The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

When Min Xi heard that Leis had brought a few foreigners, he was stunned and looked at Yun Ji. Who could it be? Both of them had countless guesses.

Yun Ji nodded: "Let's go in and take a look."

The two walked into the house, and the housekeeper soon came to greet them: "Master, Master Min, you are back! There are several guests in the house, all foreigners, brought by Captain Reis. I arranged for them to stay in Zizhu Garden and also arranged for them to take a bath."

Min Xi asked: "When did they arrive?"

The butler quickly replied, "They have been here for half a day. Captain Reiss said that those foreigners are your friends. There are men and women, and there is also a child, a little girl."

Min Xi was shocked and looked at Yun Ji in disbelief: "Baron Fernando?"

Yun Ji nodded: "Very likely."

The two of them couldn't help but quicken their pace and ran towards Zizhu Garden. As soon as they stepped into Zizhu Garden, they saw Captain Reis walking back and forth in the yard. Hearing the footsteps, Reis turned around with a happy look on his face: "Mr. Min and Mr. Yun are back." He spoke in Portuguese.

As soon as the words fell, someone rushed out of the room, ran towards them with open arms, and shouted: "Min, Yun, my dear friends, I miss you so much!"

Min Xi also opened his arms and gave Baron Fernando a warm hug: "Pedro, my old friend, I never thought it would be you! Great! You are here in Daming, warmly welcome you!"

Baron Fernando and Min Xi hugged each other warmly for a long time. Yun Ji on the side also said: "Pedro, long time no see! Welcome to Daming!"

The baron then let go of Min Xi and embraced Yun Ji warmly: "My dear friends, thank God for your protection. This journey was so difficult and dangerous. I thought I would never see you again!"

Min Xi asked excitedly: "Pedro, why are you here in Daming? The Baroness and Miss Bella are here too?"

"Yes, I brought them all here. My motherland Portugal no longer exists. We have lost two kings in succession and there is no heir to the throne. The King of Spain took the opportunity to annex Portugal. I didn't want to be a subject of Spain, so I left Portugal with my wife and children and came to you." The baron couldn't help but sigh when he said this.

Min Xi patted the baron on the shoulder and said, "I feel sorry for your motherland. Pedro, Ming Dynasty welcomes you. You should stay in Ming Dynasty. We will definitely help you adapt to life in Ming Dynasty."

At this time, Baroness Alice came out of the room with a little brown-haired girl of eight or nine years old. Alice lifted her skirt and bowed to Min Xi and Yun Ji: "Dear sirs, hello!"

Bella followed suit and knelt down to greet the two men like her mother: "Hello, gentlemen. I heard from my father and mother that I met two uncles when I was a child, but I was too young at that time and have no memory of it." She seemed very polite, just like a little lady.

Min Xi and Yun Ji saluted the mother and daughter like gentlemen: "Long time no see, Baroness, Miss Bella! Welcome to Beijing. Miss Bella has grown into a big girl. When you were little, we held you in our arms. I hope you can get used to living in Beijing."

"Welcome to Beijing! Miss Bella was only this tall before, but now she's so big." Yun Ji looked at Bella with a smile.

The baron smiled and said to his daughter, "This is Uncle Min, and this is Uncle Yun. When you were little, you hugged Uncle Yun and refused to let go."

Bella stuck out her tongue playfully and made a face.

Yun Ji asked the housekeeper behind him, "Is the food ready?"

"It's ready, you can eat now."

Yun Ji said to the Baron: "Pedro, the food is ready, let's go have dinner."

Speaking of eating, the baron's eyes lit up. "Min, let me tell you, one of the main motivations for me to come to Daming is to eat authentic Daming cuisine. Although we made a lot of preparations on the way here, we still suffered a lot, especially Bella. I was a little worried that she would not be able to hold on. Thank God, she finally arrived in Beijing safely."

Min Xi noticed that the little girl was indeed incredibly thin, with pale skin. Her two big blue eyes were even slightly bulging outwards, and her brown hair was messy and dull like dead grass.

Min Xi said, "You have suffered. But you don't have to worry about it in the future. I will definitely raise Bella to be plump and white. Let's go and have dinner."

The two men led the guests to dinner. In addition to Captain Reiss and the Baron's family of three, the Baron also brought a servant. Min Xi had no impression of this servant. He should not be a close servant of the Baron, but just a servant who was willing to follow him overseas.

To be honest, it was completely beyond Min Xi's expectations that Baron Fernando and his family would travel across the ocean to the Ming Dynasty. He knew that the Baron was always a maverick and did not follow the beaten path. He might go to sea for adventure, but he never expected that he would bring his wife and daughter with him.

And even if they wanted to settle overseas, they would probably choose to go to the closer mainland, rather than the faraway Ming. The fact is that they eventually chose the Ming to seek refuge with us, so helping them settle down in the Ming is beyond doubt.