From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Feng Zhengming already knew that Jiang Chengzhe was now running the restaurant on the street.

However, Feng Zhengming did not make any statement. He just watched silently, wanting to see how Jiang Chengzhe would handle the situation.

During this period, Deng Huaichuan, Wang Hanwen, Huang Yunliang, Li Yao, and Han Rui, who were still working in the kitchen of that restaurant, all called Feng Zhengming to report the situation.

The apprentices in the kitchen of that shop also privately called Feng Zhengming to discuss it.

Feng Zhengming tried his best to calm everyone down and persuade them not to do anything rash for the time being, and to wait until he returned to Shanghai.

Now that he has returned to Shanghai, Xia Hui explained the whole story to him again.

Feng Zhengming felt that Jiang Chengzhe should take the initiative to contact him next.

Sure enough, a few days later, Jiang Chengzhe learned that Feng Zhengming had returned to Shanghai, and he took the initiative to personally visit Feng Zhengming.

Upon meeting, Feng Zhengming, observing Jiang Chengzhe's demeanor, immediately deduced that the other party did not intend to go it alone.

Jiang Chengzhe didn't hide anything and went straight to the point, explaining what had happened.

Actually, the situation is somewhat similar to the problem caused by the waiter at that branch in Hangzhou.

Jiang Chengzhe recruited several apprentices from Hong Kong and Guangdong Province.

When these apprentices arrive, they will definitely feel a bit out of place at first. Also, since they come from either Hong Kong or Guangdong, they will have accents when they speak, and some of the ones from Hong Kong can't even speak Mandarin.

Naturally, they formed a small group, and later even brought in Jiang Chengzhe's apprentices.

As a result, their small group naturally felt that they had a powerful backer.

Using his position as the head chef at Jiang Chengzhe's restaurant, he began to ostracize the other chefs and apprentices.

Jiang Chengzhe had specifically warned them, but it did not have a good effect.

After listening to Jiang Chengzhe's account, Feng Zhengming offered his solution in a straightforward manner.

"In this situation, it's either you take them away, or you let them leave."

Jiang Chengzhe was somewhat surprised by Feng Zhengming's solution.

"Do we really have to be this direct?"

Feng Zhengming: "Ah Zhe, I am very grateful for your trust in me and for your willingness to help me over the years. Actually, you were originally supposed to be the sous chef of my Old House Restaurant. I hoped that you could help me support the restaurant and work with me to make the Old House Restaurant the best restaurant."

But now things have turned out differently than you hoped, and you no longer want to come to the old-style restaurant.

I understand what you're thinking. You don't want to be my substitute, and you don't want to always be in my shadow.

"So now, you can open your own restaurant in Shanghai, and I'm willing to give you your share of the business in cash as your start-up capital."

Jiang Chengzhe looked very surprised; he really hadn't expected Feng Zhengming to say such a thing.

He came here today specifically to see Feng Zhengming, hoping to find a better solution.

But upon further reflection, Jiang Chengzhe seemed to understand that Feng Zhengming's solution was indeed the best solution at the moment.

After calming down, Jiang Chengzhe realized that the current state of affairs was indeed his fault.

He didn't stop the new apprentices immediately, and even dragged his two apprentices into it.

Furthermore, because his apprentice was involved, he was misunderstood as having powerful backers.

Having figured out these issues, Jiang Chengzhe looked at Feng Zhengming.

“If I leave, what will happen to that store? Together we’ve made it such a well-known store in Shanghai. You’re very busy now, traveling all over the country. If I leave, the store’s reputation might suffer.”

Feng Zhengming: "I will stay in Shanghai for a period of time and let Xia Hui from the Old House Restaurant take over your store."

Feng Zhengming had nothing to hide from Jiang Chengzhe.

Because he didn't see any need to hide anything.

Jiang Chengzhe's departure will indeed cause some trouble for Feng Zhengming, but the trouble is not insurmountable.

Jiang Chengzhe gave a bitter smile: "It seems I have no other choice."

Feng Zhengming asked directly again, "Do you think you can solve the problems that have arisen in the kitchen?"

This question stumped Jiang Chengzhe.

He thought about it carefully and said, "I really don't have a good solution."

Feng Zhengming: "You know how to solve it, but you're unwilling to do it. Deep down, you want to leave. You want to prove yourself to me."

Jiang Chengzhe raised his head to meet Feng Zhengming's gaze.

