The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Min Xi only gave this advice briefly. It was unknown whether the baron would listen to him or whether he could persuade Sebastian I.

Yun Ji said, "Let's eat and try how the fish is cooked today."

So the Baron decisively turned his sorrow into appetite, and started to eat with great enthusiasm, praising the food as he ate.

Yellow croaker has garlic-like meat, which tends to fall apart when made into fillets, so it is cut a little thicker. Although it is not as tender as thin ones, the meat itself is delicate and sweet, so it will still taste good even if cooked for a little longer.

Even little Bella was enjoying the fried fish chunks with her hands. She was mumbling happily while eating, but no one knew what she was saying.

After eating for a while, Min Xi asked, "Pedro, we want to buy some guns to take back. Can you help me find a way?"

The baron paused. "You mean, for the sailors on the ship?"

"Yes, now that I have two ships, I must equip them with guns in addition to cannons."

It was only after Min Xi and Yun Ji discussed for a long time that they decided to buy more guns, because the most worthwhile things to bring back from Europe now were sailboats and guns.

"How many guns do you need? Ask my eldest brother to solve this problem." The baron said, "The management of guns is still quite strict and needs to be approved by the relevant departments. But Yun is a baron now, he has the power to purchase a certain number of guns."

Min Xi and Yun Ji smiled at each other, almost forgetting this. Yun Ji is now a Portuguese nobleman. A baron can have an armed force of 50 people, but he needs to be called to the battlefield when fighting. When Sebastian I led Portugal to conquer North Africa, they must have been out of Portugal.

Yun Ji asked: "Then how should I buy it?"

"Go find my brother when the time comes, and he will tell you what to do," said the Baron.

After the baron left, Min Xi happily circled around Yun Ji who was washing the dishes, teasing him: "Your Excellency Baron, how can I let you do such a trivial task as washing the dishes? Let me do it."

Yun Ji turned his head and looked at him, his eyes full of smiles: "Stop talking nonsense to me and go and take a rest."

Min Xi laughed: "Then I'll trouble you, Baron. I'll go cut a melon for you."

From then on, "Your Excellency the Baron" became a joke between the two of them. Now they all called Baron Fernando by his name, so there was no need to distinguish between them.

Lord Melo was injured and recuperating at home. Min Xi decided to go see him. Yun Ji refused to go no matter what. Min Xi teased him: "If you go see him, maybe he will get better faster."

"It doesn't matter whether he recovers quickly or not. He doesn't have anything serious to do anyway, so it's good for him to recuperate at home." Yun Ji said indifferently.

Min Xi pretended to be regretful: "Well, the flowers have feelings but the water is ruthless."

Yun Ji reached out and pinched the back of his neck: "Do you really want me to go?"

Min Xi felt itchy and laughed, "No, no, I don't want you to be so popular. He's already engaged, so he should treat Miss Moreira well."

"That's right, you should go visit him." Yun Ji said.

Min Xi took the gift and drove the carriage to the Marquis of Melo alone. When the housekeeper of the Marquis saw Min Xi coming, he enthusiastically ushered him in and said that Lord Melo was relaxing in the garden.

Min Xi followed the butler's instructions and went to the garden to find Lord Mello.

When he arrived, Lord Mellor was sitting in the pavilion in the garden. Miss Morella was reading poetry to him. Lord Mellor was bored and holding a rose in his hand, tearing the petals one by one and throwing them on the ground.

Miss Moreira was facing the path, and when she reached Minsey, she put down the poetry book in her hand. Lord Mellor turned around and saw Minsey, his face showed joy, then he found that he was alone, and looked back, but did not see another figure, and his face became less joyful.

The steward led the people to a small path and they retreated.

Min Xi stepped forward and said, "My Lord, I heard that you were injured. I hope you are better now."

Lord Mello threw down the flower bud in his hand and opened his arms: "Long time no see, Mr. Min! Thank you for coming to see me."

Min Xi also went over to hug her, then gave Miss Moreira a gentlemanly salute: "Hello again, Miss. We have met before."

Miss Moreira was of decent appearance and slim figure, but her features were somewhat masculine and she had a certain heroic air, which complemented Lord Mello somewhat.

Miss Moreira stood up and politely returned the lady's greeting: "In front of the China Hotel, right?"

"Yes, Miss has a very good memory!" Min Xi said with a smile.

"That's because there are so few Chinese people in Europe that it's hard not to be impressive," Miss Moreira said and sat down.

Lord Melo said, "Mr. Min, please take a seat."

Min Xi placed the gifts he brought on the table in the pavilion. Only then did he notice that the pavilion had some oriental style. However, since no one had ever seen an oriental pavilion, they probably saw it in paintings, so it looked a bit out of place.

