Food: Starting with Wonton Noodles

Before Chen Mingyuan could finish eating, which had been aroused by Liao Boxuan, he ordered another serving of red rice sausage.

The waiter had already brought up the two dishes that Zhou Yu had prepared.

Looking at the two dishes the waiter brought out, Chen Mingyuan let out a soft "Eh".

The presentation of Dinghu Shangsu was beautiful, and he couldn't see anything wrong with it, but the appearance of Huguo Cai was vastly different from the pictures he had found online.

He recalled that when he was searching for the two dishes online, the "Protecting the Nation" dish was a very beautiful Tai Chi symbol.

The dish Zhou Yu prepared to protect the country felt like nothing more than a vegetable soup made from chopped vegetable leaves.

But seeing that Liao Boxuan did not raise any questions, he remained silent as well.

However, out of trust in Zhou Yu, he still prepared to serve Liao Boxuan a bowl of vegetable soup first.

Liao Boxuan stopped him, saying, "No rush, let's eat Dinghu vegetarian food first."

Chen Mingyuan readily agreed, but looking at the exquisite Dinghu Shangsu, he didn't know where to start eating.

Liao Boxuan, without hesitation, picked up a portion of each of the various mushrooms and two types of gluten from Dinghu and put them into his own bowl.

Chen Mingyuan then followed suit and picked up a piece of wood ear mushroom. The wood ear mushroom, after absorbing the vegetarian broth, was exceptionally tender and smooth, yet still retained its original crispness.

The rich aroma of mushrooms complements the unique fragrance of wood ear mushrooms.

Chen Mingyuan tried other ear mushrooms and fungi. The different colored fungi were like girls with different personalities.

He inexplicably thought of Dream of the Red Chamber. Weren't these mushrooms just like the Twelve Beauties among mushrooms?

On the stage of rich and fragrant vegetarian broth, each dish shines and competes for attention, each displaying its unique flavor.

In his mouth, different umami flavors and textures danced together.

Neither repeating nor deceiving each other.

Finally, I ate the two types of gluten that had soaked up all the broth.

The soup is soft and tender, unlike the rich and flavorful soup made from seafood or meat, just like a rainbow crossing a valley, stream, and mountains.

It is the lingering fragrance amidst the elegance that makes one feel refreshed and clean.

Chen Mingyuan exclaimed, "What a fragrant and refreshing dish! It's delicious!"

After marveling at it, another question arose: "But it doesn't seem to taste like meat?"

He remembered that when he searched online, Dinghu was known for its vegetarian dishes that tasted like meat, and it was considered a type of vegetarian dish that imitated meat.

At this moment, Liao Boxuan, who had also come back to his senses from the delicious food, shook his head and laughed, "Dinghu Vegetarian is not a vegetarian dish that imitates meat. It's just that because of its great reputation, people want to attribute everything to it."

After a moment of silence, he sighed and continued, "Your friend's cooking skills are truly remarkable. I never imagined that someone could cook three kinds of mushrooms and six kinds of fungus to this extent."

Chen Mingyuan: "Mr. Liao, is there some secret to this dish that makes it so difficult for others to make?"

Liao Boxuan shook his head: "No, it's that I didn't expect there are still people who can not be misled by appearances and can still simplify complex matters."

Seeing that Chen Mingyuan was still puzzled, he explained, "If we're talking about the earliest Dinghu vegetarian dish, the old monk who made it back then probably just used three kinds of mushrooms and six kinds of fungus to stew it. But just like Buddhism, each generation has its own interpretation."

"This has led to various versions of Dinghu vegetarian soup. Some people add various mushrooms to the soup base; others, like those in Dream of the Red Chamber, use a variety of hard-to-find ingredients."

"You've heard about the methods of making mock meat, which are actually quite normal. What I've seen most interesting is that many people now use ginger to stir-fry mushrooms to remove their fishy smell. Ginger is considered meat in Buddhism, so they really dare to change that."

"That's why I said your friend's cooking skills are truly exceptional! Nowadays, there's a trend in making Dinghu vegetarian dishes that they're considered unauthentic unless they're made as complicated as possible and the umami flavor is maximized. In this trend, it's really rare that he can simplify things and bring out the true flavor of the three mushrooms and six ear fungus."

Chen Mingyuan couldn't help but complain, "Ah, this is considered easy?"

He already found the version of Dinghu vegetarian cuisine made by Zhou Yu to be complicated, and he couldn't imagine how complicated it could be.

Liao Boxuan smiled but remained silent.

After eating another small bowl of Dinghu vegetarian food, Liao Boxuan looked at the Huguo dish with some hesitation.

Chen Mingyuan put down his chopsticks and said, "Old Liao, do you not like this kind of vegetable soup?"

Seeing that the soup didn't look very appealing, he assumed that Liao Boxuan thought it was too simple.

Liao Boxuan shook his head and said, "No, your friend did a very authentic job, which reminded me of some stories."

After hesitating for a moment, Liao Boxuan handed the bowl to Chen Mingyuan and asked him to serve him a bowl of vegetable soup.

Liao Boxuan grew up in a wealthy family in Xiguan, Guangzhou.

Even after he ended up on Hong Kong Island, he still had the legacy of Sin Chak. It can be said that apart from his turbulent childhood, he had not really suffered.

But this period of wandering also left an unforgettable memory for him. It was also the first time he had eaten the "Protect the Nation" dish.

The dish Zhou Yu prepared to protect the country was like a bowl of wild vegetable soup.

Liao Boxuan had not seen such a coarse vegetable soup for many years.

In recent years, he has often eaten the "Protect the Nation" dish, but most of them are versions with elaborate presentations that are completely unrecognizable.

This dish of wild vegetable soup, resembling a dish for protecting the nation, reminded him of those days.

Picking up the bowl, the soup had a faint mushroom aroma.

Did Sister Yin add shiitake mushrooms when she made this dish back then?

Probably, since although Sister Yin was nominally a maid employed by her own family, in my memory, she always had such exquisite requirements for food.

I picked up the spoon and scooped up a spoonful.

The vegetable leaves are soft, tender, and savory, while the vegetable stems are crisp and refreshing.

The sweet potato leaf soup at Huguo Restaurant isn't particularly impressive, but it's like a thrifty and capable woman managing a household.

Whether you're returning from a storm or preparing to embark on an adventure with weapons, each sip of vegetable soup not only warms your cold body but also brings a sense of peace and tranquility from within.

It's so comfortable and reassuring.

Therefore, Liao Boxuan ate faster and faster.

A light sweat began to appear on his forehead.

"It's so delicious, even better than what Sister Yin used to cook." Liao Boxuan couldn't help but laugh after finishing a bowl of vegetable soup.

Liao Boxuan remembers that the weather that day was quite dry and bright.

But he couldn't remember whether it was spring or autumn.

The seasons in Lingnan are not distinct. The only thing he remembers is that it was not as cold as winter or as hot as summer.

He remembers that day, when he was only eight years old, he was hungry for the entire day.

Yin Jie, who is usually cheerful and outspoken, was unusually gentle.

"Thirteenth Young Master, you won't get any food during the day today, you'll only get to eat in the evening. It's not that Sister Yin isn't going to feed you, it's just that I think you should remember today."

Setting down the bowl, Liao Boxuan smiled and said, "Dr. Chen, may I invite your friend over for a chat and some tea?"