The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Min Xi also asked McCollum to help find a windmill carpenter to build the windmill.

When McCaughlin heard that they were going to build a windmill specifically for farming, he thought it was a bit crazy. Building a small windmill would cost at least a few reais, and the two of them were really willing to spend that money.

The investment was indeed high, but when he thought about eating delicious rice in the future, Min Xi felt that it was worth the money. Moreover, with enough rice, they could sell seafood rice in the restaurant, and the money spent would be earned back quickly.

After finding a carpenter to build the windmill, Min Xi and Yun Ji began to look for a suitable house around Lisbon. They went out to look for two days but didn't find a suitable one. On the third day, the broker came and said he had found a yard for them. The two of them happened to be free, so they went to see the house.

The house was farther away than Min Xi and Yun Ji expected. After leaving the city, the carriage would have to go for another half an hour. But the house was really good. It was a country gentleman's house. Because his family had moved to Lisbon, the house was vacant. The house was solid and well decorated. There was also a large yard where they could grow vegetables and raise chickens. But the biggest problem was that it was too far from the city.

The broker praised the house to the skies.

Min Xi said, "The house is nice, but it's too far from the city. It's not convenient. Can you help me find a house near the city?"

"But you don't want a house in the city. You want a better house with a yard. The choices are really limited." The broker said embarrassedly.

"Then let's look for it again. We are planning to open a restaurant to entertain guests from the city. If it's too far, it will be a burden for them and I won't be able to do business there." Min Xi said.

The broker heard him say, "If you want to open a restaurant, why don't you find a house in the city? If you open it in the countryside, no one will come to eat. Country people can't afford to go to a restaurant."

"I have regular customers, so I don't have to worry about the source of customers, but I don't want them to travel too far. We need a yard where we can grow vegetables, just outside the city, but not too far away."

The dentist said, "In fact, there are houses with yards in the city. Although you can't grow vegetables, you can at least grow flowers."

Min Xi said, "Please help me look for a house again. If I can't find a house in the suburbs, I will look for a house in the city."

The broker had no choice but to nod and agree. He thought these two people were strange. They didn't look for a place to open a restaurant in the city, but chose to look for one in the countryside. Even if there were regular customers, how many people would go to the countryside specifically to eat?

There was no news from the brokers, but Mr. Walter, a friend of Baron Fernando, learned that they were looking for a house and provided them with some information. He said that one of his colleagues had a yard in the suburbs and wanted to sell it, so he asked them if they were interested.

Min Xi asked Walter: "Does he want to sell the house?"

Walter said, "Yes. Martins' wife inherited a villa in the suburbs from a relative. They don't use it on a regular basis, so they want to sell it and buy a bigger house in the city. The price is not expensive, 400 reais."

400 reais is indeed not expensive, but Min Xi and Yun Ji are both planning to return to their home country and may leave next year, so they naturally will not consider purchasing a property here.

Min Xi said with some regret: "We don't plan to buy a house in Lisbon. We may return to China next year. We will have to sell the house by then, which is quite troublesome. Ask your colleague if he is willing to rent it out. If he is willing to rent it out, I will go and see the house first."

Walter asked in surprise: "Are you going back?"

"Yes. If I rent a house, I should rent it for a year. If I haven't left after a year, I will renew the lease. I definitely won't buy a house."

"Okay, I'll go ask him for you," said Walter.

The next evening, Walter came over, bringing with him his colleague Mr. Martins, who was selling a house.

Min Xi invited them to dinner, and Martins asked Min Xi how much rent he could give in a year. Seeing that he wanted to rent a house, Min Xi said he had to see the house before determining the price.

So they made an appointment to go and see the house the next afternoon because the other party had to go to work in the morning.

The next afternoon, Yun Ji drove a carriage and followed Martins to see the house. The location was indeed good, but the yard was average. It was quite spacious, but it had been vacant for a long time and lacked popularity. If people wanted to live in it, they had to clean it up. Because it had been abandoned for a long time and no one took care of it, the yard was full of weeds, and it was very difficult to clean it up.

Fortunately, the house is made of brick and stone, and is quite solid. The yard is also large enough, and there are stables. If I spend some time to clean it up, it should be fine. The key is that it is very close to the city. It only takes a few minutes to walk out of the city. It is closer to the city of London than Bright Manor.

This house is said to be sold for 400 reais, but it definitely cannot be sold. If you really want to sell it, 300 reais at most is probably the best.

Min Xi asked: "How much do you plan to rent for a year?"

Martins said, "50 reais."

Min Xi shook his head: "It's too expensive. My hotel is located in the prosperous area of ​​Magallanes Avenue, and the annual rent is only 50 reais. Your house is too old and needs a lot of repairs. If we come to live here, it's like we're repairing and looking after your house. Even if we don't pay you rent, you'll still make money."

