The news of Su Tang planning to prepare a vegetarian feast quickly spread.
In fact, it was quite common to host a gratitude banquet for the monks and abbots who presided over religious ceremonies.
It was certain that Xi Cheng Restaurant would be involved.
It wouldn’t be appropriate for them to come and assist and then leave hungry.
But the one in charge of the kitchen was Su Tang!
To be honest, everyone was aware of Su Tang’s culinary skills.
However, until now, very few people had actually tasted her cooking.
If we consider the judges of the Master Chef Competition, those who visited her breakfast stall when it first opened, and the patrons of the newly established Xi Cheng Restaurant, the number is still quite small.
Others simply didn’t have the opportunity to sample Su Tang’s dishes.
Yet, no one doubted Su Tang’s culinary prowess. After all, she had made it into the top ten of the Chef Competition and even secured first place in the recent competition.
Everyone who had the chance to taste her dishes couldn’t stop praising them.
The recipes she offered, whether it was egg cake, chocolate, hot cocoa, or various pastries, not to mention the well-known steamed Sophora flower, were all highly regarded.
Who would question her culinary skills?
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Haven’t you seen how some unscrupulous individuals caused fatalities just to have Su Tang cook for them?
In any case, all these factors indicate that Su Tang’s cooking is truly delicious!
Now, she is hosting the gratitude banquet and surprisingly taking charge of the cooking herself. This has everyone excited.
Many people want to be invited by Su Tang to witness the religious ceremony.
Putting aside the rarity of monks and abbots from different temples coming together to pray, the main reason is that they want to indulge in the feast that follows!
Just to taste the flavors would be satisfying.
Su Tang is also considering the guest list. Originally, she didn’t plan for it to be so formal, but with so many people asking, she had no choice.
In reality, the number of people invited is not that many. It includes the butcher’s family, the Song family who owns the grain store, and some neighbors from the surrounding area.
As for Su Tang’s aunt next door, she can forget about being invited. Ever since Su Tang’s business started booming, they have been shamelessly trying to bask in her success.
But everyone in the neighborhood knows about their shady affairs.
Daring to take money from deceased parents, aren’t they ashamed?
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Anyway, every time there is a lively scene in front of Su Tang’s house, her aunt’s house remains deserted. The contrast couldn’t be more stark.
If these people are not enough, Su Tang also posted an invitation to Su Jin Hang’s Master’s residence. Whether he comes or not is no longer her concern.
As long as the proper etiquette is observed.
Besides, it’s unlikely that Su Jin Hang’s Master would visit her establishment. If I remember correctly, scholars like him should be quite high-minded.
Su Tang sent out the invitations and didn’t worry about it anymore.
Of course, she also sent separate invitations to Zui Xiao Pavilion, Jing Shui Pavilion, and a special one for Huang Yue Ting.
The interior of Xi Cheng Restaurant has already been renovated, and now it’s being cleaned and ingredients are being purchased.
As everyone looks at the things being bought for Xi Cheng Restaurant, they don’t notice anything particularly special. Could it be that Su Tang is just preparing a regular vegetarian meal?
Perhaps their expectations were a bit premature.
July 25th, the auspicious day for opening, is also a sunny day.
In fact, after the end of July, the weather has started to cool down.
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But Su Tang hasn’t paid much attention to that because of the incident at Xi Cheng Restaurant. She will have to buy new clothes for herself and her younger brother soon.
At the thought of new clothes, Su Tang remembers the incident where she was caught wearing new clothes by Qi Tian Yun.
But let’s not dwell on those matters. The most important thing today is the opening!
The reopening of Xi Cheng Restaurant brings joy to many people. Not to mention the merchants who supply them with ingredients, even the workers at the dock are somewhat happy.
Although the boxed lunches from other places are cheaper by one or two coins, the quality is far inferior.
They haven’t been eating well lately!
After completing the religious ceremony, they can open for business tomorrow!
Before dawn, the monks and Taoists from Lingyin Temple and Shangqing Temple arrived. After exchanging greetings, they started arranging their respective areas without disturbing each other. It was quite interesting to watch.
Su Tang breathed a sigh of relief as she watched this. For her, conducting the religious ceremony was about bringing peace of mind to everyone.
Regardless of the reasons, someone did die here after all.
