The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

I don't know when, but there was finally a noisy sound outside, and someone shouted loudly: "I got it! I got it!"

Tao Hong could no longer sit still, so he stood up and found that the class was still going on, so he said, "You guys study on your own first, I'll be back soon." After that, he left quickly.

The children in the classroom couldn't help asking, "Who won? Who do you think won?"

"Tao Lan, do you think it was your father who got lucky, or your brother?" a naughty boy asked Tao Lan.

Tao Lan rolled his eyes: "Can you speak? Can't you just win?"

"You wish! Maybe neither your father nor your brother won, but your cousin did. Hahaha!" The naughty boy laughed.

"My cousin is no longer my brother, right? Why are you so proud? Your family doesn't even have a scholar! I don't think you can pass the exam to become a scholar!" Tao Lan made faces without showing any weakness.

The naughty boy was so angry that his cheeks turned red. He held it in for a long time and finally said, "Then you can't even take the exam!"

Min Xi knocked on the table: "Okay, everyone be quiet, I'll throw anyone out if they make any more noise!"

Everyone looked at Min Xi and didn't dare to say anything. In the world of little kids, whoever is taller can be beaten, and no one dares to provoke others.

Yunlin turned around and made a face at the group of children with a smug look on his face.

Min Xi was actually very curious about who passed the exam. It would be interesting if all three candidates passed.

Tao Hong came back after a long time, his face full of smiles and he seemed to be walking in a floating manner.

When Min Xi saw him come in, he asked curiously, "Master, who passed the exam?"

Tao Hong smiled so much that his eyebrows and beard were shaking: "Your second uncle finally passed. He studied hard for so many years and finally made it."

Tao Lan slammed the table and jumped up: "Great! My dad won! Lelelelele——" As she spoke, she stuck out her tongue and made a face at the boy who had just made sarcastic remarks.

The boy was still unconvinced and said, "Then your brother still didn't win."

"But my dad won!" Tao Lan didn't mind at all and was extremely happy.

Seeing Tao Hong was so excited that he couldn't sit still and was walking around in the classroom, Min Xi suggested: "Teacher, why don't you give us a day off? It's a good opportunity for you to go back and celebrate with everyone, and we can also share in the joy."

Tao Hong hesitated for a moment and made up his mind: "Okay, then let's give everyone a day off. Pack your bags and go home. Don't play outside. Be careful of being kidnapped." Of course, he said this to those bad boys.

"Got it!" Cheers rang out in the classroom. For students, the happiest thing is of course to have a holiday.

Min Xi quickly put away the books, and helped Yun Lin put away his books, and led him to catch up with Tao Hong: "Grandfather, didn't Tao Shu and Tao Yu pass?"

Tao Hong shook his head: "No. But they are still young and have plenty of opportunities. Your second uncle has studied hard for more than 30 years and finally made it. It is also something to be happy about."

"Yes! My second uncle is not at home. I wonder if he knows that he has won the prize now." Min Xi said.

"We almost know. We sent two people to check the list. If his name is on the list, we will inform him immediately."

"Then he probably knows it now, and he must be very happy." Min Xi said with a smile.

Tao Hong nodded excitedly: "He will probably come home today."

"Then let's wait here and express our congratulations to our second uncle in person," said Min Xi.

Tao Jingzhi passed the imperial examination and was selected. The next step was to take the palace examination, after which he officially began his career. Compared with his brother Tao Lizhi who passed the imperial examination before the age of 30, Tao Lizhi, who passed the imperial examination in his 40s, was indeed a late bloomer. However, a jinshi in his 40s was not considered old. Since ancient times, there has been a saying that it is difficult to pass the imperial examination at the age of 50, which shows how difficult it is to pass the imperial examination.

The whole Tao family was filled with jubilation, celebrating Tao Jingzhi's success in the exam, which overshadowed the sadness of the two failed scholars.

Tao Yu was fine. He had only participated in the imperial examinations twice, was still young, and his father had passed the imperial examination, so his spirits were still high.

Min Xi didn't see Tao Shu in the crowd, so he took Yun Ji to find Tao Shu. Tao Shu had taken the exam three times, and he was still very upset after failing three times. His yard was completely different from the festive and noisy outside. The whole room was quiet. When Min Xi entered, Tao Shu forced a smile to greet him: "Brother Min, you're here! Why didn't you attend class?"

Min Xi smiled and said, "There is a happy event in the mansion today. I persuaded my grandfather to take a day off, so we stole half a day to relax."

Tao Shu forced a smile: "That's great! Second uncle finally got admitted to high school, it's such a happy event. When Second Uncle comes back, I will go and congratulate him."

Min Xi said, "I'm also waiting to congratulate my second uncle. Is it okay with you?"

Tao Shu sighed softly, "I took the exam three times anyway. I feel a little disappointed when I didn't pass. It's too hard, three years after three years. I'm a little worried that I'll be like my second uncle, or even worse than him, and never pass the exam until I die."

"No! As you grow older and gain more experience, your writing will become more and more sophisticated, and you will definitely pass the exam." Min Xi comforted him.

Tao Shu said: "If I still fail the exam by the age of 40, I will stop taking it and focus on my studies. Life is short, and we cannot waste our whole life pursuing fame and fortune. There are more meaningful things to do."

