The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Min Xi told Yun Ji about the conveniences of his previous life, the refrigerator, washing machine, water heater, air conditioner, flush toilet, and the all-powerful mobile phone that he missed.

After hearing this, Yun Ji said: "It turns out that your life is so convenient. I really wronged you."

"Yes, that's why I have a hard life." Min Xi pouted in grievance.

Yun Ji suddenly thought: "You said you went to school for more than ten years. Did you write like that on purpose?"

Min Xi laughed out loud: "That's not the case. I'm sorry to embarrass you. My calligraphy looks like that. We don't use brushes to write, we use hard pens, similar to goose feather pens. Of course, they are much easier to use. And I learned simplified Chinese characters. I can only recognize many of your characters now, but I can't write them. My calligraphy looks like chicken claws. I need to practice more."

Yun Ji finally understood what was going on. He nodded and said, "Since my ninth brother has studied for so many years, he can take the imperial examination directly when he returns to Ming Dynasty."

Min Xi shrank his neck and said, "Don't scare me! What I studied is completely different from what you studied. At that time, the imperial examination system had been abolished, and everyone could study. The government, that is, the court, provided nine years of free compulsory education for every child. If you want to pursue further studies, after the compulsory education is over, you can take the high school entrance examination and go to college. The college entrance examination is a little similar to the imperial examination, that is, the best candidates are admitted, but the number of admissions is different. You only admit dozens or hundreds of people in three years, and we admit millions of people a year. So after graduating from college, you can't become an official, but you can also take the government's civil service entrance examination. If you pass the exam, you can work in a government agency, starting from the grassroots and moving up step by step."

Yun Ji's eyes sparkled. That was a really interesting era: "Everyone can go to school? Millions of people are admitted each year? How many people will there be in Ming Dynasty by then?"

Min Xi shook his head: "There is no Ming Dynasty anymore. The Ming Dynasty died long ago. We no longer have an emperor at that time. The country does not belong to anyone. It belongs to everyone in the world. The central government governs the country through democratic elections, and nominates capable people to be rulers. There is also a time limit, and the ruler must be replaced when his term of office expires. The total population of the country is 1.4 billion."

"1.4 billion? 1.4 billion people?" Yun Ji was obviously shocked by this number. "How can there be such a large population? It's simply unimaginable!"

Min Xi asked curiously, "You don't seem surprised that the Ming Dynasty fell?"

Yun Ji said: "You said it will be more than 400 years later. From ancient times to the present, each dynasty has only ruled for 200 to 300 years. It is normal for dynasties to change."

"You are quite open-minded." Min Xi said.

Yun Ji asked again: "What did you study?"

"Learn Chinese, mathematics, English, physics, chemistry, history, politics, geography, biology, etc. Learn everything related to the world."

Yun Ji didn't quite understand what Min Xi meant, but he almost understood what Min Xi meant: "So you know astronomy, geography, harmony between people, yin and yang, and gossip..."

"Stop! It's not that exaggerated. I just learned some basic common sense and the laws of things. But how much I really learned depends on the person. I did learn some basic knowledge about astronomy and geography, but few people studied yin and yang and the Eight Diagrams at that time. I know nothing about them." Min Xi didn't want to put himself on a pedestal. "So you want me to take the imperial examination. It's too difficult for me. I haven't learned a few ancient Chinese articles, and I can't write any articles. If I take the exam, I really have to start from scratch. With my talent, I think it's difficult for me to pass the exam."

Yun Ji said: "But being a scholar has many advantages. Not only can you be exempted from corvée and taxes, but you can also meet officials without kneeling."

"Of course I know there are many benefits, but the problem is that I may not be able to do it." Min Xi smiled bitterly.

Yun Ji thought for a moment and said, "In fact, with your knowledge, it's no problem for you to take the policy essay test."

"But even if I knew, I might not be able to express it. I'm not good at writing. When you take the imperial examination, don't you have to memorize the Four Books and Five Classics, and quote from classics and so on? It will take several years to do it." Min Xi felt his scalp tingling just thinking about it. It was painful enough to memorize a few classic ancient texts in school, let alone memorizing so many books to take the imperial examination. Wouldn't that be the end of him?

Yun Ji said, "Okay, we'll talk about it after we get back. But I must take the exam. Your ideas need to be heard by the emperor, and someone must convey them to you, otherwise your knowledge will be buried."

Min Xi looked at him and smiled: "Thank you, Brother Qi. Thank you for your hard work. I know you are the best!"

"Who told me I'm your seventh brother?" Yun Ji looked at him lovingly and asked another question, "You said you fell off the boat and ended up here. What happened?"

Min Xi said: "It's like this, I am a seaman. You call me a sailor, but we were no longer called sailors at that time. We were called seamen. When our cruise ship passed through the Indian Ocean, we encountered pirates. I went to set up anti-theft equipment, but was swept into the sea by a strange wind. When I woke up, I was here."