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They heard that Zhu San’s wife has already taken the money and returned to the countryside. That money is enough for mother and son to live a good life in the countryside.
Master Hao came over and said, “Boss, can we start preparing the vegetarian meal now?”
Su Tang nodded, “Yes, we can. We can start serving the meal at noon. Reverend Qiu Ping and Master Yunyi have been informed.”
From the end of the hour of Yin in the morning to the end of the hour of Si, which is basically from 5 am to 11 am, is the time for resting.
After the rest, from the hour of Shen in the afternoon to the hour of You in the evening, which is from 3 pm to 7 pm, they can resume activities.
The religious ceremony for the day will be concluded by then.
They need to provide meals for lunch and dinner.
Lunch should be more abundant, while dinner will only be provided for the young novices and the Taoists.
The monks at Lingyin Temple adhere to their monastic rules and do not eat after noon, but the young novices are not restricted. They are young and can have some food.
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The Taoists, on the other hand, do not have the rule of abstaining from food after noon. After a few words, they went down to attend to their tasks. It happened that Zhou Auntie and Zhou Cong came over.
Zhou Cong is acquainted with this respected master, so he went over to greet him.
Su Tang then learned that this respected master is a famous teacher from the Hanlin Academy.
So Su Jin Hang and Zhou Cong decided to stay and have a meal with the masters.
I wonder if they will have indigestion.
Su Tang descended the stairs with a smile, knowing that the banquet was about to begin, but she wasn’t sure if Sun Qiao Shan and the others would come.
Just as Su Tang was thinking about it, she noticed a very understated carriage approaching. She was about to go and greet the person getting out of the carriage when she realized it wasn’t Sun Qiao Shan, but the young master himself!
Oh my goodness.
Why did he come too!
It would be one thing if he showed up in his own courtyard, where there are usually fewer people. But with so many people here today, if he were recognized as the young emperor…
Su Tang closed her eyes, knowing that her restaurant’s threshold would surely be trampled upon.
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To Su Tang’s surprise, it was a familiar group of people who arrived.
The young master’s bodyguards, the young master himself, and Sun Qiao Shan.
The head of the bodyguards even said, “Shi Ding and Master Qi will be here shortly. Let’s wait for them. But honestly, I think we can start the feast without them.”
Well, well, they were eagerly waiting to eat.
It wasn’t like the previous day when they resisted the vegetarian meal.
Reverend Qiu Ping, who was standing nearby, was taken aback. He had seen the emperor and his group at Lingyin Temple a few days ago, and he and the abbot were discussing the possibility that these distinguished individuals happened to be accompanying Su Tang.
But now, they couldn’t make excuses anymore.
The emperor and his group were indeed familiar with Su Tang!
Familiar enough to attend this banquet!
In reality, only Su Tang knew the truth—they were just here for a free meal!
There was no other reason at all.
This time, Su Tang didn’t engage in small talk. She hurriedly led them upstairs, away from prying eyes.
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Once they reached the private room hidden behind the folding screen, Su Tang felt it wasn’t enough. She asked the restaurant staff to bring in more folding screens, creating a tight enclosure.
The leader of the bodyguards, Luo Haixuan, who was also the commander of the imperial guards, couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
No wonder Qi Tian Yun valued Su Tang so much. Even though they hadn’t revealed their identities, there was no need to be so nervous, theoretically speaking.
But Su Tang had taken precautions ahead of time, securing the area without him having to worry about it.
It was quite interesting.
Perhaps Qi Tian Yun valued her not only because of her cooking skills?
But Su Tang’s cooking was just too delicious. The day before yesterday, they had a total of eight dishes, two soups, two desserts, and two main courses.
Those main courses, called “liangpi,” were absolutely amazing.
No, wait. Every single dish was delicious.
That’s why they hurriedly arrived at mealtime—to have another meal!
To think that Su Tang could make vegetarian dishes taste so good, that was truly impressive.
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Su Tang felt a bit dizzy. The folding screens upstairs were actually set up correctly!
It was almost eleven o’clock, the time for the banquet to begin, and Shi Ding and Qi Tian Yun finally arrived.
They had come on horseback.
Shi Ding was fine; he followed the attendants upstairs. Qi Tian Yun, on the other hand, looked at Su Tang and said, “Are you surprised to see me?”
“Why did all of you come?” Su Tang asked curiously.
