The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

In the evening, Min Xi made wontons with pork filling. While he rolled out the dough, Yun Ji helped chop the meat. The cooks and servants at home were terrified when they saw this: "Master, how can we let you do this job? Let us do it."

Yun Ji glanced at them and said, "It's okay. I'm used to making these. Just go and make your own meals. We'll have wontons tonight."

Yunji chopped the stuffing and Minxi seasoned it. It was good to come back. Except for the lack of oyster sauce and MSG, all other ingredients were available. The meat stuffing tasted so delicious. The soup base was also made of broth. The soup was clear and rich. I swallowed it with one bite.

Diego took a sip of the soup, his eyes sparkling, "Boss, this is better than what you made in Lisbon!"

Min Xi smiled and said, "Yeah. Because there are all kinds of condiments here, unlike in Lisbon, where everything is just cobbled together." The soy sauce and vinegar from the old brand are also tastier than the ones he makes himself.

The nurse was feeding Yunlin, but Yunlin reached out to grab the soup spoon and insisted on doing it himself. The nurse refused, “My dear, be careful not to get burned!”

Yun Ji said, "Nanny, give it to him. He's almost three years old. Let him learn to eat by himself. Don't feed him all the time. If he gets burned, he'll learn his lesson in the future."

The nurse gave the spoon to Yunlin tremblingly.

Min Xi reminded him: "Lin'er, eat slowly and don't burn yourself."

Yunlin grabbed the soup spoon and scooped some soup from the bowl. He only scooped a little bit and blew on it like a nanny before putting it in his mouth. Then he smiled excitedly and said, "It tastes good!"

Min Xi and Yun Ji also laughed: "How nice! Then eat slowly by yourself, no one will snatch it from you."

Yunlin looked like a steady person, and he did things slowly and methodically. It didn't take long for him to finish all the wontons in the bowl. He still felt a little unsatisfied, so he held the empty bowl to show his brothers.

Min Xi asked him: "Do you want more?"

Yunlin nodded: "More."

The nurse saw Yunlin eating so smoothly for the first time and was touched, but she was afraid that he would have indigestion if he ate too much. Just as she was about to stop him, Min Xi scooped two from the big bowl on the table and put them in the small bowl for him: "Eat two more, and then go play for a while."

Yunlin thought for a moment and said, "I want to play with the little bully."

Min Xi said, "Okay, but don't hurt it." The main reason was that the Little Bully was a hunting dog, and they were afraid that if they hurt it, it would become vicious and hurt people.

"I won't!" Yun Lin vowed.

Min Xi added, "Well, let Brother Diego play with you. Diego, keep an eye on the little bully and make sure he doesn't hurt Lin'er."

Yunlin secretly glanced at Diego who was quietly eating wontons, and nodded slightly. Compared to that bearded wild man, this brother was at least not that scary.

Diego also readily agreed. After he came to Ming Dynasty, he did nothing but eat and play, and never did anything for his boss. He felt very guilty about it. Now that he was given a task, he was naturally happy.

So after dinner, Yunlin went to play with the little bully for a while. The little bully was very smart and played with the little master carefully, for fear of bumping him. After playing for a while, Yunlin felt tired and yawned and wanted to sleep. The nanny held him to sleep, and he was still muttering the little bully's name.

Min Xi said, "Go take a shower and go to bed. We'll continue playing tomorrow."

The wet nurse brought Yunlin to live in the wing room of Xiwei Courtyard. She had taken care of Yunlin since he was born. She had taken care of him from a baby weighing less than four pounds to such a big age. She had put a lot of effort into it. Even the old lady of the Tao family praised her for her dedication. Her monthly salary was more than that of the first-class maids in the mansion. So she was even more dedicated and she had the final say on how to take care of Yunlin.

Today, when she returned to Yun's residence, the way the old man and Mr. Min took care of the children was completely different from hers. She was really afraid that something might happen to Brother Lin. She hoped that nothing would go wrong at night. This was not the Tao residence, where everything was prepared.

The wet nurse and the maid washed Yunlin and helped him to sleep. Yunlin slept soundly that night. He did not have a stomachache due to indigestion, nor did he wake up to ask for food because he was hungry as usual. He just got up once in the middle of the night to urinate, and then slept until dawn.

When Yunlin woke up in the morning, he was not in a good mood. He yawned with sleepy eyes and asked, "Where's my brother?"

Seeing that he was fine, the nurse felt relieved and said, "Master is practicing martial arts in the yard." She thought to herself: Could it be that I am too meticulous and that is why he has so many problems?

Yun Lin became interested when he heard this: "What is practicing? I want to go and see."

The wet nurse dressed him, wiped his face and hands, and carried him out. Yun Lin refused and trotted to the yard. He saw Yun Ji dancing with a spear with great vigor, while Min Xi and Diego were sitting nearby watching.

Min Xi noticed the little figure and waved at him: "Come here, Lin'er!"

Yunlin ran to Min Xi, who held him and sat him on his lap: "Do you think my brother is very powerful?"

Yun Lin stared at his elder brother on the field and clapped his hands: "Brother is so awesome!"

