kvmb Chapter 188 Harvested Seeds
Chapter 188 Harvested Seeds
Min Xi continued to talk about their experience in the UK, saying that he went to cook a dinner for the Queen and was summoned by the Queen to praise her, which made everyone very proud. Their boss was also highly praised by His Majesty the King in Portugal, and it should be the same in the UK!
Later it was said that he told the Queen the whereabouts of the missing mission ship. The Queen sent people to look for it, and sure enough, the damaged mission ship was found in the Netherlands, and the mission members were welcomed back to Britain.
The more they listened, the prouder they became. It could be said that the entire Portuguese delegation was saved by their hosts. The two hosts were so amazing! Being able to cook was really an incredible skill, and everyone secretly made up their minds to learn how to cook well.
"Are you guys doing okay at home? Tell me about what’s happened in the past few months since we left," Min Xi said.
Gail said, "Everything went pretty smoothly. It was just that in the beginning, everyone was a little disgusted with the food Amanda and I cooked. We were not as good as the owner, and sometimes we would fail. Either it was too salty or not tasty enough. We were also working hard to improve, apologizing to the customers, and giving them free food or discounts. The number of customers did drop a lot during that period, and we were all very anxious. We felt a little sorry for the owner and that we had ruined the owner's reputation. Later, the number of customers also dropped, so we set the menu to what we are good at, cooked the dishes a little slower, and the taste became more stable, with fewer failures. Slowly, everyone came back. It's just that we made less money than when the owner was there."
Min Xi smiled and said, "It doesn't matter if you earn less. This is a great opportunity to train yourself. It shows that you are very talented. As long as you are not too busy, it will be difficult for you to fail. Over time, as you gain experience, you will get better and better."
Gale nodded shyly: "Yes. Thanks to our boss for giving us the opportunity to practice. Mainly because we are the only one in Lisbon who can cook Chinese food. Customers have no other choice. If they want to eat Chinese food, they can only come back here."
Jasper said: "I keep a record of every day's accounts. I remember every income and expenditure clearly. Every time I collect 100 reais, I will give the money to Lord Mello. Sometimes he doesn't come, so I will collect 200 reais before giving it to him." As he said this, he took out the bill from the counter drawer and showed it to Yunji.
Yun Ji said, "Don't look at the accounts right now. Leave them there. I'll look at them when I have time. Diego should be stable, right?"
Diego looked very proud. "I've never had any problems here. I've always had a lot of customers. Even if another store similar to ours opened in Lisbon, their business wouldn't be as good as ours. I remember all my accounts clearly."
"I knew I could rest assured leaving it to you." Min Xi was in a very good mood. It seemed that these two stores would still be able to maintain normal operation even without them. He and Yun Ji could then open their own private restaurants with peace of mind.
Min Xi and Yun Ji opened the luggage they brought back and distributed gifts to everyone. Everyone got one. They were bought on Oxford Street before the ship set sail. They were mainly British specialties, including daily necessities, toys, and clothes. Forget about food, as there is nothing delicious in the UK.
Everyone was very happy to receive the gifts, as this was the first time they received gifts from foreign countries.
After handing out the gifts, Min Xi said, "Okay, let's stop here for today and talk again another day. Everyone will have a three-day holiday tomorrow. Yun Dongjia and I will take a break, and when we resume work, I will give everyone bonuses to thank you for your hard work during this period."
Diego said, "Forget the bonus, this is all our job."
"Of course. Without you, we wouldn't be able to leave so peacefully. Let's all go and have a rest!" Min Xi said.
Gail said, "Jasper and I will go upstairs and clear out the attic, and we will continue to live over at the pastry shop."
Jasper said, "Then I'd better make a bed downstairs."
Yun Ji said, "Okay, I'll help you."
"No need, boss, we don't have much stuff and we can get it done quickly," said Gail.
Diego volunteered, "I'll go help you, you're going to our side anyway."
"Okay, thank you!" Gale did not refuse Diego's help. Perhaps in his heart, the boss is always the boss, and he always feels uncomfortable helping him do things.
After a lot of trouble, Min Xi and Yun Ji finally lay back on their familiar attic bed. There was a whistling sound from outside the window. They were used to it before, but now they needed to get used to it again. Speaking of which, it was still comfortable to live in the British countryside, especially quiet.
Min Xi said to Yun Ji, "Why don't we rent a yard in the suburbs and open a restaurant?"
"Not impossible." Yun Ji certainly preferred the world of just him and Min Xi. "When are we going to Spain?"
