The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Min Xi looked down at his hands: "What's wrong?"

Yun Ji looked at him for a while, and then the words on his lips turned into: "Sit with me and enjoy the moon for a while."

Min Xi looked up at the bright full moon that was already at the zenith and nodded, "Okay!" He had been busy grilling meat for everyone, and after finishing, he sat down with his neighbors to drink and chat, so he really hadn't had a good time appreciating the moon.

The two sat down on the chairs. Yun Ji picked up the teacup and looked down at it for a while. This was Min Xi's teacup, the one he had drunk from and given directly to him. He brought the teacup to his mouth, leaned closer, and took a sip of tea against the rim of the cup. The tea was a little cold, but his heart was very hot, beating happily.

Yun Ji held the teacup in his hand and turned to look at Min Xi beside him. Min Xi was looking up at the bright moon and stars in the vast night sky, his thoughts wandering unconsciously.

Yun Ji stared at Min Xi's profile in a daze and murmured, "What are you thinking about?"

Min Xi answered subconsciously: "I wonder how long after I left it would take for the Chinese to land on the moon?"

Yun Ji asked curiously: "Can people go to the moon?"

"Yes. People at that time could really reach the moon. But before I came here, the Chinese had not landed on the moon yet, and it would take several years for them to do so. The Americans are said to have landed on the moon, but this is shrouded in doubts because it was only that one time, but in the following decades, they were unable to land on the moon again," said Min Xi.

Although Min Xi was right beside him, Yun Ji felt that he was a little far away: "What's on the moon? Is there Chang'e and Guanghan Palace?"

Min Xi laughed and said, "Of course not. There are only rocks and soil on the moon, not even air. How can there be Chang'e?"

"How do you know if you haven't been there?"

"No one has ever been there, but machines have gone there long ago. And at that time, humans already had the ability to see everything on the moon from Earth," Min Xi explained.

Yun Ji looked at him and said, "To be honest, I really envy the era you lived in."

Min Xi nodded: "Our era is really an era of information explosion. If possible, I really want to take you to my era to have a look."

"Really?" Yun Ji's eyes lit up. If he could really go, he would follow him without hesitation.

"But I'm just thinking about it. You have parents, relatives, and a fiancée here. It would be a bit unfair to them if I really took you away."

When Yun Ji heard this, the light in his eyes disappeared, and after a long while he said, "In fact, sometimes I think it's good for us to stay here and not go back. Am I being too unfilial?"

Min Xi was stunned. He understood what Yun Ji meant. This place was like their paradise. If they didn't go back, they wouldn't have to face all the problems they needed to face.

Min Xi licked his lips and said, "But Seventh Brother, we still have a lot of things to do."

Hearing this, Yun Ji raised his teacup, drank the tea in it in one gulp, raised his hand and wiped his face: "You are right, you still have so many ambitions to achieve."

"Don't think too far ahead, just take it one step at a time," said Min Xi.

"Yeah. Go take a shower. It's getting late. Go to bed early."

Min Xi left and Yun Ji sighed deeply.

Strangely enough, it started raining after the Mid-Autumn Festival, and when it rained, the weather turned cold.

The villagers were busy with the autumn harvest, and the farm work gradually stopped. They began to celebrate the harvest. This is a local traditional custom. They would hold a bonfire party, where everyone would gather together to eat, drink, sing and dance. It is also a good time for young people in the countryside to seek a partner. Under the fire and the moon, everything is so hazy. Many love stories happened in this background.

Because Min Xi and Yun Ji had invited their neighbors to a bonfire party, it was natural for them to be invited back when the village held a bonfire party.

Min Xi and Yun Ji did not agree, because some bold girls would take the initiative to come to you, hold hands, and go to the woods to talk privately. They, especially Yun Ji, had never seen such a scene before, and he was so scared that he ran away, which made Min Xi laugh for a long time. In the future, if there is such a gathering, they will think carefully.

The business of Yizhuo Restaurant is still very prosperous, and Min Xi has to prepare two tables of dishes almost every day. When they were in Lisbon, they could close on Sundays, but here, the rules were not established from the beginning, and they were all in reservation mode, so there was almost no rest time, unless there were no customers that day.

Min Xi would feel tired if he cooked every day, no matter how much he loved it. He saw that the weather was getting colder, and he had to consider the taste of the food when cooking, so he said, "Why don't we go to the coppersmith shop to buy a couple of hot pots, and let the guests eat by themselves. That way I can have a rest."

Yun Ji strongly agreed with this suggestion. After discussing it, the two decided to go to the coppersmith shop to make two copper pots, one for the guests and one for their own use.

