The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

The baron said, "Let's start the scoring today. Let's promote fried mushrooms today. I'll give them some scores. When guests come to dinner tonight, you can tell them about this scoring mechanism."

"Okay!" Min Xi agreed readily. Allowing customers to participate should increase the attendance rate, because many people like this sense of participation.

When Min Xi collected the money and went downstairs, he didn't see Yun Ji, so he asked, "Where's the boss?"

Gail said, "Outside."

Min Xi walked outside and saw Yun Ji feeding a white horse chickpeas. Seeing Min Xi coming out, Yun Ji was a little embarrassed: "I want to ride the Earl's horse for a run and feed it some beans first to get familiar with it."

Min Xi laughed: "Hey, you're afraid I'll say something to you?"

Yun Ji looked embarrassed: "After all, it's something from the kitchen. I'm afraid if the horse eats it, you won't have enough."

"It's just a few beans. You can feed it the whole bag. The baron's fee has already been paid." Min Xi said with a smile.

Yun Ji asked, "Can Ninth Brother ride a horse?"

"How can I ride a horse? I can't even ride a donkey." An eDonkey is almost the same.

Yun Ji said, "Shall I take you on a horse ride?"

Min Xi looked at the beautiful white horse and said, "Can it carry the two of us? If it gets crushed, the Baron will be heartbroken."

"How heavy are you two? Can you crush my Venus?" The Baron's voice sounded from behind.

After hearing what he said, Min Xi was not polite: "Then I will really ride it, don't feel bad."

The baron waved his hand: "Go ahead."

Yun Ji fed the white horse beans, patted its nose, untied the reins, walked to the side of the horse, held the horse's back and jumped on it, then bent down and extended his hand to Min Xi: "Come on, get on the horse."

Min Xi grabbed Yun Ji's hand and was pulled up by him. He quickly supported Yun Ji's shoulders and steadied himself behind him.

Yun Ji reminded: "Hold my waist, otherwise it will be easy to fall down."

Min Xi cooperated very well and hugged his waist. His life was at stake. Falling off the horse's back could be fatal.

Yun Ji asked, "Are you sitting still?

"Stable."

Yun Ji squeezed his legs against the horse's belly, and the white horse started running. At this time, people were already taking a lunch break, and there were almost no cars or pedestrians on the street, which was perfect for horse racing.

It was Min Xi’s first time riding a horse, and the up and down feeling was like being on a boat encountering a storm. He subconsciously hugged Yun Ji’s waist tightly and pressed against his back, only then did he feel safer.

Yun Ji sensed his movements, pulled the reins, slowed down, and asked, "Are you scared?"

Min Xi said hurriedly: "Don't be afraid, it's just my first time riding a horse and I'm not used to it. It's okay, run."

"Then hold on tight." Yun Ji said and urged the white horse to run again.

The white horse was indeed a good horse. Even with two people on its back, it still ran very fast and had great endurance. In less than a quarter of an hour, it carried the two people out of the city.

Min Xi was a little worried about being thrown off at first, but later he got used to it and became bolder. He stopped clinging to Yun Ji and began to look around, feeling the feeling of riding a horse. He even whispered in Yun Ji's ear, "Seventh Brother, I want to learn how to ride a horse, too."

Yun Ji said, "When we go back later, you ride in front."

Min Xi thought he would say, "I will definitely teach you how to ride a horse when I return to Ming Dynasty." Unexpectedly, his wish to ride a horse would be fulfilled immediately. He said excitedly, "Seventh Brother, you are so nice!"

After leaving the city, the two men dismounted and let the horses rest. Although the white horse was panting heavily, it did not show any signs of fatigue and even ate the grass by the roadside.

After a short rest, Yun Ji said, "Ninth brother, I'll help you get on the horse. You can ride for a while to get used to it first."

Min Xi grabbed the reins, stepped on the stirrups, and jumped up in one go.

Yun Ji grabbed the front of the reins and led the horse to walk slowly: "Don't rush to run. Once you learn how to ride, it will be easier to run in the future."

It was Min Xi’s first time riding a horse, and he was not nervous at all because Yun Ji was right next to him and he would not let himself get hurt no matter what.

After walking for a while, Min Xi said excitedly, "Seventh Brother, I want to go faster."

"Wait a moment." Yun Ji climbed onto the horse's back and sat behind Min Xi. "Sit tight and gently tighten the reins so that it can receive the command."

Min Xi did as he was told, and the horse started trotting after receiving the command.

Yun Ji did not hold the reins for Min Xi, but just put his hands around his waist, because Min Xi could control this speed by himself. Min Xi was riding the horse, his face flushed with excitement. He could run fast for the first time on a horse, haha, he was really a genius.

