Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

"So there are so many intricacies to plum blossoms..." Clarice exclaimed in surprise.

"It must be because there are no plum blossoms in your hometown."

"That's true. Not only can you not see plum blossoms, but most of the flowers planted in the palace are also for ornamental purposes. The variety of flowers in the entire outskirts of the imperial city is also quite limited."

When asked about her hometown, Clarice gently shook her head.

"Women could only choose the most fragrant flowers from a limited number of varieties to make sachets."

Even so, it's still far inferior to the fragrance of plum blossoms.

Qi Zhimu gently lifted a plum blossom with a bamboo knife, and with a slight flick of his wrist, deftly plucked it.

"If you like, you can take some plum saplings from here back to your hometown to plant."

"Well, it's still early!" Clarice's cheeks flushed slightly for a moment. "Because my school registration is here, I don't plan to go back to my hometown for the time being."

"No rush. While I'm away on business... if you graduate before I return, you can simply go up the mountain and bring back some saplings."

"We'll see when the time comes. I'm going to pick plum blossoms as Mr. Qi suggested."

Here, the tools.

Qi Zhimu handed over a bamboo knife and a slightly smaller flower basket.

"No need, I brought scissors." Clarisse waved the small scissors in her hand.

"It's best to avoid using metal utensils, as contact with the plum blossoms will more or less affect their quality."

"Oh, is that so... Thank you for reminding me, Mr. Qi!"

"It's nothing."

Clarice took the bamboo knife and watched as her graceful figure moved nimbly among the flowers. A faint smile appeared in Qi Zhimu's eyes.

Looking down at the already full bamboo basket, he put it into the folding space and took out a new one.

This year, the planned number of plum blossoms to be picked is much higher than in previous years.

Since I am about to die, the only plum blossom wine I can make by hand this year will be the only batch I can send to my teacher in the future.

As long as the raw materials don't affect the flavor, we'll do our best to harvest as much as we can.

……

Around noon, the two returned to the bamboo house with their harvest.

Qi Zhimu poured the plum blossoms into the pool, patiently rinsed and filtered out the impurities, then used an absorbent cloth to drain the water and divided them into different wine jars.

Next, add granulated sugar to the jar for sugaring, a process that takes about 48 hours and effectively removes the astringency.

"Mr. Qi, it seems that washing and draining can be done with that magical piece of furniture in your house."

Clarice was puzzled by his smooth and efficient movements.

"Could the automated machine ruin the quality of the plum blossoms?"

"No, not at all."

Qi Zhimu chuckled softly.

"Making it by hand is more meaningful and shows more care, which is also part of the joy of life."

"In ancient times, before human civilization had developed, many people would grow old and tend to a garden or a piece of land, tending to the things they liked with their own hands."

"Mr. Qi is only a few years old this year, he looks like a 20-year-old, he's not old at all!"

"..."

The girl spoke unintentionally, and Qi Zhimu simply smiled without replying.

In fact, he is very, very old.

So old that in a few days he will return to dust.

Most of the things that needed to be done before death have been done, and upon careful reflection, it seems that there are not many regrets left.

To put it bluntly, we couldn't dissuade the teacher from his obsession with resurrecting his loved ones.

Moreover, that couldn't be considered a true resurrection at all...

Qi Zhimu sealed the last wine jar and moved it to the corner to let it sit.

"Stay for lunch before you go, girl."

"Hmm~ I'll help out."

Clarice doesn't dwell on her age; she doesn't care anyway.

Entering the kitchen, the two prepared the main dishes together, and Qi Zhimu then began preparing the ingredients for making pastries.

The contents included fallen plum blossoms, perilla powder, soybeans, and a tightly sealed bottle of liquid.

"Mr. Qi, what's in this bottle?"

"The water from the melting snow that fell on the plum blossoms was collected in only this one bottle last year."

"...Last year!" Clarisse exclaimed in surprise, "The ingredients are so complicated and meticulous, is it a newly developed pastry?"

I guess so.

Qi Zhimu first washed and soaked the soybeans, then added plum blossom snow water and stirred them into a paste. He then added sugar and perilla plum powder.

He unconsciously began to hum a tune softly, occasionally muttering something indistinctly, the syllables unclear.

While humming, stir-fry the dried fruit until it is dry, knead it into a ball, put it into a mold to cool, press several fallen plum blossoms on top, wrap it in oil paper and place it on the mold.

The whole process was so smooth that Clarice was completely absorbed in watching it. When she came to her senses and checked the time, she realized that several tens of minutes had passed.

"Mr. Qi, the song you just sang sounded a bit sad."

Did I just sing?

"Not only did he sing, but it seemed like he was reciting poetry, or rather, classical Chinese poetry, although I couldn't hear it very clearly."

"Hmm...?" Qi Zhimu tilted his head, rubbed his chin and tried to recall, but he didn't remember anything.

strangeness.

Could it be that the new medication is ineffective and can't suppress the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease?

Well, it doesn't matter now, as long as nothing major goes wrong.

Yu Qingtu will not be coming again anytime soon. In fact, he doesn't even need the medicine, but his old and frail body simply can't do anything.

In order to avoid lying on the bed waiting to die, the necessary medications still need to be taken.

"Let's eat first. The pickled soybean cake I just made needs to sit for a while to allow the flavor to settle, so it'll be a perfect dessert."

The two enjoyed their lunch together warmly.

At least that's what Clarice thinks.

Thinking about the time she would spend with Mr. Qi in a secluded bamboo house, living out the rest of her life together, she couldn't even suppress the upward curve of her lips.

This is the future she wants; just thinking about it makes her happy.

Away from strife and complicated interpersonal relationships, they live peacefully in the mountains and forests.

However, Clarice had no idea how Qi Zhimu felt about this meal.

…This was probably the last lunch I spent with little Clarice.

Aside from Yu Qingtu, who was of a very high generation, the only person he could truly call a friend in his life was Clarice.

This is why Qi Zhimu asked the girl to stay for lunch before leaving.

A silent farewell.

However, Qi Zhimu forgot one thing.

Clarice had said she wanted him to be her fitting model.

She hasn't mentioned it since the day she measured his body size.

It's no wonder he subconsciously ignored it, assuming the girl's actions were just a passing fancy.

"Mr. Qi, I'll look after Meilin while you're away."

"Need not."

"It's alright, it won't take up too much of my time."

"No need. I commissioned a robot from the Interstellar Peace Corporation. It will faithfully carry out orders, including looking after Merlin."

"…All right."

Upon hearing the name Interstellar Peace Corporation, Clarice understood.

I've heard that the company has a presence all over the universe and possesses cutting-edge technology and unimaginable wealth.

The company's presence extends beyond its home planet to this planet as well.

"It's almost time, let's try the pickled plum and soybean cake."

Qi Zhimu took out a few pieces of pastry from the mold and placed them on the dining table.

"Try it and see if it suits your taste. I'll deal with the rest."

Returning to the kitchen, the remaining pastries were wrapped in parchment paper again, placed in special airtight containers for storage, and then returned to the dining table.

Unexpectedly, Clarice sat there motionless, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Why are you crying?"

......

......