From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

After hanging up the phone with his wife, Feng Zhengming changed his and his daughter's clothes.

This outfit was custom-made in Hangzhou. The father and daughter are wearing the same clothes, with the same color and pattern.

Luo Qing also had one, which was part of a set that made up a family of three with her father and daughter.

There was a little reason behind Luo Qing ordering this outfit.

On the streets of Hangzhou, I've encountered some young women who, upon recognizing Feng Zhengming, would use the excuse of taking a photo to get closer to him.

This displeased Luo Qing, which is why she specially commissioned a set of clothes to be made.

The point is to let everyone know that Feng Zhengming has a family, a wife and children, so that young girls will keep their distance from him.

Feng Zhengming naturally saw through his wife's thoughts, but he was still willing to wear the dress that his wife had made for him.

This outfit is indeed quite nice, and he thinks it would be very interesting to wear the same thing as his wife and daughter.

Moreover, the custom-made clothes also bear the logo that they had commissioned from Lu Xing to design.

This is also why Feng Zhengming likes to wear this outfit.

He took his daughter's little hand and walked out of the room.

Just then, I saw my uncle and aunt, a family of three, coming out from next door.

Seeing the clothes the father and daughter were wearing, the aunt laughed: "Oh my, you two are actually wearing these clothes?"

Upon hearing this, the uncle looked at the clothes worn by the father and daughter.

"Is this outfit a set?"

Auntie explained with a smile, "Yes, it's an outfit. All three of them have one. Qingqing had it custom-made. Qingqing was worried that Zhengming was too attractive to young girls, so she deliberately declared her ownership like this."

The uncle couldn't help but chuckle, "Qingqing really has a lot of little tricks up her sleeve."

Feng Nuanyou smiled and pointed to the clothes she was wearing.

"Uncle, do you think my and Dad's clothes look good?"

Lu Zhongqi nodded: "It looks good, your clothes and Dad's clothes are really beautiful."

Feng Zhengming: "Let's go downstairs. My third senior brother and the others are waiting down there. Let's go check out the new store together."

The uncle and aunt nodded, and then they took the two children downstairs together.

After Feng Zhengming led his daughter by the hand, and his daughter led her uncle out of the elevator.

Feng Zhengming and his daughter attracted the attention of many people in the hotel lobby.

In this day and age, it's rare to see a father and daughter dressed in the same style, with the same pattern, one big and one small.

So their outfits definitely attracted a lot of attention.

Yang Bin greeted him with a smile.

“Oh my, our little Youyou is dressed just like her dad, she looks so pretty.”

Hearing her third uncle's praise filled Feng Nuanyou's little face with joy.

"Hehehe, this dress was made by my mom. My mom, dad, and I all have one."

Yang Bin smiled and said, "It looks really good. Youyou's mother has excellent taste."

Feng Nuanyou was even happier: "Hehehe, thank you, Third Uncle."

Feng Zhengming: "Third Brother, let's go and take a look at the new store."

Yang Bin: "Let's go."

The group walked out of the hotel. This time, Sun Hai was in charge of driving, Zhou Feng sat in the passenger seat, and Feng Zhengming and the others sat in the back.

After getting on the bus, Feng Zhengming chatted with his third senior brother about the situation in Zhengzhou.

The third senior brother first gave an introduction.

"The situation here is a bit complicated. If Sun Hai and I hadn't met Zhou Feng, we would have almost been robbed that day. Later, when we were looking for suppliers, we were also very grateful for Senior Brother Hao's help."

Feng Zhengming: "You might encounter a similar situation when you go to Hebei Province. You can go find Senior Brother Jing first when you get there."

Yang Bin: "Jing Guanlin?"

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, Senior Brother Jing is an old acquaintance of ours, just like Senior Brother Hao here. We participated in the handover banquet together. If you go to him, he will definitely be willing to help."

Yang Bin: "Okay, once the store here is up and running, when we go to Hebei Province, we'll go directly to Jing Guanlin."

Uncle Lu Zhongqi also spoke up: "Yang Bin, if you need help, you can tell me. I have some comrades-in-arms in Hebei Province, and I can help you find them to help you."

Yang Bin smiled and agreed, "Okay, thank you, Uncle."

Lu Zhongqi laughed: "Don't call me uncle anymore. We used to be friends."

Yang Bin: "Alright, alright, then let's each talk about our own points."

The car arrived outside Zhengcheng New Store.

Feng Zhengming glanced at the storefront and interior decoration of the new store.

"That's right, Liu Yonggang and his team are getting better and better at their craft, and they're also more efficient now."

Yang Bin: "Yes, it's probably because they've renovated your store so many times that they're more familiar with the overall process. I never expected them to renovate so quickly."

