The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Yun Ji couldn't help but admire: "I didn't expect that there are Europeans who can cook."

Min Xi smiled and said, "They are actually blessed here. They live by the sea and eat the sea. As long as the seafood is fresh enough, there is no need to add anything extra. Just add some spices to enhance the flavor. It will be successful as long as they don't overshadow the main dish."

Francis also specifically asked Captain Reiss: "Captain Reiss, did I lie to you?"

Captain Reis glanced at Min Xi and said with a smile, "It's good, but I still think Chinese food is better."

Francis was a little unconvinced: "I think Marseille cuisine is not inferior to Chinese cuisine."

Captain Reis said: “That’s because you haven’t eaten the dishes cooked by Mr. Min.”

Francis looked at Min Xi and asked in surprise, "Mr. Min can cook?"

Captain Reiss laughed and said, "How else do you think the Chinese restaurant was opened?"

Francis' mind raced, "Could it be that Mr. Min opened this restaurant? Are you the owner of the Chinese Restaurant?"

"It was before, but not now. The restaurant is now run by a few apprentices I taught." Min Xi said with a smile.

Francis said, “I wonder if I will never have the chance to eat Mr. Min’s cooking again?”

Min Xi smiled and said, "There will be. But we Chinese are good at using tools and various spices and seasonings when cooking."

"Then I must look forward to it," said Francis.

After dinner, everyone went back to the dock to unload the cargo. No matter when Francis' own ship unloaded, the cargo on the Xingyun had to be unloaded early. After all, these were other people's cargoes, and if there was any damage or reduction, they would have to be held responsible.

Francis obviously understood this principle, and he found porters to unload the cargo on the Xingyun first.

After the goods were unloaded, Francis said to Min Xi and the others, "I will find a hotel for you to stay in. I will pay for all the expenses, including three meals. I will be responsible for all the expenses until you buy the goods and leave Marseille."

The Xingyun helped him load the remaining goods and delivered them safely to Marseille, saving him the shipping cost. More importantly, there was no loss at all. He could still afford to pay for the accommodation and food expenses of more than a dozen people.

"Thank you, but we have decided to stay on the boat. Buying goods should not take too long." Min Xi declined his enthusiasm. Hotels in Europe are not so comfortable to stay in. Instead of everyone bringing bedding to stay in a hotel, it is better to stay on the boat. Anyway, they can't stay in Marseille for too long.

Francis said, "Okay, I'll help you contact the fabric wholesaler as soon as possible."

While waiting for Francis to find a fabric merchant for them, Min Xi and Yun Ji got off the boat and went to Marseille to learn about the local customs and culture, and also to find out the prices of local fabrics.

However, because their looks were so special, they were obviously foreigners, so the price offered to them was always higher than that offered to the locals. Even when Captain Reis asked for the price, it was cheaper than theirs, so it was a wise move to let Francis help him negotiate the price.

Min Xi also consciously looked for lavender and essential oils, but he could only see them occasionally at the market. When he asked how much there was, he was usually told that there were only a few kilograms, not too many. Obviously, the local area had not yet formed a large-scale planting system, and only a few families planted them for their own use, and sold the excess. Min Xi bought all he could find, but the total was less than ten kilograms.

The Ming sailors did not understand French. Except for going ashore to buy some souvenirs accompanied by Min Xi and Captain Reis, they rarely left the ship.

Min Xi was initially worried that these men would go out to have sex and bring back syphilis. Not long after they set sail, they were told that the prostitutes at the supply points along the way and in the port cities of Europe might have been infected with syphilis brought back by Europeans from the New World. If they were infected, it would be a syphilis that could never be cured.

Fortunately, the sailors listened to them and the supply points were well-behaved. They felt more at ease after arriving in Europe, because European women did not meet the aesthetic standards of the Ming people. They thought they had sunken eyes and bulging noses and looked weird. Secondly, the body odor of Europeans was enough to make the Ming sailors stay away. Europeans without deodorant were hard to tolerate, not to mention that they didn't take a bath, which was simply unbearable!

After Francis unloaded his goods, he said to Min Xi and Yun Ji, "I have already found out for you that the largest fabric wholesaler in this county is in Marseille. He buys fabrics from the source and sells them to various shops and wholesalers. He has sufficient supply on hand. I will take you to meet him tomorrow."

"Okay, thank you!" Min Xi and Yun Ji knew that they had found the right person to ask Francis to find the fabric supplier.

The next day, Min Xi and Yun Ji, along with Captain Reis, met the fabric merchant named Martin under Francis' introduction. Martin had a healthy bronze complexion, probably because he traveled around all year round, and he was very tanned.

