Chapter 6: Tobacco Production

  When Frost brought Ao Lie to her own room and saw Ao Lie excitedly pounce on the pile of soil incense in the corner, she finally realized that she had completely misunderstood Ao Lie. The second young master's excitement was on that pile of soil incense, not on herself.

  As she let out a sigh of relief, Frost also couldn't help but feel a little regretful. Who wouldn't like a young man as talented and handsome as Second Master? Wait, what am I thinking? Second Master sees me as an older sister, and I treat him as a younger brother - how can I have such improper thoughts? Frost hastily shook her head, trying to shake off the absurd ideas in her mind.

  Ao Lie's voice came at the right time, and Frost suddenly broke free from her predicament: "Sister Frost, would you mind going to get me a knife, a pair of scissors, a small basin of fire lacquer, and some rice paper?" Frost responded with a sound, turned around, and walked out.

  Before long, Shuang'er walked in again with the things Ao Lie needed and asked puzzled: "Second Master, what are you preparing to do with these things?" Ao Lie took over a pile of things from Shuang'er's hand and placed them on the table one by one, saying in a low voice: "Shuang'er sister, this matter is for me to keep secret, watch my movements carefully later, every detail must be remembered, we will rely on these things to make ends meet in the future."

  "Frost doesn't understand and asks: "Is it enough for household expenses? Master gives you thirty taels of silver every month, which is not enough for you to make weapons. Can these things be worth more than thirty taels?" Ao Lie turns his head and smiles at Frost, saying mysteriously: "Frost sister, do you believe me? The thing I'm going to make next will be worth selling even if it's three thousand taels." After finishing speaking, he doesn't wait for Frost's response and adds another sentence on his own: "Whether you believe it or not, I believe it anyway." Frost nods seriously, her tone full of trust: "I believe, no matter what Second Master says, I will always believe."

  Ao Lie felt a surge of emotion in his heart as he sensed Xue Er's trust, for in his past life, apart from his own master on Wudang Mountain, no one had ever cared about him like this. But since his rebirth, his parents, elder brother Liu He, grandfather Ao Lao Zhang, and now Xue Er, all showed concern for him that was meticulous to the smallest detail. This once again solidified Ao Lie's determination to work hard, to stabilize the Great Han dynasty, and let the tens of thousands of ordinary people live a happy and peaceful life.

  He reached out and pulled Frosty down to sit, Ao Lie said seriously: "Frosty sister, I have never treated you as an outsider, nor have I treated you as a servant. In my heart, you are my family, my sister. That's why I'm willing to tell you my secrets. Watch closely at what I do. If one day you get married, you can use this skill to support your family."

  Fang'er hastily stretched out her jade hand to cover Ao Lie's mouth, scolding: "What nonsense are you talking about? Fang'er will always be the second young master's person." Only after speaking did she realize that her words had a huge flaw, and for a moment, she didn't know how to make amends. She hastily withdrew her jade hand, her pretty face flushing red with anxiety. Ao Lie also felt extremely embarrassed, clearing his throat to cover up the awkwardness in front of him, then said: "Then let's begin." Fang'er lightly responded with an "Mm-hmm".

  He spread the Cai Hou paper flat on the table, then cut it into palm-sized pieces with scissors. In the blink of an eye, a sheet of Cai Hou paper was cut into more than 30 small pieces. The Cai Hou paper of the Eastern Han Dynasty was the most primitive paper invented by Cai Lun, with a rough texture and a yellowish color. Generally, people would not use this kind of paper to write letters, first because the quality of the paper was poor, and secondly because it was not easy to preserve and was prone to damage. Therefore, during this period, paper did not receive widespread application, and most of the time, only Taoist priests used large quantities of this yellow paper when performing rituals. It is said that Zhang Jiao's Yellow Turban rebels used this kind of paper when worshiping heaven.

  Put the cut paper blocks aside, Ao Lie picked up a carving knife in one hand and a patch of tobacco leaves in the other. He carefully carved out the leaf stem along the veins of the tobacco leaves with the knife. Then he put down the knife, took the tobacco leaves with both hands, and rubbed them vigorously until they became fine fragments. After that, he pinched up a handful of the fragments, placed them on a small piece of paper cut earlier, and began to rub it along one corner of the paper with both hands, rolling the paper into a cylindrical shape and tightly wrapping the tobacco leaf fragments inside. Finally, Ao Lie took out some paste and lightly dabbed it onto the paper, causing it to stick together without falling apart.

  After this series of actions last night, Ao Lie turned to ask Xue Er: "Do you remember?" Xue Er nodded lightly and said: "It's very simple, I remembered everything." A bright smile appeared on Ao Lie's face, and he said: "I'll do a few more, the rest will be up to you, tomorrow there is one last process, at that time we will complete it together." Xue Er chimed in: "Let me do the rest, I can do it." Ao Lie hesitated for a moment, then nodded his head in agreement.

  When Frost made the first cigarette, her movements were still a bit slow. However, from the second one on, her movements became more and more skilled. In the end, it only took her more than half a time to make over a hundred cigarettes.

  Leaving Frost's room, Ao Lie came to the front of his parents' bedroom and saw that the lights were still on inside. He went forward and knocked gently on the door. "What is it?" His father's stern voice came from inside the room. Ao Lie hastily replied: "Father, it's me."

  "Come in."

