The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

By the time Min Xi had finished preparing the meal, Lord Mello had already heard from Yun Ji about their trip to England.

To be honest, although it was thrilling, Lord Melo was envious. Whether it was the experience of Min Xi and Yun Ji, or the experience of Baron Fernando and others, he envied and yearned for it. This was probably the fantasy of freedom and romance of a rich young man who had never suffered.

When the food was served, Min Xi said, "We are closed today, so we didn't buy much food. I just made some. Your Excellency, please don't mind."

Lord Mello said, "How could that be! I haven't tasted your cooking for so long, I really miss it."

"I heard from the store clerk that we were away during this period, so thanks to you for taking care of both stores." Min Xi thanked sincerely.

They came back so much later than expected. To be honest, under normal circumstances, people would think that something had happened to them and the two restaurants would become ownerless. If Lord Mello hadn't come to look after them from time to time, the restaurants might have been divided up by others.

"I don't think anything will happen to you and Mr. Yun easily, and I firmly believe that you will come back." Lord Mello said.

"Thank you for your trust and help. I'd like to toast you with this glass of wine!" Yun Ji raised his glass to express his gratitude.

Lord Melo drank his wine and said, "I wish I had gone with the delegation."

Min Xi stared at him with wide eyes: "My Lord, I can only say that it is fortunate that you did not go. This journey is really too thrilling."

"But aren't you all fine?" Lord Mello felt that it didn't matter if the process was a little tortuous, as long as the result was good.

Min Xi smiled helplessly, what a rich young man who didn't know the suffering of others: "When we talk about that experience now, we feel that it was just thrilling and exciting. It sounds interesting, but when we were pointed at by guns, our lives were really hanging by a thread. Didn't the four sailors who were with us fail to come back?"

Lord Melo thought for a moment and said, "You are right. I was just overthinking it."

After dinner, Lord Melo said, "I have brought all the money they deposited with me. Please count it. There are a total of 1900 reais, all in this box. The key is also here." He pointed to the exquisite box that was taken down from the carriage at the beginning.

Min Xi smiled and said, "We trust your Excellency, so there is no need to count them."

Lord Melo said seriously: "When you leave your money, you must count it clearly. Although we are friends, we still have to keep the accounts clear."

"You are right, we will count it now." Min Xi said.

There were 19 cloth bags in the wooden box, each containing 100 reais. Diego and Gael had packed the money when they handed it to Lord Melo. After Lord Melo counted the money, he took it back and put it in the box, locked it, and never moved it again.

"The amount is correct. I'm sorry to bother you." Min Xi put the purse back and closed the box. "I'll empty the box and give it to you later."

"No, keep it for later use." Lord Mello waved his hand.

"Okay, thank you." Min Xi was not polite.

In the evening, Min Xi and Yun Ji took out all the reais given by Melo, and also took out the money they earned in the UK, and began to count the accounts.

During the time they were away, the two stores earned a total of 1900 reais, of course, there were some small changes that were not included. Adding up, it was about 2000 reais, which was slightly lower than the income when they were there, but it was understandable that the customer flow was still reduced when Min Xi was away.

However, they earned a lot more on this trip to England. They earned more than 200 pounds on the pirate ship, and later opened a restaurant in London. In addition, they earned 30 pounds for a banquet at Baron Hofstadt's house, 10 pounds from the Queen for buying a menu, and 20 pounds for delivering a letter. All in all, they earned more than 150 pounds. In total, they earned more than 350 pounds on the trip to England, which is equivalent to nearly 7000 reais. It is indeed much easier to make money than in Portugal.

Although the trip to the UK was very thrilling, it was not a loss when you look at it this way.

Yun Ji added up the money he earned last year and this year, and it was about 20,000 reais, which was getting closer and closer to his goal of buying a galleon.

The two of them were counting on an abacus under the lamp. Seeing this number, Min Xi was so excited that he couldn't stop rubbing his hands: "So this is what it feels like to count money until your hands cramp. Now that we have so much money, should we prepare to book a galleon? After all, it takes at least two to three years to build a ship."

Yun Ji said, "I think it's worth considering. But before that, should we inquire about ways to buy a boat?"

"Yes. But after this trip to England, I feel that having a ship alone is not enough. We need to equip it with cannons to feel safe. On such a long voyage, if we encounter pirates, wouldn't we become lambs to be slaughtered?" Min Xi said.

Yun Ji also agreed with Min Xi's statement, but it would take a long time for the two of them to raise hundreds of thousands of reais by opening a restaurant in the UK. He said: "The cannon needs to be installed, but the money has to be taken back. We can't make it here."

