The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

The meal was a great success for both the host and the guests, and the egg tart dessert at the end won Mrs. White and her three children's praises.

After dinner, the rain outside had stopped. What was even more rare was that the clouds and fog had cleared and the sun peeked out from behind the clouds.

The afternoon sun shone on the grass and trees washed by rain, looking fresh and bright. Professor White loved the fresh air in the countryside and was not in a hurry to go back. At Min Xi's invitation, he sat in the living room, drank tea, and continued to inquire about the affairs of the Ming Dynasty.

The three children were excitedly playing and chasing each other in the yard, enjoying the afternoon sunshine.

Min Xi also took the opportunity to inquire about the situation at Oxford University, such as what majors were offered, and asked about the botanical garden in a roundabout way.

Professor White was stunned: "Botanical Garden? Oh, you mean the greenhouse, there is such a thing."

Min Xi was also stunned. Doesn't Oxford University have a botanical garden? He hesitated for a moment and asked, "Does your university have a professor who specializes in botany?"

"There are no professors who specialize in plants. There are professors who study biology, and both plants and animals are within their scope of study. This is right here at Christ Church College."

Min Xi felt relieved after hearing this. Even if there was no specialized professor of botany, it would be good to have a botanical garden.

I learned from Professor White that the biology professors at Oxford do not really take a four-month vacation, because the summer vacation is the peak growth season for plants and it is also the harvest season. In order to achieve their scientific research results, the biology professors will stay in school most of the time during the vacation.

This made Min Xi feel relieved. When he went there, he hoped to meet a biology professor and then try to ask for crop seeds.

When they left, Min Xi gave a box of cookies to Professor Brett and Professor White respectively. Professor White accepted the cookies and promised to write a letter of introduction for Min Xi after returning and deliver it personally next time, because he also wanted to come to the restaurant for dinner and pay for the meal himself.

After the guests left, Min Xi could not hide his excitement. He said to Yun Ji, "Once Professor White's letter of introduction arrives, we will go to Oxford University. We will close the store for a few days to finish the formalities first."

"Okay." Yun Ji readily followed suit.

Min Si said: "After we get the crop seeds, we can go back to Lisbon."

Yun Ji asked: "How are we going to get back?"

Min Xi was stunned for a moment and found that it was indeed a problem. Originally, he traveled back and forth with the delegation ship and didn't have to worry about going back at all. But now he was separated from the delegation and there was no ship back to Lisbon, so going back became a big problem.

"It's really a troublesome matter. I wish the Baron would show up soon!" Min Xi sighed helplessly to the sky.

"Will Britain have ships going to Fulangji?" Yun Ji asked.

Min Xi hesitated for a moment: "I think there will always be one."

"What if there is none? Or if we have to wait a long time?"

Min Xi frowned and said, "There is really no other way. We will go to France on the European continent first, then go to Greater Luzon by land from France, and then return to Fulani from Greater Luzon."

Yun Ji asked: "How far is it?"

Min Xi held his forehead helplessly: "It's true that it's not close, but there is no other way. We have to find a way to go back. Diego and the others are still waiting for us to go back."

"Yes, we have come to England from Ming Dynasty. Is there any distance farther than this?" Yun Ji knew that he could not show frustration at this time. It was just that the distance was a bit far. At least he and Min Xi were safe, and they could always go back.

"There is no need to think about those things now. The most important thing now is for us to get the crop seeds we need first, and then think about how to go back. Maybe there will be a British ship going to Lisbon by then, and we can take a ride back." Min Xi has always been optimistic. He believes in the life creed that there will always be a way out when you reach the mountain.

Professor White kept his word and came over the next day, much earlier than Min Xi expected.

He came here today, firstly to give Min Xi a letter of introduction, and secondly to order food. He planned to invite a few friends over for dinner, a total of five people, and booked a meal for four people with Min Xi, which cost a total of 1 pound.

Of course Min Xi would arrange the best dishes for him. The three-piece duck that was not arranged for dinner yesterday would be arranged for him this time. They had beggar's chicken yesterday, so roast chicken would be arranged for him tomorrow. He would try his best to let him taste different dishes.

Professor White was very much looking forward to hearing his arrangement, as he was a man who was brave enough to try new things.

Min Xi got the letter of introduction and showed it to Yun Ji happily: "Seventh brother, the letter of introduction! We can finally go to Oxford University. After entertaining Professor White and his friends tomorrow, we will suspend business and go to Oxford University first. I guess we may not be able to get what we want in one visit, maybe we need to go one or two more times."

