In reality, the medicinal properties of moxa sticks and herbs themselves were limited. However, Leo, by infusing his own Spiritual Power into Rosemary’s body through the moxa sticks, magnified the effects of the medicine several times over.
Because she hadn’t slept the night before and was extremely tired, under the warm and comfortable sensation, drowsiness washed over Rosemary like a tide, and she gently closed her eyes, quickly drifting off to sleep.
If it were anyone else, being alone with a beautiful woman, seeing her lying there naked and then falling asleep, would surely provoke uncontrollable thoughts. But Leo didn’t harbor the slightest impure intentions. Holding the moxa stick in hand, he earnestly fumigated every acupuncture point on Rosemary’s body.
In his mind, he was the physician, and Rosemary was the patient, and that was all.
Once the fumigation was complete, Leo finally breathed a sigh of relief, covered Rosemary with another towel, and then turned and left the room. Because he couldn’t rest assured about Rosemary, he didn’t leave.
More than an hour later, Rosemary slowly woke up, yawned, glanced around, saw no one in the room, quickly got up, noticed the towel on her body, and couldn’t help but smile, knowing that Leo had covered her.
Leo was the only man she had ever met who could truly be called a gentleman.
When she had changed and was about to leave, she caught sight of a figure at the door and was startled. After realizing it was Leo, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing Rosemary coming out, Leo said, “I’ll leave since you’re awake. I need to go home and report.”
Without waiting for Rosemary’s response, Leo turned and left the clinic.
Watching him disappear, Rosemary revealed a gentle smile.
Back at the Cloud Dream Mountain Villa No. 9, neither Jessica nor Martin were at home, and Nora was busy tidying up.
“Mr. Bloomer, you’re back,” Nora said, smiling upon seeing Leo.
Leo looked around and didn’t see Sophia, so he asked Nora, “Aunt Nora, where’s Sophia?”
“She should be reading on the second-floor balcony,” Nora replied.
Sophia did indeed have the habit of reading at night.
Leo went up to the second floor and then quietly made his way to the balcony.
On the spacious balcony, there was soft background music and a faint smell of sandalwood.
Sure enough, Sophia was reading on the balcony.
Under the evening light, accompanied by the night outside, Sophia’s serene and graceful figure momentarily captivated Leo.
Almost instinctively, Leo took out his phone and snapped a picture.
Then, quietly, Leo approached and, from behind, covered her eyes with his hands.
“Guess who,” Leo said, disguising his voice.
“Stop it!” Sophia lightly tapped Leo’s hand, indicating for him to let go.
Leo released his hands and stood in front of Sophia.
“Sophia, your silhouette while reading just now was so beautiful, so I took a picture for you to see,” Leo handed the phone to Sophia.
Sophia took it and, after looking, smiled gently, teasing, “Indeed, people are extraordinarily beautiful, but someone’s photography skills need improvement.”
“Not seeing each other for a few days, did you miss me?” Leo squatted in front of Sophia, gazing at her delicate face.
“Not at all…” When she saw disappointment on Leo’s face, Sophia added, “Just kidding!”
Then, something occurred to Sophia. “Wait, you were supposed to be on a flight this noon, so why are you only just getting home?”
This remark made Leo uneasy. Although he hadn’t done anything untoward with Rosemary, if he were to mention spending the whole afternoon with her, Sophia would likely become jealous.
“After arriving at Langstel this noon, a patient needed urgent treatment at the clinic, so I got delayed until now,” Leo had to come up with an excuse.
Naturally, Sophia didn’t doubt the veracity of this excuse. She put down her book, stood up from her chair, and said, “Let’s go soak in the hot spring in the backyard together.”
“Sure!” Leo readily agreed.
Soaking in the hot spring with a beauty was truly a great enjoyment.
—
The next morning, after dropping Sophia off at work, Leo paid a visit to the Zhao family villa.
Upon entering, Elroy greeted him with a polite smile, “Dr. Bloomer, please come in.”
After Leo had been ushered into the living room, Elroy asked him to take a seat on the sofa.
“Elroy, I apologize for the sudden visit today,” Leo’s tone was very deferential because he needed something from Elroy.
“Dr. Bloomer, you’ve done me a great favor. Coming here is just like coming to your own home, no need to be so polite,” Elroy graciously gestured.
Originally, the servant had intended to prepare tea for both Leo and Elroy, but Elroy had the servant step back temporarily and personally brewed tea for Leo.
It had to be said that from Elroy’s professional tea-making technique, it was evident that he had delved into the art of tea.
The way of tea, it’s the path to appreciating the beauty of tea. It’s considered a form of artistic expression in preparing and drinking tea, a way of life’s etiquette using tea as a medium, and a lifestyle for self-cultivation through tea. It enhances friendships, refines character, learns etiquette, and appreciates traditional virtues, making it a beneficial and beautiful ritual.
Drinking tea can calm the mind and spirit, aiding in refining one’s character and clearing the mind of distractions.
Leo patiently waited, and before long, a cup of fragrant tea was placed in front of him.
“Dr. Bloomer, this is a freshly arrived Icelandic tea. Please, have a taste,” Elroy said with a smile.
Leo picked up the teacup, took a sip, and couldn’t help but praise, “Fine tea, fine tea, fine tea!”
These three “fine teas” piqued Elroy’s interest, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Dr. Bloomer, do you understand the way of tea?”
“A little,” Leo replied.
“Oh, I would like to hear your insights on the way of tea,” Elroy said expectantly.
Leo took another sip of the Icelandic tea and proceeded to share his understanding of the way of tea.
The way of tea originated in this country. The people of this country, at least during or before the Tang Dynasty, were the first in the world to regard tea drinking as a way of self-cultivation. Ancient texts record that “the way of tea was widely practiced, and nobles and officials all drank it.” This is the earliest record of the way of tea in existing literature.
Thus, it can be seen that the most early and complete tea ceremony process was the tea ceremony created by Lu Yu in the Tang Dynasty. Lu Yu vividly described the elegant atmosphere of the tea banquet and the wonderful taste of tea in the preface to his “Preface to the Tea Banquet in the Third Month.”
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, people paid great attention to the environment, etiquette, and operational methods of tea drinking. There were already some established rules and rituals for tea ceremonies, and tea banquets were categorized into palace tea banquets, temple tea banquets, and literati tea banquets.
People also had a deep understanding of the role of tea drinking in self-cultivation and self-improvement.
Leo’s insights flowed, maintaining the essence and depth of the story.