At this moment, he finally understood why he had never had the courage to ask Feng Zhengming to leave all these years.

He did harbor resentment towards Feng Zhengming and wanted to leave to prove himself.

But another voice inside him kept admonishing him.

I am indeed no match for Feng Zhengming.

Feng Zhengming: "A Zhe, you don't need to worry about whether you are my opponent or not. You just need to defeat yourself, open a restaurant of your own in Shanghai, and conquer customers with your dishes. Then you will have already succeeded."

After hearing Feng Zhengming's words, Jiang Chengzhe finally felt enlightened, or rather, he let go of his obsession.

"I will hand over everything properly and then leave the store with them. Can I keep some of the shares?"

Feng Zhengming: "How many shares do you want to retain?"

Jiang Chengzhe: "Keep 10%, so that if I fail at a restaurant, I can still come back and have something to eat."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll keep 10% for you. You can come back anytime."

After Jiang Chengzhe left, Luo Qing carried her daughter and walked up to her husband.

"You're just going to let Jiang Chengzhe go like that? He's a very skilled chef. If he leaves your tutelage, where are you going to find another assistant as good as him?"

Feng Zhengming: "His departure was inevitable. He was never my subordinate from the beginning; he was my partner. Now, I want him to leave in such a dignified manner, and we can still be friends. I don't want to lose a friend like him."

Luo Qing: "Are you planning to let Xia Hui take over that store?"

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, Xia Hui has been training in the old villa restaurant for a long time and can go out and take charge on her own."

Upon hearing this, Luo Qing suddenly realized that it seemed her husband had planned everything all along.

Xia Hui had originally hoped to take over the restaurant on the Western restaurant street.

But later Jiang Chengzhe took his place, and Xia Hui was arranged by Feng Zhengming to work at the old villa restaurant.

After arranging for Xia Hui to work at the old villa restaurant, Feng Zhengming began to go out frequently, leaving the restaurant to Xia Hui to manage most of the time.

Luo Qing connected these things and realized that her husband seemed to be intentionally grooming Xia Hui.

Having honed her skills at the old-style restaurant, Xia Hui now felt a sense of superiority when she went to the restaurant on the Western restaurant street. Thinking this, Luo Qing looked at her husband with surprise.

"So you had all this planned all along?"

Feng Zhengming: "Shanghai is a highly competitive city. The good and bad are very obvious here, so Xia Hui has to go through a lot of trials before she can take over the restaurant on the Western restaurant street."

Luo Qing: "With Jiang Chengzhe leaving, does that mean the plans for opening the other five shops will have to be postponed again?"

Feng Zhengming: "Those five people?"

When Feng Zhengming mentioned them, he seemed rather helpless.

"To be honest, I didn't expect that the five of them would drag out their plans to open their own shops until now. Maybe I misjudged them. They really don't have the awareness to become head chefs."

After hearing her husband say this, Luo Qing thought about it carefully and nodded in agreement.

"Whether it's their cooking skills or their decisiveness, they are not as good as Jiang Chengzhe."

Feng Zhengming: "Forget it, let them stay and practice with me some more."

Luo Qing: "So you're planning to take them to the old-style restaurant?"

Feng Zhengming: "Are they here to cause me trouble? They've lost their former vigor and have developed a kind of path dependency. Let them stay at that restaurant on the Western restaurant street with Xia Hui."

Luo Qing couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Hahaha, why does it feel like their generational ranking is getting lower and lower?"

His wife's words made Feng Zhengming burst into laughter.

Seeing her parents smiling, Feng Nuanyou felt that she could speak now.

"Hehehe, Mom and Dad, should we stay here?"

Luo Qing turned to ask her daughter, who was sitting between her and her husband.

"Does Youyou like staying here?"

Feng Nuanyou: "I like it."

But then the little girl thought for a moment: "I don't really like it that much."

Luo Qing was amused by her daughter: "If you like something, you like it; if you don't like something, you don't like it. What do you mean by 'not really liking it'?"

Feng Nuanyou: "You like it when your mom and dad are here, but your dad is very busy here and can't always be with you, so you don't like it very much."

"You silly girl, if Dad doesn't work, how will he get the money to take you around? You have to rely on Dad's work for everything you eat and wear!" Luo Qing couldn't help but lecture her daughter.

At this moment, my second aunt came out of her room upstairs.

