"Old woman, come and see! Young friend Qin's vegetarian meal this time allows you to choose the dishes by drawing lots, and the price is also based on donations. The name 'Suifen Vegetarian Meal' is truly fitting."

After Grandma Yang leaned close to Qin Yi and whispered a few words, the two shook hands amicably.

Then he came to Old Man Meng's side and looked at him, saying...

“Old man, you draw two lots, and I’ll draw two too. It’s a rare opportunity to meet young friend Qin, so let’s eat more.”

Old Meng: "Isn't it too extravagant to eat four dishes at eight o'clock in the morning?"

Grandma Yang acted swiftly and decisively, already shaking the lottery tube.

“We’re eating vegetarian food, we can’t afford anything extravagant. If you can’t finish it, I’ll take care of it. Are you questioning the speed of our women’s team?” She straightened her back and asked Old Meng.

Old Meng quickly shook his head: "Please, old woman, have some decency! I didn't eat enough last night!"

Old Yang drew yellow and red bamboo sticks; Old Meng drew purple and blue bamboo sticks.

Mr. Yang chose yam and tomato.

Mr. Meng chose eggplant and butterfly pea flowers.

Qin Yi stared into thought as she looked at the dried butterfly pea flowers in Old Meng's hand. "Old Meng's choice is really unexpected. This is the first time a customer has picked this for me."

"I'm just looking at this pretty flower; I'm sure my wife will love the food I make with it." Old Meng's eyes sparkled.

Helplessly, Qin Yi picked up the ingredients and went to work in the kitchen, muttering to herself, "Who said that being love-struck is the best cosmetic procedure for men... Is the love-struck population in Rainbow City aging...?"

Qin Yi first soaked the dried butterfly pea flowers in water.

Butterfly pea flowers are rich in anthocyanins and various vitamins.

After soaking for a while, the water in the bowl will turn dark blue.

Then, mix the blue water with the dough and roll it out into a large, light blue sheet.

Sprinkle with white coconut flakes and blackcurrant raisins.

Roll it up from one end to the other, then divide it into small portions of the same size.

Stretch the small dough pieces out and then fold and roll them up again; the sky-blue flower roll dough is now ready.

Let all the steamed buns rise for half an hour, then steam until cooked.

Next, let's make "cauliflower and tomato".

First, prepare a bowl of sauce.

Mix light soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, matsutake mushroom seasoning, and a pinch of salt until well combined and set aside.

Blanch the cauliflower and wood ear mushrooms for one minute and then remove them from the water.

After soaking the tomatoes in hot water, carefully remove the skin and cut them into chunks.

Heat oil in a pan, add minced scallions and garlic, and once fragrant, add diced tomatoes.

Once the tomatoes have released their orange juice, add the blanched cauliflower and wood ear mushrooms.

After tossing the wok a few times over high heat, pour in the previously prepared sauce, add a handful of green garlic leaves, and it's ready to serve.

After finishing these preparations, Qin Yi planned to make a very appetizing "vegetarian braised eggplant".

In her previous life, the eggplant she cooked was never flavorful enough, which made her dislike cooking eggplant.

Having learned the recipes provided by the system in this life, I realized that making a delicious eggplant dish actually requires some effort.

Long eggplants don't need to be peeled after washing; they will eventually become very soft and mushy.

Cut into larger, rolling cuts and marinate with salt for a few minutes.

This is the time to prepare the sauce.

The classic ratio of light soy sauce to dark soy sauce is 2:1, resulting in a beautiful color without turning black.

Add some flavor-enhancing seasonings and cornstarch slurry, then mix in a small bowl of water.

Rinse the marinated eggplant thoroughly and squeeze the eggplant pieces with your hands to remove excess water.

Add a small amount of starch and mix well, making sure the eggplant is evenly coated with starch.

This step will prevent the eggplant from absorbing too much oil when cooked.

Preheat a wok and add vegetable oil.

Heat the oil and then add the eggplant pieces coated in batter.

Sauté over medium heat until the eggplant pieces are cooked through and softened, then remove the eggplant pieces and set aside.

Leave some oil in the pan.

Add minced garlic and chopped chili peppers and stir-fry until fragrant.

Add the previously stir-fried eggplant and stir-fry together until evenly mixed.

The final step is to pour in the soul sauce that was prepared at the beginning.

Stir-fry quickly over high heat until the sauce thickens.

The goal is to coat each piece of eggplant with the sauce.

Once the eggplant is bubbling in the pot, sprinkle with chopped green onions and serve.

The two elders had already prepared three of the four dishes, and the fourth dish would be a true test of knife skills.

After everything was prepared, Qin Yi brought the dishes to the table in front of the two elders and introduced them one by one.

"These are: butterfly pea flower green rolls, cauliflower and tomato, vegetarian braised eggplant, and longevity noodles with seven kinds of yam."

Grandma Yang nodded in satisfaction.

Old Meng opened his eyes wide and carefully examined the dishes.

Puzzled, he asked, "I understood the first three questions, so why is the fourth one called this?"

Qin Yi explained with a smile: "The Seven Immortals refers to the seven kinds of mushrooms in this soup, which are stewed with king oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, white mushrooms, seafood mushrooms, tea tree mushrooms, crab leg mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms."

"As for longevity noodles, everyone knows they are prepared for birthday celebrants."

Immediately after speaking, Qin Yi gave Old Lady Yang a wink.

With lightning speed, Grandma Yang pulled out a birthday candle from somewhere, swiftly stuck it into Qin Yi's blue floral roll, and lit it.

Then, holding the plate of steamed buns, he sang to Old Meng in a strong voice, "Happy birthday to you~~~ Happy birthday to you~~"

Old Man Meng's heart was pounding.

After singing the birthday song, Grandma Yang continued to say affectionately to Grandpa Meng, "There are five kinds of years in this world: New Year, this year, last year, next year, and I will love you for ten thousand years."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yi immediately picked up the plate on the table and awkwardly withdrew from this pink-bubble-filled area.

With tears welling up in his eyes, Old Meng said excitedly, "Old woman! I thought you had forgotten my birthday. So you dragged me up the mountain so early just to give me a surprise, right?"

"Did you also find Boss Qin? You specially created this Suiyuan Vegetarian Restaurant for me, right? You not only went to the temple to pray for me, but also went to great lengths to prepare a birthday banquet for me. I am so touched!"

Old Meng's voice was so loud and excited that Qin Yi could hear it clearly even while sitting in the carriage.

Qin Yi whispered, "I'm not part of your play. I'm a legitimate vegetarian restaurant."

At this point, Old Meng could no longer hear anything; all he could think about was how much his wife loved him.

"Old woman!"

Old Meng moved the stool next to Old Lady Yang and sat right next to her.

There was clearly a four-sided table, but two people squeezed together to eat on one side.

Qin Yi: "I feel sorry for my table."

Old Meng buried his head in Old Lady Yang's arm.

Qin Yi: "If you keep crawling any closer, you'll get into my armpit!"

Old Meng grinned widely: "Old woman, did you start planning this a long time ago, which is why you stole so many of my dishes last night, so I could save room for a good meal today?"

Grandma Yang looked at her husband's flushed face and patted him awake from his reverie.

"You annoying old bAbY, listen up."

"First, it was truly a chance encounter with my young friend Qin; these dishes were all made on the spot. Second, I didn't intentionally steal your food last night; you know how fast I can cook. Third, it's your birthday today, so I'll give you ten minutes. I'll start eating after ten minutes!"