The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

It was such a hot day that it was impossible to prepare any food at home. Fortunately, there were still some eggs and some fresh tomatoes picked from the field today. Min Xi made a bowl of tomato and egg noodles for Lord Mello.

He also peeled the tomatoes for a better taste.

Yunji kneaded the noodles, and the two worked together to serve fresh tomato and egg noodles on the table in less than half an hour. Because Westerners are not good at using chopsticks, Min Xi also tried his best to prepare noodles for the guests. In addition, it was summer, so noodles were obviously more suitable than soup noodles.

Lord Mello looked at the noodles in front of him and asked in confusion, "What is this?"

Min Xi certainly couldn't say it was wolf peach egg noodles, so he made up a name: "It's called red jade egg noodles."

Lord Mello raised an eyebrow: "What is a red jade?"

Min Xi avoided answering: "Try it and see how it tastes. Mix it well before eating."

Lord Melo remembered the first time he came to eat and was teased by Min Si, and thought, would he tease him again? But at this moment he was really hungry, and the food smelled delicious, so he did not hesitate, stirred it with a fork a few times, let the noodles be coated with soup, picked up the noodles and put them into his mouth.

A slightly sweet and sour taste filled his mouth, delicious and appetizing. He no longer hesitated, lowered his head and started eating quickly.

Lord Mello is still Lord Mello. Although he eats fast, he never eats like a wolf. Even when he is very hungry, he still maintains his elegance. It seems that elegance is engraved in this man's bones.

Soon, he finished the noodles. Because there was only one bowl of noodles, Min Xi gave him a lot of noodles, and he was about 70% full after finishing it.

Lord Melo finished his noodles, picked up the tomato and egg with a fork and spoon, and ate them. Then he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief: "Thank you, it's delicious. How much?"

While he was eating noodles, Min Xi was writing advertisements near Merlot with a goose feather pen. After Min Xi finished writing on the box in his hand, he put down the pen and looked up: "30 Swiss francs."

"So cheap!" Melo was a little bit unbelievable.

Min Xi wanted to say that even in modern society, 30 yuan for a bowl of tomato and egg noodles is very expensive, so he deliberately charged a higher price. After all, this bowl of noodles was specially made for him and it was handmade.

"The cost is not high, it's mainly labor costs," said Min Xi.

"Thank you for making this meal just for me." Lord Melo took out a 40-reis silver coin and placed it on the table. "No need to change."

"Thank you, Lord. I haven't seen you for two days. Are you out of town on business?" Min Xi took the silver coin and chatted casually.

Lord Melo nodded: "Yes, I went to Setúbal."

Min Xi was moved when he heard this: "The largest shipyard in Fulangji is right there, right?"

Lord Mello exhaled, "Yes, I'm just going to the shipyard this time to do something for my father."

Min Xi's heart was beating wildly. Could this guy have some connection with the shipyard? But he didn't reveal it right away. Instead, he said, "It's not close. Thank you for your hard work."

"It's not that bad, but everything is inconvenient when you're away from home. I can't eat or sleep well." Lord Mello yawned and quickly covered his mouth with a handkerchief.

Min Xi said, "Your Excellency is tired, so go back and rest. You can come back for dinner tomorrow. If you want to eat anything, you can make a reservation and we can prepare the dishes in advance."

When Lord Melo heard this, he looked at Min Xi in surprise: "Is it possible like this?" Is this a preferential treatment for him?

Min Xi said with a smile: "In fact, our hotel has always had reservation services and private dishes services. Private dishes also need to be reserved. There is a minimum consumption standard, starting from 588 Swiss francs per person. It's just that the publicity has not yet been in place. After we are done with His Excellency the Duke's birthday party, we will officially launch private dish reservations." The reason why it was postponed until after the birthday party was that more dignitaries would know about China Hotel so that the private dishes could be sold.

Lord Mello smiled and said, "It's interesting. I will definitely come to taste it sometime." It seemed that he was just being too sentimental.

After Lord Melo left, Diego collected the dishes and went to wash them. Min Xi sat under the lamp for a long time without getting up. Yun Ji came out from the kitchen and saw him sitting in a daze. He raised his hand and waved it in front of his eyes: "What are you thinking about? I've poured you some water, go take a shower."

"Okay, thank you, Seventh Brother! Seventh Brother, I just made an important discovery." Min Xi reached out and grabbed Yun Ji's wrist.

Yun Ji looked down at the hand on his wrist and did not pull it away: "What did you find?"

Min Xi said, "Lord Melo just mentioned to me that he went to the shipyard in Setubal to do something for his father. What do you think it is?"

Yun Ji thought for a moment and said, "Go buy a boat?"