Lu Zhongqi said, "The materials are different now than before. Many things can be packaged together as a whole, instead of having to pack them up piece by piece like before."

Yang Bin: Yes, the kitchen supplies are now delivered as a complete set.

Feng Zhengming: "This shows that all industries in our country are developing and progressing."

The group got out of the car, opened the door of the new store, and went inside.

The shop's decor is almost identical to that of rice shops throughout Shandong.

Everyone was very satisfied with everything in this store.

Feng Zhengming and the others then went into the kitchen together.

I carefully inspected everything in the kitchen, especially my uncle who helped check the water, electricity, and gas.

The plumbing and electrical wiring were all installed very well.

"Yes, the renovation team at Lao Liu's house is quite meticulous in their work. They've done waterproofing on all of these areas, so there won't be any electrical leakage issues in the kitchen. That's great."

Feng Zhengming looked at Zhou Feng: "Little Zhou, how about showing us your skills? Let us try your braised noodles?"

Zhou Feng had been on edge the whole way, and when he heard what Uncle Feng said, he was taken aback.

"Uncle-Master, do I... do I really have to do this?"

Feng Zhengming: "What? You can't do it in front of me?"

Zhou Feng: "No, no, I was just worried that you might not be used to the noodles I made."

Feng Zhengming: "Don't worry, we can all eat it. Just cook it the way you would at home."

Then Feng Zhengming looked at Sun Hai: "Help your junior brother."

Sun Hai smiled and agreed, "Okay, I'll help my junior brother out today."

In the following time, Zhou Feng and Sun Hai worked together in the kitchen.

In fact, Yang Bin knew that Feng Zhengming would arrive today and would definitely test Zhou Feng after he arrived.

So he had Sun Hai and Zhou Feng prepare some materials in advance.

The three-ingredient soup for cooking noodles is prepared in advance, as are the mutton and beef.

Sun Hai and Zhou Feng basically just cut the meat into pieces, then knead the dough and pull it out.

Judging from Zhou Feng's skills, Feng Zhengming had gained some understanding of him. "It looks alright, but he needs to work on his basics. Third Brother, you'll have to put in the effort to correct some of his bad habits."

Yang Bin: "I know, but I haven't given him any guidance yet. I'll correct his problems one by one once he exposes them himself."

Feng Zhengming: "So, Third Brother, you're planning to stay in Zhengcheng for a while?"

Yang Bin nodded: "I'll stay here for a while and get this shop up and running. Once everything is back on track, Sun Hai and I will go to Hebei Province together."

Feng Zhengming knew that this was because his third senior brother had a different principle of doing things than he did.

The third senior brother always felt that he needed to help his junior brother run each store well.

So he wouldn't just let the new store open, hand it over to the staff he was assigned to manage, and then leave and ignore it.

Or rather, it's not that the third senior brother doesn't believe in the abilities of young people, but rather that he prefers to personally participate in the operation of the new store, which can be seen as personally supporting the young people and giving them a boost.

Feng Zhengming gave his third senior brother a suggestion.

"Third Brother, you can bring Zhou Feng along. Since you've taken him as your disciple, you'll definitely have to teach him some things. Letting him stay here will only delay his progress."

After listening, Yang Bin pondered for a moment and said, "I'll stay here for a while and get this place back on track."

Since his third senior brother insisted, Feng Zhengming did not force him to comply.

At that moment, a delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen.

Feng Zhengming smelled it: "Hmm, it smells of mutton, beef and chicken. It seems that Zhou Feng's family's braised noodles with three kinds of delicacies are really good."

Yang Bin: "Yes, I asked Zhou Feng's father about this skill. He said he learned it from an old man."

Feng Zhengming: "The combination and mixing of chicken, beef and mutton are also very important in terms of proportion."

Yang Bin: "Yes, so Zhou Feng's braised noodles really shouldn't be overlooked."

Feng Zhengming agreed: "We should make good use of it. I think this store in Zhengcheng can indeed be handed over to Zhou Feng later."

Yang Bin: "You just said that you wanted me to take him with me and let him learn the basics properly."

Feng Zhengming: "Haha, it's all the same. Just let him learn the basics from you, and then he can come back and take charge of running this store."

Yang Bin thought about it and realized it was indeed a good arrangement.

“Okay, we can let him come back to run this shop first. When a new person comes to take over, we can arrange for him to go to the kitchen of Huiquanlou to learn from the senior brother for a while. After that, we’ll see how well he does in Neibi and see if he has a chance to go to Shanghai.”

Feng Zhengming laughed: "Third Brother, I don't think we necessarily have to go to Shanghai for your arrangements."

