The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Diego soon learned that Captain Reis had arrived in the capital, and he brought his wife and children to visit his fellow countrymen.

Diego hadn't spoken Portuguese for a long time, so he stuttered when speaking Portuguese to Reis. It took him a while to get used to it before he could speak fluently.

Diego was shocked when he learned the news of the king's death from Captain Reis. He had met the king before and in his impression, the king was a young, promising and amiable man. He could not accept his death at all and could not help wiping away tears.

Seeing that he started crying while chatting with his fellow villagers, Gao'er was a little scared and asked what happened. Diego took Gao'er's handkerchief, wiped his tears and said, "It's okay. Captain Reis said that our king passed away. I'm a little sad."

Gao'er didn't quite understand, but didn't say anything. She just gently put her hand on his shoulder.

Captain Reis changed the subject, looked at the little girl in Gao'er's arms, and said in a bit stiff Chinese: "Your daughter has grown up so much, she is so cute! What's her name?"

When he left China last time, Diego was not married yet. This time when he came back, he was already a father. Time flies. Looking at the family of three, Reis thought it was pretty good. Diego came to Ming Dynasty and would settle here in the future. Whatever happened in Portugal would not affect them.

"The child's nickname is Funiu." Gao'er said politely, "Uncle Reis is Diego's fellow villager, and it's a rare opportunity for him to come to Beijing. Come to our house for dinner tomorrow, and let Diego cook for you himself. He learned his cooking skills from Mr. Min, and his cooking is delicious."

Diego reached out and squeezed his wife's hand on his shoulder, giving her a grateful look: "Yes, come to my house for lunch tomorrow at noon, and I'll show the captain my skills."

After listening to this, Reis smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go to your house for dinner tomorrow."

Diego said to Min Xi, "Boss, are you free tomorrow? Come along."

Min Xi said, "No problem. I will come with Captain Reiss after I get off work. You don't have to come to pick him up."

"Okay! Thank you, boss."

Reis asked, "Diego, aren't you working in the pastry shop? Don't you have to go these two days?"

Diego smiled and said, "It's okay. I'll go to the store to make snacks tomorrow morning, and then I'll go back to cook."

"Will we make it in time if we rush like this?" Min Xi asked.

"It's still in time. My employer gave me a bicycle, which saved me a lot of time on the road. It's definitely still in time," said Diego.

"That's good, don't work too hard." Min Xi said.

Reis heard a new term and was about to ask what a bicycle was, but Diego asked about Sanvis. He was relieved to hear that Sanvis got married to a widow with a daughter and had a place to stay in the future. "What about you, Captain? Where do you plan to settle down in the future? Ming or Portugal?"

Reis had actually thought about this question. He had a criminal record, so he didn't want to stay in Portugal: "I might stay in Ming Dynasty."

Diego said hurriedly: "You should come to Beijing as well, so we can take care of each other."

Min Xi also advised: "Yes, Captain Leis, you should stay in Daming in the future. Beijing is a little cold in winter, but everything else is pretty good."

Captain Reiss had never seen winter in Beijing, because every time he came here, it was spring and summer, when it was really hot. However, he had been drifting on the sea all year round and had stayed in cabins that were even hotter and stuffier, so the heat in Beijing was nothing to him. He had a good impression of Beijing, so he said, "Okay, I'll come to Beijing to settle down and retire when the time comes."

Min Xi was not worried about Reis's retirement issue. He was the captain of the Xingyun, and Yun Ji paid him a good salary. He got a share of the profit of every voyage, and the money he earned from one trip was more than an ordinary person could spend in a lifetime.

Reiss is not short of money, but people. However, he is now in his fifties and probably doesn't plan to get married again. If he settles in Beijing, they and Diego can take care of him.

After Diego and his family of three returned, Min Xi said to Reis, "Captain Reis, if something happens in Portugal in the future, do you think it is necessary to go to Portugal?"

Reis was a smart man. Hearing what he said, he realized something: "You don't want to fly the European route anymore?"

Min Xi said: "It's not that I don't want to leave. European routes are very profitable, but of course, risks also exist. I am worried that if something happens in Portugal in the future, the originally stable routes may change."

In fact, if Portugal was annexed by Spain, it would not have much impact on its overseas trade policy. After all, Spain is the maritime overlord. Even if it took over Portugal, it would not change its policy. At most, it would change its tax policy.

But there was a big problem. In a few years, Spain would have a naval war with Britain. Spain's invincible fleet would be defeated by Britain, and Spain would lose its position as the hegemon of the sea. When the war broke out, all the merchant ships that could be used would be requisitioned. After all, Western merchant ships were fully armed. They were merchant ships in peacetime and warships in wartime.

Although there are still several years to go, Min Xi still plans to stay away from the battlefield. After all, small conflicts will only develop into major conflicts after they occur enough. The Anglo-Spanish naval battle will not appear out of thin air. The seas in Europe will not be peaceful in the next few years, and the risk factor for their merchant ships will increase.

Leis asked: "Is this what the boss meant?"

Min Xi hadn't discussed this with Yun Ji yet, but he knew Yun Ji wouldn't object to his opinion: "Almost. Actually, I'd like to go east. I heard that if you go east from the Strait of Malacca, through a series of islands, and continue east, you'll find the New World. Maybe we can find some unknown continents in the ocean to the east."

The Australian continent has not been discovered so far. If the Ming Dynasty ships can discover the Australian continent, can they take advantage of it? After all, there is the world's largest iron ore deposit there, which is rich in iron and extremely easy to mine. Min Xi has been there many times before to pull iron ore. The Australians can make a lot of money just by working in the mines, which is really enviable.

Reiss became interested when he heard this: "It sounds interesting. We can take an adventure. But we still have to go to Portugal next time. After all, there are still half of the Portuguese sailors on the ship. I have to send them all back. And I have an agreement with some merchants in Lisbon, and even received a deposit."

Min Xi nodded: "Then let's go again. I won't go again in the future."

When Yun Ji came back, Min Xi told Yun Ji about his plan.

Yun Ji stood in front of the world map and asked, "You said this piece of land has not been discovered by anyone yet?"

"Yes, this land has not yet been discovered by Europeans. This place is very rich, with large reserves of coal and iron ore, as well as copper and gold mines," said Min Xi.

Yun Ji looked at Min Xi and said, "You mean, we can also go to this continent to dig for gold and silver like the Europeans?"

Min Xi smiled and said: "Why not? There are many indigenous people living there, and their productivity is low. We can go there to spread our Confucian cultural ideas, integrate them, and make them work for us." Even if Australia becomes an independent country in the future, it will not be one of the Five Eyes Alliance ruled by white people, specifically stabbing China in the back.

"Big picture!" Yun Ji gave Min Xi a thumbs up.