"Mr. Banqiao is here, please come this way. Master has been waiting for you for a long time."

When Su Zi was in a daze, a young novice monk came quickly towards him and bowed slightly to Su Zi after he let go, with a look of great respect.

"Mr. Banqiao? Isn't it?" Although Su Zifang is a chef major, he still knows Zheng Banqiao's reputation.

He is a representative figure of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, a famous calligrapher, painter, writer, and a master of poetry, calligraphy, and painting. He has indulged in bamboo, orchid, and stone throughout his life. He calls himself "the orchid that never fades in four seasons, the evergreen bamboo with hundreds of knots, and the invincible stone that remains unchanged through the ages."

"People" who have left a profound mark in Chinese history.

"I'm just introducing a dish, but it actually leads to such a giant Buddha. Is there any unknown story in it?" Su Zifang thought, and followed Zheng Banqiao's footsteps.

"How is your master these days?" Zheng Banqiao now looks about forty-seven or eighty-year-old, and his behavior shows the leisureliness of a scholar, but there is still a bit of depression hidden in his eyebrows.

"Master chants sutras and meditates every day, which is no different from usual. It's just that a few days ago, he went to the temple kitchen to grind beans, which made other monks complain that the recent vegetarian dishes in the temple are all tofu."

"Grind the tofu?" Zheng Banqiao stroked his beard and smiled when he heard the little novice's words, "Your master is a strange person, and he naturally has his own reasons for doing things."

"That's what Mr. Banqiao said." Hearing Zheng Banqiao's words, the little novice monk stopped and turned around to salute with one palm.

"It's okay, let's go." Zheng Banqiao waved his long sleeves and motioned to the young novice to continue leading the way.

He had been to Tianning Temple several times, and he was so cute with this little novice monk. After walking a few steps, he still couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked: "Is the vegetarian food cooked by your master delicious?".

After saying that, the little novice monk looked at him with a bit of expectation.

"I haven't eaten it, so I can't say, but when Mr. Banqiao comes, Master will definitely cook it. If Mr. Banqiao thinks it tastes good, then it's delicious."

The young novice replied seriously.

"Haha, well said, that's how it should be. What others say is ultimately other people's ideas. Why not try it yourself." A hearty voice came from inside the house.

Then the door opened and a monk wearing rag robes walked out, holding a string of rosary beads in his hand with a look of joy on his face.

"Mr. Banqiao, please come in quickly. Pu Xin, go and serve tea."

"Yes, Master." The little novice monk entered the room, took the tray and left, leaving only Zheng Banqiao and the monk in the room.

"Master Wensi won't go to the dining hall today, so how can he have time to wait for Banqiao's visit?"

Zheng Banqiao spoke, and Su Zifang finally realized that the monk in front of him might be the inventor of Wensi Tofu, otherwise, this dish would not be named after him abruptly.

But Su Zifang is still a little curious. In later generations, Wensi tofu was seasoned with chicken soup, but now a monk makes it. What should we do?

"I heard that Mr. Banqiao wrote the preface to Mr. Zhuzhi's "Yangzhou Bamboo Branch Poems" a few days ago. However, the high mountain temple is far away from the view. I heard that Mr. Banqiao came to visit today, so I naturally wanted to disturb him."

"This matter is not urgent, but I just heard from Pu Xin that Master Wensi has been practicing in the Zhaitang recently. I wonder if there are any delicacies to eat?"

Su Zifang originally thought that the two of them would discuss Buddhism and the Book of Songs again, and they both decided to visit the temple and treat it as a trip. Unexpectedly, Zheng Banqiao was even more anxious than him and simply waited aside.

"There are no delicacies, but there is vegetarian food." Monk Wensi saluted with one palm and looked at Zheng Banqiao.

"I happened to be hungry after walking all the way. Why don't we talk about poetry after eating vegetarian food." Zheng Banqiao put down the fan in his hand as if he was cheating and looked at Monk Wensi.

"The time for the court hearing in the temple has not come yet, so it is a bit difficult. However, all the tofu was used up yesterday, and we have to make new tofu today. If Mr. Banqiao wants to try it, I will prepare it."

Monk Wensi stood up and saluted, and Zheng Banqiao also stood up and bowed in return.

"That's very good, please trouble the mage."

Monk Wensi turned around and left, leaving Zheng Banqiao admiring calligraphy and painting in the house.

Su Zifang was obviously more interested in Monk Wensi making tofu than in the incomprehensible calligraphy and painting, so he followed him in three steps and two steps at a time. As a result, no matter how he chased him, Monk Wensi was still more than ten meters in front of him.

After finally watching Monk Wensi turn around and enter a door, I thought I could catch him now.

But when he chased him to the door, Monk Wensi had already walked out with three pieces of tofu and closed the door behind him.

After pushing a few times, the wooden door didn't budge.

…

I don’t know whether it’s a setting or the system’s intention. Su Zifang cannot enter a closed door, even if it’s only ajar.

Shaking his head, Su Zifang hurriedly followed Monk Wensi. It was a pity that he didn't see the process of making tofu. If he had missed the making of Wensi tofu, then this video would have been in vain.

Moreover, Su Zifang was worried that he could only watch this kind of video once, so he cherished this opportunity even more.

"Master Wensi is good. Master Wensi is good..."

Monk Wensi walked through the corridor eaves of the hall and entered the kitchen in a familiar manner. All the monks he met along the way greeted him.

"I didn't expect this monk to be so popular." Su Zi thought to himself, but kept looking at the tofu on Monk Wensi's tray.

The tofu is soaked in a basin of clear water, swaying back and forth with the water waves, like a ball of fine suet.

"Master Wensi, you're here again today, hey? Why do you need to soak this tofu in water?" A novice monk stopped what he was doing and looked at Monk Wensi.

"This tofu is too tender. If you put it directly in a bowl, it will be crushed and it will be useless." Monk Wensi was obviously in a good mood and explained.

"I'll borrow this desk for a while and return it later."

After Monk Wensi finished speaking, he took a ladle of water, washed the chopping board and hands, and poured half a bowl of water next to him.

Carefully picking up a piece of tofu from the water and placing it on the chopping board, Monk Wensi calmed down, poured water on both sides of the blade, carefully held the tofu and began to cut.

At first, Monk Wensi still had some strength and was careful when cutting the knife. But after a few cuts, his appearance suddenly changed, and the blade collided with the chopping board, making a thick sound.

Su Zifang deliberately changed his angle and came closer to see the close-up view.

The water-soaked blade passed through the tofu, and the paper-thin tofu fell off the whole piece of tofu and piled together. Every time he made dozens of cuts, Monk Wensi would push it outward and spread the cut tofu slices on the chopping board.

After repeating it several times, a piece of watery tofu will be all sliced ​​into pieces, piled on the cutting board like a ball of butter.

Monk Wensi took a handful of water from the bowl with his left hand and spread it. He held the knife in his right hand and continued to cut into shreds straight up and down.

For a moment, there was only the continuous sound of the blade colliding with the chopping board, but the blade moved extremely slowly. If Su Zi hadn't placed it close enough, he might have thought that Monk Wensi's knife had never moved.

Monk Wensi was not in a hurry, as if he didn't care about the passage of time. He stood by the chopping board and looked at the tofu in his hand, cutting the knife according to the rhythm. Su Zifang also stood beside him and watched with wide eyes.

"Dong dong dong dong..."

"Boom!"
Chapter completed!