From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

They successfully resolved the minor conflict between the fifth senior brother and his father.

Over the next few days, Feng Zhengming entrusted the preparations for the opening of the two stores to his fifth senior brother and the others.

He and his wife, along with their daughter, visited the master chefs and chefs in the capital once again.

In particular, they made a special visit to several professionals in Beijing who were responsible for chef rating, such as Chef Hou.

Master Hou was very happy to see that Feng Zhengming had brought his wife and daughter to visit his home.

“I like it when you come like this, Zhengming, with your wife and kids. It shows you don’t consider me an outsider. No need for all that formalities. Chefs are all one family. Let’s just chat together.”

Feng Zhengming: "Master Hou, you know why I'm here to visit you this time."

Master Hou nodded: "I know, about your shop opening, right?"

Feng Zhengming: "When I came to Beijing to open a shop, many people welcomed me, but many others didn't like me coming."

I know that in some people's eyes, my arrival is disrupting the market. My branch focuses on high-quality, low-priced products, which will definitely have a significant impact on some stores in Beijing.

Master Hou laughed: "So you knew that yourself? I thought you didn't."

Feng Zhengming: "I definitely know this. I have a feeling about it in both Shanghai and Jiangxi."

When the topic of opening a shop in Hongcheng, Jiangxi Province came up, Feng Zhengming once again expressed his gratitude to Master Hou.

"Thank you for your help back then, Master Hou, and for recommending a great assistant to me."

Before going to Jiangxi Province, Feng Zhengming specifically contacted Master Hou.

After all, Chef Hou is a national-level judge, and he has knowledge of chefs from all over the country.

Through Master Hou, Feng Zhengming learned about some situations in Jiangxi Province, and it was Master Hou who recommended Yu Fuxiang to Feng Zhengming.

Chef Hou smiled and said, "I also hope that chefs like Yu Fuxiang, who specialize in local cuisine, can get more opportunities. After all, not all chefs have to cook for state banquets."

"Someone still needs to cook dishes that appeal to the general public, especially those that are more suited to local tastes."

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, yes, you're absolutely right. When I was opening a branch in Hongcheng, I was also considering this matter. Fortunately, you recommended Master Yu to me."

Master Hou: "It turns out that it wasn't my recommendation that was good, but rather that you yourself know how to run a business better."

Feng Zhengming: "No matter how good I am at business, without Chef Hou's recommendation, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to find a chef as suitable as Chef Yu."

"With your current reputation, I could find a suitable chef to help you even without me."

Master Hou has always admired Feng Zhengming.

It can be said that Feng Zhengming is the kind of person every chef dreams of.

They can leverage their abilities and influence to become the masters of their craft.

The two then talked about Feng Zhengming's shop in Beijing.

"Zhengming, you don't need to worry too much. Opening a shop in Beijing isn't that complicated. Although your presence will definitely impact some shops in Beijing, it's also a market necessity."

If your presence can improve the restaurant industry in Kyoto and encourage some long-established restaurants to make changes.

This is a great thing, and it has allowed many people to see more and better aspects of Chinese cuisine.

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, Master Hou, you are absolutely right. That's exactly what I hope to achieve."

Master Hou: "Then do it. Do it according to your idea. I believe you can do it, and I believe you will do it very well."

With Master Hou's support, Feng Zhengming naturally felt much more confident.

Feng Zhengming even discussed some details with Master Hou.

Master Hou also shared everything he had learned with Feng Zhengming without reservation.

I hope this can help him run his shop better.

"You want to make Peking duck in your Beijing restaurant, and you also want to make several of the most famous noodle dishes in Beijing in your restaurant. That's really great. You know, it's really hard to find an authentic restaurant for some of the noodles in Beijing these days."

Feng Zhengming: "My idea is to make several different sauces every day, just like Da Liu Noodles, so that customers can choose freely."

Master Hou: "Good, very good, but braised noodles must be made to order."

Feng Zhengming: "Don't worry, I've already had the chef learn this skill."

Hearing this, Master Hou was somewhat surprised: "You actually sent someone to learn it?"

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, I hope that the products in my store can be authentic enough to meet the needs of different people in Beijing, so that I can run the store well."

Master Hou paused for a moment, then thought about it carefully: "Now I know why some shops in Beijing are afraid of you."

Feng Zhengming and Master Hou looked at each other and smiled.

Master Hou: "If you do this, I'm afraid people will be afraid of you wherever you go."

