Most people were too embarrassed to eat any, but there were always exceptions.
In the end, Yun Zhaozhao kept just a little for herself and divided the rest among the others. Even elementary schoolers knew that the fastest way to fit in and make friends outside was to share the snacks you had brought. In any case, after Yun Zhaozhao shared out her box of spicy duck necks and braised beef, the attendees who had previously been rather indifferent to her all began sending friendly signals her way.
Two people sitting relatively close to Yun Zhaozhao even took the initiative to ask a few questions about Clear Breeze Temple.
When talking to Xu Tingting, Yun Zhaozhao would call Clear Breeze Temple a very peculiar Daoist temple, but out in public, she was quite protective of its image. "Our Clear Breeze Temple actually has quite a long history. It just never really developed much before, and now we're in a rehabilitation phase. That's why I'm representing Clear Breeze Temple at this Daoist conference. I hope to learn from all you outstanding colleagues and help our Clear Breeze Temple flourish as soon as possible."
The people opposite her were quite moved. "It's rare for young people these days to have determination and ambition like yours. We should stay in touch and exchange ideas, learn from one another, and share our resources, so we can do our small part to advance the Daoist cause."
Yun Zhaozhao said, "Absolutely. You're also welcome to visit Clear Breeze Temple anytime. We don't just have delicious spicy duck necks. We also have ginkgo cake, hibiscus pastries, hawthorn cake, and sugarcane shrimp. And in a little while, our temple's home-brewed hawthorn wine will be ready to drink too."
The people opposite her: "..." Why does your Clear Breeze Temple sound rather delicious?
Yun Zhaozhao spent an entire day attending meetings at True Yang Temple, only returning to Clear Breeze Temple at dusk, her head swimming.
When she walked in, Jingting and Daoist Chang Kong were sitting on the steps, each munching on a bright red skewer of candied fruit.
"Where did the candied fruit come from?" Yun Zhaozhao asked curiously.
"Brother Chang Kong just made it today," Jingting said indistinctly around a mouthful. "Try some. It's really good."
Yun Zhaozhao happened to be hungry, so she went to the kitchen and got a skewer too, then plopped down between Jingting and Daoist Chang Kong. The candied fruit had a layer of white sugar frosting on the outside, with bright red hawthorns and strawberries inside. Yun Zhaozhao took a bite of strawberry first. It was soft and sweet, so she tried a bite of hawthorn next.
The hawthorn skewers Yun Zhaozhao had eaten before generally used hard hawthorns with the seeds left in, so she had to spit them out as she ate. But the hawthorns Daoist Chang Kong had chosen were neither too hard nor too soft, and he had thoughtfully removed the seeds. The hawthorn's tartness and the frosting's sweetness filled her mouth together, tasting neither too sour nor too cloyingly sweet as she ate. In short, they were just right.
Yun Zhaozhao ate with utter satisfaction. As she ate, she couldn't help reflecting that Clear Breeze Temple really did suit her better. That True Yang Temple might be big, but compared with Clear Breeze Temple, it was practically a culinary wasteland.
Thinking of True Yang Temple reminded Yun Zhaozhao of the wildly popular spicy duck necks and braised beef she had taken there that day.
She couldn't help asking Daoist Chang Kong, "Daoist, can you think of any food that's inexpensive to make but would be especially popular as a snack between meetings?"
Daoist Chang Kong thought for a moment. "How about this? I'll roast some sunflower seed kernels for you tonight, and you can take them tomorrow."
Sure enough, the following morning, Daoist Chang Kong made Yun Zhaozhao some sunflower seed crisps. They were really just thin, crisp biscuits made from sunflower seed kernels coated in flour and sugar, but they were fragrant and sweet, each one a single bite. They really couldn't have been more suitable as a snack.
Yun Zhaozhao made a point of packing them in the kraft paper bags and boxes she had previously had custom-made, then set them on her conference table. The advertising was every bit as blatant as when she had first sent Daoist Chang Kong wandering the streets in Daoist robes bearing an advertising slogan, but the results really were excellent.
The next day, Lawyer Wang messaged Yun Zhaozhao to ask how the conference was going. Feeling guilty but answering honestly, Yun Zhaozhao replied: [The results should be pretty good, I think. Everyone's quite interested in Clear Breeze Temple's food, anyway. I've even added several people on WeChat already. They all said they'd find time to come eat at Clear Breeze Temple once the conference ends.]
Lawyer Wang: [...] I sent you to a conference, not to advertise.
With Yun Zhaozhao away from Clear Breeze Temple these past few days, Daoist Chang Kong had taken over all the reception duties. But he also served as head chef, so whenever mealtimes rolled around, he had no choice but to plunge into the kitchen and leave reception unattended.
At those times, Jingting had to fill in.
Daoist Chang Kong really couldn't rest easy, so before entering the kitchen, he couldn't help earnestly reminding Jingting, "Talk things out nicely. Don't argue. Anyone who comes here is a guest."
"Relax," Jingting said. "When have you ever seen me argue with the lay devotees who visit the temple?"
