The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

"When? How many people for the party?" Min Xi was thinking about leaving England at the moment. He didn't expect to encounter another party. He became a little absent-minded. This was not Lisbon. There were only him and Yun Ji here. He was afraid that he might not be able to handle it.

Langdon said, “In half a month, there may be hundreds of people. Do you know who the Baron is going to host?”

"Who?" Min Xi asked casually, but the banquet that was prepared so many days in advance was definitely not an ordinary banquet.

Langdon looked around, then came closer and said in a low voice, "It's Her Majesty the Queen!"

When Min Xi heard this, he took a deep breath. Could it be that he came to Europe to gather all the European royal families? He had no such ambition.

"How could that baron invite Her Majesty the Queen?" Min Xi didn't know much about the British aristocracy. Although a baron was also a noble, his title was too low. Normally, it was difficult for him to see the Queen. How could he invite her to the banquet? Could he be the offspring of a duke or marquis?

"It's Baron Hofstadt. He was chosen by Her Majesty the Queen. The Baron's family recently built a new manor, and it is said that it has a collection of many valuable calligraphy and paintings. When Her Majesty the Queen heard about it, she said she wanted to go to the Baron's house to appreciate the paintings." Langdon said.

Min Xi remembered what Brett had told him, that Her Majesty the Queen always loved lively occasions and all kinds of banquets, but was reluctant to spend her own money and always passed the cost of the banquets on to other princes and nobles. It seemed that Baron Hofstadt was chosen.

How could the Baron not express his gratitude when the Queen came to the Baron's house to appreciate the paintings? He accepted the task and began to search for talented people everywhere to add luster to his banquet in the hope of winning the Queen's praise.

Min Si didn't know that Elizabeth I was very cautious in granting titles, and only granted eight noble titles in her lifetime: one earl and seven barons. It can be seen that Baron Hofstadt had his own extraordinary qualities.

Baron Hofstadt was a military man. After retiring, he started his own shipping company. He was very capable and good at business. He made a fortune and paid a lot of taxes to the Queen. To put it bluntly, he was very successful in privateering and was recruited by the Queen.

In recognition of his contributions, the Queen awarded him the title of baronet.

It was natural for the baron to return home after becoming rich, so he bought land in London, built a large manor, and collected all kinds of rare treasures to decorate the manor.

When the Queen learned about this, she wanted to visit his house under the pretext of appreciating paintings. How could he not behave well and please the Queen by hosting this banquet at any cost and using the best of everything to express his gratitude for the Queen's gift?

Baron Hofstadter's son was a good friend of Langdon. Little Hofstadter knew that Langdon was a playboy, so he came to him for advice. Langdon remembered Min Si and recommended his cooking skills to the Hofstadter father and son. They gave the important task of inviting Min Si to Langdon.

"Don't worry. You will be paid for hosting the banquet at the Hofstadter's house. It will take several days, and I will give you 20 pounds in total," Langdon said.

Upon hearing this, Min Xi couldn't help but sigh. It was a generous move, but the problem was that it was really difficult: "Thank you for your trust and recommendation. This is indeed a great opportunity. But there are only my brother and I, and I'm afraid we are too busy to handle it."

“The Baron will provide you with whatever help you need,” Langdon said. “You must come. I’ve already made a promise to the Hofstadters. It would be embarrassing if you didn’t.”

"I have to discuss it with my brother before I can give you an answer. It is indeed an honor for us to cook for Her Majesty the Queen, but it is also very stressful. I am worried that I cannot complete the task." He had previously worked with the waiter to organize a birthday party for the Duke, and they had only cooked five or six dishes, but they were already so exhausted. Now it's just him and Yun Ji, and they would be exhausted.

“I’m sure you can do it,” Langdon said.

"Wait for my brother to come back, I will discuss it with him." In fact, Min Xi didn't want to take this order. Their top priority was to leave England, the sooner the better. If they wanted to organize the banquet, it would take more than half a month, and they didn't know what accidents might happen.

Yun Ji came back from Green's house at this time, carrying some vegetables bought from Green's house.

Min Xi went up to him and briefly told him about the matter: "What should we do? Do you accept it?"

Yun Ji thought for a moment and said, "You don't want to answer it?"

"Yes. I want to leave England as soon as possible, but I can't tell him we're leaving, just say we can't cook for so many people."

"Then just refuse directly."

Min Si nodded and turned to Langdon. “Mr. Langdon, I’m so sorry. We feel that cooking for Her Majesty the Queen is a big deal. If we don’t do a good job, we’re afraid we won’t be able to take responsibility. So we’ll just not go. Let the Baron find someone else.”

