The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

"Which country is England? But what about the red-haired foreigners?" Tao Lizhi asked.

Min Xi couldn't help laughing out loud: "That's right." Red-haired barbarians was the name given by the Ming Dynasty to the Dutch who often appeared in the Ryukyu Islands, and the British were also called that.

Tao Lizhi took the letter. The words on the cover were so blurred that it was impossible to make out what was written. The wax on the seal had fallen off. Tao Lizhi asked, "How did you open the letter?"

Min Xi looked ashamed: "We encountered a storm at sea, and everything on the boat was soaked, including the letter sealed in the box. We opened it and dried it in the sun."

Since it was already opened, Tao Lizhi no longer hesitated and took out the letter. Most of the tadpole characters on it were blurred. Even if they were not blurred, he couldn't understand what they said. Only the dark red seal on the lower right corner of the letter was clearly visible.

Yun Ji said, "Uncle, this letter is wet. It would be disrespectful to present it to His Majesty. After much hesitation, we came to ask for your opinion on whether to present it. If we don't, it doesn't matter. We can reply that it was lost on the way."

Tao Lizhi said: "The letter is mostly blurred, and I don't know what it says. Even if it is not blurred, I am afraid no one in the Siyi Pavilion can recognize this tadpole script."

Min Xi said, "I do recognize it. Do you want me to translate the part I can recognize?"

"Okay. You tell me to take note." Tao Lizhi asked someone to bring paper and pen.

Min Xi translated the unblurred parts of the letter word for word, and Tao Lizhi translated Min Xi's plain language into written text, which was basically what Min Xi couldn't understand. After reading what his uncle wrote, Yun Ji said, "That's what it means."

Tao Lizhi put away the translated part and the original letter and said, "The Ministry of Rites is responsible for the affairs of foreign relations. I will present this letter to the Ministry of Rites some other day and let them present it as a tribute."

"Then I'll trouble you, uncle."

Min Xi actually struggled for a long time about whether to take out this letter. With Britain's current production level, there are not many goods that can be exchanged for the Ming Dynasty. By then, more gold and silver will flow into the Ming Dynasty. According to the nature of the Ming Dynasty court, it will not realize the serious consequences of the increase in silver, nor will it take appropriate regulatory measures. This will accelerate inflation, intensify social contradictions, and speed up the demise of the Ming Dynasty.

He explained economics to Yun Ji for most of the day, and Yun Ji finally understood the relationship. Finally, he said that the letter should be handed over. A gentleman's promise is worth a thousand gold. Since he has promised, he should do it. Whether to establish diplomatic relations or not is something the court needs to consider. As for the social problems caused by the influx of silver, since they have been aware of it, they should try to remind the court and avoid this problem as soon as possible.

Min Xi then decided to take out the letter and give it to Tao Lizhi. However, the letter was already in such a state that given the current nature of the Ming Dynasty, it was probably unlikely that England would be taken seriously and most likely ignored.

On the day of Yunxiang Restaurant's opening, an unprecedented event was held: a free buffet was set up in the restaurant to celebrate the victory in the lawsuit and give back to the folks in Beijing. Everyone, regardless of gender, age, wealth or status, could come to Yunxiang Restaurant for a meal.

It is a bit like a buffet. After the food is prepared, it is placed at the entrance of the restaurant hall. When each person comes in, they get a bowl of rice and an empty bowl. They tell the waiter what dish they want to eat and the waiter will prepare it for them. There is only one requirement, which is that there should be no leftovers.

The dishes were chosen by Min Xi, and most of them were ordinary home-cooked dishes, including scrambled eggs with tomatoes, twice-cooked pork, chicken stewed with mushrooms, sweet and sour pork, shredded pork with Beijing sauce, three fresh delicacies, Mushu pork, Mapo tofu, and so on.

As the firecrackers went off, the onlookers heard the shopkeeper standing at the door say this, and they were a little bit incredulous: "Can we really just go in and eat and drink for free?"

"Yes! The boss won the lawsuit, and our store has reopened today, so we will set up a buffet for three consecutive days to entertain new and old customers and the people of Beijing. Please come and taste it." said Manager Fang.

When everyone heard this, they almost went crazy. A three-day buffet, this is the capital city, isn’t he afraid of eating him bankrupt?

Although everyone found it unbelievable, they really had a free lunch, so how could they not eat it? The brave ones led the team into the store, and the waiter at the door called everyone to line up to enter.

At first, everyone was very well behaved and lined up to get food, but gradually, some people started to break the rules and started to push and shove in the back. The waiter who was responsible for maintaining the rules was unable to handle the situation. At this time, a team of Jinyiwei came, led by the commander Feng Hao: "What are you doing? Isn't Yunxiang Restaurant opening today? Why are there so many people crowding in?"

The Jinyiwei had a bad reputation and the common people were afraid of them. Those who were originally pushing and shoving immediately calmed down when they saw the Jinyiwei coming.

When Shopkeeper Fang saw the Jinyiwei in official uniform, he hurried over and smiled apologetically, "Sir, our Yunxiang Restaurant is reopening today. The owner said that he would set up a three-day buffet to give back to new and old customers and the people of Beijing. No matter if you are rich or poor, you can come to Yunxiang Restaurant to have a full meal for free. Sir, have you not eaten yet? Please come in!"

