The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

There was no need to wait until noon. In just a short while, all 400 dumplings were sold out. When the tax officer Bailey arrived, Min Xi and Yun Ji were already packing up their stall.

Bailey asked, "Are they all sold out?"

Min Xi smiled and said, "Sir, you are a little late. All the dumplings are sold out today. If you want to eat, go to the tavern in the evening and I will make them for you. This is today's tax." He took out the smallest silver coin and handed it to Bailey.

Bailey took the silver coin and put it into the purse on his waist: "Okay, I'll go to the tavern to drink tonight, remember to prepare that thing for me."

"Dumplings! Don't worry, they will be ready for you." Min Xi said with a smile.

The three of them were carrying their things back, and everyone was very excited. Min Xi said, "I was worried that it was too expensive and no one would buy it, but I didn't expect it to be sold so quickly."

Diego said, "I knew it would sell well! Sousa's broth tastes terrible, but many people still eat it for 20 reis. Your dumplings are so delicious, I'm sure many people will like them."

When Min Xi heard this, he asked, "Is Sousa's restaurant the one next to the grocery store?"

"Yes, that's the one. Mrs. Sosa is so mean and stingy!" said Diego.

Min Xi said: "We went to eat their meat soup the day before yesterday, and they charged us 100 riels for a serving of meat soup."

Diego was very angry when he heard this: "Mrs. Sosa is such a bad person! She bullies you because you are foreigners. She is just like that. She only bullies outsiders. You should never eat at their place again. And she won't admit her mistake. You probably won't get your money back."

Min Xi said, "No wonder, I was wondering why it was so expensive. I will never go there again."

Diego said, "Sosa's cooking isn't even a bit as good as yours."

Min Xi smiled: "Thank you for your recognition!"

Diego blushed: "I am telling the truth, and Mr. Sanvis would think so too."

Yun Ji only understood half of what was said and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Min Xi explained. Yun Ji said, "No wonder, we were slaughtered."

"I said it's not worth the price. Even at 20 Swiss francs, I still think it's expensive, but I do have confidence in our business," said Min Xi.

Yun Ji asked: "Do you know how much you earned today?"

Min Xi was surprised and asked, "Have you figured it out?"

"Yeah. I collected 312 riyals in total. After deducting the cost of flour and stuffing, I made a total of 230 riyals. The money for buying the costumes has not been calculated yet." Yun Ji said.

Min Xi suddenly felt unhappy: "So little!"

Yun Ji said: "It's not too little. Our monthly rent is only 300 Swiss francs. We can almost earn back the rent in one day."

Min Xi made a face at Yun Ji: "I thought we could make a fortune! I didn't expect that we can only make ends meet."

Yun Ji said: "It's not too little actually. If you make 200 a day, you can make 6 reais a month, or a year. This is more than many locals make, and it's close to what a sailor makes in a year."

Min Xi shook his head: "Don't forget that there are only two of us. We are only slightly better off than the locals, so we can be considered well-off. If we want to go home, this little money is not enough!"

Yun Ji said: "Small business is like this, it's impossible to make a fortune."

Min Xi said: "It seems that we have to find another way."

Yun Ji said: "If you can open a restaurant, the profit will be much higher. Rich people are always willing to spend money. You can earn at least a few hundred reais a year, and a few thousand more is also possible."

Min Xi thought to himself, that’s not a lot. Others traveled through time and killed people everywhere, but how come I could only earn a few dollars?

But no matter what you think, starting with only half a life left, it's good enough to be able to survive, and everything else is just icing on the cake.

After returning, Min Xi went to the blacksmith shop again and ordered kitchen knives, iron pots and shovels from the blacksmith. This time he drew a pattern for the blacksmith, hoping that he could make it according to his requirements. He didn't know how the iron craftsmanship here was in this era, and whether it could meet the standards he needed.

The test results on the first day were very good, so they prepared more on the second day. Fortunately, the weather is not hot now, so there is no need to worry about the food going bad, and there is no need to worry about making more.

The next day, they mixed 10 pounds of flour and made more than dumplings. When they went to buy ingredients, they specifically ordered crabs from the old fisherman because crab dumplings tasted just as good as shrimp dumplings and they were cheaper.

The time of selling dumplings on the second day was much longer than the first day, because unlike yesterday, we happened to meet a group of sailors who had just disembarked and bought almost all their dumplings.

Min Xi and Yun Ji prefer today's situation more, because there are always customers coming and there are no crowds, so they can sell without rushing. Especially since there are more and wider customers, it is conducive to promoting their dumplings.

The two of them took some time to eat at noon, and by the afternoon, the dumplings were basically sold out, and a few were left for the tax officer. The tax officer was very happy, ate one himself, and took the rest back to give to the children.

Getting up early every morning to buy ingredients to make dumplings and then setting up the stall is quite tiring. Min Xi yawned and said, "I'm so sleepy. I'm going to take a nap."

Yunji said: "It's time to have a good rest. Jiulang is still growing."

Min Xi squinted at Yun Ji and said, "Seventh brother is only two years older than me. Aren't you going to grow any more? There's a saying in my hometown that says, even at 21, you still have to grow a lot."

Yun Ji smiled: "Then let's rest together."

"Okay! I'll knead the dough after I wake up."

Min Xi wanted to go back for a nap, but in fact he couldn't do it because Baron Fernando sent a carriage to invite him to his home to cook. The Baron was holding a banquet at home today to entertain very important guests and wanted to invite Min Xi to support the occasion.

This was what Min Xi had promised the Baron. If there was a banquet, he could help with the cooking. So he and Yun Ji washed their faces and got on the Baron's carriage.

Baron Fernando's estate is very large. It is a castle located on the seashore. Standing here, you can overlook the entire Atlantic Ocean.

When Min Xi was young and ignorant, he wanted to live in a sea view house, which was romantic and beautiful. Later, when he learned more, he realized how big a pitfall sea view houses were. Because the marine environment is too corrosive, it is better to stay away from the seaside if possible. Obviously, when the Baron bought the house, he probably didn't know enough about sea view houses, so he fell into this trap.

At this time of year, the plants were preparing to sprout, and the entire estate was gray except for a few Italian cypresses and a few clumps of Portuguese laurel.

The most eye-catching thing is the large greenhouse next to the castle, which is made of glass and sparkles in the afternoon sun. You should know that in this era, there was no technology to produce large pieces of glass. It is conceivable that the cost of making such a large glass greenhouse was very high. Baron Fernando was indeed a rich man.

Yun Ji asked curiously, "What is that?"

Min Xi certainly knew, but he couldn't explain, so he went to receive their butler. Butler Jody proudly introduced: "...Our Baron spent at least three thousand reais to build this greenhouse. It is full of plants he collected from all over the world."

Min Xi quickly asked: "Does it include the New World?"

"Yes, including those in the New World."

After hearing this, Min Xi's heart couldn't help but beat wildly. Does this mean that the plant seeds he wants are very likely stored here? He tried his best to control his urge to rush to the glass greenhouse and said, "Can I visit the Baron's glass greenhouse?"

The butler said, "The Baron welcomes everyone to visit his greenhouse. But I'm afraid it's not possible today because the Baron is entertaining guests in the greenhouse."