The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Chapter 220 Good News

While the two were chatting and laughing, the little bully had already quickly finished half a bowl of noodles and licked the food bowl clean. After eating, he came over and sniffed Min Xi's hand, not shy at all.

"Is it not full? How can it eat so much when it's so small?" Min Xi picked up the little guy and put him on his lap. He reached out and touched its round belly. It didn't struggle.

"What a good dog!" said Min Xi.

Yun Ji said, "Okay, put it down. Don't hold it all the time. It must have fleas. Go take a shower and change your clothes."

"No way!" Min Xi quickly put the puppy down.

Yun Ji sighed: "Europeans are covered with fleas, let alone dogs!"

After hearing what he said, Min Xi couldn't find any words to refute.

Min Xi quickly went to take a shower and change clothes. It seemed that although the puppy was cute, he couldn't hold it for too long. From now on, he could only pat its head at most.

The Little Overlord really brings fortune. The day after it came to our house, customers came to order food.

The little guy loves to eat and sleep, and is very affectionate. After waking up, he will whine and run around the house looking for someone. Once he finds someone, he will follow you closely, as if he knows that they will be his owners from now on.

With this little guy, Min Xi and Yun Ji's life has become more fun. But Yun Ji doesn't seem to like this little guy very much. He never touches it with his hands, but only touches it with his feet, either hooking its belly with his toes or gently kicking it on the butt.

The little bully didn't bear grudges, and continued to run behind him with his four short legs. Of course, this was when Min Xi was nowhere to be seen. If Min Xi was around, Min Xi would still be its first choice.

Min Xi also likes this little guy very much. Although he doesn’t hold it anymore, he likes to pet it and play with it whenever he has free time.

This is probably why Yun Ji didn't like it. It attracted too much of Min Xi's attention and took up too much of Min Xi's time.

The baron came over with his friends for dinner, and when he saw the little bully, he asked in surprise, "Where did this little dog come from?"

Min Xi said: "It was given to me by an old man in the village. He said it was given to me to look after the house. I thought it was good, so I kept it."

The baron grabbed the puppy by the scruff of the neck, looked at it carefully, and said, "This is a pure Perdicolo, an excellent hunting dog." As he said that, he picked up a stick from the ground, shook it in front of the puppy, then threw it out and patted the puppy. Sure enough, the puppy struggled with its short legs and ran to pick up the stick.

This action stunned Min Xi and Yun Ji. After all, they had never trained a dog before, and they didn't know that this little bully was a hunting dog. It was less than two months old, but it could actually pick up a stick.

The baron said proudly, "See? It has excellent obedience. It doesn't even need any training. This dog knows how to pick up prey. It's a natural hunting dog and is also very good at catching fish. Otherwise, why don't you give it to me? You don't hunt anyway."

Min Xi smiled and said, "You already have so many hunting dogs, why are you short of one of mine? I keep the Little Overlord to guard the house." Knowing that the Little Overlord was so outstanding, he would never let the Baron take it away.

Since Yun Ji knew that Xiao Ba Wang was a hunting dog, his attitude towards it became better, and he took over the task of feeding it from Min Xi. Xiao Ba Wang had never rejected him, and now he was closer to him.

Diego was so happy when he found out they had raised a little bully. He also liked dogs, but before he couldn't even fill his own stomach, so how could he raise a dog? Now he has the ability to raise a dog, but he can't raise one as he runs a shop. Fortunately, his boss raised a dog, so he had a new playmate.

Every Saturday night, they come over and hold the little bully tightly, taking it everywhere to play, and speaking Chinese to the little bully. Min Xi and Yun Ji usually speak Chinese to the little bully, and they even plan to bring the little bully back to China.

Ever since Xiaobawang came, the business of the store has gradually improved. Usually, there will be customers coming to order food every one or two days, and sometimes every day.

Min Xi said that dogs bring wealth, but Yun Ji thought that this might be related to the weather. After all, spring is here, and more people are going out for outings. Those nobles go out to play and have a good meal outside, which makes them happy physically and mentally. After all, three or five reais is not a lot of money for them, but they are usually not willing to come and book in advance.

You need to make a reservation to eat, which is the disadvantage of a one-table restaurant. It is not like a Chinese restaurant where you can eat whenever you want.

There is no phone number or anything for reservations, and I have to send someone to make a special trip, which is too troublesome.

After analyzing the situation, Min Xi and Yun Ji came to the conclusion that this was probably because the restaurant was not doing well. After all, Lisbon was not like London, where there were substitutes. Although Min Xi's dishes were more varied and tasted better, if it was not a very special day or a very special guest, they would probably not be willing to spend time to make a reservation and queue up.