Feng Zhengming: "There's no other way. When I do business, I just want customers to feel good. If customers feel it's good and authentic, they will be willing to come back to eat more."

"Good, Zhengming, you have a lot of ideas." Master Hou's eyes made no attempt to hide his fondness for Feng Zhengming.

"The saying goes, 'What suits the palate is delicious.' When you go to a place, you have to understand the local people's tastes and then cook according to their tastes so that they find it palatable. That's what makes a good dish."

I chatted with Master Hou for a long time, and in the end, Master Hou even invited me to stay at his home for a meal.

While eating, Feng Nuanyou said with a smile, "Uncle's cooking is better than Dad's."

These words made Master Hou extremely happy.

"Haha, you little girl, you really know how to talk. Your dad is the national culinary champion. There's still a gap between your dad and me. If you like the food, you can come and eat here often."

Feng Nuanyou: "Hehehe, okay, I'll come back to eat here again."

Master Hou's wife also really liked the little girl.

"This child is really smart, and he looks like the kind of child who is well-informed. He is not afraid of strangers and always has a smiling face. He is very likable."

Luo Qing: "She can be mischievous too, you just haven't seen it."

Master Hou's wife smiled and said, "Kids are kids, there's nothing wrong with them being naughty."

Master Hou: "This child will definitely be a great beauty in the future. Girls don't need to learn cooking; let her learn something else."

Feng Zhengming: "We don't interfere with the child in this regard; we let her choose for herself in the future."

Mr. Hou and his wife nodded in agreement.

"That's good; children should have more freedom."

"She has a father like Zhengming, so she is certainly free to choose."

After leaving Master Hou's house, Feng Zhengming and his wife held their daughter's little hand and walked back.

On the way, Feng Zhengming said, "This trip was great, and Master Hou will support me. That way, I don't have to be afraid of some guys in Beijing."

Luo Qing: "You don't seem like you've ever been afraid of them."

Feng Zhengming: "Haha, we still need to be careful, after all, this is the capital."

At Mr. Hou's home, his wife told him that Feng Zhengming was a really good person.

Master Hou nodded in agreement: "Yes, he seems very high-profile, and some people may see him as arrogant, but his arrogance is because he does have the skills."

The wife nodded: "Capable people are bound to be a bit arrogant."

Then the wife thought for a moment: "What do you think, should we have our son apprentice under a master and learn a trade from him?"

Master Hou looked at his wife and smiled slightly: "You can talk to our son and see if he's willing, but it's not easy for him to become Zhengming's apprentice. He's only taken on one apprentice so far."

Wife: "Let our son try, but he still wants to go abroad and may not want to stay in China."

Master Hou: "I don't interfere. It's like communicating with Zhengming, letting the children make their own choices."

On this point, the wife agreed with Master Hou's statement. Feng Zhengming and his wife took their daughter back to the hotel.

He told his wife to take their daughter back to their room first, while he waited for their boss in the hotel lobby.

He Lingfeng did indeed search for Feng Zhengming for several days.

However, Feng Zhengming and his wife take their daughter out every day, and the time they return is uncertain.

This caused He Lingfeng to miss out on meeting Feng Zhengming many times.

Today, Feng Zhengming finally had some time and took the initiative to find him, which made He Lingfeng a little embarrassed.

“If you haven’t finished your business, Scholar Feng, I’m not in a hurry.”

Feng Zhengming smiled: "It's almost done. Mr. He, let's go and take a look at your hotel's kitchen."

He Lingfeng immediately took the lead.

The two went into the kitchen together.

The first thing you notice is that everyone in the kitchen is in a relaxed state.

Although it wasn't lunchtime yet, Feng Zhengming had a very bad impression of the state of things in the kitchen.

Perhaps it's because in all his restaurants, especially in the kitchen, everyone is in a state of seriousness and urgency.

Many apprentices would practice and ask questions during their breaks.

This is why Feng Zhengming felt very uncomfortable when he saw the kitchen in front of him.

I subconsciously looked down at the time on my watch.

It was already four o'clock in the afternoon. Logically speaking, although there might not be many customers at this time, the kitchen should at least be busy preparing ingredients and making some preparations.

There's only one possibility left in the current situation.

These people in the hotel restaurant kitchen are probably used to being this relaxed and leisurely.

Even after seeing the boss lead people in, most of the kitchen staff still didn't do anything.

Only one sous chef quickly approached the boss and greeted him.