Francis introduced the two parties and said with a smile, "Mr. Yun, Mr. Min, you are very lucky. Martin buys woolen fabrics in various villages and towns at this time every year. He is usually not in Marseille in the summer. This time you come here, he just happened to be delivering goods, so you can buy the cheapest and highest quality woolen fabrics."

It is almost summer now, which is not the season for making winter clothes. Cloth retailers will not purchase goods at this time. Buyers do use this season to purchase fabrics.

"It's our honor!" Min Xi said politely. From what he said, it seemed that the producers of those woolen fabrics were all scattered handicraftsmen, and it was unknown whether they could guarantee consistent quality.

Martin looked at them. "What kind of woolen fabric do you want? Thick or thin, coarse or fine? Plain or patterned?"

Neither Min Xi nor Yun Ji had ever done business in woolen fabrics. They had just visited various stores these past few days and looked at some woolen fabrics, so they had a general impression. Min Xi said, "Of course, we want the best quality fabrics. As for what kind of fabrics they are, we need to see the goods to be sure. Does Mr. Martin have any samples?"

Martin took out a bunch of three-finger-wide woolen fabrics from the leather bag he carried with him and placed them in front of them: "Take your pick. Tell me which one you like."

Min Xi and Yun Ji looked at the samples and twisted them with their hands. Min Xi asked, "Mr. Martin, can you tell us about the characteristics of these woolen fabrics? For example, what kind of wool is used, what kind of craftsmanship is used to make them, and whether these dyed fabrics will fade?"

Martin was not impatient, but said: "There are many styles of fabrics here. Tell me which one you like and I will introduce them one by one."

Min Xi and Yun Ji selected several types and thought that the quality should be relatively high, so they could sell them at a high price and make higher profits.

Martin introduced them one by one. The fabrics they chose were all relatively delicate and soft, mostly cashmere products, which were naturally not cheap. If you convert the prices, the most exquisite cashmere products can be sold in France at the same price as Yunjin in the Ming Dynasty.

The profit of such fabrics can be two or three times higher. If it is higher, it may not be sold. With this calculation, the profit multiple is not high. Fortunately, the base price is high, so even if the multiple is not high, the profit is considerable.

Min Xi and Yun Ji discussed it and decided to buy some back, but not too much. It would be better to leave some space for buying spices and medicinal herbs.

But after they had chosen the fabrics, Martin said, "I may not have all the fabrics you picked on hand, so I have to go out and buy them. I go to buy fabrics once every six months because the production is so low."

"If we acquire it now, how long will it take?" Min Xi asked.

"It will take at least more than a month to visit several places."

This time exceeded their expectations. They originally planned to return within a month, but now it will take at least two months.

After listening to this, Francis also said, "This is too long. Let's go to Mr. Martin's warehouse to see what fabrics are available and buy what we can first."

Min Xi and Yun Ji thought this was a good idea, so they decided to go and look at the goods first, and take away any that were suitable.

So the four of them went to Martin's warehouse and saw a dazzling array of woolen fabrics in the warehouse. It was simply an ocean of fabrics. Min Xi and Yun Ji looked and chose, and took all the fabrics they thought were good. In total, they picked more than 600 pieces of fabrics.

Martin then realized that he had met a big customer. Some of the fabrics that were in stock due to high prices were picked up, which solved his big problem.

Martin began to actively recommend his expensive and unsalable fabrics to them. Seeing him actively promoting them, Min Xi and Yun Ji realized that these were probably overstocked goods. Like silk, woolen fabrics are mainly composed of animal protein. After animal protein is separated from the body, its storage time is limited. If this fabric has been shelved for a long time, it will be sold to customers at a high price after it is brought back, but it will be broken within a year of wearing. Even if rich people make new ones every year, the poor quality of the fabric will also affect the reputation of Yunxianghao.

So Min Xi and Yun Ji didn't choose it: "Mr. Martin, can you tell me the truth? How long have these fabrics been in stock? Aren't they old goods?"

Martin said seriously: "Sir, these are the fabrics we purchased recently. The quality is absolutely guaranteed."

Francis also realized something and held Martin back: "Mr. Martin, this is my customer. You can't cheat my customer just to make money. If the quality of the goods is not up to standard, it will affect my reputation! What if he doesn't do business with me in the future?"

Martin hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth: "The fabrics I recommend to you were purchased in the second half of last year. The prices were too high at the time, so some of them were in stock, but they are definitely not old goods. Every year, I sell the fabrics I purchased that year at a low price, but the purchase price of this batch of goods was too high, and I couldn't even get back the cost price, so I kept them until this year. To be honest, this batch of fabrics is the best in terms of both raw materials and craftsmanship, and I will sell them to you at cost price. The service life is not much different from that of new ones."