The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

At lunchtime, Baron Fernando arrived.

He came alone and went straight to the kitchen. "I heard that Yun showed off his skills yesterday and easily subdued three fierce and ferocious men by himself?"

Min Xi smiled and said, "You are really well-informed. Who did you hear that from?"

The Baron said, "Of course it's the friends who came here for dinner. I heard about it last night. If it wasn't too late, I would have come to ask what was going on."

I guess some nobleman had his meal here and left, then went to a second place and said this when he met the baron.

Min Xi nodded: "That's true."

"Where is Yun? Is he okay?" The Baron asked worriedly when he didn't see Yun Ji in the kitchen.

Min Xi smiled and said, "What could possibly happen to him? If he had something to do, would I still be able to open the store today?"

Yun Ji heard someone calling his name and came in from the back door: "Who's looking for me?"

The baron walked up to him and looked him up and down. "You fought with three people yesterday. You weren't hurt?"

Min Xi couldn't help laughing out loud: "How could he fight with anyone? He beat someone up. Don't worry, he's very skilled and he won't be hurt at all!"

The baron walked around Yun Ji and said, "Tsk tsk, I didn't expect you to be a hidden martial arts expert. Can you show me your skills someday?"

Yun Ji saw that the Baron was not serious and knew that he was just curious, so he ignored him and continued to bake egg tarts in the back.

The baron chased after him and said, "Really, Yun, show me what you can do."

Min Xi explained for Yun Ji: "Sir, in China, martial arts are used to protect yourself and others, not to show off."

The baron couldn't understand and said, "I will definitely ask for your advice some other day. By the way, I came to see you today for something else. It's related to Yun Ye. I'll tell you when you're done with your work."

Min Xi nodded: "Okay. What do we eat today?"

The baron said, "I have eaten too much meat these past two days and have no appetite. Just give me something casual, but no meat."

"Okay, I got it." Min Xi smiled. It was probably because he ate too much greasy food and had a little heartburn, so he should give him something light and appetizing.

Min Xi called Amanda and taught her how to make the dough. Mix flour with water to make starch water, scoop an appropriate amount of starch water into a small pan, and put the pan on hot water to boil. Then put it in cold water and peel it off one by one to make the dough, and then cut it into strips to make cold noodles.

Use chili oil to make the sauce for the cold noodles, add some tomato sauce, put some cucumber shreds, minced garlic, add some olive oil and salt and mix them together. The simple and appetizing hot and sour cold noodles are ready.

There was no meat at all, and no other dishes were cooked. The Baron held the bowl and ate two bowls with a grunt. Didn’t he say he had no appetite?

By the time they were done, the baron had eaten his fill and woke up from a nap.

He yawned and looked at the two of them sleepily: "What time did you finish your work?"

Min Xi smiled and said, "It's almost two o'clock. We are all ordinary people. We can't compare to the baron who has a noble birth and financial freedom."

The first time the baron heard the term “financial freedom,” he thought it was very interesting: “This financial freedom is very interesting, it is indeed so.”

"Don't you have something to say to us brothers?" Min Xi asked.

Speaking of business, the baron sat up, stretched himself, and said, "I told you before that His Majesty wanted to summon you to the palace for a chat. But before you go to the palace, there is one more thing I want to trouble you with."

Yun Ji said calmly, "Please speak."

"Last time on my grandfather's birthday, His Majesty saw the paintings you drew. He was very interested and asked me to show him your landscape painting. I promised His Majesty that I would like to ask you to paint a picture for him. I wonder if you are willing. Of course, I will pay you." said the baron.

Yun Ji asked: "It is my honor that your majesty appreciates my paintings. I wonder what kind of content your majesty likes and what style of painting you want?"

The baron was delighted to see Yunji was so understanding, and said, "It doesn't matter what style you choose. Your Majesty loves outdoor activities, especially hunting and horse riding."

Yun Ji said: "Then I will draw a picture of a galloping horse for your majesty."

When Min Xi heard the word "galloping horse painting", he thought of Mr. Xu Beihong's horses. He wondered if Yun Ji's horses were of the same style.

"Okay!" The baron was obviously very satisfied with this subject. "How long will it take to finish the painting? I'll ask someone to send you paper and paint right away."

Yun Ji thought for a moment and said, "I'm afraid the paint won't be enough. I'm going to paint a freehand-style horse this time, so I don't need any paint."

The baron was a little surprised, but since the painter himself said so, he naturally couldn't give instructions, so he said: "Okay, everything is up to you. When can it be completed? I will arrange a time for the two of you to enter the palace."

Yun Ji turned around and asked Min Xi: "It's Sunday off, shall we go on Sunday?"

Min Xi had been thinking about the wheat straw soaked in the pond. It had been soaked for so many days, so it should be healed by now. He was thinking of taking it out this Sunday to have a look. After hearing what Yun Ji said, he said, "Okay." After all, he had to go to the palace to see the king, so the shop would have to be closed. He should have been resting this Sunday, so he might as well take this opportunity to take it out. As for the wheat straw, he would probably have to soak it another time.

