[Remaining Lifespan: 7 Days, 1 Hour, 23 Minutes, 7 Seconds]
Qi Zhimu glanced at the System Interface, his expression unchanged as he smiled at the young girl running toward him.
She had always preferred purple.
Her slim-fit purple wool coat was open, revealing a beige turtleneck sweater underneath.
Beneath her skirt, black stockings shimmered with a matte finish in the winter morning light.
The shafts of her warm boots wrapped perfectly around her calves, outlining their slender, smooth curves.
A scarf was loosely wrapped twice around her neck and draped over her shoulders, its long ends hanging down behind her waist.
From the front, the girl's waist appeared even more slender, a delicate curve that could be encircled by a single hand.
"Good morning, Mr. Qi~~"
"Morning. Today's outfit suits you well."
"Really? Is there anything else you think I could improve, Mr. Qi?" The girl's eyes sparkled.
"I don't know much about fashion. You look beautiful as you are; it really complements your temperament."
Hearing his praise, the girl's eyes crinkled into crescents, and a sweet smile spread across her lips.
"...Mr. Qi, you're wearing so little. Aren't you cold?"
Simple thermal underwear and a short trench coat—his clothes were as ordinary as could be.
In a crowded city, he would be just another inconspicuous face in the crowd.
Yet, that exceptionally handsome face more than made up for it.
They say clothes make the man, but Clarice felt that for Qi Zhimu, it was the man who made the clothes.
Even the most ordinary clothes looked remarkably striking on him.
"I'm not cold; I'm used to it. Let's go." Qi Zhimu turned and walked toward the back of the mountain.
The plum blossoms had recently begun to bloom. After observing them, he concluded that these few days were the best time to gather them.
Arriving at the foot of the mountain, they found the climbing steps covered in a layer of fresh snow.
"It snowed heavily last night, so it turned out like this as expected."
Qi Zhimu took a Snow Broom out of his portable folded space.
"Leave the physical labor to me. You just focus on picking the plum blossoms, Mr. Qi." Clarice took the broom.
"...Alright."
The snow on the stone steps wasn't very thick, so Qi Zhimu didn't refuse the girl's kindness.
The snow-covered stone steps wound upward, flanked by red and white plum blossoms in full bloom, creating a sharp contrast.
Ice crystals clung to the branches of the white plums, while the red plums revealed a dark crimson through the gaps in the snow.
When the wind blew, fine snow fell with a rustling sound.
A few petals drifted with the wind, lightly brushing against Clarice's cheek and leaving behind a wisp of Clear Cold fragrance.
She looked up toward the peak, where the mountain ridge rose and fell slightly in the snow, as beautiful as a painting.
Everything in the mountains was covered in a thin frost, and it was so quiet that only the rustling of Qi Zhimu picking plum blossoms with a Bamboo Knife could be heard.
Clarice's snow removal was more efficient than expected. After getting about twenty steps ahead, her body warmed up from the exercise, and she let out a soft sigh of relief.
Looking back down, she saw Qi Zhimu focused on selecting the ten or so most tender blossoms from each plum tree, his movements meticulous.
When a person is focused on something, they often don't notice the passage of time.
Before she knew it, Clarice reached the summit first.
Shaking the bits of snow off her shoulders, her vision suddenly opened up, and she couldn't help but catch her breath.
The wind suddenly shifted, sweeping across the entire plum grove.
The dull thud of snow falling in clusters from the branches intertwined with the low creaking of the boughs rubbing together.
The bitter, cold fragrance crushed by the wind mingled with the scent of frozen earth and wafted through her nose.
Petals fluttered and swirled with the air currents. As the slender branches trembled, the red and white intertwined into a beautiful wave of flowers.
The moment Clarice resumed breathing, she narrowly missed that bitter cold scent and caught an even richer fragrance of plum blossoms.
At this sight, a look of intoxication couldn't help but flash across her face.
"Mr. Qi, come up quickly! The plum blossoms are so beautiful!"
Eh?
Just as she finished speaking, Clarice's expression froze for a moment.
Not far away, there was an old plum tree with roots protruding from the snow, tightly gripping a rocky crevice.
And in front of this plum tree, two faint phantom figures were actually standing.
One of the figures was intellectual and elegant; one could tell even from her back that she was a graceful beauty.
Beside her stood a young boy, not even reaching her shoulder.
So familiar... it was Mr. Qi as a child!
In that case, this graceful beauty must be Mr. Qi's teacher.
Just then, near several other plum trees around the old one, phantom figures of the two also appeared.
The young Qi Zhimu carried a Bamboo Basket, catching the plum blossoms his teacher picked from time to time.
Later, the boy grew a bit taller.
The boy held an Oil-paper umbrella for his teacher with his left hand and lifted a plum branch with his right to let her pass first.
Even later, the boy was already taller than his teacher, but her figure was no longer by his side.
From his movements, it wasn't hard to see that he was alone, bending over to plant new plum trees.
So this plum grove... originally only had those few old plum trees... "Lass? Lass?"
"...Ah?!"
Clarice snapped back to her senses and found that Qi Zhimu had already walked up to her side.
"Is there something wrong with the plum trees in that direction? Why are you staring so intently?" Qi Zhimu asked gently.
"...The scenery is just too beautiful; I accidentally got lost in it..."
She looked again, but those phantoms had all vanished, as if they were just an illusion.
But she knew it was definitely not an illusion.
Observing Mr. Qi's reaction, he clearly couldn't see those phantoms.
Why was she the only one who could see them? Clarice couldn't figure it out.
"There's no need to clear snow here. I'll help with the picking too, and collect the parts for making sachets while I'm at it."
If she couldn't figure it out, she wouldn't think about it for now; the matter at hand was more important.
"If you're making sachets, do you know which plum blossoms are better to pick?"
"...Could it be like making fermented wine? Are there differences between plum blossoms at different stages?" Clarice asked.
"Naturally."
Hearing her ask this, Qi Zhimu knew that the girl hadn't looked into this area of knowledge carefully.
Or rather, she didn't quite know how to use plum blossoms to make sachets.
"When making sachets, it's best to choose plum blossoms that are about to bloom; the fragrance is richer and lasts longer."
"Half-opened plum blossoms are also good, as the aromatic substances in the petals have partially been released and the flowers are relatively intact. Do you know why we come in the early morning?"
"I don't know." Clarice shook her head honestly.
"Because in the early morning before the sun comes out, the humidity is higher, the blossoms are full of moisture, and the scent is dense, which preserves the fragrance and quality to the greatest extent."
Qi Zhimu patiently cleared up the girl's confusion.
"One should select intact blossoms that are free of pests and damage to ensure the quality and fragrance of the sachet."
"At the same time, one must avoid heavy wind and rain to prevent the fragrance from being dispersed."
"Today's weather isn't actually ideal since the wind is a bit too strong. Unfortunately, there haven't been any clear, windless days lately, so we have to settle for the next best thing."
"The sky should clear up after Great Cold, but unfortunately..."
...He wouldn't last until that day.