The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

On the surface, Count Silva was the most distinguished guest at the table. But he was a poor count who lived on taxes and rents from his territory. Unfortunately, his territory was not near the sea, and the population was small, so the income from taxes and rents was limited.

He was a relatively conservative feudal lord who seldom made venture investments. This time, he partnered with Sanvis to purchase a ship only with the encouragement of his relative-in-law, Baron Fernando.

Therefore, the Baron was the most respected person at this table. Firstly, he was a descendant of the Duke Fernando's family. Secondly, he had invested in sea adventures early on and owned two galleons and several large plantations in South America, making him a fortune long ago.

For a noble like him who has status, money and leisure, his pursuit in life is nothing more than eating, drinking and having fun. He has a special preference for food and is a famous gourmet in Lisbon.

Originally, he had no hope of coming to the tavern for dinner today, and only came here to discuss business, but Min Xi gave him a huge surprise. He never thought that he would have the most delicious meal of his life in such an inconspicuous tavern.

So before the Baron finished his meal, he started thinking about how to get Min Xi to his home.

After dinner, when the matter was settled, Baron Fernando said, "Sanvis, don't forget to ask the Chinese gentleman for me."

Sanvis readily agreed: "I will definitely ask the Baron for his opinion. Whether he agrees or not, I will give you a reply as soon as possible."

So as soon as the guests left, Sanvis went to find Min Xi.

Min Xi and Yun Ji had already eaten noodles, which was the most comfortable meal they had had in recent days. It turned out that Chinese people's stomachs still need Chinese food to feel comfortable.

After they finished their meal, they went upstairs to clean up the attic. They didn't take a shower or change clothes yesterday, so they didn't care how sloppy it was. Now that they had taken a shower and changed into new clothes, they naturally had to clean up the room. They looked for anything they needed and went shopping so that they could live more comfortably.

Hearing Sanvis calling, Min Xi put down the work in his hands and went downstairs: "Sir, you are looking for me? We used your wheat flour to make noodles at noon today, and we will buy it back for you later."

Sanvis waved his hand and said, "No need to return it. It's just some flour. Actually, I should thank you. The Earl and the Baron are both very satisfied with today's lunch."

"Really? That's great." Min Xi said.

Sanvis said: "The Baron also asked me to ask you if you are interested in being his cook?"

Min Xi was stunned for a moment, his mind was racing, and he pulled Sanvis to sit down: "Sir, I'm a newcomer here, and I don't know anything about the situation here. Can you tell me about the Baron's background?"

Sanvis then told Baron Fernando about his family background. His grandfather was a duke and held an important position in the kingdom. Although he was just a grandson without the right to inherit the dukedom, he was very rich. "The baron is of noble status and has strong financial resources. If you are willing to work as a cook in his manor, you will definitely be paid."

Min Xi said: "I need to discuss this matter with my friend and give you an answer later."

"Okay. I hope to get your reply as soon as possible. I still need to reply to His Excellency the Baron." Sanvis said.

"Don't worry, it will be quick!" Min Xi said and hurried up to the attic.

He told Yunji that Baron Fernando had asked him to be his cook. Yunji was silent for a while and asked, "Do you want to go?"

Min Xi shook his head: "I don't want to be a cook. But the Baron has a very strong background, and I want to have a good relationship with him. We are all outsiders here, and it will be much easier to do anything in the future if we have someone of status to protect us."

"So what are you going to do?" Yun Ji asked.

Min Xi said: "I can go to his house occasionally to cook a meal and teach his chef how to cook. This way I can still be free and maintain a good relationship with him."

"That's a good idea." Yun Ji nodded.

Min Xi added: "The Baron has several plantations in the New World. If I want crop seeds from the New World, asking him for help is the best way."

Yun Ji agreed: "That makes sense."

Min Xi suddenly lay down on the freshly mopped floor and said, "We are waiting here to return home. We don't know when we can leave. We have limited money, so we have to find a way to make some money. I just had an idea."

"What idea?" Yun Ji sat beside him and looked down at him.

Min Xi smiled lazily: "Open a restaurant. My cooking skills can even conquer the nobles who are well-dressed and well-fed, so why should I be afraid that I can't conquer the common people? If I open a restaurant, the baron can come to eat whenever he wants. In this way, he can enjoy a good meal and we can make money. Isn't it a win-win situation?"

Yun Ji looked at his lazy smile, and for some reason her heartstrings were plucked. Her tone softened, "Why do I feel like you're more of a businessman than I am?"

Min Xi raised his eyebrows proudly: "What do you think?"

"Good, very good!" These were his heartfelt words.

"When the time comes, I'll cook and you'll help me collect the money. If anyone dares to cause trouble, you'll also be the security guard and beat them to a pulp."

"What is security?" Yun Ji asked in confusion.

Min Xi explained: "Security is equivalent to guarding the courtyard, responsible for safety protection."

"Okay, leave it to me, just focus on cooking your dishes."

Min Xi smiled and stretched out his hand to him: "Pull me up."

Yun Ji held his hand and pulled him up. Min Xi sat up and leaned on Yun Ji. He did not leave immediately and said, "Young Master, you won't mind my not distinguishing between superiors and inferiors, right?"

"What are you talking about! We are not master and servant, and we have experienced life and death together. I have long stopped treating you as an outsider. From now on, you are my, Yun Ji's, friend for life and death, and our brother of different surnames." Yun Ji's tone was very sincere.

Min Xi smiled, raised his hand and patted his back: "Then I am honored to be your brother."

Yun Ji said very seriously: "My name is Ji, I am twenty years old this year, I have not yet had the ceremony of coming of age, and I don't have a given name. I am the seventh in the family, you should be younger than me, you can call me Seventh Brother."

He was only twenty years old, several years younger than his original self, but Min Xi readily agreed: "Okay, Seventh Brother. I am eighteen years old this year, the ninth in the clan. My parents named me Xi, the familiar Xi, Min Xi."

"Then I will call you Ninth Brother or Jiulang." Yun Ji raised his hand and touched the back of his head.

"Yeah." Min Xi actually prefers to call each other by their names directly, but the ancients seemed to use courtesy names instead of full names to show respect and intimacy. He hasn't chosen a courtesy name yet, so he can't refuse.

"Seventh brother, your hair is dry now. Let's tie it up and go out to buy things. By the way, let's tell Sanvis about my decision." Min Xi said.

"Okay, let's go together."

After going downstairs, Min Xi found Sanvis and gave him a reply: "Thank you for your appreciation, Baron. But I prefer freedom and don't want to be a slave. But I can cook for him occasionally and teach his chef how to cook. Or if Baron holds a banquet at his house, I can help prepare the food for the banquet. It's all charged on a per-time basis."

Seeing that Min Xi's reply was similar to what the Baron expected, Sanvis knew that he could get the job done, so he said, "That's fine too. I will go and reply to His Excellency the Baron."

"Thank you, sir." After expressing his gratitude, Min Xi and Yun Ji prepared to leave.

Sanvis stopped him and said, "Wait, this is the reward for cooking for me today." He took out a silver coin and handed it to him.

Seeing this, Min Xi quickly waved his hand and refused: "No, sir, thank you for taking us in. It is my honor to help you solve your problems. We will borrow your kitchen to cook in the future."

Seeing that he was very tactful, Sanvis waved his hand and said, "You can use the kitchen as you like. It would be great if you could help me cook while you're at it. Of course, I'll pay for the meal."

"Okay, thank you!" Min Xi was very happy. This meant they had reached an agreement. The problem of eating for him and Yun Ji was solved. They no longer had to eat black bread.