She thought only Sun Qiao Shan would come to join in the fun.
She didn’t expect so many people to come all at once.
Qi Tian Yun replied, “They insisted on trying the dishes you made for me.”
What did he mean by dishes she made?
Before Su Tang could refute, Qi Tian Yun pointed outside, asking if it was time.
Oh, right!
It was almost eleven o’clock. The monks and abbots were also ready to eat, and the banquet upstairs was about to begin!
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Su Tang’s elderly neighbors, whom she had invited, had already arrived early. They willingly sat downstairs, in their words, to absorb the spiritual aura of Buddhism and Taoism.
If they were lucky, they might even receive some guidance from the monks and Taoist priests.
Seeing that everyone had gathered, Su Tang immediately instructed the staff to start arranging the seating so they could begin the meal!
The monastics from Lingyin Temple and Shangqing Monastery had never imagined that one day they would eagerly anticipate a meal like this.
To be fair, the vegetarian meals they usually had were already much better than those in small temples and monasteries.
There were even people who came from afar to taste the vegetarian meals at their temples and monasteries, but compared to these flavors, what had they been eating before?
Amidst everyone’s anticipation, the staff and kitchen assistants finally started serving the dishes.
They began with cold appetizers. Cold-tossed mushrooms were common, but it was rare to pair them with taro starch. The combination of mushrooms and vermicelli was surprisingly appealing.
Next came the cold-tossed gluten.
What was this gluten?
Everyone was seeing it for the first time.
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Meanwhile, Sun Qiao Shan and the others upstairs had already started eating at lightning speed. They couldn’t wait any longer for this gluten dish!
They had already tasted it once, and they couldn’t stop praising the amazing flavor.
However, Qi Tian Yun wasn’t seated at that table. Instead, he stood by Su Tang’s side, helping her handle various matters.
After all, with over a hundred people dining here, there were bound to be some issues that needed attention.
Qi Tian Yun was essentially assisting Su Tang.
At first, Su Tang didn’t realize anything was amiss, but Reverend Qiu Ping’s gaze carried a hint of astonishment.
Oh!
The esteemed Marquis assisting her? That was truly unprecedented.
With so many people here, Su Tang couldn’t help but say, “Why don’t you go and have something to eat? I can handle things here.”
Qi Tian Yun raised an eyebrow. “Your staff can handle it.”
It was true that her staff could manage, but if she went to eat, where would she sit?
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If it were up to her, she would sit with the neighbors downstairs. However, upstairs there was Huang Yue Ting and Sun Qiao Shan. It didn’t seem right to neglect them either.
So Su Tang ended up staying busy with Qi Tian Yun.
Qi Tian Yun spoke up, “Shall we go eat together?”
Judging by Qi Tian Yun’s demeanor, it seemed like he would continue to stay and help if she didn’t go.
Su Tang had no choice but to follow Qi Tian Yun upstairs.
Luckily, they managed to avoid Qiu Ping’s gaze.
Reverend Qiu Ping had already been shocked enough today; let’s not trouble him any further.
At the moment, Qiu Ping was being pulled by his disciple to taste the gluten, or else it would be snatched away by others.
“A monastic should not indulge in worldly desires,” Qiu Ping said before taking a bite of the gluten.
It was absolutely incredible. Qiu Ping was instantly conquered by the gluten soaked in flavorful sauce.
He examined it closely but couldn’t find anything non-vegetarian about it. It completely adhered to the rules and precepts of purity.
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Vegetarian dishes could be made like this?
Qiu Ping was about to ask the staff what it was made of to ensure they didn’t violate any rules.
However, Yun Yi had already asked ahead.
The staff was well-prepared with an answer and replied, “This is gluten made from flour. Rest assured, the vegetarian meals we prepare strictly adhere to the regulations.”
Flour can be made into something like this?
It’s truly astonishing, isn’t it?
Since it wouldn’t violate their precepts, there was no need for further discussion. They should hurry up and eat!
Otherwise, the dishes would disappear in no time!
Not a single bite was left from the three cold appetizers.
Many of the more reserved monastics and Taoists had blushing faces.
As monastics, how could they behave like this? It seemed rather immodest. If the common people saw them, they might even make fun of them.
But when they glanced at the common people, they were eating even more voraciously than themselves!
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Well, that settled it. It seemed that the food was just too delicious, and they couldn’t resist.
