From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

After settling his wife and second aunt in, Feng Zhengming and his aunt took their two children and flew from Hangzhou to Zhengzhou.

My aunt couldn't help but exclaim on the plane, "Now that we have airplanes, things are so much more convenient."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Yes, in the past, it would take many days to travel by train. Now it's so much more convenient to travel by plane."

Aunt: "Airplanes are fast, but the tickets are really expensive."

Feng Zhengming: "Hahaha, Auntie, we're big bosses now, isn't it only right that we travel by plane?"

Aunt Feng was amused by his words: "You've made a lot of money now, but with so many people in your company, don't spend money recklessly."

Feng Zhengming: "Don't worry, Auntie. With Luo Qing helping me manage the accounts, I definitely won't waste money."

Over the years, everyone has admired Feng Zhengming for this.

He rarely inquired about the accounts of the company's various stores.

Basically, Luo Qing was in charge of handling everything.

Luo Qing often asks her aunt for help with the accounts.

Therefore, his aunt knew very well that Feng Zhengming rarely used company funds for personal expenses; most of the time, the money he spent was used for the various stores.

This situation prompted Auntie to praise Luo Qing.

"You really found a good husband."

Looking at Feng Zhengming at this moment, his aunt couldn't help but sigh.

"Many people may find it hard to understand that you, the top scorer in the national exam, have opened so many branches, yet you have never handled a lot of money."

Feng Zhengming: "I don't need to handle the money. I just need to conquer new territories and make money with the people I trust. As for how much money we make, with Luo Qing as a solid backer, the accounts will definitely be fine."

Aunt: "You really trust Qingqing completely."

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, my wife, I can definitely trust her."

Aunt asked, "Didn't you ever think about what might happen if Qingqing used the money for her brother?"

Feng Zhengming: "Hahaha, Auntie, do you think that's possible?"

My aunt couldn't help but laugh.

To say that Luo Qing secretly gave money to her brother? That's indeed quite unlikely.

Even when Luo Qing wanted to invest in her brother, she would always inform Feng Zhengming in advance.

Taking a plane is indeed very fast; Feng Zhengming and his group landed in Zhengzhou very quickly.

As they walked out of the airport, Auntie was somewhat surprised to see that Uncle Luo Qing was waiting for them there.

Lu Jinghao saw his father first and ran up to him happily.

"Dad, Dad, what brings you here?"

Lu Zhongqi picked up his son and said, "Haha, you guys can come here to play, but Dad can't?"

Aunt Pei Fanglan walked up to her husband.

"Why did you come here?"

Then my aunt realized that it was Feng Zhengming who arranged it.

She turned to look at Feng Zhengming, who was walking out with a smile, holding his daughter.

Feng Zhengming walked up to his uncle and aunt.

"This idea came from Luo Qing, and it was also Luo Qing who called my uncle."

Lu Zhongqi: "Yes, it was Qingqing who called me."

Feng Nuanyou quickly greeted him, "Hello, great-uncle."

Lu Zhongqi looked at the little girl: "Hello, Youyou."

Feng Zhengming: "Auntie, it's been a long time since you and Uncle have seen each other. You've been taking care of Youyou's mother all this time. It's a good opportunity for the three of you to reunite in Zhengzhou."

My aunt was a little embarrassed: "Really, what's the point of us old married couples having a reunion?"

Lu Zhongqi reached out and took his wife's hand: "Alright, it's just a token of the children's affection."

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, we shouldn't let Qingqing down."

Feng Nuanyou smiled and said, "My great-uncle is here too! We can have fun together!"

Lu Jinghao added, "Yes, my dad came and took me to play too."

As the group walked out of the airport, Lu Zhongqi drove up to pick them up.

Everyone got into the car, and Lu Zhongqi told Feng Zhengming about the situation at the new Zhengcheng store.

These were things he heard from Yang Bin and Sun Hai after he came to Zhengcheng, as well as some he learned through his own connections.

Through his uncle's description, Feng Zhengming gained a complete understanding.

This is not just the good news that my third senior brother mentioned.

The opening of the branch in Zhengzhou was met with some resistance from local restaurant owners.

However, because of Hao Zongcheng's influence, they did not do anything drastic.

Of course, after my uncle came over, he also helped find some old friends to help.

This will allow the branch in Zhengzhou to open more smoothly.

Feng Zhengming: "It seems I really did think things were a bit too simple. I didn't expect that there would be some local protectionism in various places, and that they would be somewhat resistant to my shop."

My uncle laughed as he drove: "Their resistance just proves that you made the right decision to open a branch."

