Chapter 105: Chapter 105 Taxation (1)_1 Chapter 105: Chapter 105 Taxation (1)_1 “Master.” Lin Ziyin, unsure of what to call the Little Monk, decides to call all monks “Master”.
“Amitabha, my Dharma name is Master Wufa,” the Little Monk corrected her, his face flushing red.
“Master Wufa, please help me light the fire,” Lin Ziyin didn’t want to waste time on trivial matters. “I’ll make the dishes. How many are you eating at noon?”
“Two,” Wufa answered, his head bowed.
Lin Ziyin nodded, indicating that she understood.
“Benefactor Lin, are you going to make tofu?” Master Hui Lian asked enthusiastically.
“I’ll make a few more dishes today, some of which are new products sent by our Lin Family for free,” said Lin Ziyin with a smile.
“Thank you, benefactor,” Master Hui Lian thanked her with a grin.
Without rushing to cook, Lin Ziyin poured a considerable amount of soybean oil into the pot, then took out a half-fermented dough she brought from a basin, and started to get busy.
“What is this?” Master Hui Lian was distressed upon seeing the amount of oil she poured into the pot. But since Lin Ziyin had mentioned that the jar of oil was a gift, he thought it wasn’t his place to reprimand her.
Lin Ziyin molded the dough into elongated strips, cut them into smaller pieces, pressed two pieces together with chopsticks, and tossed them into the oil pot to fry.
In no time, a golden deep-fried stick was ready.
Lin Ziyin took the fried stick out and let it cool, continuing her frying smoothly.
“Come and try.” After some ten fried sticks were ready, she offered them to the Firehead Monk in the kitchen and Changting Yanzhi.
“Amitabha, monks are not allowed to eat privately,” the Librarian said, putting his palms together.
However, the two boys ate with great relish, making the younger monks in the kitchen drool in secret.
“This is a test tasting. After eating, you are to give feedback,” Lin Ziyin replied calmly, “If you are satisfied, I’ll show you how to make these fried sticks. In the future, the monks of the monastery can have a better diet.”
“Amitabha, benefactor is kind-hearted, we monks are grateful.” Master Hui Lian thanked her hands clasped. After exchanging a glance with the Librarian, he accepted a fried stick, as did the rest of the monks.
Delicious and crisp! Upon tasting it, Master Hui Lian’s face lit up with delight. But the sight of oil in the pot made his smile fade. “It uses too much oil.”
“The remaining oil can be used for cooking,” Lin Ziyin answered with a smile.
Then, she prepared and explained as she went along, made a pot of stir-fried vegetable dry, radish tofu, stir-fried shredded potato and leek scrambled eggs for the monastery, “Please find those who are interested in and have talent for cooking as soon as possible. I want to start training them.”
“Amitabha.” With a broad smile, Master Hui Lian agreed, “Rest assured, Benefactor Lin, we will surely find suitable candidates for you within three days.”
“I may not have time to come over every day. If possible, they can come to my house. They can have lunch at my place and learn two dishes each day. By autumn, we can start offering private home cooking,” Lin Ziyin replied.
“This?” Master Hui Lian hesitated.
“Rest assured, Master. We also use vegetarian oil at my place,” Lin Ziyin said, smiling, knowing what he was worried about.
“Then we are truly grateful, Benefactor Lin,” Master Hui Lian finally let out a sigh of relief.
The vegetarian meal was quickly delivered to the dining hall. It goes without saying that the monks were overjoyed, having tasted such a delicious vegetarian meal for the first time.
Meanwhile, Lin Ziyin, the two boys, and the old man left the mountain with a few fried sticks in hand. Uncle Lou Zheng and Mrs. Zhang were still waiting for them at the foot of the mountain.
“Uncle Lou Zheng, Auntie, have some of these to hold you over,” Lin Ziyin handed over four fried sticks to the couple.