What he was thinking was that it was their first time in Oxford. Even if they were thick-skinned enough to take the initiative to make friends with the biology professor, it was unlikely that the professor would give them crop seeds right away. They would have to have some kind of relationship with him before they would give them seeds. It might take several trips to achieve his goal.

"Okay, let's go and take a look first. We will be closed after tomorrow." Yun Ji said.

At noon the next day, Professor White brought several of his friends to a restaurant and tasted a large table of sumptuous food. The two bosses personally introduced to them how to eat the food (three-piece duck).

Professor White and his friends were all very satisfied with the meal. There were five people and six dishes, plus staple food and dessert, a total of eight dishes. The portions were very large, and the five people ate the food very cleanly, with almost no food wasted.

After the meal, a friend of Professor White placed an order with Min Xi on the spot, saying that he was reserving a meal for eight people for the next day at noon.

When Min Xi heard this, he was stunned: "Sir, can the time be postponed for a few days?"

"Someone has already ordered lunch for the day after tomorrow? What about dinner?"

"No, we have to go on a long trip these days, so the restaurant will be closed for a few days. I will cook for you when we return. I am really sorry." Min Xi smiled and apologized to the customer.

"But my friend is leaving England for America in two days, and he doesn't know when he will be back. If he can't eat it tomorrow, he may never eat it again in the future. Can you delay your departure a little?" said the guest.

Min Xi felt a little embarrassed when he heard him say that, but he still agreed: "Okay, then you guys can go after the reception."

As a result, this promise brought several new orders, and Earl Comstock also invited his friends to dine at the restaurant. It was also the first time that he received an order for lunch and dinner on the same day.

Business suddenly became booming, as if it was going against their plan and they just didn't want them to have any free time.

As their business became popular, Powell's chickens, ducks and geese suffered. They didn't even have enough to sell, so they had to run to the Green family to buy.

Every time I knocked on Green's door, he blushed. Fortunately, he didn't refuse to buy chickens, ducks, and geese from him, but asked you to catch them yourself. He never calculated the amount you gave him. He would take whatever you gave him. Such a seller is simply too ideal for buyers.

Min Xi looked at the number of poultry in the Green family's pen and felt that the number did not seem to be too many. If they entertained a few more tables of guests, they would probably be gone soon.

Mrs. Powell, who was kind-hearted, knew Min Xi's worries and ran over to say, "Don't worry, Green's chickens and ducks are all gone. I'll take you to buy some from other families in the village."

"Thank you in advance!" Min Xi found that he always met many nice people in Europe. Everyone was very enthusiastic and proactive in helping them. He seemed to feel the courtesy that foreigners received when they traveled to China hundreds of years later. Did Europeans of this period also have a bit of a Western-worshiping attitude? He found it very interesting.

After being so busy for a week or so, Min Xi had no choice but to refuse the order and wrote on the signpost and the door that he was out of town for something and would be closed for a few days. He was deeply sorry for making everyone go there in vain.

When diners came and saw the notice on the sign, they were very disappointed. Such an expensive meal is not easy to get. Does this boss really want to make money?

The restaurant finally had a few days of peace and quiet. Min Xi and Yun Ji packed their luggage and prepared to go to Oxford University.

Min Xi couldn't help but sigh: "Before we had nothing to do, no business came for a few days, and now we want to go out to do something, customers keep coming. It's really against us. Brother Qi, do you think there will be customers coming to eat after we leave for a few days and come back?"

"There should be."

Min Xi sighed, "I don't think there will be so many people coming to eat here again. Isn't it a pity? Maybe we should strike while the iron is hot and serve this wave of guests before going to Oxford."

Yun Ji smiled and said, "What if there are too many customers and we can't leave at all? So it's better to close down before we become famous, rather than when there are too many customers for us to refuse."

Min Xi nodded: "You are right. Then close the door and don't think about anything. Let's go to Oxford University and take it as a trip to relax!"

"it is good!"

Oxford is about 60 miles away from London, slightly shorter than Southampton, and it takes four or five hours to get there by horse-drawn carriage. It was summer vacation, and the teachers and students were on vacation. It was not yet the start of the school year, so there were few people going to Oxford. The carriage would only depart when there were six people in the carriage, just like Southampton.

But they were in a hurry and could not wait, so they paid for a carriage to go to Oxford University. Although Oxford was ten miles closer than Southampton, the price was not cheaper than there, probably because the families who could afford to go to university in this era were more well-off, so the fare was more expensive.

At this point, Min Xi and Yun Ji couldn't care less about these things. Time is money. The earlier they go, the earlier they will come back, as their family is still waiting for the store to open.