Jin Yanzi continued, "When I build the Golden House, I love to eat the leaves of the agarwood tree. My saliva mixed with the leaves becomes a green bird's nest. Building one Golden House would take about ten to twenty years, and during such a long time only one or two bird's nests can be made. The Golden House is quite cold, so it must be lined with bird's nests to keep it warm. Therefore, the green bird's nest is my bedding and should not be freely given away. If I have to take some out, I just tear off a strip from the nest, rather than remove the whole thing."
A bird's nest completed in ten to twenty years is indeed a rare treasure. No wonder it's green; there are tree leaves inside. Moreover, the tree is an agarwood tree, also known as yan-chenxiang... these things can be studied slowly later.
Chen Afu asked again, "Can a strip of bird's nest cure diseases?"
Jin Yanzi replied, "Don't even mention a strip, even half of one could save a person's life."
