The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

That afternoon, Wu Tongzhi sent two minor officials in charge of agricultural affairs to find Min Xi.

Min Xi took them to the field where he had sown seeds. Yun An had helped him find this piece of land. While they were in Macau, the original owner of the land helped to take care of it.

It happened that there was plenty of rain during this period, so no watering was needed. The seedlings had already sprouted. Tomatoes and peppers had the highest germination rate because they were not exposed to moisture for the second time. The germination rate of sweet potatoes was also good, about 70%, which was sufficient considering that they were cut from sweet potato vines.

Corn and peanuts have relatively low germination rates. They were wet and soaked overnight on the ship. Although they were dried in the sun the next day to remedy the situation, they were still greatly affected, with a germination rate of only about 50%.

Fortunately, they have all sprouted. It is unlikely that they can be planted in large quantities in the first year, but at least the seeds of corn and peanuts can be preserved.

Min Xi told the two clerks in great detail the habits and planting methods of these crops, and asked them to write them down with a pen. In addition to the planting, harvesting and storage methods, Min Xi also added the eating methods and precautions of these things. For example, tomatoes must be red before they can be eaten, green tomatoes are poisonous and cannot be eaten, and peanuts must not be eaten if they are moldy, as they will poison people.

When the clerk was recording these, he couldn't help but complain: "Since it's poisonous, do we have to eat it?"

Min Xi understood what he meant. He meant that since there might be a risk of poisoning people, it would be better not to eat it in the first place. Min Xi said, "Of course we can't throw the food out with the bathwater. Since we know the risk, we should just avoid it in advance. When you promote it, just emphasize it to the people."

The clerk said nothing. He must have felt it was troublesome, but it was not up to him. Even the prefect had asked about the matter, so they could only carry out the execution.

After arranging these, Min Xi prepared to leave for Beijing.

Yun'an hired two canal boats and loaded the cargo from the Fuzhou boats onto them. The canal was the safest choice. The Ming Dynasty lifted the ban on sea transportation, but Japanese pirates were still rampant. It would be much safer to go to Beijing via the inland Grand Canal than by sea.

However, the section from Fujian to Zhejiang still has to take the sea route. Canal transport ships have always been the target of pirates, so they always travel in groups, and there is also the Ming Navy to escort them to prevent Japanese pirates from robbing the canal transport ships.

This time, Yun An personally escorted the goods and returned to the capital with Min Xi. He was worried that Yun Ji could not handle the wolves of the Yun family alone. Although he could not help much, he could at least help run errands and do things.

Moreover, he needs to escort this batch of goods personally, and every penny of the payment must be left to Yun Ji. Without money, you can't take a single step. In a place like the capital, you can do anything without spending money.

Yun'an was very thoughtful and specially went to get a travel permit for Min Xi to facilitate his travel. As for Diego and Old Xiusi, he also went to the government to help them get a relevant official document to prove that foreigners like them could also travel in the Ming Dynasty.

The characteristics of a canal boat are a flat bottom and a shallow cabin. Such a boat has a shallow draft and a fast speed. The disadvantage is that its carrying capacity is limited and it cannot withstand strong winds and waves. Fortunately, it does not need to sail in deep seas with strong winds and high waves. It only needs to sail in the near sea and rivers, and using a canal boat to carry goods is sufficient.

Diego was very excited since he got on the boat, as he was finally going to find Yun Dong's family. He was so happy that he ran back and forth on the boat like a bully.

Min Xi was lying on the deck basking in the sun when he heard the man and the dog making their move. He said, "Don't run away, you two. Don't delay the boatman's work."

When the captain heard what Min Xi said, he smiled and said, "It's okay. There is wind now, so we can sail with the wind. The boatmen have nothing to do and are all resting."

Because the canal boats have to travel along the canal, they cannot always use the wind, so they use a combination of wind and manpower. When there is wind, people can rest.

The captain was very curious about Min Xi's experience. He knew that Min Xi was the only survivor of the shipwreck of the Yun family. He was rescued by the Fulanji people and brought to Fulanji. He lived there for several years and brought a shipload of goods when he returned. He even sold it to the original owner. How kind and righteous he was. He felt that the Yun family owed Min Xi and should compensate him.

The captain liked to hear Min Xi's stories, and Min Xi also liked to hear his experiences. The captain often traveled between Fujian and Beijing, and was well-informed. Min Xi heard many thrilling and interesting experiences from him, and also heard about the customs of many places from him, which gave him a preliminary impression and understanding of the current Ming Dynasty.

Although Yun Ji had told him these things, Yun Ji's circle of life was not as low-level as the ship captain's, and he only knew things about his own class. What the ship captain talked about was another real Ming Dynasty.

Because of the escort of official ships, the journey from Quanzhou to the mouth of the Yangtze River was relatively smooth. After arriving at the Yangtze River, the official ships that had escorted them all the way withdrew. Although there were water ghosts on the inland rivers, they were not under the jurisdiction of the navy, so they would need to be on guard themselves.

The boat went upstream along the Yangtze River and arrived in Zhenjiang, where it could enter the entrance of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. Therefore, the boat did not go to Yingtian Prefecture. After arriving in Zhenjiang, Min Xi got off the boat. He had to go back to Yingtian Prefecture first to send the seeds back, and also to visit the relatives of the Min Jiu clan to confirm his household registration. Diego followed him. Min Xi did not want Old Xiu Si to make too much trouble, so he asked him to follow the boat back to Beijing to find Yun Ji. Old Xiu Si was reluctant at first, but after a long time of persuasion, he finally agreed.