Feng Zhengming: "Does my uncle think it's the right thing for me to do to open a branch?"

Lu Zhongqi nodded: "Of course it's right. I've seen what Yang Bin and the others have prepared. Although it's still a branch of Ganfanpu, in addition to the four old dishes, many of the items are local specialties from Zhengcheng."

You have adapted to local conditions, preserved some of the unique features of different places, and promoted them in the store.

This actually promotes the development of local cuisine and can better encourage the growth of the local catering industry.

Feng Zhengming: "Haha, my uncle really knows how to talk, but I guess not many people in the area think that way."

These words made the aunt, who was taking care of the two children in the back row, laugh again.

The uncle remained very serious: "This isn't just something I say, I think it's a fact. If you can't promote the development of a local restaurant, then sooner or later the local restaurant industry will be destroyed by others."

Feng Zhengming understood what his uncle meant; he knew his uncle was referring to more overseas restaurants entering the Chinese market in the future.

There are already signs of this happening. In cities like Beijing and Shanghai, the influx of overseas restaurants has indeed squeezed out many small local shops.

Even some small shops have gradually disappeared under this pressure.

It's like the snack shops at tourist attractions in Beijing.

Many traditional snacks are no longer made by anyone.

If it weren't for Feng Zhengming's acquisition this time...

Many more snacks may disappear completely.

Feng Zhengming: "There's no need to worry about the local specialties in Zhengzhou disappearing, since there are quite a few locals here. I'm opening a branch just to give everyone more options."

Uncle: "Having more options forces local restaurants to do better."

My aunt agreed: "That's right, Zhengming, with you here, you'll definitely be able to get them to do their stuff even better."

Feng Zhengming: "I hope we can develop together and make progress together."

The uncle drove Feng Zhengming and the others to the hotel they had booked.

Third Senior Brother and Sun Hai are also staying at this hotel.

Knowing that Feng Zhengming and his group were coming, the third senior brother, along with Sun Hai and Zhou Feng, had been waiting. Zhou Feng was very excited to see the top scholar Feng, and he was even a little restless.

The weather was clearly hot, and Zhou Feng even wore a suit today.

It's obvious that he intentionally wanted to cover up his tattoos.

When Yang Bin saw Zhou Feng dressed in a suit and tie and looking restless, he couldn't help but laugh.

“Zhou Feng, aren’t you hot? You’re wearing a suit in this weather? And you don’t need to stand there looking out. Your junior uncle is here. We can see him from here.”

His master's words made Zhou Feng feel a little embarrassed, so he sat down.

“Master, I’m worried that my clothes are too casual and might seem disrespectful.”

Sun Hai laughed and saw through his thoughts: "You're afraid your junior uncle will see the tattoo on your arm, aren't you?"

Zhou Feng was even more embarrassed: "When I went to see Master Hao last time, he didn't like my tattoos, so I'm afraid that Feng Zhuangyuan won't like them either."

Sun Hai: "You don't need to worry about that. Junior Uncle won't be against tattoos or the like."

Yang Bin: "Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. It's okay to do some wrong things in the past, especially since you've already reformed. You wouldn't care about these things back then."

As they were talking, Lu Zhongqi had already driven to the hotel entrance.

After parking the car, Feng Zhengming and his group got out and went into the hotel.

He had just stepped into the hotel when Sun Hai saw him.

"Master, Junior Uncle and the others have arrived."

Yang Bin stood up, and Zhou Feng was so excited that he seemed to jump up from the sofa.

Seeing his junior brother carrying his daughter walk in, Yang Bin greeted him with a smile.

"Haha, let Uncle San see who this is."

Feng Nuanyou, nestled in her father's arms, called out with a smile, "Hello, Third Uncle."

Yang Bin smiled broadly: "Hey, Youyou, hello."

Lu Zhongqi also said to his son in his arms, "Say hello to your uncle."

Yang Bin quickly corrected him: "You can't call me uncle, you should call me third brother."

Lu Zhongqi laughed: "Why are you calling me Third Brother? Didn't we agree that we would address each other by our own names? My son calls you Third Brother, so aren't you a generation below me? We used to be friends."

Lu Zhongqi and Yang Bin were indeed friends. In the past, Lu Zhongqi had traveled all over the country and met many people.

When Yang Bin returned to his hometown in the countryside to open a restaurant, Lu Zhongqi even went to eat at his restaurant when he passed by.

It was on that occasion that Lu Zhongqi realized the chef's skills were exceptional.

