The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Yun Ji asked again: "Who is the head of the family now?"

"After Dad left, the elders of the clan discussed and finally decided that the second master of the eldest master's family would temporarily take over the position of head of the family, saying that they would return it to Lin'er when he grows up. But now that you are back, big brother, the position of head of the family will naturally be yours!" Yun An's face showed joy when he said this.

The second master is Yun Xiao, the son of Yun Ji's clan uncle, who is three years older than him. This kid is mean and has been instigating other brothers in the clan to bully Yun Ji since he was a child, but he never does it himself. He has been cunning since he was a child. Now that the family affairs are under his control, it will probably take some effort to get back what belongs to him.

Yun Ji looked at Yun An and said, "Your parents are gone, why don't you go to your grandfather's house to take care of Lin Ge'er? Why did you come here instead?"

"After Dad passed away, no one mentioned you anymore. I always felt that my elder brother was not dead, so I came here to find out about you." Yun An wiped away his tears again, "My feeling was right, my elder brother is fine. Thank God, God bless you!"

Yun Ji sincerely thanked him: "Thank you!"

Min Xi frowned, "That's not right. We asked someone to send a letter back the second year after the accident. It may be delayed for about a year, but the letter should have been delivered last year. Yun'an, didn't you receive the letter from Brother Seven?"

Yun An looked at Min Xi and shook his head blankly: "No. Dad passed away in March last year. I arrived here in May. Before and after that, I didn't receive any news from my elder brother."

Yun Ji said, "Maybe something went wrong and the messenger didn't deliver it."

Min Xi shook his head: "Our experience is too bizarre. Unless there is an accident, the messenger will definitely come to Yunxiang to deliver the letter. Even if the letter is lost, he will definitely go to Yunxiang to say that his young master is in Fulangji. Is it possible that this message was intercepted by someone?"

Yun Ji looked at Min Xi and felt that it made sense. At this critical moment, someone might indeed be interfering. The head of the family was gone, and there was only a weak and sickly child in the family. It was hard not to be jealous of such a huge fortune.

Min Xi's face was solemn. "Don't have the intention to harm others, but be on guard against others. How about this, since no one knows that you are back yet, and they don't know me, let me and Yun An handle the goods on the Jazz. Seventh brother, you should return to Beijing quietly and catch them off guard."

"Do you think that if someone knows that I'm back, it will be bad for me?" Yun Ji frowned.

"We can't rule out this possibility. We are alone and have no one we can trust now. You should be able to find help after you go back, right?" Min Xi asked.

Yun Ji nodded: "My grandfather was a Hanlin scholar. Although his official position was not high, he could often see the emperor."

Yun An interrupted, "My grandfather has retired, but my uncle has been promoted. He is now a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue."

After hearing this, Min Xi felt relieved: "With the support of my grandparents, things should be much easier. You can go back now, and take all the crop seeds with you, and give them to your uncle, and let him arrange for people to plant them. He happens to be the deputy minister of the Ministry of Revenue, in charge of the grain tax of the whole country, and it is his job to promote crops, which saves us a lot of trouble."

"Are you taking them all?" Yun Ji asked.

Min Xi thought for a while and said, "Leave some for me, and plant some in Fujian as well. The effect will be better if more places bloom. Now is the perfect season for planting, as the spring is warm and the flowers are blooming."

"Okay, you can make the arrangements. Yun An, go find someone to sow the seeds. We went through so much trouble to get these seeds back from Europe. They are extremely precious. You must take good care of them." Yun Ji instructed Yun An, "After I leave, you will listen to Min Xi in all arrangements. Just treat him the same as I do. He is more efficient than me. There is no need to question his decisions."

Yun An glanced at Min Xi. Although they had not met much, he knew from what he had just said that he was a thoughtful person. There must be a reason why his elder brother trusted him so much: "I remember, elder brother, just go ahead. I will listen to my second brother."

While the people in the inn were still here, Yun An arranged for a horse-drawn carriage to quickly take Min Xi and Yun Ji to an inn that was not too close, so as not to let other people in the inn know that Yun Ji had returned. The neighbors were not worried, as Yun Ji had only been to Quanzhou once a few years ago, so no one would recognize him.

After Yun An sent them to the inn, he went to get a pass for Yun Ji and find a boat to take Yun Ji back to Beijing. Since the lifting of the sea ban, there are ships that can directly reach the capital from Fujian. They can go to Beijing by sea, or they can go to the Yangtze River and then change to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

Yun Ji chose the latter way. After reaching the Yangtze River, he changed route to the Grand Canal because the canal was open to navigation day and night and was safer and faster than the sea route. On the one hand, he was worried about his relatives, and on the other hand, he was also worried about Min Xi. He wanted to finish his affairs in Beijing as soon as possible and then go to Europe with Min Xi.

"After I go back and take care of my family affairs, I will come to meet you. You ask Captain Almeida to wait for a few more months. We will set off after the summer." Yun Ji said.