"You're right. Actually, you're a juren, so it's easy for you to do something. Look at me, I'm not even a tongsheng. I grew up with you and am still in the elementary school stage. It's so embarrassing!" Min Xi couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"That's because you didn't have the opportunity to study. If you had been able to study since childhood, you would have graduated from high school long ago. My grandfather said that your talent is higher than all of us," said Tao Shu.

Min Xi shook his head: "No." His talent is really only average, otherwise he wouldn't have failed to get into a 985 university.

"Just study hard and you will definitely pass the examination to become a scholar in two years. Within ten years, you will definitely become a juren." Tao Shu said seriously.

Min Xi held his forehead and smiled bitterly. Studying for another ten years would cost him his life!

The two chatted for a while, and a servant came outside to report that the second master had returned. Min Xi took Yunlin and Tao Shu to congratulate Tao Jingzhi.

Tao's house was full of guests, all of whom came to congratulate Tao Jingzhi after hearing the news that he had passed the high school entrance examination. The room was full of guests and friends, and everyone was laughing. Tao Jingzhi's temples were already gray, and the wrinkles around his eyes were also very obvious. He was four years younger than Tao Lizhi, but he looked older. In the final analysis, it was because he was under too much pressure.

Tao Jingzhi's face was all smiles today, and sometimes his eyes couldn't help but become moist while he was smiling. After ten years of hard study, no one cared about him, but he became famous overnight and known all over the world.

Min Xi noticed that Tao Jingzhi's eyes were moist, and he was deeply touched. He thought of Yun Ji, wondering if his path to the imperial examination would be smooth. If he failed twice, he would advise him not to take the exam, and to change his track, and it might not be impossible to develop the country through industry.

I don’t know what the situation is like for Yun Ji in Wenchang Academy today. I don’t know if any of the teachers in the academy have passed the exam. He probably doesn’t know that his second uncle has passed the exam.

Min Xi suddenly had an idea and said to Yun Lin, "Lin'er, let's go see big brother."

Yun Lin's eyes lit up: "Okay! I haven't seen my brother for a long time. I miss him."

"Let's go find Big Brother."

Min Xi did not wait to have lunch at the Tao residence. After saying goodbye to the Tao family, he took Yunlin to Yunxiang Restaurant in a carriage. He asked Chef Liu to cook a few dishes, ordered a can of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, and then drove the carriage to Wenchang Academy.

Beijing was still quite cold in February, so Min Xi brought a small stove for dry pot and placed it on the carriage, ready to heat up the food after arriving.

Although Wenchang Academy is not on holiday today, it is still bustling. Two teachers in the academy are on the list, and the whole academy is in an uproar. Not only are the students here amazing, but the teachers are also amazing. This is truly a Feng Shui treasure land that specializes in producing talents.

After Min Xi arrived, he said he wanted to visit the students of the college. The gatekeeper did not stop him. Although servants were not allowed to be brought in to study, students' families were still allowed to visit.

This was not Min Xi's first visit to Wenchang Academy. He found Yun Ji's classroom with a familiar route. It should be lunch break now. The classroom was noisy. There was no teacher. Only Yun Ji was studying hard, oblivious to the world outside. He had formed a barrier of his own.

He was the oldest in the class. After all, he was the only one in Wenchang Academy who had not taken the Tongkat Ali exam yet, so he was also the one who was laughed at the most. Yun Ji didn't care about the ridicule of those people at all. The suffering and pain he had endured were much more terrible than these.

He was good-looking. When he first came to the academy, some people who liked to tease him tried to do so. After he taught them a lesson, no one dared to mess with him anymore. Everyone knew that he was a good fighter.

Min Xi held Yun Lin's hand and stood at the door. He found Yun Ji's figure, but before he could speak, he was discovered by the child inside: "Wow, who are you looking for?"

Yunlin looked at Yunji from afar and stretched out his hand to greet him: "Big brother!"

Yun Ji had good hearing, and when he heard the familiar voice, he thought he was hallucinating. He looked up and saw Min Xi holding Yun Lin standing at the door, with a surprised and happy expression on his face. He put down the pen in his hand, stood up and strode towards the door, smiling: "Why are you here? Aren't you going to school today?"

Min Xi smiled and said, "My second uncle graduated from high school today, and my grandfather gave us a holiday. We wanted to come and tell you the good news, and bring you some food."

"Really? That's great. Where are Tao Shu and Tao Yu?" Yun Ji bent down and picked up Yun Lin. "Did they bring me some food? Where is it?"

"In the carriage." Min Xi said with a smile, "Tao Shu and Tao Yu didn't make it."

"It doesn't matter. They are still young and have plenty of opportunities. My second uncle finally passed the exam. I think if he fails, he won't be able to hold on."

"Yes, seeing my second uncle's state today, if there weren't so many people around, he would probably want to cry. When I saw him, I thought of you. If you fail the exam twice, let's not take it and not torture ourselves. There are many other things to do in this world." Min Xi said.

When Yun Ji heard this, he looked at Min Xi with eyes so gentle that water could drip out of them: "Okay, let's not go down the same path to the end. Let's go and have something delicious. Have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet, let's eat together." Min Xi said.

Yun Ji's heart was extremely soft at this moment. The best things in the world were all by his side. He felt so satisfied and happy.