The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Min Xi and Diego took the Little Overlord onto the carriage, left the dock and turned into the street. Diego felt that he could not see enough because he had already been dazzled by what he saw on the boat.

When he was in Quanzhou, he felt that Quanzhou was extremely prosperous, not inferior to Lisbon, and even Jurong County was more prosperous than he had expected. When he arrived at the capital of the Ming Dynasty, he was so shocked that he was speechless even before he got off the ship and saw only a corner of Beijing.

"Boss, Beijing is so big! There are so many people! It's so lively! And so clean!" This is Diego's true feeling. When he arrived in Ming Dynasty, except when he went to the toilet, he could not smell the smell of feces and urine. This is completely different from Lisbon.

Although Lisbon is also a capital city, except for one or two relatively clean streets, other streets and alleys have more or less bad smells. Daming is not only rich, but the people here are also very hygienic. There is no bad smell on the streets, and people basically have no odor. Even those canal workers who don't take a bath, even if they sweat, have a not-too-bad salty smell, unlike the Portuguese who have some indescribable suffocating smell.

All these things show that Ming Dynasty is better than Portugal, so Diego has no intention of returning to Portugal.

"Beijing is the imperial capital, of course it's big." Min Xi answered while looking out the car window. It was the first time he saw what the ancient Beijing city looked like. The streets were neat and straight, the houses were lined up, and there were shops everywhere. The stone-paved streets were swept cleanly, and the pedestrians were neatly dressed. There were no patched clothes, which made them look wealthy.

As they walked, Tao Yan introduced to Min Xi the general situation of the capital, how it was laid out, what the rules were, where to go for delicious food and fun things, etc.

Min Xi was concerned about Yun Ji's situation: "Where does Seventh Brother live now? Tao Mansion or his own home?"

Tao Yan knew that the seventh brother he was talking about was Yun Ji: "When he first came back, he lived in the Tao Mansion, but now he has moved back to his own home."

"Where's his little brother?"

"Second Master Lin is still living in the Tao Mansion. He is still too young and his health is not very good. My cousin doesn't have any female relatives, so the old lady is worried about letting him go back. She said that she will take the second master back after my cousin gets married." Tao Yan said.

When Min Xi heard this, his breathing stagnated, and after a while he asked, "Seventh brother is getting married?" Yes, he had been engaged for a long time, and his fiancée was getting old, so it was time for them to get married.

Tao Yan pulled the reins and turned the carriage to another street: "I haven't heard of it. It's been less than three years since my cousin's parents passed away. He is still in mourning, so it's unlikely that he will get married so soon."

When Min Xi thought of this, he was slightly relieved. At least Yun Ji would not get married in the next one or two years, so he could have a period of adaptation. As soon as this thought came out, he felt strange. Why would he think this way? What did he need to adapt to?

As they were talking, Tao Yan brought them to a large house in Xicheng District: "We're here, Master Min."

Min Xi lifted the curtain and got off the carriage, and saw a large courtyard with a tall gate. Two words were written on the black gate - "Yun Zhai". It seems that without an official position, no matter how rich the family is, the house can only be called a "zhai" instead of a "mansion".

The little bully also jumped down from the carriage, wagging his tail happily. It was obvious that he didn't like riding in the carriage.

Diego got off the carriage, looked up at the gate, and asked in surprise: "Is the Yundong family here?"

"Yes, this is his home. Let's move the luggage down." Min Xi said.

Tao Yan hurriedly said, "I'll do it, I'll do it. How can you be so tactless that you don't even come and take the luggage when a distinguished guest comes?" As he spoke, he called to the doorman.

The doorman reacted and rushed over to help move the things.

Min Xi and the others had moved most of their things. In fact, they didn't have much luggage, just some spare clothes, two bedding rolls, and a bag containing valuables. He carried the bag, Diego carried the spare clothes, and the bedding rolls were snatched away by Tao Yan. The doorman took one of the bedding rolls from him.

Tao Yan asked: "Did the cousin go out today?"

The doorman replied: "I have been out for a while."

Tao Yan turned to Min Xi and said, "Master Min, the young master has gone out. Let's go in first. He has already arranged accommodation for you. I will take you in to rest and have a meal."

"Okay, thank you for your help!" Min Xi agreed readily.

This house was unusually spacious. Min Xi didn't remember how many doors he had passed through. Finally, he stopped in front of a courtyard gate and said, "Master Min, you will live in this courtyard."

Min Xi looked up at the words on the door and recognized them as "Xiwei". Even with his literary background, he had no idea what they meant.

As soon as he entered, he saw a magnolia tree in full bloom. Under the magnolia tree, a few peony buds were growing. The leaves were small and would take some time to bloom. There was a cluster of yellow flowers blooming under the porch in front of the house. Min Xi thought it was winter jasmine, but when he got closer, he found that although it was also yellow, it was obviously not winter jasmine. The branches were full of flowers, but no leaves were seen, and the petals were thinner and longer.

Min Xi asked: "What kind of flower is this?"

Tao Yan replied, "It's Forsythia. There are few flowering plants in Beijing right now, only magnolia, peach blossoms, and apricot blossoms. Those are trees and difficult to transplant. My cousin asked me to transplant a Forsythia here, saying it would add more vitality and you would like it."

