The Great Possession Hexagram (Supreme Hexagram)
Chapter 14 The Great Possession Hexagram (Auspicious Hexagram) - The Plan to Rebuild the Taoist Temple
"What's wrong with it?"
Li Fuquan seemed somewhat reluctant to speak, feeling that if he were to be too direct, it would be overstepping his bounds, given her status.
"This... I'm afraid it will damage Madam's reputation."
Rong Yan smiled and nodded, "With my title, I inherited this Taoist temple. Indeed, there are many eyes in the capital watching. If it were for my own sake, I wouldn't care what outsiders say. But if it were for the Marquis's family, they are innocent. If they are implicated because of me, it would be my fault. I would like to ask Mr. Li to handle this matter secretly."
“What the young mistress says is absolutely right. Putting aside what others say, replacing the jujube wood with mulberry wood is a viable option. However, if it is to be sold as a religious item, the Taoist temple will need to obtain a nameplate from the street office. Without a nameplate, it would be illegal reselling. Given the young mistress’s status, the government might very well use this as leverage to threaten the Marquis of Runan’s mansion.”
Rong Yan pondered, "The old gentleman is indeed very thoughtful. Then we will do as you say. You go and find a way, and I will try to get the identity document done as soon as possible."
"Young Madam, is there anything else you wish to change?"
Rong Yan summoned Du Chunhong and asked her what she thought.
Du Chunhong was frank, "Mr. Li, I have an idea. Could you let me manage the dining hall of this Taoist temple in the future?"
Li Fuquan looked at Rong Yan, who nodded. "I'm not exaggerating, but Third Aunt's cooking skills are no less than those of the imperial chefs. Although I am the abbot of Hebai Temple, I can't be good at everything. It should be a matter of matching the talent to the job. What do you think, sir?"
"That's excellent."
Du Chunhong was very satisfied with this arrangement. "I plan to build a vegetarian dining hall, and ideally, the main dishes in the dining hall should be clearly visible to the pilgrims. All the cooking processes should be clear to the pilgrims and guests."
When Lao Li first heard about the concept of an open kitchen, his face wrinkled and relaxed repeatedly, then looked puzzled.
In just a moment, he figured out the secret.
That's truly ingenious! This is the only one of its kind in the entire Bianliang! Once it's launched, it's sure to become a spectacle!
Moreover, this approach complements the interaction between Zhike (a business information platform).
In the past, only the temple staff and stewards knew what was happening in the kitchen before the food was served. Now, everyone can supervise the kitchen work, which is both supervision and appreciation for the chefs, isn't it?
With everyone watching, they will surely be exceptionally self-disciplined and always present their best side to guests.
Wonderful, truly wonderful!
Du Chunhong: "My husband also knows some skills. He can climb ladders to build roofs and dig pits to bury cellars. He is also very skilled in construction."
Rong Yan smiled with narrowed eyes, "And as for the Zhang family's plasterers in the east of the city, you don't need to worry, sir. My mother-in-law has already agreed to act as a go-between for me."
Li Fuquan was taken aback. "The Lady of the Marquis agrees too?"
Rong Yan nodded, agreeing because she had helped her solve the murder case through divination.
Li Fuquan clapped his hands excitedly, feeling very enthusiastic seeing everyone so united and able to come together.
When it comes to food and drink, he is quite the expert in business. He couldn't help but blurt out, "What about alcohol? I know that the sects in the temple are allowed to drink alcohol."
Rong Yan frowned, while Li Fuquan felt as if he had said something wrong in front of the palace. He suddenly felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, and he was completely sobered up.
“While we don’t have any taboos, it is still forbidden to use it in places of worship.”
"I'm sorry, I misspoke."
Rong Yan slowly shook his head. "If it were at the foot of the mountain, it would be feasible. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to bring them up. If they are feasible, we will all help. As for the drinks you mentioned, I wonder if launching fruit wine would be feasible?"
