The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

As soon as Colonel Ed's order was served, another customer came to the restaurant. This time it was the Baron's friend with a Balboa-style beard, his name was Walter, who worked in Lisbon's City Hall and was a clerk in the mayor's office.

Although his official position was not high, he usually interacted with prominent figures. After lunch today, he took the box of egg tarts sent by Min Xi back to the office.

During afternoon tea, the mayor offered his newly acquired Chinese tea. He was embarrassed to drink it for free, so he took out the box of egg tarts to share with everyone. Although cold egg tarts are not as sweet as hot ones, they taste special when eaten with hot tea in summer. The mayor liked them very much and ate two in a row. If they were not gone, he would have eaten more.

My colleagues asked where I bought it, and when they heard it was from a Chinese restaurant, they were very curious. Because things from China are very high-end, silk, porcelain, tea, paper, etc. are all high-end luxury goods. Now there is a Chinese restaurant in Lisbon, and the food is so delicious, of course they have to go and see it. So after work, they went straight to the Chinese restaurant in Minxi.

There were seven people in Walter's group. After they arrived, they were led to the Plum Hall on the second floor.

When Min Xi heard Yun Ji say in the kitchen that Walter had brought people to dinner, he felt happy. The meal was indeed not for free, and the egg tarts were not for free either. Look, the effect was evident.

Not long after Walter arrived, Baron Fernando came over with two people. These two people looked quite similar to him, but were older than him. They could be seen as his brothers at first glance. This was indeed the case. One was his biological brother, Lord Fernando, and the other was his cousin, Lieutenant Colonel Fernando, who had no title and held a sinecure in the army.

The baron was Min Xi's creditor, and Min Xi promised to reserve a special seat for him. So when he arrived, Yun Ji went up to ask if he wanted to sit in the private room upstairs or downstairs.

The baron asked, "Is there any guest in the private room?"

Yun Ji said, "Yes, there are guests in two private rooms. They are all your friends who brought their families and friends to eat."

The baron nodded: "You have good business, I'll go up and say hello."

The Baron knocked on the door and greeted Colonel Ed and Walter, then came out and said, "Let's eat with Walter. They haven't served the food yet. Let's go to a bigger private room."

Yun Ji was of course grateful to the Baron for saving a seat for him, so he helped everyone move to the larger Chrysanthemum Hall.

The baron wanted to have dinner with the mayor, and the mayor wanted to maintain a friendly relationship with Lord Fernando, so naturally they hit it off and got together.

Min Xi was cooking in the kitchen with three stoves running at the same time, one for frying, one for stewing, and one for steaming. Yun Ji took some time out to help watch the steaming and the oven, and was very busy.

More and more people came to eat, including neighbors next door and curious passers-by, and slowly the whole restaurant was full.

People have a herd mentality, and they tend to go to places where there are many people. This is especially true when eating. If there are many people eating here, those who want to eat will naturally want to go in and try it.

After the restaurant was full, some people came in. Yun Ji could only tell them that the restaurant was full and they needed to wait a little longer if they wanted to eat. If they didn't want to wait, they could buy a dessert and try it. They were welcome to come back next time.

The egg tarts are packed in a box of 6 pieces and cost 25 Swiss francs. Most people would not buy them because they think they are too expensive, but some people are curious and would buy one. People who are willing to buy are almost potential customers.

This was the first time the restaurant was full, and for the kitchen staff with only one chef, the pressure was enormous. Min Xi worked hard to cook, but the guests outside still had to wait a long time.

Yun Ji was worried that the guests would leave if they waited too long, so he gave them egg tarts in advance according to the number of people at the table. After eating the egg tarts, the impatient guests were unwilling to leave anymore, and it was worth waiting even if it took longer.

It was not until dark that all the dishes were ready and served. Although the guests were a little impatient, they stayed for the egg tarts. The delicious food also calmed the guests and soon everyone started eating.

