The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Min Xi asked, "When are we going to the shipyard to buy a boat?"

The baron said, "Let's go when it's convenient for you. Setúbal is not far from Lisbon, but if you want to buy a ship, there must be a lot of things you need to know, and it will take more than one trip."

Yun Ji said, "We should go to the shipyard first to understand the situation, and then sign the contract and pay the deposit after we have finalized the details of the purchase of the ship, right?"

"Yes, that's right," said the Baron.

Min Xi thought for a moment and said, "Then let's wait until we finish planting the land."

It's April now, and the seedlings in the Baron's greenhouse have sprouted. It's almost time to transplant them. I'll go there after I finish these things.

"I'm fine with either," said the Baron.

Min Xi said: "Then I'll trouble you, Excellency."

The Baron's willingness to act as a guarantor for them meant that he would accompany them to buy the ship. He had bought several ships before and must be very familiar with the details of buying a ship, which could help them avoid detours.

"Need I explain our relationship? This is a big deal, and as a friend I must help. If I don't go, those guys will definitely bully me." said the baron.

Yun Ji smiled and said, "We feel relieved with your words."

In the following days, they began to prepare for planting vegetables and rice. The land for planting rice had been prepared, and the windmill was in place, just waiting for planting.

By mid-April, Min Xi moved all the seedlings out of the greenhouse and allowed them to acclimate outside for about a week before starting to transplant them.

The vegetables were planted quickly, and everyone knew how to do it. Min Xi was the only one who knew how to plant rice. He did everything himself, from soaking the seeds to raising the seedlings. When it came to the planting stage, he took the lead in demonstrating and teaching everyone how to plant rice seedlings.

Yun Ji, a pampered young man from the capital, followed Min Xi and not only learned how to till the soil and plant vegetables, water and fertilize, but also learned how to roll up his trouser legs and plant rice in the paddy fields. These were all new experiences for him. Min Xi couldn't help laughing when he saw how clumsy he was. It was really hard for him.

The McCaughlins also learned how to plant rice seedlings. Although they were novices, the job was not difficult to learn and there were enough people, so they finished planting the more than one acre of land in just one day.

Min Xi told the McCaughlins how to manage paddy fields. In comparison, growing wheat is indeed more convenient because there is no need to go into the paddy fields, and the management seems to be more extensive. Of course, the yield is naturally not as good as rice.

After planting the rice, Min Xi finished his busy work and began to prepare to go to the shipyard to buy a boat.

After the Baron confirmed that he was free, Min Xi put up a sign saying that they were out for something and temporarily closed. Min Xi planned to send the little bully to the restaurant and let the staff take care of him, but Diego took the initiative to take care of the little bully.

"I'll come back and stay at night. Leave the little bully to me, I will take good care of it. When you all go out, the house can't be left unattended. Your chickens and ducks need to be fed, and there will be thieves." Diego was like a little adult.

"But you run around morning and night, it's too tiring," said Min Xi.

Diego said, "It's only a few days. You're just going to Setubal. You'll be back in a few days at most, right? I'm a very fast runner."

"Okay then, I'll leave the house to you to take care of. Thank you for your hard work." Min Xi handed the key to Diego.

Diego took the key solemnly: "Don't worry, go with peace of mind and come back soon."

This time he was not sad at all, because he knew that Min Xi and Yun Ji were going to Setubal, which was only a few dozen kilometers away from Lisbon. If they were in a hurry, they could go back and forth in one day.

Min Xi and Yun Ji took some money and set off for Setubal with the baron. To get to Setubal, you have to take a boat from Lisbon, cross the Tagus River estuary, go ashore, and then take a carriage to Setubal. It only takes half a day to get there.

The Baron ordered several of his ships here. He has been to the shipyard countless times and is very familiar with the place.

I left home in the morning and arrived in Setubal before noon. Setubal is also a port city. Although the port is not as busy as Lisbon, it is also very impressive.

Of course, there is more than one shipyard in Portugal, but Setubal is the closest to Lisbon and is capable of building galleons. If Min Xi wants to buy a ship, Setubal will definitely be the first choice.

The baron first took them to stay in the hotel. When checking in, Min Xi and Yun Ji asked for a room.

The baron said, "There is no need to stay in one room. You are afraid of spending money. I will open another one for you."

Min Xi said, "Thank you, but no thanks. We can just stay in one room. When we are away from home, there is no need to be so particular."

In fact, they only brought one set of sheets and quilt covers because the cotton was a bit thick. Naturally, they had to sleep together. They didn't want to sleep on the same quilt as the Europeans. If it wasn't too much of a stretch, they might have brought their own quilts.

The baron could only shrug and say: "Well, as long as you don't feel crowded."

