Upon seeing the two bottles, Monkey asked out of curiosity, "Master, what are you doing with these?"
Fangzheng smiled. "Eating dumplings!"
"Uh, aren't we eating them directly? I'll eat them directly. They're delicious, just a little bland … "Squirrel said happily as he wiped his oily mouth.
Fangzheng smiled. "Jingkuan, one of the differences between humans and animals is that they are particular about what they eat. Animals are not picky when they are hungry. They eat whatever is brought to them, but humans are more particular about how they eat, how they eat, when they eat, and what they use to eat … "
"Master, don't they find it troublesome? Are they hungry?" asked Squirrel.
Fangzheng shook his head. "Sometimes, troublesome is a form of sentiment. It's a form of culture, and also a form of heritage. It's like worshipping Buddha. In fact, worshipping Buddha only requires one to respect Buddha, recite scriptures or say 'Amitabha' when they have nothing to do. Once the heart is there, Buddha will be there. However, people like to climb mountains in search of ancient temples, bathe and change their clothes, burn incense to pay respects to Buddha, and donate incense money. There are even people who travel thousands of kilometers to kneel down with every step they take to express their sincerity. Do you know why? "
"It's because of their long lifespans. Silly!" said Squirrel confidently.
Fangzheng struck his head with his chopsticks and smiled. "Nonsense!" Following that, Fangzheng's expression turned serious. "It's a form of faith. From a certain angle, faith is a foolish act. However, it's precisely because of this foolish act that an illusory belief becomes something real. It can be imitated, imitated, and passed down. From there, it becomes a carrier for the heritage. These rituals and actions themselves are a form of heritage. "
When Fangzheng said that, he looked at his disciples who were in serious thought. He was rather pleased.
At that moment, Squirrel looked up and asked, "Master, you have said a lot, and it sounds right, but what has this got to do with eating dumplings with soy sauce and vinegar?"
Fangzheng smiled and said with a serious expression, "It has a lot to do with it!"
"Why?" pressed his disciples.
"Because it's delicious to use them!"
Lone Wolf, Monkey, Squirrel, and Red Boy were instantly stunned in their spots. A string of curses ran through their hearts. All that had been said was nonsense! The most important thing was that it was delicious.
When Fangzheng saw this, he laughed out loud. "Delicious is the main point. Of course, this is also a form of attention. Southerners like to eat soup dumplings. They have both clear and thick soups. I'm not too sure either. But in the Northeast, eating dumplings is more complicated. From the beginning of making dumplings, the fillings are usually not too salty, and at the same time, not too much meat is added. If it's too salty, it won't be good to use it as a topping. If there's too much meat, one won't be able to eat much. It's easy to get sick of it. Of course, we're eating vegetarian stuffing, which has nothing to do with meat. In short, the dumplings in the Northeast usually had more vegetables and less meat. Of course, there were also people who liked to eat meat and were not afraid of being greasy, so they added more meat. There are even dumplings with meat fillings … But if there's too much meat, the dumpling fillings will clump up and become hard. The effect won't look good when it's cooked. "
"Master, there's something strange in the dumplings." At that moment, Squirrel finished his first dumpling. His mouth was covered in oil as his tiny face beamed with happiness. His tiny eyes narrowed as he pointed at something that resembled a wheat ear in the dumpling bowl.
Fangzheng smiled. "That's not something strange. It's also a dumpling. We have a long history of making dumplings. The Northeast isn't like the South. The South's winter is still filled with beautiful flowers and green trees. There are many things for children to play with and eat. We don't make dumplings in winter, but when making dumplings, we often encounter some problems. "
"What problem?" asked Red Boy.
Fangzheng smiled as he looked at Red Boy. "Brat!"
Red Boy: "Uh … Master, can we do a personal attack at this time?"
Fangzheng laughed out loud. "I'm not making a personal attack. It's a fact. In the village, it's not just thirty to fifty dumplings. It's fine if they don't do it, but when they do, it'll be hundreds to a thousand. With so many dumplings, all of them have to be done by hand. Mixing the dough, mixing the fillings, and wrapping are all huge projects. It can't be done in a short period of time. Therefore, the entire family has to do it. At this time, brats are in trouble. With no one watching over them, they cause a ruckus. In order to coax the children, the elders have developed all sorts of dumplings. There are ones that look like mice, wheat ears, piglets, flowers, etc. It's just like a pastry toy. It's placed in front of the child, allowing the child to watch and protect it. This way, the brat will be at peace …
Similarly, brats don't eat properly. When they're hungry, they will cry out. After eating a few mouthfuls of food to fill their stomachs, they will begin jumping around happily again. The elders use such strange, good-looking, and fun dumplings to attract these little guys to the dining table so that they can eat quietly. This is because such dumplings are difficult to make. There's not much in a pot, and children like them. All the elders need to do is say, 'If you run away, these dumplings will be eaten by others.' Therefore, all of them obediently come back to watch over them … "
"Uh, to think so much about eating. You adults live too tiring lives, "said Red Boy as he smacked his lips.
Fangzheng shot a glance at Red Boy. "Oh? Then how did your mother deal with you not eating when you were young? "
Red Boy thought for a moment and said, "What a joke. How could I not eat when I was young?"
Fangzheng rapped him on the head. "Tell the truth. You're not allowed to lie!"
Red Boy recalled the outcome of lying yesterday and immediately turned obedient. With tears streaming down his face, he said, "If I don't eat, my father will cast a spell and I won't be able to close my mouth. My mother will stuff it in and even use chopsticks to press it in … Sigh …"
When Fangzheng, Lone Wolf, Monkey, and Squirrel heard that, they gave him a look of pity. Indeed, the children of demons were resistant to torture …
Fangzheng patted Red Boy on the shoulder. "Good child. It's a miracle that you are alive."
"Master, you haven't told me what those two bottles are for," asked Monkey unhappily.
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