After jogging for a while, Min Xi was not satisfied again: "Seventh Brother, I want to run faster."

Yun Ji said, "Then use your calves to squeeze the horse's belly to urge it to run faster."

Min Xi tried again, but due to lack of experience and strength, the horse did not feel it. He tried again, and this time his strength was strong enough. The horse received the command and suddenly sped up.

Min Xi's body failed to adjust accordingly and he was pushed back by inertia. He was frightened and his heart tightened, but he soon relaxed because he felt a strong chest against his back, which made him feel safe instantly.

The moment the horse started running, Yun Ji leaned forward, reached out and held Min Xi's hands, covering the reins and his hands in his palms.

"Lean forward." Yun Ji's voice sounded in Min Xi's ears.

Min Xi only felt that the voice was speaking right next to his ear, because he could feel Yun Ji's warm breath. He obeyed the command and leaned forward, and Yun Ji also leaned forward and held him in his arms.

Is this posture too ambiguous? What Min Xi was thinking about at this moment was not the excitement of galloping on a horse, but this! He quickly shook his head, trying to get rid of this thought, but the next second he felt something soft rubbing against his ear. He felt as if he had received an electric shock. What was that just now?

Damn it! This inexplicable thought kept popping up in his mind, and Min Xi felt very embarrassed. The only thing he was thankful for at this moment was that his back was facing Yun Ji, so he couldn't notice his embarrassment.

Min Xi's body remained stiff as he maintained the forward leaning posture. Fortunately, the horse ran very fast and soon arrived at the hotel entrance.

Baron Fernando was sitting on a chair in the corridor. When he saw them coming, he smiled lazily and said, "Come down quickly, don't crush my Venus."

Yun Ji controlled the horse to a steady stop, jumped off the horse, and extended his hand to Min Xi. Min Xi looked at the hand and couldn't refuse, so he stretched out his hand and helped him get off the horse.

Yun Ji looked at him and asked, "Why is your face so red?"

"It's my first time riding a horse. I'm so excited." Min Xi quickly covered it up and changed the subject, "Baron, is your horse called Venus?"

Fernando said, "Yes, her name is Venus, tell me if she is pretty or not."

Min Xi smiled and said, "Yes, it is indeed very beautiful."

Yunji patted Venus' neck encouragingly, and Venus snorted happily, showing that she really enjoyed interacting with Yunji.

Fernando said: "My Venus is very proud and doesn't pay attention to many people. I didn't expect that she would like clouds. It seems that you two are very compatible. When can you help me draw Venus?"

Yun Ji said, "No problem, I like it very much, and I will definitely paint it well later."

"Then I'll look forward to it." Fernando was very happy.

Min Xi suddenly asked, "Sir, do you need me to get you two heads of garlic?"

Fernando was stunned for a moment: "Why are you giving me two heads of garlic?"

"Eat it raw. If you eat it, I'm afraid no one will dare to approach you." Min Xi smiled mischievously.

Fernando laughed: "Okay, give me two."

Min Xi really went to the kitchen and broke off two cloves of garlic for him, and told Fernando: "Raw garlic is spicy, so be careful not to cry from the spiciness."

"Haha, don't worry! Thanks to your chili, I'm no longer afraid of the spiciness of garlic." Fernando put the garlic in his pocket and walked away with his Venus.

Yun Ji looked at Min Xi in confusion: "What are you talking about?"

Min Xi said, "Maybe he went to meet someone he didn't like and ate a lot of garlic on purpose."

"Then why do you feed him raw garlic?"

"I just went with the flow." Min Xi waved his hand. "By the way, the Baron gave us an idea. He said that we should give points to the new dishes launched every day, and finally get the average score, which will become the score of this dish."

Yun Ji thought for a moment and said, "You want to improve the reputation of the restaurant in this way?"

"Yes, we promote a new dish every day, and decide whether this dish will appear on the menu based on everyone's ratings. Do you think diners will be enthusiastic about eating and rating it?" Min Xi said with a smile.

Yun Ji suddenly realized: "It's indeed a good idea!"

"That's decided then. Add another paragraph to this sign and draw some spaces for everyone to score. Then take the average score based on everyone's scores. The supervisors will be His Excellency the Baron and Lord Mello. Whoever is free can do it." Min Xi said.

Yun Ji said, "Then I'll go get it now. One wooden board doesn't seem to be enough."

"Then let's add another wooden board specifically for scoring."

The two of them got to work right away. They went to the carpenter and asked him to help them make a flat wooden board. They drew squares on it with a brush, and wrote the names of the dishes and the scores with charcoal sticks that could be wiped clean with water.

I also asked Gael and Diego to introduce this activity to the guests, and it depends on the guests whether they are willing to participate or not.