Chapter 94, The 94th Inn: A Trip Together

The next day, Yunyin got up before dawn. As soon as she went out, Fu Wang handed her a bouquet of plum blossoms and said, "Today is your birthday. I wish you all the best."

She took the plum blossom, still glistening with dew, its fragrance filling the air. Curious, she asked, "Where did you find these plum blossoms? I asked around, and they all said there weren't any nearby."

Fu Wang smiled, took out a box from his pocket and handed it to Yun Yin, "Keep this a secret for now, you'll find out in a bit. First, look at the gift I gave you."

Yunyin placed the new plum blossom vase, opened the small wooden box, inside which was something wrapped in a handkerchief. She looked at Fu Wang, and at his gesturing glance, opened it, revealing a beautifully carved comb.

The comb, carved from the finest wood, is adorned with clouds and intertwined branches. Every tooth of the comb is polished exceptionally smooth, and when Yunyin casually touched it, there wasn't a single burr.

Not only that, he also applied an oil to the comb, making it shinier and preventing it from damaging the scalp. It was a small comb, but one made with great care. She gripped the comb tightly in her hand, looked at Fu Wang, and said, "Thank you, I like it very much."

Fu Wang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I'm glad you like it." He handed her the hot water on the floor, "Go wash up quickly, there's a gift coming later."

Yunyin was pushed back into her room by him, and turned back to ask him, "What other gifts are there?"

Fu Wang: "You'll know when you come out after you've washed up."

Yunyin had no choice but to look away, quickly tidy herself up, and wanted to see what else he had prepared.

Back in the lobby, everyone congratulated her. She received a tassel from Fang He and Fang Tang, a birthday painting from Yin Shuang, and a pair of shoes from Zheng Guilan. Her eyes were red as she looked at this scene. "Thank you all."

Zhang Lin and Ma Hao scratched their heads. "We didn't know what to give our wives. Since we know she likes tea, we bought her a tea set together." Zhang Lin looked at Fu Wang, who brought in food from outside, and said, "I originally wanted to make breakfast for our wives, but Mr. Fu wouldn't allow it, so I had to chip in with them."

Fu Wang brought over a steaming bowl of noodles and longevity peaches. He called to Yun Yin, "Come and eat the longevity noodles. I put an egg in them for you." He pointed to another plate of longevity peaches and said, "You can eat just one of these, but you must finish the noodles. I didn't make many. Come and try them."

Longevity noodles and longevity peaches are both dishes made for birthday celebrations. Yunyin had made them for other diners before. Seeing the noodles and peaches made by Fu Wang himself, Yunyin would eat them even without him saying anything. The noodles were plain noodles, served with fried eggs and green vegetables, which looked very appetizing.

Yunyin picked up the noodle and saw that it was a whole noodle. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Fu Wang: "Amazing, you can even keep the noodle from breaking."

Although making ramen may not seem too difficult, pulling a single noodle without breaking it is still quite challenging. Even Zhang Lin sometimes struggles with it. As for Yun Yin herself, she has to be very careful to avoid breaking it. Surprisingly, Fu Wang was able to do it successfully. No one knows how many times he tried.

Fu Wang didn't mention that he had worked on it for a long time last night and then got up early this morning to work on it again, finally getting such a complete, unbroken, and thin noodle. The remaining noodles would be enough for Zhang Lin to sell noodles today.

He looked at Yunyin expectantly, "Try it and see if you like it."

Yunyin hummed in agreement and ate the bowl of noodles filled with heartfelt wishes.

As he said, there weren't many noodles. She ate the whole noodle without even biting it off. The saltiness was just right, and with the broth, the taste was indeed quite good, no worse than Zhang Lin's.

After finishing her noodles, Yunyin ate the egg in the bowl as well, drank some soup, and ate some vegetables. In no time, there wasn't even any soup left in the bowl.

"It's delicious." Yunyin praised Fu Wang. "The noodles are very chewy, and the soup is fresh and flavorful. It's a standard bowl of plain noodles."

Fu Wang coughed and smiled, "I'm glad you like it. I'll make it for you again later."

After finishing the longevity noodles, Yunyin couldn't forget the longevity peaches. Although three peaches were a bit much, she ate two first and planned to take the last one with her on the way.

Yunyin asked Fu Wang, "Can we tell you where we're going now?"

Fu Wang drove the carriage towards Beijiang County and replied to her, "I'll take you to eat something delicious."