Before leaving, Yun An gave Min Xi a money bag and said, "Here are two hundred taels of silver. Spend it with your money. When you finish your family affairs, come to Beijing to find your elder brother."

Yun An was very considerate. He gave Min Xi the money without him even asking. In fact, Min Xi had money on him, but it was mostly reals, which he had not exchanged for silver. He kept it for supplies on the way back to Europe.

Min Xi did not refuse and accepted the purse: "Thank you very much, I will return it to you later."

Yun An waved his hand: "What? We didn't pay you back then. You and Big Brother are sworn brothers. This money was given to you by Big Brother. If you want to pay it back, go and ask him to pay it back."

Min Xi smiled and said, "Okay then, I'll talk to my brother later."

Two hundred taels of silver was enough for Min Xi to return home in glory. He took Diego and the little tyrant off the canal boat, hired a carriage, and went straight to Yingtian Prefecture by land. Although it would be closer by water, the Yangtze River was turbulent and the speed of going against the current would not be faster than by land.

Zhenjiang Prefecture and Yingtian Prefecture are both important cities, so the public security is good and it is also safe to travel by land.

Min Jiu's hometown is actually closer to Zhenjiang, in Jurong County under the jurisdiction of Yingtian Prefecture. Min Jiu's parents died when he was eight years old, but fortunately his family was not small, with many relatives and brothers, and he grew up eating at many people's homes. In order to make a living, he worked as a runner, worked as a waiter in a restaurant, worked as a waiter, learned some cooking skills, and wanted to open his own restaurant as a boss. He had no capital, so he heard that being a canal worker could make money, so he wanted to be a canal worker. He also heard that he could earn dozens of taels of silver in a sea trip, which was enough to open a restaurant when he came back, so he boarded the Yunxiang ship again. This time, he had become Min Xi when he came back.

These memories are all in Min Xi's mind, but he still feels unfamiliar, after all, they are not his own experiences.

They set out from Zhenjiang at noon. The official road was clear, and they arrived in Jurong County before dusk.

Min Xi stopped the carriage, got off and bought some preserved fruits and snacks. He had to give some gifts when he returned home. Although he could give silver directly to the elders, he still had to give some fruits to the children.

Min Xi bought all the preserved fruit snacks that Min Jiushi had been craving for. Diego was a pastry chef and found that he had never seen the snacks here before. He watched from the side and wanted to try everything. The shopkeeper saw that he looked strange and was also very enthusiastic: "Eat it, eat it, it's okay to try a little."

Min Xi said to Diego, "The owner said you can try them. If you like them, just take a little of each one. Don't take too much. I'll buy you whatever you want to eat."

Diego grabbed a piece of osmanthus cake, put it in his mouth, and his eyes lit up: "It has a peculiar fragrance."

The shopkeeper said, “That’s osmanthus.”

Diego nodded. "Delicious. What's it made of?"

The shopkeeper replied: "Glutinous rice flour."

Min Xi said to Diego: "There is no glutinous rice flour in Europe, otherwise I would have taught you how to make it long ago."

"We can do it here," Diego said.

Min Xi nodded: "Yes, I will teach you how to do it slowly when we get to the capital."

Diego laughed, "Okay!"

After buying snacks, Min Xi got on the carriage again. This time, the carriage took him directly to the town where Min Jiu was born. When he arrived home, it was almost dark. Min Xi paid the fare and the coachman found a hotel in the town for him to stay in and would return to Zhenjiang tomorrow.

Min Xi took Diego and stood on a strange yet somewhat familiar street. Although this was where Min Jiu was born and raised, he rarely came back since he was 12 years old, so although Min Xi had some memories, he could not say that he was very familiar with it.

He stood there, wondering whose door to knock on, and still thinking about his accent. He couldn't pronounce Min Jiu's accent, after all, he was not from Yingtianfu.

There were many people walking around after dinner on the street. They had noticed the two people and the dog and kept stopping to watch. Finally, someone in the crowd said, "Why does this look like Xiaojiu from the Min family?"

Min Xi looked in the direction of the sound and saw an older woman holding a baby in her arms, who was shaking a rattle in his hand, making a loud bang.

Min Xi smiled and said, "It's me, Min Jiu. Hello, folks! I'm back."

The crowd burst into surprise: "It's really Xiaojiu!"

"It's Min Jiu who's back!"

"Didn't I hear that he drowned in the sea a long time ago?"

"Why are you back?"

……

Everyone was talking at once. After a while, an old man with crutches was called out from a house. The old man walked tremblingly to Min Xi and reached out to grab his arm: "Kid, is it really you? You're finally back!"

Min Xi recognized the old man from Min Jiu's memory. He was an uncle in the clan, the cousin of Min Jiu's grandfather, and his closest relative. He had been taken care of by him in the past: "Uncle, it's me, I'm back!"

The old man burst into tears and grabbed his hand and walked into his room: "I'm glad you're back! I'm glad you're back! Come in quickly. Where did you come from? Haven't you eaten yet?"