The young monks who were maintaining order huddled together in pairs and whispered among themselves.
"Can you smell anything?"
"Yes, I can smell the aroma of braised meat."
"The new braised meat roll stall on the street smells so good. I can smell it every time I see a pilgrim off."
"I reckon the pilgrims ate the braised meat rolls and their clothes smelled of it. It was so tempting! I ate two bowls of rice at noon because of that smell. I was starving."
"Those braised pork rolls should have vegetarian versions, right? Should we go ask about them tomorrow?"
“Amitabha Buddha, you’re right. How come I didn’t think of that? We can’t eat meat, but we should eat vegetarian food. I’ll ask about it tomorrow.”
"Amitabha, yes, yes."
......
Then, at 11 a.m. the next day, it was lunchtime for the monks.
The two young monks exchanged a glance and then slipped outside the temple to queue up.
Lin Zhou had already set up his stall to steam flatbread.
The regular customers who arrived earlier were taking up seats, and Lin Zhou felt particularly pressured as the number of customers increased day by day.
He was genuinely frightened by the customers who cried and chased after him when they couldn't buy anything.
He wasn't socially anxious before, but he became socially anxious in that situation.
To avoid the situation where most diners queue up only to find they can't get a table, he had no choice but to limit purchases.
"Boss Lin, I'd like one of each of the three flavors, plus a braised egg."
Lin Zhou looked at him silently and said cruelly, "Limit of two per person, there are too many people."
After speaking, Lin Zhou gestured for the guests to look at the people queuing behind them.
They've only just set up their stall!
In less than ten minutes, the line stretched as far as the eye could see.
"No, doesn't everyone work during lunch break?"
The regular customer who finally managed to snag the first spot was quite upset. Yesterday, the limit was three per customer, but today it's only two. There are just too many people vying for food!
And it's terrifying that so many people are queuing up at lunchtime on a weekday.
Regular customers were torn between the flavors of the braised pork rolls and decided to order two "family pack" rolls.
"I have to work, didn't you see I came in my work uniform? But it's lunchtime, so I can leave early without any problems."
"Yes, I have to go back immediately after I finish shopping."
"Hehe, I found someone to cover my shift for a while."
As the saying goes, there's always a way to circumvent policies.
Lin Zhou sets up his stall at 11 a.m., and customers come to queue up as early as 10 a.m., mainly for special forces operations.
"Hey, wait a minute, look, two monks have come!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the diners in front all turned around to watch.
Then, sure enough, two striking bald heads appeared in the group.
"Wow, monks eat meat now?"
"I probably can't eat it all, but I read online that monks sometimes secretly eat meat."
"It seems that some monks nowadays come to work, just like us, by submitting resumes, going through interviews, and then getting hired."
"Isn't it a bit inappropriate to eat meat so openly?"
"I don't know."
The crowd suddenly became lively because of the two monks who had just appeared. Even strangers could get together and chat for a bit, sharing gossip they had heard.
"Actually, monks were originally allowed to eat meat. The Buddhist scripture 'Extensive Vinaya' clearly states that Buddhism does not have a rule against vegetarianism. What Buddhism prohibits eating is 'meat'."
A stylish young man spoke up after hearing the discussion.
People who don't believe in Buddhism don't care much about these things, and they wouldn't know anything about them unless they specifically looked into it.
Hearing this, everyone felt they had learned something new.
"Dude, you're a Buddhist? You seem to know a lot about Buddhism?"
"Yes, but I don't know much about it."
The stylishly dressed man was named Ma Ming. Today was the day he had arranged with the temple abbot to shave his head and become a monk.
Although he is a Buddhist and wants to become a monk to seek peace and quiet, he has always found it difficult to give up the dietary restrictions.
The thought that I would not be able to eat meat from now on made me think about having one last meal before becoming a monk.
Then, attracted by the aroma of the braised pork rolls, I came to join the queue.
......
Soon, it was Ma Ming's turn in the line. He was positioned a little ahead of the two young monks from the temple.
Seeing how the people in front of him ordered, he followed suit and ordered two "Family Reunion" braised pork rolls.
The "Family Reunion Braised Pork Roll" is very generous in portion, piled with three layers of pork and vegetables chosen by the diners. It's so full that it feels heavy in your hand when you roll it up.
Ma Ming watched Lin Zhou cutting the meat and was so tempted that he took the meat roll and stood to the side to start eating it.
It smells so good, so incredibly good!
The fragrant braised pork rolls are so delicious that you can feel the satisfying taste with just one bite.
With plenty of meat and a rich texture, plus a variety of ingredients, the satisfaction of eating all the ingredients in one bite is a satisfaction that no other food can provide, and it becomes more and more fragrant the more you chew.
Whether it was psychological or not, this was his last meal of meat, and he knew he wouldn't be able to eat it again, so he suddenly enjoyed the food even more.
When he came to his senses, the two young monks had also lined up in front of Lin Zhou's stall. When the young monks saw the wide variety of vegetarian dishes on the stall, they immediately smiled happily.
"Amitabha Buddha, Master, how much do we need for two vegetarian scrolls?"
Lin Zhou was a little confused when he saw the two young monks in front of him.
But when I heard that they were vegetarian, I realized that braised pork rolls don't necessarily have to have braised pork; there are also people who want to eat vegetarian food.
Monks can't eat meat, but eating vegetarian food is fine.
He misunderstood.
"Vegetarian rolls are ten yuan each, and you can add as many vegetables as you like here."
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