The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

There was silence for a long time before the sound of something being dragged was heard. After a long while, the door was opened.

As soon as the door opened, an unpleasant smell came out. Min Xi and Yun Ji subconsciously held their breath and looked inside the door. It was almost noon, and the light in the room was still very dim, so they couldn't see what was going on inside.

This house is a room without external windows. There is only a small wooden lattice window above the door, which allows some light from the corridor to leak in. That is all the light. No wonder there is a bad smell inside and the air is not circulating at all.

When old Hughes saw them, he was at a loss like a child: "Sir, it's you."

Min Xi smiled and said, "Mr. Xius, we are back from England and saw the shoes you made for us. They are very comfortable and fit our feet. We came here today to express our gratitude!"

Old Hughes looked around the room behind him. Except for a bed, all the things he used to repair shoes were there. Although he could no longer repair shoes, he was reluctant to throw away these things that were passed down from his ancestors. Shoe molds, shoe soles, and some unsold shoes were all there, filling up this small room of less than four square meters. There was no place to start.

He looked at the three people a little stiffly, not knowing what to say. After a moment, he said, "I, I don't make shoes anymore. My hands don't obey me anymore. I can't make shoes anymore."

Only then did Min Xi notice that his hands were shaking violently. This might be Parkinson's disease. His limbs were shaking uncontrollably. Not only could he not make shoes, but even eating and drinking were difficult. Later on, he would develop mental and cognitive disorders.

Min Xi didn't know what to do. After all, he was not a doctor. In this era, there was probably no doctor who could treat his illness. So he said, "Mr. Xius, why do you live here? You are not in good health. The air here is not good. It is not good for your health."

Old Zeus avoided the gaze and smiled bitterly: "I'm already this old, I'll just live one day at a time." For him, now is just waiting to die.

Min Xi and Yun Ji felt uncomfortable after hearing these words. They put the snacks and fruits in their hands into the house and said, "You helped us make shoes, this is our thank you gift." While putting down the snacks, he also put a 2 reais silver coin on the bed.

The room was too narrow and the air was polluted, so they couldn't stay any longer and had to say goodbye to old Hughes and leave.

After going downstairs, Min Xi looked back at the shabby little hotel and couldn't help but sigh. He said to Yun Ji: "Seventh brother, let's find another place for old Xius. The conditions here are too bad." In his opinion, it is really sad that the hero has grown old and ended up like this.

Yun Ji nodded: "Okay." With the prices in Lisbon, renting a decent room would only cost two or three hundred riels a month, which was not a lot of money for them now.

"Then shall we go back and tell him now?" Min Xi asked.

Yun Ji thought for a moment and said, "Why not rent a house first and then come find him. The old man seems very stubborn. If you tell him this, he will definitely not agree."

"Okay, let's go find a house first."

So the three of them went to look for a house again. After searching for a long time, they finally found a house on Lighthouse Street. The environment was familiar to Old Hughes, not bad, and the price was not expensive, 300 Swiss li a month, which Old Hughes must be able to accept. They paid the rent for half a year first, and then came back to find Old Hughes.

Min Xi said straight to the point: "Mr. Xius, you are not in good health. The environment here is too dirty and it is not good for your condition. We have rented another room for you, please move there."

Old Hughes was shocked to hear this: "No, no, sir, I live well here, I can afford it."

"It's not expensive there. I've already paid your rent for half a year. If you don't move in, the room will just be empty. You'll be on Beacon Street, which you're familiar with, and there are old neighbors there."

When old Hughes heard this, he asked, "How much is it? I'll give you the rent."

"Really, you don't have to pay me rent. It's nothing to me. I just want to help you."

"Why are you helping me? We don't have much friendship." Old Zeus was very puzzled.

Min Xi smiled and said, "Just consider it as my tribute to you, the first sailor to circumnavigate the world. You have made history and you deserve the honor."

Tears welled up in old Zeus' eyes. He once worked for the King of Spain under Magellan, who died in Asia. He returned to Spain with injuries and did not receive much reward. His home country Portugal naturally would not recognize his achievements, so he could only return to being an unknown little shoemaker.

Old Hughes lowered his head and looked at his hands: "But I can't give you anything. Now I can't even make shoes."

Min Xi said: "I don't need you to give us anything. If you haven't forgotten it, you can tell us about your experience as a pilot."

Hearing this, old Zeus suddenly raised his head: "You want to know this? I remember! By the way, I still have the Godfather's notes, I'll find them for you." As he said that, he went to rummage through his things, but there were too many things, he couldn't find them for a while, and his luggage was in a mess.

Min Xi quickly stopped him: "Mr. Xius, don't worry, take your time to find the notes. Let's help you move your family to the new house first."

