From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Li Fengning was a young girl that Luo Qing discovered when she was the manager of this restaurant on the Western Restaurant Street.

She was a top student who graduated from Shanghai University. The reason she chose to apply for a job at Feng Zhengming's shop was because she loved cooking and admired Feng Zhengming.

So when she first applied for the job, she even concealed her educational background and simply applied for a restaurant waitress position.

It was through observation that Luo Qing discovered some of Li Fengning's unique qualities.

Later, after chatting with Li Fengning in detail, I learned that she was actually a top student who graduated from Shanghai University.

Next, Luo Qing recommended Li Fengning to Feng Zhengming.

Feng Zhengming simply assigned Li Fengning to Luo Qing.

It can be said that in the past few years, Luo Qing and Li Fengning did most of the management of this restaurant on the Western Restaurant Street.

Later, Luo Qing transferred Li Fengning to the new old-style restaurant in the villa to help Feng Zhengming manage it for a period of time.

While Feng Zhengming and Luo Qing were away on business trips, Xia Hui took charge of the kitchen at the old-style restaurant, while Li Fengning was responsible for serving customers.

So this time, Feng Zhengming was very decisive and brought in Xia Hui and Li Fengning together.

Let them take over the Western restaurant branch on the street after Jiang Chengzhe left.

As for the old-style house restaurant?
With Feng Zhengming personally overseeing things, there was actually no need for a store manager.

Alternatively, if Feng Zhengming and Luo Qing were to revert to their original husband-and-wife business model, it would also be very popular.

After arranging the personnel, Feng Zhengming had a separate talk with Deng Huaichuan, Wang Hanwen, Huang Yunliang, Li Yao, and Han Rui.

"Let me be frank. I know that the five of you are still not ready to open your own shops. You probably feel that you are not ready yet, so you haven't brought up the matter of opening your own shops with me again, right?"

The five people looked at each other, then nodded in agreement.

Actually, at the beginning of the year, the five of them were indeed making some very serious preparations.

The more they prepared, the more the five of them felt that they had too many shortcomings.

The most important point is that they lack the skill to control the situation.

If we let five people open their own shop now, they will inevitably still need to rely on their master and fellow apprentices for help.

However, if they lack the skills to control the situation, even if only their fellow apprentices help out, their shops may eventually become dominated by their respective masters.

Even their fellow disciples might very well use their master's reputation to suppress the five of them.

The five of them had actually discovered this through repeated communication with their fellow disciples.

Then the five of them talked with Feng Zhengming and also consulted Jiang Chengzhe.

It must be said that Jiang Chengzhe never intended to fall out with Feng Zhengming.

So when the five people consulted him, Jiang Chengzhe carefully analyzed their shortcomings and what they should focus on learning if they continued to stay by Feng Zhengming's side.

After Jiang Chengzhe's explanation, the five people realized their huge shortcomings.

They not only lacked the ability to manage the kitchen, but more importantly, their own culinary skills were not up to par.

After careful consideration, the five people decided to follow Jiang Chengzhe's advice and continue to learn at Feng Zhengming's shop.

Feng Zhengming knew that a large part of what Jiang Chengzhe said to the five of them was to help him.

It was probably around that time that Jiang Chengzhe began to consider leaving.

Jiang Chengzhe was worried that if he left, the five young chefs would also leave.

There may be a shortage of staff at Feng Zhengming's store.

But in reality, Feng Zhengming had already made his own arrangements.

Even if Jiang Chengzhe and the others all leave, he can still arrange for people to take over and run the stores as usual.

Deng Huaichuan said with some helplessness: "We, the head chefs, have actually done some market research during this period and found that it is really not easy to open a restaurant in Shanghai, not to mention the various investments involved."

It seems we can't do a good job even just in terms of the selection of various dishes, cooking techniques, and flavor.

Wang Hanwen: "It's not that we didn't think about giving it a try, but Chef Jiang told us before he left that we only had one chance."

Huang Yunliang continued, "What Chef Jiang means is that if we fail, even if you don't blame us, we'll be too embarrassed to try again."

Li Yao: "So we've decided to stay at your shop."

Han Rui: "Chef, could we go to the kitchen of the old-style restaurant to learn?"

After listening to Han Rui's words, Feng Zhengming looked at the other four people and asked, "Are you like Han Rui? Do you want to go to the kitchen of the old-style restaurant and learn from me?"

The other four looked at each other, and in the end, Deng Huaichuan and Huang Yunliang also expressed their desire to learn in the kitchen of the old-style restaurant.

Wang Hanwen and Li Yao, on the other hand, preferred to stay at the restaurant on the Western restaurant street.

Even though they both knew that Xia Hui would become the head chef of the restaurant next.