"Boss, what brings you to the kitchen?"

Then the sous chef urged everyone to perk up.

"Alright, everyone stand still. Can't you see the boss is here for an inspection?"

He Lingfeng felt extremely helpless after hearing the sous chef's words.

He turned to look at Feng Zhengming with an embarrassed expression.

Then Feng Zhengming simply smiled, his face showing almost no extra expression.

The sous chef's shout did have some effect; at least the idle people stood up.

We greeted the boss together and then stood there waiting for him to inspect us.

He Lingfeng asked, "Where is your head chef?"

Sous Chef: "Oh, the head chef might have gone to the restroom."

Feng Zhengming almost burst out laughing when he heard this.

It was almost time for the restaurant to open, but the head chef wasn't in the kitchen.

He now understands why hotel restaurants have been criticized by so many people.

In this state, it would be a miracle if they could run a restaurant well.

Feng Zhengming was too lazy to look anymore. After saying a few words to He Lingfeng, he turned around and left through the kitchen.

He Lingfeng looked at everyone in the kitchen and felt a sense of helplessness.

After waiting for a while, the head chef finally arrived.

Moreover, the smell of alcohol on the chef's face had clearly not yet dissipated.

He Lingfeng didn't immediately lose his temper; he simply smiled and greeted the head chef.

"Chef Lin, I've checked the kitchen. There's nothing wrong with it. It's almost dinner time, so Chef Lin, you can get back to work."

"Burp." After letting out a burp, the head chef confidently declared, "Don't worry, boss, I'll definitely manage the restaurant well for you."

He Lingfeng nodded: "Okay, you guys go ahead and get busy."

Then He Lingfeng left the kitchen.

After the owner left, the head chef looked disdainful: "See? The owner was pointing at us, so he wouldn't dare to do anything to us. You don't need to worry, his hotel doesn't make money off our restaurant."

In fact, the hotel restaurant's kitchen was contracted out entirely to this chef surnamed Lin.

Therefore, all the people in the kitchen were brought over by Chef Lin.

These people naturally followed his example.

However, not everyone in the kitchen is a fool; there are still some sensible people.

For example, the first person to come out and tell everyone to stand in line.

"Old Lin, I saw the boss bring in a young man just now. He looks familiar. Is he planning to find someone else to take over the kitchen and kick us all out?"

Chef Lin chuckled: "Who could he possibly find to take over the restaurant's kitchen? If he really had that kind of ability, wouldn't he have fired us long ago?"

Chef Lin didn't take it to heart at all, which was also because Feng Zhengming had already left before he arrived.

If Chef Lin had met Feng Zhengming, he probably wouldn't be in the same situation now.

He Lingfeng chased after Feng Zhengming out of the kitchen and found him.

"I'm so sorry, Scholar Feng, you must have found this amusing."

Feng Zhengming: "Boss He, what are you planning to do?"

He Lingfeng: "Feng Zhuangyuan, do you have any way to help me manage the kitchen? To get them all in good control and make sure they run the restaurant well for me?"

Feng Zhengming asked, "Mr. He, tell me the truth, how much did you pay them to contract out the restaurant's kitchen?"

He Lingfeng was taken aback, and after hesitating for a while, he revealed the truth to Feng Zhengming.

Feng Zhengming smiled wryly after hearing this: "No wonder. The price you offered is definitely not appropriate in Beijing. Putting aside their skill level, it's impossible to get them to work with such a small amount of money for so many people."

After hearing He Lingfeng's quote, Feng Zhengming had already given up on helping him.

It's clear from He Lingfeng's quote that he simply doesn't want to spend more money.

This left Feng Zhengming helpless. To put it bluntly, you can only get what you're paid for.

Why do you insist on paying the price of a small street restaurant to have someone prepare dishes fit for a state banquet?
This is simply not possible.

He Lingfeng recognized the tone in Feng Zhengming's voice.

He hesitated for a moment, then finally gritted his teeth.

“Feng Zhuangyuan, how much money do you think I need to invest? I’m willing to spend more money as long as it can turn around my restaurant’s reputation.”

After hearing this, Feng Zhengming shook his head: "Boss He, you don't need to give me the money. Just give the kitchen staff some extra money, and I think they will work hard for you. You don't need to ask me for help."

After saying that, Feng Zhengming turned and walked towards the elevator.

Watching Feng Zhengming's retreating figure, He Lingfeng ultimately decided to heed Feng Zhengming's advice. (End of Chapter)