Pomona walked through the Forbidden Forest in late autumn, searching for rowan trees. According to the ancient Romans, wood from this season was best suited for use as material, whether for construction or shipbuilding.
By then, after budding in spring, growing leaves in summer, and bearing fruit in autumn, the trees no longer held any moisture. They needed to store up strength through an entire winter in preparation for the new cycle next year.
Vitruvius even believed that if fir trees grew in places with abundant, deep shade, they would not only become exceptionally huge, but their vessels would also be especially tough. Thus, even after they were felled by an axe and lost their vitality, they remained dry. Yet because their gaps were too large, they became hollow and useless, and so were not durable when used in construction.
Halfway there, she found a patch of castor plants. They had actually bloomed with purple flowers, so she stopped and picked a small cluster.
Chapter Twenty-Four of Dream of the Red Chamber described Jia Baoyu sitting on the edge of his bed, having taken off his shoes while waiting to put on his boots. Turning around, he saw Mandarin Ducks wearing a water-red damask jacket, her face turned away as she lowered her head over her needlework, a flowered collar around her neck. Jia Baoyu leaned his face close to her neck, inhaling the scent of her hair oil and constantly stroking her with his hand. Her pale, smooth skin was no less lovely than Xiren's. He clung to her like a monkey and grinned shamelessly. "Good sister, let me have the rouge from your lips to eat." As he spoke, he stuck to her like twisted candy.
Had it been Jia Huan instead, Mandarin Ducks would have slapped him