Now it was Li Fuquan's turn to shake his head. "Fruit wine might not sell well. Nowadays, most people prefer sorghum and rice wine. Especially some older wines sell more when the weather is cold. Fruit wine tends to be sweet, so I'm afraid it won't sell well. Other restaurants used to sell fruit wine, but they didn't have many options."
Rong Yan nodded, "What you said is true. What if we launched a wine that women prefer? Although it is said that men in the world love pure sorghum wine, there are also many female entertainers. Why not take a different approach and launch a few wines that female entertainers can also serve when playing drinking games?"
"Does the young mistress have any brilliant ideas?"
"Most of the wine sold in Bianjing is for men. But it's not uncommon for women to enjoy wine. Why not give this large market of women in the inner quarters a try?"
Li Fuquan pondered for a moment.
Wine made primarily by women? That certainly offers a glimmer of hope, but if it's just ordinary fruit wine, it probably won't work...
He pondered for a while before carefully speaking, "I do think it's worth a try, but young mistress shouldn't have too high hopes."
Good wine needs no bush, but to become an instant hit is the real challenge.
"Young Madam, please wait a moment."
After saying this, Li Fuquan sat down on the ground, hurriedly took out a small bamboo slip from his pocket, unfolded it, and then asked for a pen to write for a while.
Rong Yan took a small bamboo slip, still warm from Li Fuquan's body. She looked down at it and felt a slight touch in her heart.
His handwriting trembled slightly, but he still managed to reproduce the menu of the restaurant very clearly.
Li Fuquan was a little uneasy, especially after seeing Rong Yan fall silent for a moment. He opened his mouth slightly and asked, "These are some of the dishes I selected and wrote down after referring to Fenglelou's menu. I thought that the temple could use them in the future. The Lady Hou used to prefer the food at Fenglelou. If we can imitate Fenglelou, our vegetarian hall might become very popular."
The Fenglelou mentioned by Li Fuquan is the Fanlou of later generations, and it is the head of the seventy-two shops in Bianliang. Fenglelou consists of five buildings, one each in the east, west, south, north and center, standing in a circle, which is very impressive.
This is also the restaurant closest to the palace; from the east side of Fenglelou, one can even see a view of the palace. Therefore, Fenglelou considers the east wing to be the most important, and many dishes are named with the character "east".
In modern terms, Fenglelou's business model is a contracting system. It's a state-owned contracting mechanism, and there isn't just one contractor; they all have to bid for the contract, since they have to pay a considerable amount of taxes.
Lady Hou had always wanted to contract a restaurant west of Fenglelou, but unfortunately, she lacked the resources and couldn't even meet the bidding requirements. Even if she was willing to pay exorbitant taxes, she still couldn't get in.
Therefore, Li Fuquan always referred to Fenglelou's menu, but Rong Yan shook her head when she saw it and handed it to Du Chunhong to look at.
Sure enough, even Du Chunhong shook her head.
Rong Yan asked Li Fuquan, "Mr. Li, may I ask you? Is there a big difference between the Lady Hou's Fu Lou and Feng Le Lou?"
"this……"
One is the top of the seventy-two official stores, while the other ranks last; this is beyond words.
Li Fuquan laughed out loud, "Is the young mistress trying to say that even if we can imitate the dishes according to the rules of vegetarian cuisine, we can't imitate the essence?"
“Exactly, such actions can only deceive some out-of-town diners. Since we are neither Fu Lou nor Feng Le Lou, we should really consider the unique characteristics of our Taoist temple. Even if you imitate Feng Le Lou's vegetarian dishes, you are just doing the work for someone else. The ultimate way out is for us to put our hearts into making a vegetarian dish that belongs to our He Bai Temple.”
Du Chunhong nodded proudly, finding Rong Yan's words very reasonable, almost clapping her hands in approval.
Fortunately, Li Fuquan's mind was not on her, and he did not notice anything unusual.
