Chapter 65: Birds Roost by the Poolside Trees; Monks Knock on the Gate under the Moonlight

  "Are you still not dead?" Longshen laughed and said: "What a tough little life!"

  "Guā piàn's life belongs to Lord Longshen, and if Lord Longshen doesn't want him to die, Guā piàn wouldn't dare take matters into his own hands." Guā piàn replied cleverly.

  "It's that! There really is a huge monster over there!" A shout came from far away, I turned my head to look, and saw a group of people holding torches running towards this direction.

  Longjing said with a tilted head, "You're just here to join in the fun, aren't you? Perhaps the noise earlier was too loud and startled the ordinary people... Never mind, let's disperse for today! Next time, I'll go to the Hu family to bother the beggar chicken to eat."

  "The Dragon God is willing to visit my humble abode, it's truly an honor!" Mr. Hu was overjoyed when he heard that the Dragon King was willing to come and pay his respects. He then hastily apologized and said: "Dragon God, please forgive me, our little demon family doesn't want to be seen by humans, so I'll take my leave now!" After finishing speaking, Mr. Hu led the foxes into the willow forest and disappeared from view.

  Hu San'er walked to the end, gazing longingly at the merry-go-round for a moment. Le Qincu shook her tail at him, as if urging him on, and he had no choice but to disappear into the night with her in quick strides.

  "Is it Beggar's Chicken, or Pan-Seared Chicken, or Braised Chicken Cubes? That's the question..." Longjing scratched his head, still muttering to himself: "Anyway, the Hu family is also connoisseurs of chicken dishes, no need to worry about not getting good flavor. I'd better go back and think carefully." As he said this, Longjing's eyes darted around, and he smiled at us: "You two, a lone man and woman in the wilderness, it wouldn't be good if word got out... let's just quietly avoid the subject..." With that, he took his leave, carrying his melon slices, and disappeared from view.

  Li Kaitang's face turned bright red, but the sound of people chattering grew louder and closer. Li Kaitang hastily pulled me up and said, "Rumors are to be feared, this concerns Miss Mei's reputation, so we must let Miss Mei follow me for now and suffer a slight inconvenience." He led me to hide behind a cluster of trees.

  Li Kaitang concentrated his attention on the noisy people outside, as if afraid of being discovered by them. The moonlight filtered through the sparse trees and fell on Li Kaitang's face, looking like a beautiful painting.

  The sound of insects rose and fell, and the fragrance of honeysuckle came from somewhere. Those people held torches and shouted: "Where did this monster come from? Old three, won't you be drunk again?"

  The one called Lao San hastily defended himself: "I didn't drink that much, only two liang, and I'm perfectly clear-headed. I saw two strange creatures fighting, and one of them could even spit fire!"

  "You still say you haven't had too much to drink, then tell me, where is the monster?" Several people complained: "You've ruined our beautiful dreams, what are you going to use to compensate us?"

  "But I really saw it!" Lao San insisted, saying stubbornly: "If I'm wrong about a single word, I'm not afraid of being struck by lightning!"

  "Give up quickly!" Those people didn't bother looking anymore and said: "You treat everyone to some wine tomorrow, and we won't hold it against you."

  "Thirty is still young, and now you're talking about having children? It's really frustrating to teach someone like that. Arguing with you makes us look petty."

  They all went back.

  Lao San had to chase after them: "How can you not believe me? I really saw it! One monster's head was as big as a millstone, and another monster had several heads..."

  "This old three also implicated." After they walked away, I stood up and patted the dirt on my skirt, smiling. The billionaire CEO fell in love with a fake rich girl.

  Li Qietang nodded: "However, I think Old Three is quite good."

  "Where did you see it?" I hastily asked back.

  "Those who like to interfere in other people's business are usually not bad people." Li Qietang smiled and said, "Mei, shall I escort you home?"

  I nodded hastily and walked away thinking that this Zi Yu Street might have another bizarre legend added to it.

  Recently, Mr. Mo said that guests are tired of eating big fish and meat, it's better to make some dishes with rich flavor but not too greasy.

  Dad thought for a moment and decided to make a dish of tofu with gravy.

  To make tofu, one has to get up early and work late into the night. Fortunately, next door to us was Old Lady Liu's family, who made a living by grinding soybeans and selling soy milk and tofu, so we could always buy the freshest tofu.

  Soft and tender fresh tofu is originally rich in bean fragrance, with a long aftertaste. If it's for home consumption, sprinkling some fine salt, sesame oil, and green onion flowers can make it directly edible, light and refreshing. It's most suitable to eat during the sweltering summer days when one doesn't feel like drinking or eating anything. However, for honored guests, it might be a bit too plain, so naturally, more variety is needed.

  Silken tofu cut into square pieces of moderate thickness, fried in a pot with snow-white lard until golden brown on both sides, then taken out. The remaining oil in the pot is used to stir-fry diced carrots, mushrooms, garlic, shrimp, fermented bean paste, scallions, and crispy pork or ham (or vegetarian alternatives). For a non-vegetarian option, add scrambled eggs with pickled mustard greens for added flavor.

  All the ingredients are stir-fried to bring out the fragrance, then add high broth and tofu. Add salt, braise the tofu over low heat until it absorbs the flavor, then take out the tofu. The remaining soup is thickened with cornstarch, and after it's done, pour it over the tofu. Drizzle a little sesame oil and sprinkle some white sesame seeds and chopped scallions on top, making it a delicious dish that can be either savory or vegetarian. Let's get married!

  This dish was very popular in the Smoke and Rain Pavilion, and Mr. Mo highly recommended it, making a big name for itself. A merchant named Niu San Ye, who often purchased goods for the nearby Ci Bei Temple, ate it and praised it with great enthusiasm, insisting on ordering it as a vegetarian dish to welcome distinguished guests at Ci Bei Temple.

  Father took over the business, very happy, said: "Now, if Ci Bei Temple's incense is always prosperous, our family will not be able to hire a few more partners!"

  The incense of Ci Bei Temple is probably the most prosperous in this area, and there are often queues of dignitaries sitting in luxurious cars and horses to burn incense and worship Buddha. Ci Bei Temple has a special courtyard built for female guests, specially receiving the families of distinguished guests from afar.

  Yesterday, Niu San Ye instructed that today there would be a noble guest from Xichuan coming to Ci Bei Temple to burn incense, and he told me to specially go to the other courtyard to deliver vegetarian dishes to the female guests, so I and my father hastily agreed.

  Although I have been to Ci Bei Temple, I have never entered the inner hall of Ci Bei Temple. The incense burner and the Buddhist scriptures in Ci Bei Temple are very famous. In the front hall, people come and go, bustling with activity, as devout men and women burn incense and worship Buddha, the swirling incense smoke can form a vortex that hovers above the temple like a cloud.

  A young novice monk led me out through a side door, instructing me where I could and couldn't go. If I were to recklessly rush around like a fly, it would be terrible if I were to disturb the honored guests. He then pointed to a courtyard and said that was where the monks practiced, and female bodhisattvas were absolutely not allowed inside.

  That young monk, although young in years, had a very serious expression. When it came to rules and regulations, he was absolutely correct, just like a little adult. It was quite amusing. I hastily agreed with him one by one, indicating that I wouldn't cause them any trouble.