From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

On the second day after arriving in Zhengcheng, Feng Zhengming and his third senior brother visited Hao Zongcheng.

When Hao Zongcheng saw Feng Zhengming arrive, he naturally gave them a very warm welcome.

He even invited Feng Zhengming to the kitchen of his restaurant to give him some pointers on some of the dishes.

This also shows that Hao Zongcheng's attitude towards Feng Zhengming is different from that towards Yang Bin.

When Yang Bin visited before, Hao Zongcheng did not invite him into the kitchen.

He didn't personally demonstrate his skills to Yang Bin either.

This is not because Hao Zongcheng would look down on Yang Bin.

In Hao Zongcheng's eyes, Yang Bin was a chef of the same generation as him. Their cuisines were different, so he didn't need Yang Bin's help or guidance, nor would he instruct Yang Bin on his cooking skills.

But Feng Zhengming was different. In Hao Zongcheng's eyes, Feng Zhengming was a national champion who was better than himself.

Therefore, Hao Zongcheng felt that Feng Zhengming was qualified to give him some guidance in the kitchen.

Feng Zhengming, of course, was not stingy and watched Hao Zongcheng cook in the kitchen.

I saw him making some classic traditional dishes from Henan cuisine.

Among Henan cuisine, Luoyang Water Banquet is probably the most famous.

In fact, Henan cuisine also has different schools, such as Kaifeng cuisine, Luoyang cuisine, and some folk and江湖 (jianghu) styles.

Hao Zongcheng is considered a fairly orthodox chef, and he has studied various schools of Henan cuisine.

The most common dish in Henan cuisine, and also one of the more upscale dishes, almost always uses the same technique: "braising".

The most representative of these is braised pork belly.

Fish maw is also known as guangdu.

Besides braised pork belly, Henan cuisine also includes braised mutton and pan-fried braised bluefish head and tail.

Among them, the pan-fried head and tail of the bluefish was praised by Kang Youwei, who personally wrote a fan and gave it to the head chef at the time.

Hao Zongcheng can also be considered a direct descendant of the head chef from back then.

Therefore, Hao Zongcheng was also quite good at preparing vegetables.

Today, since Hao Zongcheng was hosting Feng Zhengming, he didn't prepare the Peony Swallow Dish that he had prepared for the competition.

Instead, they prepared braised pork belly, braised mutton, and fried head and tail of bluefish for Feng Zhengming.

In Henan cuisine, braised dishes are characterized by the fact that they are not thickened with cornstarch; the broth is allowed to naturally reduce and thicken, coating the spoon.

This requires a high level of skill in controlling the heat and preparing the broth.

Feng Zhengming watched Hao Zongcheng cook in the kitchen.

Watching Hao Zongcheng prepare braised pork belly, braised mutton, and pan-fried head and tail of bluefish.

The remaining dishes were also steamed in bowls, a very characteristic Henan cuisine style.

After pan-frying the head and tail of the grass carp, the remaining body was cut into pieces, coated with batter, deep-fried, and then braised.

Feng Zhengming remained silent throughout Hao Zongcheng's cooking process.

After Hao Zongcheng finished cooking, he turned to Feng Zhengming and spoke first: "Scholar Feng, why are you so quiet today? Don't you have any pointers for me?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Zhengming immediately laughed: "With Senior Brother Hao's skills being so good, what advice do I have to offer?"

Hao Zongcheng laughed as well: "Is Scholar Feng being this humble now? This isn't like you at all!"

Feng Zhengming: "Perhaps I can offer some guidance on Shandong cuisine, but I am definitely not as professional as you, Senior Brother Hao, when it comes to Henan cuisine. Watching Senior Brother Hao cook is also a pleasure."

Hao Zongcheng's smile widened, and he was still somewhat smug.

Even if she felt that Feng Zhengming was intentionally flattering her.

However, Hao Zongcheng was still very happy to be praised by Feng Zhengming, a national champion.

During Feng Zhengming's visit to Hao Zongcheng that morning, he spent most of the time in the kitchen watching Hao Zongcheng prepare a table full of dishes.

After the dishes were ready, Hao Zongcheng invited Feng Zhengming, Yang Bin, Sun Hai, and Zhou Feng to return to the private room upstairs.

Inside the private room, the uncle and aunt were waiting with their two children.

Upon seeing her father return, Feng Nuanyou immediately jumped off the chair and ran to him.

"Dad, why are you so late? The food has already been served, but we didn't order anything."

Hao Zongcheng looked at the little girl who was being held by Feng Zhengming.

"Feng Zhuangyuan, is this your daughter? She's a very cute girl."

Feng Zhengming introduced with a smile: "Nuan Nuan, this is Uncle Hao."

"Good uncle?" Feng Nuanyou was clearly puzzled. How could there be a "good uncle"? Could there be a bad uncle?
Feng Zhengming roughly guessed his daughter's little thoughts and explained to her with a smile, "Uncle Hao's surname is Hao, not the 'good' in 'good' or 'bad'."