"You've studied for so many years, and you still want to be a sailor?" In Yun Ji's opinion, sailor is a job that only poor people do.

Min Xi smiled and said, "Yes. I am a skilled worker. Our ship is not a sailing ship, but a mechanically powered ship. One ship can carry hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo."

Yun Ji was puzzled: "How much is a ton?"

Min Xi explained: "One ton is equal to two thousand kilograms."

Yun Ji took a deep breath, that was a carrying capacity of hundreds of thousands of kilograms, which was an astronomical figure. Nowadays, sea vessels that could carry tens of thousands of kilograms were considered quite huge, so what a behemoth a ship of hundreds of thousands of tons would be. It seemed that the world he lived in was very different.

Min Xi mixed the batter and prepared to make pancakes. He found that Yun Ji had been listening to him. The fire was not yet lit, so he went to wash the vegetables. He sighed: "If this were in my place, I would just turn on the switch and the stove would light up. There would be no need for such trouble."

Yun Ji was a little embarrassed: "Sorry, I'll light the fire right away."

"No rush, just take your time. Anyway, I'm here, I've accepted my fate, and I've already adapted to it." Min Xi said casually.

Yun Ji put coal on the burning wood chips. He wanted to ask if he would want to go back if he had the chance. In fact, he knew that if he had the chance, Min Xi would definitely go back without hesitation. The era he lived in was so beautiful and advanced, and everything was so convenient.

"Do you miss home?" Yun Ji asked in a more tactful way.

Min Xi thought for a moment and said, "I don't miss home that much. My parents divorced, and each of them re-established their own families and had children. I was raised by my grandparents, who are no longer alive. I don't think my parents would miss me too much. I just miss the convenience, comfort, and sense of security of our time."

Yun Ji couldn't help but laugh when he heard him talk about a sense of security: "Didn't you say there are pirates?"

"There are pirates, but they are not a big threat to us. To us, they are like ants trying to shake a tree. If it weren't for that evil wind, I would definitely return home safely. How safe is our country? No one picks up things on the road, and no one locks their doors at night. There are no bandits or beggars. Even if there are natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, the country can ensure that everyone has food to eat and a place to live. Even if there is a plague, the country can still provide medical treatment to everyone. China was already very powerful at that time, and the border countries did not dare to invade at all. Even the most powerful United States only dared to compete with us economically and did not dare to use weapons." Min Xi said.

Yun Ji was stunned when he heard this: "Is there a country more powerful than us?" The Ming Dynasty is the most powerful country in the world.

"Yes. You may not be able to imagine that we will have a very dark history in the future, which will last for about a hundred years. It will be more terrible than the Yuan Dynasty."

Yun Ji couldn't imagine what the situation would be like: "Is it the same as the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China?"

Min Xi said: "Almost. It was almost to the point of national destruction. That's why I want to buy a boat and go back. I don't want history to repeat itself. Although the era I lived in was indeed a peaceful and prosperous one, what I experienced before was too humiliating. Of course, this is just my selfish desire. My power is ultimately limited, and perhaps I can't shake the gears of history at all."

Yun Ji said, "I will help you."

"Thank you, Brother Qi! Let's work hard together!"

Yun Ji remembered that Min Xi said that it was an era without bandits and beggars, and found it hard to imagine. In what era would there be no beggars?

"Ninth brother, you said there were no beggars in your time, is that true?"

"Yes. The state provides a safety net. All homeless people are taken in by the government, sent back to their hometowns, taken care of by local governments, given money and housing, guaranteed basic living standards, and free medical care. In our time, the average life expectancy was close to 80 years old."

Yun Ji was shocked, and he murmured, "How wonderful!" Isn't this the world of great harmony described in the "Book of Rites: The Way of the Great Dao"? It turns out that such a world can really exist. Not to mention Min Xi, he also wanted to go and see it.

Min Xi washed the vegetables, checked that the fire was ready, then cleaned the frying pan and started to make pancakes. They would have egg rolls tonight, a simple meal, and go buy vegetables tomorrow.

While eating, Min Xi said, "Wipe off the words on the signboard and write 'Open as usual.' I don't think there will be any customers in the next two days, so you can have a good rest."

"Okay. I'll do it in a moment." Yun Ji said.

Min Xi suddenly said, "I'll go with you. Actually, I can handle all of this. I've been pretending to be illiterate for so long that I'm used to leaving all of this to you."

"It doesn't matter. It's not a big deal. I just think I'm somewhat useful in this area. If you do everything, I'll be useless." Yun Ji said.

"How could that be! Brother Qi, you are my strongest support. If you weren't with me, I wouldn't have the confidence to mess around in Europe." Min Xi smiled.

Yun Ji then raised the corner of his mouth.