"When Lin'er grows up, he can learn how to use a gun from his brother, okay?"

"it is good!"

After Yun Ji finished his gun tricks, he put away his gun, took a deep breath, took the handkerchief handed to him by Tao Xing, wiped his sweat, walked to sit next to Min Xi, and touched his brother's head: "Lin'er, did you make a fuss last night?"

"No, I slept soundly last night. I only got up once in the middle of the night to pee." The wet nurse took over the conversation.

Min Xi smiled and said, "It seems that he still needs to move more. In the future, prepare some fruit leather at home, and let him eat a little every day to help him digest his food. He should also eat fruits and vegetables every day. He is three years old and is no longer a baby. He doesn't need to be so delicate. Being too delicate is not good for his health. He should exercise properly after meals. Don't always hold him, let him walk by himself, and don't be afraid of bumps and bruises. Which child doesn't grow up with bumps and bruises? Flowers in the greenhouse grow delicately, but they can't withstand the sun and wind and rain outdoors. Don't you agree, nanny?"

The nurse felt a little ashamed. Her own child was left at home to be taken care of by her mother-in-law and husband after she was born. She had been healthy despite all the bumps and bruises since she was a child. But for Yunlin, she held him in her hands for fear of dropping him, and held him in her mouth for fear of melting him. She felt that no matter how she took care of him, it was not excessive.

Min Xi made breakfast again, which was steamed dumplings and millet porridge. Yunlin drank half a bowl of porridge and ate two steamed dumplings.

The nurse said, "Lin Ge'er likes the food that you, Master Min, cook."

"Because I didn't treat him like a baby, everything you cooked turned into a paste, which tasted terrible and naturally affected his appetite," said Min Xi.

The nurse humbly accepted the advice: "You are right."

After breakfast, Min Xi began to prepare for the evening banquet, and Tao Yan sent the invitation early in the morning.

He soaked the fish lips, fish maws, tendons, sea cucumbers, etc. in cold water last night. Now he emptied two Shaoxing wine jars and started stewing Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

Yun Ji asked curiously, "How do you stew meat in a wine jar?"

"This dish is originally stewed in wine jars, that's the authentic taste. When we were in Lisbon, the conditions were limited, so we could only make a simple version."

"I see! But I can't help you with anything. I have to go out soon and have an appointment with some businessmen to discuss business. I won't be back until the afternoon. If you are too busy, ask Diego and the cook at home to help." Yun Ji said.

"I can handle it. It's just a meal with a few dishes. It's not like I haven't cooked before. Just go ahead and try to come back early to receive the guests." Min Xi waved his hand and let Yun Ji go to work.

"I know." Yun Ji turned and went out.

For today's dishes, Min Xi plans to make Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, roast chicken, steamed sea bass, braised pork, boiled cabbage, soft-shelled eel, sweet and sour spare ribs, and water shield soup. Many of these dishes are state banquet dishes.

The most complicated dish is boiled cabbage. It took the whole day just to make the soup. In comparison, other dishes seem simple.

Min Xi originally thought he could make it himself. In fact, he finally asked the cook and Diego for help. Apart from anything else, the minced meat needed for boiling the cabbage was enough to make him tired.

For lunch, Min Xi simply fried a few home-cooked dishes and steamed rice. Yun Lin ate with gusto and finished most of the bowl of rice.

When Yunji came back, the whole yard was filled with a rich aroma, the aroma of meat and wine, drilling straight into people's noses, making people drool. He had seen the aroma of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, but he didn't expect the aroma of this complete version to be even stronger: "It smells so good! No wonder it's called Buddha Jumps Over the Wall."

Min Xi smiled and said, "You're back just in time. The Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is almost ready, and the roast chicken is also ready. I made a lot, so you can arrange for someone to send some to my grandparents' house."

Yun Ji said, "I'll go by myself."

"Aren't you going to call your friends? They should be here soon."

"Yun'an is back too. Let him greet them for me first. I'll go deliver the food to my grandfather." This was the meal made by Min Xi, and he felt that he would be ungrateful to Min Xi if he didn't deliver it personally.

Min Xi packed up the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and the roast chicken, thought for a moment, scooped out a portion of broth in a soup bowl, and brought out a large cabbage heart, saying, "This dish should be eaten right after it's been boiled. Ask the cook over there to boil the broth first, and then pour the broth over the cabbage heart."

Yun Ji looked at the bowl of soup that was as clear as boiled water and asked in confusion: "Isn't this just boiled water?"

Min Xi picked up a spoon, scooped some soup and put it to his mouth: "Try it."

Yun Ji drank the soup and immediately felt his seven orifices open up. He was extremely surprised and asked, "What kind of soup is this? Why is it so delicious?"

"The broth. I spent so much effort and consumed so many ingredients to make this soup today. Just tell your grandparents how to eat it. Tell the old people to eat less Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and boiled cabbage. This is a gout meal. Just try it. If you can't finish it, give it to others to try. Tell your grandparents that this dish is really difficult to make. It's my first time making it, and I'm afraid I won't be able to make it in the future, so I sent it to them to try." Min Xi instructed Yun Ji.

Yun Ji nodded: "I understand, I'll go and see you off."