The baron said, "Well, I'll go back and get you some paper."

After the baron left, Min Xi looked at Yun Ji and said, "Thank you for your hard work again, Seventh Brother."

Yun Ji shook his head: "It's okay, this is also a good opportunity to make friends, we should seize it. It will be more convenient for us to gain a foothold in Portugal in the future."

"Yes, Brother Seventh is very thoughtful."

There are many new faces among the guests these past two days. Their clothes are not ordinary and you can tell at a glance that they are either rich or noble.

Min Xi guessed that the guests were attracted by the Duke's birthday party. This birthday party was definitely a sure-win business, as it not only made money, but also gained reputation and customers.

The dishes from the Duke’s birthday party have not yet been officially launched in the store. Min Xi and Yun Ji have discussed and are planning to hang a wooden board outside the store and launch a dish from the Duke’s birthday party every day. This will definitely be an excellent selling point.

Those who know a little bit will definitely know that the king went to the Duke's birthday party, that is, the dishes that His Majesty the King ate, and they must try them. For those who don't know that the king went to the birthday party, the title of Duke is attractive enough.

The next morning, Min Xi went to the market and bought more than ten tender chickens. He also selected a lot of spices, planning to make boneless roast chicken.

There were few customers at noon, so this dish was not served at noon, but was prepared after lunch.

Two chickens were fried at noon, so there were only 40 roasted chickens left for the evening. It would be great if they could be sold out, after all, the price is not cheap. One chicken, including the cost of spices, is more than 188 riels, not to mention the cost of fuel, labor and rent. The price is riels, and I don't know how many people are willing to eat it.

In the evening, before the guests arrived, Yun Ji wrote on a specially prepared wooden board, "Today's new dish - boneless roast chicken, welcome to try", and below it there was a line of small notes, "Special dish for the Duke's birthday party, limited sale, first come first served".

In the evening, guests started arriving. Someone noticed the sign hanging at the door, stopped to take a look, and came in to ask, "How much is the boneless roast chicken written on the door?"

Gail said, "This dish is a little expensive, 188 Reese for a whole chicken, would you like to order one?"

When the customers heard the price, they were a little hesitant. The prices in Chinese restaurants are not low, but not too high either. Normally, 188 Swiss francs is enough for two or three people to have a meal. This chicken is so expensive, and many people are reluctant to spend it.

Gail recommended it with all his might: "We have only prepared twelve chickens. If you come early, you can still eat some. If you come later, you will have them all. This chicken tastes great and is definitely worth the money. His Majesty the King and His Excellency the Duke both love this dish. Would you like to order one to try?"

When the guest heard this, he made up his mind: "Okay, order one for us!"

Of course, there are also some things I can’t bear to order. Looking at the braised chicken at the next table, I couldn’t help but stretch my neck to see what it tastes like.

Some shameless people couldn't help but ask: "How does the King Chicken taste?" Some people didn't remember the name of the braised chicken, but they knew that it was the chicken the king liked to eat, so they simply called it the King Chicken.

The guests who ordered the braised chicken were unable to speak while eating it, and only gave a thumbs up to indicate that it was delicious. The guests around them also knew that it must be delicious, otherwise they would have finished the braised chicken before the other dishes on the table were even touched. Some guests were still not satisfied and ordered another one.

Someone made up his mind and added a dish of roast chicken, but there were only twelve of them, so if you didn't order it later, it would be gone.

If everyone takes one, there will be no chicken left.

When Lord Mello arrived, he couldn't help but smile when he saw the words on the board. The chicken was finally on sale. He excitedly said to his friends, "This chicken is the best I've ever eaten in my life. Let's go and try it."

When he ordered, he was told that they were sold out! Lord Mello was very dissatisfied: "Why are they sold out? How many did you make in total?"

Gale smiled and said, "Dear guest, we prepared twelve roast chickens tonight. Everyone knew that the king had eaten them, so they all rushed to buy them."

Lord Melo said unhappily, "Why are there only twelve? That's too few!"

Gail said: "The boss said the price was too high and he was afraid we wouldn't be able to sell all of them, so he made a small amount to test the waters."

"What about tomorrow? Is there anything?" asked Lord Mello.

Gail said, "The boss said there will be more tomorrow. Please come in early, sir." Because more than one or two people asked about it, Min Xi planned to continue serving this dish tomorrow.

Lord Melo said to his friend, "Let's come back tomorrow night to eat roast chicken. Ask your boss to leave two for me."

"Okay!" Gail agreed readily.

When the bill was settled in the evening, today's turnover directly exceeded 20 reais. After deducting costs, the net profit was 14 reais.

Min Xi said happily: "This way we can earn more than 400 reais a month, which brings us one step closer to our galleon! Haha!"