If the Jazz wanted to be efficient, it could unload and load cargo as soon as it arrived at the port, return before summer, and leave the Indian Ocean before typhoons occur. Although the time is tight, it may not be impossible. However, it may not be possible under the current circumstances.

Min Xi and Yun Ji's original plan was not to set off until after autumn. After all, they had been away from home for so long and there were still many things to deal with, so a trip back to Beijing was inevitable. They also had to arrange to plant the crop seeds.

"Don't worry. We were originally planning to leave after autumn. I will tell Almeida. Once I have dealt with things here, I will go to Beijing to find you." Min Xi said.

When Yun Ji heard him say this, he smiled for the first time since returning: "Then I'll wait for you in the capital."

"I'm quite worried about you going back to face those people alone. Unfortunately, things here can't be done without me. Those goods must be dealt with as soon as possible. You must be more careful." Min Xi reminded Yun Ji again.

Yun Ji looked at him, his eyes full of reluctance and sadness. After a while, he blinked, suppressed his negative emotions, and cheered up: "It's okay, my grandfather and uncle will help me, and there will definitely be people in my family who support me. Besides, I am good at martial arts, and ordinary people can't beat me."

"Two hands can't beat four fists. I can't beat you openly, but you can't defend against the tricks they use on you behind your back. Anyway, you just have to be careful. When you arrive in the capital, be extra careful about who you meet and what you eat."

Yun Ji suddenly sighed: "I really want to bring you with me, so that I will have the confidence."

"Even if I'm not by your side, I'm always standing behind you. I'm your confidence! Just go for it boldly!" Min Xi said with a smile.

Yun Ji nodded vigorously: "Okay!"

Yun'an was quite efficient. In just two days, he had arranged for the official travel permit and the boat to return to Beijing.

Yun Ji seldom went out these two days. He only went out to buy two sets of clothes. He couldn't go back looking too miserable and make his grandparents worry. Although he suffered a lot in Europe, he was definitely not miserable.

Min Xi had already packed his luggage, and divided the sweet potato, corn, peanut, pepper, and tomato seeds. He was allowed to take the bighead carp and potatoes away. Fujian was not suitable for growing potatoes at this time of year, so he would wait until next year. After all, the climate in the north was cold and dry, making famine more likely to occur. The situation in the south would be much better, as at least there would be more grass roots and tree bark.

On the fourth day after returning to Quanzhou, Min Xi and Diego went to the dock to see Yun Ji off. Yun An did not come because he was afraid that someone would notice something was wrong.

Yun Ji looked at Min Xi, reluctant to leave. This was the first time they had been apart in a few years, and he really didn't think he could adapt to the days without Min Xi by his side.

Yun Ji looked at Min Xi and said, "I'm leaving now. If things go well for me, I'll come to see you sooner."

Min Xi quickly refused: "No, communication is not well developed now. It will be troublesome if we miss each other on the road. You should wait in Beijing for me to find you. Don't worry, I will definitely go. Let Almeida stay in Macau for a few more months. I can let the people on the Yunxiang slowly load the goods for him. Porcelain and other things can be loaded first, and tea and other things that are not suitable for storage can be loaded before departure."

"Okay! Then I'll go back and wait for you. You must come! Be sure to pay attention to safety and ask Yun An to hire two more people for you." Yun Ji reminded.

"Got it. Come on board, the ship is about to set sail! Seventh brother, have a safe trip!" Min Xi urged him to get on board.

Yun Ji walked onto the deck and waved to Min Xi: "Wait for me to write to you!"

"it is good!"

The boat slowly sailed away from the shore, and Min Xi and Diego waved goodbye to him. Yun Ji looked at Min Xi who was gradually going away, and his eyes couldn't help but become sore. After this separation, he didn't know when he would see him again.

Yun Ji's figure gradually became blurred and finally disappeared in the vast sea fog. Min Xi's heart seemed to be suddenly hollowed out.

Yun Ji was the first person he met after coming to this world. He had accompanied him through life and death, all kinds of hardships and dangers, and had gone on adventures and tried new things together. He had taken care of him in every possible way and was always there for him to see whenever he looked back. He was always available upon call and would unconditionally support him in whatever he did, helping him to achieve his wishes. It was no exaggeration to say that he was his strongest backing.

Everyone who knows them, when seeing one of them, will consciously think of the other, as if they are one and the same.

Now they had to separate. From today on, there was no one around him who he could talk to about anything, and no one he could consult with at any time. He had to do everything by himself. Min Xi felt an inexplicable sense of loss and sadness.

Diego Dihu also noticed his low mood and stood with him on the dock silently until he was almost hit by someone, then he reached out and pulled him up: "Boss, be careful!"

Min Xi came back to his senses, saw Diego beside him, and said, "Oh, let's go back."

Diego comforted him: "Don't be sad, Boss Yun told me that we will meet again soon."

Hearing this, Min Xi pulled up the corners of his mouth and revealed a far-fetched smile: "Well, let's go, let's go find Yun An to do some business."