From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Now that Feng Zhengming has returned to Shanghai, he naturally intends to personally cook and run the old-style house restaurant.

Several gourmets in Shanghai received the news immediately and made reservations right away.

In the evening, the gourmets arrived at the restaurant by car.

The moment they saw Feng Zhengming, the several gourmets from Shanghai were overjoyed.

"Oh, our Chef Feng, you're finally back!"

"We've been hoping you'd come back soon."

"As a result, we've been waiting for you for almost half a year."

"That's right, Scholar Feng, you'd better cook us a nice dish as compensation."

"Yes, yes, we must cook a good dish."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "It has indeed been a long time. Please come in. I will cook two new dishes for you to try tonight."

Upon hearing about the new dish, the gourmets immediately stopped complaining.

One by one, they were led inside by the staff and sat in their usual favorite spots.

Following the several gourmets of Shanghai were some guests who had booked tables for tonight.

Most of these guests were business owners from Shanghai.

They usually book private rooms at Feng Zhengming's restaurant for business banquets.

Moreover, for these business owners, those who would make reservations at Feng Zhengming's restaurant must be close friends, not just business partners.

Feng Zhengming certainly wouldn't stand at the door to greet these people; he would simply have Xia Hui wait there.

Upon seeing Xia Hui, the restaurant owners who had made reservations all greeted Feng Zhengming with smiles and inquired about his whereabouts.

Xia Hui smiled and replied, "Master has returned. He will be cooking tonight, so you've all arrived just in time."

Upon hearing Xia Hui's words, smiles immediately appeared on the faces of the bosses.

One of the bosses expressed his delight at the guests he had invited that evening.

"It seems you are all very fortunate. As soon as you arrived, Feng Zhuangyuan returned. Tonight we can try Feng Zhuangyuan's cooking, which is also a wish for our cooperation to go very smoothly."

The person being invited was naturally very happy.

Firstly, it would be a chance to eat dishes prepared by Feng Zhengming, the top scorer in the national college entrance examination.

Secondly, they also felt this was a good omen for cooperation between the two parties.

Guests arrived one after another, and all the tables and private rooms in the old-style restaurant were already full.

At this point, the old-style restaurant will no longer accept any other guests for the evening.

This is a new rule set by Feng Zhengming after the New Year.

At lunchtime, the old-style restaurant served customers who had not made reservations.

In the evening, the restaurant only accepts customers who have made reservations in advance.

Furthermore, Feng Zhengming's requirement was that a deposit must be paid before making a reservation for the evening, and the deposit would not be refunded if the guest who made the reservation for the evening did not show up.

This change did not bring any slander or criticism to Feng Zhengming.

On the contrary, it led to a sudden increase in the number of people making reservations for the evening.

In particular, some business owners felt that being able to book dinner at Feng Zhengming's restaurant, because of Feng Zhengming's decision, demonstrated their ability and financial resources.

Often, doing business requires a precise understanding of human nature.

Feng Zhengming had already cultivated a very high reputation for himself.

Whether it's a national culinary champion or a chef for state banquets.

His reputation is high enough to attract many people to pay for his restaurant.

Feng Zhengming did not disappoint his customers tonight, and prepared two new dishes for them.

This was a small surprise for the guests as Feng Zhengming returned to Shanghai.

Both dishes were developed by Feng Zhengming during his trip to Beijing, when he was acquiring those small shops. He found some old recipes left behind by these shops and improved upon them.

The first dish was a small cold noodle dish specially made by Feng Zhengming using the skirt of a soft-shelled turtle.

Prepare the turtle skirt in advance and peel off the black membrane on the surface.

Then cut it into strips about the thickness of a matchstick.

Next, it is soaked in scallion and ginger water, and then simmered.

The dough made from the turtle's skirt absorbed all the flavor.

Finally, arrange it on a plate and drizzle it with sesame sauce that Feng Zhengming specially prepared.

When this dish was first served, customers only thought it was a refreshing and delicious cold noodle dish.

Almost no one realized that the noodles were made from the skirt of a turtle.

Even several Shanghai gourmets thought this cold noodle dish was refreshing and delicious.

Moreover, when I was eating it, the noodles didn't really taste like noodles.

But they never expected that it was actually made from the skirt of a turtle.

In addition to this dish, Feng Zhengming also prepared a boiled sheep's head.

The difference is that his boiled mutton head uses a slightly different recipe in the braising process.

In addition to salt and pepper, Feng Zhengming also prepared a special dipping sauce for the last dish.

Feng Zhengming even served sesame seed cakes.

