"Humph, you armchair critics sure talk big! Do you think you can handle adding these chopsticks?"
A Man scowled as she cursed freely. The man who had "kindly" made the suggestion received a fierce glare from his wife and didn't dare say another word.
Qing Liu just stubbornly knelt on the ground. No matter what, she kept repeating the same thing over and over again: she had made up her mind and only begged the abbot to take her in.
The group of women wailed and made a scene. Li Ying rubbed her throbbing temples, finding this farce extremely annoying.
Finally, Lu Xunguang stepped forward and struck Qing Liu on the back of her neck. Her body went limp and she collapsed.
"You take Qing Liu back and let her rest. The Buddhist temple is a place of tranquility and cannot tolerate her such a ruckus. We can discuss her future after she calms down," Lu Xunguang frowned and calmly gave the order. The women exchanged glances and all showed a hint of joy.
It seemed that the head of the Lu family had finally relented?
The women knew when to stop. They escorted the unconscious Qing Liu back to her room. Seeing that there was no more fun to be had, the onlookers left one by one, looking bored.
In a short while, only Li Ying and Lu Xunguang were left, standing there in silence.
Li Ying noticed that his face didn't look good. Remembering what Shi Hu had said about his recent recovery from a serious illness and his weak body, she wanted to ask him how he was, but the words died on her lips.
Lu Xunguang also remained silent. Seeing his taciturn appearance, A Man got even angrier. She snorted and pulled Li Ying away.
"Sister, Qing Liu is really restless. If we keep her in the village, there will be no peace. She'll surely cause trouble sooner or later!" A Man said indignantly. Seeing that Li Ying still looked lost in thought, she was afraid that her sister wouldn't listen to her, so she quickly added, "Sister, I heard clearly today. Many of the women watching the commotion were whispering to each other!"
"Most of the wives of the wealthy merchants in the capital are devout Buddhists. If Qing Liu really manages to persuade the abbot, I'm afraid our whole village will be disgraced and scorned!"
Of course, Li Ying understood this truth.
After much thought, she decided that since Qing Liu's impulsive act today was somehow related to her and Lu Xunguang, she had to go to the temple in person to apologize to the monks and the abbot.
Having made up her mind, Li Ying wasn't in a hurry to go out. Instead, she went straight to the kitchen, washed her hands, and prepared some vegetarian dishes.
The temple didn't have many pilgrims, so the monks lived a simple life. Since she was going to apologize, she should show some sincerity.
The first dish for the monks should be the Arhat Vegetarian Feast.
This dish requires eighteen kinds of vegetarian ingredients, wrapped in bean curd skin, symbolizing the eighteen arhats and bringing good luck.
Dried shiitake mushrooms, flower mushrooms, hedgehog mushrooms, and matsutake mushrooms, as well as cloud ears, black fungus, and white fungus, all of the highest quality, were washed to remove the dirt and soaked for later use.
The homemade dried bean curd sticks, mung bean vermicelli, and dried kelp were also cut into small pieces.
In addition to these dried ingredients, fresh lilies, straw mushrooms, radishes, water chestnuts, taros, chestnuts, and bamboo shoots were also prepared.
After sautéing ginger shreds in vegetable oil, all kinds of mushrooms were stir-fried. Then the fresh soup from soaking the dried ingredients was added, making the aroma more intense during the stewing process.
Vegetarian dishes should not contain "five pungent vegetables" such as scallions and garlic, so only simple salt and soy sauce were used for seasoning. After the soup had thickened, a deep bowl was lined with the soft and sticky deep-fried bean curd skin, and the Arhat Vegetarian Feast was filled in and pressed tightly.
After wrapping it neatly, it was quickly inverted onto a porcelain plate, decorated with blanched small green vegetables on the side, looking just like arhats in meditation.
When eating, just pour a thin sauce made of thickened juice on it. When the bean curd skin was pierced, the sweetness of the seasonal vegetables and the rich aroma of the mushrooms blended together.
Although the eighteen ingredients selected were not rare delicacies, after long cooking, the aroma of the mushrooms and the sweetness of the lilies and chestnuts were deeply infused into the soft taros. The porous and soft bean curd sticks exuded warm and delicious soup with each bite.
While the dish was slowly stewing on a low heat, Li Ying made another dish: Sesame Vegetarian Duck.
The radishes, black fungus, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots were all cut into even strips and blanched to remove the slight astringency.
Then sesame oil was added to the pan, and all the vegetables were stir-fried until soft. Seasoned with soy sauce and brown sugar, they became the filling for the "roast goose" after cooling.
The filling was placed on the bean curd skin, tightly rolled up, and glued with starch water. After being wrapped, it was rolled in a layer of white sesame seeds and then fried in a pan on a low heat.
Li Ying tapped the vegetarian roast goose with a spatula. When a crisp sound came from the outer skin, it was done. Cut into neat segments, it was ready to be offered to the monks.
The filling stir-fried in sesame oil was extremely fragrant, and the even layer of sesame seeds was the icing on the cake. The outer skin was crispy and fragrant, while the inside was soft. With each bite, the tenderness of the mushrooms and the freshness of the bamboo shoots complemented each other in the mouth. Although it was just a vegetarian dish, the taste was anything but bland.
Li Ying made a few more vegetarian dishes, cooked a large pot of delicious vegetarian noodles, fetched some fresh tea, and took a bag of silver. Then she calmly headed for the temple.
The abbot never expected her to return. A look of confusion appeared on his face.
"Benefactor Li, this is..."
He was, after all, a highly respected Buddhist monk, so he was still polite to Li Ying. But the young monks guarding the mountain gate remembered the farce just now, and their faces all showed a hint of uneasiness.
Li Ying understood.
The temple didn't have many pilgrims to begin with. She had made a big fuss by bringing out the huge statue of the Mazu goddess. Now, almost all the travelers passing by had been attracted to it.
At this critical moment, Qing Liu had caused such a ruckus. No wonder the monks in the temple didn't like her.
Li Ying smiled slightly, put her hands together, and bowed respectfully to the abbot.
"Today, because of my decision to take in Qing Liu and her group, I've caused a lot of trouble for the temple. I feel really bad about it. I've specially prepared some vegetarian dishes and some money for the incense, and I'm here to apologize."
Hearing her words and smelling the strong aroma of the food behind her, the abbot's expression finally relaxed. He waved to two young novices, thanked Li Ying, and had them carry the things inside.
Li Ying chatted with him for a few more words but didn't rush to leave.
"Abbot, I came here today for two reasons. One is to apologize, and the other is to discuss something with you."
She smiled calmly and confidently, which made the abbot even more confused.
"Previously, I was only focused on opening shops in the town and helping the villagers live a better life. I neglected this sacred Buddhist place. It was really my oversight."
"I have an idea that can ensure that the temple will have a steady stream of pilgrims and incense offerings from now on. I wonder if the master is interested in hearing it?"