Xia Hui is Feng Zhengming's apprentice, which means they have to learn from Feng Zhengming's apprentices, which does give the impression that their seniority has been lowered again.

However, Wang Hanwen and Li Yao were clearly more practical, understanding their shortcomings and wanting to continue learning from the branch's kitchen management.

Feng Zhengming also respected the five people's different choices.

“Okay, I respect your choice. From now on, Deng Huaichuan, Huang Yunliang and Han Rui will come with me to the kitchen of the old house restaurant, while Wang Hanwen and Li Yao will stay in the kitchen of the restaurant on the Western Restaurant Street.”

After saying this, Feng Zhengming reminded the three people who were going to the kitchen of the old-style restaurant.

“You’ll be transferred to the kitchen of the old-style restaurant, so you’ll have to learn from scratch. I’ll be personally in charge of cooking there from now on. As you know, I have high standards, so the three of you should be prepared.”

The three looked at each other and quickly nodded to Feng Zhengming to indicate that they were mentally prepared.

Feng Zhengming then said to the two people who remained in the restaurant on the street: "If you stay, you also need to follow the new head chef's instructions."

Wang Hanwen and Li Yao didn't seem too uncomfortable, and they both nodded in agreement.

And so, not long after Feng Zhengming returned to Shanghai, he quietly resolved the store's problems.

Although Jiang Chengzhe left, his stores were not significantly affected.

However, after Xia Hui and Li Fengning took over the restaurant on the Western restaurant street, they quickly made some adjustments.

The dishes that Feng Zhengming and Jiang Chengzhe innovated together in the past are retained.

Some of the Cantonese dishes that were previously more in Jiang Chengzhe's style have been removed from the menu.

Li Fengning also made some adjustments to the service staff. Some of them left with Jiang Chengzhe, but the vacancies were quickly filled.

Most importantly, Li Fengning brought over some of the requests from the waiters at the old-style restaurant.

More specific requirements were made for some of the services provided by the waiters.

As a result, many of the store's regular customers quickly noticed that the service seemed to be even better than before.

Xia Hui and Li Fengning also offered an explanation for removing some of Jiang Chengzhe's dishes from the menu.

During the explanation, Xia Hui and Li Fengning appeared together to apologize to some regular customers.

When regular customers saw Xia Hui, they quickly recognized her. Everyone knew she was Feng Zhengming's only apprentice.

With the support of her master, Feng Zhengming, a national culinary champion, Xia Hui quickly gained customer recognition.

Jiang Chengzhe probably didn't expect that Xia Hui would take over so smoothly after he left with his men.

Upon receiving the news, Jiang Chengzhe's apprentice told Jiang Chengzhe about the incident and expressed his indignation on his behalf.

But Jiang Chengzhe had a smile on his face.

"As expected of the national culinary champion, there's a reason why he can outdo me. Our departure has never been a big deal for him. His vision has never been limited to just one or two restaurants, let alone whether there are any competitors."

The apprentices and students were very puzzled by Jiang Chengzhe's words.

“Master, you are no less capable than him. Moreover, you were the one who helped him build that shop. Now he is forcing you to leave and letting his own apprentice take over. He is clearly trying to exclude you.”

Jiang Chengzhe couldn't help but laugh when he heard his apprentice's words.

"Do you really think we built that restaurant? Don't forget, when that restaurant opened, it was Feng Zhuangyuan who personally managed it. He managed to make it a Chinese restaurant that even foreigners chose to eat at, amidst a sea of ​​Western restaurants."

This demonstrates the true strength of our top scholar, Feng; it's something we couldn't have accomplished on our own.

Jiang Chengzhe's two apprentices, who had been with him for many years, also fell silent.

If you think about it calmly, you'll realize that the restaurant on the Western restaurant street couldn't have become what it is today just because of Jiang Chengzhe.

What if Feng Zhengming hadn't initially innovated the format of Chinese fast food?
What if Feng Zhengming hadn't designed those dishes that catered to foreign tastes?
It could even be said that without Feng Zhengming's fame and skill, no matter how capable Jiang Chengzhe was, he could not have built a shop into what it is today, where it is almost a household name in Shanghai.

That restaurant is also recommended by locals to tourists visiting Shanghai, serving as a representative of Shanghai's restaurants.

Jiang Chengzhe: "One should never overestimate one's own abilities, nor should one underestimate the abilities of others."

The two apprentices who had followed Jiang Chengzhe for many years fell silent. They suddenly realized that they seemed to have been used, causing their master to lose a bigger and better stage.

Jiang Chengzhe then said with a relieved expression, "Alright, let bygones be bygones. We need to focus on preparing for the new store."

