Food: Randomly set up stalls, even the little guy is drooling.

At 6 a.m., at the top of Qingzhu Mountain.

Looking out from the observation deck, the eastern horizon gradually turned a pale white, then orange-red, then golden... The first rays of sunlight, like a mother's gentle hand, softly brushed across the layers of bamboo forest. The edges of the bamboo leaves were gilded, and the mist in the forest was also tinged with a faint gold.

Click. Gu Xunguang held his breath, pressed the shutter button, and the camera in his hand took a series of high-speed shots, capturing this rare moment.

As a photojournalist and freelance photographer for Xingcheng Daily, Gu Xunguang has an almost obsessive pursuit of light and shadow. This is not the first time he has come here to photograph the green bamboo reflecting the sun. He took a set of photos five years ago when he first entered the industry. At that time, his skills were still immature, and his grasp of the morning light was not precise enough, lacking a certain lively and tranquil charm.

Therefore, he carried his photography equipment and waited there at 5 a.m. He quickly checked the photos. The bamboo shadows were swaying and the morning light was warm. Excellent! Both the composition of light and shadow and the capture of artistic conception far surpassed his previous works.

"It's done!" Gu Xunguang couldn't help but cheer softly, finally capturing a satisfactory shot. The artist's satisfaction filled his chest, and he continued to frame and shoot until... a rumbling sound came from his abdomen.

Gu Xunguang rubbed his stomach, took out his phone, and saw it was already 7:30. He had two choices: either go to the convenience store he passed by, but he didn't know if it was open yet, or if he could buy some cold noodles to tide him over; or he could carry his equipment down the mountain, but that would probably take more than half an hour.

As he was pondering this, a series of unhurried footsteps gradually approached.

Gu Xunguang looked up and saw a fat monk wearing a light gray robe, with a warm smile on his face, walking towards him.

"Amitabha." The fat monk stopped in front of Gu Xunguang, raised one palm, and said with a hint of enthusiasm in his voice, "Esteemed benefactor, judging from your appearance, you have an affinity with Buddhism!"

Gu Xunguang's heart skipped a beat, and alarm bells rang instantly.

Here it comes! The classic opening line! "I'm somehow connected to Buddha." I bet your next line is, "I see your forehead is dark," followed by, "I happen to have a treasure blessed by a highly virtuous person that can avert your bloodshed."

A few years ago, he went to an ancient town in Yunnan Province for a travel photo shoot. There, a "master" dressed similarly tricked him into buying a supposedly blessed but actually low-quality bronze Buddha statue from a wholesale market in Urumqi for 888 yuan.

I never expected to encounter something like this on Qingzhu Mountain. Why didn't they choose a more famous scenic spot?

Gu Xunguang sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm, preemptively cutting the other person off, "Master, you're too kind. I just came to the mountain to enjoy the scenery; I have no connection with Buddhism. I have no money on me, and my phone and wallet are empty!"

The fat monk's smile vanished instantly. "Damn it! With my dignified and radiant appearance, I look like a highly accomplished monk! How dare they compare me to those charlatans? And what about my lack of money? Does your camera lens think I don't know its value?"

"Esteemed benefactor, do I look like a swindler?" The fat monk chuckled in exasperation, puffed out his chest, and continued, "I am Hai Chi, a legitimate monk staying at Kaiyuan Temple on Qingzhu Mountain, with a certificate of ordination! If you don't understand, then I'm a fake, you understand? A fake!"

Gu Xunguang then realized that he did indeed have sensitive skin, and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Master Haichi, I was deceived before, which is why I offended you."

"It's not wrong to be cautious, how could this humble monk hold it against you?" The fat monk Hai Chi's kind smile returned. "Speaking of which, you're quite lucky, benefactor. Our temple just happened to be holding an event for tourists and pilgrims today, offering free vegetarian samples..."

Free samples? Gu Xunguang's eyebrows, which had just relaxed, rose even higher. He was even more familiar with this tactic!

First, they offer small favors like free samples, then lure people to the temple, followed by introductions to things like donating to the temple, offering incense and praying for blessings, and finally, a series of traps involving the purchase of blessed items. They're just taking advantage of honest people like me who feel embarrassed.

Don't ask Gu Xunguang how he knows, because his family members have encountered it too!

The temple gate, haha, is just like those health centers and health product stores near my home now. They lure old ladies in with free eggs, then make them spend all their retirement savings on health products. The tricks are exactly the same.

Who would have thought that the monks of Kaiyuan Temple, a place of quiet meditation, would be so up-to-date with marketing?

A journalist's sense of justice, daring to expose the dark side, burned fiercely within him. Gu Xunguang, however, appeared even more sincere, "Master, you're too kind. I imagine your temple's vegetarian dishes are quite excellent?"

He was being polite, but his mind was already racing with his prepared remarks.

Shocking! A Century-Old Temple Becomes a Sales Trap? Reporter Exposes the "Free Vegetarian Meal" Trap at Qingzhushan, "Buddhist Affinity or Money? Unveiling the Marketing Scams of Kaiyuan Temple," "From Free Buns to Exorbitant Incense Prices: A Reporter's Undercover Encounter at Kaiyuan Temple"...

"It really is delicious." Hai Chi exclaimed, not expecting him to have such a vivid imagination. Thinking he agreed, he turned and called out to someone not far away, "Junior Brother Hai He, over here!"

Another, thinner monk, also dressed in a light gray robe, walked over, carrying a thermal bag.

In front of Gu Xunguang, Haihe opened his insulated bag and took out a steamed bun wrapped in oil paper, which was still slightly steaming.

Gu Xunguang's eye twitched slightly. This is it? That's so unhygienic! Wouldn't it be more hygienic to put it in a plastic bag? Using this for marketing? It's not even as good as an old lady's eggs.

Although his stomach was growling with hunger, as someone with a bit of OCD, he thought to himself, "Even if I, Gu Xunguang, starve to death, die outside, or jump off this mountaintop, I will not eat a single thing from you!"

"You're too kind, Master. I might not have explained myself clearly. It's really not necessary; I'm not hungry yet. I'll eat when we get down the mountain," Gu Xunguang politely declined. He secretly planned to take some photos with his GoPro later—these would be excellent news material!

Seeing his insistence, Hai Chi didn't press the matter. He shook his head, seemingly feeling sorry for him, "Junior brother, this benefactor's fate hasn't arrived yet. Let's go take a look over there."

With that, the two brothers turned to leave. Gu Xunguang had just taken out his GoPro when an extremely alluring fragrance, carried by the morning breeze, gently drifted into his nostrils.

It was a warm, comforting, and sweet scent, not strong, but exceptionally clear, like an invisible feather gently tickling his palm, then traveling along his nerves to precisely tantalize his empty stomach.

What? He subconsciously took a deep breath, as if the sensation was coming from the steamed bun in the skinny monk's hand? This ordinary steamed bun that he had just rejected?

Gu Xunguang shook his head frantically in his heart. One voice told him, "You just refused, so don't think about it anymore. It's just a bite to eat; what's the harm in not eating?" Another voice told him...

"etc!"