Daoist Chang Kong thought about it and realized he really hadn't. Jingting's last argument had been with villagers who had come to Qingfeng Park to dig up bamboo shoots. The time before that, according to Jingting himself, he had helped a pregnant woman argue with her husband. Put that way, he really did seem never to have argued with anyone visiting the temple.
"I know perfectly well who's one of us and who's an outsider," Jingting said. "Don't worry. I side with my own, not with whoever's right."
Daoist Chang Kong: "..." The more I hear, the less reassured I feel!
But the guests in the dining hall were still waiting to eat. However uneasy Daoist Chang Kong felt, he could only leave Jingting in charge outside for the time being. Of course, before leaving, he didn't forget to tell their new sales assistant, Xiaojiu, to keep an eye on Jingting.
Xiaojiu had only recently arrived at Clear Breeze Temple, after all, and knew nothing about Jingting's temperament or character. Puzzled, she asked him, "Jingting, why did Daoist Chang Kong tell me to keep an eye on you?"
"You misheard," Jingting said casually. "He didn't mean watch over me. He meant watch me in action. He wants you to watch carefully as I hold down the fort and become the coolest guy in all of Clear Breeze Temple. Oh, right, Xiaojiu, do you know how to tie a tie? Or, to put it another way, do you have a tie on you?"
Xiaojiu gave Jingting an indescribable look. "...Leaving aside whether I have one of those things, do you honestly think a tie would look good with Daoist robes?"
"You don't understand my fashion," Jingting said.
Xiaojiu: "..." She suddenly understood why Daoist Chang Kong had asked her to keep an eye on Jingting. Without Daoist Chang Kong and Yun Zhaozhao keeping him in check, Jingting seemed to have suddenly let himself go a little. To put it nicely, Jingting at this moment was like the Great Sage Equal to Heaven freed from his tightening-headband spell. Less nicely, he was like a husky let off its leash, ready to tear the place apart at any moment. How could anyone not keep a close eye on him?
Xiaojiu was a responsible young woman. Since Daoist Chang Kong had told her to watch Jingting, she really did follow him without leaving his side.
But Xiaojiu also had things to sell. In the end, Jingting had no choice but to cooperate, setting up a small table beside her and sitting down. Under Xiaojiu's supervision, he waited to answer questions and clear up doubts for the lay devotees passing through.
In his Daoist robes, Jingting did look somewhat like a respectable young monk when he kept his mouth shut. So, at some point, an older woman sat down in the chair opposite him, both abruptly and naturally, then looked at him with a worried face. "Young master, do you tell fortunes here?"
Remembering Yun Zhaozhao's line, "Normally, no, but if you sincerely want it, it's not impossible," Jingting said with extraordinary boldness, "As for fortune-telling, heaven's secrets must not be revealed. But if you're having any difficulties, you can tell this young Daoist about them. Perhaps I really can help."
The woman sighed mournfully. "...Oh... it's so hard!"
"Don't sigh and moan," Jingting said. "We need positive energy. Come on, say it with me: my fate is mine, not heaven's to decide; I'm a little immortal up in the sky. Well? Don't you feel terrifyingly powerful now?"
Xiaojiu, beside him: "..." Whether he was powerful remained to be seen, but he was certainly quite mad. Other places have Jigong. Our Clear Breeze Temple has a mad monk.
Chapter 15
When Daoist Chang Kong had made bamboo tubes earlier, he had some bamboo left over, so he had made a few bamboo fortune sticks while he was at it.
These sticks were generally just decorations. After all, there wasn't a single Daoist anywhere in Clear Breeze Temple who knew how to tell fortunes or interpret fortune sticks. But Jingting must have gotten carried away that day. Seeing the woman sitting there looking persistently gloomy, he actually brought over the bamboo tube full of fortune sticks and motioned for her to draw one.
The woman said, "...Didn't you just say you couldn't tell fortunes?"
"I'm not telling your fortune, just interpreting a stick," Jingting said. "I'll speak casually, and you can listen casually. If I do a good job, you don't have to pay me. If I don't, just don't hold it against me."
The woman really did reach out and draw one.
As luck would have it, it unexpectedly turned out to be a supreme-luck stick.
Despite her low spirits, the instant she saw the supreme-luck stick, her tightly knitted brows eased just a little.
Jingting struck while the iron was hot. "Supreme luck! Congratulations, ma'am. Whatever brought you here today, whatever you seek, may everything you seek be what you wish for, and may all your wishes come true!"
In the end, the woman never said what had brought her there or what she sought, but she left in high spirits.
After she left, Xiaojiu came over curiously and drew one too, only to discover that hers was also a supreme-luck stick.
Jingting looked at Xiaojiu with a beaming smile. "Might this lady devotee be seeking romance? Congratulations, yours is a supreme-luck stick too. From now on, peach blossoms will bloom all around you, every one blooming just for you!"
Xiaojiu happily believed him. "Really?"
"If you don't believe me, draw another couple and see," Jingting said.
Xiaojiu obligingly drew two more. Supreme luck. They were all supreme luck. Finally, in a flash of inspiration, she picked up the fortune-stick tube and peered inside, only to discover that every single stick in the entire tube was a supreme-luck stick!!!
Liar! What a liar!
Angry and annoyed, Xiaojiu turned away and refused to speak to Jingting.