Hey, let me tell you, things have been lively down at the Processing Workshop lately! Yesterday, Old Zhou had a mental lapse and managed to roast the White Cogongrass Flower—which was supposed to be stirred for just three breaths—until it looked like a bunch of "little charcoal balls," and now he is squatting in the corner sighing. The Abacus Bead went *clatter* and bounced into the shape of a tiny stove, projecting a message right beside his ear: "Oh Old Zhou, Old Zhou, the Bead will teach you a 'Herbal-Roasting Rhyme'—'One breath flip, two breaths shake, three breaths out of the pot and smelling great!'" Old Zhou recited it three times, and lo and behold, the next batch turned out perfectly!
"Xiaotao! Come quick and control your Abacus Bead!" shouted a processing master, holding a medicinal spatula in the air. The Abacus Bead was currently perched on the edge of the medicine cauldron, spinning in circles and nudging the freshly roasted herbs into the shape of abacus beads. Xiaotao laughed, "What? Think my pickling skills aren't fancy enough?" The Abacus Bead immediately projected a funny face: "The Bead is giving the herbs a 'bead-style makeover,' guaranteed to have the noble ladies of Chang'an fighting to buy them!"
Right in the middle of all the commotion, a heavy fog suddenly descended from the sky, making it hard to control the heat in the Processing Workshop. Old Qian slapped his thigh, "Thank goodness for the Abacus Bead!" The Abacus Bead had already hopped up onto …
Chapter 291