The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

The return trip was smoother than the outbound trip. When the carriage passed the place where they were robbed yesterday, there was a security patrol team stopping the road to investigate. The identities of the two robbers had been confirmed. They were indeed the robbers that the patrol team had been chasing, but no one knew who shot them here.

The body had been moved away long ago. The pickets stopped passing vehicles and pedestrians, holding up the portrait of the robber and asking if they knew the person in the portrait.

The oriental faces of Min Xi and Yun Ji aroused the curiosity of the patrol team, so they stopped them and asked a few more questions. Of course, they would not say that they had seen the robbers, nor would they admit that they had killed the robbers, so they just said that they did not know them.

The patrol team asked them about their origins and purpose, and they said they were going from Lisbon to the University of Coimbra to visit friends, and they happened to have Professor Boyle's mathematical notes as evidence.

The patrol team did not make things too difficult for them. After all, they were questioning the whereabouts of the robbers. With their conspicuous looks, it was obvious that they could not be robbers, so there was naturally no reason to make things difficult for them.

After walking a long way, Min Xicai asked, "Seventh Brother, will that lady from yesterday report the crime?"

"It doesn't matter whether you report it to the police or not, as long as they don't reveal our appearance." Yun Ji was not worried.

Min Xi said: "Fortunately, the car that the Baron lent us did not have his family's emblem on it, otherwise it would be very troublesome if the robbers noticed it."

Yun Ji said: "I hope the government can catch all those robbers as soon as possible."

They hurried and finally returned to the store before the last bit of light disappeared.

Diego sat at the door of the store, waiting anxiously until the two finally came back. When he saw them, he rushed over excitedly, "Boss, you're finally back!"

As soon as the car came to a complete stop, Min Xi jumped out and stretched his almost stiff limbs: "We are finally home, little Diego, I missed you so much."

Diego rushed over and hugged Min Xi's waist: "Boss, you are finally back. I was worried that you would not be able to make it back in time."

"How is that possible! We agreed to be gone for two days, and we'll open the store tomorrow. By the way, is there anything to eat?" Min Xi put his arm around Diego's shoulder and walked into the store.

Diego said, "I bought some vegetables this morning and kneaded the dough, but I haven't cooked it yet. I'll wait for you to come back. You guys must be starving, right?"

Min Xi said, "Yes, I only had two hard pot cakes for lunch and I'm starving. Let's go and make noodles. Have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet. I want to wait for my boss to come back and eat together," said Diego.

Yun Ji untied the horse from the shaft of the cart and tied it to the porch. He fed the horse water and hay, and waited until it was completely dark before he took the gun out of the carriage and put it in the attic.

Weapons are precious and dangerous, and it would be troublesome if they were stolen.

After dinner and a hot bath, the fatigue all over his body finally dissipated a little. Min Xi carefully wrapped the seeds he brought back from Coimbra in layer upon layer of paper, and put them together with tomato seeds and pepper seeds in a wooden box, and hung them on the beam of the attic.

The seeds should be placed in a cool and dry place so that they are not easily moldy and germinate, and can germinate next year. He only brought back two corn seeds, so he must keep them well. If he doesn't keep them well, he will have to go to Coimbra to ask for seeds next year.

After collecting the seeds, Min Xi checked the two guns he had taken from the bandits. These two guns were also spring-loaded hunting rifles, but they didn't look as good as the Baron's gun. He tried the feel and found that the trigger was a little sluggish. Those bandits probably didn't know how to maintain their guns, and the moving parts inside were a little rusty.

Min Xi went downstairs and poured some olive oil into a small bowl. Yun Ji had just finished his work and saw him busy in the kitchen, so he asked, "What are you doing?"

Min Xi said, "Pour some oil."

Yun Ji was even more puzzled: "What are you pouring oil for?"

"You'll know in a moment." Min Xi didn't explain.

Yun Ji followed him upstairs and saw him using straw to dip oil and drip it onto the frame of the shotgun: "What is this for?"

Min Xi said, "It's for lubrication. The two guns you brought back were not maintained and are rusty. If you don't apply some oil, they will rust and become unusable in the future."

Yun Ji looked at him in surprise: "You also know how to maintain a gun?"

"I don't know. I used to see people maintain ironware in this way. This gun is also made of iron, so I think it should be similar." Min Xi said.

After hearing this, Yun Ji stopped asking further questions.

It is basic common sense for Min Xi to use lubricating oil to maintain machinery, but there is no lubricating oil now, so he can use vegetable oil instead, which is better than nothing.