Feng Nuanyou then nodded: "Hello, Uncle Hao."

Hao Zongcheng replied with a smile, "Hello, welcome to your place with your dad. Uncle Hao has prepared a table full of our local specialties for you today, so please eat more!"

Feng Nuanyou smiled and nodded: "Thank you, Uncle Hao. I will definitely eat more."

Hao Zongcheng laughed even more heartily: "Your daughter is really smart."

Feng Zhengming smiled: "He is quite clever. Senior Brother Hao, shall we sit down and chat?"

Hao Zongcheng: "Yes, yes, let's sit down and talk again."

Everyone naturally sat down.

The dishes on the table all looked very beautiful and appealing.

In addition to the dishes prepared by Hao Zongcheng himself, there were also some cold dishes served in advance, which perfectly completed the entire feast.

After everyone was seated, someone quickly brought in more drinks.

Upon seeing the wine being opened, Feng Nuanyou couldn't help but pout in her father's arms.

"Dad, please don't drink alcohol."

Hearing the little girl's words, Hao Zongcheng smiled: "It's okay, I won't let your dad drink too much."

Feng Nuanyou nestled in her father's arms, her little hands wrapped around his neck, clearly unhappy.

This made Hao Zongcheng a little embarrassed.

Feng Zhengming lowered his head and whispered words of advice in his daughter's ear.

“Dad, just have one drink. Look, Uncle Hao has prepared such a feast for us. If Dad doesn’t even drink one, wouldn’t he be letting Uncle Hao down?”

After her father's persuasion, Feng Nuanyou finally nodded.

"Okay, then Dad, you can have a drink."

Hao Zongcheng also found a way out and quickly said, "Just one drink, Uncle promises not to pour a second one for your dad."

Feng Zhengming looked at Sun Hai and Zhou Feng: "You two can drink more and keep your Uncle Hao company."

Sun Hai and Zhou Feng immediately nodded in agreement.

Sun Hai even stood up and took the bottle from the server who was about to pour the drinks. Then, Sun Hai personally poured the drinks for everyone.

Seeing Sun Hai personally pour him wine, Hao Zongcheng smiled.

Hao Zongcheng was well aware that Sun Hai's status in the national catering industry was already quite well-known.

So when he poured himself a drink, it showed that Feng Zhengming and the others respected him as a Henan cuisine chef.

After pouring the wine, Hao Zongcheng raised his glass and said, "Welcome! Welcome our top scholar, Junior Brother Yang, and everyone else to Zhengcheng as our guests."

Feng Zhengming and the others also raised their glasses to express their gratitude to Hao Zongcheng.

When she saw her father drinking, Feng Nuanyou stared intently at him, afraid that he would drink too much of the wine in his glass in one gulp.

Feng Zhengming took a sip and put down his glass. The little girl was still standing on his chair, craning her neck to take a closer look.

Once she was sure her father hadn't drunk too much on his first sip, Feng Nuanyou sat back down in her chair, satisfied.

Seeing this, Hao Zongcheng couldn't help but smile with envy.

"Scholar Feng's daughter is so wonderful, she's truly your warm little angel."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Senior Brother Hao, you don't need to call me Scholar Feng. I'll call you Senior Brother, and you can call me Junior Brother, or you can just call me Zhengming."

Yang Bin also chimed in, "Yes, Senior Brother Hao, there's no need to be so polite with us. All chefs are one family, so there's no need for us to be so formal."

Hao Zongcheng smiled and nodded: "Okay, I'll do as you say."

Feng Zhengming then looked at his daughter and explained, "This girl came with me to keep an eye on me and prevent me from drinking too much."

Feng Nuanyou: "Mom said that if Dad drinks too much, he won't feel well. Youyou doesn't want Dad to feel uncomfortable, so she won't let him drink too much. Uncle Hao, you shouldn't drink too much either."

The little girl's words even touched Hao Zongcheng's heart.

"Daughters are definitely better. I have two sons who never care about me drinking outside. The eldest is in high school now and lives at school, so I rarely see him. The younger one isn't good at studying either and is always causing trouble outside."

Upon hearing this, Feng Zhengming's heart stirred slightly. He had already sensed that there was probably more to this meal than met the eye.

Hearing this, the uncle, aunt, and third senior brother present were all slightly moved, vaguely guessing that Hao Zongcheng had other intentions in personally cooking this meal.

After exchanging glances, Feng Zhengming finally spoke.

"Senior Brother Hao, it seems you have something to ask for this meal? If there's anything you need help with, please feel free to ask, as long as it's within my power."

Hao Zongcheng himself knew that he had made his words too obvious.

Especially for people like Feng Zhengming who have children, they can roughly guess what he's thinking just by listening to him.

Hao Zongcheng hesitated for a moment, then raised his glass again to toast Feng Zhengming separately.

