From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Yang Bin and his apprentice Sun Hai first arrived in Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province.

After arriving here, Yang Bin and Sun Hai did not contact anyone from the local chefs' association.

The master and apprentice first conducted a preliminary investigation on the streets.

Investigate the situation on the street.

What are the local specialties in Zhengzhou?
The master and apprentice transformed into a pair of foodies, eating and drinking their way through the old market.

It really does feel like you've blended in with the local life.

The master and apprentice learned a great deal about the local situation by strolling around the streets and observing the local life.

Zhengzhou is not yet in a very good state of development.

Sun Hai, who has been living in Shanghai for the past few years, feels that Zhengzhou is much more backward in comparison.

After careful investigation, Yang Bin felt that Zhengcheng was indeed a good city.

"It can't compare to Shanghai, but Zhengzhou is quite suitable for us to open a dry rice shop. People here are more accepting of our braised pork flavor, and the cost of living here is a bit lower, which is perfect for our dry rice shop."

After listening to his master's analysis, Sun Hai thought about it carefully and realized that what his master said seemed to make sense.

"Master, should we contact the local chefs' association? Perhaps we can recruit some local chef apprentices?"

Yang Bin: "We definitely need to contact them, but there's no rush. Let's explore the situation ourselves and learn more about what's going on here."

Sun Hai asked, somewhat puzzled, "Master, do you mean we don't understand things clearly enough?"

Yang Bin: "No, we've contacted the chefs' association, so what we see, hear, and eat next might be different. We need to make our own judgments."

Sun Hai felt that his master was absolutely right.

“Master is right, we do need to understand the situation here more clearly.”

In the following days, Yang Bin continued to take Sun Hai through the streets and alleys.

This time, they not only went to the central urban area, but also to some of the more remote surrounding areas.

It was when they went to a more remote area that the master and apprentice encountered a little trouble.

At the beginning of the 21st century, outside of major cities in China, even in provincial capitals, there were actually many unstable factors.

Just like when Luo Qing went to Hongcheng in Jiangxi Province, she encountered some people hired by locals who tried to sabotage her.

As Yang Bin and his apprentice Sun Hai left the city center and ventured deeper into the surrounding suburbs...

Inevitably, we also encountered some people who had settled in these places.

In addition, although the master and apprentice were relatively low-key, their attire was still quite different from what was being worn around here, which naturally attracted the attention of some of the locals.

Yang Bin was the first to notice something was wrong and immediately told Sun Hai to be careful.

"Be careful, someone seems to be targeting us. They probably think we look like we have some money, so they're planning to do something sabotage to us."

Upon hearing this, Sun Hai subconsciously turned his head and scanned his surroundings.

But his master called him back.

"Don't look around, keep your own way, pay attention, and be ready to run at any time."

Sun Hai had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow his master. At the same time, he subconsciously reached into his pocket, prepared to fight if he couldn't escape.

Soon, several people appeared on the road ahead and blocked the master and his apprentice, while several more people appeared from behind.

These people must have been working together, relying on their familiarity with the area to dare to intercept the master and apprentice.

Yang Bin instinctively wanted to protect Sun Hai, but Sun Hai also wanted to protect his master.

Then, the master and apprentice stood back to back, watching the people who were gathering around them.

Yang Bin began, "Everyone, we were just passing by. If we have offended you in any way, please forgive us. We apologize on your behalf."

Sun Hai was ready to take action; his only thought was to protect his master no matter what.

Then a group of people surrounded them, ready to make a move.

Suddenly, a fat man wearing an apron and holding a kitchen knife walked out of a shop by the roadside.

"What are you all trying to do? Get out of here right now and stop causing trouble in front of my shop."

After the fat man reprimanded the young men who surrounded Yang Bin and Sun Hai,

He then looked at Yang Bin and his apprentice Sun Hai: "Want to eat? Come in and try my cooking?"

Yang Bin immediately clasped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you, brother. We were just getting hungry."

Then Yang Bin and Sun Hai followed the fat man into his small shop by the roadside.

There weren't many people in the shop, but it was easy to tell from the scene that it was an old shop that had been around for a long time.

Yang Bin walked in, looked around, and asked with a smile, "Does the boss make braised noodles?"