Min Xi thought for a moment and said, "At least we need to bring the seeds back before spring planting, maybe before April, so it would be best if we can do it in the next few months."
Yun Ji calculated that it was mid-November and there were still more than four months left: "How long will it take to get to Spain?"
Min Xi said, "To Madrid, it's about a thousand miles away. If we take a horse carriage, I estimate it will take about a week to ten days to get there. Considering the bad road conditions and the weather, it will take a month to go back and forth. We will need to stay in Spain for at least ten days and a half a month, or even a month. So two months should be enough. Let's ask the Baron one day. His cousin, Count Hernandez, has been to Lisbon before. See if he knows how long it took to get there."
"Do you still remember the name of the count?" Yun Ji also had a headache with foreigners' names. It was okay if the names were short, but he couldn't remember them at all if the names were long.
"I had thought about going to Spain at the beginning, so I memorized his name several times. Now it will come in handy when I go to Spain. I don't have to start from scratch like I did in the UK where I have no relatives or acquaintances." Min Xi said.
"That's right. If you have acquaintances, you can find the way quickly. So should we go to Spain first, and then start opening a private restaurant after we come back?" Yun Ji asked.
Min Xi nodded: "Yes, this is better. It will avoid having to close the store halfway through opening."
"Then when do we set off?" Yun Ji asked.
Min Xi thought for a moment and said, "Let's wait until after Christmas and New Year to go? If we go on a long trip again right after we come back, everyone will definitely be worried, especially Diego. He will definitely cry his heart out. Let's leave after the New Year and when we're back from vacation."
"That's fine." Anyway, there's still enough time to go last month. I can come back in February or March, just in time for spring sowing.
Min Xi suddenly sat up: "I forgot to ask them about the harvest."
Yun Ji raised his hand, pressed him down on the bed, and said, "Go to sleep. It's not too late to ask tomorrow. Anyway, the harvest is there."
"That's right." Min Xi lay down again and rolled over. "It's still more comfortable at home!"
The tense nerves they had been holding on to for days at sea were completely relaxed, and they soon fell asleep. They slept until dawn, and even Yunji, whose biological clock was always punctual, did not get up early.
When they woke up, it was already noon. After going downstairs, they found that all the employees were sitting in the store, including several people from the dim sum shop, the restaurant staff who came later, and Amanda, Greta and Connor who came from home and the dormitory. When everyone saw them, they all shouted, "Boss, good morning!"
Min Xi stood on the stairs and waved to everyone: "Good morning, everyone. It's holiday time. Why don't you go out and play? If you want to go home, go home quickly. Why are you still waiting for me?"
Amanda was all smiles. "Boss, you're finally back. We've been waiting anxiously. They said you were back and that today was a holiday, so I thought I had to take a look to make sure they weren't lying."
Min Xi smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern. We are really back. You can rest assured. Have you had breakfast?"
Everyone said in unison: "Already eaten!"
Min Xi said: "Those who haven't received gifts yet should stay for a while, and everyone else should hurry up and arrange their own affairs. Go home if you need to, and go play if you need to."
"Okay, see you, boss!" Everyone started talking and walked out. Only Diego and a few people who didn't receive any gifts did not move.
Just after taking two steps, Yun Ji called him: "Gail, wait a moment."
Gale stopped and said, "Is there anything else for the boss?"
Yun Ji reminded Min Xi: "Why don't you ask about the crops?"
"Oh, yes, yes, there is this. Gale, Diego, how are the crops I asked you to take care of for me growing? Where are the seeds?" Min Xi asked.
Gail said, "They are all ready. I have hung the seeds on the rafters in the attic. I will go get them and show them to you."
Yun Ji said, "Let's go up together. I haven't taken down their gifts yet."
Diego said, "Boss, the peaches and chilies you asked me to look after are growing very well. They have produced so many fruits that we can hardly eat them all. We saved a lot of seeds, and I dried a lot of chilies for you. We couldn't eat all the peaches, so we made jam and there were still some left. It would be a pity to throw them away if they went bad."
"Wolf peaches can be eaten raw. As long as they are fully ripe, they can be eaten as fruit. Or you don't know how to eat them. I will teach you more ways to eat them next year." It seems that the farmer has done a good job in farming. "What about the other two?"
Diego said, "There are some peanuts. I don't know how many there are. I dug out about a dozen from one plant. I washed them, dried them, and put them away. I pollinated the one with only two plants according to the method you told me. Each plant only produced two seeds, but it doesn't seem to have many. You'll know when you take a look."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yunji and Gail came downstairs. Yunji was holding a gift and Gail was carrying a basket, which seemed to be filled with seeds.