"Zhengming, you don't need to drink. I'll drink this glass of wine."

After tilting his head back and drinking the wine in his glass, Hao Zongcheng finally voiced his request.

"Well, my second son is already fifteen this year. His grades are really not good, and I'm afraid it will be difficult for him to get into high school. I'm thinking of letting him finish junior high school and then I want him to learn a trade."

Upon hearing this, almost everyone present understood, and even Sun Hai and Zhou Feng roughly guessed what was going on.

Hao Zongcheng specially prepared this meal today and also specially prepared good wine.

He wanted to secure a future for his son.

Moreover, the future he was striving for for his son was quite extraordinary; he hoped that Feng Zhengming would take his son as his apprentice.

Upon hearing this, Feng Zhengming chuckled and directly exposed what Hao Zongcheng was trying to hide.

"Does Senior Brother Hao hope that his second son will become my disciple?"

Having his thoughts directly exposed by Feng Zhengming, Hao Zongcheng felt somewhat embarrassed.

Hao Zongcheng has always been a very upright and honest person.

He started as a kitchen helper in a state-run restaurant in Zhengzhou, learned from various masters along the way, and eventually became a master chef of Henan cuisine, earning the respect of almost all chefs in the province.

Behind his success lies his years of hard work and his upright and honest character.

So today, he really felt ashamed to ask Feng Zhengming for help for his youngest son.

I've been thinking a lot about how to express myself better.

Hao Zongcheng was particularly worried that Feng Zhengming would think he was using their relationship to force him to take on a disciple.

After a brief silence, Hao Zongcheng sighed helplessly.

"Sigh, it's also because I, as the father, failed to raise my child well."

Feng Zhengming: "Brother Hao, you don't need to say that. It is indeed difficult for parents to teach their children well. For example, my third brother once told me that he hoped his child could become my apprentice in the future and let me teach his son."

Yang Bin then picked up the conversation.

"Yes, yes, I've also told Zhengming that I'm not sure I can teach my son well. If he's not good at studying but wants to learn cooking in the future, then let him learn from Zhengming."

After saying this, the third senior brother added another sentence.

"Anyway, we're all fellow disciples, so I'm at ease. I know Zhengming will definitely be strict and won't hesitate to discipline me just because of me. I won't even care if he hits me a few times."

When Hao Zongcheng heard Yang Bin say that, how could he not understand the meaning behind Yang Bin's words?
Yang Bin was telling Hao Zongcheng that if his son wanted to become Feng Zhengming's apprentice, he had to be able to endure hardship, and Hao Zongcheng had to be absolutely at ease and not interfere.

Even if the child is hit, they will shout "Good job!"

After hearing Yang Bin's words and realizing what had happened, Hao Zongcheng looked at Feng Zhengming.

"I admit that I'm being a bit shameless as the senior brother today, but as Junior Brother Yang said, I definitely can't teach that kid to cook well on my own, so please do me this favor."

As he spoke, Hao Zongcheng raised his glass, preparing to toast Feng Zhengming again.

However, Feng Zhengming reached out and stopped him.

"Brother Hao, please stop drinking. I won't lie to you, I probably won't be taking on any more apprentices this year, and my standards for taking on apprentices are quite high. If you really want your child to learn a skill, then you should consider this advice."

My suggestion is to let him learn some basics from my third senior brother at my shop in Zhengzhou first.

Besides, he could come home every day at first, so I think you and your sister-in-law would feel more at ease.

Feng Zhengming then made some arrangements for Hao Zongcheng's youngest son.

“If he is indeed diligent and hardworking in the shop in Zhengcheng, and learns well, and passes the assessment at the end of the year, I can transfer him to the old shop in Quancheng, where he should continue to learn from my third senior brother.”

Feng Zhengming only mentioned this much, without going into details about joining the kitchen of Huiquanlou and working with the senior apprentice, or passing assessments and internal competitions to have a chance to go to Shanghai to work with him.

He felt that the later parts were things that would only happen if the child could really learn the skills and was genuinely willing to become a chef.

If one doesn't genuinely want to learn cooking, they probably wouldn't last more than a few years at Feng Family Old Shop in Quancheng before wanting to return to Zhengzhou.

Feng Zhengming looked at Hao Zongcheng with a serious expression: "Senior brother, you know that learning to cook is very hard, so I think we need to make it clear to the child that he can endure this hardship and that he is genuinely willing to learn to cook."

After listening to Feng Zhengming's words, Hao Zongcheng roughly understood Feng Zhengming's process of accepting apprentices.

It was clear that it was unlikely that Feng Zhengming would directly accept apprentices.

Hao Zongcheng: "Okay, thank you for your frankness, Junior Brother Feng. I will go back and talk to my second son at home. If he is really willing to endure this hardship, let him start by learning in the kitchen of your Zhengcheng store."

Feng Zhengming smiled and raised his glass: "It's good that Senior Brother Hao understands." (End of Chapter)