The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

"To answer your question, uncle, it was from the sailors on the ship to Europe that I learned that Europeans brought back a lot of local food crops from the New World, and they are also drought-resistant. I thought that there are many hillsides in my hometown, and it is inconvenient to draw water. Once the harvest is bad, there will be poor harvests or even no harvest. If I can bring these seeds back, if my hometown encounters drought again, there will not be no harvest." The reason given by Min Xi was of course nonsense, but Yun Ji knew about it. As long as he didn't say it out loud, no one would pursue it.

Yun Ji also helped to cover up: "I think it's great too. The north is drier than Yingtian Prefecture and needs these crops more. While we were collecting them, we found that in addition to drought-resistant crops, they also brought back cold-resistant crops, so we brought them back as well."

"I have asked people to plant the seeds you brought back. If they are really as good as you said, they may save countless lives in the future, and you will have accumulated great merit." Tao Lizhi nodded.

Min Xi took the opportunity to suggest: "Uncle, on my way to Beijing, I found that the winter wheat north of the Huai River has grown very deep and will be ready for harvest in about two months. After the harvest, perhaps we can sow another round of rice. The growth period of rice is short and it can be harvested before winter."

Tao Lizhi looked at him and said, "Are you sure? Winter wheat harvest will be around Dragon Boat Festival at least. If we plant rice at this time, it will be very cold in August and September north of the Yellow River. Rice can be harvested in two or three months?"

Min Xi thought for a moment and said, "Maybe we can intercrop."

Tao Lizhi asked: "What is intercropping?"

Min Xi explained: "You can plant rice in the wheat field half a month or a month before the wheat is harvested, and just pay attention when the wheat is harvested."

Tao Lizhi was silent. He had to say that this was indeed a solution. On both sides of the lower reaches of the Yellow River, after the winter wheat was harvested, it was summer when all things grew. It was usually used to grow soybeans. The yield of soybeans was very low and they could not be used as food, so it had little effect on increasing production.

If rice is as high-yielding and short-lived as they say, it means that grain production can be greatly increased. Your Majesty would be so happy about this good thing that benefits the country and the people that he would have to write a memorial to ask for a reward for his two nephews.

"I will ask people to try these. If they really work, I will definitely reward you." Tao Lizhi said.

"Thank you, uncle!" Min Xi and Yun Ji thanked him in unison, then smiled at each other.

At noon, the two of them had lunch at Tao's residence. All the male members of the Tao family were present.

The Tao family also had no tradition of taking concubines. Old Master Tao had two sons and one daughter. Yunji's two uncles, the eldest uncle Tao Lizhi is now a member of the Ministry of Revenue, and the second uncle Tao Jingzhi was a juren who failed the exam several times and now has found a job teaching in an academy, teaching while preparing for the exam.

In fact, with the wealth of the Tao family, he could afford it without having to find a job. However, after failing the imperial examination three times and his nephew passed, he decided not to study hard anymore and to learn in a different way. The students he taught were all scholars preparing for the provincial examination, and there were many outstanding ones among them. As a teacher, he could learn a lot from his students.

Uncle Tao Lizhi also did not take a concubine. The eldest uncle Tao Lizhi had one son and two daughters. The eldest and second daughters were married. The youngest son Tao Shu was two years younger than Yunji and the same age as Min Xi. He passed the provincial examination last year and took the metropolitan examination with his uncle this year. Both uncle and nephew failed, but he was still young and talented, so it was only a matter of time before he passed the imperial examination.

My second uncle Tao Jingzhi has two sons and two daughters. The eldest daughter is married, and the second daughter is the youngest, only five or six years old. The two middle sons, the eldest son Tao Yu, is sixteen years old this year, has passed the examination for a scholar, and is preparing for the provincial examination. The second son Tao Chun is twelve years old this year, still a student, and has not yet participated in the county examination. Because he is still young, his family is worried about him returning to his hometown to participate in the county examination alone, so they simply wait for two years when he is a little older and has a more solid schoolwork, and then return to his hometown to pass the county examination, prefectural examination, and imperial examination in one fell swoop.

So this family is full of scholars, and in comparison, Min Xi is illiterate. However, this family is well-educated, and no one looks down on him. Instead, they regard him as a benefactor. Perhaps Yun Ji had already praised Min Xi to the sky before he came, saying that he was extremely smart and learned things very quickly. In just three years in Europe, they had already learned Portuguese, Spanish and English.

This made the Tao family believe that Min Xi was an unpolished jade. If it was carved and polished, it would surely become a top-quality jade.

So at the dinner table, Old Master Tao brought it up: "Min Xi, I heard from Ji'er that you are interested in learning. I have nothing to do at home, so I am teaching your second uncle's daughter Lan. If you are willing, you can come and listen to the class together."

Min Xi knew that Old Master Tao was afraid that he was too old to go to school with other children, so he wanted to teach him at home. The Hanlin scholar was willing to teach him, what a high starting point!

