Chapter 114

Qing Mengzhu: "I don't think it will work. These bamboo shoot husks are too hard. I even tried dry distillation, but the results weren't very good; I didn't get much bamboo vinegar."

Ming Chunxi thought for a moment, "How about we burn it to ashes?"

Qing Mengzhu: "That's what I was thinking too. I'll try burning it in the backyard tomorrow."

Wood ash has many uses; it is used in the fermentation of fertilizers.

The wood ash from burning these bamboo shoot shells should be of good quality; it should make excellent fermented fertilizer.

The next day, Qing Mengzhu built a simple stove with bricks in the open space in the backyard. After cleaning up the surrounding environment, he piled bamboo shoot shells into the stove and lit a fire to burn wood ash.

The bamboo shoot husks have been dried and are very hard, making them difficult to burn.

The fire had been burning for more than half an hour and was still not finished; it looked almost like ordinary firewood.

For safety reasons, Qing Mengzhu stayed nearby while the fire was being burned.

Zhao Hexi came to find him, and as soon as she saw the fire, she said, "What are you burning? It smells so good."

Qing Mengzhu: "Nothing much, just bamboo shoot husks. What smells so good?"

Zhao Hexi: "Can't you smell the fresh scent of bamboo?"

Qing Mengzhu smelled it, but didn't pay much attention. "It does smell a bit like bamboo."

Zhao Hexi handed him the document. "Right? The bamboo scent is really strong, like burning aromatherapy, it smells quite nice."

Qing Mengzhu: "That's an exaggeration."

Zhao Hexi: "It's not an exaggeration at all. If you can smell such a strong fragrance when burning it in an open environment, the fragrance would definitely be stronger in a closed environment."

As Zhao Hexi talked, he found the bamboo shoot husks increasingly fragrant. He picked up a roll of bamboo shoot husks that hadn't been cooked yet, broke it open, and smelled it. "Strange, I can't smell that fragrance when it's not being cooked."

Qing Mengzhu: "Maybe it's too hard? If you break it open, you should be able to smell a faint odor."

Zhao Hexi tried it as instructed, "It really does smell nice. Are these bamboo husks from bamboo shoots that fell from the mountain? They smell almost like incense. I'll take two pieces home and try them out."

Qing Mengzhu: "Take it as you please."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hexi didn't stand on ceremony. He immediately found a bag, put the bamboo shoot husks in, and asked, "What are you going to do with these bamboo shoot husks?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Nothing."

Zhao Hexi looked up. "Why did you burn it if you weren't going to do anything else?"

Qing Mengzhu helplessly, "I just don't know what to do with it. Maybe we should just burn it and see if we can use the ashes for compost?"

Zhao Hexi's eyes widened. "Isn't this such a waste?! Just burn it! It would be so much better to make it into incense!"

Qing Mengzhu: "If you hadn't mentioned it, I would never have thought it could be used as a spice."

The bamboo in his yard always had a pleasant fragrance, and he never found it particularly special.

Now that Zhao Hexi had mentioned it, he slowly realized what was going on. "I'll find someone to take a look first. If it really can be used to make spices, I won't burn any more."

Zhao Hexi: "Definitely! What a unique fragrance! If it could be put on the shelves, I'm sure people would want to buy it."

Looking at the blazing fire, Qing Mengzhu sighed, "I can't retrieve what's burned. I'll have someone else look at the remaining bamboo shoot husks."

Author's Note:

There will be another bonus chapter around 10 PM tonight, with 60,000 units of nutrient solution added!

Chapter 114

Qing Mengzhu specially saved the remaining bamboo shoot husks and lit a piece of them in the courtyard.

He didn't say anything to Ming Chunxi.

When Ming Chunxi returned, he smelled the fragrance of bamboo, turned around and looked around the yard, and asked, "Have all the bamboo husks been burned?"

Qing Mengzhu did not answer, but instead asked, "Why do you ask that?"

Ming Chunxi: "I smell the aroma of burning bamboo husks."

Qing Mengzhu: "Will it be choking? Should we open the door and let it air out?"

Ming Chunxi shook her head. "It's not pungent, no need to blow it away, it will dissipate in a while."

As Ming Chunxi was saying that he was going inside to wash his hands, he passed by the yard and saw bamboo shoots slowly burning in a rough pottery flowerpot.

