The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

They didn't stay long. After visiting Captain Reis, they left.

After they left, Reis opened his bag and took out some food. As he ate, tears started to flow. Before that, he had lost all hope and didn't want to live anymore, so he turned himself in and asked Sanvis to come over just to ask him to help with his affairs after his death.

But the appearance of Min Xi and Yun Ji reminded him of their experiences, when they were in such a difficult situation and were trying to wait for rescue. Being alive is such a wonderful thing, and being able to eat such delicious food, he no longer has the will to die, and decides to live well.

Because of Yun Jilu's trick, the coachman knew that the two Orientals were not easy to deal with, so he did not make any more trouble on the return trip and quickly returned to Lisbon.

After hearing about Reis's situation, Sanvis was slightly relieved: "It's good that he is willing to accept your things. At that time, I gave him things, but he refused them and wanted to die. It seems that he should have recovered now."

After returning from Mora, Min Xi and Yun Ji decided to open the business because the last batch of tableware had been delivered.

The tableware is all carved from hard, precious wood, and has simple cloud patterns on it. This was what Min Xi asked the carpenter to carve. Firstly, the cloud pattern is a traditional Chinese pattern, and secondly, Yun Ji's surname is Yun, and it can be regarded as the logo of their restaurant.

The tableware was more exquisite than expected. After all, it cost a lot of money. They bought the wood themselves and requested the shape and specifications. The carver was only responsible for the work. Because they had to rush the work, they hired more than one carver. It cost a total of 30 reais, which is equivalent to the annual income of a middle-class person.

But both of them felt it was worth it. Their restaurant was of a high standard, and they couldn't let people spend a lot of money to eat here and then be served a set of cheap tableware. At least it had to be worthy of the price.

Before opening the business, they hired a waiter, who was introduced by the tax officer Bailey, a very smart 18-year-old boy named Gail, who was also pretty. He used to work in a clothing store, but was kicked out by the boss because he had an affair with the boss's wife.

Westerners have a low sense of morality about such things, and believe that such romantic affairs reflect the charm of a man or woman and will not be morally condemned.

Yun Ji had some moral obsession and didn't want to hire Gail, but he couldn't afford to offend Bailey, and there was no more suitable candidate. Especially after Gail had eaten the leek dumplings made by Min Xi, he made up his mind to come to work in their store and was willing to come even if the salary was lower, so he hired him.

Diego knew that Min Xi had hired someone to work in the store, and he envied him for a long time. After all, he could eat Min Xi's meals every day. He also knew that Min Xi and Yun Ji were kind people and were definitely the best bosses, but he couldn't betray Mr. Sanvis.

The opening date of the hotel was set for June 6. On that day, Min Si invited Baron Fernando and asked the Baron to invite his friends, including Sanvis, Diego, and several sailors on the Shark who had a good relationship with him, such as Bob and Dick. When the guests arrived, they found that Colonel Ed was also there. He came uninvited after learning the news from Fernando.

The guests all brought some small gifts. Fernando brought two pots of blooming roses; Dr. Cafu brought a bottle of external medicine he prepared himself, which could be used for headaches, fevers, and insect bites; Colonel Ed brought a sharp dagger, saying that it might be useful in the kitchen; Sanvis brought wine, of course, the best red wine in their store; the others also brought some small gifts.

The Baron and his friends went up to the private room on the second floor, while Sanvis and the sailors were unwilling to go into the private room and sat in the hall downstairs.

Min Xi prepared a sumptuous lunch for everyone, including shredded chicken, cumin lamb, beer duck, steamed turbot, spicy crab, celery shrimp, mushroom clam soup, etc. The staple food was baked buns, and there was also an egg tart for dessert.

Egg tarts are originally Portuguese desserts, but they have not yet appeared in Fulanji at this time. Min Xi used them first, and they will probably become popular in Fulanji in the future. So which came first, the chicken or the egg? Min Xi thought that it was time to return the item to its original owner.

Everyone was very satisfied with the meal, especially the main course and dessert at the end. Everyone liked them very much. The baked buns were crispy on the outside and the fillings were fresh and juicy. They were simply delicious. The egg tarts were crispy on the outside and soft and fragrant on the inside. You could eat one in two bites. Everyone only got one, and no one was satisfied.

