The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Min Xi asked again: "How are the seeds I gave you growing?"

Cai laughed and said, "It's OK. The spicy ones are too spicy, I can't get used to them. But the tomatoes are OK. They are sour and sweet. They are good for soup and are appetizing. Children also eat them as fruit occasionally. The rice is OK. The tender ones are used to make soup. They are very fresh and sweet. They are also good for stir-frying shrimps. When they are old, they are also good for feeding chickens and ducks. We dug some sweet potatoes. They are quite big. They are a bit sweet when cooked. They are good for people and pigs. The leaves can also be used to feed pigs and cows. They grow very lush and are good feed for pigs and cows."

"Very good." Min Xi couldn't help laughing when he heard this. People in Lingnan area are so generous. The sour and sweet tomatoes can't be compared with lychees and longans. Corn and sweet potatoes are both used as feed for livestock.

Cai Da said, "That's great. We can use every corner of our land to grow sweet potatoes and rice. In the future, our chickens, ducks, pigs and cows will have food to eat and won't have to eat our grain. You've really helped us a lot."

Min Xi smiled and said, "I'm glad I can help. A typhoon is coming soon, do you still want to work here?"

Cai Da said, "The typhoon is not expected to arrive today or tomorrow. If there is no work in the next two days, go back and rest. Listen to me, Boss Min, don't go out to sea in the next few days. Wait until the typhoon is over before leaving."

"I've made note of it. Thank you, Brother Cai." Min Xi nodded in agreement.

He turned around and said to Almeida, "There really is a hurricane. Let's wait until the storm passes before setting off again."

For safety reasons, Almeida did not dare to insist on leaving. After all, he had waited for such a long time, and a few more days would not make a difference.

Sure enough, the weather changed in the evening of the next day. First, there was a strong wind, sweeping in dark clouds. The sky seemed to be an upside-down pot. The wind and waves came one after another, and the ships in the port were shaking like a roller coaster. This typhoon was bigger than expected.

Most of the people on the boat had already landed in advance. Min Xi, Yun Ji and Diego stayed behind because the boat was full of cargo and needed someone to guard it. Diego was unwilling to be separated from the two people and insisted on staying.

The three people were on the boat, watching the ships anchored in the harbor tossing up and down with the huge waves, like riding a roller coaster. They were worried that the anchor rope would break and the boat would lose control and collide with other ships. Any hole in the boat would be fatal. At the very least, water would seep in and soak the cargo, and at the worst, the boat would capsize and sink. There were two large ships full of cargo on board.

Yun Ji asked Min Xi and Diego to stay in the cabin and not go out. He went alone to check the cargo in the cabin to see if there was anything that had not been secured. Although it had been secured in advance, he was afraid that some of it would slip through the net or be loose, otherwise it would be broken into pieces after being bumped against each other.

Before midnight, a rainstorm came unexpectedly, and it was so dark that the whole world turned into a water world.

Min Xi and Yun Ji stayed up all night. Although everything on the boat had been fixed, they still had to check for leaks. There was a water barrier between the deck and the cabin to prevent rainwater from the deck from flowing back into the cabin. But if it was just rainwater, there was no need to worry too much. The most worrying thing was that the waves would hit the deck and directly flow over the water barrier into the cabin. So Min Xi and the other two stayed at the cabin door and scooped out water all night.

This typhoon was at least level 10, which was a huge challenge for large Chinese ships. However, the galleon, which had copper sheets wrapped around its bottom, was much safer.

It was not until dawn that the wind gradually weakened and the rain lightened. The three of them were soaked and so tired that they had difficulty speaking.

Yun Ji saw that the wind and rain had weakened, and said, "Hurry up and change your clothes, don't catch a cold."

Min Xi said, "Let's all go change."

The three of them hurried into the cabin to change clothes. Min Xi managed to boil some hot water and boiled some onion and ginger water for the three of them to drink to dispel the cold and prevent them from getting sick.

Diego came into the kitchen from outside and said, "Master, I saw that the boat next to us disappeared."

Min Xi was startled and asked hurriedly, "Is it the Jazz?"

Diego shook his head: "No, it's the one on the left, a Ming ship."

Min Xi realized that it was the Fuzhou merchant ship that had just returned from Southeast Asia and arrived in Macau yesterday: "Did the anchor rope break and the ship get blown away?"

Yun Ji also came in from outside: "The anchor rope of the boat was probably broken, and the boat was carried away by the wind and waves."

"What about the people on the boat?"

"Some of them have gone down, and those people are trying to find a boat." Yun Ji said.

"This is too tragic! I hope the people on the boat can drive the boat back." said Min Xi.

"I can only say that we were very lucky. They were so close to us and the anchor rope broke, but the boat didn't hit our boat." Yun Ji felt scared just thinking about it.

"Yes, it's our luck! Come, drink some ginger tea to dispel the cold and prevent colds." Min Xi poured a cup of ginger tea for each of them.

The boat was still shaking violently, but it was much better than last night. They had adapted to the bumps and could even stand steadily on the cradle-like boat and drink tea.

Diego blew on his hot tea and asked, "Boss, is the typhoon over?"

Min Xi shook his head: "That's hard to say. We don't know where it's going. If it's heading towards us, we'll have to endure it. If it's just brushing past us, we might just pass it by."

Diego said hurriedly: "God bless, it must be a close call!"