  "Yes." Ao Lie responded with a soft voice, then gently pushed open the door and walked into the room. He saw his mother, Mrs. Ao, serving his father by washing his feet. Ao Lie bowed and said, "Father and Mother are well." Then he walked to the bedside, bent down, and reached out to hold his mother's pale hands which were still in the water basin. In a soft voice, he said, "Mother, let me do it."

  Madam Ao was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said: "How can you let your child wash his father's feet? Your hands are meant to hold pens and swords, how can they be used to wash feet? Let me do it instead." Ao Lie didn't say anything, took his mother's hands out of the basin, pulled her up, and pressed her back onto the bed. Then he bent down again and carefully started washing his father's feet.

  Liu Yu only managed to say two words: "Lie'er..." and then choked up and couldn't speak anymore. Mrs. Ao sat beside him, placing her hand on the back of his hand, also feeling a great sense of comfort in her heart, saying: "Husband, Lie'er has grown up." Liu Yu subtly wiped away the corners of his eyes, and immediately said: "That's right, we should be happy instead."

  Ao Lie helped his father wash his feet and then took a towel to dry them. After changing the water, he carried it in front of Madame Ao and said: "Mother, it's your turn to wash your feet." Madame Ao hastily dodged and said: "No, no, how can a man wash a woman's feet? Absolutely not!"

  Liu Lie seized the opportunity, grabbed Madame Ao's feet and lifted his head to look at her. He said slowly: "A man has gold under his knees, only kneeling for heaven and earth and parents. What's more, it's just a small matter of washing feet?" Before Madame Ao could respond, Liu Yu smiled and praised: "Good one! A man has gold under his knees, only kneeling for heaven and earth and parents." He then turned to Madame Ao and said: "Madame, I think we should follow Lie's suggestion." Madame Ao heard this and stopped struggling, her eyes filled with shining tears.

  After washing his mother's feet, Ao Lie stood up and said to his parents: "Father and Mother, I made a kind of cigarette today. I want to take it to the market tomorrow to sell it, so as to supplement our family expenses." Liu Yu asked in surprise: "What is a cigarette?" Ao Lie thought for a moment and changed his words to make it easier for people to accept: "It's incense, but not the kind that is burned in an incense burner. Instead, it's burned and then tasted by mouth. In this way, although the range of fragrance is greatly reduced, the flavor will be more direct, and it has the effect of refreshing the mind and restoring physical strength."

  Liu Yu and Ao's wife exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes. Liu Yu asked, "Lie'er, if this thing is really as you said, it will surely be widely popular and spread throughout the world later on. But where did you get the method of making these cigarettes from?"

  Ao Lie knew that since his rebirth, all sorts of fanciful ideas had been shocking people. If this continued, he would probably be regarded as a freak. Suddenly, an idea struck him and he thought of a way to gloss over the situation. So, Ao Lie knelt down in front of his parents and said: "I have something to say, which I've kept hidden in my heart and never told anyone about. Today, Father asked me, so I dare not hide it anymore. Since I was three years old, a master has come to my room every night to teach me various skills. The Taiji swordsmanship, Taiji spear techniques, Taiji fist, and Taiji soft palm that I usually practice are all taught by this master, who also taught me some miscellaneous knowledge."

  Liu Yu exchanged another glance with Mrs. Ao, and his heart was shocked beyond measure. According to Ao Lie's words, wasn't there a superior person hiding in the house since five years ago? Liu Yu hastily asked: "Where is this superior person now? Tell me in detail."

  Ao Lie continued, "Later, I became an apprentice to this master, but he never told me his name. I only knew that he was known as Purple Light Scattered Person, the 32nd generation of Wudang Sect. As for my master's whereabouts, I lost contact with him not long ago. I can feel it, and I'm afraid we won't be able to meet again in this life." Ao Lie's tone became low and dejected at this point. At first, he had only intended to deceive his parents kindly, but as he spoke, he couldn't help but reveal the name of his master from his past life. In his past life, Ao Lie was an orphan who was abandoned at the age of three. Luckily, his master rescued him and took him back to Wudang Mountain, where he was raised with care and eventually taught everything his master knew. But now, Ao Lie had been transported over 2000 years into the past, forever separated from his master by time and space.

  Thinking of this, two lines of hot tears fell down, Ao Lie turned around and faced the direction of Wudang Mountain in the south. He knocked his head three times and said with a choked voice: "Master, I am unfilial, I can no longer serve you by your side."

  Seeing Ao Lie's heartbreaking appearance, Madam Ao couldn't bear it and hurriedly walked down the stairs, embracing Ao Lie's head and holding him tightly in her arms. She softly comforted him: "Lie'er, don't worry, perhaps that great person will reappear one day, and you can continue to serve your master then."

  Ao Lie felt the warmth from his mother's womb, and his heart gradually calmed down. He wiped away the tears on his face with his hand, patted his mother's hand with a backhand, and said: "Mother, I'm fine now, don't worry."

  The mother and son helped each other up, Ao Lie supported Madame Ao back onto the couch, then continued: "This time, I made some tobacco according to the method taught by Master. Originally, I came here to ask Mother for a piece of incense, to be used in the final step of making tobacco. Who would have thought that I would think of Master and end up crying, I was rude."

  Liu Yu waved his hand repeatedly and said, "It doesn't matter, respecting teachers and valuing morality is what should be done, why mention being rude? Madam, quickly get a piece of incense for Lie'er, tomorrow when you make the tobacco, I and your mother will also go take a look."