Jing Garden, Yunji Residence.
"Cough, cough, cough—"
The old steward saw Jing Qingfu sit up coughing the moment he entered. His frail body trembled like a sieve.
He hurried over and pushed the mouthpiece of the hookah into his master's mouth. Jing Qingfu took several deep breaths of the milky-white smoke. A sickly flush spread across his aged face, and his coughing immediately stopped. Even the wrinkles on his face relaxed.
"Master, you can't stop smoking this." The old steward sighed as he pressed Jing Qingfu's back to help regulate his breathing. "That trip a few days ago already cost you a great deal of vitality. If you don't take a few more puffs to replenish it, your body won't hold out."
"Cough, cough..." Jing Qingfu's eyes were gloomy. He took several hard puffs of the milky smoke, then grabbed the pillow beside him with his bony right hand and squeezed hard, leaving deep impressions in the amber pillow. "Damn it... damn it! Qin Xiao, Qin Xiao, you died far too soon!"
The old steward sighed and quietly waited for his master to finish venting.
The Qin Xiao his master spoke of was naturally familiar to the old steward. More than thirty years ago, in Profound Candle Prefecture, Qin Xiao had been a prominent figure among the young people of his generation. At a young age, he had been dispatched to East Sun District to serve as the East Sun Canal Transport Inspector. He had naturally joined the Silver Blood Society, chatting and laughing with the presidents of the various merchant associations. The merchant scions of Jing Qingfu's generation had all been eager to curry favor with him.
Tobacco had entered Radiance more than a century ago, but because of the geography, its production had always been low. Many people