Chapter 80 - 078 Rose
Tian Sangsang picked up the phone on the table. A notification popped up: her delivery had arrived. She retrieved the package from Plane Time and moved the distillation machine into her own space.
The rose petals were all ready. She glanced at the user manual, cleaned the machine, and connected it to the power supply. The indicator light lit up. Tian Sangsang poured nearly half a bamboo basket of rose petals into the metal funnel, pressed the start button, and then heard the "thump thump thump" sound of the machine operating. About five minutes later, with a loud metallic thunk, the machine stopped vibrating and went silent.
Tian Sangsang went back to Plane Time to purchase twenty large glass bottles, twenty medium-sized ones, and twenty small ones. The large glass bottles stood about twenty centimeters high and ten centimeters wide, cylindrical in shape. The medium-sized ones were around ten centimeters tall and five centimeters wide, with a narrow top and a wider bottom, resembling a cone. The small bottles were miniature and cute, about five centimeters tall and two centimeters wide, also cylindrical. All the bottles were stoppered with wooden caps. Tian Sangsang couldn’t help but think how much better they’d look if they were made of porcelain, ideally blue-and-white porcelain painted with vibrant traditional designs, giving off a historic vibe. Large bottles could hold oil for bath soaks, medium-sized ones could store oil for post-bath use, and small ones were portable for daily skin care.
Fixing her eyes on the faucet-like spout, crimson hues flowing out, Tian Sangsang held a bottle to catch the oil. That’s right—the machine wasn’t particularly high-end, unlike the factory-made machines with conveyor belts to automate the collection. But Tian Sangsang didn’t mind; she’d rather get more hands-on.
The oil was exceptionally thick—every drop was essence itself. She sniffed lightly. Ah, the fragrance was exquisite, an intense rose aroma, alluring and intoxicating.
Once the rose oil was finished, Tian Sangsang began extracting jasmine essential oil. Both flowers contained ingredients beneficial for whitening the skin. She planned to alternate weekly—one week using rose oil, the next jasmine essential oil. Every night, she would soak in a bath in her space, apply a facial mask, and put on sunscreen whenever she went out during the day. She figured that in less than a year, her skin could become as smooth and flawless as a peeled egg.
Now equipped with oil in hand, Tian Sangsang couldn’t wait to try it. Her courtyard house had a ready-made wooden tub, and all the water used there came from the Spiritual Spring. She simply filled the tub with boiling spring water and slowly poured in the rose essential oil. The lustrous oil swirled on the steaming water’s surface, quickly dispersing and blending with the bathwater. The soft rose fragrance filled the entire bathroom. Tian Sangsang undressed, immersing her darkened skin into the warm water.
She rubbed her skin slowly, feeling as though every pore on her body had opened up, giving her a light and airy sensation. Of course, time was precious, and it would be too wasteful to spend all of her moments just bathing. As she soaked, she began contemplating what varieties of goods she should prepare to sell at the town market the next day. Her homemade braised food had completely sold out, and she decided to make more—it was a business that wouldn’t wane with the changing seasons. As for pastries, a single variety of mung bean cakes surely wasn’t enough. She could add some sweet osmanthus cakes, hibiscus cakes, and jade-green pea cakes. True sweet osmanthus cakes required fresh osmanthus as an ingredient, but homemade versions were less particular—supermarket-bought osmanthus would suffice. Sometimes, Tian Sangsang considered whether she should follow Tian Yi’s lead and seek opportunities in Dongzhen City. The market there was vast; even running a random food stall or opening a small snack shop near a construction site could rake in considerable profits. Why busy herself struggling in this small town?