Yunyin, who wasn't hungry after breakfast, was a little surprised, but she never refused delicious food. She blinked her big eyes and asked him, "Is it something delicious from Beijiang County?"

She hadn't actually been to Beijiang County yet, nor had she explored all of Long'an County. However, she had already tried many of the delicious foods in Long'an County. Besides buying them herself, Luo Man and Song Shi would sometimes send her some food, all of which were delicacies from Long'an County and Pingxi Town, and they were indeed very good.

Thinking about this, she couldn't help but look forward to what delicious food awaited her in Beijiang County.

As the sun gradually rose, the carriages sped up. Early in the morning, many people were heading to Long'an County on the official road, carrying various vegetables and bamboo baskets to sell in the county town. These people were all from nearby villages. In addition to going to Long'an County, some vegetable sellers would also go to their inns to sell their produce.

Yunyin saw a man who often sold vegetables to her. The man also saw Yunyin, stopped and greeted her, "Where are you going, Madam Yun?"

Yunyin: "Going out to play."

Fu Wang also pulled the carriage over to the side so that they could chat freely without blocking the way for others.

The man glanced at Fu Wang and then at Yun Yin, then smiled and said, "Oh, is that so? Then you two go have some fun." He pointed to the radishes in his basket, "You can keep these radishes, I can ask Zhang Lin for help?"

Yunyin nodded and said, "We'll still accept it. Go find Zhang Lin and ask for the same price as before."

After the man had gone far away, Fu Wang resumed his journey and asked Yun Yin, "I think your place will become a new market sooner or later."

"Now more and more people are selling things to you, and there's no entrance fee to the city. There's also a lot of stuff to sell, and many traveling merchants will bring some things with them when they meet you. Maybe your place will really become a market place for the nearby villages in the future."

Yunyin squinted and smiled, "That's great! Everyone's coming to sell things, my place will be busier, more people will come to eat, and I can earn more money."

She wanted to say something more, but when she saw Fu Wang suddenly change direction and walk down the small path to the left, she exclaimed, "Oh dear, this isn't the road to Beijiang County!"

Fu Wang: "I'm not taking you to Beijiang County."

"Where to?"

“Go to Ciyun Temple. The vegetarian food there is delicious. You should try it. You’ll love it.” He pulled Yunyin, who was swaying, and helped her sit up against him. “There’s also a patch of plum blossoms there. It’s very beautiful.”

Yunyin raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh~, so the plum blossoms you pick every day are from Ciyun Temple. Does the abbot really let you pick them?"

Fu Wang: "Of course, he doesn't mind picking them for enjoyment, and there's nothing wrong with using the petals to make food."

"I thought the abbot would say that admiring flowers is fine as long as they're on the branches, there's no need to pick them. For flowers used in cooking, just collect the fallen ones." Yunyin tilted her head and looked at Fu Wang. "How did you meet him?"

Fu Wang: "Do you still remember the incident with the bandits in Xiaotao Village?"

Yunyin raised an eyebrow: "Of course I remember, it hasn't been that long."

“At that time, the bandits occupied Xiaotao Village. When I led Zhou Chang to outflank them, we discovered Ciyun Temple hidden in the mountains. The monks and nuns lived in the temple and were self-sufficient. They rarely came down the mountain, and there were not many believers. I’m afraid only the people of Xiaotao Village would occasionally go to burn incense.”

"But as you know, Xiaotao Village isn't very wealthy, so people don't bring much when they go to offer incense."

Yunyin was surprised to find that Ciyun Temple was like this. "No wonder I've never heard anyone mention it before. It turns out they are monks who live in seclusion."

The Dazhao Buddhist Temple is thriving and has many believers. Even the small Long'an County has two Buddhist temples. I never expected there to be a secluded temple like Ciyun Temple.

"Then I'll have to try their vegetarian dishes. If you approve of them, they must be delicious."

Fu Wang raised his eyebrows and said, "I will definitely not let you down."

Soon the carriage arrived at the foot of the mountain. Yunyin looked up at the houses that were faintly visible on the mountainside. If Fu Wang hadn't mentioned it, she really wouldn't have known there was a temple here.

The mountain path was too rugged for a horse-drawn carriage to traverse, so they tied their horses to the woods and climbed the mountain together.