When Feng Hao heard about the three-day buffet, his eyebrows jumped. Yun Ji was really generous. How much money would it cost to eat for free for three days?

The point was, would these people remember him for what he had eaten? He glanced at the crowd and saw a few familiar ruffians. He glared at them and they quickly hid in the crowd.

Feng Hao said: "You are doing a good deed, but when there are too many people, it will easily cause people to be trampled, which will turn into a bad thing. How about this, move a table out, and we brothers will eat outside, and by the way, we will help you maintain order. I want to see who dares to break the rules and not queue up!"

As soon as he said this, Shopkeeper Fang smiled and said, "Okay! I'll listen to you, sir."

Feng Hao didn't need anyone to greet him. He went straight in and moved a table out and placed it outside the gate. His brothers each went in and got a bowl of rice and a bowl of vegetables. They had agreed that each person would get one dish and not mix the dishes together, and then everyone would eat together.

Several people ordered some dishes and placed them on the table, then started eating. There was no wine, but there was tea, so there was something to drink.

I thought the big pot dishes would taste ordinary, but after eating them, everyone was very pleasantly surprised. One of the Jinyiwei said, "Did Yunxiang Restaurant change its chef? The dishes taste different from before. They are much better."

Feng Hao said proudly: "I told you all, Yunxiang Restaurant has reopened, and we have invited experts to give us advice. The dishes here will definitely be of a higher level. Today is just a buffet, and we will serve home-cooked dishes. When it officially opens, you can come and eat there, and I guarantee you will be amazed!"

"What is this meat called? It's so delicious! Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, so fragrant!"

Feng Hao said: "This is called sweet and sour pork. Isn't it delicious?"

"It's delicious, but I think I didn't add enough. Can I add more?"

"Don't eat too much. Finish it first. The other dishes are also good. Don't waste food," said Feng Hao.

When Sun Hua and Qiao Zhilian came over, they saw Feng Hao and his friends eating with gusto around an eight-person table. They asked curiously, "Why are you eating outside? It's so hot, aren't you afraid of the heat?"

"There's nothing we can do. Didn't you see those bastards? They didn't want to queue up but had to push and squeeze. They ate free food but didn't follow the rules. They deserve to starve to death!" Feng Hao said as he glared at the bunch of second-rate guys in the crowd.

Sun Huaqi asked, "How come it's free? The restaurant is reopening today, and Brother Yunji didn't invite me."

Feng Hao said: "He won the lawsuit, and he was so happy that he held a buffet for three consecutive days. All guests are free. You can line up to eat in. It's free."

Sun Hua looked at the dishes on the table, all of which he had never seen before, so he asked, "How is it? Is it delicious?"

"It's delicious. Although not as good as Brother Min's, it's not worse than Zui Xiang Lou's. The key is that this is a big pot dish. It will taste even better when we stir-fry it in a small pot later." Feng Hao said.

"Then Brother Mingjie and I will go line up first and have a free lunch." Sun Hua smiled and pulled Qiao Zhilian to line up for the meal.

On the first day of opening, most of the people who came to Yunxiang Restaurant to eat were peddlers and ordinary people. Few of the real dignitaries were willing to line up for free meals.

Min Xi and Yun Ji were naturally also helping in the store. When they knew their friends had arrived, they came out to greet them.

Qiao Zhilian couldn't help but say, "If you guys keep doing this, aren't you afraid that the restaurant won't be able to improve in the future?"

Sun Hua was full of confidence: "Don't worry about that. Everyone loves freshness and novelty. Brother Min's dishes are attractive enough. After these three days, I will call a group of friends who know how to eat over. It won't be long before the whole capital knows about the special dishes of Yunxiang Restaurant."

Feng Hao also nodded in agreement: "Don't worry. Last time I invited Brother Min to host a birthday banquet for my father, the guests who came to my house for dinner have long been thinking about the opening of Yunxiang Restaurant. I will tell them later for you."

Yun Ji clasped his fists to them and said, "Thank you all for helping with the promotion."

"Good wine needs no bush, not to mention this is Qianmen Street. Yunxiang Restaurant will become popular again sooner or later," said Feng Hao.

Min Xi also smiled and said, "I'm not worried either."

Qiao Zhilian sighed, "It seems I was worrying too much."

"Brother Mingjie is also thinking about us, thank you!" Yun Ji clasped his fists towards him to express his gratitude.

The ingredients prepared on the first day were used up early, and everyone who came to eat left satisfied. It was just that the chefs and waiters in the store were exhausted, but since they had rested for so many days before starting work, no one complained.

Min Xi said to everyone, "Thank you for your hard work. Let's stop here today and have a rest early. We will be busy in the next two days. Let's hold on until the official opening. Although most of the people who come to eat today are not our target customers, it is definitely good for the reputation of our Yunxiang Restaurant."

Originally, Min Xi was planning to just hold a one-day buffet, but Yun Ji felt that this was not enough to express his inner joy. The galleon had already been sent out, so could he not afford a three-day buffet?