As part of this summer study tour, Bai Mengjie, although born and raised in the area, was visiting Qingfeng Park and Clear Breeze Temple for the first time.
As for Bai Mengjie's four-year-old son, Guo Rang, he has never set foot in a temple or Daoist monastery. His only two favorite places are amusement parks and zoos. At amusement parks, his favorite thing to do is drive an excavator to dig sand, and he can dig all day long. As for going to the zoo, he naturally goes to see all kinds of small animals.
So before coming to Clear Breeze Temple, Bai Mengjie was mentally prepared to buy two mosquito repellent bracelets and leave immediately. After all, it was a Daoist temple, and she didn't think there was much to see. Not to mention that children wouldn't like it, Bai Mengjie, as an adult, also had no interest in leisurely strolling around.
Unexpectedly, once they entered the gate of Clear Breeze Temple, her son was almost unable to walk.
Because in the first courtyard of Clear Breeze Temple, there's a place that looks like a koi pond. No, calling it a koi pond isn't quite accurate*, it's more like a fish pond, since it doesn't actually contain koi, but rather all sorts of fish of different sizes. Schools of fish chase each other freely in the pond. And next to the pond, some parents are feeding them with fish food they brought themselves. If you didn't know better, you'd think you were in a park instead of a Daoist temple!
Bai Mengjie's son, Guo Rang, loves animals, and when he saw someone feeding the fish, he started clamoring to feed them too.
So Bai Mengjie began searching around Clear Breeze Temple for anything to feed the fish.
Then she discovered that the service at Clear Breeze Temple was truly excellent. Not only could she bring her own fish food, but she could also purchase it at the Clear Breeze Temple.
A small bag of fish food sells for 10 yuan, and quite a few people buy it.
Bai Mengjie also bought a bag for her son.
While her son was feeding the fish, Bai Mengjie strolled around the fishpond. She then discovered that not only could she feed the fish, but there was also a sign next to it stating that the fish at the Daoist temple could be released through voluntary donations. In short, this small fishpond was making money twice, and most importantly, people were willing to spend both kinds of money. After all, feeding the fish was to make her child happy, while releasing the fish was to make herself happy.
Bai Mengjie originally intended to just buy two mosquito repellent bracelets and leave, but she didn't expect that just feeding the fish in the first courtyard would take the two of them almost an hour.
After finally feeding the fish, Bai Mengjie thought she could go buy a mosquito repellent bracelet. But before she could even find a stall selling mosquito repellent bracelets, her son discovered another novel thing—a child nearby was eating an ice pop, Guo Rang staring blankly at the ice pop in the child's hand, refusing to leave even when Bai Mengjie tried to pull him away.
I don't know how they made that popsicle, but it was shaped like a sword. The blade was white, and it had a red tassel at the bottom, making it look just like a real sword.
Which boy doesn't like swords?
Even if some children don't like swords, how many can resist the temptation of ice cream and popsicles?
In any case, Bai Mengjie's son simply couldn't refuse.
Normally, Bai Mengjie would limit her son's intake of sweets and cold drinks, but when they were out playing, Bai Mengjie wouldn't be so strict. So when she saw that her son wanted to eat, she didn't stop him. After finding out where the other mother had bought the ice cream, she went straight to the second courtyard where the ice cream was sold.
This courtyard is quite different from the first one with a fish pond. In the very center of this courtyard is an altar, and the rooms on both sides are filled with statues of various gods such as the God of Wealth. In one corner of the courtyard, there is a stall selling ice cream and various souvenirs.
Bai Mengjie bought an ice cream for her son first, and then casually strolled around the stall.
She used to buy all sorts of souvenirs when visiting museums or tourist attractions, but this was her first time visiting a Daoist temple, so buying souvenirs from the temple was also a first for her.
She had initially assumed that the area around a Daoist temple would be similar to that around a Buddhist temple, filled with things like prayer beads, bracelets, or small bells engraved with names. These things could be bought online and weren't anything special. But it turned out that the area around Clear Breeze Temple was completely different from what she had imagined. The items there were not only rare but also exceptionally exquisite.
Putting everything else aside, the hand-carved bamboo pen holder and bamboo leaf bookmark alone are so exquisite they resemble works of art. Moreover, each one is unique; you simply can't find two that are exactly alike.
Xiaojiu is in charge of selling the area surrounding Clear Breeze Temple.
Upon seeing a customer, Xiaojiu patiently and meticulously introduced the stall, saying, "Hello, feel free to browse. Many of the handicrafts on this stall are handmade by our master craftsmen at Clear Breeze Temple. They are unique to this stall, and there are absolutely no other branches. Even if you take a picture and scan it online, you definitely won't find the exact same one. If you have school-aged children or elderly people who love calligraphy, it would be perfect to bring a set home!"
Bai Mengjie's maternal grandfather enjoys practicing calligraphy and reading at home in his spare time, and you know what? This pen holder and bookmark set really suits him quite well.
