The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Yun Ji looked around and said, "Let's find a place where no one is around to talk."

Feng Hao nodded, led him to an empty room, and said, "Is there something important?"

Yun Ji told Min Xi what he was thinking: "He wants to borrow two muskets for research."

Feng Hao smiled and said, "Brother Quanzhen, aren't you working in the Honglu Temple? Why did you think of making a musket again?"

"He not only studied muskets, he also made the bicycle. At first, he actually wanted to work as a minor official in the Ministry of Works, but by accident, he ended up going to the Honglu Temple." Yun Ji said.

"Well, the Honglu Temple is a leisurely office that is suitable for him to tinker with these things. You want muskets, right? I'll lend you two." Feng Hao said.

"The loan period will be quite long. We will also take it apart and it may not be restored. If it is damaged, I will compensate you according to the price." Yun Ji was very thoughtful.

Feng Hao said, "Sure. I'll borrow it and send it to you later."

The next day, Feng Hao personally brought two muskets to the Yun family. Yun Ji had not yet left the government office, and only Min Xi was at home. Feng Hao handed a box to Min Xi and said, "I have borrowed the things you want. Try not to damage them."

"Thank you, Brother Feng. We will be careful and try our best to restore them." Min Xi solemnly took the box and placed it on the table.

"By the way, Qiao Zhilian asked me to tell you that we will have dinner together tomorrow night. Yun Ji agreed to host the dinner at Yunxiang Restaurant. You can go too." Feng Hao said.

Min Xi readily agreed: "Okay! I'll talk to Brother Qi later."

Feng Hao asked: "I heard that you made a horseless carriage. Can you show me what it looks like?"

"Okay, I'll take you to see it." Min Xi led him to the front yard and asked, "Brother Qiao is back to report on his work. He should be promoted next, right?"

"Almost, but I don't know where exactly to go."

Min Xi decided to meet Qiao Zhilian tomorrow and ask him about the promotion of potatoes, corn and sweet potatoes in Mizhi.

At this time, the two of them had already reached the front yard. Min Xi pointed at the bicycle in the corner and said, "The bicycle is right there."

Feng Hao was surprised and said, "This two-wheeled vehicle is really strange. It has front and rear wheels, and the wheels are so narrow. Can it really be ridden? How do you ride it?"

Min Xi pushed the bike out, explained it to him, and then demonstrated it himself. Feng Hao saw him riding the bike around the courtyard and nimbly bypassing flower pots and doors, and was amazed: "You can actually ride it! I want to try it, too."

Min Xi said, "Okay, if you want to ride, go outside. The yard is too narrow to learn how to ride."

When Feng Hao was learning to ride a bicycle, Min Xi did not help him, but let him figure it out slowly. He was also a warrior, and although he was not as skilled as Yun Ji, he could not fall down. It took Feng Hao about two quarters of an hour to finally tame the bicycle.

"This bicycle is so fun, more interesting than riding a horse!" Feng Hao was very excited.

"It's still more impressive to ride a horse." Min Xi said with a smile, "A bicycle can only be used to get around, but it can't charge into battle and kill the enemy."

"But riding a horse in the capital is actually not safe. It would be very convenient if you had a bicycle. And you don't have to ask someone to take care of the horse." Feng Hao's words were very pertinent.

Min Xi smiled and asked, "So, if I make a bicycle and sell it, will anyone buy it?"

"Of course! This thing is so interesting, the dignitaries will definitely be interested in it. Then everyone will be proud to own such a bicycle. If you really plan to make it and sell it, then do it quickly and reserve one for me first." Feng Hao said with a smile.

"Okay! Once I'm done, I'll give you the first batch."

Feng Hao couldn't let go of his bicycle. To show off, he rode it to Qianmen Street, which naturally caused a sensation. Fortunately, he was a flamboyant person and was wearing the official uniform of the Jinyiwei. Although he was stared at, no one dared to watch him. He successfully rode around Qianmen Street and returned to the Yun family.

Yun Ji has returned. Feng Hao even proudly showed off the lively scene of him riding his bike and being watched by people. Yun Ji expressed doubts. Who dares to watch the Jinyiwei? They don't want to die.

Feng Hao couldn't let go of the bicycle and didn't want to return it at the end: "This bicycle is so fun, let me borrow it for two more days, and I will return it to you in two days."

Yun Ji looked at Min Xi, who smiled and nodded: "Sure, you can go ahead and ride it. But this bicycle has limited load-bearing capacity and is also relatively fragile, so please take good care of it for me."

"No problem. I will make sure it is returned to you safely." Feng Hao didn't even want the horse. He left it at the Yun family and rode back on his own.

Yun Ji looked at his back and said, "This guy must want to ride to the government office to show off to his colleagues."

Min Xi said, "That's good. They've promoted it for us in advance. When the first batch of bicycles comes out, we won't have to worry about no one buying them." Those who work for the Jinyiwei are basically children of officials with good family background. They are not short of money and can afford bicycles. If the production could not keep up, Min Xi would have counted the money until his hands cramped.

At night, Min Xi inspected the Ming Dynasty's muskets. The workmanship was still very exquisite, but the Ming Dynasty's muskets were not flintlock rifles and needed to be ignited separately. This greatly restricted the conditions of use and they were not very useful in windy and rainy weather.

He and Yunji tested the range and found that the range of the musket was not as good as that of the spring-wheel shotgun. The bullets of both guns were made of iron sand, which had a wider killing area, but the killing power was not very strong.

However, this kind of killing power was not what Min Xi wanted, because the killing power was not enough. On the battlefield, it was impossible to seriously injure the enemy and eliminate the opponent's combat effectiveness.

All of these need to be improved.

The next day, Min Xi and Yun Ji went to Yunxiang Restaurant to meet up with Qiao Zhilian, Feng Hao and others, and Sun Hua also came. It had been five years since the last meeting with Qiao Zhilian, and they were all in their thirties, so it was inevitable to feel that things had changed when they met.

The wind from the Loess Plateau made Qiao Zhilian look much more haggard, and he looked obviously older than his other friends.

Yun Ji raised his glass and said, "Brother Mingjie has suffered a lot in the past few years. Let us toast to you!"

Qiao Zhilian smiled and said, "Thank you! I didn't find it hard at all. I just did my job."

After everyone clinked glasses and drank, they ate and chatted. After so many years of separation, people have changed a lot, so naturally there is no end to the topics.

Qiao Zhilian suddenly raised his glass and said to Min Xi, "I have always wanted to toast to my dear brother Quanzhen. The seeds you sent me really helped me a lot. Mizhi has many mountains and little land, and it is dry and rainy. It has been poor since ancient times. Almost every year, the court has allocated relief grain to barely make a living. After the seeds Quanzhen brought me were sown locally, the harvest was significantly improved. In the past two years, there is no need to ask the court for relief grain."

When Min Xi heard this, a smile appeared on his face: "Really? That's great!"

Qiao Zhilian said, "Thank you! I was also commended by His Majesty for this matter. His Majesty wants to transfer me to Jingzhou as the prefect."