Soon, news of Jiang Chengzhe's departure spread not only in Shanghai but also to Jinan.

Liu Fangyou naturally also learned about Jiang Chengzhe's departure from Feng Zhengming.

She called Luo Qing immediately.

"Sister Qing, I apologize for what happened to A Zhe. He really shouldn't have hired people so casually, and he hasn't managed the people he hired properly."

When Luo Qing saw that it was Liu Fangyou calling her, she knew what Liu Fangyou wanted to say.

"Haha, don't take it to heart. The reason he left wasn't because of that incident. It was because your brother-in-law wanted him to have his own restaurant and not have his own brilliance overshadowed forever."

Upon hearing this, Liu Fangyou quickly replied on the other end of the phone, "How could that be? Without my brother-in-law, what brilliance does he have left?"

Luo Qing: "How can you say that? Don't you have any confidence in your partner?"

Liu Fangyou: "I...I even want to break up with him."

Luo Qing: "Don't be impulsive. This has nothing to do with you. You two have feelings for each other. Don't let this affect you. Your brother-in-law is still a good friend of his."

Liu Fangyou still insisted: "But he shouldn't have left."

Luo Qing: "You're really stubborn. He has his own pursuits. Back then, he was going to compete with your brother-in-law for the top spot in the national competition. You can't ask him to give up his pursuits and always be second to someone else."

Your brother-in-law said it's good to let him leave, to let him open his own restaurant.

Liu Fangyou: "Him? Can he do it?"

Luo Qing: "Look at you, you should comfort him and firmly support him at a time like this."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

“Sister Qing, I understand. You’re right. I do have feelings for him. The problems between him and my brother-in-law shouldn’t be a barrier between us. I’ll make time to have a good talk with him. I’ll also support him if he wants to open a restaurant.”

Luo Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

In fact, Luo Qing had always been somewhat worried that Liu Fangyou had feelings for her husband.

So when Luo Qing heard Liu Fangyou say that she wanted to break up with Jiang Chengzhe, she really had some bad thoughts.

Fortunately, Liu Fangyou's words made Luo Qing realize that she had been overthinking things.

The relationship between Liu Fangyou and Jiang Chengzhe is probably real.

Besides, the two of them have been together for a year or two.

Liu Fangyou called immediately, and Luo Qing recalled some of Liu Fangyou's tone and words from before.

She also deduced that Liu Fangyou didn't want Jiang Chengzhe to resign because she was worried that Jiang Chengzhe wouldn't be able to run his restaurant well.

Or rather, Liu Fangyou was worried about Jiang Chengzhe, who had been fired by Feng Zhengming.

Luo Qing: "We're still friends. If you encounter any problems opening your shop in the future, you can come to us anytime. I think your brother-in-law will be willing to help."

Liu Fangyou: "Thank you, Sister Qing. Please also thank your brother-in-law for me."

Luo Qing: "Okay, I'll talk to your brother-in-law."

After hanging up the phone, Liu Fangyou called Jiang Chengzhe.

When Jiang Chengzhe received Liu Fangyou's call, he felt a wave of helplessness wash over him.

The two arranged to meet at a place they often visited together.

After meeting, Jiang Chengzhe did not hesitate and wanted to explain the situation directly. He also wanted to tell Liu Fangyou that if she felt that her resignation was wrong, the two of them could end things like this.

But before Jiang Chengzhe could speak, Liu Fangyou spoke first.

"Don't think too much. If you want to open a shop, then work hard to open your own shop and run it well. I believe you can do it. Even if you can't catch up with Feng Zhuangyuan's shop, as long as you can create your own unique style, you will have customers who appreciate you."

These words stunned Jiang Chengzhe. He suddenly realized that he seemed to have misunderstood Liu Fangyou.

Jiang Chengzhe always thought that Liu Fangyou was dating him because of Feng Zhengming and the others.

But now, Jiang Chengzhe has discovered that Liu Fangyou is on his side and will support him.

Jiang Chengzhe was a little excited and took two steps forward to hug Liu Fangyou.

"Thank you, thank you for your support."

Liu Fangyou: "Silly girl, of course I'll support you. If you have any financial difficulties, I can contact my dad and ask him to give you some investment."

Jiang Chengzhe couldn't help but joke, "Then wouldn't I become a live-in son-in-law?"

Liu Fangyou asked, "What? You don't want to?"

Jiang Chengzhe: "It doesn't seem like it's impossible."

Liu Fangyou: "Dream on. Investing in my dad requires a return on investment. I also have an older brother. You think you can come to my door and claim a share of the inheritance? That's wishful thinking."

Jiang Chengzhe burst into laughter, picked up Liu Fangyou, and happily spun her around. (End of Chapter)