Min Xi laughed: "Your God is too far away from us, and may not be able to control the typhoons here."

"Then may Buddha bless you! May Mazu bless you!" Diego called out the names of two gods in succession.

Yun Ji couldn't help laughing now: "When in Rome, you adapt to the local customs."

"Aunt Luo said, worship whichever one works." Diego said seriously.

Min Xi laughed loudly: "That's right, we Chinese people worship whichever deity works for us."

I don’t know if it was because Diego prayed to God, Buddha and Mazu, but even though it was still raining in the next few days, there was no strong typhoon at last, the wind and waves on the sea were much smaller, and there were no more waves hitting the deck.

By the fifth day, the storm seemed to have completely passed, and Almeida discussed with Min Xi and Yun Ji that it was time to set off.

Min Xi said, "Then let's check the supplies again. No problem, we'll set off tomorrow."

They rechecked the food in the kitchen and found that some vegetables and meat had gone bad and had to be thrown away to feed the fish. They had to buy new ones and replace them. The water was also changed. Water that had been stored for several days would go bad over time.

On the sixth day, the ship finally left Macau and headed southwest. Although it would be faster to reach Malacca by taking a straight line, supply was a big problem, so they had to go southwest to Qiongzhou, then to Champa and Chenla, and from Chenla to Malacca.

It is worth mentioning that the ship that disappeared in the typhoon was finally found. Its anchor rope was broken and the merchant ship was blown to Bao'an County. Although it was damaged and caused certain losses, it was not serious after all.

Min Xi and Yun Ji were both happy for the ship. They had gone through eighty difficulties and only had the last one left. Just imagine how frustrating it would be if it failed on its doorstep.

The ship they were sailing was called Tengyun. The captain was Yun Ji, who was also the navigator. Min Xi was the first mate, the captain's assistant. All matters on the ship were managed by Min Xi and Yun Ji. In addition, Min Xi also served as the chef. However, there was more than one chef on the ship, and there were many people who could cook, so he didn't have to do everything. Min Xi was also happy to be free, just to eat ready-made food.

After going out to sea, Min Xi discovered that their ship was not much slower than the Jazz. Perhaps the sailing in the South China Sea was against the wind, and the effect of the Jazz's sails was not fully utilized.

Min Xi thought this was a good idea, at least he could slowly adapt to the situation, and take this opportunity to teach the crew how to operate Western sails.

For the South China Sea route, Min Xi was not worried about anything except storms, because he could dock for supplies at any time, there was no problem of food shortage, and there were few Western pirates coming to the South China Sea to rob. For the pirates, the cost of robbing here was too high, so it was better to rob in the Caribbean, or simply rob at the doorsteps of European countries.

Their luck was pretty good. Except for the typhoon before departure, everything went smoothly and they arrived safely at the Strait of Malacca.

In addition to replenishing supplies in Malacca, the most important thing they planned to do was to find some ships to travel with them, so they had to stay in Malacca for some days.

After Min Xi and Yun Ji got off the boat, they went straight to Yongfu Restaurant. After all, the first meal they had when they came back from Europe was treated by Chen, the owner of Yongfu Restaurant, and they would remember that kindness for the rest of their lives.

When Min Xi and Yun Ji brought Diego to Yongfu Restaurant, it was dinner time and business was brisk. Shopkeeper Chen saw that the waiter was too busy and was also receiving guests himself. Min Xi and Yun Ji did not disturb him, but found a table and sat down, waiting for the waiter to come and serve them.

After Chen finished greeting a table of guests, he sent the menu to the kitchen and served two dishes to the guests. As soon as he put down the plates, he saw Min Xi and his friends sitting at the table. They came over with a look of surprise on their faces: "Young man, why are you here? Where are you going?"

"Shopkeeper Chen, it's been a long time since we last met. Your business is still booming." Min Xi greeted him with a smile.

"TOEFL, TOEFL!" Shopkeeper Chen said with a smile, "Have you just arrived?"

"Yes, I just arrived today and am going to Europe."

Shopkeeper Chen was shocked: "You guys are going to Europe again?"

Min Xi said, "That's right. Before we came back, we ordered a galleon there. This time we went there to get the boat back."

Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Chen was not surprised: "European ships are indeed good, especially since they are equipped with cannons that our Ming ships do not have. This way, we do not have to worry about pirates."

"That's why we took the risk of making another trip to Europe."

"It's worth a visit. I wish you smooth sailing and immediate success! What would you like to eat today? I'll treat you." asked Shopkeeper Chen.

Min Xi smiled and said, "That won't work. We can't let you spend money every time! We order the dishes ourselves. Oh, and we also brought some local specialties for Shopkeeper Chen."

Yun Ji handed the gift he brought to Shopkeeper Chen: "Thank you for your care, old man. This is just a small token of my respect."

Shopkeeper Chen was overjoyed: "This is too much of a expense for you. It's so difficult to bring some from home."

"It's okay, it's our own boat after all. We can't come empty-handed every time." Yun Ji said.

There were people waiting to pay the bill, so Shopkeeper Chen said hurriedly, "I'll go and pay for it. You guys order the dishes first, whatever you want, and I'll pay for it. Don't leave after you finish eating, and when I'm done, we can have some tea and chat together."

"Okay, you go and get busy first." Min Xi said with a smile.