Langdon looked at him. "You don't want to take this opportunity? If you can gain the Queen's favor, it will be easy for you to find out the whereabouts of the Portuguese delegation without having to pass it on through Fergus. I wonder if Fergus has already conveyed the news of the Portuguese delegation to Her Majesty the Queen."

Min Xi and Yun Ji looked at each other. This Langdon really knows how to manipulate people's hearts. This reason is really something they can't refuse even if the sky falls. Min Xi had to tell the truth: "The two of us really can't organize a banquet for more than a hundred people. If we really want to do it, we can only make a few dishes. The Baron will have to hire a British chef to cook the rest. This is what we did when we hosted banquets in Lisbon before."

Langdon lowered his head and thought for a moment. “That’s one possible solution. I’ll tell the Baron this when I get back. Or maybe you’d better find some time and I’ll take you to see the Baron so we can discuss this in person.”

"It's getting late today, so let's do it tomorrow. I'll go cook, and Mr. Langdon can have dinner before leaving." Min Xi invited his guest to have dinner.

Langdon was very happy. “Thank you for bothering me.”

Min Xi went to cook. She had bought some food in the morning, so she didn't have to worry about not having enough food to entertain the guests. Although it was just some home-cooked food, Langdon was still satisfied with the meal. When he left, he made an appointment to go to the Baron's Mansion tomorrow morning to discuss the details of the banquet.

After Langdon left, Min Xi couldn't help but sigh: "It won't be like the last time I went to Oxford. I decided to go, but the orders kept coming and I couldn't leave."

Yun Ji said, "It shouldn't be that serious. You can go to the Baron's mansion by yourself tomorrow. I will go to Brett or Hopson to ask about the situation in France."

"Okay! Is there any problem with your English?" Min Xi was still a little worried about his English. After all, he had only studied it for two months.

"If they don't understand, I'll ask them to say it a few more times. I should always be able to tell what's good and what's bad." Yun Ji smiled helplessly.

The next morning, Langdon came in a carriage to pick people up and had breakfast here. Min Xi suspected that he came early just for this breakfast.

Min Si asked Langdon, "Don't you need to make something for the Baron to take back?"

“No need. Just ask the Baron to come to your place for dinner and you’ll know,” Langdon said.

Min Xi got on Langdon's carriage and followed him out. Not long after they left, Yun Ji also rode out on horseback to the city to find Hopson and Brett.

Baron Hofstadt was a typical nouveau riche, his estate was incredibly large, and his house was decorated magnificently, with many places inlaid with gold as decoration, which was a typical Baroque style. It was the first time that Min Xi saw such a style of house in England, probably because it had just become popular and the nouveau riche Baron learned it from the European continent.

Baron Hofstadt was a brown-haired man with a handsome appearance and brown eyes. He looked more like the man Min Si had met in Lisbon. His brown hair was tied into a ponytail behind his head. He was sturdy and looked energetic. When he shook hands with Min Si, he was also very vigorous. "Hello! I heard from Langdon that the dishes you cook are very delicious. They are exactly what we need for this banquet. Just tell me what you need and I will satisfy you. As for the reward, Langdon must have told you. If you do a good job and satisfy Her Majesty the Queen, I will not treat you unfairly."

It really sounds like there is a sense of arrogance from a wealthy person. Money is not a problem, as long as the work is done well.

Min Xi said, "Baron, I have heard from Mr. Langdon that you need to entertain more than a hundred people. My brother and I are only two people, and we have limited manpower. We cannot afford all the dishes for a banquet for more than a hundred people, so we can only make three or four dishes. You need to find someone else to make the rest."

Baron Hofstadter frowned: "Can't I find someone to help you?"

Min Xi sighed, "Chinese food requires careful knife skills, cooking time, and plating. The person you hired can only help me wash vegetables, light the fire, and serve the dishes. He can't help me with anything else. If you want to save face in front of the Queen, I can't be careless. I hope you will understand."

Langdon came over to help. "Uncle Jacob, that's true. Chinese food is very particular. It's not just about chopping and stewing. I think it's better to cook more carefully than to cook more. That way, Her Majesty will be surprised."

Baron Hofstadter was somewhat reluctant, but he still agreed: "Okay, it's up to you."

Min Xi said, "There are many details to cooking Chinese food. Your cooking utensils and stoves are not usable. I need your help, Baron, to build a complete set of cooking utensils and stoves according to my requirements within half a month. Otherwise, I won't be able to cook so many dishes."