"Besides bamboo pen holders and bookmarks, we also have many pastries made by our master chefs. These pastries are delicious and made with high-quality ingredients, suitable for the elderly, children, and pregnant women. See if there's a flavor you like; I can open a box for you to try right now. Whether you buy them or not is fine..."
The service was both warm and attentive, and Bai Mengjie, somewhat confused, pointed to a box and began to try it all.
Daoist Chang Kong's pastries are inherently delicious; once someone tries them, they almost never stop buying them.
Bai Mengjie was no exception.
Anyway, once she's finished tasting it, all that's left for her to do is pay.
Guo Rang his child eat ice cream nearby, only to find that his mother had already started buying everything in sight. The child was used to it and didn't urge her, so he took a couple of steps to the side, hid in a shady spot, and continued eating his popsicle.
Bai Mengjie completely forgot that her original purpose for coming today was actually to buy two mosquito repellent bracelets.
By the time Bai Mengjie came to her senses, she was already carrying large and small bags of things.
By this time, Guo Rang's son had finished his ice cream and was clamoring to wash his hands because some ice cream had accidentally dripped onto them, making them sticky and uncomfortable.
Before Bai Mengjie could speak, the young girl selling goods at the stall enthusiastically gave Bai Mengjie directions. "Child, do you need to wash your hands? You can go to the back courtyard; there's a canteen there. Not only can you wash your hands, but you can also have lunch. Our Clear Breeze Temple's canteen is exceptional; everyone who's eaten there has never said it's bad. You'll see for yourself once you try it."
Bai Mengjie: "..."
In the end, Bai Mengjie not only bought a lot of souvenirs and merchandise at Clear Breeze Temple Clear Breeze Temple, but also had lunch there. As soon as her son entered the Clear Breeze Temple canteen, he discovered that they had his favorite fries.
While eating, Bai Mengjie couldn't help but sigh to herself: Clear Breeze Temple is truly a place that's hard to leave once you've come here!
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The summer study tour activities at Clear Breeze Temple have lasted for several sessions, and the mosquito repellent bracelets and mosquito repellent sachets from Clear Breeze Temple have been bestsellers for several sessions.
Later, Xiao Yao Yao's flower appreciation and painting activities were also officially launched.
This activity differs from activities like harvesting rice and collecting eggs; it's an activity open to all ages and can be participated in by everyone.
On-site registration is available, and all visitors to Clear Breeze Temple can admire and paint the flowers in the Clear Breeze Temple's backyard, and choose a seed to take home and plant in their own yard. Furthermore, to ensure the event's sustainability, Yun Zhaozhao has stipulated that visitors who bring their planted flowers back to Clear Breeze Temple the following year will receive a mystery prize.
When the rules of the game were first established, Xiao Yao raised some questions. She felt that no one would actually return the flowers, and even if someone did return them, it probably wouldn't be the same flower that had grown from the seeds.
But Yun Zhaozhao felt that this was not important at all, because as long as one person returned the flowers, Clear Breeze Temple would have one more repeat customer. Moreover, with this, the game of painting and appreciating flowers would attract more attention and generate more buzz.
This proved to be true, because drawing flowers does require a certain level of skill, but scattering flower seeds is a different story. Even young children are very interested in participating.
Yun Zhaozhao not only provided flower seeds for everyone on site, but also provided paintbrushes and paints. Those who painted well could exchange their paintings for a pot of flowers currently available in Clear Breeze Temple. Of course, the paintings needed to be kept, because Yun Zhaozhao needed them to decorate the facade when the new Daoist temple of Clear Breeze Temple was officially established.
So besides painting flowers, visitors to Clear Breeze Temple can also leave other paintings or even calligraphy. As long as the painting is good, you can get a reward, which may be a pot of flowers, a fish, or sometimes a meal.
Art students from the art academy had been sketching at Clear Breeze Temple for some time before, and now that Clear Breeze Temple was holding a painting event, these art students naturally didn't want to be outdone. Various painting styles and techniques were put on display, and for a while, the backyard of Clear Breeze Temple was as lively as a vegetable market.
When Daoist Qingxin first visited, he felt that Clear Breeze Temple was sparsely populated and had almost no advantages except for its delicious food. However, every time he came back, he found that Clear Breeze Temple was slightly different from the last time he visited. Unlike his other temples, which remained unchanged for decades, Clear Breeze Temple was always new and exciting. The only constant was change.
Daoist Qingxin couldn't help but tease Yun Zhaozhao privately, "What big things is your Clear Breeze Temple next? Give me a heads-up so I won't be startled next time I come."
Yun Zhaozhao thought for a moment and said, "It wouldn't be considered a big commotion, but if possible, I hope that next time you come, you can bring Daoist Cen and Daoist Mao to perform Tai Chi and Baduanjin at the Daoist temple. If you're willing, I can have Jingting organize registration in the live broadcast room right now. I've even thought of a name for the event: 'Master Clear Breeze Mountain Teaches You Tai Chi in One Minute'."