Baicheng has a long history. It was established as a city in the 1990s, and in the past decade, a new district has been designated. The city is divided by a grassy river: to the west lies the old town, with the old train station, small inns, foot massage parlors, and rows of hole-in-the-wall eateries. To the east is the new city, with newly built residential complexes, orderly commercial streets, beautiful green spaces, and rows upon rows of government buildings.

The Land Rover crossed the bridge at a steady pace, drove a bit further, and suddenly the street widened and the buildings ahead seemed to brighten. Before long, the car turned into a small alley and slowly came to a stop.

William Grant got out of the car and looked up. This wasn’t a villa, but rather a small courtyard house. With blue bricks and dark tiles, upturned eaves, and large trees planted in the yard, it had a touch of antiquity.

Although land prices in Baicheng aren’t high, those who can afford to live in a house like this are certainly people of means.

“Hurry inside, Grandma is probably getting anxious.”

David Carter pressed the electronic lock, and as soon as they entered the courtyard, he called out, “Grandma, I’ve brought the guest for you!”

Not long after, the old lady came out of the house, wearing a simple blue floral jacket, black cloth shoes, her hair gray and pinned with a hair clip, looking relaxed and composed.

After a brief introduction, the old lady was quite warm and said with a smile, “Mr. Grant, if you don’t mind, I’ll just call you Little William. Come, come, please come inside!”

“Thank you, Grandma Carter, you can call me whatever you like.” William Grant bowed slightly, following half a step behind.

They entered the main hall and took their seats. The housekeeper served tea, and the old lady spoke first: “Little William, I hope you don’t mind me being nosy. That incense you brought yesterday, as soon as I smelled it—oh my! I wished I could meet the master right then and there, so I had them make a special trip.”

“You flatter me, I’m no master.”

“It’s not flattery, you truly deserve it. Your incense is unlike any I’ve ever seen. May I ask, who did you learn your craft from?”

“It’s a family tradition, I learned from my grandfather.”

“Your grandfather?”

The old lady was very curious and continued to ask, “Is he a local?”

“Uh, not exactly. He came to Fenghuangji more than thirty years ago…”

William Grant picked his words carefully, and the old lady seemed a bit regretful, saying, “When your grandfather settled here, I happened to be in the provincial capital. Now that I’ve returned to my roots, he’s already… sigh, we never got to meet!”

Grandma Carter was very kind, chatting as if with a younger family member. Both of them had a good sense of boundaries, sharing a bit about themselves without being too abrupt.

The siblings accompanied them, chiming in from time to time, but of course, they were mainly observing Grandma’s attitude.

After chatting for a while, the old lady invited William Grant to see her collection.

They left the main hall and went to a side room. As soon as he entered, he was startled. The old lady truly loved incense—inside, the room was filled with all kinds of prayer beads, Buddha statues, raw wood, incense burners, incense trays, incense spoons, and so on, piled up to fill the entire room.

William Grant was highly skilled in incense making, but due to limited means, hadn’t seen much of the world, so he was secretly amazed.

“This is a lotus-shaped bronze tray. I liked it a lot at first, but once I got it, it felt a bit lacking.”

“This is an incense spoon made of Xiangfei bamboo. The design is clever, and it looks great even just as a display piece.”

“This is a gourd-shaped jade incense holder. Where was I… I saw it was quite unique, so I bought it on a whim.”

He looked over and saw it was a small gourd with a single bulb, with a ring of white jade inlaid at both the top and bottom. There was a small hole at the top for inserting stick incense.

“This is a Longquan kiln incense burner from the Song dynasty. It took a lot of effort to acquire…”

The old lady picked up a celadon incense burner, its glaze icy-clear, smooth and translucent—clearly a genuine piece. She was very fond of this incense burner and spoke at length, smiling: “In a few days, when the weather gets warmer, it’ll be perfect to use some Hui’an agarwood with it. Hui’an agarwood is naturally cool, and paired with this Longquan kiln piece, it’s just right… Oh, you’re an expert, and here I am showing off.”

“Not at all, this is my first time seeing one too,” William Grant said quickly.

So-called Hui’an agarwood refers to agarwood produced in Hui’an, which has a bitter, cool aroma and is highly regarded. This cool scent, paired with the coolness of Longquan celadon, is a perfect match.

He had never encountered such things before, his eyes shining as he stared intently. The old lady, experienced as she was, could tell at a glance—this young man’s incense-making skills were extraordinary, but he was lacking in other areas.

She was worldly and harbored no disdain; instead, she explained things in even greater detail, especially about the rare pieces. After quite a while, she led everyone back to the main hall.

“Little William, what do you think of my collection?” the old lady asked.

“I admire you, it’s truly eye-opening,” William Grant said sincerely.

“Ha, I’ve poured my heart and soul into these things.”

Grandma Carter had a bad back and, once seated, habitually leaned back, half smiling, half sighing: “I worked myself to the bone for the first half of my life, and only recently managed to retire. Ever since I got into incense, you know, I really feel my heart has become more and more peaceful. I have a few old friends who all love this now. We get together whenever we can—what’s that saying? Oh, ‘snatching a half-day of leisure from a busy life.’ Now I have to burn a batch of incense every day, or I can’t even sleep well… Sigh, I never got to study when I was young, and now that I’m old, I’m just pretending to be cultured. People must laugh at me.”

“Grandma, this isn’t pretending to be cultured—you are cultured! Who says old people can’t enjoy incense?” Yvonne Carter quipped, quick as ever.