Yun Zhaozhao had met Lawyer Wang alone, and she had met Mrs. Wang alone, but this was the first time she had seen them together. So when she learned they were a couple, she was a little surprised.
But along with her surprise, she could not help feeling a little secretly delighted. After all, Mrs. Wang loved Clear Breeze Temple's food so much that if the temple ran into any little difficulties as it developed and needed Lawyer Wang's help with money or manpower, perhaps she could approach Mrs. Wang and have her whisper a few words into his ear over the pillow!
Lawyer Wang had no idea Yun Zhaozhao was planning to "save the nation by a roundabout route." Though he looked thoroughly henpecked in front of Mrs. Wang, when he saw Yun Zhaozhao, he wore the same businesslike expression she knew so well. "You've done a decent job with this sacrificial festival, but you can't focus exclusively on food. You need to develop some other services too."
Yun Zhaozhao pulled the book she carried everywhere out of her clothes. "Don't worry, don't worry. I'm already studying."
Looking at Fortune-Telling Crash Course in 30 Days, Lawyer Wang nearly fell apart. "You're only learning now? How long is that going to take?"
Watching his expression, Yun Zhaozhao said hesitantly, "If you want something quick, our temple could actually launch a new service right away."
Lawyer Wang said, "What?"
Yun Zhaozhao said, "Perhaps you've heard of a rent-a-roaster?"
Lawyer Wang said, "...????" I've only heard of rent-a-drivers. What the hell is a rent-a-roaster?
Yun Zhaozhao explained patiently, "A guy who argues and curses people out for you. His professional skills are top-notch. The kind who can't resist picking a fight and hurling a few insults even if it's a passing dog that offends him."
Lawyer Wang said, "..." It's not that I'm a pessimist, but I really think this lousy temple is doomed sooner or later.
Chapter 10
Everyone could sample the food at the sacrificial festival for free, but if they wanted to take any home, that would cost extra.
Fortunately, many of the "extras" who had come that day were old acquaintances of Clear Breeze Temple, so everyone paid readily.
That day was Qin Yajun's first time tasting Daoist Chang Kong's cooking.
During her earlier interview, she had mainly marveled at just how skillful his hands were. Those hands could not only make exquisite pastries, but also lifelike cucumber bamboo and chocolate flowerpots. They could slice fish as thin as cicada wings, and even carve flowers into radishes and tofu...
But only after actually tasting Daoist Chang Kong's cooking did Qin Yajun discover that, compared with the exquisite presentation and shapes, the flavor was the more captivating part of his culinary skills.
Take that pot of green cucumber bamboo, for instance. At first, Qin Yajun had not known what it was and had simply taken it for real bamboo. Once she learned the truth, she treated it as an ordinary cucumber, so when she bit into it, she expected nothing more than a simple cucumber flavor.
After all, even a cucumber pretending to be bamboo was still a cucumber, wasn't it?
Who knew that one bite would reveal a whole other world inside the cucumber bamboo? Daoist Chang Kong had not merely carved the cucumber into green bamboo. He had hollowed it out as well, turning it into a container filled with fragrant, spicy, oil-braised shredded bamboo shoots.
The bamboo shoots were cut into exceedingly fine shreds and cooked until wonderfully fresh and tender. The instant she ate them, Qin Yajun felt as though she were eating a fresh bamboo shoot just picked from the mountains, still covered in morning dew. But because the shoots also had a little heat, their freshness and tenderness carried the invigorating bite of chili.
That touch of heat, paired with the fresh tenderness of the bamboo shoots and balanced by the cucumber's refreshing sweetness, gave the whole dish an especially rich depth of flavor. It was like drinking a cup of superb tea, or spraying an exquisite perfume: the opening note was cucumber's fresh sweetness, the middle note the spicy complexity of chili, and the final note the crisp tenderness of bamboo shoots.
Qin Yajun had no desire to praise a cucumber dish to the heavens, but she had no choice. Daoist Chang Kong's cucumber offered so much that she simply had to bow to it!
While Qin Yajun was tasting the cucumber bamboo, Xu Fugui happened to be beside her, sampling a fish-slice roll. Seeing her eat as contentedly as a giant panda, he could not resist claiming credit. "Well, Editor Qin? I wasn't lying, was I? Isn't Clear Breeze Temple's food something special?"
Qin Yajun nodded approvingly. "It really is good. I'll finally have something to write about when I get back this time."
Xu Fugui said, "If you need photos of Clear Breeze Temple's food, I still have plenty. I can send them all over to you in a batch."
After thanking him, Qin Yajun could not resist asking curiously, "Are you a Taoist believer?"
Xu Fugui said, "No!"
Qin Yajun said, "Then why are you sparing no effort to promote Clear Breeze Temple this time? First you recommended it to me, and now you're offering publicity photos. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were an unofficial member of the temple!"
Xu Fugui chuckled. "If coming to Clear Breeze Temple meant I could taste Daoist Chang Kong's cooking every day, I really would be happy to become an unofficial member."
Qin Yajun thought it over and realized he had a point. Never mind Xu Fugui-even she wanted to join.
