Chapter 96: Lamb hotpot in the snow, selling portraits in front of the temple
The weather was getting colder and colder. On the tenth day after Jiang Ning and Liu Mingan entered Qushui City, it started to snow.
"It's winter already."
Liu Mingan pushed open the window and reached out to catch the catkin-like snowflakes.
The light and pure snow fell into the palm of his hand and melted in an instant, leaving only a little cool water mark.
Jiang Ning asked the waiter to bring up a stove and a copper pot. It was best to eat lamb hotpot when it snowed.
Jiang Ning ordered three large plates of lamb. The lamb was freshly cut, and it was impossible to make lamb rolls like modern ones, so it was laid out in large pieces on the plate. In addition, he ordered a portion of halved lamb trotters, a plate of shrimps, and some side dishes.
"Come and eat, this meal costs half an ounce of silver." Jiang Ning prepared the dishes of chive sauce and sesame sauce, and looked at Liu Ming'an and urged.
Liu Ming'an smiled slightly and took the bowl from Jiang Ning. The fresh mutton wrapped in the rich aroma of sesame sauce entered his mouth, and there was the unique fragrance of chives between his lips and teeth. He instantly felt warm on his body, and the cold outside the window seemed to disappear.
"This half an ounce of silver is worth it!" Liu Ming'an exclaimed. In the past, he must have felt sorry for the money, but after being with Jiang Ning for a long time, he was subtly influenced by her carefree mentality. Now he also thinks that money should be spent when it is necessary!
Jiang Ning picked up another piece of mutton for Liu Ming'an and said, "If we keep eating like this, we may not have a penny left when we leave Qushui City, so..."
Jiang Ning paused, and her delicate and sharp eyebrows revealed the gentleness of a woman in the steam, and her always cold voice also seemed very gentle to Liu Ming'an's ears.
"Mr. Liu, how about you go to the street to perform arts and make money after the snow stops? The New Year is coming soon, and couplets, Fuwa, door gods, etc. will definitely sell for a good price!"
Jiang Ning joked with a smile, and the pear vortex on the right cheek was looming, which made Liu Ming'an feel a little itchy. He put down his chopsticks and reached out to poke her face.
"Okay, supporting my family is what I love most." Liu Ming'an agreed without hesitation, his dark eyes reflecting Jiang Ning's face, his eyes full of smiles.
Snowflakes were flying outside the window, and the two of them were eating hot mutton in the house, chatting casually, feeling warm and affectionate.
This was the first snow, and it was not heavy. It stopped in the evening. There was no trace of snow on the ground, only wet watermarks reminding everyone that the first snow of this year had fallen.
The next day, Jiang Ning took Liu Ming'an, carrying the paintings he had painted these days, and walked to a certain place with familiarity.
These few days were enough for Jiang Ning to memorize the terrain and buildings of Qushui City.
"Pufu Temple?" Liu Ming'an looked at the temple in front of him, a little surprised.
"Yes, it's here." Jiang Ning said affirmatively, and then briefly introduced what she knew: "Pufu Temple was built by the previous dynasty, more than 300 years ago. It is said that it is very effective in praying for children, wealth, and marriage. Many people come from far away, and the incense is very prosperous."
Liu Mingan looked at the endless flow of cars and people at the door, and he had no doubt about the reputation of Pufu Temple.
But...
"Aning, is it not good to set up a stall here? Isn't this stealing the business of other temples?" Liu Mingan was a little worried.
"No, look over there." Jiang Ning pointed somewhere.
Liu Mingan looked in the direction she pointed, and it turned out that there was a neat row of stalls in the direction of the side door of Pufu Temple. The vendor tables seemed to be all the same, neither too big nor too small, about half a person's height, and covered with yellow cloth like monks' robes, with densely packed words on them, like Buddhist scriptures.
"What is this?" Liu Ming'an was a little shocked, after all, he had never seen such an orderly market.
"As long as you give a hundred coins for incense, the monks of Pufo Temple will provide you with such a table, um... it's just the booth fee, it feels quite cost-effective."
Jiang Ning explained. In fact, she was also a little surprised when she first came to this place. She didn't expect that there was such a "scenic area management" model in ancient times. These monks with pure six senses were quite business-minded.
The two men walked to the side door and handed in a hundred coins. Two monks came out carrying a table and put it away. Then they put their hands together and said, "Amitabha, two donors, you can use this table until midnight tonight."
Liu Mingan also put his hands together and replied "Amitabha". After the two monks left, he took a quick look at the stalls here. There were about fifty or so, selling all kinds of things, such as cakes, jewelry, sugar paintings, clay figurines...
There were also some stalls that didn't sell anything, but put a Tai Chi Bagua diagram on the table and helped people read their fortunes. When the two of them came over just now, every few steps they took, there was a greeting from the side: "Young man, I see that you have an extraordinary appearance. I am willing to tell you a fortune for free..." "
One table costs one hundred coins. In a day, it is at least five taels of silver. In a month, it is more than one hundred taels, and in a year, it is more than a thousand taels." Liu Ming'an calculated, and after a moment he could not help but smacked his lips: "Pu Fu Temple really knows how to make money!"
Jiang Ning chuckled and said, "After all, living Buddhas also have to eat. Don't waste time, take out the paintings and put them up. If you delay for a while, you will waste a lot of copper coins."
When Liu Ming'an heard this, he realized that this was indeed the case. He quickly took off the bag on his back, spread the immortal paintings on the table one by one, waiting for the guests coming and going to choose.
Jiang Ning had inquired about the prices here, and found that they were much higher than those in Lingshan Town, so she asked Liu Mingan to set the price of each portrait at 150 coins.
Not long after the stall was opened, a middle-aged woman came to buy a portrait of Guanyin.
"Oh, it's well painted! The compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva, it's so well painted!" The woman murmured, holding the portrait and bowing to the temple again, with a pious look on her face.
After the woman left, Liu Ming'an said with some regret: "If I had known you would bring me to the temple, I would have painted more Bodhisattvas."
Jiang Ning put the money away, curled her lips and said: "Not bad, at least I don't have to worry about losing money."
When it was time for lunch, because they had to guard the stall, Jiang Ning and Liu Ming'an were hungry, so they bought a few pieces of osmanthus cake from the stall next door to fill their stomachs. The
osmanthus cake seller was a woman who looked to be in her thirties, with neat clothes, neatly combed hair, and a friendly face, but for some reason, there was always a hint of sadness between her eyebrows.
The two of them continued to sell until it was almost dark, and then they packed up their stall. Most of the paintings had been sold, and the income was about six taels of silver. After deducting the cost of purchasing raw materials, they made about four taels more.
"Let's go back to the inn to eat."
Liu Mingan put away the few paintings that had not been sold, returned the table to Pufu Temple, and took Jiang Ning back to the inn.
"Next time, I will paint other Bodhisattvas, not Wenquxing. When the Rama comes, I will sell couplets and door gods..."
Painting portraits takes time, so they can't sell them every day. They go to Pufu Temple every four or five days and earn a few taels of silver each time.
The days passed slowly, they were waiting for the New Year and waiting for Blind Yang to come back.