The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Lord Melo let go of Min Xi's hand and poured out his heart to Yun Ji through the crowd, saying how much he liked him, admired his talent, etc.

Yun Ji's ears and neck turned red after hearing this, and he didn't know how to respond. It was so embarrassing.

Finally, the Baron stood up, dragged Lord Mello away from the dinner table, and went outside to give him a few glasses of cold tea to sober him up.

Most people at the table knew that Lord Mello had other feelings for Yun Ji, and they just found it funny to see him speaking his mind under the influence of alcohol.

Of course, this was just an episode. No matter how deep and shocking Lord Melo's friendship was, everyone just regarded it as a romantic debt. After all, his romanticism was well-known in Lisbon.

Early in the morning of September 9, everyone got up. Min Xi went to make breakfast, Yun Ji tied up the bedding for both of them, and packed the rest of the luggage and loaded it onto the carriage.

Min Xi made the last breakfast at home. It was dumplings stuffed with pork and green onions, and she also steamed the buns and steamed bread that she had mixed and fermented the night before.

After eating dumplings, Min Xi packed the buns and steamed buns with clean cotton cloth and took them away. This was their food rations for the first few days.

Diego had already picked all the vegetables in the garden as he had ordered, including the red tomatoes, pumpkins, cucumbers and other melons, whether green or yellow. There was also a grape trellis in the garden, and the grapes on it were also red. Although he had already picked two boxes in advance and moved them to the boat, he still picked some more today.

Anyway, just take whatever you can. After all, the ship departing from Europe has little cargo, so no matter how much food you bring, it won't be overloaded.

After all the things were packed up, even a carriage couldn't fit them all. Fortunately, the Baron came early in the morning and had breakfast here, and also took them to the dock.

The baron grabbed a bun in one hand, took a big bite, and said, "I really don't want you to leave!"

Min Xi smiled and comforted: "It's okay, it's not like you won't come back."

"I hope you can be quicker next time, and don't wait until my son is crawling on the ground before you come back," said the Baron.

"Not really. I will definitely be back before that." Min Xi said with a smile.

The dock was extremely busy in the morning, with ships unloading on one side and loading and preparing to leave on the other. The three ships that were going out to sea today were theirs, and although most of the stuff had been moved on board in advance and some sailors had slept on board early to save on accommodation costs, there were also many like Min Xi who boarded the ship right before departure.

Everything was unloaded from the car, and the baron's coachman helped carry the luggage onto the boat. The baron held Min Xi and Yun Ji, reluctant to let them go, repeating his instructions over and over again, like a nagging old father. The little bully followed his master's feet, not in a hurry to get on the boat.

Min Xi found it funny and could only nod his head repeatedly to show his agreement.

The carriage was left to Sanvis. Sanvis held the reins in one hand and stood on the dock and told Diego: "Be sensible and diligent, help Mr. Min and Mr. Yun more, and take good care of Mr. Xius. If you don't get used to China, come back to Portugal. You have skills, so you won't starve anywhere."

Diego nodded. "I see, Mr. Sanvis, you must take care of yourself and remember to eat on time. I may be back soon."

"Okay!" Sanvis looked at Diego like a loving old father.

While they were saying goodbye, Gale and others also rushed to the dock to see Min Xi, Yun Ji and others off. The shop assistants all came, bringing gifts, saying that they were thanking the boss for their cultivation and care over the years, and wishing them a safe journey and a speedy return.

It was not until the sailor on the ship rang the bell, urging them to get on board that Min Xi and his four companions and the dog finally got on board.

The anchor was raised, the sails were hoisted, and the wind direction was adjusted. The ship finally slowly sailed away from the dock. The Baron, Sanvis, Gail and others were still waving goodbye to them on the dock.

Just then, a carriage came galloping from the other end of the dock. Min Xi and Yun Ji both recognized it as Lord Mello's carriage.

Lord Mello jumped off the carriage before it stopped, stumbled, and fell to the ground, with the box in his hand thrown out. He got up, picked up the box, and ran to the dock, shaking the box in his hand desperately, calling Yun Ji's name.

Min Xi could only wave goodbye to him from a distance.

Finally, he was stopped by the Baron. It was obvious that he was very upset about not catching the ship. It must be because he drank too much yesterday, slept too soundly, got up late, and missed the chance to see them off.

Min Xi put down his arms, sighed, and said to Yun Ji who was standing by the side of the boat: "Seventh Brother, you are so charming."

Yun Ji glanced at him sideways: "Really? I think it's just average."

"How can it be ordinary? Don't you see how devoted Lord Mello is to you? I heard that he is very amorous, but I think he is very loyal to you. He is still like this for more than two years." Min Xi chuckled when he said this.

"There are people around you who are more loyal than him, but it's a pity you didn't notice it." Yun Ji looked at him with burning eyes.

