The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

The death of the emperor had some impact on the lives of ordinary people, but not much. People did not have much affection for the emperor, and it was just some topic of conversation after dinner. After all, an emperor who was in power for only a few years, even if he made some achievements, could hardly make much practical improvement to the lives of the people.

The people living along the coast may express some regret, after all, the lifting of the maritime ban has brought about substantial changes in their lives. They were not allowed to go fishing or do business in the sea before, but now they can do so.

Min Xi and Yun Ji sat on the bow of the boat heading south, each holding a book and reading in the breeze. The conversation between the boatman and Diego came to his ears. Diego had been in the capital for a few months, and his Chinese level had improved by leaps and bounds. Not only did his accent become more standard, but his vocabulary and language logic had also been greatly improved, and communicating with the people of the Ming Dynasty was no longer a problem.

He also likes to talk to people, because it can improve his Chinese. Old Hughes rested in the cabin. Since he got on the ship, he has had a poor appetite and is not in a good mood. Min Xi and Yun Ji both know that Old Hughes may not be able to return to Lisbon this time. Maybe he will really die at sea as he said. Thinking of this, both of them were silent.

The weather was hot, but it was still cool to travel by boat. It was spring when I came back, and autumn when I left. The scenery was completely different. The sky and earth in the north were more vast and there was an indescribable sense of solemnity and sadness.

The feeling of returning to Daming and going to Europe is completely different. Returning to Daming is full of joy and expectation, while going to Europe is full of melancholy, after all, there are too many concerns. Thinking of Yunlin's tears, both Yunji and Minxi felt uncomfortable.

The voyage went smoothly. They did not take a grain ship, but a merchant ship called the Yunxiang, which was a fleet of ships. The ship was loaded with northern goods that were to be shipped to various cities in the south for sale.

The Yunxiang had branches in Yingtianfu, Yangzhou, Suzhou, Hangzhou, etc. This time when passing through Yangzhou and Suzhou, Yunji would stop by to take a look. But since Yingtianfu and Hangzhou required a special trip, they did not plan to go there and would go there on the return trip.

When the ship arrived in Yangzhou, it was just about to unload a batch of goods. Min Xi, Yun Ji and others also got off the ship, one to visit the Yangzhou branch, the other to go ashore and have a rest, sitting on the boat every day was boring.

This was their first time in Yangzhou. Diego felt that his eyes were not enough. He had been to many cities in the Ming Dynasty, including Quanzhou, Zhenjiang, Jurong County and Beijing. He had even stayed in Beijing for quite a while. However, he had never imagined that Yangzhou was so prosperous. It looked even more prosperous than the capital, with more beautiful houses and more exquisite workmanship.

The customs and sentiments in Yangzhou are completely different from those in Beijing. The men are gentle and refined, the women are soft and affectionate, and even the tone of their speech is gentle and soft, like singing. The willows are swaying, the small bridges are flowing, and the whole city looks so gentle and elegant.

The shopkeeper of Yangzhou Yunxiang Hao was very surprised to see the new owner Yun Ji, because in the past it was the general manager Meng Jia who came to inspect the store, and now Meng Jia has unfortunately passed away, so he thought it would be a new manager, but he never expected that it would be the owner himself.

Shopkeeper Huang received Yunji warmly and hosted a welcome dinner for them at the best restaurant in Yangzhou in the evening. The restaurant was located on the bank of the Qinhuai River. Sitting in a private room, one could see the sparkling Qinhuai River outside the window.

Yangzhou is the only city without a curfew. It is said that the city becomes more lively as the night goes on. At its busiest, the lights of shops on the river are reflected on the surface of the river, and the sound of singing and talking can be heard from the pleasure boats. It is a truly gentle and wealthy city.

However, they came at the wrong time. After the death of Emperor Longqing, no banquets or entertainments were allowed throughout the country for three months. All the brothels and theaters had to be closed, and the legendary grand scene could not be seen.

But it did not prevent Yangzhou from being a luxurious and decadent city, even worse than Beijing. What impressed him most was that when he went to the toilet in the restaurant, the waiter outside gave him a silk handkerchief as toilet paper.

Min Xixin thought this was too exaggerated. Using cotton paper as toilet paper was already high-end, but this restaurant actually used a silk handkerchief.

This is what they felt after staying in Yangzhou for only one night. A glimpse of the whole picture shows how extravagant the lives of the rich in the middle and late Ming Dynasty were and how huge the gap between the rich and the poor was.

After dinner, Manager Huang invited them to visit the Slender West Lake.

Min Xi asked curiously, "Now that the whole country is in mourning, there is no point in boating on the lake." Without the company of musicians and singing girls, what is there to do in the Qinhuai River and the Slender West Lake at night? There is no scenery to see.

Shopkeeper Huang smiled mysteriously: "As long as you don't play the music Changhe, you can still invite the beauty to accompany you."

Min Xi understood after thinking about it. If the Qinlou and Chuguan were closed for three months, many people would starve to death. Therefore, the local government turned a blind eye to it as long as it was not too excessive.

Yun Ji refused outright: "No, we take the boat every day. We arrived in Yangzhou today and don't want to take the boat again."

Manager Huang quickly said, "Then let's not go boating. Invite a few people to come and chat with the boss to relieve his boredom."

"No, we are a little tired and want to go back and rest early. Manager Huang, don't worry about it. Just do your job and take care of the Yunxiang. We will visit you again when we come back." Yun Ji said and yawned, unable to hide his tiredness.

