The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Yun Lin, who was wrapped in fox fur and hiding in the carriage to avoid the wind, opened the window and poked his little face out: "Second brother, come back soon!"

That little face was tearful. He had spent more time with Min Xi than with Yun Ji. In fact, their relationship was closer, and psychologically he was more dependent on Min Xi.

Min Xi looked at the carriage and said, "Okay! Lin'er, eat well and sleep well when you go back, and don't cause trouble for your brother."

"Yes! I know!" Yun Lin nodded vigorously.

The canal boat was about to set off, and the canal workers began to urge him to get on board. Min Xi then waved goodbye to the Yun Ji brothers and turned around to get on the canal boat.

Yun Ji watched the canal boat leave Shichahai, enter Tonghui River, and disappear from sight, then turned around and got on the carriage to go home. He stood by the water for a while, and his toes were numb from the cold. Min Xi was taking a boat to Yingtian Prefecture. The thin bottom of the boat was separated by the icy river water. He didn't know how much he was suffering on the boat. He didn't know if the stove and charcoal prepared for him were enough. Tao Xing should know how to buy them along the way. If he didn't have to take the exam and couldn't leave, he really wanted to accompany Min Xi.

As soon as Min Xi left, Yun Ji began to feel worried. If Yun Lin hadn't been making trouble around him, he would have been unable to calm down at all.

Although Min Xi was also melancholy, he had more things to do, so he had no time to think about those things. He needed to adapt to the life on the boat. He was used to being on the boat, but this trip south was the most painful one. It was too cold. It was really freezing cold in the north this season. Although the river water temperature was above zero degrees, it was still too low for the human body. There was cold air everywhere. The space on the boat was narrow and the range of activities was limited. He could only read in the cabin with a quilt wrapped around a heater.

Tao Xing took care of his daily life and acted as his book boy, while Diego was responsible for cooking for him.

Min Xi had an exam coming up soon, and he felt that he still had a lot of books to finish. He had only spent more than a year studying seriously, so it was still a bit hasty. Therefore, he did not waste a single moment on the way back, and studied every minute.

Seven days later, the boat arrived in Zhenjiang. They got off the boat and took a horse carriage back to Jurong County. They rented a quiet courtyard in the county town to live in. After all, there was still more than a month before the exam. After the county exam, there would be another provincial exam. They would have to live there for several months. They couldn't stay in an inn all the time. It was expensive, but it was inconvenient. They couldn't cook for themselves, and there were all kinds of people living there, which was not conducive to studying.

After renting a house, Min Xi first went home to get a household registration certificate, and naturally he had to say hello to his clansmen.

The clan members were surprised and delighted to see him coming back. They heard that he was going to ask the village head to get a household registration certificate and to look up the family tree to find out the names of his great-grandparents, grandparents and parents, so that he could take the county exam. The clan members realized that he was lucky and had already started studying for the imperial examination.

When he came back from overseas that year, he also came back to worship his ancestors. He was tanned black and dressed simply. Although he gave some silver to the people who had taken care of him, everyone just thought he had made a small fortune and did not feel any difference in status.

But this time he had been raised in the capital for nearly two years, and his skin had become much whiter. He had originally been handsome, and now, wearing brocade clothes and fox fur, he looked like a young master from a wealthy family. He was no longer the orphan who was ragged and pale-faced and begged for food everywhere.

The tribesmen now believed that he had really become rich and might even become an official in the future, so they all came to try to get close to him, hoping to receive some favor from him in the future.

Of course Min Xi knew what everyone was thinking, and he did not reject everyone's enthusiasm and kindness. Min Jiu grew up with the help of his clansmen and neighbors, so if he had the chance, he would definitely repay everyone's kindness on Min Jiu's behalf.

After returning to his hometown, Min Xi offered sacrifices to his ancestors, settled his affairs, and then went to Yingtian Prefecture again to deliver Tao Lizhi's business card to the prefect of Yingtian.

When Yingtian Prefecture Governor Lou Zhuo saw the name card, he met him without saying a word. After reading Tao Lizhi's letter, he understood what was going on and said, "So you are Mr. Tao's best student, so your literary talent must be outstanding. Don't worry, I will definitely arrange the mutual agreement and pledge for you. You can stay in Yingtian Prefecture for a day. I will write a letter to the magistrate of Jurong County and have someone send it to your inn tomorrow, or you can stay at my house."

