Chapter 19

18. Pharmaceutical Technology

"Xiaogong, can you move the floating staircase towards the cotton candy rainbow?"

"Taizhu, are you going to eat the rainbow? Xi likes yellow the most."

Taizhu stepped onto the staircase that Xi had moved and began to cut the cotton candy rainbow with large scissors. There were small tooth marks on the yellow part, as if Xi had nibbled on it. Taizhu chuckled and carefully cut around the tooth marks with the scissors.

"Roll it up and put it in a glass bottle. It will look nice and be easy to eat, right?"

"Hmm? Taizhu, aren't you going to eat the cotton candy rainbow?"

"I'm going to give it as a gift. There's a day called White Day when people give candy. I want to give it to Team Leader Wu and Mina."

"Ooh, Team Leader Wu? Mina?"

"Yes, people in the real world who help me like Xi does."

After carefully packing the bottle with cotton candy, they carried a basket to pick heart tree fruits. Until now, heart tree fruits had only served as fruit. But today, they planned to use them to make medicine. Last night, Dandan caught a golden carp. This morning, he handed over the shimmering golden scales.

Powder from star tree fruits, clean golden carp scales, and a bag of dried herbs. Add the cream base bought from the store.

Taizhu took out a pot and filled it with clean water. First, he slowly boiled the golden carp scales until they melted, then added the other ingredients and boiled them thoroughly, straining the mixture through a sieve. After adding the cream base to the liquid and stirring, the sparkling skin cream was complete.

After placing all the ingredients on the table, a window appeared asking if he wanted to automatically craft the item. Taizhu did not choose the automatic option, as he had always decided to make potions himself.

"Taizhu, don't forget the heart tree fruits."

"Oops. Thanks, Xi. I forgot."

He had left the heart tree fruits he had picked on the first-floor kitchen. He had forgotten to use them in the potion because he often ate them as snacks. Taizhu added a heart fruit while the golden carp scales were melting. The clear golden liquid was bubbling in the pot.

After adding the ingredients in order, he poured the liquid through a sieve, filtering out the solids. The rich scent of herbs and fruit filled the room. He added several square cream bases to the hot liquid, which slowly melted like butter.

Taizhu stirred with an excited look. The cream was almost complete. It was so simple, yet he had struggled for months to catch the fish. He had to resist the urge to jump into the pond several times. If it weren't for Xi, he might have thrown a rock into the pond long ago.

"Complete!"

"Taizhu, congratulations!"

"Hehe. Thanks, Xi."

Why did he feel so proud? The grade of the completed sparkling skin cream was ordinary. Yet, he couldn't hide his satisfaction.

Before putting the cream into a container, Taizhu applied some to his face. Xi, who had been watching, also dabbed a small amount on her face with her tiny hand.

"Ahahaha. Xi, what's that?"

The sparkling skin cream seemed too much for Xi. Her face was glowing brightly, even more than her already sparkling wings, making her look like a light bulb had been turned on.

"Ugh. Taizhu, this is too sparkly."

"Want to try it on your wings? It might make them even sparklier."

"Hmm. It might make my wings heavy. I won't use it."

"Okay. I'll try to make something suitable for Xi later."

The sparkling skin cream worked as expected. It gave a radiant glow to the skin. After applying it, the skin shone healthily without being greasy.

'Mina will really like this. If she asks about the ingredients, I'll just say herbs and fruits.'

"Taizhu, should we send the remaining herbs back to the warehouse?"

"No, wait a moment."

Taizhu opened the herbal book on his tablet and searched for 'herbal tea for pain relief.'

"Herbal tea?"

"Yes, the director we're meeting tomorrow isn't feeling well."

"Is he sick? Are you sick, Taizhu?"

"No, I'm healthy."

He couldn't remember the director's illness. They weren't close, and he had only seen a brief article about it long ago.

'Anyway, he can only take prescribed medicine, so this side-effect-free tea might be better.'

"Oops, I don't have the Vigorous Red Berries."

"Taizhu, I have the Strong Red Berries."

The Vigorous Red Berries boost energy, while the Strong Red Berries increase strength and are used to make strength potions.

"Really? Can I use them instead?"

"Yes, they work well when mixed with Ice Crystal Berries."

After selling the crops from the rainbow seeds and planting the seedlings, it was rewarding. Many were planted for their beauty, but they all turned out to be useful.

While Taizhu was busy making the herbal tea, Taishan and Dandan were exploring the garden. The two animals quickly crossed the open space and reached the treehouse. Taishan explained how to climb the rope ladder to Dandan, who already knew but listened attentively to Taishan's enthusiastic explanation.

They climbed the ladder and entered the treehouse. Inside, a large round cushion was laid out, placed by Taizhu for winged visitors to rest on.

A white feather was rolling on the cushion, indicating that a winged visitor had come and gone without Taizhu or Xi knowing. Taishan remembered the scent of the feather.

*

The guitar with a piece of the sun, a practice violin, a bottle of herbal tea, a shopping bag with cotton candy and skin cream, a bag with Taishan's travel items, and a backpack with Taizhu's tablet and phone. Jianwu loaded quite a bit of luggage into the car.

"Ah! Wait a moment, Manager."

Taizhu quickly went back up to check if he had left anything in the apartment. He came down with a large box in his hand. Jianwu quickly approached and took it, feeling its heavy weight.

"What's all this?"

"A bit much, isn't it?"

Taizhu looked embarrassed at the amount of luggage he had packed. He hadn't realized how popular the chocolate cherries were among the office staff until he had made several trips.

"Chocolate cherries."

"You gave strawberries yesterday. Aren't you overdoing it?"

"It's fine. I'm not overdoing it."

