with white hair was calling out to sell her wares in the flower corridor. Fresh jasmine filled a wooden basin of water, clusters of it as white as snow, and their intense fragrance was overwhelming.
Water seeped from the wooden barrel, mixing with sweat as it dripped onto the floor of the gallery, where the shopkeeper selling gold beads frowned and loudly shooed her away. Forced to leave, the old woman trudged a few steps with her head down. Qinghe Street was home to honored guests and high doors, not allowing commoner vendors to hawk their goods. After a few steps, the woman’s strength waned, and she slowly sat herself down to rest against a stone wall.
The wooden basin sat at her feet, the delicate white flowers like jade, their scent dispersing the harsh heat of summer a slight amount. People thronged Qinghe Street, none stopping for the flower’s fragrance.
A pair of boots stopped in front of her.
The woman looked up.
A young, handsome gentleman stood before her.
The gentleman was dressed in deep red with crimped gold brocade, his lips red, his teeth white, and his face as fair as jade. Under the setting sun, he stooped to pick a string of jasmine.
The old woman hurriedly massaged her knees getting up, enthusiastically calling out, "Young Master, why don’t you buy a string of jasmine flowers? They’re fresh and will smell wonderful in your hair! One coin per string!"
The gentleman smiled, a dimple appearing at the corner of his lips, and simply lifted all the strings of jasmine from the wooden basin, then pulled out a piece of silver from his breast and handed it to her.
"I’ve bought them all; you can go home now."
The woman was stunned.
But the young man had already stood up, carrying a large bunch of jasmine and walked on ahead.
...
At the entrance to Guanxiang Flower Market, the crowd was like a woven tapestry.
In the summer, flowers of every color were abundant, luring buyers to linger without thought of returning.
After finishing a prescription at Mingguang Temple, Lin Danqing took Lu Tong for a bite at a nearby eatery on Official Lane, then watched a variety of performances until the setting sun marked the late hour, and they decided to head back to the Medical Officer Institute.
Before leaving, Lin Danqing pulled Lu Tong to the Lianxiang Workshop to buy some pastries to take back, hiding them in the dormitory to snack on if hunger struck at night.
"Lily crisp, rose cake, honey orange cake, sandwich cake, little red top..." Lin Danqing listed the names on the menu, then turned to Lu Tong and asked, "What do you want to eat? Don’t say anything will do!"
Lu Tong, "...Jasmine scented cake?"
The basket of jasmine scented cakes that Pei Yunmeng had sent to Renxin Medical Hall the other time had been particularly sweet.
Hearing this, the female shopkeeper laughed and said, "Oh, miss, you sure know how to choose. You’ve picked something we don’t have here."
Lin Danqing grew curious, "If you don’t have it here, then where can you find it?"
"At Qinghe Street’s Food Dingxuan, of course!"
The shopkeeper continued, "But that was in the past. Jasmine scented cakes are difficult to make and not easy to preserve. I heard Food Dingxuan stopped making them years ago. The recipe wasn’t a secret; we’ve tried it before, but it’s a hassle and not as profitable as other cakes, so we gave up on it."
"You won’t be able to buy them at any other cake shop either!"
Lu Tong was puzzled, "But I’ve tasted them recently..."
The shopkeeper was taken aback, "Then it must have been homemade, which takes quite some effort."
Whatever the shopkeeper said next, Lu Tong didn’t quite catch it as Lin Danqing had moved on to select some pastries. Lu Tong stood on the porch, dazed for a while.
In the early summer evening, as shadows gathered but darkness had not yet fallen, a refreshing and fragrant breeze wafted through the hot and humid air.
She looked up to see a girl in a red dress walking by, humming a tune while carrying strings of jasmine.
Lu Tong turned to look back.
"When feeling stuffy, seek flowers in the garden to adorn yourself with..."
"Suddenly looking up, you see jasmine flowers lined up on each side..."
"Reaching out to pick one, to wear upon yourself..."
"Once plucked, the flower’s heart stays closed..."
"Had I known you were indifferent...
"I wouldn’t have troubled myself to pick the flower at all..."
The tune was flowing and gentle, whimsical and tender, gradually fading away with the girl’s steps, leaving behind only a lingering trace of cool and secluded fragrance, like an undercurrent gently spiraling in one’s heart.
She was so captivated by the sight that she did not turn away for a long time, until Lin Danqing, who had finished buying the pastries, called to her from behind, "Let’s go, Younger Sister Lu, we have everything."
Only then did Lu Tong avert her gaze, uttering, "Hmm," and followed alongside her as they left.