Hearing Mrs. Wang's footsteps, Daoist Chang Kong and Yun Zhaozhao looked up at the same time.
Mrs. Wang had never visited any other Daoist temples, so she had no idea how they reacted to visitors. In any case, the first thing Yun Zhaozhao said upon seeing her was, "Hello, lay devotee. Have you come up for a meal?"
Mrs. Wang instinctively waved her hands. "No, I'm not here to eat."
Yun Zhaozhao was rather disappointed by this answer. A customer had finally come at mealtime, only to turn out not to want a meal.
But the very next second, Mrs. Wang's answer instantly rekindled Yun Zhaozhao's enthusiasm.
Mrs. Wang said, "I'd like to buy some ginkgo cakes. This is where you buy them, right?"
Yun Zhaozhao put down her book and shot out of her lounge chair. "Yes, yes, yes! How many would you like?"
For this outing, Mrs. Wang had arranged to come with three families in total, adding up to more than a dozen adults and children. Besides, she had tasted these ginkgo cakes before and wasn't worried about stepping on a land mine, so she simply ordered a few extra bags. "Let me have ten bags to start!"
Yun Zhaozhao's ginkgo cakes came four to a box, with two boxes per bag. Ten bags amounted to forty boxes.
Now this really was a big customer.
Even Daoist Chang Kong couldn't help asking doubtfully, "...Can you finish that many?"
Mrs. Wang smiled. "There are a lot of us, including children. Besides, if we really can't finish them, I can take them home for breakfast."
While Yun Zhaozhao packed up the ginkgo cakes, Mrs. Wang's gaze couldn't help drifting back to the smoked meat in Daoist Chang Kong's hands. "What delicious food are you... planning to make?"
The moment food came up, Daoist Chang Kong became talkative. "I'm making some smoked cured pork."
Mrs. Wang asked, "Smoked cured pork? Is it good?"
Daoist Chang Kong said, "Of course it's good! Not only do I use fresh pork, even the firewood I use for smoking is fragrant cypress branches. Cured pork gently smoked over a low fire like this is richly aromatic, and fatty without being greasy. In a stir-fry, the lean meat isn't dry or tough. In soup, the flavor lingers endlessly..."
Daoist Chang Kong's description left Mrs. Wang so tempted that the ginkgo cakes in her hands instantly lost their appeal.
She couldn't resist asking him, "Are you making this smoked cured pork for yourself, or to sell?"
Daoist Chang Kong said, "Of course it's for my-"
Before Daoist Chang Kong could finish saying "myself," Yun Zhaozhao, who was packing the ginkgo cakes beside him, jumped in. "We were originally planning to keep it for ourselves, but if you're sincerely interested, you can leave your contact details, and we'll get in touch once it's finished smoking."
Mrs. Wang actually obliged and left her contact details. As she was leaving, she remembered her earlier conversation with her husband about whether Clear Breeze Temple offered delivery and asked tentatively, "You don't do deliveries here, do you?"
Yun Zhaozhao gave the same sort of answer. "Normally, we don't offer delivery, but if you're sincerely interested, it's not beyond discussion..."
Mrs. Wang was clever and caught on immediately. "I can pay extra!"
By the time Mrs. Wang returned to the lawn with her packed ginkgo cakes, everyone had spread out their picnic blankets, pitched their tents, and settled down on the grass.
Mrs. Wang took the opportunity to hand out the ginkgo cakes she had brought back. "Come on, everyone, try these ginkgo cakes I just bought. They're so fragrant and soft. Absolutely delicious."
Mrs. Wang had been enthusiastically recommending these ginkgo cakes all the way there, naturally arousing the curiosity of quite a few mothers. Among the mothers accompanying her was a woman named Zhao Yumei, who enjoyed making cakes and desserts at home in her spare time, so she was the most curious about these ginkgo cakes.
The moment Mrs. Wang opened a box of ginkgo cakes and offered it to her, she eagerly picked one up.
Unlike an amateur like Mrs. Wang, who only cared about how they tasted, Zhao Yumei didn't rush to eat her ginkgo cake. Instead, she first checked how it felt. The ginkgo cake was soft when squeezed and slightly sticky to the touch. Pressing a little harder made it sink right in, but as soon as she relaxed her grip, it sprang back quickly.
Judging solely by that soft, chewy, springy feel, it seemed a little like steamed sponge cake or donkey rolls.
Then there was the color. In the sunlight, the ginkgo cake was a lovely pale yellow, with a slightly translucent quality. Looking closely, she could even see the little pieces of ginkgo nut on it. Judging by the pale yellow alone, it also seemed a little like yellow pea cake.
Seeing Zhao Yumei keep examining the ginkgo cake in her hand without taking a bite, Mrs. Wang couldn't help enthusiastically recommending it again. "It really is delicious. I'm not lying. After trying it last time, I couldn't stop thinking about it for ages!"
Under Mrs. Wang's expectant gaze, Zhao Yumei finally raised the ginkgo cake and took a bite. Its texture was incredibly fine and soft, seeming to melt the instant it entered her mouth, leaving only a delicate yet lingering ginkgo fragrance that made her want another bite.
