The surrounding pilgrims gradually turned their attention from the main hall.
"What does it do?"
"Why are you setting up a pot to cook food here?"
"Are you here to offer vegetarian food for worship?"
"Aren't the offerings to Suzhai all at the door and on both sides of the corridor? Who are they showing them to?"
"Nonsense, of course it is for Buddha to see."
"You're just talking nonsense. How much money can the Buddha give him? His parents will be the crowd of onlookers for food and clothing."
"That's right, that's right, is this person stupid?"
"It's not necessarily stupid, it's probably because you don't have money. Look at the Immortal's Residence. The big vegetarian pot in front of the door is already heating up. That's a worthy offering!"
Talking and laughing gradually began, humming amidst the solemn Buddhist music.
The hot copper cauldron of vegetarian soup was tumbling, looking like a sacrificial copper tripod in the sunlight. Fresh vegetables placed on silver plates were poured into the pot one by one by four or five shop assistants.
The aroma is overflowing.
In order to see the excitement of the Zen Tea Party, most of the people came here at night and were still cold and hungry. The fragrance spread, causing the crowd to commotion and cheers.
Dou Qi stood behind the crowd with a bit of pride.
"Our living offerings are much more attractive than those dead things." He said, looking around.
There was a long table there with a dazzling array of dishes, pastries, and fresh fruits, but on the long Yong Road, everyone's eyes were drawn to him.
"Place offerings in front of the Buddha. After the Buddha enjoys the blessings, we, the Immortal Residence, will distribute them to all living beings from the passing deities."
The shopkeeper stood aside and shouted loudly.
These words caused a commotion at the scene, and everyone rushed forward, raising their hands high.
Shenxianju, Shenxianju.
The shouting was noisy, attracting more and more people.
The arm-long spoons and copper chopsticks stirred the pot, making the scene boil like a pot.
In the main hall, after the first bowl of sencha was served to the eldest prince behind the yellow gauze curtain, Zen Master Minghai's sencha was distributed one by one, accompanied by more than a dozen monks walking around with ritual music.
Everyone present held it devoutly and bowed to express thanks.
The music and rituals stopped, and everyone stood up to see the prince off first. After the prince's honor guard left, the Zen tea party came to an end, and the atmosphere in the hall became more relaxed.
The noise from outside also came in, but it was like this every year, so no one took it seriously.
Everyone stood up and exited the main hall, allowing the waiting ordinary people to enter and pay homage.
Zen Master Minghai was walking among them, surrounded by familiar people, chatting and laughing as he walked out of the palace door.
There were not many people in front of the hall. At first glance, it seemed that they were crowded in front of the door at the end of the corridor.
"It's really lively there today."
"Anything new to offer this year?"
The people who came out also smiled, looked over and asked questions.
"It's the residence of gods and immortals."
"The Shenxianju houses a large vegetarian pot that can feed a hundred people at a time."
The words came quickly, causing everyone to stop and watch.
"The passing gods in this fairy residence are really good."
"How about we go sit there for a while after drinking tea today?"
Listening to the joking around, a man in green cloth standing behind them smiled slightly.
"Master, are you interested in coming with us?" Someone turned around and asked him.
The man smiled and shook his head.
"Thank you very much. I have something to do at home. I have something to do at home." He smiled and left.
Watching the man walk away, several people smiled at each other.
"Xiaoli Liu rarely eats or drinks out. I heard that his family even practices eating salted fish in private." Someone laughed.
"Nowhere can you be so poor." Someone curled his lips and said.
"Look at the clothes he is wearing, he must have been wearing them for more than ten years. Whenever there is an important occasion to meet people, this is the one." Someone else laughed.
While chatting and laughing here, Zen Master Minghai bowed to the people around him and excused himself. Just as he was about to take a step forward, he was grabbed by someone.
"Old monk," Old Master Chen said, "You have quite a few vegetarian dishes here today. Look, there is another one here."
Zen Master Minghai laughed, looked at Old Mrs. Chen meaningfully, and then followed his pointer.