The third senior brother was somewhat surprised: "Does it necessarily have to be Shanghai?"

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, the reason for going to Shanghai is simply to see the kitchen of an old-style restaurant with me and to be exposed to some more fashionable and innovative ideas."

But what is the essence of cooking? It's about making it taste good; whether it tastes good or not is the key.

Shanghai's urban landscape is more about outward appearances, but its core essence remains unchanged.

Therefore, instead of him going to Shanghai, it would be better for him to return to Zhengzhou and open a restaurant to showcase the skills he has learned.

Yang Bin was taken aback for a moment, then thought about it carefully and realized that his junior brother was right.

If Zhou Feng can complete his studies and return to Zhengcheng, then he can be considered to have returned home in glory.

Perhaps Zhou Feng's return to Zhengzhou will also promote the development of Henan cuisine.

While chatting, Zhou Feng and Sun Hai finally finished their work in the kitchen.

The stewed noodles were served, along with some side dishes that Sun Hai had cooked himself.

The dishes there are almost all made with beef and mutton.

Feng Zhengming looked at the steaming hot noodles.

"It smells wonderful, Zhou. Your cooking skills are truly excellent."

Zhou Feng was taken aback by Feng Zhengming's praise, and it took him a while to realize what he meant before he was overjoyed.

"Thank you, thank you for the compliment, Junior Uncle."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Don't get excited, and don't be arrogant. You make good braised noodles, but your basic skills are lacking. You need to learn from your master in the future."

Zhou Feng nodded in agreement: "I will. I will learn well from my master."

Then Feng Zhengming commented on Sun Hai's stir-fried mutton with scallions.

"Sun Hai, you overcooked the scallion mutton a little. It should be cooked a little thinner, stir-fried quickly over high heat, and the aroma of the scallions must be brought out. Especially when it's done, you must drizzle some Sichuan peppercorn oil on top to bring out the aroma."

Sun Hai listened attentively to his junior uncle's instructions and nodded to take notes.

"I understand, Junior Uncle."

Feng Zhengming invited everyone to sit down and eat together.

Lu Zhongqi first slurped up a big mouthful of noodles.

"It's delicious! This braised noodle soup tastes really good."

My aunt chimed in, "Yes, the braised noodles were delicious, and the soup was very tasty too."

Zhou Feng was even happier to receive everyone's praise.

Feng Nuanyou then praised Sun Hai.

"Hehehe, Uncle Hai, your stir-fried mutton with scallions is delicious."

Sun Hai smiled and said, "Thank you, Youyou."

The first meal Feng Zhengming and his group had upon arriving in Zhengzhou was quite delicious.

Feng Zhengming also offered some advice afterward.

"In the future, in addition to braised pork, pork hock, pig's trotters and four-happiness meatballs, other dishes in the restaurant will mainly be made with beef and mutton. In addition to braised noodles, we can also add some sesame flatbreads and the like."

It's clear that people in Zhengzhou prefer noodles, so it would be better to have more noodles available.

Actually, adding braised pork belly, pig's trotters, pork hock, and four-happiness meatballs to braised noodles is also a great combination.

The third senior brother offered his opinion: "A meat-filled sesame flatbread is also fantastic."

After listening to some suggestions and discussions from Feng Zhengming and Yang Bin, two fellow apprentices.

Lu Zhongqi couldn't help but laugh and said, "You two brothers are talking like you're practically from Henan Province."

Feng Zhengming: "Haha, we're just adapting to different tastes in different places."

Zhou Feng also mentioned some local preferences.

“We do eat more beef and mutton locally, but we do eat pork. Master, Uncle, you make pork belly, pork hock, pig's trotters and four-happiness meatballs so well, they will definitely be popular.”

My uncle said we prefer noodles here, and that's true, so the most common type of noodle restaurant here is the braised noodle restaurant.

Feng Zhengming: "Even the Anhui-style flat noodles here are made by people from your area."

These words made Zhou Feng a little embarrassed.

This made everyone laugh.

Yang Bin: "It's okay. Our shop specializes in braised noodles. We'll carry on your family's noodle-making skills and pair them with braised pork, pork hock, pig's trotters, and four-happiness meatballs, which are all excellent combinations."

Feng Zhengming: "Actually, you can also use beef or mutton to make Four Happiness Meatballs. Of course, if you use beef or mutton, you must braise them in a separate braising pot."

Zhou Feng was somewhat surprised: "You can make Four Happiness Meatballs with beef and mutton?"

Yang Bin and Feng Zhengming exchanged a smile: "Of course."

Feng Zhengming added, "We can even replace pig's trotters with sheep's trotters; they'll still taste great when braised." (End of Chapter)