Li Fuquan was utterly shocked, his voice rising unconsciously, "A famous dish of our temple? A specialty of our temple... Yes, yes, yes. The young mistress is absolutely right. What I wrote doesn't count, doesn't count, it's terrible, utterly terrible."
"With your experience, Manager, you must have many ideas. Don't rush, take your time to think them through. It's getting late, we should head back now. You don't need to worry about the vegetarian dishes; things that are good at should be left to those who are good at them. Madam Du understands this well. If you have any other ideas, just send Wang Mama to inquire."
"Yes, I will certainly not disappoint the young mistress."
Before leaving, Rong Yan revealed the truth, "Sir, I might as well be frank with you. The temple has been in disrepair for many years and needs a large sum of money. Originally, we should have asked the Sixth Bureau and Fourth Division to hire more people for you. Once things get going smoothly, please bear with us in the early stages."
"Young Madam, there's no need to worry about that. Since you've appointed me as your steward, it's my responsibility to take care of it."
The so-called "six bureaus and four departments" originally referred to the positions in charge of banquets, including the fruit bureau, vegetable bureau, wine bureau, and bowl bureau, as well as the kitchen department, accounting department, and table service department. The details were so detailed that even plating and flower arrangement could be considered a department-level position. ①
The dining hall at Hebai Temple is not large, about 30 square meters.
This is a regular vegetarian meal, without any other special rituals.
Furthermore, there were only two people left in the temple, and no abbot or other disciples.
There were some rules when entering the dining hall. They only walked on the left side, and the left foot stepped forward first at the threshold. Only Yan, Ji Kong, and Ji Xin were allowed to do this, and the three of them did not follow this rule for others.
Ji Kong: "Please go ahead, everyone. I need to go to the statue of the Spirit Ancestor to exchange offerings."
As she spoke, she noticed a hint of doting in Rong Yan's eyes as he stared at the dumplings.
When the meal was served, Du Chunhong put a three-finger-sized vegetarian dumpling into her mouth, and her expression froze.
After waiting for a long time, Li Fuquan ate a few bites and then stopped eating.
The dumplings were made without any salt, retaining their original flavor. In addition, the rapeseed filling didn't contain much oil, making the vegetables and tofu dry and unpalatable.
The group watched as Ji Xin ate with great relish, and Rong Yan continued eating. Finally, she added, "It's been a long time. I never imagined that Senior Brother's cooking skills have improved so much."
Everyone: ...
How bad must it have tasted before?
Du Chunhong thought about it again and couldn't help but feel a little sad.
What kind of suffering has she endured all these years since her daughter left, that she can show such a satisfied expression while eating this food?
The afternoon sun was quite strong, but it wasn't considered hot in March; for them, the sun felt rather warm on their skin.
However, no sooner had they stepped out of the Taoist temple than dark clouds gathered and it began to rain.
Huali lifted the curtain of the carriage behind her and saw a flash of lightning across the sky.
"Oh, it really did rain. Before I left home today, the young mistress said it would rain, but I didn't believe her. I thought my parents were true farmers, and I was sure they wouldn't be wrong. But she was right!"
Yu Ling also remarked with some insight, "I feel that the young mistress has changed a lot and become much more capable in the ten years since she went to the Taoist temple."
Listening to their conversation, Li Fuquan, who was also curious about the young mistress, couldn't help but ask a few more questions. He was surprised to learn that the young mistress had suffered a great deal in her youth at her family home.
It's surprising that such a temperament was cultivated in that kind of environment. One can't help but feel a little pity for Rong Yan, since those who cherish talent usually love it.
On the way back, I passed Qingfeng Street. Due to the sudden downpour, many pedestrians on the large street did not have umbrellas and stood in front of the shops on both sides, waiting for the rain to stop.
Occasionally, you could hear shopkeepers outside the car window shooing people away, saying, "Go away! Don't block the doorway, I still need to do business!"
"Hey, it's raining so hard, why is someone kneeling in the street? Oh my, isn't that Aunt Wang?!"
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