Chapter 61: Purchasing Incense and Incense Burner
However, after just a short wait, the senior returned.
“Little junior, I still don’t know your name. It’s fate that you were recommended to me. My name is Gong Xi Huanxin, and I’m very happy to serve you~”
“Ahem… My name is… Yang Yuelan, you can just call me Xiao Han.” I said somewhat shyly.
“Yang Yuelan, then I will call you Xiao Han. You can also call me Huanxin, or Senior Huanxin works too.”
“Alright, Senior Huanxin. Earlier, you mentioned that the incense is a bit expensive. Could you explain how expensive it is? I’d like to be mentally prepared…”
I continued to ask based on the senior’s words. If the price of the incense really exceeded my expectations, I would just buy a small amount to try it out, considering it a little luxury.
“When I said expensive, I meant relatively speaking to ordinary incense.” Gong Xi Huanxin said as she opened the box she had brought. Inside, there were delicately packaged small boxes, then she casually picked one out, held it in her hand, and handed it to me. “This box counts as one portion of incense. If it were ordinary incense, this amount would sell for just a few bucks, but this one costs over two hundred.”
“T-two hundred?”
I widened my eyes, looking at the small box in the senior’s hand. If I opened it, the amount inside might actually be less than I imagined. Just this little bit costs two hundred, wouldn’t that mean I’d be working for free for a day?
“Yes, and the incense used for meditation burns very quickly. This portion can conservatively burn for half an hour, with effects lasting about an hour or so, provided you don’t open the window for ventilation. It’s best to meditate in a closed space or directly in the meditation room.”
Gong Xi Huanxin opened the small box to reveal a transparent bag containing something resembling powder, and she waved the little bag in front of me with her fingers for explanation.
“If that’s the case, do you still want to buy a portion to try? By the way, we don’t offer credit here for small businesses.”
“Um… I think I’ll buy a portion to try…” I fiddled with my phone, glancing at the not-so-high balance, and ultimately decided to go ahead with the purchase.
After all, I was already in the store, and it would feel bad to leave empty-handed.
“Alright, is this fine? Or would you like me to get you a new one?” She put the incense back in the box and closed it while asking me.
“Just this one is fine; I’m not picky.” I took the little box carefully; after all, this was over two hundred!
Today felt like a wasted day, sigh…
Just as I was about to make the payment, the senior interrupted me again.
“Is this your first time buying incense, Xiao Han? Are you really going to burn it on the floor when you get home? Not to mention that it would be a waste, but the incense for meditation isn’t ignited with ordinary flames either.”
“Eh?” I looked at the senior in surprise, feeling like I had been hoodwinked. Was there more to this?
Isn’t the price of the incense the main cost?
“It requires an incense burner. Incense needs to be used in a specific burner, or else it would be a great waste. You wouldn’t want your two hundred to go down the drain, would you?” Senior Huanxin smiled slightly, as if she had me figured out.
“Then… how much is the incense burner?”
I asked tentatively, but since I’d already bought the incense, I couldn’t leave without getting a burner, right? Otherwise, wouldn’t that be a waste of effort?
“That depends on what you want. Is it a small incense burner for personal use, or a larger one for multiple people? But in your case, it should be a small one.”
“Um, a small one is fine; I’ll be using it alone.” I quickly replied.
“Don’t worry too much, the small ones are only a few dozen yuan. Unless you want one with many features, otherwise it won’t be very expensive. But cheap also comes with its own troubles.” It seemed she noticed my concerns; she quickly started explaining to me.
As she spoke, she moved to the side and took out a very standard incense burner from the cabinet, one that was palm-sized. This did seem to be a true personal use item, just enough for one portion?
“This is the cheapest one we have; its capacity can just barely hold one portion of incense, so you’d need to change it often. To be honest, this can interrupt the efficiency of your meditation.”
“That’s enough. I just want to try it; I’ll worry about future purchases later. I’ll take this, thank you.” I quickly settled on the choice, deciding that since it was just for me, I wouldn’t ask for too much.
And my wallet didn’t allow for higher demands anyway.
“Okay then, let me give you a discount since you’re a new customer; it’ll be 260 yuan.” Gong Xi Huanxin said, straightforwardly, without looking down on my small purchase.
After all, I was still a customer who had made a purchase, and Gong Xi Huanxin thought of herself as having good service attitude.
“Thank you.” I quickly replied, taking the little incense burner and promptly making the payment.
I should leave here quickly; if I stayed any longer, I might feel unwell. This senior was just too… too alluring, and she was dressed so enticingly; wasn’t that tempting me?
But thankfully, I was very self-aware, and with my wallet empty, it added to my self-control.
“Is Xiao Han really leaving just like that? Come on, leaving without asking anything could lead to big problems. Do you know how to set up the incense? How to light it? I think I mentioned that the incense shouldn’t be ignited with ordinary flames.”
“Um… I think I should know…”
My hurried steps paused, and I immediately realized that I couldn’t escape now. I really didn’t understand these things.
“That’s right! Let me teach you how to use it.”
Gong Xi Huanxin walked towards me with a cheerful sound, lightly bent down, placing one hand on my shoulder, as if she was about to pull me into the abyss behind her, causing my heart to skip a beat.
But in the end, I was forcibly seated, while Gong Xi Huanxin sat opposite me.
“Come on, bring your incense burner here. I’ll demonstrate for you.”
She gently took the little incense burner I had just acquired and naturally opened the lid.
“The ash inside the burner is incense ash. Typically, incense is buried inside, and then incense materials are gradually placed on top, but incense for meditation is not like that. The incense itself is a finished product obtained through alchemical means and requires special methods to burn and release internal substances to aid meditation.”
“We need to gradually flatten the ash, gently, tapping it a bit, and then we place this to shape the incense powder…”
I watched as the senior performed each step. Her movements were very elegant, and before I knew it, I was captivated. When I finally realized, I noticed a serious problem!
“W-wait! This portion of incense isn’t mine, right? That…?” I looked at the portion of incense that had already been placed by the senior; she wouldn’t try to force a sale on me, would she?
“It’s just incense used for demonstration; consider it a gift for you, and this doesn’t even equal one portion—it can last only a few minutes at most. You can experience the scent of the incense so that if you don’t buy incense from me in the future, you will remember what genuine incense smells like. Don’t let yourself be fooled by mixed products sold elsewhere!”
“Ah? Oh… um, th-thank you.”
I was momentarily stunned by Senior Huanxin’s words, and then awkwardly hurried to express my thanks.
This senior seemed quite nice; apart from her earlier talent, which made me somewhat resistant, she genuinely seemed to be a good person!
“No need to thank me; this is what I should do.” After finishing with a smile, Gong Xi Huanxin rose, seemingly ready to leave, “You can take it after the incense burns out, and don’t forget to take the special matches to light the incense as a complimentary gift.”
“Thank you, Senior Huanxin.” I quickly said, and then saw the senior walking toward the back, likely to attend to her own tasks.
At this moment, a wave of pleasant fragrance wafted from my little incense burner, the scent of the incense provided a pure sense of calm for the soul, truly worthy of being a good aid for meditation!