Yunyin walked along the steep mountain path, and despite the dead of winter, she was sweating profusely. She looked back at the bottomless mountain below, shook her head, and said, "No wonder there are few worshippers here. It's so remote and the path is so difficult to walk. I'm afraid very few people know about this place."

Fu Wang pulled her forward and said with a "hmm", "So we are in for a treat, both for our eyes and our taste buds. The plum blossoms in Ciyun Temple are also exceptional. You'll definitely love them when you see them."

Yunyin was very reassured by Fu Wang's arrangements. She followed him up the mountainside and saw an ancient temple gate. Although it was old, it was kept very clean and tidy.

The two first offered incense, and Fu Wang handed the things he had brought to the young novice monk, asking him, "Jieyu, where is your abbot?"

Jieyu put his things away and nodded to Fu Wang, saying, "The abbot is in the backyard."

After leaving the main hall, Jieyu looked at Yunyin curiously, then asked Fu Wang, "Benefactor Fu, didn't you already come once today? Why are you here again now?"

Fu Wang patted Jieyu's head and asked with a smile, "What, you're not welcoming me?"

Jieyu shook his head and said, "No, Benefactor Fu always brings offerings when he comes, and we are all very happy about it."

As Yunyin walked, she looked around the temple. It was a small temple with many children coming and going. She asked Fu Wang in a low voice, "Why are there so many children here?"

Fu Wang leaned close to her ear and whispered, "There weren't so many before. After the snow disaster, Xiaotao Village sent a lot of children here, so there are more children now."

Yunyin: "I see. You should have told me sooner, so I could have brought them some things too."

Fu Wang: "It's alright. Every time I come to pick flowers, I bring them something. I brought something today too, and there's one for you."

Yunyin pouted and said, "Alright, then come again another time, and I'll prepare some things for you to take with you."

The two followed the young novice monk to the backyard. The abbot of Ciyun Temple was named Huixuan. When he saw Fu Wanglai and Yunyin coming over, he nodded to Jieyu. After the three of them were left, Huixuan said, "Benefactor Fu, Benefactor Yun, please come with me. The plum grove is not far away."

The two followed Huixuan as they continued walking towards the back of the mountain. After passing through a small path, Yunyin spotted the red plum blossoms standing tall in the cold wind. She marveled at the beautiful trees in full bloom and exclaimed, "So beautiful!"

Forgive her for being at a loss for words; it was simply too stunning. For a moment, the only word that came to Yunyin's mind was "beautiful." Red plum blossoms are beautiful in themselves, but a whole grove of plum trees would only be more beautiful. By the time she came to her senses, Huixuan had already left, leaving only Fuwang and her there.

Fu Wang led Yunyin into the plum grove, where there was a thatched hut. He had set up some things inside, waiting for Yunyin to go and explore.

Passing through layers of plum trees, Yunyin saw the surprise Fu Wang had prepared.

"You actually prepared so much, and the abbot even asked you to bring it along. How did you convince him?"

Fu Wang: "Donating some incense money is fine. I didn't prepare anything that would offend them, so the abbot won't refuse."

Yunyin sat down on the soft pillows that had been laid out. The stove beside her was already burning hot. She reached out and warmed her reddened hands. Looking at the plum blossoms swaying in the wind, she sighed, "If I could prepare some venison and wine and enjoy such a beautiful view, then this life would truly be worthwhile."

Fu Wang poured her a cup of tea and said with a smile, "Then the abbot will beat us from the mountain back down, so we can never come back again."

Yunyin chuckled and said, "I was just kidding. How can you have barbecue and drink alcohol in a Buddhist sanctuary? I'm quite satisfied to be able to enjoy such a beautiful view."

"I'm so happy today." Yunyin looked at Fu Wang and smiled sweetly. "I'm also very happy to have met you."

Fu Wang was warmed by her smile, a warmth that spread from his face to his heart. He didn't even realize that his face was redder than a blooming plum blossom. He coughed lightly and said, "I am also very happy to meet you."

He raised a cup of tea to Yunyin, saying, "To fate, to heaven, and to myself."

Yunyin picked up the teacup on the table and smiled, "A toast to fate, a toast to heaven, and a toast to ourselves."

After finishing his tea, Fu Wang took out the chessboard he had prepared and said, "We'll have to eat for a while, let's play a game of chess first."

Looking at the black and white chess pieces, Yunyin exclaimed in surprise, "How come you can even play chess? Fu Wang, is there anything you can't do?"

