Yunling rubbed the back of her hand and made a face at Old Lady Yun.

"Grandma, if we don't eat these, are we going to throw them away? That would be such a waste."

"You big idiot! These are all for sacrifices, for those who can't bear to eat them in public. If you pick them up and eat them, you'll get into trouble with the unclean spirits."

Yunling felt that this statement was somewhat unreasonable and retorted:

“Grandma is being unreasonable. Grandpa always says that our family is rich now, but there are still many families who are struggling to eat and drink. It’s really wrong of you to waste things like this.”

“What’s wrong with that? You silly child, what do you know about adult matters? I asked the fairy, and she said that the things after the sacrifice are the things that can’t be taken in the open. We can’t fight with them for them. We should just throw them outside and let fate decide. It’s not a waste.”

“Grandma, if it were just one serving, that would be fine, but there are five servings. I’ve seen the villagers who invite the fortune tellers to worship the gods. They can buy ten or twenty salted duck eggs at a time. After worshiping the gods, the fortune tellers take them home to eat or sell.”

As soon as Yunling finished speaking, she received a flick on the forehead from her mother. At the same time, her door was pushed open, and she woke up with a shout from Tang Ling.

"Didn't you say you wanted to go to the Great Xiangguo Temple? Today is the fifteenth, and the Great Xiangguo Temple is open."

Yunling stretched lazily, wondering if she could find a satisfactory merchant today. She threw off the covers, got out of bed, and rinsed her mouth and washed her face with the hot water that Tang Ling handed her.

"Young Master Lu said he'll pick us up at Daxiangguo Temple later..."

When Yunling heard Lu Yinghuai's name, she was reminded of what happened last night, that extremely ambiguous hug, and she felt a little uncomfortable. Didn't this man feel awkward and keep his distance? Or did he simply not take it seriously and think he was just recounting how she had clung to him?

Yunling removed the towel from her face, and was about to say that they didn't need Lu Yinghuai to pick them up, as they knew the way back, when Tang Ling spoke up first.

"He said he had found the craftsmen who could polish the raw stones, and after picking us up, we would go and take a look together."

Yunling drooped her ears like a deflated balloon; this person had her completely under his control again.

It was colder today than yesterday. Yunling was thinking of having a bowl of hot beef tripe soup noodles, but she was attracted by the rice noodle rolls on a bamboo tray next door.

The man held a winnowing basket in one hand and a ladle in the other, stirring the rice paste in the wooden bucket. He then scooped out a spoonful of the pale white rice paste and poured it onto the basket. He then shook the basket with a flourish, as if performing kung fu, until the rice paste had spread out in the basket…

Next, add minced pork, crack in an egg, and quickly stir with chopsticks. Then steam it in a large pot. After a short while, lift the lid, stuff in a handful of chopped greens, and steam it again.

The pot lid was opened again, and in a few quick movements, a translucent rice noodle roll with a yellowish-green hue was placed on a plate.

Upon seeing this, Yunling's stomach rumbled loudly, as if it were filled with countless gluttonous worms that gurgled louder than snoring at the mere smell of the aroma.

She rushed forward, exclaiming "Yo!"

"Brother, give me a steamed rice noodle roll."

"Whatever you want, we have vegetarian sausage, lean meat sausage, pork liver sausage, egg sausage, whatever you want."

Yunling looked at the bowls and plates on the table and pointed them out one by one:

"I'd like a pork, liver, and egg dish. The pork should be sliced, not minced. Add lettuce, but no scallions. Thank you."

Tang Ling didn't know what to order, so she said:

"I want one of the same."

Okay.

After the young man responded, he worked very quickly, even accidentally cracking some of the eggshell inside the rice noodle rolls. The two rice noodle rolls were quickly placed on a plate.

High-end ingredients often only require simple seasoning. Yunling simply adds a little secret soy sauce to the rice noodle roll and that's it. One bite, and the rice noodle roll is tender and smooth, seasoned with the secret soy sauce. It's a simple yet extremely enjoyable experience.

Yunling really wanted to eat another one, but with this kind of thing, the first bite is always the most unforgettable. If she ate another one, the taste would definitely be very different, even if it was made in the exact same way.

After filling their stomachs, Yunling, led by Tang Ling, headed to the Daxiangguo Temple. According to Tang Ling, although the Daxiangguo Temple was a temple, it was also a bustling market where countless people would come to trade every time it opened.

The market inside is divided into different areas, each with its own unique businesses.

The more Tang Ling spoke, the more excited Yun Ling became. Just at the mountain gate, she saw raccoon dogs being sold, and scholars and literati gathered in front of the dogs, vying to write poems and calligraphy for them, calling them "beloved slave" and "little raccoon dog," which sounded extremely nauseating.

The young ladies, on the other hand, gathered more around the dog stall, constantly sucking and nibbling. When the dog wagged its tail at them, they jumped and skipped excitedly.

At the mountain gate, there were also pheasants, parrots, doves, pigeons, and so on. There were also the mythical birds touted by the vendors, such as the red-billed blue magpie and the popular dragon and phoenix crows. There were so many species that Yunling couldn't take it all in. It was a pity that her purpose in coming here was not here, otherwise she would have lingered longer to take a good look.

Go further in, the second and third doors sell all sorts of miscellaneous goods, including straw mats, bamboo mats, screens, curtains, as well as toothbrushes, toothpaste, towels, tea sets, eye drops, and so on.

As you continue walking in, you'll see many people setting up colorful tents or open-air stalls in the temple courtyard to sell things like saddles, bows and swords, cured meat, and seasonal fruits.

There were stalls in front of the main Buddha hall, and in the corridors on the left and right, nuns were selling jewelry and knitwear, including pearls, jade, hats, turbans, velvet flowers, wigs, and crowns worn by nobles.

Looking back, Yunling saw mostly books, curiosities, and calligraphy and paintings. Upon closer inspection, she also saw some fortune-telling stalls and portrait painting stalls, but not the wool stall she wanted.

Yunling sighed, and Tang Lingle said:

"Young master, are you looking for wool here?"

"Yes, I heard from Lu Yinghuai that the Great Xiangguo Temple sells everything and has many merchants who travel between the two countries, so I came to Bianjing."

Tang Ling frowned slightly and said:

"But it's winter now, and the wool will be sheared when it gets warmer in the spring, so there will be very little wool left, and it will usually be used by the owners themselves."

"But those merchants can't just deal in wool and not do any other business, can they?"

Tang Ling thought this made sense, so she replied:

"That makes sense. Why don't we look again?"

Yunling nodded and stopped going inside. As she walked out, she paid special attention to people with merchant-like qualities. She didn't see any merchants, but she did see a thief. Moreover, after stealing the money pouch, the thief ran straight towards her...