Min Xi greased both guns, found a torn piece of clothing to wrap the two guns, stuffed them under the bed, and said, "I always wanted to keep two guns at home for emergencies. Now I finally got what I wanted. I feel at ease."

Yun Ji looked at him and smiled: "What? Are you still worried about me being here?"

Min Xi said: "Of course I have confidence in you, but I don't know what kind of enemy I will encounter. What if it is a vicious and evil person?"

"You're right. Just like when we encountered armed gangsters yesterday, if we didn't have guns, I really wouldn't dare to confront them head-on." Yun Ji said.

"Yes, it's better to be prepared."

The next morning, Yun Ji harnessed the horse-drawn carriage and drove to the morning market to buy vegetables. He also brought back a lot of wheat flour in the carriage. Although it was not far to buy these things, why not use the carriage?

They had just returned from shopping and were having breakfast when Fernando came over. Min Xi thought he was asking for the carriage, so he said, "The carriage is ready, and the gun has been taken upstairs. I will go get it for you."

Fernando said, "Don't worry, I'm not in a hurry to leave. Did you have a smooth trip to Coimbra that day?"

Yun Ji said: "It went smoothly. There were some minor incidents along the way, but it was safe." He did not tell the Baron that he had killed two robbers. Although those robbers deserved to be put to death, he still killed people in the end, and Yun Ji did not want more people to know about it.

Fernando asked quickly, "What incident? I heard that on the day you went to Coimbra, a gang of robbers blocked the road and robbed people. A brave knight shot and killed two of the robbers. I was worried that you had met robbers, but fortunately you are fine. Have you heard about this?"

Yun Ji and Min Xi looked at each other, and Min Xi nodded: "We heard about it yesterday when we were returning. There were patrols stopping cars there to look for the robbers."

Fernando frowned. "Nowadays, the bandits are getting bolder and bolder. They dare to rob people on the official roads. It's simply lawless. I wonder who the brave man who killed the bandits is. I really want to make friends with him! He is a real hero."

Yun Ji lowered his eyes and asked, "Have the remaining members of that bandit gang been captured?"

"No, they haven't caught him for a long time. It's really not easy to catch him. That's why they say the person who killed the robber is a hero. He has eliminated a harm for the people. It's a pity that we don't know who he is. He should be commended." Fernando said.

"Those robbers have not all been caught yet. For a hero, it is best not to show up to avoid revenge," said Min Xi.

Fernando nodded: "You are right."

For Min Xi and Yun Ji, the title of hero is not important. What is important is their current life.

The store had been closed for two days, and many old customers missed his food so much that many customers came at noon.

In fact, these diners don’t come to eat every day, they just come to eat whenever they want. Once the store closes, their mentality is completely different. It feels like the store is finally open, and they have to hurry up to try it.

So as soon as the store opened, it was very busy and life returned to the way it was before. That little episode could not affect their peaceful and busy life.

In the afternoon, after all the guests had left, Min Xi washed his face and prepared to go upstairs for a nap.

The dealer came and said, "I came here two days ago. I heard that my husband had to go out for something and would only be home today, so I hurried over. I found the store you asked me to find."

When Min Xi heard this, he quickly asked the broker, "Where is it?"

The agent said, "There are two. One is very close, right on this street, No. 88. It has a very good location, in the most prosperous section of this street, but it's a little bigger, about the same size as your store, and the rent is a little more expensive. There's another one on Laurel Street, which is about the same size as what you requested, but it's a little further away from here."

No. 88? They are No. 46, which is only a hundred or two hundred meters away, which is indeed very suitable.

Min Xi asked, "How much is the rent for No. 88?"

The agent said, "Lot 88 is better than yours, and the landlord wants 80 reais per year."

After hearing this, Yun Ji started to calculate with his beads. After he finished, he asked the broker, "How much is the rent for the other place?"

The agent said, "The one on Laurel Street? It's much cheaper, half the size, and only costs 20 reais a year. I think it can be reduced further."

Laurel Street is a small street next to King Street. The street has a decent flow of customers, but it is a little far from here and it takes at least a quarter of an hour to walk there.

Min Xi looked at Yun Ji and said, "Let's all look at the house first before making a decision?"

Yun Ji nodded: "Okay, let's go check out No. 88 first."

They and the broker walked towards No. 88. When they were almost there, Min Xi suddenly remembered, wasn’t No. 88 just opposite the Tropical Rainforest Restaurant?