"I am absolutely unworthy of this title. I started school late and have little talent and knowledge. I am afraid of tarnishing Mr. Tao's reputation, so I dare not announce to others that he is his student. Thank you very much for your kindness, sir. I have already stayed in the inn and will not bother you anymore. I will come to get the letter myself tomorrow." Min Xi said respectfully.

Lou Zhuo nodded: "That's fine too."

Lou Zhuo admired Min Xi's attitude very much. He did not feel embarrassed to take the examination for the scholar at such an old age. He was calm and collected, and he was a promising talent.

Min Xi did not ask for help in vain, and sent some gifts brought back from overseas to Lou Zhuo. After staying in Yingtian Prefecture for two days, he immediately rushed back to Jurong County after receiving the letter from Magistrate Lou.

He went to visit the magistrate of Jurong County with the prefect's name card. After receiving the prefect's name card and letter, the magistrate of Jurong County almost worshipped Min Xi and said, "Leave this little matter to me. My dear nephew, just focus on your studies."

"Thank you very much, sir!" After Min Xi thanked politely, he went back to continue studying.

The winter in Yingtianfu is really cold. Although the temperature is not lower than that in Beijing, the humidity is too high and the coldness penetrates into the bones. Tao Xing bought the best charcoal and burned the charcoal fire in the house vigorously so that Min Xi could study with peace of mind. Before leaving, Yun Ji told him to let Min Xi study with peace of mind, no matter the cost, so Tao Xing was not afraid to spend money.

Min Xi never left the house except to register for the county examination, and did not leave home until the day of the examination.

In the past, Min Xi had only seen the imperial examination scenes on TV, and there were often plots of women disguising themselves as men to take the imperial examinations. But when he actually took the examination himself, he realized how fake those scenes were. First of all, they were blocked at the registration stage. Who would dare to falsify the identity of the candidate if they had signed a guarantor? Wouldn't that mean they didn't want fame?

As usual, there was a strict check before entering the examination room to see if anyone had brought any cheat sheets. The examinees' examination baskets only contained the four treasures of the study, some dry food, and a water bottle; they were not allowed to bring even a piece of paper.

The county examination lasts only one day, so it is at least better than the other examinations because at least you don’t have to spend the night in the examination room.

Min Xi entered the venue and found his seat number. Everyone had a cubicle, except the front which was not enclosed.

Min Xi was not nervous. He was not the oldest among the candidates. There were some older than him, but most of them were younger. Most of them were teenagers. There were even some who looked only eight or nine years old. Most of them were child prodigies.

When the test papers were handed out, the first part was very simple, mainly testing the comprehension of the texts of the Four Books and the Five Classics, which was equivalent to reading comprehension, mixed with a little personal opinion. This part mainly tested the candidates' basic understanding of Confucian classics, and examined the candidates' handwriting, etc. Generally speaking, the chances of admission are relatively high.

Those who could not even pass the basic understanding and whose handwriting was illegible were naturally eliminated.

Min Xi had studied with Tao Hong for more than a year and had memorized the Four Books and the Five Classics by heart. The first exam was very easy for him. After answering the questions, he carefully copied the official answers and checked them again. He handed in his paper early to avoid suffering from the cold in there.

It was still quite cold in February, and when he handed in his paper, many people had already come out, so it didn't seem strange that he handed in his paper early.

After the first exam, the second exam will be held only after the results are announced. Those who are not admitted in the first exam do not need to take the second one.

Min Xi was not worried at all that he would not pass the first round. If he couldn’t even pass this one, all those years of studying would have been in vain.

Diego prepared the meal early. After dinner, Tao Xing and Diego suggested that Min Xi take a rest. Min Xi yawned and said, "It's okay. I just wrote a few hundred words. I don't feel tired. I'll read a book for a while."

On the day of the announcement of the results, Min Xi was still studying hard, waiting for the second exam.

After three or four days, the results of the first round were finally announced. As expected, Min Xi passed the first round smoothly and ranked relatively high.