Fu Wang: "I don't know much. I learned it from my neighbor when I was a kid. I've forgotten most of it, but we can play around with it when we're free."

Yunyin pouted and said, "But I don't know how."

"Then shall I teach you?"

Yunyin rolled her eyes and said, "Chess is only interesting when you have a worthy opponent. How can someone like me who doesn't know how play against you? How about we play a new kind of chess? It's very simple, you can learn it in no time, and it's much simpler than Go."

Yunyin doesn't know how to play Go, but she does know how to play Gomoku. Back when she was on set, she often played Gomoku online with AI when she had nothing to do. She's quite good at it.

Fu Wang, intrigued by her words, handed her a box of chess pieces and said, "Sure, you teach me."

The two sat in the pavilion and started playing Gomoku. Fu Wang listened to the rules and found them to be very simple; he could learn them after playing just one game. He played with Yun Yin.

The simple game of Gomoku was played back and forth between the two of them, and they were having a great time. Yunyin realized for the first time how happy it was to play Gomoku with a human, and the sense of accomplishment after winning was incomparable to that of a machine. Looking at the board where the two of them had already placed the pieces densely, she said with a grin, "I won."

Fu Wang put down the chess piece in his hand, looked at Yun Yin with gentle eyes, and was also happy to see her happy. "Yes, you won."

He didn't let Yunyin win; she truly won on her own merit. But even though she lost, Fu Wang was still very happy. Whenever he saw her, his heart melted like mud, completely overwhelmed. He was willing to do anything to make her happy.

After finishing the game of chess, Fu Wang looked at the sky and realized it was almost lunchtime. The vegetarian dishes should be arriving soon. Sure enough, just as he lowered his head, several young monks and nuns came over from a distance carrying food boxes.

He quickly took the food boxes from their hands and said to Jieyu, "I'll pack them up and take them back to you later."

Jieyu bowed and said, "Thank you very much, Benefactor Fu."

Yunyin wasn't idle either. She tidied up the table and waited for Fu Wang to bring out the dishes. There were six vegetarian dishes in total, and the portions were generous, enough for the two of them.

There isn't much to eat in the mountains, and since it's winter now, wild vegetables haven't grown yet, so there's even less to eat. But Ciyun Temple still did its best to prepare a lot of dishes.

Two cold dishes, black fungus and mushroom salad, and cold lotus root slices, plus four side dishes: stir-fried greens, pan-fried tofu, stir-fried mushrooms, and stir-fried bean sprouts. Yunyin looked at the dishes, which were clearly cooked in an iron wok, and asked, "Do they actually serve stir-fried dishes here?"

Yunyin knew that many shops rarely had iron woks, let alone stir-fries. Stir-fries are meant to be eaten immediately, as the food would get cold if left out for too long, especially in winter when stir-fries get cold even more easily.

However, Yunyin's shop always has a stove, and customers are used to stir-fried dishes, so the stir-fried dishes are still selling well. When it gets colder, she will have to consider changing the dishes. She didn't expect that the vegetarian food at Ciyun Temple is also stir-fried.

Fu Wang coughed, put the stove under the table, and said to Yun Yin, who was still in astonishment, "Try it while it's still hot."

Yunyin snapped out of her daze, picked up her bowl, and took a piece of stir-fried mushroom into her mouth. She was immediately amazed by its deliciousness. The mushrooms were clearly dried mushrooms that had been soaked and then stir-fried. They were a bit chewy but not too soft, and the chewiness brought out their full flavor. Only a little soy sauce was added for color and seasoning, which further highlighted the mushrooms' freshness and sweetness. Compared to mushrooms used in soups, this dish brought out their original flavor even more.

After finishing her meal, she picked up another bite, full of admiration for the person who prepared this vegetarian dish. They didn't use any extra seasonings, nor did they use ginger or garlic, which brought out the natural flavor of the ingredients—something Yunyin couldn't do.

Ginger and garlic are essential in Yunyin stir-fries, and the seasonings are quite complete. Except for steamed dishes or light soups, other dishes pay more attention to seasoning. Even when stir-frying green vegetables, a little garlic is added to enhance the aroma. However, the green vegetables stir-fried at Ciyun Temple only have oil and salt, yet they are still sweet and delicious.

"Fu Wang, it's a good thing you brought me to this vegetarian restaurant. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known there was such delicious vegetarian food nearby. Even without that plum grove, this food alone would have made the trip worthwhile."

