The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

To be honest, Shopkeeper Xu's situation was already very bad, but Yun Ji was willing to give him a chance because of his good attitude in admitting his mistakes. After all, there were not many people like him who were proficient in Southeast Asian goods. He should not dare to make the same mistake again after making meritorious contributions.

Pulling out the radish brings out the dirt. The shopkeeper of the Yuegang branch took the lead in accepting bribes, so it is conceivable that the other people in the store are not innocent either, so none of them can be kept. Yun Ji plans to temporarily close the Yuegang branch and send someone to reopen it later. He hired a boat to move all the inventory in the store to Quanzhou. When the time comes, those that should stay in Quanzhou will stay in Quanzhou, and those that should be shipped to the north will be shipped to the north.

After clearing the cargo from the Yuegang branch, when he returned to Quanzhou, he found that Min Xi had returned to Quanzhou a day before him, and the Xingyun was unloading cargo at the dock.

The two of them bumped into each other at the dock. Min Xi saw Yun Ji and ran over happily: "Seventh Brother, you're back? How's everything going?"

"Are you asking about the ship or the Yuegang branch?" Yun Ji asked.

"Ask them all."

"The ship was delivered quite smoothly. According to your request, a donation letter was written and signed by the person in charge of the shipyard. General Han of Yongningwei also signed it as a witness."

"That's good. What about the Yuegang branch?" Min Xi noticed that the ship had a deep draft and was probably carrying a lot of cargo.

Yun Ji sighed, "Don't mention it. Shopkeeper Xu stole the goods and sold them at a low price, then took bribes from the merchants. I closed the Yuegang branch. I took back all the goods there."

Min Xi had a look on his face that said, "How much bribe did he take?"

"According to him, it was more than 12,000 taels of silver. But the damage caused is definitely more than that."

"Did you send him to the police?"

"No, I sent him to Macau to open a branch. Oh, he is no longer the shopkeeper, but is specifically responsible for identifying goods and making pricing recommendations." Yun Ji said.

Min Xi raised his eyebrows and nodded: "I think it's okay, it's equivalent to exile."

"He is willing to return all the bribes. If I report him to the authorities, he will most likely be exiled. I will give him a chance to atone for his sins. I don't think he will dare to do it again."

"Okay. After all, it's not easy to find someone who knows the business." Min Xi also thought that this solution was good.

The cargo from these three ships was enough to keep the Yunxiang busy for a while. They unloaded the cargo in Quanzhou and then rented a canal boat to transport it to the north. Min Xi and Yun Ji were both going back to Beijing, and the Xingyun would be handed over to Captain Reiss.

The Xingyun stayed in Quanzhou Port, and the person in charge of the Quanzhou branch would load the cargo. Captain Reiss and the Portuguese sailors would stay in Quanzhou until the day of sailing, and then drive the Xingyun to Macau to meet the Jazz.

Diego stayed with Captain Reis for the time being, serving as his translator and teaching Reis to speak Ming Dynasty Mandarin.

By then, Yun Ji will also arrange people to go out to sea with the Xingyun. It's not that he doesn't trust Reis, but it's hard to believe that there is no Ming people on a Ming ship. It may be difficult to enter the port in the future, and Ming people are also needed to deal with Africans along the way.

As for Diego, he will wait until the Xingyun sets out to sea, and then follow the grain ship to Beijing to find Min Xi and Yun Ji.

After arranging these things, Min Xi and Yun Ji followed the loaded grain ship back to Beijing.

This time, because I left late, I was delayed for some time after returning. When I set off for Beijing, it was almost May.

It took about ten days to travel from Quanzhou to Beijing by water, so it was early summer when they returned to the capital.

Min Xi and Yun Ji asked someone to notify the manager of Xiangyun to come and unload the cargo. After giving some instructions, they took a carriage back home. They took the time to change their clothes and pack up, and without even taking a rest, they rushed to Tao's house.

After all, it was quite a few days later than the agreed time, and my grandparents must be very worried. I wonder if Yunlin still remembers his two brothers. If he still does, he would probably be very angry that they had been away for so long.

When the servant came to report the two men's visit, Old Master Tao was teaching several of his grandchildren at home. Five-year-old Yunlin was among them. He was extremely smart at a young age and could recite the Three Character Classic fluently.

When Old Master Tao saw the servant winking at him, he pretended not to see it and continued reciting with the children, shaking his head. He did not stop until he had finished reciting what he had learned. He said, "That's all for today. School is dismissed!"

Several children cheered, closed their books in a hurry, stuffed them into their schoolbags, grabbed their schoolbags and rushed out.

Yun Lin carefully closed his book, smoothed out every curled corner, put it in his blue schoolbag, and slung it over his shoulder. Just as he was about to exit through the back door, Tao Hong called him, "Lin'er, come here!"

Yunlin looked at his grandfather with his big black and white eyes: "Master."

"After school, just call me grandpa." Tao Hong said as he stretched out his hand to him, wanting to hold his little hand.

Yunlin walked forward and grabbed his grandfather's big hand.

