The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Yun Ji said seriously: "I still think that you should study after you go back, and become an official in the future, and offer advice and suggestions to the court. You can't let your talent be buried in the market."

Min Xi waved his hand and said, "Seventh brother, please stop joking with me. Even if I go to school now, I can't write eight-part essays. But you can take the imperial examination after you go back. You have studied for so many years and have a better foundation than me. I will be your aide and give you advice."

Yun Ji looked at Min Xi who was silent for a long time, and it was also a solution: "Then let's talk about it after we get back."

On the way back, Min Xi was already thinking about what to eat for lunch: "Let's make some fried pork with leek moss. I haven't eaten it for a long time. I really miss it. What else do you want to eat, Brother Qi?"

"I love whatever you cook." Yun Ji looked at Min Xi. Just now he was preparing for the rise and fall of the Ming Dynasty, but now he was talking about three meals a day. The ninth brother was always unexpected. He was an orphan who had never been to school, but he had such a wide range of knowledge. If he had read books, he would definitely be a genius. He must not let his talent be buried.

Originally he had no intention of pursuing a career in politics, but now he really had to reconsider the issue, if not for himself, then for the sake of his ninth brother's talent not being buried, so he should make some careful plans.

In the afternoon, Yunji went to paint, and Minxi woke up to write on the wooden box, and taught Diego to read. Although Minxi's Portuguese level was not high, it was much better than Diego who could not read.

Yunji heard that Min Xi was teaching Diego to read, and laughed for a long time. He himself could not read many words, but he was still teaching him Fulangji. It would be better if he was teaching Chinese characters. So he took over the teaching task and taught them both Fulangji.

Diego was also willing to learn. He knew that there was a big difference between literacy and illiteracy. He was an orphan and had no chance to learn to read. Now that they were willing to teach him, he certainly wanted it more than ever.

Since Min Xi couldn't teach Fulang to read, he taught him to recognize numbers and do simple calculations, so that when he lived alone in the future, he could do some small business.

Diego also knew that Min Xi and Yun Ji were good to him. They were the best people he had ever met. Although Sanvis helped him, he would not be so caring to him. Min Xi never beat or scolded him, and he never even said big words to him. He was always kind and gentle. Even if he occasionally made mistakes, he would gently tell him how to correct them and remind him to pay attention next time.

So every time Diego thought about Min Xi going back to China in the future, he felt indescribably sad and scared. He really didn't want to be separated from Min Xi. Fortunately, they would not leave for a few years, so he prayed that they could stay in Fulangji longer.

In the evening, after dinner, they went for a walk on the beach and watched the sunset. It was a rare day off. Usually, the restaurant was always full of guests at this time, and the kitchen was the busiest, so how could they have the chance to watch the sunset?

Diego had been busy in the tavern. Every night was his busiest time, so he naturally had no chance to go out for a walk. So today he followed the two of them to the beach. He was joyful all the way and had a bit of the liveliness of a child.

Min Xi and Yun Ji walked slowly along the seawall. The setting sun spread on the sea, as if a sea of ​​broken gold was sprinkled on it. The salty sea breeze blew across their faces, ironing every pore on their bodies. The waves beat against the embankment, and the waves seemed to splash like broken silver, and instantly sank into the sea.

The ships waiting to enter the port had their sails furled and were slowly approaching the harbor. Because they were far away, they couldn't hear the noise of the sailors, but they had experienced it themselves, and they usually couldn't suppress their excited cursing.

Min Xi found a reef to sit down and said, "I feel that this vacation is very good. I can't just think about making money. I should take a proper rest."

"That's right. Even the emperor and court officials have to rest for three days every month." Yun Ji sat down next to him.

Diego was playing alone at the beach. He hadn't been so relaxed for a long time. In the past, he had time, but he had to worry about his meals and had no time to play. Later, he had meals but no time to play. Now was the best time. He had no worries about food and clothing, and he had two days off every month. Only then could he play without worries.

Min Xi looked out at the sea in the distance and said, "Another ship has returned, and the sails haven't been lowered yet."

Yun Ji also saw it: "This ship came back before dark. It's lucky. There are not many ships today. It can go directly to the port. If we came back at that time, I'm afraid we would have to stay on the ship all night."

"Yes." Min Xi replied, "Seventh Brother, how much do you think it will cost to build a galleon?"

Yun Ji thought for a moment and said, "My Fu ship is half the size of the Shark and costs about 6,000 taels of silver. The Galleon is not only bigger than ours, but also more reasonably designed and more sturdy. I estimate that it would cost at least 20,000 to 30,000 taels of silver. This is just a preliminary estimate, and it may be more than that. After all, the cost of a ship that is twice as big is not just a matter of doubling."