After talking with Yang Bin, I learned that Yang Bin had left Yanxilou and returned to his hometown to open that small restaurant.

Lu Zhongqi and Yang Bin didn't expect this at the time.

Later, Feng Zhengming married Luo Qing, who was Lu Zhongqi's niece.

This naturally led to some confusion regarding the generational hierarchy among the members.

In the end, Lu Jinghao changed his address to Yang Bin as "Third Brother".

After all, Feng Zhengming was present, and it would indeed seem a bit chaotic to have Lu Jinghao call him "uncle."

After agreeing on the form of address, Yang Bin formally introduced Zhou Feng to Feng Zhengming.

When Feng Zhengming saw Zhou Feng dressed in a suit and tie, he looked him up and down and couldn't help but feel like laughing.

"You seem quite afraid of me? You're dressed in a suit specifically to tell me you're a civilized person? But we chefs don't need civilized people."

These words startled Zhou Feng, who quickly took off his suit jacket.

"No, Junior Uncle, I... I'm not a civilized person."

Feng Zhengming immediately burst into laughter.

Then, Feng Nuanyou, who was being held by her father, smiled and said, "Uncle, don't be afraid, my dad was just joking."

Zhou Feng heard what the little girl said, then looked at the others.

Seeing the smiles on everyone's faces, he quickly realized that he had indeed misunderstood.

Feng Zhengming looked Zhou Feng up and down and said, "Third Brother, let's go upstairs and put our luggage down first, then go to the new store together and have a working lunch there tonight."

At this point, Feng Zhengming said to Zhou Feng, "Your braised noodles are very good? Make some for us to try tonight."

Without waiting for Zhou Feng's reply, Feng Zhengming, carrying his daughter and pulling his suitcase, went upstairs to his room with his uncle and his family of three.

Zhou Feng only came to his senses after they left.

He looked at Sun Hai: "Senior brother, did our uncle just say that he wanted to eat the braised noodles I made tonight?"

Sun Hai nodded with a smile: "Yes, that's what my martial uncle said."

After Zhou Feng confirmed it, he became extremely nervous.

"No, Master, Senior Brother, I... I didn't prepare anything. I don't know if my braised noodles will be to my Uncle's liking?"

Seeing Zhou Feng's obvious nervousness, Yang Bin comforted him, "Don't be nervous. Your junior uncle is a very easy person to get along with. Didn't he look perfectly normal just now?"

Sun Hai gently patted Zhou Feng on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, if your master asks you to do it, just do it well. Even if you don't do it well, your master won't blame you. Maybe he'll even give you some guidance after seeing your skills."

Zhou Feng glanced at his master, then at his senior brother Sun Hai, forcing himself to calm down.

Feng Zhengming carried his daughter upstairs and put his luggage in the room.

As soon as Feng Nuanyou entered the room, she asked her father to call her mother.

"Dad, call Mom right away!"

Feng Zhengming smiled and nodded: "Okay, Dad remembers."

He called his wife and told her that they had arrived safely at the hotel, reassuring her that she could rest assured.

Then I gave the phone to my daughter so she could say a few more words to me.

Luo Qing was still a little worried in Hangzhou, after all, flying these days does make people feel unsafe.

Hearing that her husband and daughter were safe, she was relieved and chatted with her daughter on the phone for a while.

Listening to her daughter's endless chatter brought Luo Qing a sense of complete peace.

After hanging up the phone, Luo Qing looked at her second aunt.

"Aunt and the others have arrived safely. The little girl is so happy this time; she can run around outside with her dad again."

The second aunt could naturally tell that Luo Qing's mood had obviously improved immediately.

“I think now that they’re gone, you can get some rest. You haven’t had a good rest in Beijing or Hangzhou lately. They’ve gone to Zhengzhou, so you can rest for a few days.”

Luo Qing was still a little worried: "No, Auntie, there are still many branch store matters to attend to."

Second Aunt immediately took charge: "Don't worry, we still have your aunt, right? Besides, Zhengming has already transferred people over, and Gao Qiang is still in the shop here. Before it opens, let them get to know each other first."

Luo Qing thought about it and felt that her second aunt was right. They should get to know each other before the business opened.

The renovation of the new store will take some time, so I can definitely relax for a while.

"Okay, Auntie, I'll listen to you."

My second aunt smiled and said, "That's right. You should rest for a few days. I'll go over to check on you every day and report back to you."

Luo Qing: "Auntie, let me go with you. We can't stay in the hotel all the time."

Second Aunt: "Okay, let's go together." (End of Chapter)