On the day Yun Ji went to the coppersmith's shop to get the copper pot, Bright drove a carriage to Bright Manor. He came to deliver a letter to Min Xi: "I have reliable information that a Portuguese ship docked in London yesterday. It was a carrack, and the people on board moved into the official residence."

When Min Xi heard the news, he stood up suddenly and asked, "Are you serious? Is it really a Portuguese ship? Is it a Portuguese mission?"

"It's for sure. My friend saw it with his own eyes. He was working in the official residence. Although he didn't receive these people personally, they were received by his colleagues. Whether they are members of the delegation or not, you will know if you go and see them."

"You're right! I should go and see it with my own eyes." Min Xi digested the news and walked around the room excitedly. "Then I can go to the official residence to see them. By the way, where is the official residence? Oxford Street?"

"In Oxford Street."

"Are you free now? Take me with you to have a look."

Brett asked, "Are you going now? Don't you want to arrange a time? Don't you have any guests today?"

Min Xi calmed down and said, "Oh, yes, we have guests today, two tables. It seems that we can only go another day. Let me see if Mr. Bright is free tomorrow night. I will treat you to a new way of eating."

Brett's eyes lit up when he heard about the new way of eating: "Okay, then I will make sure to arrange time tomorrow night and come over for dinner."

"We agreed to have dinner tomorrow night, so I won't treat you today. Here are some snacks, take some back for your family." Min Xi packed some cookies and cakes in a box and gave it to him to take back.

Anyway, Brett almost never came back empty-handed when he came to his place.

Brett took the box and thought of one thing. If Min Xi really found his friends, it would mean that they would soon leave England. He was really reluctant to leave. Where could he find such delicious food in the future? He would try to eat here with his friends as often as possible in the future. After all, he would not be able to eat here after they left.

When Yun Ji came back with the copper pot and dishes, he also heard the news: "How about I go to the city to ask around?" They were all very concerned about Baron Fernando and sincerely hoped that this friend would be safe and healthy.

Min Xi said, "Don't worry, let's finish today's two meals first. Go and ask tomorrow morning to see if it's the Baron and his friends."

"Okay." Yun Ji agreed readily.

The copper pot has just been brought back, and I haven’t recommended it to the customers yet, so now I’m still serving them stir-fried dishes. I need to wait for the next customers to place orders before I can recommend the copper pot to them.

Therefore, the first British person to eat copper pot hot pot meat was Brett, who said that he was the luckiest person in the whole of Britain.

The next morning, Yun Ji rode into the city on horseback. He was not in a hurry to buy vegetables, but first went to find the official residence that Brett mentioned to inquire whether it was really the Portuguese delegation.

As a result, he was stopped by the doorman. He saw that although his clothes were very British, his hairstyle was obviously not British. Although there were nobles in Britain who had long hair, they never tied it up on top of their heads.

"No outsiders are allowed to enter the official residence. This is the rule set by Her Majesty the Queen." The doorman said expressionlessly.

Yun Ji had no choice but to ask, "Excuse me, did the Portuguese delegation arrive here the day before yesterday? We came to England together with the delegation members, but we got separated at sea and arrived in London before them."

The concierge looked at Yun Ji suspiciously: "Are you Portuguese?"

Yun Ji said, "I am not Portuguese, but I used to live in Lisbon and I am friends with Lord Fernando and Baron Fernando in the delegation. Can you help me ask them? Just tell them that two Chinese are looking for them and they will know. Thank you very much!" He took out a shilling silver coin and put it into the doorman's hand.

When the concierge saw the 1 shilling silver coin in his hand, his attitude suddenly improved a lot: "Okay, then, I'll go and ask for you."

The concierge went in and came out a moment later: "I have passed the message."

Yun Ji didn't see anyone coming out with him, so he thought that the people he was delivering the message to were not the Fernando brothers, so he waited at the door. In less than five minutes, Lord Fernando came out. He was very happy to see Yun Ji, and opened his arms from a distance: "My friends, I am so happy that you are safe!"

Yun Ji also opened his arms and hugged the other person. This was the first time he was so close to a foreigner: "Your Excellency, I am also very happy to know that you are safe! Min and I have always missed you very much. We firmly believe that you will be fine."

Lord Fernando patted Yunji's back vigorously. "That's great, that's great, you are all right! Every time Pedro thought about you, he was so sad that he couldn't eat. He said he shouldn't have left you behind. Fortunately, you are all right! I'm sorry!"

Yun Ji said, "I think the situation at that time must have been forced. What about the Baron?"