Min Xi calculated that the purchasing power of silver and reals was about the same, which meant that at least 20,000 to 30,000 reals were needed to buy a galleon. Of course, this was just for buying the ship, not including the cost of equipping the ship with weapons.

A standard galleon can be equipped with forty cannons. If all of them are installed, the cost of a ship would be at least hundreds of thousands of reais.

How many years would it take them to earn a galleon without weapons? And as a foreigner, what were the chances of him buying a galleon?

Min Xi said, "Seventh Brother, I want to buy a boat."

Yun Ji turned his head and looked at him: "Buy a galleon?"

Min Xi nodded: "Yes, let's buy one and bring it back for our Ming Dynasty craftsmen to study and see if they can build the same ship." The possibility of buying weapons is very small, because the sale of weapons is strictly prohibited regardless of which country.

Yun Ji looked at him for a long time before saying, "At the rate at which our store makes money, we can probably make more than 2,000 reais a year."

Min Xi said, "Let's open a snack shop after a while."

Yun Ji said, "Let's say three thousand reais."

Min Xi said, "Then we can earn a deposit first. Two or three years will be enough. We can pay the deposit first. It will take time to build a ship anyway. Let's go back and get money from your family to pay the balance. The ship will be yours."

Yun Ji suddenly laughed, but did not reject Min Xi's approach: "It's not impossible, but the boat belongs to both of us."

Min Xi said: "We must get this ship, so that we can compete with them on the sea in the future."

"Ninth brother's goals are getting bigger and bigger." Yun Ji chuckled.

Min Xi corrected him: "This is not only my goal, it is our goal!"

"Yes, our target!" Yun Ji raised his hand and touched the back of his head.

Min Xi found that he liked to touch her head. Did he really treat her as his younger brother?

They stayed at the beach until the sunset sank into the sea level. The sky gradually changed from orange to dark purple, then to blue-purple, and then gradually darkened and turned gray. The night began to fall, and the sea and sky in the distance became chaotic. They then got up and walked back to the store.

Diego jumped around them like a happy little sparrow, feeling indescribably relaxed and happy.

It was not completely dark when I got home, and I could see a carriage parked at the door from a distance. The light was dim, and I couldn't see the logo on the carriage clearly.

Min Xi and Yun Ji looked at each other: "Is there anyone coming to eat today?" That would most likely be a regular customer.

When they got closer, they saw that it was indeed a regular customer, Lord Mello, whom they hadn't seen for two days. He was sitting on a chair prepared for customers waiting in line on the porch outside the store. When he saw them coming back, he asked, "Are you closed today?"

He had been there for a while. When he arrived, Min Xi and Yun Ji were planning how to buy a boat at the seaside.

He wanted to come for dinner, but as you can imagine, he was turned away. Actually, there was a notice posted at the door yesterday saying that the restaurant was closed today, but he didn't come for dinner yesterday, so he didn't know.

But when he saw the sign hanging on the door, he did not leave, thinking that they would come back eventually, so it should be okay to have a free meal.

Min Xi came over quickly and said, "Your Excellency, we are closed today. Are you waiting for dinner here?"

Lord Mello rubbed his hungry stomach and said, "Yes, is there anything to eat?"

Min Xi thought for a moment and said, "Yes, there are some, but there aren't many dishes, just noodles."

"That's fine! As long as there's something to eat, I haven't eaten all day." Lord Mello said.

Yun Ji didn't say anything. During the time they were chatting, he had already unlocked the door, lit the tinder, lit the charcoal cloth, and lit the candlestick. The dark room was instantly filled with warm yellow light. The oil lamps produced a lot of smoke, so the store always lit candles.

Lord Melo entered the shop, Diego pulled out a chair enthusiastically, invited him to sit down, and went to make tea for him. The teapot was always on the coal stove, and the water was boiled, so that there was always water for tea.

Yun Ji didn't say anything. He seldom took the initiative to talk to Lord Mello, so as not to give the other party the wrong impression. Even so, the other party came almost every day. If he said anything again, he might stay in the store and not leave.

Yun Ji was actually very clear about Melo's little thoughts. It was not that he had never encountered them before. He was also one of the most handsome men in the capital. Nowadays, the south wind was prevalent, and many children from aristocratic families had evil thoughts about him. Some even flirted with him in person, and some deliberately approached him by pretending to be friends, but in the end they all fled because of his martial arts value.

Melo's little tricks and schemes were totally insignificant, and he didn't take them to heart at all.