Shopkeeper Huang understood and quickly stopped giving bad advice: "Then I'll take the boss and Manager Min back to the inn to rest early."

"No need, we can just walk back by ourselves and digest the food at the same time. Manager Huang, there's no need to see us off." Min Xi said.

Seeing this, Shopkeeper Huang had no choice but to respectfully watch his two superiors leave. After Yun Ji left, Shopkeeper Huang breathed a sigh of relief and said to the accountant beside him: "Do you think the boss is dissatisfied with me? Did he know that I gave a concubine to the Dai family master before?"

The accountant said, "I don't think he knows. He doesn't seem unhappy. He may just be tired."

Shopkeeper Huang sighed, "I hope so. I'll go back and prepare a spare gift for him and send it to him tonight."

The accountant seemed to want to say something but hesitated and in the end said nothing.

Because Old Xius was also there, they couldn't go any faster, so Min Xi and Yun Ji walked slowly along the Qinhuai River, all the way to the inn. Along the way, there were brightly lit restaurants, brothels, and brothels, but there was no sound of stringed instruments, only silent bustle.

The night breeze blowing from the river is exceptionally cool.

Min Xi said: "This shopkeeper Huang doesn't look short of money. I wonder how much he has pocketed."

Yun Ji snorted coldly: "I heard that he gave Yun Xiao a concubine, a prostitute bought from a brothel in Yangzhou, which must have cost at least several hundred or even a thousand taels of silver."

"It looks like he ate a lot, no wonder he looks so bloated. But we don't have the energy to take care of this for now, so we can only leave it like this for now."

"I'll deal with him properly when I get back." Yun Ji said.

"But these Qinlou and Chuguan are the characteristics of Yangzhou. Wouldn't it be a bit of a pity if you don't go for a visit when you come here?" Min Xi looked at Yun Ji with a smile.

"You want to go?" Yun Ji's face didn't look good.

Min Xi nodded: "I want to go and broaden my horizons. Seventh brother, do you want to go with me? I have never been to a brothel."

Yun Ji's expression was a bit complicated. After hesitating for a long time, he said, "If you want to go, I'll go with you. But the women in the brothel all behave the same way. No matter if they are passionate and charming or cold as ice, they are all after the money in the men's pockets."

Min Xi couldn't help but raise his eyebrows when he heard this: "It seems that you know a lot about it. You must have been there many times before!"

Yun Ji hastily explained: "No, no, I just went there occasionally when I accompanied my father on social events. But they were all mediocre women."

Min Xi glanced at him sideways, suppressed a smile and said, "Compared to you, they are indeed all mediocre women."

Yun Ji could tell that he was teasing her, so she reached out and grabbed his neck from behind: "Huh? You dare to make fun of me?"

Min Xi felt his neck itchy and he couldn't stop laughing: "Did I say something wrong?"

Yun Ji touched his nose and coughed lightly, a little embarrassed: "All in all, I don't think it's necessary to go."

"I'm not doing anything else, I just want to go and have some fun."

Yun Ji looked at Diego and Old Hughes in the back and said, "Send them back to the inn first, then we'll go?"

Min Xi smiled and said, "It's not today that we should go. Let's go next time, when we come back from Europe."

"Okay!" Yun Ji finally breathed a sigh of relief.

They strolled back to the inn, and Min Xi and Yun Ji called for water to take a shower. Although they had already taken a shower when they first arrived at the inn, they had eaten a meal, walked a long way, and felt a little sweaty again. It would be more comfortable to take a shower.

Min Xi first took a bath, then sat in front of the window to drink sour plum soup to cool off, while looking at the scenery of the Qinhuai River outside the window. There were actually several pleasure boats cruising on the river. It seemed that the locals were quite brave.

Yunji was taking a shower behind the screen, and the two of them were chatting. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Min Xi turned his head to look towards the door and asked, "Seventh Brother, what did you call?"

"I didn't shout anything." Yun Ji replied, "Maybe it was Diego."

Min Xi put down the cup in his hand, walked to the door and asked, "Who is it?"

The person outside the door answered: "Boss, it's me, Huang Fucheng."

"Manager Huang?" Min Xi was stunned for a moment. He looked at his clothes. He had just taken a shower, so he was wearing a shirt with his arms half open and his hair untied. He looked disheveled. Yun Ji was taking a shower behind a screen. He didn't want to open the door to see outsiders, so he asked, "What do you want to see the boss for?"

Shopkeeper Huang recognized Min Xi's voice and asked uncertainly, "Is that Manager Min? Did I go to the wrong room?"

Min Xi said, "Yes, the boss is next door. He should be out. If you have anything to say, come and see him tomorrow."

Huang the shopkeeper said, "Min, I want to send something to the boss. Can you help me collect it for the boss?"

Min Xi gathered his clothes and re-tied his belt, then opened the door. Without inviting anyone in, he stood at the door and said, "Give it to me."

Shopkeeper Huang handed him the box in his hand with a flattering smile on his face: "These two boxes, the big one is for the boss, and the small one is for you, please accept it."

Min Xi hesitated for a moment, then took the two boxes and said, "Sorry for the expense to Manager Huang. I will pass them on to the boss."

"Thank you, Manager Min! I won't disturb your rest then." Manager Huang clasped his fists and bowed before leaving.

"Goodbye!" Min Xi nodded and closed the door.