Tao Hong had already heard the servant's report, but he deliberately didn't tell the child: "Have you memorized what you learned today?"

"My husband and grandfather, I have memorized it." Yunlin said.

Tao Hong smiled and said, "Okay, I'll recite it to the guests when I see them later."

Yun Lin looked up curiously and asked, "Are there guests at home? Didn't my grandfather say that we shouldn't show off our knowledge in front of others?"

"You can't show off in front of most people, but you can show off in front of a small number of people." Tao Hong touched his grandson's head with a smile.

Yun Lin frowned, unable to think of anyone in front of whom he could show off.

The grandfather and grandson walked to the dining room and heard laughter coming from inside. It seemed that there were quite a few people. Tao Hong led Yun Lin to the door and walked in. Yun Ji and Min Xi saw them and stood up quickly: "Grandpa! Lin'er!"

Tao Hong looked at them. Although they looked a little darker, they were still intact and in good spirits. "You're back!"

Yunlin held his grandfather's hand tightly, bit his lower lip, and stared at the two "guests" in the room.

Madam Tao waved to him: "Lin'er, come here quickly, do you know who these two people are?"

Yun Ji walked forward, squatted down in front of his brother, and opened his arms to him: "Lin'er, big brother is back. Do you still remember big brother?"

Tears finally fell from Yunlin's eyes, and he could no longer stop himself from crying out loud. Yunji quickly hugged him in his arms. Yunlin sobbed, "Why did you come back just now?"

Yun Ji picked up his brother, his nose a little sour: "I'm sorry, big brother also wanted to come back earlier, but there is no way, we have done everything possible to come back earlier."

Yunlin hugged his neck tightly and cried uncontrollably.

Min Xi also came over and touched his head: "Lin'er."

Yun Lin tried to open his tearful eyes and look at him: "Second brother!"

When he called him "Second Brother", Min Xi's nose felt a little sour. He heard from Mrs. Tao that the year after they left, Yun Lin often talked about his two brothers and asked when they would come back. After the New Year, he never mentioned them again, but occasionally he would take out the toys and gifts they bought for him and look at them, then carefully put them away.

Everyone also tacitly agreed not to mention Yunji and Minxi, for fear of bringing up the children's sadness. After the Chinese New Year, everyone sat together and chatted about when Yunji would be back. Everyone said that if everything went well, it would probably be March or April, but if not, it was hard to say.

Yunlin accidentally heard it, and he didn't eat dinner that night, saying he had no appetite. Although the child didn't say anything, he was always thinking about his two brothers, and was afraid that others would mention it because they were afraid it would be bad news.

Madam Tao smiled and said, "Why are you still crying? Your elder brother has come back. You can see him every day from now on. After dinner, go back with your elder brother. I have asked the nurse to pack your luggage for you."

Min Xi used a handkerchief to wipe Yun Lin's tears and snot: "Take Lin Er to wash his face, and come and eat together."

During the meal, Yunlin, who always ate by himself, insisted on eating in Yunji's arms. He didn't care about being shaved by his little cousin Yunlan. This child was born with a lack of security. He didn't know how many times he had nightmares about his elder brother's boat capsizing, but he didn't dare to say it, because the nanny said that nightmares would come true if spoken out. He kept those nightmares in his heart and didn't dare to say them. Now that his elder brother is back, those nightmares that he didn't say out loud finally didn't come true. He felt that it was a good thing that he didn't speak out his nightmares at the beginning.

After dinner, Yun Ji and Min Xi took Yun Lin back to the Yun residence.

That night, Yunlin insisted on sleeping in the same room with his elder brother. Yunji carried him to find Min Xi, saying that they would sleep together with him.

After Yunlin fell asleep, Min Xi said, "Don't do this again in the future. He is already grown up and sensible. If you tell anyone that we slept with him, aren't you worried that others will find out?"

Yun Ji said: "It doesn't matter if it is discovered. Our affairs will be known to others sooner or later." He had no plans to get married and have children, and he just wanted to live with Min Xi.

"Knowing is one thing, and making it clear is another. There are some things that can be done but cannot be said." Although the people of the Ming Dynasty were tolerant of Nanfeng's matter, they all believed that it was a romantic affair that could not overshadow getting married and having children. Yun Ji's parents had been dead for three years, and his elders were about to arrange a marriage for him.

Thinking of this, Min Xi sighed almost inaudibly, but Yun Ji, who had sharp ears, heard it: "Why are you sighing when nothing is wrong?"

"Nothing, I just think Lin'er is too thoughtful. He has been without his parents since he was a child, and we are not around. He has always been living under someone else's roof, which will affect his personality. It is said that the age of three to six is ​​the critical period for the formation of a child's personality. Lin'er is almost six years old, I hope we can still make it."

Yun Ji smiled when he heard this: "Do you have any experience in educating children?"

"No! I've never been a father, and I didn't grow up with any brothers or sisters. I just feel sorry for Lin'er, and I hope he will be happy and healthy in the future."

"Then let's work together to discipline him." Yun Ji said with a smile.