The finished wooden fish was smooth and rounded, small and exquisite, with the words "Boundless merit" inscribed on it.
As soon as it was finished, Jingting eagerly started a livestream with his new wooden fish.
-Ever since taking a commission to insult someone during his last livestream, Jingting had developed an interest in streaming. He was young, and staying at Clear Breeze Temple could still get boring sometimes. His livestream was different: plenty of people there would chat with him. So even when he wasn't going online to insult anyone, he would drop in for a while whenever he had nothing else to do.
He didn't stream on a fixed schedule, so there weren't many viewers when he went live that day, though a few regulars were there. They immediately spotted that Daoist Jingting had something new, and a viewer called "Back to learn more insults today" asked in the public chat: [Daoist, where did you get that wooden fish?]
Seeing the question, Jingting immediately showed it off: [My senior brother made it for me. What do you think? Isn't it exquisite?]
Back to learn more insults today: [It is. Is it for sale?]
Jingting had spent quite a lot of time surfing the internet lately. He was no longer the clueless country bumpkin who couldn't even understand viral internet phrases like "You're my blessing." He was now an upgraded Tibetan mastiff, so he said indignantly: [Please, I'm an insult streamer, not a sales streamer.]
Back to learn more insults today: [So, is it for sale?]
Jingting snapped: [Yes, yes, yes. A hundred yuan each. Take it or leave it.]
To his surprise, "Back to learn more insults today" replied the very next second: [Put it in the shopping cart. I'll place an order.]
Jingting: [???]
Jingting thought there had to be something wrong with this person. After all, a quick online search would turn up loads of wooden fish like this, with the cheap ones perhaps costing only ten or twenty yuan. Who would spend a hundred yuan on a wooden fish that was basically useless? Even their temple's carefully crafted talisman-tube blind boxes didn't sell for a hundred yuan apiece.
Jingting: [Listen, you can buy it, but let me make this clear first: no after-sales service, no returns, and no exchanges.]
Back to learn more insults today: [Fine, hurry up and put it in the shopping cart. I'm waiting to order!]
Jingting stared at the username "Back to learn more insults today" for a long while before it suddenly dawned on him. This person had to be a diehard fan of his-a true fan, at that. Only true fans would be willing to splash out on a streamer like this.
At that thought, Jingting couldn't help feeling a little overwhelmed by the favor.
His cheeks flushed as he asked: [Are you one of those legendary true fans?]
Back to learn more insults today: [You've misunderstood, Daoist. I just figured that since you can insult people like that without getting beaten to death, you must have some merit protecting you. Maybe it's all thanks to this merit wooden fish, so I want to buy one and try it out.]
Jingting: [...] True fan, my ass. A hater, through and through. The king of haters. Block him, block him, block him right now.
Chapter 19
Jingting was so infuriated by this hater disguised as a true fan that he was still angry when he ended the stream.
In the end, Daoist Chang Kong only managed to soothe him with some almond milk.
Ever since the weather had started getting colder, Daoist Chang Kong had been experimenting with all kinds of drinks, such as the almond milk he used to soothe Jingting, and the ginger and red date tea that both ladies at the temple loved.
Ginger and red date tea, as its name suggested, was a drink made from fresh ginger and red dates. Unlike versions made elsewhere, Daoist Chang Kong used ginger grown in the vegetable delivery lady's own fields. Even the large red dates had been bought from villagers in her village.
When making the tea, Daoist Chang Kong took care to pit and chop the dates before putting them in a pot of cold water with the ginger, then slowly simmering and stirring them. The resulting tea didn't have an overpowering ginger flavor, but still had ginger's chill-dispelling effects.
Once the ginger and dates had cooked down, Daoist Chang Kong put the mixture straight into sealed jars and refrigerated it. Whenever anyone wanted a drink, they could simply scoop out a spoonful and mix it with boiling water.
In any case, Yun Zhaozhao and Xiaojiu had been drinking a cup almost every morning lately, and it left them feeling warm all over.
Besides spending time developing drinks suited to winter, Daoist Chang Kong's other important task lately was planning the New Year's Day menu.
This would be their first New Year's Day together at Clear Breeze Temple, and it was an auspicious occasion for bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new. Daoist Chang Kong therefore took it very seriously, and had started thinking about what delicious dishes to make several days in advance. He had cured some pork earlier, and they also had some dried bamboo shoots at Clear Breeze Temple, so he was considering making a cured and fresh pork soup to try.
Cured and fresh pork soup wasn't exactly an everyday home-cooked dish, since the preparation was relatively complicated. First, the cured pork and pork belly had to be blanched and stewed. Then bamboo shoots, ham, knotted tofu skins, stem lettuce, and various other ingredients were gradually added to the broth. It needed to simmer long enough, with the heat properly controlled. The finished dish was savory and fragrant, with a rich, milky-white broth. The ingredients blended together, their flavors mingling. Even if there were one or two ingredients you disliked, you could always find something you loved in the soup. In short, it was a very popular dish.