At the foot of the steps in front of the palace door, a man stood beside a table, bending over and putting his hand in a large bowl.
Because the onlookers were rushing to share the food, it became more and more obvious that he was alone.
"What is this?" Zen Master Minghai asked, lowering his eyes slightly.
These two simple words, for some occasions, are worth a thousand pieces of gold, or even a thousand pieces of gold are hard to find.
Shopkeeper Wu, who had retreated to the roadside, took a deep breath, shook his clothes and stepped out.
"A certain person, Taipingju, came here to express my sincerity to the Buddha." He said.
Zen Master Minghai had a smile on his face but said nothing and did not look at him again.
Beside him, Old Mrs. Chen coughed lightly and took a step forward.
"What did you do?" he asked.
"Sincerely." Shopkeeper Wu said.
Because Zen Master Minghai stopped, others also stopped. Some looked at him with disdain and curiosity.
"What?" someone asked.
When he opened his mouth, Old Mrs. Chen stopped talking and stood looking with some curiosity.
"It's a tofu feast." Shopkeeper Wu said.
Tofu feast?
The news of this novel word attracted more people to ask.
"I can't tell, please take a look." Shopkeeper Wu said, taking a step away.
One person, two people, and more people stood over and looked down from the steps.
In the water bowl, a white and tender object gradually disintegrated in the man's hand, and a strange figure gradually appeared.
The onlookers couldn't help but take a few steps closer.
"I know about tofu." Someone said, "There are Taoist temples in Weizhou that sell tofu, but it is white, tender, soft, slippery, and tastes astringent. How can it be carved into a shape?"
More and more people came forward, but Mr. Chen and Zen Master Minghai were pushed aside. They were not allowed to speak, and the others were buzzing with questions.
"This is tofu." The girl said, taking out a piece from the burden on the side and showing it to everyone.
"Oh, it's so soft!" A woman stretched out her hand and pinched it, saying in surprise.
The girl nodded and handed it forward.
"It's made from beans, it's completely vegetarian, let me try it," she said.
"Can we eat it now?" the woman asked.
"Yes, it can be eaten raw or cooked," the girl said.
The woman hesitated, and a young man next to her stretched out his hand first.
"Let me have a taste." He said, picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. He tasted it briefly and nodded, "Not bad, not bad, there is something sour, good, good."
Then someone came to taste it again, and the voices and discussions became more and more noisy.
Li Dashao stood in front of several cases, unaware of all this. He bent over steadily and held the knife in his hand, changing the knife in his hand from time to time.
Everyone's eyes gradually focused on him.
"Look, it's a conch." Someone shouted in a low voice.
"Oh my god, it really is."
"No, there are lotus flowers and treasure bottles!"
More people gathered around and shouted.
Looking at the loose tofu, looking at the man's hands that were more flexible than the woman's embroidery, he gradually stopped talking and held his breath, looking at the tofu in the water bowl without blinking.
"Is this the person she wants to see?"
Prince Jin'an asked.
At this time, he was standing under the corridor on the side of the palace, with his hands behind his hands, looking at the crowd of people who had not dispersed, and his eyes fell on the woman a few feet away on the left front.
The woman was accompanied by two maids and a boy. She also looked at the crowd over there. Shuo Shuo could not see her expression clearly in the sunlight.
"Chang Liang, go take a look. Is there anything interesting to see?" Prince Jin'an said.
The waiter responded and hurriedly walked over, finally squeezing through the crowd on the steps. With a condescending glance, he saw a goldfish wagging its tail in the water bowl on the table.
"Ah!" he cried out loudly.
Immediately countless eyes flew to the side.
The chamberlain himself hurriedly covered his mouth and looked at the scene again.
The unremarkable-looking man changed his knife almost in the blink of an eye, and with a few light strokes, the few remaining tofu beside the goldfish began to separate again.
There was no sound of people at the scene anymore, and it seemed like even breathing had stopped.
"Go and have a look! There's so much excitement in front of the palace!"
Someone shouted loudly.
One by one, the crowd quickly turned around.
"What are you looking at?"
"Someone is making offerings in front of the temple!"