This allows guests to experience the traditional flavors of Beijing.

These two dishes alone were enough to make all the customers feel that tonight was extraordinary.

Several Shanghai gourmets, in particular, found the aftertaste to be lingering and delightful.

I've always wondered, what kind of noodles are cold noodles made of?

And what is the recipe for the secret dipping sauce for the water sheep's head that Feng Zheng understands?
But after guessing for a long time, I still couldn't figure out what it was.

This really made several gourmets in Shanghai quite anxious.

One of the joys they find in eating delicious food is the experience of tasting different flavors, which is what they value most.

Another fun aspect is that they try to guess what the ingredients are.
Tonight, I still couldn't figure out what kind of noodles the cold noodles were.

This truly frustrated several Shanghai gourmets.

But they also knew that Feng Zhengming would be quite busy when he returned tonight.

They couldn't summon Feng Zhengming to ask him anything, so they could only wait quietly.

Unlike the few Shanghai gourmets, most of those who booked private rooms simply felt that the dishes tonight were indeed delicious.

Meanwhile, several other tables also finalized their deals tonight.

This was naturally a great joy for them.

Then they had Feng Zhengming's restaurant open several bottles of good wine to celebrate.

They even ordered several elaborate dishes for Feng Zhengming, hoping that Feng Zhengming could earn more money.

This also meant that Feng Zhengming was indeed busier tonight than usual.

Most of the time, Xia Hui and the others could only assist from the sidelines; they had no chance to get involved in cooking.

After all, since they ordered Feng Zhengming's dishes, he definitely needed to cook them for them personally.

After a busy night, by 9 p.m., it was basically time to close for the evening's business.

The guests in the private room gradually left.

There was a smile on every face.

Tonight, they not only enjoyed the delicious food, but also finalized their respective business deals at Feng Zhengming's restaurant.

This naturally gives one the feeling of being in high spirits when good things happen.

So when it came time to pay, these big bosses were quite generous with tips for the service staff.

Feng Zhengming naturally wouldn't stop them, letting the waiter accept the tip as their unexpected income for the night.

After seeing off these bosses, Feng Zhengming finally had time to meet with several gourmets from Shanghai.

The group has discussed it back and forth many times.

Still no clue what kind of noodles they were? Upon seeing Feng Zhengming arrive, the gourmets were almost all eager to ask.

"Scholar Feng, what kind of noodles are you making this cold noodle dish with?"

"I think it's definitely not made of dough, it must be made of something else, right?"

"It tastes a bit like cold noodles from Northeast China, but it's not quite the same."

"I think it looks like it's made from thin strips of cold skin noodles, right?"

After listening to the gourmets' discussion, Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "It's definitely not made of noodles. This cold noodle dish is actually made by shredding the skirt of a soft-shelled turtle."

"what?"

"Turtle skirt?"

"This, how is this possible?"

Can the trim of a turtle shell be made into noodles?

"Feng Zhuangyuan, you're exaggerating too much."

"Yeah, how exactly do you make noodles like this?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and explained the general procedure.

The gourmets were stunned when they heard this, feeling that eating such a small bowl of cold noodles was a bit of a luxury.

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "It's not extravagant. Didn't you all have spicy stir-fried turtle tonight? It just didn't have a skirt, but it seems like none of you found it inappropriate."

Upon hearing Feng Zhengming's words, the gourmand suddenly understood.

"Oh right, I was wondering why the spicy stir-fried turtle didn't have any skirt. Turns out the skirt was made into cold noodles."

Feng Zhengming: "What do you all think of my ingenious idea?"

Several Shanghai gourmets looked at each other, then gave Feng Zhengming a thumbs up.

"Brilliant, Scholar Feng, you are truly brilliant."

"Yes, this is truly the most delicious cold noodles I've ever eaten."

"It's really delicious. Now that you say so, I want to come back and eat it again."

"Next time we come to eat, Feng Zhuangyuan, you must cook for us again!"

"Exactly! I feel like I really can't get through summer without these cold noodles."

Feng Zhengming: "I'm afraid it's not good to eat it all the time, but I'll try to arrange it if it's allowed in the summer."

Hearing Feng Zhengming say he would try his best to arrange it amused the gourmets in Shanghai.

They all said to make arrangements as they saw fit, and that the price was negotiable.

Feng Zhengming: "The price will definitely fluctuate at that time, but I will try my best to ensure that it will not be too expensive."

This remark displeased several gourmets.

"No, Scholar Feng, do you think we can't afford it?"

"That's right, we can definitely afford to eat a turtle a day."