The fat boss chuckled when asked the question.

"Hey you two, what are you doing here? This place is so remote, how did you find your way here? And now you're swaggering around like this, as if you're afraid people won't realize you're rich?"

Yang Bin continued with a smile, "I just arrived and don't know this area well. I'm just wandering around."

The chubby boss pointed to the yellowed menu on the wall.

"My family can make braised noodles, stewed noodles, braised flatbread, and spicy soup. If you want stir-fried dishes, I can also make them."

Yang Bin: "Boss, you can tell your skills are excellent. Otherwise, this shop wouldn't have been able to stay open for so many years."

Upon hearing this, the chubby boss sized up Yang Bin and said, "You two seem to know a lot about this stuff?"

Yang Bin: "We really enjoy eating. When we go to a new city, we want to try some local specialties."

Boss: "Okay, wait a moment, I'll get you a bowl of my restaurant's braised noodles and a serving of braised flatbread. You can try them. How about some mutton? I'll cut some more mutton for you."

Yang Bin nodded: "Eat, eat everything, boss, please order whatever you like."

The boss agreed and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

Sun Hai looked around the small shop again.

He couldn't help but lower his voice to communicate with his master.

"Master, this shop looks very old. The owner must have some skills. Do you think we could cooperate with him?"

When Yang Bin heard his apprentice say that, he couldn't help but laugh.

After laughing, Yang Bin also lowered his voice.

"Now that you've been spending so much time with your junior uncle, is your mind filled with ideas about poaching local talent?"

Sun Hai felt a little embarrassed by what his master said.

In particular, his master said that he was like his junior uncle in terms of conduct and dealings with others.

This made Sun Hai feel as if he had betrayed his sect.

Yang Bin smiled and said, "Let's try the boss's cooking first, and then we can talk to him in detail later."

As the master and apprentice were talking, they suddenly smelled a delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen of the shop.

That's the aroma of the soup being heated.

Upon smelling the aroma of the soup, Yang Bin immediately realized...

"It seems we're really lucky to have met a master craftsman. The soup is absolutely amazing. It smells like mutton soup, but it's not just mutton soup. There should also be chicken soup and beef bone soup. The aroma of this mixed soup is even more delicious." Sun Hai also smelled the aroma of the soup and quickly deduced that it was definitely not just mutton soup.

As the aroma wafted out, Yang Bin exclaimed, "It smells delicious! Looks like I'm in for a treat today."

Not long after, the chubby boss came out carrying two bowls of braised noodles, a plate of braised flatbread, and slices of mutton.

"Here we go."

When the boss put it down, Yang Bin and his apprentice Sun Hai were both somewhat surprised.

The braised noodles are a combination of meat and vegetables, and they look very refreshing, but you can tell from the aroma that the soup is definitely rich and delicious.

The braised flatbread also looked very substantial, as it had been soaked in the broth from the braised mutton.

Finally, there was a plate of mutton, which was braised in white sauce and cut into large slices that looked quite tempting.

"That's all the skill I have. Try it and see. You can add mutton to the noodles."

Yang Bin and Sun Hai thanked the boss together.

Then, without pausing for a moment, the master and apprentice slurped down a bowl of braised noodles in one go.

The two of them ate all the chopped mutton.

After finishing the braised noodles, they divided the braised flatbread among themselves, and the master and apprentice ate until they were stuffed and round.

Sun Hai: "Boss, your skills are truly amazing."

Yang Bin: "The braised noodles from Henan Province truly live up to their reputation."

The chubby boss laughed: "Our local specialty is braised noodles. My skills are nothing special. There are many people who can make them better than me. My skills were passed down from my family, and I took over the family business from my father."

Sun Hai: "No wonder it tastes so good. You really have a family tradition, boss."

Yang Bin: "The soup base alone is extraordinary, made by combining chicken broth, beef bone broth, and mutton broth."

The fat boss's smile vanished instantly.

He stared at Yang Bin with a look of surprise.

"How...how did you know how we make this soup base?"

Yang Bin laughed: "I don't know. I just smelled the aroma and tasted it. But I still can't figure out how to pair it."

The portly boss scrutinized Yang Bin carefully: "Who exactly are you? What are you here for?"

Yang Bin didn't hide anything and revealed his identity directly.

