When we gathered at 9:00 AM, we realized that the City God Temple is not just a place for worship; it is a deep and long "street house" (shophouse) building.

The front hall is a solemn temple, and only after passing through a long corridor to the back did we reach the "secret base" for ingredient preparation this time. Because of the unique terrain, we even acted as guideposts to direct classmates who couldn't find their way in.

Worried that some classmates might not find where we were, we ran back and forth many times, noticing that many slightly older "aunties" and "uncles" had also started greeting each other and automatically joining in the preparation work.

After washing the vegetables, of course, came the chopping. At first, we watched the aunties chop. Classmates who usually help out at home said they could give it a try, so we took turns stepping up to experience it.

We usually spend more time holding pens than kitchen knives, so we were really unskillful at chopping vegetables. Especially since the leek leaves were slippery, we had to grip the leaves tightly with one hand while controlling the chopping force with the other. The aunties kept reminding us to be careful.

By starting our experience with washing and chopping vegetables, we realized that providing free Jian Dui for the townspeople requires not just equipment, manpower, and ingredients, but also ensuring every single step is in place, which is extremely labor-intensive and time-consuming.

After the savory Jian Dui batter was mixed, let's see what ingredients we added.

Seeing that the Dragon Boat Festival must have rice dumpling, we thanked the grandma who gave each of us one; it was very delicious. We hope that through our promotional efforts, whenever people think of the Dragon Boat Festival, they will think of Jian Dui.

During the ingredient preparation experience, the phrase that left the deepest impression on me was "proactive" (taking initiative). This kind of unrequited, neighborly warmth and mutual help was even hotter than the freshly pan-fried Jian Dui.

This taught me that the continuation of traditional culture relies not only on rituals but also on this group of people's commitment to the deities and the land.