Min Xi and Yun Ji also accepted this reality. They had limited manpower and it was impossible for them to get rich by cooking. They also had no plans to open another restaurant to compete with Chinese restaurants. They just ran this Yizhuo restaurant and lived up to their expectations, earning whatever they could.

Their main task now is to plant the crops they have found with great difficulty and to solve the problem of buying a boat. After solving the problem of the boat, they will prepare to return home. The two now understand that making money is no longer the primary task, because no matter how much money they make from running a restaurant, it is impossible to raise enough money for a boat. If they want to buy a boat, they still have to take the Maritime Silk Road.

As the weather gradually gets warmer, Min Xi goes to check on the flowers, plants and vegetables he has planted every day. He feels a great sense of accomplishment when he sees them sprout.

The chicken coop fence in the backyard had been built long ago. The chickens and ducks they bought from the market and the village were usually kept here and they would kill one when needed.

Min Xi also planned to start raising chicks. Although the chickens bought at home could lay eggs, there were no hens that could brood eggs, so he had to buy chicks. The neighbor's wife agreed to help hatch the chicks and send them to them after they hatched, of course, for money.

This was the neighborhood that Min Xi had chosen based on his food strategy. Just like in the countryside of London, he brought snacks and visited his neighbors as soon as he arrived.

The neighbors in Portugal are much more enthusiastic than those in the UK. Perhaps the Mediterranean climate in southern Europe has plenty of sunshine, and the southern Europeans who have been exposed to the sun are more enthusiastic and unrestrained in nature, unlike the cold rain in the UK, which makes the British people gloomy. Min Xi and Yun Ji also prefer to deal with southern Europeans.

This home is getting closer and closer to what Min Xi expected. The chickens and dogs can be heard, the yard can smell the fragrance of flowers, and there are vegetables in the garden that can be picked at any time. Isn't this the ideal pastoral life of the Chinese?

It was a sunny afternoon in mid-March. There were no guests in the evening, so Min Xizheng and Yun Ji were basking in the sun in the yard.

Min Xi was sitting on the recliner that Yun Ji had taken time to make, sleeping with a thin blanket covering him; Yun Ji was carving the frame of a screen with a carving knife. They had moved in too hastily and the house didn't have much decoration, so Yun Ji was filling it up bit by bit with calligraphy and paintings, screens, etc.

The little bully was at their feet, holding a bone and chewing it hard. The little guy's teeth had only grown out not long ago, so he couldn't chew the bone. He was just a playful person by nature.

Suddenly, the little bully stopped biting, looked outside the yard gate, and a childish "woof" came out of his throat.

Yun Ji put down the carving knife in his hand and looked out the door. A guest had arrived. In fact, it was quite good to have a dog. In the past, you had to ring the bell to know when a guest came. Now, the dog can give you an early warning before they even reach the door.

Min Xi was awakened by the barking of a dog and opened his eyes a little: "Are there guests?"

Yun Ji said gently, "It's okay, you go to sleep, I'll go take care of them." He put down the work in his hands, stood up, and brushed the sawdust off his body.

At this time, the guest's carriage had arrived at the door. During the day, the gate was open and guests could come in at any time.

Of course Min Xi couldn't continue sleeping. He was a chef and he had to know what the guests wanted to eat, and sometimes he even had to make suggestions.

And the guest this time was not here to order food, but Lord Fernando. He brought the news that the two had been waiting for: "I'm sorry, I just found a chance to tell your Majesty that you want to buy a ship."

"Does His Majesty agree?" Min Xi asked hurriedly.

The lord said, "I agree, but you need to go to the palace to get the official documents. Pedro will come and take you to the palace when the time comes."

When Min Xi heard this, he probably understood what he meant, so he asked, "When can I see His Majesty?"

The Lord said, "Pedro will come to pick you up the day after tomorrow."

"Okay, I understand. Thank you, sir. Let's have dinner at my place tonight." Min Xi invited him to have dinner.

"No visitors today?" asked the Lord.

"There is a table of guests at noon, but not in the evening. Please sit down, we are basking in the sun. I'll pour you some tea." Min Xi smiled and invited the lord to sit on the recliner.

The Lord was not polite. He walked over, looked at the wood carving that Yun Ji had placed aside, and asked curiously, "What is this for? A screen?"

Yun Ji said, "Yes, I plan to make a set of screen decorations. Do you like Chinese screens? If you like, I can carve one for you."

The lord was very excited, but he still said, "This is too complicated and too much trouble for you, so forget it."

"It doesn't matter. After we come here, there isn't much to do and we have plenty of time. We can carve slowly. What kind of content do you like? Flowers and birds, ladies or landscapes?" Yun Ji asked.

The lord could not help asking, "Is the lady the kind painted for my grandfather?"

Yun Ji nodded: "Almost."

The Lord smiled and said, "Then let's go to the lady."