But Min Xi didn't know whether he should agree or not, because soon he and Yun Ji would leave Daming for Europe, and their studies would definitely be abandoned. Moreover, they had a lot of things to do now, and asking for leave frequently would seem to leave a bad impression on the old man.

Fortunately, Yun Ji came to his rescue: "Grandfather, my ninth brother cannot study with you for the time being. We still have many things to do. We will leave Daming in the fall and go to Fulangji."

As soon as he said this, everyone at the table became uneasy.

"What? You're still going to Fulangji? No! You've finally come back after escaping death, why are you still going?" Old Master Tao was the first to object.

Tao Lizhi looked at his nephew: "You finally came back, why do you want to take risks again? Why?"

His second uncle and cousins ​​also looked at him. Although they didn't say anything, their eyes were full of confusion.

Min Xi realized that Yun Ji had not yet told his grandparents that he was going back to Europe.

Yun Ji put down his chopsticks and said, "Grandfather, uncle, let me explain in detail. We had already decided to return to Europe when we left. I have been to Europe in recent years and realized how big the world is. The Ming Dynasty is indeed very powerful and rich, but in my opinion, it is a little complacent and unwilling to make progress."

What he said was actually a bit disrespectful, but fortunately there were no outsiders at the dinner table and no one spoke out to stop him.

Yun Ji continued, "It was only after we went to Europe that we realized the diversity of the world. On the surface, Europeans are indeed inferior to the Ming Dynasty in many aspects. They are backward and barbaric, and they don't know etiquette, morality, and shame. The poor eat with their hands and can't even afford wooden bowls. People urinate and defecate everywhere on the streets, and the streets are full of stench. But it is these Europeans who built ships that can sail on the ocean, not only proving that the earth is round, but also discovering the New World. Their ships are much stronger than ours, and they are more technologically advanced, so they can easily sail to the Ming Dynasty and the New World. Our ships can't even go to Europe. My ninth brother and I witnessed this gap and wanted to make up for it. We used the money we earned in Europe in the past few years to order a galleon from Fulangji."

Old Master Tao asked him, "What do you want to buy a boat for?"

Yun Ji said: "Buy a ship and study it. Not only a ship, but also cannons installed on it. I have fired those cannons and their destructive power is amazing. I have never seen the cannons of the Ming Dynasty, but I thought that if I bought it, we could study it together and learn from each other's strengths and make up for each other's weaknesses."

Seeing that everyone was silent, Min Xi said, "There are many small countries in Europe. They are small and poor, but they are not content with the status quo. Whenever they have a chance, they will expand outward to seek wealth and resources. Now that they have a little ability, they have conquered black Africa and the New World, which are even poorer and more backward than them, with strong ships and powerful guns, and plundered a large amount of gold, silver and materials from the two places. How do you know that they don't have any improper thoughts about our Ming Dynasty?"

As soon as Min Xi said this, everyone at the table changed color.

The youngest, Tao Yuan, said indignantly: "Didn't you say that Europe is a bunch of small countries? They are nothing but ants trying to shake a tree to the Ming Dynasty. There is nothing to be afraid of!"

Min Xi looked at him and said, "How can you guarantee that the Ming Dynasty will always be prosperous?"

"I——" Tao Yuan was speechless.

Yun Ji said: "An innocent man is guilty of possessing a treasure. China has a long history, vast territory, and exquisite artifacts. It has always been the object of admiration of neighboring countries. Europeans love the exquisite artifacts of the Ming Dynasty very much, and now they are willing to exchange them with gold and silver. If one day, they rob and plunder like the Japanese pirates, we must be able to fight them on the sea."

The table was full of scholars, well-versed in history and the present, who naturally knew that flowers do not last forever, and that the Central Plains had been abused by foreign races. There were also two court officials who had a deeper understanding of the current situation of the Ming Dynasty, so they believed that the situation mentioned by Min Xi and Yun Ji was not alarmist.

Old Master Tao said sternly: "You can just say these things at home, but never discuss them in front of others. Be careful of what you say."

Min Xi and Yun Ji said in unison: "We will follow our grandfather's teachings!"

Tao Lizhi sighed helplessly: "It seems that I have to go on this trip to Europe. How confident are you that I can return safely?"

Yun Ji thought for a moment and said, "There is always a 70% to 80% chance of it happening."

This did not make everyone feel relieved, but made them more worried. After all, even if there is a 99% certainty, once something goes wrong, it will be irreversible.

If it was purely for making money, the elders of the Tao family would definitely try their best to dissuade them. They were not short of money, so there was no need to go to Europe and risk their lives to earn that money. The Yun family was not short of money. When Yun Ji wanted to go to sea, his maternal grandfather's family strongly opposed it, and as expected, an accident happened. Now they are not for making money, but for the future of the Ming Dynasty. The elders can't say that they should not go.