"These are some snacks baked for you. There are also some plasters for treating bruises and injuries. We brought them from the Ming Dynasty. I hope they can be of help to you." Min Xi said.

"Thank you very much! I haven't seen Mr. Yun for a long time. Is he okay now?" Lord Mello asked in a natural manner.

"He's fine, but he was a little busy today. He had some things to deal with with the sailors, so he couldn't come to see you. He asked me to take good care of him for you. I hope you recover soon." Min Xi said with a smile.

Lord Melo's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Thank him for me! Did you go to France a few days ago and everything went well?"

Min Xi smiled: "It went pretty smoothly. But when we came back, we ran into a group of blind guys who wanted to rob us."

"We met pirates again?" Lord Mello asked in surprise.

Min Xi then told him what happened at that time.

Lord Mello looked terrified: "Fortunately nothing happened. It's too dangerous to go out to sea. You must pay attention to safety!"

"That's for sure. Isn't it safe to make money at sea? But we are not afraid of pirates now. We have the most experienced captain, and Yun. I'm afraid that pirates will take a detour just by hearing his name." Min Xi said with some pride.

When Miss Moreira heard this, she couldn't help but ask, "I've heard about the Seven Demon Pirates. Could that Ming hero be you?"

"That's not me, that's my brother." Min Xi hurriedly denied.

Miss Moreira exclaimed: "Then you are really brave. You actually defeated the Seven Demon Pirates."

"There's no other way. When you encounter pirates, especially a pirate group, it's either you die or I live. Who wouldn't fight for their lives to survive?" Min Xi shrugged.

Min Xi sat for a while and was about to get up and say goodbye. After all, the lord had guests here and he didn't want to be a light bulb. However, Lord Mello begged him to stay, and his eyes looked particularly pitiful. Min Xi had no choice but to stay for lunch.

At lunch, the Marquis and the Marchioness were both there. When they saw Min Xi, they were both warm and tactful, and expressed their gratitude for the gifts they had given. It seemed that they liked the gift Min Xi had given them very much.

The Marquise said, "Simon has a good appetite today and ate a little more than usual. You should eat more like today, and your foot injury will heal faster."

Lord Mellor said: "I have been sitting at home bored, so I have lost my appetite."

Marquis Melo snorted unhappily, but said nothing. He was obviously not satisfied with his son's performance, as he had lost face in front of His Majesty. But he was the only son, and the glory of the Melo family depended on him. He could do nothing about it. As long as he was willing to marry and have children, he could do whatever he wanted.

Min Xi was busy eating and didn't dare to interrupt. Marquis Melo, however, was afraid of neglecting his guests, so he took the initiative to ask about the war with the pirates. Min Xi had no choice but to tell the story of the war again. He couldn't remember how many times he had told people about it.

Marquis Melo was very impressed with their performance: "The Seven Demon Pirates have been rampant in the Caribbean Sea for many years. This time they finally hit a wall. It's really gratifying. It's a pity that three ships escaped. It would be even more satisfying if they could catch them all in one fell swoop!"

Min Xi said: "Yun was seriously injured at the time. I was worried about his safety and did not dare to pursue him. The garrison on St. Helena did not pursue him either, so I had to let them escape. However, one of their ships was severely damaged, and I am afraid they will not be able to make it back to Europe. It can be said that they have suffered a great loss of vitality."

Marquis Melo nodded: "Yun is a great hero in this naval battle. Is his body fully recovered now?"

"Thank you for your concern, Marquis. He is now fully recovered," said Min Xi.

"That's good!"

After lunch, Min Xi went home. When the carriage arrived at the gate of the Marquis's manor, he stopped and waited for the servant to open the door. However, the person he saw was not a servant, but Marquis Merlot.

Marquis Melo looked at Min Xi and smiled, "Mr. Min, can you talk to me?"

"Of course." Min Xi certainly didn't dare to refuse. He jumped off the carriage and walked to the Marquis.

The Marquis and he walked behind a row of trees beside the manor: "I'm here to ask Mr. Min, I hope you and Mr. Yun will not come to visit Ximang again in the future."

Min Xi didn't ask why, and answered directly: "Okay."

The Marquis sighed, "I'm really sorry. I only have one son. Simon has been spoiled since he was a child. We have always followed his wishes and given him whatever he wanted. When he was young, we let him do whatever he wanted, but now he has reached the age to start a family, so I hope he can get back on track, get married and have children. These have nothing to do with you, and it's not your fault, but I hope you don't show up and completely stop him from thinking about it."

Min Xi thought that this old man knew his son very well, so he smiled and said, "Of course, I understand the Marquis's painstaking efforts. I promise you that we will not take the initiative to look for the Lord in the future. And Yun and I will probably not come to Europe again in the future."

The Marquis couldn't help but heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this: "Thank you!"