The food-tasting event lasted from nine that morning until three in the afternoon, when the guests finally began leaving in ones and twos. Throughout it, Daoist Chang Kong handled the temple's sacrificial rites, while Jingting took care of things like meditation and chanting.
Fortunately, Daoist Chang Kong had attended some sacrificial ceremonies before, and meditation and chanting were the only professional skills Jingting possessed besides cursing people out, so the entire ceremony went smoothly in the end.
Once Clear Breeze Temple returned to its usual tranquility, Yun Zhaozhao and Daoist Chang Kong were so exhausted that they could not even bother with dinner. They climbed into bed and fell straight asleep.
Jingting was young and had plenty of stamina, after all. Besides, unlike Yun Zhaozhao and Daoist Chang Kong, one of whom had exhausted her mind while the other had exhausted his body, he had done neither. Instead of catching up on sleep with them, he stayed behind to finish things up and keep watch over the temple.
Yun Zhaozhao slept until ten the next morning before slowly waking. When she got up, she had expected to face a disastrous mess, only to discover that Jingting had already tidied Clear Breeze Temple until it was spotless.
The only regret was that Jingting could not cook, so the breakfast he had left for her and Daoist Chang Kong consisted entirely of leftovers from the previous day's sacrificial festival.
Having just completed such a grand sacrificial event, Yun Zhaozhao wanted only to quietly recover her energy over the next few days. So after breakfast, she lay lazily on a lounge chair in the sunshine, wanting to do nothing and go nowhere.
It was not just her. Even Daoist Chang Kong was feeling rather sluggish. "...The hibiscus pastries we have at the temple should last a while yet. Let's just make do with selling those for now, and work on something else once they're all gone."
Jingting happened to be bored hanging around Clear Breeze Temple. Seeing the two of them lounging about, he could not resist volunteering. "Then why don't you two stay here and watch the place while I set up the stall outside Qingfeng Park and sell hibiscus cakes for you?"
Daoist Chang Kong and Yun Zhaozhao said in unison, "No!"
Jingting looked aggrieved. "...Why?"
Daoist Chang Kong said earnestly, "Doing business calls for harmony to bring prosperity. Just look at that temper of yours. How are you suited to selling things? Guarding the temple is what suits you. Be good."
Jingting protested, "What's wrong with my temper? My temper is perfectly fine. As the saying goes, if others don't offend me, I won't offend them. If I'm selling hibiscus cakes properly and they come to buy them properly, why would I pick a fight with them? Besides, your hibiscus cakes have such a short shelf life. Wouldn't it be a waste if they stayed at Clear Breeze Temple and didn't sell out? I'll set up the stall for you and sell as many as I can."
That was indeed sound reasoning, but...
Daoist Chang Kong looked at Yun Zhaozhao awkwardly, leaving the decision to her. "You're the temple master. You have the final say."
Yun Zhaozhao was even more torn than he was. "...How about we forget it? I don't think we absolutely have to sell these hibiscus cakes."
Jingting said, "Temple Master, are you looking down on me?"
Yun Zhaozhao said, "..."
The boy meant well, and Yun Zhaozhao really did not want to hurt his feelings too much. So after Jingting promised that he would sell the cakes properly and absolutely would not casually pick fights with anyone, she finally waved a hand and let him out through Clear Breeze Temple's gates.
Jingting had previously lived with his master in a Taoist temple in the mountains, and the number of times he had left it could actually be counted on his fingers.
Later, his master had ascended to immortality and the temple had been forcibly demolished. Though he had wandered outside for a while, he had been unable to ensure his next meal and had no fixed home, so he had hardly been in a leisurely mood to look at the world outside.
Now, although he was only going to set up a stall outside Qingfeng Park, he felt quite happy. He was a child, after all. Doing something new was enough to make him happy.
The middle-aged security guard at Qingfeng Park's entrance was rather surprised to see Jingting. After all, it had always been Yun Zhaozhao and Daoist Chang Kong who came to set up the stall. This was his first time seeing Jingting.
The security guard asked him, "You're selling hibiscus cakes today? Where's that fat Taoist?"
Jingting was a little displeased. "What do you mean, 'fat Taoist'? He has a name. He's called Daoist Chang Kong."
The security guard gave an awkward smile. "Oh, so his name is Daoist Chang Kong. Why didn't he come? And that young lady-I haven't seen her for days either."
Jingting said, "They're tired and resting at the temple. I'm in charge of the stall today."
Watching over the park every day was rather boring for the security guard, so he actually wanted to chat with Jingting a little longer. Unfortunately, Jingting did not want to chat with him, and even seemed to find him something of a nuisance.
So after circling Jingting's hibiscus cake stall twice, the security guard finally returned sheepishly to his guard booth.
The two looked at each other from a distance across Qingfeng Park's gates, both rather bored.
Before long, however, people began arriving at Qingfeng Park's entrance in ones and twos. But this group was a little strange. They did not look like ordinary city residents visiting the park, but rather like people from the surrounding area. Not only were they plainly dressed, they also carried bamboo baskets and back baskets on their backs.