"Youyou, let your dad go out to work. Your mom and great-aunt will stay home with you."

Feng Nuanyou looked at her great-aunt coming downstairs: "Hehehe, with Mom and Great-Aunt here, Youyou likes it too."

Luo Qing looked at her husband: "Your daughter knows how to flatter now."

Feng Zhengming: "Haha, that just shows how smart my Youyou is."

Second Aunt nodded: "That's right, Youyou is getting smarter and smarter."

Luo Qing looked at her daughter and said, "Well, you have too many powerful backers now, even your mother has to give way to you."

Feng Nuanyou climbed up to her mother with a grin and said, "Mommy, Youyou loves Mommy so much!"

Hearing her daughter's sweet words, Luo Qing smiled and gently pinched her daughter's cheek.

"Okay, Mommy knows, Mommy loves you too."

Second Aunt sat down: "Zhengming, I think Jiang Chengzhe's departure is not a bad thing for you. He was originally the runner-up in the national cooking competition in the same year as you."

As a result, he's remained under your wing, still running that small shop, which is definitely not fair to him.

Feng Zhengming: "I know that he was willing to work under me in order to accumulate enough experience. You could say that he asked me for that restaurant on the Western Restaurant Street to lay the foundation for opening his own business."

Second Aunt: "It seems you were indeed prepared in advance. So, you gave him shares in that store so that he would stay longer?"

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, I gave him shares in that store just to keep him there for a longer period of time so that I would have more time to prepare. Moreover, when I gave him the shares, we had a performance-based agreement."

If he fails to manage the store well, all his shares will be taken back.

Auntie nodded: "No wonder he was able to run that shop so well."

Luo Qing asked, "If he leaves to open his own shop, won't he become a strong competitor to you in Shanghai?"

Feng Zhengming: "There's nothing wrong with having a competitor. The market in Shanghai is huge. I can't possibly open more stores and take over the entire market."

Second Aunt: "Zhengming is right. No one can possibly take over such a large market across the country. Jiang Chengzhe opening a store and becoming a competitor may not be a bad thing."

Feng Zhengming: "A Zhe must be making more refined restaurants; he can't possibly open as many stores as I do."

So I'm really looking forward to his restaurant opening. I hope he can make it a unique Cantonese restaurant in Shanghai, continuing the distinctive style of Hong Kong-style Cantonese cuisine in the city.

Luo Qing: "That's true. He can't fully utilize his skills in your shop."

Feng Zhengming: "Alas, it's a pity that Deng Huaichuan, Wang Hanwen, Huang Yunliang, Li Yao, and Han Rui don't have A Zhe's ability and courage."

Hearing her husband's sigh, Luo Qing smiled.

“Jiang Chengzhe was the second-highest scorer in your year. How can the other five compare to him? You still have too high expectations for the other five. I think instead of having them work with Xia Hui, you should transfer them to the Old House Restaurant to work with you.”

My second aunt nodded in agreement: "Yes, if they follow you, they might have a chance to advance further."

Feng Zhengming shook his head: "They lack ambition. Let them work under Xia Hui for now. I think we can let them participate in national competitions later, and they will gradually improve."

Upon hearing this, the second aunt and his wife both agreed that it was indeed a viable option.

Now that things have come to this, the next step is the handover of the shop on the Western restaurant street.

Jiang Chengzhe's departure surprised many people.

However, Feng Zhengming personally came forward and held a send-off ceremony for Jiang Chengzhe at the restaurant on the Western Restaurant Street.

This also silenced all doubts and made everyone understand that although the relationship between Feng Zhengming and Jiang Chengzhe had changed, their friendship remained.

After holding a send-off ceremony for Jiang Chengzhe, Feng Zhengming also publicly announced the upcoming personnel arrangements.

"The next head chef of this restaurant is Xia Hui. I hope you can continue to run this restaurant well with the new head chef. In addition, the manager of this restaurant will also be changed to Li Fengning. All the staff in the restaurant will remain the same, and everyone's treatment will not change in any way."

I hope everyone will not slack off in any way just because Chef Jiang has left. Remember that each of you is a part of this restaurant, and with Chef Jiang gone, you all need to make sure this restaurant is run well.

After hearing Feng Zhengming's words, the people in the shop did not react excessively.

Everyone solemnly agreed that they would continue to cooperate with Xia Hui and Li Fengning to run the store well. (End of Chapter)