The situation upstairs was similar.
Even though Huang Yue Ting and the others knew that Su Tang was exceptionally skilled in cooking, they couldn’t help but sigh when they tasted these cold dishes.
She truly deserved her reputation as a contestant in the Master Chef Competition with just a simple dish of tofu with scallions.
With Su Jin Hang and Zhou Cong at their table, Master Zhao and Master Shi were already bickering over the last piece of gluten.
Master Zhao then turned to Su Jin Hang and said, “Jin Hang, how about you go to the kitchen and bring a plate just for me? Only for me, not for Master Shi.”
Su Jin Hang couldn’t help but laugh and quickly instructed the staff to bring two more plates.
But Su Jin Hang advised, “Master, the dishes that follow are even more delicious. Save some room in your stomach.”
That made sense too.
But are there any foods that are even more delicious than the gluten?
Master Zhao initially expressed doubt, but when the hot dishes arrived, he didn’t know where to start.
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In reality, these nine dishes weren’t considered a grand feast, but the portions were generous, and they looked very pleasing.
The six hot dishes were supposed to be served alongside the cold dishes.
However, all the plates of cold dishes on every table were empty. It seemed like there was plenty of food, but in the blink of an eye, it was gone!
Fortunately, the staff at the Xi Cheng Restaurant maintained their professionalism and didn’t show any surprise. This made many people feel relieved.
It’s not that we were too gluttonous!
It’s just that the food was too delicious.
When Chef Hao in the kitchen heard about this, he decided to bring out two soups, two main courses, and two desserts as well.
The plates of cold dishes could be removed to avoid an unsightly sight.
This sudden change surprised everyone present.
The aroma of the dishes wafted through the air, and for a moment, no one knew which dish to start with!
Let’s not even mention the green pepper and tofu, or the shredded radish meatballs. What about the pumpkin and mushroom bowl? It was such a creative and unique dish!
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The sweet and sour lotus root slices were snatched up quickly. They were soft, tender, and sweet, an unforgettable taste.
The tender tofu and oyster mushrooms made people wish they could have them for dinner along with the mixed-grain rice!
But when the two main courses arrived, most people didn’t hesitate and chose the sesame sauce cold noodles over the mixed-grain rice.
Those who could handle spice even added a spoonful of chili sauce.
If the gluten gave a soothing feeling to people,
then the sesame sauce cold noodles brought a powerful impact. The fragrance of the sesame, the smooth texture of the cold noodles, it was a taste that couldn’t be replaced by any other food.
In between, crispy mung bean sprouts were added for a crunchy texture.
It’s so delicious!
They could easily eat another hundred bowls!
For a moment, no one touched the traditional mixed-grain rice; everyone was devouring the cold noodles.
Fortunately, the staff replenished them quickly, ensuring that the bowls for the cold noodles were never empty. Otherwise, many people would have felt awkward about getting more.
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Even the usually restrained Qiu Ping and Yun Yi couldn’t help but eat a little more, not to mention the people below them.
Qiu Ping had no choice but to remind everyone to keep an eye on the young novices. Children around seven or eight years old shouldn’t overeat and feel uncomfortable later.
However, the young novices were already happily devouring the chestnut puree!
Unlike the cold noodles and mixed-grain rice, which were served in large bowls, each table had a single large bowl.
But the chestnut puree was different. It was served in delicate small bowls, eight of them placed on a plate and brought to each table.
So, if you were quick, you got some; if you were slow, you missed out!
Chef Hao, seeing this, urged everyone to quickly replenish their portions to ensure that no one missed out.
Unexpectedly, everyone loved the chestnut puree just as much.
Finally, they enjoyed a couple of bowls of soup to complete the meal.
The people who came to the temple for the memorial service suddenly felt like they weren’t here to work, but rather to indulge in delicious food. This is just too good to be true.
The entire Xi Cheng Restaurant was filled with the aroma of satisfaction coming from every table.
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Whether they were ordinary people, monks, Taoists, the heirs of the restaurant, or the two scholars, even the emperor and empress themselves.
They all shared one thing in common.
Eating!
How could they resist such delicious vegetarian dishes?
Wait a minute, did anyone even remember that this was a vegetarian meal?
When everyone realized it, they only had one thought in their minds.
So vegetarian meals can be this incredibly tasty!
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