Fu Wang served Yunyin a spoonful of rice and said with a smile, "Then eat more. This rice is from their own farm, and it tastes very good."

The rice wasn't white rice, but rather a mixture of grains. It wasn't as soft and sticky as white rice, but it was very chewy and more filling. It was also very fragrant, which made Yunyin, who usually eats a lot of rice, feel quite comfortable eating the mixed grain rice.

Yunyin rarely ate mixed grain rice before. She needed to practice martial arts and required a lot of energy. Rice could provide enough energy, and she was used to eating white rice. She ate mixed grain rice once by chance and found it particularly delicious.

Moreover, this mixed grain rice is very well made. It has been soaked for a long time, so the rice is chewy but not hard, and it tastes great with vegetarian dishes.

The combination of wood ear mushrooms and other mushrooms offers a different texture. Stir-fried mushrooms are more fragrant and crisp, while cold-dressed mushrooms are more tender and juicy. Paired with black wood ear mushrooms, the soft, smooth, and crisp textures blend together in your mouth.

Seeing that Yunyin kept eating the two plates of mushrooms, Fu Wang picked up a piece of tofu and bean sprouts for her, saying, "Try this, it's pretty good too."

Yunyin stopped eating the mushrooms, picked up a piece of tofu and ate it. The tofu was fried until golden brown on both sides. Although it wasn't as tender as Aunt Fang's tofu, it was full of bean flavor. The broth made with soybean paste was sprinkled between the tofu pieces, and the tofu, which had absorbed the broth, was rich in soybean flavor.

"It goes very well with rice, it's delicious when mixed with rice." Yunyin ate several bites of rice mixed with tofu, and then picked up another dish from the bowl, stir-fried bean sprouts.

As soon as the crisp bean sprouts entered her mouth, Yunyin raised an eyebrow slightly, "Stir-fried bean sprouts with vinegar, huh?"

Fu Wang: "Yes, it's very appetizing."

Yunyin nodded vigorously and said, "It is indeed very appetizing, especially when it's stir-fried with vinegar."

Hand-torn cabbage is made using the vinegar-stir-fry method, as is the stir-fried bean sprouts at Ciyun Temple, and both are very appetizing.

Not to mention the cold lotus root salad, which is crisp and delicious. Every one of these six dishes is very tasty.

After eating and drinking her fill, Yunyin looked at the empty plate, patted her round belly, and said, "This was so delicious! It's the best vegetarian meal I've ever had."

When making vegetarian dishes, you can't use meat or the five pungent spices. You can't use lard, scallions, ginger, garlic, and other seasonings that are commonly used in Ciyun Temple. It really tests the chef's skills to make good vegetarian dishes. However, Ciyun Temple's vegetarian dishes truly bring out the true essence of the food and achieve a superior combination with oil, salt, and soy sauce.

Yunyin patted Fu Wang on the shoulder, "I had a very happy birthday today. I saw a paradise on earth, tasted delicacies, and had a lot of fun."

Fu Wang sat down next to Yun Yin. "As long as you're happy. You're usually tired enough. Take a good rest today. I'll take you to play on the ice this afternoon."

Upon hearing about ice activities, Yunyin quickly stood up. "What kind of activities? Ice skating?" Could it be that ice skating has become a sport now?

"Do you want to go now?" Fu Wang smiled when he saw her interest. "Since you're interested, let's sit for a bit and then go. It's in Beijiang County. It's a community-organized event. There's a wooden cart that can slide on the ice. It's very interesting. You can try it in a bit."

"Oh, really? I've never heard Wang Yu mention this before."

Fu Wang: "It wasn't a large-scale event. At first, people transported goods on the ice. Later, children sat on the shelves to play on the ice. Gradually, the event became popular, and someone made wooden carts that could glide on the ice."

"Can the ice in Pingjiang support so many people?" Yunyin asked Fu Wang on the way to the event. "I see a lot of people going to play."

Indeed, many people ran forward. Yunyin watched as they carried various things, laughing and walking together towards the ice. They would throw down what they were carrying, one person would sit while the other dragged it forward, and after running a certain distance, the two would switch places and walk back.

Looking at the crowded people ahead, Fu Wang rubbed his forehead and said, "There weren't this many people last year, but it's okay, the ice here is very thick, we can go play."

Yunyin followed Fu Wang, found a shop by the roadside, rented tools, and ran towards the ice.