"Yes, yes, Scholar Feng, please prepare as you see fit. We can afford any price."

"Don't worry, we really don't need the money for a turtle."

Hearing these comments from the gourmets left Feng Zhengming both amused and exasperated.

"Okay, okay, don't worry, everyone. I promise you, I'll try my best to arrange it. In the summer, I'll make sure you can have this turtle skirt-flavored cold noodles with every meal."

This promise satisfied several of Shanghai's gourmets.

Feng Zhengming saw them off.

I simply stood in front of the gate and watched them get into the car and leave.

There was no bowing or thanking gesture like the others did.

But gourmets wouldn't find anything wrong with it.

Because he is Feng Zhengming, the national culinary champion, it is already a great honor for you that he is willing to see you off.

After finishing his first night of business back in Shanghai, Feng Zhengming still held a short meeting.

“I saw it tonight, and you all did very well. However, there are a few small details you need to pay attention to. Remember that our restaurant is one of the best in the country, and even the world, so don’t make any mistakes.”

Of course, we don't need to be obsequious to our guests; treating them as equals is sufficient.

The tips from the customers tonight are well-deserved, a reward for your performance, but please don't be arrogant.

Feng Zhengming's slightly playful remark at the end made everyone burst into laughter.

However, the staff were naturally delighted to receive a tip for tonight.

Although Feng Zhengming's restaurant pays a decent salary, no one would think it's too much money.

Feng Zhengming asked the staff to accept the tip, which was actually a reward for them.

In this way, it will be easier for everyone to accept the problems he points out next.

After the meeting, we cleaned the inside and outside of the old villa's restaurant.

It was not even 10 o'clock yet.

Feng Zhengming knew that some young people still wanted to go out and have fun.

He didn't stop them, but just told them not to let playing interfere with their work.

"Don't be late, and be careful when you go out at night, especially girls."

Everyone readily agreed, then bid farewell to Feng Zhengming and left.

In the end, only Xia Hui and five apprentices remained.

Feng Zhengming looked at the six people and said, "You have indeed worked hard during this period, and I have seen your progress tonight."

Xia Hui, you're becoming more and more like the senior chef. You understand a lot about staff scheduling and management in the kitchen, which is excellent. You're already qualified to be a head chef.

Xia Hui quickly said, "Master, I still have a lot to learn from you."

Feng Zhengming laughed: "Haha, don't worry, I don't intend for you to leave for the time being."

Then Feng Zhengming looked at the five apprentices.

“Yongfu and Houdong, you two have made great progress, and I can see that you have indeed learned a lot in Jiangxi Province.”

Gao Yongfu and Hou Dong exchanged a glance, then nodded and smiled together.

"I learned a lot from Master Yu when I was in Hongcheng."

"Yes, Chef Yu's cooking skills are really good, but the food in Jiangxi Province is indeed too spicy."

Feng Zhengming laughed: "The locals are used to eating spicy food, so they don't feel anything. It is indeed a challenge for outsiders."

Then he looked at Lu Haisheng and said, "Haisheng, it's good that you can keep up with the pace. It shows that you haven't been slacking off."

Lu Haisheng: "Master, I have always been learning diligently from my senior sisters and brothers."

Feng Zhengming: "I hope you continue to work hard. Remember one thing: cooking is a skill that can be applied to many things. Don't just learn by rote; you have to be flexible and can combine the advantages of different cuisines."

Finally, there were Sun Decai and Tang Yong.

Feng Zhengming first asked the two men, "Would you like to go to the capital and learn how to make Peking duck?"

This question surprised both Sun Decai and Tang Yong.

The two were clearly surprised that their master would suddenly ask them that question.

Feng Zhengming wasn't in a hurry: "You don't need to answer me right away. You can think about it carefully. If you're willing to learn, I can arrange for you to go to the capital and learn at your fifth uncle's shop."

Sun Decai asked, "Master, does that mean we won't be your disciples anymore?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Yong blurted out, "Then I won't go."

Feng Zhengming laughed: "Who said you're not my apprentices? Can't my apprentices learn how to roast duck? I think you two are good candidates."

Gao Yongfu and Hou Dong learned some things in Jiangxi Province, while Lu Haisheng was a local in Shanghai and also had a background in local cuisine.

"You two came all the way from Jinan with me, so you should learn a unique skill that suits you."

After hearing what Feng Zhengming said, Sun Decai and Tang Yong understood.

Before the two could answer, Feng Zhengming stepped forward and held them down.

"Don't rush to answer. Go back and think it over carefully. You can also ask your family. Let me know when you've made up your mind." (End of Chapter)