dkrc Chapter 19 Encounter in the Temple
Chapter 19 Encounter in the Temple
The long holiday flew by. With National Day followed by Mid-Autumn Festival, I went back to the countryside to visit my grandparents and ended up gaining three pounds.
Let alone people, even the pigeons in the countryside courtyards have been fattened up by the older generation to the point of being almost as fat as chickens, and they are too lazy to flutter out of their cages.
When I got home in the evening, I heard my elderly mother talking on the phone about volunteering at Xiyuan Temple.
Chen Che was initially dismissive of such matters, since it involved time and yielded little benefit.
After reflecting on it, I realized that it was indeed the case that those who participated in such activities were more likely to be people who didn't care about the financial rewards.
Moreover, the proportion of women in this group is significantly higher than that of men. These include corporate executives, wealthy housewives, and the like. They are financially independent, materially secure, and begin to pursue inner peace and tranquility.
These are all connections, and a bunch of wealthy female bodhisattvas at that.
Car clubs and similar organizations follow a similar logic; they are all social activities within the same social circle.
No wonder the abbot has such good resources; he can run a harem within the temple.
As long as it's not to the point of obsession with donating one's entire fortune, there's really nothing particularly wrong with it.
Chen Che asked, "Mom, are you going to the temple to volunteer tomorrow?"
Li Yan shook her head: "I'm not going, but your Aunt Xiaohui is going. What's wrong?"
The "Aunt Xiaohui" that Li Yan mentioned is actually Wang Xiaohui, whom her elderly mother met while doing volunteer work. She is the human resources manager of an architectural design institute. After getting to know Li Yan, she not only frequently took care of her own business but also introduced many clients to her.
"I want to go and get a free bowl of vegetarian noodles."
"Let's go eat somewhere else. There are so many noodle shops around here. Guanyin noodles are just plain watery soup, what's so good about them?"
Suzhou-style noodles are made with very ordinary dried noodles, which would probably make a northerner starve to death and unable to swallow a single bite. It would be a desecration of flour.
The key is the variety of toppings. Cheaper options include braised pork and three delicacies, while more expensive options include three shrimp and crab roe. There are also options for noodles that are soft or firm, with extra green vegetables, no green vegetables, and whether or not to add ginger, depending on personal preference.
Chen Che chuckled and said, "Nothing that costs money is as delicious as something that's free."
On the one hand, Chen Che did think so; on the other hand, he could use his position to build a relationship with Wang Xiaohui on behalf of his parents.
The next day, before dawn, Chen Che set off on his electric scooter.
Speaking of temples in Suzhou, the most famous one should be Hanshan Temple. Its popularity skyrocketed because of the poem "A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge" by the poet Zhang Ji, with the entrance fee reaching 20 yuan per person. As a result, Hanshan Temple is overcrowded during festivals, and because the entrance fee to Xiyuan Temple is only 5 yuan per person, Buddha probably doesn't care too much about how much incense money he receives. Therefore, many worshippers have turned to the neighboring Xiyuan Temple (3 kilometers to the east).
As for Chen Che, who was a semi-connected individual, he simply slipped in through the back door, saving himself the trouble of getting a ticket.
Upon arriving at the vegetarian restaurant, Chen Che looked around and spotted a woman whose face bore the marks of time but who still looked dignified and beautiful. He walked over, handed her the scriptures he had brought, and greeted her warmly, "Sister Xiaohui."
Wang Xiaohui looked in the direction of the voice and saw Chen Che, a handsome young man she hadn't seen in a while. She smiled and said, "Don't call me Sister Xiaohui. I'm almost fifty. I've reached the age where I should be called Auntie."
Although Wang Xiaohui is approaching fifty, she looks younger than her own mother, whether it's because she has purified her mind and body by working as a volunteer at the temple or because she is well-off and takes good care of herself.
Chen Che laughed and said, "How could that be? Women are forever eighteen. My mom is eighteen. You're a little older than my mom, so let's say nineteen."
Flattery never fails, and it's especially effective on women. Wang Xiaohui smiled and raised her eyebrows and the corners of her mouth in a happy mood. It seems that she hasn't quite mastered the morning ritual she started at four in the morning, and hasn't yet cultivated the ability to treat worldly praise and criticism with equanimity.
With that mouth and that face of yours, you're sure to charm countless girls now that you're in college.
"If my daughter weren't already married, I would definitely introduce you two," Wang Xiaohui said with a smile.
Chen Che's eyes lit up. Married? Isn't that even better?
First of all, Chen Che is not a womanizer with the spirit of Jian'an and the legacy of Cao Cao, after all, he is surnamed Chen and does not believe in Cao Cao.
However, even if a mature man has his own unique fantasies and preferences, he must still be able to appreciate the beauty of a girl at every stage of her life.
From a beautiful and charming young girl, to a rational, tolerant, and capable older woman, and finally to a mature, sexy, and uniquely elegant wife.
When paired with Lei Da and Lei Xiao, slender legs and fleshy legs, beautiful abs or a plump figure, outgoing and generous personality and introverted and gentle personality, the combinations can produce an infinite number of unique combinations, just like a chemical reaction.
A variety of different styles await boys to discover and explore; it is a subject worth studying throughout a man's life.
Therefore, it is difficult for those who do not understand the beauty of married women.
Of course, Chen Che didn't dare to be so presumptuous in front of his elders, and humbly said, "Someone as outstanding as you would be good to be friends with your daughter."
"Hehe, I'll have the kitchen helper cook the noodles for you."
Before long, Wang Xiaohui brought over two bowls of Guanyin noodles. The vegetarian toppings were much more plentiful than usual, with bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, dried bean curd sticks, shiitake mushrooms, and fried gluten cooked together and thickened with cornstarch. The noodles were slightly sweet and fragrant, and tasted really good.
After enjoying a delicious breakfast, Chen Che was about to say goodbye to Wang Xiaohui when she approached with a smile and asked, "Xiao Che, are you free later?"
As soon as the question was asked, Chen Che had a bad feeling. How could he know if he was in trouble if the question wasn't clearly explained?
However, saying that he was going to an internet cafe to play games would ruin his image as a good young man, so he reluctantly replied, "It's nothing, Sister Xiaohui."
"That's perfect. The restaurant will be open to the public soon, and there will be a lot of customers on holidays. Why don't you stay here for a while in the morning and help out?" Wang Xiaohui said.
"Uh... okay." Chen Che forced a smile and agreed. It sounded like a request, but given Wang Xiaohui's status, it was more like a demand. Moreover, his family's social connections with her left him with little room to refuse.
With tears in his eyes, Chen Che put on the apron. The kitchen assigned him a simple task: to ladle the toppings into bowls according to the customers' noodle tickets.
Although they are all vegetarian noodles, they are actually divided into three types: Guanyin noodles, auspicious noodles, and Ruyi noodles.
When the meal service started, a group of customers poured into the lobby, lining up to hand over their noodle tickets. At first, Chen Che was lost in the respectful "little chefs," but when the spoons were almost smoking from being swished around, he just found it noisy.
Then a familiar, sweet voice rang out: "Little master, I have three bowls of Guanyin noodles here."
A slender, jade-like hand handed over three bills. Chen Che took them and looked up to meet her eyes. It was the other person who first exclaimed in surprise.
"Chen Che?" Chen Sui's voice was filled with surprise, but also a hint of joy.