He turned to look at Qing Mengzhu, raising an eyebrow slightly, implying that Qing Mengzhu was lying.

Qing Mengzhu smiled, her eyes crinkling. "I just wanted to ask if it smells good, but I was afraid you'd have a preconceived notion that it's a fragrance, so I said it smells good."

Ming Chunxi: "It really smells wonderful. It evokes the feeling of walking through a bamboo forest at dusk. The fields, bamboo groves, and smoke easily bring to mind the harvest and the passage of time."

Qing Mengzhu exclaimed in surprise, "I just think the bamboo scent is quite pleasant! You described it so poetically!"

Ming Chunxi washed her hands and came out. "Why did you suddenly want to make incense?"

Qing Mengzhu: "When He Xi came over, I was burning bamboo husks. He said the smell was very nice and could be used to make incense, so I thought of that."

Ming Chunxi nodded. "No wonder."

Qing Mengzhu: "I also bought adhesive powder and molds. I'll make a batch of incense sticks in a couple of days when the express delivery arrives, and see if they work well. If they do, I'm thinking of developing a special type of bamboo for making incense in the future?"

They currently have a large variety of crops, many of which have development potential.

Even if you don't have the time or energy to develop it right now, it's good to write down the plan and develop it slowly later.

This will be the foundation for their company's future growth and success.

The materials Qing Mengzhu bought arrived quickly. He Zhao Hexi ground the bamboo shells into a fine powder, then mixed it with glutinous rice flour and water to make a fragrant paste.

They make incense sticks by hand using molds.

Zhao Hexi is an enthusiast of incense and has some experience in it; they are also very successful at making incense sticks.

A few days later they received their first batch of incense sticks.

Zhao Hexi lit an incense stick, inhaled the rising smoke, and took a deep breath. "This is the scent, it smells so good. In summer, lighting this incense while writing or reading would be so pleasant."

Qing Mengzhu: "Autumn and winter are quite pleasant too."

Zhao Hexi: "Autumn and winter are a bit cold; summer is much more pleasant. It smells so good; I'm already looking forward to summer."

Qing Mengzhu laughed, "You can take it back and turn on the air conditioning."

Zhao Hexi rolled her eyes. "You know what artistic conception is, right? What artistic conception is there in turning on the air conditioner?"

The incense they made was exceptionally exquisite, Qing Mengzhu sent a batch, along with some of the family's vegetables, to Ming Lexin as everyday gifts.

Ming Lexin was overjoyed upon receiving the incense and called Qing Mengzhu: "Mengzhu, thank you for the incense, it smells so wonderful!"

Qing Mengzhu: "I'm glad you like it."

Ming Lexin: "I really like it. My friends and I use it together, and they like it too. They want to buy more. Do you have any plans to develop this product, or are you just making it for fun on your own?"

Qing Mengzhu thought of the large pile of bamboo shoot husks left in the bamboo forest and pondered, "If many people want them, we can put them on the shelves directly."

Ming Lexin: "Why don't you put it on the shelves and see? This fragrance smells really good, I'm sure a lot of people will buy it if it's on the shelves."

Qing Mengzhu: "Okay, I'll go back and investigate. If the conditions are right, we'll give it a try."

Ming Lexin: "Give it a try. I have a friend who's a bit of an online influencer when it comes to incense. I asked her, and she's willing to help promote your incense sticks if they come out."

Qing Mengzhu hadn't expected such a good thing and immediately said, "Thank you, Auntie!"

Ming Lexin cheerfully replied, "You're welcome. It's mainly because you thought of me and specially brought me incense; otherwise, I wouldn't have thought of going there."

After receiving the feedback, Qing Mengzhu took the matter much more seriously.

He went up the mountain specifically to find suitable bamboo shoot shells.

After conducting comparative experiments, he discovered that only the bamboo shoots from the bamboo forest that had been treated with the Soil Fertility Restoration Agent produced bamboo husks that, when burned, emitted a fresh bamboo fragrance.

Ordinary bamboo does not have this unique, refreshing fragrance; instead, it produces a somewhat murky smoke when burned, and therefore cannot be used to make incense.

Perhaps it's because the bamboo here is of a high grade, or perhaps it's because under suitable conditions, it finally exhibited the characteristics of "Cloud Mirror Bamboo," a plant from a cultivation world.