After the snow disaster subsided, Chang'an returned to its former prosperity and tranquility. The Shan Hai Restaurant still stood at the street corner, unmoved by the comings and goings of merchants and travelers.
Xu Milu took some time to visit Niu Dasao's family. They had rented land from the Duke of Lu's mansion, and their collapsed house had been rebuilt. Niu Da was now working as a porter at the dock, and Niu Er occasionally earned money by writing letters for others. The family's life was slowly improving.
The crystal vase from Yaochi still sits on the counter of the restaurant, along with Sun Wukong, who is drunk and oblivious to the passage of time. He sits cross-legged on a stool like a stone statue, undisturbed by the wind and rain outside.
"...Madam Xu, do you think the Buddha has gone to the underworld? That can't be. I've never heard of someone who becomes a Buddha dying. Isn't becoming a Buddha supposed to bring great freedom? How come the Buddha is as cold and hard as a stone? Could he be an incarnation?"
Mo Xuan was no longer afraid. He looked around the drunken Sun Wukong with a cheeky grin, his face full of curiosity.
“The Great Sage was originally a stone monkey born from a spiritual stone. Don’t disturb him when he’s drunk, or when he wakes up and tries to hit you with his golden cudgel, don’t say I didn’t stop you.”
Xu Milu kneaded the dough on the cutting board, rolled her eyes, and said:
"Quickly pick out the chives and scallions from the table. We're having five-spice pancakes today."
"Five Spices Cake?"
Upon hearing that there was no meat, Mo Xuan lost interest, but he still obediently picked through the bowl of tender "leeks" and scallions. As he picked, he noticed something was amiss:
"Hmm? Isn't this spring chives? Is Madam Xu going to use this chives to make five-spice cakes?"
He was holding a green "leek" with a slender leaf stalk in his hand, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that the two were only similar in appearance.
"It just so happens that the Clean Altar Messenger brought me some sage seeds a while ago. This is the first batch that has grown. I'm taking a taste of it. I've heard that this herb can make you forget your worries and tastes like spring chives. It must taste delicious if you cut it into sections, stir-fry it with tea, and eat it dry. Half a month ago, I also pickled a jar of salted chives and pickled shallots with bitter almonds and put it in the corner. I think I can eat it today."
Xu Milu kneaded the dough in her hands vigorously. The dough seemed to have a mind of its own, being kneaded and rolled into a ball in her hands. It was very obedient, and in no time a smooth ball of dough appeared on the cutting board.
The so-called "Five Spicy Food Cake" is a cake made from a cold dish of five spicy ingredients: scallions, garlic, leeks, garlic chives, and onions. It is said that eating the five spicy ingredients can dispel the stale air in the five internal organs, and it also has the meaning of trying something new.
...
“Little Rice Sister, the streets are so lively today. I heard there will be a Nuo opera later, and people will be dressed as Nuo Weng and Nuo Mu. I saw someone selling a mask of the Nuo Child Guardian. I knew you would like it. Look, take a look.”
Yin Wenjiao walked into the shop carrying a basket, followed by a very handsome bald man with gentle features. He nodded slightly when he saw Xu Milu.
“Benefactor Xu.”
It was indeed the Tripitaka Master.
He wasn't wearing the monk's robes of Huasheng Temple, but instead wore the moon-white monk's robes that Yin Wenjiao had sewn for him. He stood there with a calm gaze, not like a true Buddha sitting high on a lotus throne, but rather like an ordinary monk.
Xu Milu's gaze fell on the wooden mask in Yin Wenjiao's hand. It was a ghost mask painted with exaggerated green paint, with a green face and fangs, which was very terrifying.
During the Tang Dynasty, there was a custom called "exorcism," which was intended to drive away evil spirits and pray for blessings and the elimination of disasters. The ceremony was very formal and consisted of a Fangxiangshi (a type of Taoist priest) holding a leather shield, a singer holding a drum and horn, an attendant wearing a red turban and a tunic, and a monk dressed in red. Each person played a different "big ghost" role, wearing animal skin and holding a long whip.
These "Nuoshi" (exorcism masters) would loudly chant "songs to expel plague" while dividing into four teams and leaving through the gates of Chang'an. After leaving the city, they would sacrifice chickens and pray to the gods in order to scare away the "plague demons" that brought the disease.
At this time, many people in Chang'an would wear masks and blend into the procession, praying for peace, good fortune, and good health in the coming year.
"Sister Yin, how old am I? Do I still have to dress up as a child with little kids?"
Xu Milu immediately recognized the mask as a "child protector" mask specially prepared for children, and couldn't help but wipe her hands and laugh.
Yin Wen glared at her playfully, then shoved the mask into her hand without a word.
"So what? Nobody said that only little kids can play the role of a page. You're usually so busy you don't even have time to breathe, so since you can rest today, don't open for business. Go and have some fun. At worst, you can prepare some good food, and I'll watch the shop for you for the night!"
"you?"
Xu Milu held the mask up to herself, and couldn't help but feel a little tempted by the bustling streets of Chang'an.
"But Sister Yin, are you sure you can manage? New Year's Eve is approaching, and the Yellow Springs Road in Fengdu City will reopen. Many souls who have not been reincarnated have been granted permission by King Yama to go home to visit their families. I'm afraid you'll be very busy tonight."
“Are you making Five Spicy Dishes Cake? That’s easy. You make the cake and the vegetables first, then go out and have some fun. I’ll watch the shop with Liu’er for you. It’s also a good opportunity for us to catch up. I made a lot of tofu a few days ago and fried it to give to those wandering spirits. That’s a good deed.”
Sanzang: "..."
He hesitated, turned his head slightly, stared at Xu Milu for a while, and then looked away meaningfully.
Xu Milu swore that she saw the subtext in the eyes of the monk Sanzang that "you are the culprit."
Since being reunited with the monk Sanzang and his mother, Yin Wenjiao's personality has become more cheerful. She is not good at cooking, but unexpectedly, she is very good at making tofu. So her biggest hobby is making tofu and then making stinky tofu for her son.
"Liu'er, don't you love the tofu your mother makes the most? Just yesterday, a jar of fermented bean curd was ready. I'll steam some bread for you later and spread it on the bread. Have a hot meal, and then you can go back and continue chanting your scriptures."
Yin Wenjiao looked at the monk Sanzang with exceptional kindness, while Xu Milu looked at the sky and the ground, but avoided the resentful gaze that Sanzang was casting at her.
It has nothing to do with her, really.
Mo Xuan looked like he wanted to laugh but dared not, his face turning red as he secretly gossiped with Xu Milu:
“When I returned to the East Sea this time, my father told me that recently everyone in the Heavenly Court has been saying that the lotus platform of the Sandalwood Merit Buddha has been soaked in a certain smell—and it turns out that the root of the problem is here.”
"Disciple?"
The monk smiled gently, revealing nothing of his true feelings; however, his shaking of Sun Wukong became much more exaggerated.
"Good disciple, wake up! Don't sleep anymore. There's vegetarian food for you."
Sun Wukong was truly drunk; he didn't even open his eyes, just swatted at a mosquito, then sat back down cross-legged on the stool, continuing to be his "mascot."
But the monk Sanzang, with a smile on his face, picked up Sun Wukong with one hand and dragged him to the kitchen. Although he was just going into the kitchen, those present could see a tragic air about him, like the line from the poem "The wind is howling, the Yi River is cold, the hero goes forth, never to return."
Xu Milu silently swallowed the words of advice.
Should we all die together?
So this is what Tang Sanzang is really like?
...
...
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