"I'm used to it." Min Xi answered casually.

The Baron couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when he heard this answer.

Yun Ji on the side coughed uncomfortably, but Min Xi didn't realize there was anything wrong with what he said.

This time, Min Xi and Yun Ji did not plan to cook by themselves, and did not bring cooking utensils. They planned to eat something locally. Setubal's seafood is also very famous. As long as it is not cooked randomly, the taste should not be too bad.

In fact, this is true. Seafood is not impossible to eat with dry toast.

The baron smiled and said, "The seafood in this restaurant is very good. When I came to Setúbal before, I must eat here. Now that you have spoiled my taste buds, I think it's good to eat."

Min Xi smiled and said, "Thank you for your recognition."

"Alas!" The baron suddenly sighed, "If you return home, what will I eat?"

Min Xi said: "I am gone, but the Chinese restaurant will still be open, and my employees have learned to cook Chinese food."

"That's true. It's better than nothing!" The Baron felt comforted when he thought about it. At least he would still have Chinese food to eat in the future.

After lunch, the Baron took them to the shipyard.

As soon as the baron gave his name, the manager of the shipyard came to greet him with a respectful and enthusiastic attitude.

This was their second visit to a shipyard this year. Compared with the Valencia shipyard they visited not long ago, the Setubal shipyard was slightly smaller in scale and had two fewer docks. This was probably because Spain was larger, had a larger population, and had a stronger maritime power.

There are four docks in the shipyard, three of which are currently under construction and one is idle. However, all six docks in Valencia are busy. This shows the decline of Portugal and also gives us a glimpse into Philip II's ambition.

The baron did not mention the shipbuilding issue first, but changed the subject and asked about other things, such as how long it took to produce a ship, who was building the ships now, and the prices of various materials.

The steward was familiar with the baron and told him everything he knew.

The baron finally asked: "How much does it cost to build a ship now?"

The steward said enthusiastically, "If you want to build a ship, you can still pay according to your previous price. You know, the price of wood and labor has increased a bit now."

The baron said, "It's not me who is building the ship, it's these two friends of mine. Is the price the same?"

The steward turned to look at Min Xi and Yun Ji, his expression slightly changed: "These two look unfamiliar, they don't seem to be from our country."

The baron said: "They are my Chinese friends, and they have obtained permission from His Majesty the King to buy ships in our country."

The steward smiled and nodded repeatedly: "As long as you get His Majesty's permission, it will be fine. What kind of boat do you two need?"

Min Xi said: "We want the latest model of galleon, how much does it cost and how long will it take?"

Before the steward could say anything, the baron spoke up: "They are my best friends. I am here to guarantee them. I will charge them the price I paid for the ship."

The steward showed an embarrassed expression on his face: "Your Excellency, you are really embarrassing me. You don't know the rules of the shipyard. The prices for foreign guests and domestic guests are different. This is stipulated by His Majesty, not by me."

The baron said, "Your Majesty can't set the price for every ship. He should have only said that foreign customers should pay more for the ships, but the specific pricing power still belongs to your shipyard."

The steward smiled and said, "That's right. We will try our best to provide the most favorable price for the two guests. Please come over here and we will discuss the specific specifications and prices."

Since they needed a quote, not only the manager came from the shipyard, but also the person in charge of the shipyard, the cost engineer, etc. Everyone sat around the table and began to discuss the specifications of the ship and the specific price.

Min Xi wants to buy the latest model of galleon, which is also the largest ship that the shipyard can currently make. The length is 50 meters, which is slightly smaller than the scale of the Valencia Shipyard. The maximum scale of the Valencia Shipyard can reach 54 meters. It is no wonder, after all, the galleon was originally invented in Spain.

The displacement can reach about 1000 tons, the draft can reach more than 7 meters, and the ship has four masts, which maximizes the ship's sailing speed.

There were a total of 28 gun muzzles designed on the ship. After discussion, Min Xi and Yun Ji decided to install only 10 cannons, including two long guns, four half-long guns and four short guns. The remaining gun muzzles were left empty. After all, it was not a warship, but just a merchant ship.

The shipyard quoted a price of 16 reais, which was cheaper than the price mentioned by the Marquis of Merlo because the number of cannons they required was nearly half less than that of other ships.

After hearing the quotation, the Baron tried his best to get a discount for them. The shipyard said that the price of the latest model of ship was like this, and no discount could be much higher. Finally, after the Baron's unremitting lobbying, the price was cut down by 5000 reais, which is 15 reais.

The payment method required by the shipyard is: pay a 20% deposit when signing the contract, pay 40% of the payment after the project is halfway completed, and pay the final 40% when the ship is delivered.