Min Xi noticed his gaze and felt like he was about to be set on fire. He stretched out his hand and scratched the wing of his nose to cover it up and said, "Haha, really? Maybe I'm just slow and didn't notice it. Let's go back and pack our things."

Turning back, he saw old Hughes standing by the side of the ship, looking at the distant dock with tears in his eyes. Min Xi's heart tightened, and he hurried over: "Mr. Hughes? Are you reluctant to leave Lisbon?"

Old Hughes came back to his senses. He raised his hand to wipe the tears from his face and shook his head: "I never thought that one day I would be able to board a big ship and leave Portugal for a long voyage. Thank you for helping me realize this wish. Even if I die at sea, I won't blame you, because this is my destination."

Min Xi held his arm and said, "Don't worry, I'm here with you. You'll be fine. You'll definitely be able to return to Portugal safely."

Old Hughes smiled and said, "Okay!"

Three ships set out together. The first one was the Goddess, which had more than a dozen trips to Asia. The middle one was the Jazz, which they were on. The last one was the Harvest, which also had three trips to Asia and was more experienced than the Jazz. Of the three ships, the Jazz was the largest.

The purpose of the Jazz's trip this time is to gain experience in long-distance routes and do business with the Ming Dynasty.

Not long after they got on board, Captain Almeida sent a sailor to inform them to attend a meeting and introduce them to everyone.

Excluding Min Xi and his four companions, there were originally 40 people on the Jazz. Including them, there were 44 people in total. This was far from the upper limit of the number of people that a galleon could carry. However, these 40 people had clear division of labor and none of them was wasted. After all, if the boss wanted to make money, he had to save the ship's carrying weight.

One more person means one more person's weight and water, food and other supplies, which is related to the weight of the cargo that can be carried on the return trip. The fewer people, the more cargo can be carried. So there is no need for more people, as long as the number of people can keep the sailboat running normally.

Captain Almeida solemnly introduced the four of them to the crew of the Jazz: "Mr. Hughes was the navigator of the Magellan fleet. Although he has not been to sea for many years, he has experience returning to Europe from Asia. He and Gama will be responsible for the navigation task this time. These two are Mr. Min and Mr. Yun from China. They are good friends of Baron Fernando. We have to ask them for help when we go to China to buy and sell goods this time. They are the owners of the Chinese restaurant. Some of you may have eaten there. The current chef in the restaurant is an apprentice taught by Mr. Min. His cooking skills are amazing, and the cooking will be handed over to him in the future. Mr. Yun is very skilled, and he is willing to assist us in our work. He can hoist the sails, set off cannons, and so on."

Yun Ji heard this and said with a smile: "I am also good at moving things, scrubbing the deck, and maintaining the boat."

Everyone laughed when they heard this, which showed that Mr. China was not arrogant.

Captain Almeida smiled and said, "This little brother is called Diego. He came with Mr. Min and Mr. Yun. He can also cook. Mr. Min and Mr. Yun will arrange for him to do anything, so you don't have to worry about him."

At this time, the little bully barked at the crowd. Almeida laughed when he heard it barking: "I forgot to introduce it. This is Mr. Min's dog. It is not for eating."

At this moment, everyone burst into laughter. Generally speaking, when an ocean-going ship sets sail, it will prepare sufficient food and water, and of course also bring fruits and vegetables. For a ship like theirs that is relatively empty when it sets sail, they will also buy some live sheep, chickens and ducks to bring with them, which are fresh food. Some people will also bring dogs on board, of course not as rations, but if there is a special situation, dogs can also become rations.

Almeida then gave a brief introduction to the crew, mainly introducing some important positions, such as the first mate, second mate, mastman, cook, etc.

After the meeting, the cook walked towards Min Xi and held out his hand: "Hello! My name is Igor, and I'm the cook on the ship. I heard that your cooking skills are very good. Can you let us have a taste of your food at noon today?"

Min Xi said, "Okay, let's go to the kitchen and see what dishes we can have for lunch."

"Please follow me." The cook took Min Xi to the kitchen.

Yun Ji and Diego also followed. The boat had just set off and there was nothing else to do, so they could help Min Xi cook.

Min Xi went to the kitchen warehouse, which was full of food ingredients. The most common ones were onions, scallions, carrots, parsnips, pumpkins, apples, bread, black bread, beans, pickled meat, smoked fish, etc. These are all necessities that need to be stored for a long time.

Min Xi asked the captain to buy some of these foods, such as green onions.

Since we just set out, we brought a lot of fresh seafood and meat on the boat, which we bought at the pier and the vegetable market this morning. There were fish and shrimp, as well as whole pork and mutton.

Min Xi looked at the water tank and fuel again, and he had an idea in mind: "I'll make pancakes for everyone at noon."