"What's there to see?"
“It’s food again! Freshly made!”
As soon as he said this, his stomach was tight after eating a bowl of passing fairy, and everyone with a big appetite suddenly became excited.
"Go and have a look, someone is handing out food again!"
The crowd of people huffing and puffing rushed away, and when they turned their eyes, the tables in Xianju were all gone, leaving only the dishes and chopsticks on the floor.
Dou Qi was so angry that his nose was crooked.
"You're so fucking shameless! You all learn from me!" He pointed with his hand and couldn't help but yelled, then walked away, "I'll go see which one it is!"
When the crowd came, a burst of cheers broke out in front of the hall.
The man took a step back. He seemed to be unable to straighten up after bending for a long time. He lowered his head and looked at the big bowl of tofu in front of him. The original square tofu had disappeared, replaced by wheels, umbrellas, lids, flowers,
The pots and fish have distinct shapes and are closely aligned with each other.
There were exclamations from all around, and they rushed forward to take a closer look.
Li Dashao's red eyes gradually became foggy.
It’s done, it’s done….
On the other side, the steamed and stewed tofu was also placed in the covered bowl in front of the girl, and the soup cooked in another pot was slowly poured along the edge of the bowl. The fragrant steam overflowed, and the tables lining were filled with mist.
"Please forgive me, Lord Buddha."
Shopkeeper Wu took a step forward, saluted towards the main hall and shouted.
The crowd immediately moved aside, revealing the solemn Buddhist temple in front of them, and low chants of Buddha could be heard from the scene.
Zen Master Minghai walked forward slowly. He stood in front of the steps and looked at the only wide bowl placed on the table and the eight Buddhist treasures floating in the bowl.
"Amitabha." He clasped his hands and chanted, lowered his head slightly, then raised his head and looked at the man at the foot of the steps, "This benefactor, please come to me with your offerings."
When the crowd came, they saw a few empty tables.
"Where's the food?" someone asked randomly, sniffing hard, and the aroma seemed to be spreading around.
"What is there to eat?" The nobles who had not dispersed on the steps turned around and said with some displeasure, "That is an offering to the Buddha!"
For Buddha? Those things that cannot be eaten are all for Buddha. Aren’t things that are edible always for humans?
"That person made an offering and was invited to the Buddha by Zen Master Minghai!"
Someone said while extending his hand and pointing forward.
Looking at the crowd, Zen Master Minghai was followed by a man on the steps. The man was of average stature and slightly stooped, but he was holding a bowl in both hands and walking steadily. Behind him was a woman holding a plate.
follow
"I heard it was made with tofu!"
“What is tofu?”
Everyone's eyes followed the man's back. Against the backdrop of the majestic Buddhist temple, his ordinary figure actually looked somewhat solemn and tall.
"It's amazing to be able to make Zen Master Minghai look at the invitation in a different light! Who is this person?" Everyone asked one after another.
"Li Dashao!"
The answer came from behind, and someone turned around and saw Dou Qi, who was following him, standing behind, looking with his mouth wide open in disbelief at the man who was about to enter the main hall with Zen Master Minghai.
Li Dashao!
That coward! That coward!
*************************
Here, I would like to thank book friend Shangguan Ruoli for reminding me that the original setting was to carve the Buddha with tofu, but it turned out that it was disrespectful to use food to carve the Buddha, so I specially modified it. The previous two chapters of "Concern" and "Admission" were also modified. I would like to thank you for the reminder. Also
I would like to thank my friends Xiao Yanyan, Taoist priest Xuan Jizi, Sina Weibo and the book club for answering my questions about food carving Buddha. Thank you for providing various information and answers. I wrote this book to make it comfortable for everyone to read. The small details are very important.
It's important. You can't believe everything. You can't be disrespectful. Thank you very much.
Another note: I have taken over the stage work and can only guarantee one update in two days. The number of words is three thousand, which is one thousand less than two. Please bear with me.
PS: The above words will be added after they are uploaded. No fees will be charged if they do not account for the number of words in the chapter. (To be continued)