Zhao Yumei couldn't help remarking, "No wonder you couldn't stop thinking about it after trying it once. The texture really is excellent."
As a seasoned foodie, Mrs. Wang was delighted that the people around her liked her favorite cakes too, so she said excitedly, "Well? I told you they were delicious, didn't I? When I went up to buy the ginkgo cakes just now, I also saw the Daoist at Clear Breeze Temple making smoked cured pork! I've already left my contact details. They said they'd call me once the pork is finished smoking."
Zhao Yumei clicked her tongue in wonder. "...Clear Breeze Temple certainly sells quite a range of things. Not just cakes, but cured pork too."
Mrs. Wang said, "Well, the Daoist did say at first that it wasn't for sale, but then my sincerity moved him, and he agreed to sell it."
Zhao Yumei said, "Sincerity really is the ultimate move!"
Mrs. Wang said, "Sincerity is only part of it. Mainly, I was willing to pay extra. How does that saying go? Clear Breeze Temple and I had no fated connection; it all came down to my willingness to pay extra."
Zhao Yumei said, "..."
Chapter 7
Before Daoist Chang Kong's smoked cured pork had finished smoking, Clear Breeze Temple had already run out of ginkgo nuts.
Without ginkgo nuts, the most important ingredient, Daoist Chang Kong certainly couldn't make ginkgo cakes. Fortunately, he soon branched out into a new delicacy-with the cotton roses in full bloom in October, he began using their flowers to make cotton rose pastries.
The earlier ginkgo cakes had come in only one color, but this time, Daoist Chang Kong made his cotton rose pastries in both dark and light pink. Shaped like compact, full cotton rose blossoms, the pastries looked intricately layered and tasted crisp and flaky. They were delicate treats that struck a maiden's heart even more readily than the ginkgo cakes had.
Just as she had when he made ginkgo cakes, Yun Zhaozhao recorded Daoist Chang Kong making cotton rose pastries on her phone.
She had been considering promoting Clear Breeze Temple for a while, but had never found a suitable opportunity. Of course, that was also because, at present, aside from Daoist Chang Kong's cooking, the temple really had nothing else worth showing off.
She had originally wanted to film some food videos and post them on a video account, but making videos involved not just filming, but also editing, adding voice-overs and subtitles... In short, there were all sorts of fiddly tasks. Yun Zhaozhao was a salted fish by nature. She had only managed to flop about a little before because she couldn't afford food. Now that Clear Breeze Temple had a steady trickle of income from Daoist Chang Kong selling ginkgo cakes and cooking meals, she couldn't even be bothered to flop about anymore. After putting it off again and again, she still hadn't even registered a video account.
After buying ginkgo cakes twice, Mrs. Wang became a regular at Clear Breeze Temple, and her friend Zhao Yumei also began coming up for a look around from time to time.
Mrs. Wang was one thing-she simply liked eating. Zhao Yumei was different. She liked eating, but also couldn't help wanting to become his apprentice and learn his craft.
Seeing how much Zhao Yumei enjoyed it, Yun Zhaozhao discussed an idea with her. "Do people like you who love making desserts have your own groups, like people who love hiking outdoors? A dessert chat group or something?"
Zhao Yumei said, "We do. Why?"
Yun Zhaozhao said, "Look, teaching you is teaching, and teaching ten or twenty people is still teaching. If you really want to learn dessert-making from him, why not put out a call in your groups and organize more people to come over? That would bring more visitors to Clear Breeze Temple and spread the word about Daoist Chang Kong's skills. In return, of course, we wouldn't charge you tuition, and we'd even give you some free desserts. How does that sound?"
Zhao Yumei said, "Advertising in exchange for tuition, right?"
Yun Zhaozhao said, "...If you insist on putting it that way, sure."
Zhao Yumei thought it over and decided she wouldn't lose out on the arrangement, so she really did share a video of Daoist Chang Kong making food in a dessert group she had joined.
Unexpectedly, someone really did respond enthusiastically.
Only, the response came not from a dessert enthusiast, but from a photography enthusiast.
After retiring, Xu Fugui had become obsessed with photography. Whenever he had nothing to do, he went out with a group of old friends to photograph birds and fish, living a relaxed and comfortable life. That day, while he was scrolling through videos on his wife's phone, a video message suddenly popped up in one of her groups.
The video showed a plump Daoist kneading dough. That wasn't the point, of course. The point was that behind the plump Daoist stood a corner of a temple building. Partly hidden by an ancient ginkgo tree, its upturned eave looked wonderfully atmospheric. It was simply a perfect location for photography.
So Xu Fugui quickly used his wife's phone to reply beneath the video: [Where is this?]
Zhao Yumei replied instantly: [This is Clear Breeze Temple, inside Qingfeng Park.]
Daoist Chang Kong's earlier ginkgo cakes had been sold inside Clear Breeze Temple. This time, because he had made a little too many cotton rose pastries, he simply moved his stall to the entrance of Qingfeng Park.
Normally, setting up stalls to sell things wasn't allowed at park entrances like this, but for one thing, Qingfeng Park had very few visitors, and for another, the security guard at its entrance had accepted two boxes of cotton rose pastries from Yun Zhaozhao. So he kept one eye open and the other closed, leaving the two of them to it.