Perhaps because he had grown used to being a cook lately, Daoist Chang Kong even drew up a special New Year's Day menu. Besides the cured and fresh pork soup he wanted himself, he specifically added several dishes Yun Zhaozhao and Jingting liked, such as fish with pickled mustard greens and braised ribs with kidney beans.
Really, something even happier than celebrating a holiday was counting down the days in anticipation of it.
And perhaps because winter break had begun, there seemed to be more parents bringing their children to Clear Breeze Temple lately than usual. Of course, however crowded it got, Clear Breeze Temple's visitor numbers couldn't compare with True Yang Temple, which Yun Zhaozhao had visited before. Still, more visitors meant sales would rise a little. After all, even if the parents could resist buying things, children could never resist something to eat or drink.
This was where Daoist Chang Kong's winter drinks came in handy.
Yun Zhaozhao wasn't solely fixated on money. She also provided free boiled water for visitors to Clear Breeze Temple. Although this affected drink sales somewhat, it also greatly improved people's impression of the temple. After all, a temple with warmth was bound to inspire more goodwill than one that only wanted people to open their wallets.
As the saying went, when life was quiet, someone was bound to stir up trouble.
That day, Yun Zhaozhao was in the back courtyard watching people plant the newly arrived cherry trees when she suddenly received a call from Lawyer Wang.
Lawyer Wang was the very definition of someone who never called without a reason. Almost every time he called Yun Zhaozhao, he brought major news. Last time, he had notified her about attending the Taoist convention. This time, he told her that a young man claiming to be Granny's grandnephew had somehow obtained his contact details. After asking around, the man had also learned that Granny had left behind a Taoist temple, and said he wanted to take Clear Breeze Temple back.
Of course, after relaying this, Lawyer Wang himself found the man's idea utterly ridiculous. "...Leaving aside the fact that he's not Granny's own grandson but a barely related grandnephew who doesn't qualify to inherit at all, even if he were her grandson, he still wouldn't have any right to inherit this temple now. After all, Granny's will left the temple to you as a gift. Besides, ownership was transferred into your name long ago. Not only does it have nothing to do with a grandnephew like him, but even if Granny herself came to ask for it back, it would still depend on whether you agreed."
Yun Zhaozhao said, "...If Granny really came in person to ask me for it, I'd agree. Would you dare refuse if it were you?"
Lawyer Wang said awkwardly, "I was only giving an example. Anyway, I already turned him down explicitly over the phone, and told him Clear Breeze Temple isn't the bustling, prosperous place he imagines. But I don't think he took any of it in. And since he managed to track me down, he might have come prepared. I don't think he'll give up that easily. Just be careful, and remember to call me if anything happens."
After thanking Lawyer Wang, Yun Zhaozhao hung up.
Yun Zhaozhao now spent most of her time in the back courtyard, while Daoist Chang Kong and Jingting generally looked after the front. Besides, they were all part of Clear Breeze Temple now. She felt she should let Changkong and Jingting know about this, so they wouldn't be caught completely unprepared and give someone with ulterior motives an opening.
So over dinner that evening, Yun Zhaozhao briefly mentioned the matter to Daoist Chang Kong and Jingting.
As she brought it up, Yun Zhaozhao couldn't help musing to herself: The dinner table really is the perfect place to discuss things! No matter how huge the problem, talking about it over a meal seems to make it less serious.
Daoist Chang Kong had seen plenty of the world, and remained quite calm when he heard this. "So someone's jealous of our Clear Breeze Temple and wants to snatch it away, is that it? It's fine. Tell him to hurry up and come if he's coming. I'll be waiting."
Yun Zhaozhao asked curiously, "You look so confident. Sounds like you have a plan! But let me make this clear first: beating people up is illegal even for Daoists."
Daoist Chang Kong said, "We won't hit him. Once he gets here, we'll shut the doors and unleash Jingting! Bite him to death."
Yun Zhaozhao: "..."
Beside them, Jingting: "..." Bro, being as fierce as a Tibetan mastiff is just a metaphor and a bit of hyperbole. It doesn't mean I actually bite people, thank you!
Chapter 20
Yun Zhaozhao had been worried that Granny's distant grandnephew would sneak up on them and catch everyone at Clear Breeze Temple off guard. As it turned out, she really had been overthinking things. Not only did the distant grandnephew arrive with great fanfare, he even made a point of calling Yun Zhaozhao beforehand.
Over the phone, the grandnephew arrogantly told Yun Zhaozhao that he wasn't coming today to prove anything. He was simply coming to take back what had belonged to him all along.
Listening to those familiar, cringily dramatic lines, Yun Zhaozhao had only one thought: Looks like this bastard watches plenty of movies!