Baozi Xishi's Struggle

The weather was clear and the sun was scorching hot wherever it hit.

As soon as we walked onto the mountain road, we were covered with thick shade, and the summer heat disappeared instantly. The mountains on both sides of the road were densely planted with lush trees, and there was a slight cool breeze blowing, and the crisp chirping of birds could be heard from time to time above our heads, which made us feel happy.

The slope of the hill is not steep, and the stone steps on the mountain road are wide and flat, making it easy to walk on.

There were many people along the way, some were walking alone and looking around, and some were traveling with their whole family, young and old. Most people walked up the mountain, and occasionally there would be two people carrying a sedan chair and shouting as they passed through the crowd.

Shen Yu walked forward with the crowd, chatting and laughing. Looking around, it was quite lively.

It didn't take long before they reached the top of the mountain. Shen Yu couldn't help but smile. Before going up the mountain, he thought he would have to climb a long way and was secretly worried that his body wouldn't be able to take it. He didn't expect to reach the top of the mountain so quickly.

Guangning Temple does not look big, but there is a large open space in front of the mountain gate. Various stalls are crowded together, and colorful tents are set up above the stalls. At first glance, it is colorful and lively.

The guys worked hard all day long. Although there was a market in the town, it was mostly for trading ordinary farm tools, grain, chickens, ducks and other livestock. It was rare to see exquisite and interesting things.

Today everyone brought some money and wanted to buy something they liked.

Looking at the stall at the entrance crowded with people, all looking eager to try, I wanted to go and take a look.

Chef Lu looked at their eagerness to visit the stalls, smiled knowingly, and said to them, "Go on your own. After the ceremony, gather in front of the mountain gate and we'll go back together. Don't play around. If you miss the time, the carriage won't wait for you."

Everyone cheered and dispersed.

Since Shen Yu and Liu Niangzi were both women, they walked together all the way.

Madam Liu came here today specifically to pray for blessings and had no interest in visiting the stalls. She asked Shen Yu if she wanted to go together to buy incense and worship the Buddha. Shen Yu said he wanted to walk around first, so the two parted ways in front of the mountain gate.

It was the first time Shen Yu saw a real ancient market. She was very excited and looked around like a silly girl who came to the city for the first time.

The stalls with tents here are all large stalls, with a wide variety of goods, mostly.

There are hairpins, combs, hairpins, rings, bronze mirrors, and velvet flowers that interest ladies;

Some children can't move their feet when they see it, and they ask to buy rattles, bamboo horses, bamboo dragonflies, and dove-shaped cars;

There are hats, futou, scarves, various hairpins and scarf buckles worn by gentlemen;

There was a particularly grand stall that took up a large area, displaying antiques such as swords, ancient fans, jade hooks, jade pendants, calligraphy and paintings. The stall owner, dressed in a long gown, was leisurely flipping through a book, but few people were interested in the stall.

There are more hawkers carrying loads on their shoulders, walking among the crowd. The load they carry is their stall. If a customer waves at them, they will stop selling immediately. It is smart and convenient.

There are all kinds of things for sale, including food and toys, but most of them are fruits.

The fruit baskets were piled with colorful fresh seasonal fruits, including large pomegranates with their mouths open revealing their crystal seeds, fist-sized peaches with a sweet pink hue, round yellow apricots, and a separate pile of green bunches of grapes.

The fruit vendors arranged the fruits in red and green colors and piled them high, but they carried the loads steadily and quickly, which made Shen Yu admire him very much.

The weather was hot and she couldn't help but feel greedy when looking at the fruits. She asked the vendor to stop and asked the price. Unexpectedly, it was very cheap. She only paid five cents for a bag of grapes and two big peaches. After paying, the vendor wrapped them in lotus leaves and put them in the bamboo basket she was carrying.

Shen Yu also brought some silver money when she went out. She didn't want to spend it on buying delicious food and fun things like other people did. She just planned to use it to buy food for lunch. She didn't know the prices of the food here. The cheapest vegetarian noodles in the restaurant were fifteen cents a bowl. She thought that Guangning Temple was also a scenic spot, and the food in scenic spots might be more expensive, so she prepared more and brought fifty cents. Unexpectedly, the host gave her another fifty cents. Now she had money to buy some snacks to try.

Because it is located in a temple, all the food sold is vegetarian.

The tofu stall sells fried dried tofu, spiced dried tofu, and crispy fried tofu skewers.

The sesame biscuits in the bamboo basket on the pancake stall are so delicious that the crust will fall off if you touch them. They come with either brown sugar filling or pepper and salt filling.

The pastry basket was piled with pieces of cut date paste cakes, red bean cakes, and mung bean cakes.

There are also people selling all kinds of honey-fried fruits and sour plum drinks. They walk by with their baskets on their shoulders, bringing a sweet aroma.

Shen Yu looked carefully and found that he could buy a snack for only two or three cents. The vendors would considerately wrap the snack in lotus leaves or put it on bamboo sticks so that people could eat it while walking around without getting any food on their hands.

She couldn't help but smile as she looked at it. It looked just like the food street she often visited when she was in school.

Although I had to work in my spare time at that time, my roommates would drag me along to eat while walking around in my free time. There were a wide variety of snacks, and I wanted to try everything and buy everything. Often, I would eat so much that I couldn't walk halfway and my belly would be so full that I couldn't move.

With a packed lunch box and a satisfied heart, spend a relaxing and enjoyable evening.

After wandering around, she arrived at the mountain gate. On both sides, there were little kids around eight or nine years old with little hairpins on their heads. They came up to her with baskets in their hands and with sweet smiles on their faces, trying to sell incense and candles to her. Shen Yu didn't believe it, so she quickly followed the crowd into the mountain gate.

The buildings inside were simple and solemn, crowded with people, filled with smoke, and much hotter than outside the mountain gate.

With the long ringing of the bell, the ceremony officially began. The devout men and women all crowded into the main hall, hoping to be closer to the eminent monk and get some of his blessings.

Shen Yu was already feeling a little depressed, and was confused about these rituals. He couldn't understand the beauty of them, so he simply walked towards a place with fewer people.

Walking along the corridor and around the main hall, there are much fewer people in the side hall. There are only a few women kneeling in front of the Buddha statue and praying devoutly, and an old monk sitting cross-legged on a cushion nearby, chanting scriptures.

The yard at the back was quite spacious, with wooden racks set up everywhere in the sunny areas, with open Buddhist scriptures spread out on them, and two little monks looking after them.

Shen Yu found it interesting, so he stood there for a while and then started to wander around along the path between the flowers and trees.

This temple is built on the top of a hill and occupies a small area. It is small and exquisite, with lush flowers and trees everywhere, full of vitality, and well-maintained.

Walking along the path, we arrived at the small gate to the backyard of the temple. The sound of bells and chimes from the ceremony in the main hall became much quieter.

It's June now, but the weather here doesn't feel hot. There's even a slight cool breeze blowing on your face, which makes you feel relaxed and happy.

There is also a small path outside the small gate leading up the mountain, but it is not as wide and flat as the path in front. However, there is an open space surrounded by bamboo fences next to the small gate. The place is not big, but there are more than ten small food stalls. There are soup noodles, steamed cakes, vegetarian cakes, soup wontons, etc.

There were tables and low stools on the open ground. The Dharma Assembly was in full swing at this time and there were not many people here. There were only two or three stall owners. I guess they had left their stalls and went to the main hall in the front yard to listen to the monks preaching.

Those who stayed behind to look after the stalls were also sitting idly, waiting for the ceremony to end.