Some customers left and some came in. I was busy until after eight o'clock when I finally finished.

When he was busy, Min Xi was full of energy and didn't feel anything. But when he was done, he found that his arms didn't feel like his own anymore. He sat in the chair for a long time and didn't want to move.

Yunji and Gail cleaned up the kitchen together, and after all the guests had left, they cleaned up the place. Then they came to ask how Min Xi was, only to find that he had fallen asleep on the counter at the front desk.

Seeing this, Yun Ji couldn't help but sigh. He was really exhausted today.

Seeing Min Si like this, Gail said, "Sir, is he okay?"

"It's okay, I'm just tired. You go back first, I also need to close the shop and take a rest. I have some baked buns and egg tarts, they will go bad if I leave them out tomorrow, you can take them back and eat them." Yun Ji said.

When Gail heard this, he was overjoyed: "Thank you, sir!" This is the benefit of working in a restaurant. Not only can you eat well, but you can also take food home. It's really lucrative. A baked bun or an egg tart costs 4 reeses.

After Gale left, Yun Ji closed the shop door, filled the bathtub with water, and then woke Min Xi up: "Ninth brother, get up and take a bath, then go to bed."

Min Xi yawned and tried to touch his face with his hand, but found it difficult to lift his arm: "Oh no, Seventh Brother, I can't even lift my arm. Can I still cook tomorrow?"

Yun Ji said, "You don't exercise often, and now you're cooking so many dishes all of a sudden. It's normal for your arms to be sore. Go take a bath first, and I'll give you a massage later, maybe it can help relieve the pain."

Min Xi nodded, got up and went to the bathroom at the back to take a shower. This was a bathroom that was specially separated from the kitchen during the renovation. There was a tub filled with water in the bathroom. He reached out and touched the water, which was warm. Min Xi asked Yun Ji, who was pouring water into the water tank, "Seventh Brother, did you pour the water for me?"

"Yes, wash it quickly." Yun Ji said.

"Seventh Brother, you are so kind." Min Xi took off his shirt and raised his hand to untie his hairband. He had been busy at the stove all day, and his head and face were all greasy. He wanted to take off his hair and wash it at the same time. When he raised his right arm, he found it was a little sore and weak. He said jokingly, "Seventh Brother, my arm is sore and I can't lift it up. Can you help me wash my hair and rub my back?"

Yun Ji was stunned for a moment, then said, "Okay."

Seeing that he agreed so readily, Min Xi felt embarrassed: "No, no need, I was just kidding you."

Yun Ji poured the water from the bucket into the pot, then walked to the bathroom door and pushed it open. "It's okay, I'll help you."

Because he and Yun Ji were the only ones there, Min Xi didn't lock the door, and Yun Ji walked right in. Min Xi was just bending over to take off his pants, and under the dim light, Yun Ji saw Min Xi's naked body and immediately looked away in embarrassment.

When Min Xi heard the sound of the door opening, he did not care that his pants were still hanging on his calves and hurried to hide behind the bathtub. As a result, his pants got tangled up in his feet, and his legs stumbled onto the bathtub next to him.

Yun Ji caught a glimpse of his movements from the corner of his eye, and his body reacted subconsciously. He dodged and grabbed the man: "Be careful!"

Min Xi thought he was going to hit the bathtub, but he didn't expect to touch a warm chest the next second. Yun Ji's hand was right on his chest, and his fingers happened to fall on a sensitive part. A strange feeling surged in his heart.

Yun Ji held Min Xi's hand for only a short moment. After he supported Min Xi, he quickly let go of his hand. Soon, his ears turned red because he realized what he had touched.

"Are you okay?" Yun Ji's voice was a little hoarse.

Min Xi cleared his throat and said, "I'm fine. Brother Qi, please go out first. I'll take a shower first, and you can come and help me wipe my back while I take a bath later."

Yun Ji said, "Okay."