Min Xi gave each guest a box of egg tarts, a box of half a dozen, six in total. The box was also made of wood, and he ordered hundreds of these small boxes from a carpenter just for the guests to take away.

Everyone thinks this is a clever idea and will definitely attract more people.

Min Xi took advantage of the fact that there were not many people around and baked a lot of egg tarts. He also gave a box to the neighboring merchants on his left and right. This was both a way to express goodwill and to promote his own restaurant.

The opening of a new store, especially a Chinese restaurant, would naturally attract a lot of attention, but despite the large number of people watching, no one dared to come in.

Just as everyone finished eating, a customer came in. It was an elderly gentleman, very elegantly dressed, leaning on a cane, standing at the door and looking up: "Chinese Restaurant? This is my first time seeing this. Let's go in and try it."

Gale stood at the door: "Sir, please come in. Our boss and chef are both from China. They can cook very delicious food. I guarantee you will never forget it after tasting it."

The old man walked up the stairs, entered the restaurant, and looked at the decoration inside: "It has a unique style. What's there to eat?"

Gail said, "How about you? Please take a seat first. Let me introduce you. We open today and there will be a 20% discount for the first three days. The dishes include hand-shredded chicken, steamed fish... The staple food is roasted lamb buns, and the dessert is egg tarts. What would you like to order?" He said as he poured tea for the guests.

The old man thought about it and picked out the ingredients he was more familiar with: "Let's have shrimp and mushroom soup, and a main course and dessert."

Gail said, "Okay, please have some tea first, and the food will be served soon."

The old man picked up the teacup, smelled it, and was quite surprised to find that it was real tea. You know, tea leaves are imported from the East, and they are not cheap in Fulangji.

Min Xi and Yun Ji knew that tea leaves were not cheap, but how could a Chinese restaurant not have Chinese tea? They just boiled the tea water very lightly, boiled a large pot of water with a handful of tea leaves, and then filled the small teapot with water and poured it for the guests to drink. That was the idea.

Yun Ji is the shop owner and is responsible for collecting money, but there are no customers at the moment, so he is helping out in the kitchen.

Hearing that guests were coming, Min Xi quickly turned on the stove and started cooking.

The ingredients are prepared in advance, and the dishes can be cooked as soon as the guests order. The steamed buns and egg tarts are also baked and kept warm in the bread oven, and can be served with the prepared dishes.

The guests waited for less than a quarter of an hour before Min Xi finished preparing the dishes, as both celery and shrimp and mushroom and clam soup were very simple.

After the dish was served on the table, the guest looked at the refreshing dish, scooped up a spoonful of the soup with a spoon and tasted it. It was sweet and delicious. He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and nod, obviously very satisfied.

He took another bite of the celery and shrimp. The celery was crisp and refreshing, and the shrimp was tender and chewy, very fresh. Then he picked up the toasted buns. The aroma filled his nose before he even ate them. He took a bite and the delicious taste completely captured him.

The old gentleman raised his hand and called Gail over: "What is this called?"

Gail said: "Baked steamed buns are a delicacy from China, and the filling is lamb." All the dishes are directly named after Chinese names. The purpose is not only to make money, but also to promote Chinese food culture.

"It's very delicious, I like it very much." said the old man.

"Thank you for your enjoyment. Please enjoy your meal," said Gail.

The old man ate several dishes slowly and with his tea, leaving only some mushroom soup because he couldn't eat any more.

After the old man finished eating, he raised his hand and said, "Check out!"

Yun Ji came over and said, "Hello, sir! Your total spending is 97 Swiss francs. As a promotion for our grand opening, we are offering a 77% discount for three days, so I will charge you Swiss francs."

The old man took out an 80-reese silver coin and put it in his hand: "Thank you very much for your hospitality. This is the most enjoyable meal I have ever had. No need to give me the change. The extra amount will be considered a tip."

Yun Ji accepted the silver coin and said, "Thank you very much for your generosity. You are welcome to come again next time!"

"Okay, I'll definitely come later!" The old man left briskly.

In the past few months, Yun Ji has worked hard to practice Portuguese and is now able to have simple conversations. He not only learned spoken Portuguese, but also learned written Portuguese. He can understand simple words and now they can finally come in handy.

As soon as the old man went out, someone asked, "Sir, how is it? Is it delicious?"

The old man smiled and nodded: "It's a great surprise, you can go in and try it."