Martins knew that Min Xi was telling the truth, and he blushed and asked, "Then how much do you want to give?"

Min Xi said, "You are Walter's friend. For our friendship, I will give you 20 reais a year. I will help you clean up the house, and you don't need to pay for it."

Martins knew he had made a profit. When the previous owner of the yard had a pair of servants to look after the house, the old owner later passed away and the house was passed to his niece. The young owner was a little tight on money and the house had not been sold. It cost money to hire someone to look after the house, so he dismissed the pair of servants. At first, he even cleaned up the house himself, but the house was too big and there were many children in the family, so the house was abandoned.

"Well, I'll rent the house to you. If someone comes to buy the house and asks you to move out, you have to move out."

Min Xi shook his head: "No, since I rent a house from you, I will definitely sign a contract. During the contract period, I will not move out, even if I change the landlord, I must fulfill this contract. As for how you and the new landlord divide the rent, that is your business.

Martins sighed, "Okay, it's settled. When are we going to sign the contract?" The yard here is not cleaned up. It is difficult to rent it out if it is left vacant. After all, most people who rent villas in the countryside rent them seasonally. Who is willing to renovate a house for a short-term rental? Besides, 20 reais a year is far higher than the market price. It can be regarded as an extra income to supplement the family expenses. Someone will also renovate the house so that it will not be abandoned.

If Min Xi had not rented the property for business, he would definitely not have paid 20 reais a year. He only gave this price for Walter's sake.

When Baron Fernando learned the news, Min Xi had already rented the house. The baron also didn't find a suitable house. He knew that the houses that met Min Xi's needs were all large manors, and they were all used by nobles for vacation. He had never heard of anyone renting out their houses. The houses that were willing to rent were all in the city.

Fernando went to see the house. Min Xi had already hired a craftsman to repair the house. The Baron said, "The location is OK. It's closer than the one in London. But the house is not as good as the one there."

Min Xi said, "I feel okay. At least it will be more convenient for you to come over. When I pack up and move over, I'll treat you to a meal."

"Okay." After the baron finished touring the house, he looked at the yard, looked at the turned ground, and asked, "Did you turn this up?"

Min Xi nodded: "Yes, I plan to grow some vegetables myself."

"You can obviously buy it, why grow it yourself?" The baron shook his head in confusion.

Min Xi smiled and said, "You probably don't understand the hobbies of us Chinese. We are an agricultural civilization, and farming is something that is engraved in our bones. Our ancient Chinese literati and scholars all had a dream of retiring to the countryside. You don't understand the wonderful scene of 'picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and leisurely seeing the southern mountains'."

The Baron asked: "What?"

"'Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the southern mountains', this is our Chinese poetry." Min Xi read the poem again in Chinese and translated the general meaning of the poem to him.

The baron clapped his hands and said, "That's wonderful! It sounds very rhythmic."

"That's natural. Our Chinese culture has always been the most beautiful," said Min Xi.

The baron said with emotion: "Should I learn about Chinese culture?"

Min Xi smiled and said, "Didn't I suggest you learn it a long time ago?"

"Hehe, I only learned how to use chopsticks." The baron smiled embarrassedly.

"You can ask us what you are interested in."

“I want to learn Chinese.”

"That's fine. Once we move here, we should have more time. If you want to learn, we can teach you." Min Xi agreed readily.

Although he thought it was impossible for the baron to go to sea, he was willing to learn Chinese, so why not teach him?

They decided to move to the suburbs. Perhaps the only one who was unhappy was Diego. As a result, he would not be able to see his employer every day and could only visit him on weekends.

Min Xi noticed that Diego was unhappy: "Diego, what's wrong with you?"

Diego lowered his head: "From now on, I won't be able to see the boss every day."

Min Xi touched his head and said, "We live outside the city. When you are resting, you can come to find us outside the city."

Diego nodded.

"Remember to learn Chinese. I will assign you homework every week. You must study it when you are free. I will check it."

"Got it!" Diego said this in Chinese.

"Why hasn't Sanvis come back yet?" Diego muttered again.

Min Xi was stunned, remembering that Sanvis had been gone for almost two years. It was a long time, and it was time to find someone to inquire about the whereabouts of the Shark. There were many Portuguese ships going to Asia, and all the ships had names. Unless the ship had sunk to the bottom of the sea, it was impossible for it to completely disappear from people's sight.

"He must have been delayed by something. Don't worry, he will be fine and will come back." Min Xi comforted Diego.

Diego remained silent. In his heart, he had probably already prepared for the worst.