Min Xi shook his head: "Probably not. I remember Baron Fernando said that the Marquis of Melo was a powerful person, probably a minister. It is also possible that the Marquis was in charge of shipbuilding."

Yun Ji said: "Is that the Minister of Works?"

Min Xi nodded after hearing this: "It's very likely. I'll ask people about it later."

Yun Ji questioned, "If he was the Minister of Industry, why would he let his son do the work if it was a chore?"

Min Xi shook his head at him: "You don't know this. In our Ming Dynasty, officials are appointed and dismissed through the imperial examination. But in countries like Europe, officials are appointed and dismissed by the king, and many are hereditary. Even if they are not hereditary, they are all selected and recommended by the nobility."

Yun Ji said, "Then doesn't that mean ordinary people have no way to rise?"

"Yes, that's it..." He wanted to say that it was just like the Nine-Rank System of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, but when he thought of his illiterate personality, he couldn't say that. When he returned to the Ming Dynasty, he should listen to Yun Ji's advice and read some books, otherwise there would be many topics that he couldn't talk about.

"Just what?" Yun Ji asked.

Min Xi scratched his head and said, "It is very likely that Lord Melo will inherit his father's position, so we have to have a good relationship with Lord Melo. We may even have to buy ships from him in the future."

Yun Ji bent down and approached Min Xi: "I didn't expect you to know so much about Fulangji."

Min Xi was so shocked by his action that he leaned back in his chair: "Seventh Brother, what are you doing?"

Yun Ji did not step away, staring into his eyes: "Ninth brother, I find that my understanding of you is far from enough. How much do you know? You even know so much about the European official selection and appointment system." This knowledge is totally unlike that of an orphan who has never been to school.

Min Xi raised his hand and pushed back his head that was close to him: "I know a lot of things, Qi Ge, you can learn more about it later."

Yun Ji nodded: "It is indeed necessary to understand."

Min Xi stood up: "I'm going to take a shower."

Yun Ji suddenly reached out and pinched Min Xi's ear: "Go ahead."

Min Xi: ...

What does this mean? The point is that his hair was numb from being pinched. Why did Yun Ji touch him so much? Was it intentional or unintentional? He was a little suspicious whether he was really straight.

Yun Ji filled a large bucket of warm water for Min Xi. It seemed that he was going to let him take a bath again. He didn't mind the trouble. Min Xi smiled and shook his head slightly. He was still happy in his heart. Taking a bath was so comfortable.

After he rinsed, he got back into the bathtub. Not long after he soaked in the tub, he heard a knock on the door: "Ninth brother."

"What's wrong?" Min Xi opened his eyes.

"Bring your clothes here and I'll wash them for you." Yun Ji said outside the door.

Min Xi bolted the door this time, so he couldn't get in from the outside. "No need, Seventh Brother. The store is closed today, and I'm not tired. I'll wash it myself later."

Yun Ji said, "Then don't wash it. Leave it there and I'll wash it for you. Wash it together with my clothes. It will save water."

After hearing this, Min Xi thought to himself, do you really want to save water? Why do you prepare such a large bucket of water for yourself to take a bath? Aren't you afraid of wasting it?

When Yun Ji heard that he didn't answer, he said, "It's agreed. Just leave it there later. I'll wash your clothes for you."

Min Xi had no choice but to say, "I have nothing to do today, so I'll help Brother Qi wash some clothes. I feel so embarrassed to always ask you to do it for me."

Since opening the shop, Min Xi has never washed clothes by himself. Yun Ji has always helped him wash them. Min Xi feels that it is a sin for a rich man who lives a life of luxury to do this for himself. However, Yun Ji said that he works harder than himself, and this little thing can be regarded as helping to share the burden, so he has persisted in doing it. This is probably Yun Ji's way of expressing his concern.

After Diego arrived, he offered to help the two wash their clothes, but Yun Ji refused. Because Min Xi had clearly stated that Diego was an employee hired by the store, not a servant to take care of them, and he didn't need to help them with private matters. Yun Ji naturally wouldn't let him wash his clothes, so he just washed them himself.

Yun Ji said, "I'm used to washing it. It's not that difficult. You don't have to wash it."

"Since it's not difficult, what's wrong with me washing it?" Min Xi retorted.

Yun Ji didn't know why he was so persistent in doing the laundry. Was it an easy job? He compromised helplessly: "Okay, you wash the clothes today, and I'll do it for you in the future."

Min Xi said, "I will wash it myself during my rest time in the future." When I was in business, after cooking every day, I really didn't want to do anything.

"Okay." Yun Ji agreed. He only had two days off a month anyway.