'Bringing them from the garden is a bit more expensive than the teleportation fee, but I can't receive deliveries in the early morning, so there's no choice.'

He could send them by mail during the day, but since he usually visited the garden in the early morning, there was no other option. It wasn't really a burden to buy packaging materials and pay the fee.

'This should have some effect.'

Taizhu glanced at the shopping bag with the herbal tea for Director Zaiying. Despite his efforts, it was only an ordinary grade. His pharmaceutical technology level was still low, and the herbs he used were also ordinary. Higher-grade ingredients were much harder to grow.

The car felt a bit cramped due to the amount of luggage. He should drop off some items at the office before heading to Yangping, where Director Zaiying lived.

*

Director Zaiying's house in Yangping had a spacious garden with well-maintained grass and stepping stones. The single-story brown building blended well with the quiet village. The group led by Seongjun had already arrived, and a car was parked in the driveway. Taizhu and Jianwu also parked and started to unload their luggage.

After Taizhu picked up Taishan's travel cage, he tried to gather the luggage he had put down, but someone had already done it. The manager, who had appeared out of nowhere, had skillfully gathered all the luggage and moved it inside.

'Wow, does he really have some kind of superpower?'

While following the manager, Taishan started to meow. Clearly, he had different habits from a cat. Cats are usually afraid in new places, but Taishan, being a tiger, seemed excited by the new environment.

"I'll take you out in a bit. Just wait a moment."

"Meow."

'Sometimes it's better that he can't understand me.'

Inside the house, the smell of food filled the air. It seemed they were preparing lunch.

"Taizhu, say hello. This is Director Zaiying."

"Hello, I'm Taizhu."

"Thank you for coming. I'm Zaiying."

Director Zaiying was thin and looked older than his actual age. He was the same age as Seongjun, but they looked like uncle and nephew. Despite actors often looking younger due to good care, the difference was significant. He seemed to be in poor health, as Taizhu remembered.

"Can I take Taishan out now?"

"Oh, he must be uncomfortable. Go ahead and take him out."

"Don't worry, take him out. I knew you were bringing him and have prepared his lunch."

"Really?"

"I've boiled some chicken breast. Is that okay to feed him?"

The smell of samgyetang indicated that it was lunch. It seemed they had also prepared food for Taishan.

"When I heard from Seongjun that you were looking for an actor, I was both happy and guilty. At first, I was glad that filming could proceed. But then I felt guilty thinking about the hardships the actors would face after this film. I was worried if I was just blocking the path of younger actors with my stubbornness. Mr. Taizhu, can you really film this movie?"

He had thought that Zaiying might have lost everything and only had his stubbornness left. But the actual Zaiying was different from Taizhu's imagination. He wasn't like a detached monk. He had a clear sense of what to keep and what to let go, what was valuable and what wasn't. His attitude towards Seongjun and the manager confirmed this.

"Mr. Taizhu?"

Taizhu didn't answer. He quietly took out his violin and prepared to play.

A dazzling and restless melody flowed from Taizhu's hands.

It resembled the scene where the exhausted conductor meets a stormy fate in the forest, encountering the genius violinist Min Jae-ha, who disappears without a trace.

Vivaldi: Four Seasons: Summer: Presto – 'Storm'

The short performance, lasting only about two minutes, captivated everyone in the room. Even after Taizhu put down his bow, they were still moved by the performance.

"I have no intention of giving the role of Jae-ha to anyone else."

"Ha, after hearing such a performance, what else can I say? There's no reason to choose anyone else when you have Jae-ha right in front of me."

Taizhu wore a satisfied expression, like a well-fed cat. The confusion and restlessness he had felt during the performance seemed to have been a lie, as he returned to a calm and composed state.

'Was he just acting as Jae-ha during the performance? Did he start acting without preparation in such a short time? What a monster.'

Seongjun, who had seen Taizhu's acting, felt a chill. He had thought Taizhu might have some talent after hearing praise from Kim Yun-seon, but the real Taizhu was more like a monster. He seemed like a tame cat, but was actually a fierce predator ready to pounce at any moment.

After putting away his violin, Taizhu took out the guitar he had placed aside. The others were puzzled by his sudden action. Taizhu noticed their confusion but had no choice. They had eaten lunch and it was time to return to Seoul. He needed to play the guitar for Director Zaiying before leaving.

Come on, let it go

Just let it be

Why don't you be you

And I'll be me

James Bay – Let it go

He had hoped for a healing effect, but it was a bit disappointing. Still, it wasn't bad. Taizhu nodded to himself, and the others, who had been lost in thought, finally came to their senses.

"Wow. Why are you acting? You should just be a singer."

"Ah, no, this is really impressive. I can't even speak."

Taizhu, who had anticipated such a reaction, smiled and put the guitar away. He knew they wanted to stop him, but he closed the guitar case mercilessly. The effect of the guitar did not stack.

After explaining the detailed effects of the herbal tea he had brought, Taizhu got into the car to return to Seoul. There was still about six months before the main filming began, and he needed to improve his violin skills.

"Mr. Taizhu was right."

"Huh?"

"You didn't need to worry about your performance or acting."

"Ah, that was a bit arrogant. But I really have been practicing hard."

"No, you have the talent to be confident."

His singing and playing skills were so impressive that it was hard to believe he had chosen acting over singing. After hearing his actual performance, it was clear why he was praised in the profile video and auditions.

"What would you do if you received a request for an OST? You seem to have the talent for it."

"If it helps with promotion, I don't mind. Come to think of it, I'll only be doing music-related projects this year."

"It seems that your most competitive talent will be the first to get such offers."

"Yes, I need to get my face known first."

On the way back, the two of them chatted softly, with the sound of Taishan's snoring in the background.