This time, Old Hughes did not object. He allowed Min Xi and the other two to help him pack his things, carry his luggage downstairs, and put it in the rented carriage. The landlord was envious and jealous when he saw two Chinese people taking Old Hughes away. This meant that he had lost a tenant: "You didn't tell me in advance, so I won't refund your rent."

Old Hughes said, "I paid a week's rent and have only lived here for three days. You should refund me four days' rent and the 200 riels deposit."

The landlord said: "You didn't tell me in advance that you wanted to cancel the lease, so my house will be empty. Who will compensate me for my loss?"

Min Xi said, "Mr. Elden, we don't want the rent, but we still have to return the deposit."

"There's no deposit either! He damaged some furniture while living at my place, so the deposit should be considered as compensation for the damaged furniture." The landlord is a greedy person who only takes in money but never spends out.

"I didn't break the furniture!" Old Hughes was so angry that his eyebrows and beard trembled.

Min Xi quickly comforted him: "Don't worry, Mr. Xius, we will definitely help you get your deposit back."

Yun Ji stepped forward and said, "Sir, what you said doesn't make sense. Look, if Mr. Hughes did damage the furniture, we will compensate for it. If he didn't damage it, we won't care at all."

Old Hughes said angrily, "The legs of his chair were broken to begin with, and I had to fix them for him! He, he can't try to blackmail me!"

Yun Ji looked around and found that all the furniture in the room was not worth 200 Swiss francs. It was obvious that the landlord was trying to extort money.

Yun Ji glared at the other party: "Sir, if you don't want to pay the deposit, don't blame me for being rude. You probably don't know who we are. We have been in and out of the king's palace several times. We know all the dignitaries in Lisbon. Whether you want to sue or act arrogantly, we are here to accompany you!"

The landlord looked at Yun Ji and Min Xi with doubt. In the slums, he could barely be considered a bully, but in Lisbon, he was really just an earthworm, nothing. The landlord hesitated for a long time before taking out 200 reais and giving it to Old Hughes.

After Old Xius got his deposit, he felt even more grateful to Min Xi and Yun Ji.

The newly rented room was so much better than the previous one. It was twice as spacious, brightly lit, and you could see a corner of the sea from the window. Old Zeus liked it very much.

Min Xi and the others helped him put all his things away and said, "This place is not too far from Magellan Street. Don't stay in your room all day. Go out for a walk. It will be better for your health. You can come to our hotel and I will treat you to a meal."

Old Hughes smiled and said, "I will."

Min Xi knew that he had probably just agreed verbally, but in fact it was impossible for him to go if there was nothing wrong.

Before leaving, Old Hughes said, "When I find the notebook, I will send it to you."

"Okay, take your time looking, there's no rush. Go back, we're leaving." Min Xi waved goodbye to Old Xius.

They returned to the hotel and found that there was a guest waiting at the door. When they got closer, they saw that it was Lord Simon Melo.

Lord Melo was very excited when he saw them: "Dear friends, you are finally back! Thank God!"

Min Xi went up to shake his hand and said, "My Lord, long time no see!"

After Melo shook hands with him, he extended his hand to Yun Ji, who shook hands with him naturally without hesitation: "Thank you, Lord, for taking care of our two stores during this period of time."

Lord Mello blushed slightly: "You're welcome, I didn't do anything."

Min Xi opened the door and invited Lord Melo into the room: "Please take a seat, Your Excellency."

Diego was very tactful in pouring tea for the guests and the host. Min Xi said, "It's time for dinner now. Your Excellency probably hasn't eaten yet. Eat here. I'll go cook."

Lord Mellor said, "Then it is better to obey than to be respectful."

Min Xi went into the kitchen to cook, and Diego followed to help. Only Yun Ji and Lord Melo were left in the front hall. Lord Melo looked at Yun Ji, and he looked even more handsome. Yun Ji was thinking about how to start. He hadn't finished reading the account book yet, and he didn't know how much money he had left with Melo. It was boring for the two of them to sit there like this, so they prepared to look at the account book.

Yun Ji opened his mouth: "I——"

Lord Mello spoke at the same time: "I heard that——"

The two of them stopped at the same time, and Yun Ji raised his hand to signal: "You go first."

"I heard early this morning that your ship arrived in Lisbon last night, so I hurried over to take a look, but I didn't expect the store to be closed today."

"Yes, we went out to do some work. The store will be closed for three consecutive days to give the employees a holiday. They have worked hard during our absence." Yun Ji explained.

Lord Mellor said: "You are two months behind schedule and everyone is worried about you."

Yun Ji sincerely thanked him: "Thank you for your concern, Lord! Thanks to everyone, although we have experienced some twists and turns, we are fortunately safe and sound."

"Can you tell me the details?"

"can."