"I agree with this. Let's go back and load a shipload of tea, silk, and porcelain. I think that should be enough to exchange for a shipload of cannons and shells."

Yun Ji thought for a moment and said, "I think it's about the same."

"So the most urgent thing is to find a way to buy ships and cannons. I'll ask the Baron later."

"it is good."

After Baron Fernando came back, he didn't show up for several days. Min Xi knew that he must be busy now, so he didn't bother him. He would definitely come to find them when he was done with his work.

The Baron was indeed busy. After returning, he went to see the king, reunited with his family, was visited by various friends, and had to prepare for the wedding. His wedding with Miss Alice was scheduled for November 11, which was about half a month after they returned. His family had been preparing for his wedding for a long time, but now that it was time to get married, they found that there were still so many things to arrange. They were really busy.

Three days later, the restaurant reopened, saying that the boss had returned and offering a 10% discount all day to reward customers. Only then did the customers know that the two bosses had returned from England, and the old customers excitedly asked, "Are the bosses cooking today?"

The reply I got was: "Sorry, the boss is not cooking anymore, the original chef will do it again."

"The boss is back, why don't you cook? We want to eat the food the boss cooks!"

The waiter smiled and replied: "Thank you for your love for the boss. I will have the opportunity to eat the dishes cooked by the boss in the future."

Min Xi also made up his mind not to cook in the restaurant anymore. He would only cook in person if there were important guests.

When the store was busy during the day, Min Xi would stay in the attic to review his Spanish and teach Yun Ji Spanish. Since they were planning to go to Spain, they should learn the local language as soon as possible so that it would be easier to communicate.

Yun Ji was mainly busy preparing wedding gifts for the Baron.

They both became hands-off managers, leaving the business to the store clerks.

This morning, before lunchtime, a special guest came to the restaurant. She was a young lady who was very beautiful, elegant, and well-dressed. After arriving, she first looked around the restaurant and then said to Jasper who came to greet her, "I want to see your boss, Mr. Min. Is he here?"

When Jasper heard this, he thought it was the boss's affair, so he ran excitedly to the attic and called Min Xi: "Boss, there is a beautiful lady downstairs looking for you, she is Boss Min." He thought he could hear some gossip.

When Min Xi heard this, he put down the book in his hand with some confusion: "Who is it?"

"She didn't say it, but she is really beautiful, a blonde!" Jasper said with some excitement. Perhaps European men have never been able to resist blondes.

Min Xi thought about it and understood a little: "I know, I'll be there right away."

Min Xi said to Yun Ji, "Miss Alice is coming, why don't you go down and say hello?"

Yun Ji put down the pen he was painting and said, "Let's go, let's go down together."

When Alice Harold saw Min Xi, she smiled and lifted her skirt to show her courtesy. "I'm sorry to bother you so much. I hope I didn't cause you any inconvenience."

"Welcome! You're welcome, Miss Alice. Our door is always open to you." Min Xi returned her a gentlemanly salute.

Miss Alice said, "I just took a look at your restaurant. The decoration is very different from other restaurants I have seen. It is very special. Is it Chinese style?"

"Yes, this is Chinese style. It is decorated in the style of a Chinese restaurant."

"Great! I really like this style. And these decorative paintings are also Chinese paintings, right?" She pointed at the calligraphy and paintings.

"Yes, this was written and drawn by Yun."

"Your calligraphy and painting are very good." Miss Alice praised politely.

Yun Ji smiled and said, "Thank you for your compliment!"

She looked around and admired everything like a curious child.

Min Xi asked: "When is Miss Alice's wedding date?"

Alice paused. "The 22nd of this month. I think that's a bit rushed."

"It sounds a bit hasty, but the Duke's Mansion has been preparing for this wedding for a long time. Originally, your wedding was supposed to be in September, but due to a series of coincidences, the wedding was postponed until now." Min Xi said.

Alice lowered her head and was silent for a moment: "You are right. I am not ready yet."

"The main reason is that you have not known the Baron for a long time and do not know him well enough, so you are still a little uneasy. However, the Baron is a reliable person. I can understand Miss Alice's feelings. Girls will have similar feelings before getting married." Min Xi comforted her.

Alice looked at him and said, "Thank you! I'm so sorry to have troubled you."

"How could that be! You will be a baroness in the future, and just like the baron, you are my friend. Have lunch here today. I will cook for you myself and make a delicious meal, some dishes you have never eaten in the UK. If you are in a bad mood, have a good meal and all your worries will disappear." Min Xi said with a smile.

"Thank you very much!" Alice was flattered. She felt that Min Xi was a very gentleman and made her feel inexplicably at ease.