"We came here today because we want to open a branch here. We just had your braised noodles and they were really unique. We wonder if you would be willing to partner with us?"

The portly boss looked incredulous: "You're from Jinan? You were sent by that Scholar Feng to open a branch?"

Sun Hai: "Yes, boss, you can rest assured, we are not lying to you. My master is my junior uncle's third senior brother."

The chubby boss said, "No, I believe you. I just find it unbelievable that I would meet you and be praised by such a skilled chef as you for my braised noodles."

Yang Bin laughed: "Hahaha, boss, you're too modest. Your braised noodles are really delicious."

The chubby boss scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

"But besides making braised noodles, I really don't know how to cook anything else. If you ask me to partner with you, wouldn't I just be a burden to you?"

Yang Bin: "How could that be? Your skill in making braised noodles is more than enough to qualify you to work with us."

Sun Hai then explained, "My junior uncle's principle in opening branches in various places is to add some local specialties to the stores and make things that better suit local tastes."

Yang Bin: "Yes, our philosophy is to preserve the local characteristics and not let the local cuisine disappear."

The fat boss was still somewhat surprised; he still felt that he might not be qualified to be a partner.

"I don't think I'm very good at it. My skills are really not that great, and I can't compare to yours."

Yang Bin: "But your braised noodle shop has always been doing very well, hasn't it? I think it must be very popular with the people in the surrounding area, right?"

The portly boss asked in surprise, "You could tell that?"

Yang Bin smiled and said, "Just now, that group of people outside were trying to surround us. If you hadn't gained the approval of the people nearby, how could they have let us go with just a word from you?"

The chubby boss was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He could only explain it to Yang Bin and Sun Hai.

The fat boss's name is Zhou Feng. That's why the people outside listened to him and stopped attacking Yang Bin and Sun Hai.

Actually, it's because Zhou Feng used to be the leader of their group.

After graduating from junior high school, Zhou Feng did not continue his studies and started hanging out with a group of peers.

He's done almost everything imaginable, from fighting and brawling to bullying and monopolizing the market.

It could be said that it was truly notorious in this area for a time.

Later, his father tried to stop him from continuing his aimless behavior.

He took the initiative to find him, gave him a lecture, and later even stopped doing business and followed Zhou Feng around every day.

What truly moved Zhou Feng was when he led a group of people into a fight on the street.

His own father was stabbed by the other party while trying to save him.

That incident deeply shocked Zhou Feng.

Moreover, even after being stabbed, the father insisted on carrying Zhou Feng to the hospital.

After that incident, Zhou Feng realized his father's love for him, and he finally decided to go home with his father.

Zhou Feng rolled up his sleeves, revealing the tattoos on his arms.

"Later, I started learning the craft from my dad. I discovered that I actually had a bit of talent and I actually mastered my father's braised noodle making skills. My dad then stepped down and let me take over the shop."

Upon hearing this, Sun Hai instinctively asked, "And your father?"

Zhou Feng laughed: "Don't worry, the old man is in great health. He still goes out every day to play chess with the old men in the neighborhood, and they often get into heated arguments."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a quarrel broke out outside the door.

Soon, several old men walked in noisily.

Yang Bin and Sun Hai looked over and quickly recognized an old man among those who came in who looked somewhat like Zhou Feng.

"Fengzi, give each of these old folks a bowl of noodles. They lost the game of chess today, so they get a free bowl."

Zhou Feng stood up with a smile: "Okay, Dad. Uncles and elders, please go ahead and take your seats."

The old men sat down, not forgetting to make sarcastic remarks about Zhou Feng's father.

"Old Zhou, you're such a terrible chess player, yet you still insist on betting with us."

"That's right, Lao Zhou, you should study more chess records, and stop losing all the time."

"Look at today's meal, you lost again, didn't you?"

Old Zhou was quite blunt: "I was careless today and let you win. Who among you is usually my match? If you're not convinced, let's play another game after dinner."

Looking at these elderly people, Yang Bin and his apprentice Sun Hai couldn't help but find it very interesting.

Especially seeing Old Zhou's physique, which was almost as impressive as Zhou Feng's, one could understand why this father was able to lead his son out of the encirclement and even get him to the hospital back then. (End of Chapter)