Chapter: 3989

Ye Chen nodded slightly, then turned to Zhao Ze Kai and said, "Old Chen, let's chat for a bit; please go back first."

Zhao Ze Kai respectfully replied, "Alright, Young Master."

After that, he again addressed Lai Qinghua, saying, "Mr. Lai, I'll take my leave first."

Lai Qinghua nodded slightly to him, saying, "Sir, take your time."

After Zhao Ze Kai left, Ye Chen followed Lai Qinghua into his residence.

This was a luxurious administrative suite with an area of over 200 square meters; the living room alone occupied nearly 100 square feet.

At this moment, the tea table in the living room already had a set of purple sand teaware on it, except for that, there was also a bronze incense burner.

Lai Qinghua asked Ye Chen to sit down on the sofa, while he himself brewed water and took out a small wooden block, then used a fine silver knife to lightly scrape off some powder from the block.

After that, he took out a set of exquisite copper tools and first used the tool to flatten and compress the ash in the incense burner. Then he poured the powder scraped off from the wood onto the ash using the tool and compressed it into a shape resembling a lotus flower.

Ye Chen recognized what he was using - this was none other than the famous inkstone fragrance.

Most people who like to burn incense tend to buy processed incense or sticks, but there are still some connoisseurs who prefer to compress their own inkstones.

The materials used for compressing inkstones are mostly leftover fragments of agarwood or old sandalwood, which is a way to utilize waste and reduce costs.

However, Lai Qinghua was using a large block of agarwood, which surprised Ye Chen.

Because the price of a large block of agarwood on the market is still very high, if calculated by weight, it's even more expensive than gold.

If this piece of agarwood were carved into Buddhist figures like Buddha or Bodhisattva, it would at least start selling for tens of thousands of yuan.

At this moment, Lai Qinghua was using a match to ignite the compressed inkstone he had just made, and laughing as he said to Ye Chen, "Ye Shouye, you shouldn't be allergic to agarwood's fragrance, right?"

Ye Chen smiled slightly and looked at the wisps of smoke rising into the air, simultaneously catching the unique scent released when agarwood is burned. He felt his mood relax and open up, saying, "Lao Mister Lai, your style is indeed exquisite. This inkstone fragrance is one that I've only experienced since childhood, accompanying my mother in her study of Chinese culture."

Lai Qinghua nodded seriously and said, "Your mother was extremely famous in the United States during her lifetime. She dedicated herself to promoting traditional Chinese culture in America, and many American aristocrats esteemed her as a model worth emulating. For years, agarwood prices in the US have been stable, but after your mother's inkstones became popular among the upper class, the price of agarwood in the US increased fivefold within a year."

Ye Chen curiously asked, "Have you ever met my mother?"

"Yes." Lai Qinghua nodded slightly and spoke seriously, "Ye Shouye, as a matter of fact, I've been good friends with your ancestor for many years. When we first met, your grandfather was still in his infancy, and I had received an invitation from him to drink the full-moon wine prepared by your mother."

This ancestor of Ye Chen's was actually the father of his grandfather, being the founder of the An family.

However, Ye Chen had never met this ancestor of his, as he passed away when Ye Chen was still unborn.

When Lai Qinghua revealed these hidden emotions, Ye Chen was astonished and asked, "Lao Mister Lai, were you friends with my great-grandfather?"

"Yes." Lai Qinghua smiled calmly and explained, "Your great-grandfather was about the same age as I. We became acquainted in 1938 when we sailed to America together on the same ship. We hit it off immediately, supporting each other through thick and thin, and can be considered as having a bond that cannot be broken."

"It seems so!" Ye Chen said after a pause, stood up, and bowed deeply towards Lai Qinghua. JrNovels.com