"Thank you! I love it."

Perhaps it was the act of planting flowers on the campus of Lisbon that made Yunji feel like an elegant person. However, he did not think Yunji's behavior was redundant. Spring came late in Beijing, and the main color was still gray at this time. With more plants in the yard, people would indeed feel more comfortable.

As they were looking at the flowers, two servants came running up to them and said, "Manager Tao!"

Tao Yan raised his hand and introduced: "This is Master Min, you are responsible for serving him. My cousin said that we should treat Master Min the same way we treat him."

The two servants raised their heads and quickly glanced at Min Xi, then lowered their brows and said respectfully, "Yes, we meet, Master Min." The two men hurried up to take Min Xi's luggage.

Xiwei Courtyard is very spacious, divided into the upper house and the east and west wing rooms.

Tao Yan put Min Xi's luggage in the hall of the upper room and said to Min Xi, "Master Min, the room on the right is your bedroom. My cousin has already arranged it. It has everything. Do you want to take a bath first, or eat first?"

Min Xi looked at the two orchid pots on the table and answered casually, "Prepare water for me to bathe first. Diego, you can find a room to stay in. By the way, Mr. Xius who came back with Yun An has arrived, right? Where does he live?"

"The old gentleman has arrived. My cousin has also arranged accommodation for this young man, and he will live in the same courtyard with the old gentleman." Tao Yan said.

Min Xi was surprised and asked, "He doesn't live here, but somewhere else?"

"Yes, they are in the Zizhu Garden next door. Please follow me, my friend!" Tao Yan reached out and touched Diego's arm.

Diego didn't react: "Boss, don't I live with you guys?"

Min Xi probably guessed what Yun Ji meant. He smiled helplessly and said to Diego, "The Yun family wants you to live in the same yard with Mr. Xius. I'll go with you to have a look."

Tao Yan brought them to Zizhu Garden. The courtyard was not small, but obviously not as big as Xiwei Courtyard. The apricot blossoms in the courtyard were in full bloom, and it looked quite lively.

As soon as they entered, old Xius, who heard the noise, came out of a room on a crutch, with a servant supporting him. When he saw his acquaintances, he said excitedly, "Mr. Min, Diego, you are finally here. I am almost bored to death. Mr. Yun is so busy, I can't find anyone to talk to, and I can't understand what they are saying."

Min Xi smiled and apologized: "Sorry to have kept you waiting. How do you feel? Are you used to eating and sleeping?"

Old Xius had obviously taken a shower and changed into Ming Dynasty clothes. He looked much fresher and cleaner. "Not bad. Mr. Yun arranged for someone to take care of me. I don't have to do anything but eat and sleep. I just want to go out for a walk, but I don't understand Chinese."

Min Xi smiled and said, "It's okay, we're here, Diego and I will go shopping with you later."

Diego's room had been prepared long ago, and the bed was made. When he went in, he saw the beautifully carved bedstead and the exquisite satin quilt on it. He was so surprised: "Is this for me?"

Min Xi smiled: "They said the room was arranged for you, so of course it's for you to live in."

Tao Yan opened the cabinet, pointed at the clothes inside and said, "These clothes are for you, too."

Diego looked at all this, hesitated, looked at Tao Yan and others, and changed to Portuguese: "Dongjia, is the Yun family very rich?"

Min Xi laughed and nodded: "Yes, his family should have no less money than the Baron's family."

Diego's eyes widened, thinking of what Yunji had done in Lisbon. It was totally unbelievable that Yunji, who was so rich, would do such hard and dirty work.

Min Xi said, "Have someone prepare some water for you to take a bath first, and then go to eat later. Maybe Yun Dongjia will be back soon."

Diego nodded: "Okay! I'll come find you after I finish my shower."

Min Xi said hello to Old Xius and returned to his Xiwei Courtyard. A servant saw him coming back and said respectfully, "Master Min, you must be hungry. Here are some snacks. Eat some first. Tao Sheng will go to prepare the bath water. If you are tired, I will help you relax."

Min Xi didn't expect that he would be treated like this. When he arrived in Beijing, he was treated like a boss. He asked, "What's your name?"

"Little Tao Xing."

"Do you know where Yunji and Qige went?" Min Xi sat down, picked up the teacup and drank a sip of tea. Just as he was about to get some snacks, he looked at his hands and said, "Is there any water? I want to wash my hands."

"Yes, I'll get it for you right away." He quickly ran out the door, wanting to get some water for Min Xi.

Min Xi stood up and followed: "Just tell me where it is, I'll go there myself."

Tao Xing was a little nervous because he was not sure what kind of person his master was and whether he was easy to get along with.

Min Xi saw a washbasin stand in the corner of the hall, with a basin and a piece of soap on it, and a cloth on the top of the stand. Tao Xing hurriedly scooped water into the basin.

Min Xi rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands carefully with soap. He felt that Yun Ji had prepared this for him, because as a chef, washing hands had almost become his habit. When he was in Europe, he would prepare a special basin for washing hands wherever he lived for a long time, and he would often remind people around him to wash their hands before and after meals.