From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

By the time others learned about the personnel changes at Feng Zhengming's several stores in Shanghai, he had already completed the replacements.

I was originally looking forward to seeing the chaos that would ensue after Jiang Chengzhe left, and then having everyone have a good laugh about it, but I was immediately very disappointed.

Because they received the news too late, they only learned in the morning that Jiang Chengzhe and Feng Zhengming had broken up and that Jiang had left with his men.

In the afternoon, they received news that Feng Zhengming had readjusted the personnel.

He let his apprentice take over the restaurant on the Western restaurant street, and the business of that restaurant was not affected in the slightest.

Many people don't understand what Feng Zhengming's real interests are.
The person who understood this matter most clearly in Shanghai was Kong Xingli, who also came from Shandong.

He immediately deduced: "Feng Zhengming must have been prepared in advance; he couldn't possibly rely entirely on Jiang Chengzhe to run a store."

The facts were indeed almost exactly as Kong Xingli had predicted.

His apprentices were all amazed by his accurate judgment.

Kong Xingli gave a straightforward explanation to his apprentices' surprise.

"You guys, you've already forgotten after such a short time? What's so great about Feng Zhengming? It's his culinary skills. He won a national culinary competition. As long as he doesn't abandon his skills, who can affect him?"

The master's explanation made all the disciples understand immediately.

Kong Xingli took the opportunity to give his apprentices a lecture.

"Remember this, everyone: we are chefs, and skill is always the most important thing."

During his years in Shanghai, Kong Xingli has indeed gained a deeper understanding of the craft.

Shanghai is such a magical place.

If you say that craftsmanship isn't important here, then you might end up losing a lot of money if you open a shop.

You mean it's all about skill here? Well, it's not entirely about skill.

Therefore, the longer Kong Xingli ran the restaurant, the more he admired Feng Zhengming.

He could sense that Feng Zhengming's opening of a shop in Shanghai was not just about opening a shop; he was actually using various means to reshape the standards by which many people in Shanghai judged food.

If it weren't for Feng Zhengming, Kong Xingli's restaurant in Shanghai might not have been doing so well.

Having lived in Shanghai for so long, Kong Xingli has met many people and deeply felt the regional barriers, finally understanding the meaning of "it's impossible to please everyone."

No single flavor can be guaranteed to be universally praised and loved.

Take, for example, the Shandong cuisine that Kong Xingli is good at. In some people's eyes, it's dark, sticky, and not high-class at all.

This impression is often difficult to eradicate.

Over the years, Kong Xingli's restaurant has received similar complaints more than once.

They'll say their food is too dark.

There were also some dishes with a bright, glossy sauce that were meant to be eaten hot, but the guests insisted the dishes were ruined after they cooled down.

Because of this incident, Kong Xingli had to explain and apologize to many customers.

Even when they had no experience, they once gave someone a free order.

However, the situation gradually began to change after Feng Zhengming's old-style restaurant opened.

It seems that the fame of the old villa restaurant has also brought Shandong cuisine to the forefront of Shanghai's reputation.

To help more people learn about Shandong cuisine, appreciate its excellence, and understand how to properly enjoy it.

As a result, Kong Xingli Restaurant's business also improved.

Everyone knows that Kongxingli Restaurant serves authentic Shandong cuisine.

So when they couldn't make a reservation with Feng Zhengming, they chose to eat at Kong Xingli's restaurant.

Those who used to nitpick about dishes being dark or about thickening sauces have gradually disappeared.

Therefore, only those who have truly experienced it can understand that there must be a reason behind every change.

Kong Xingli's apprentices were indeed secretly hoping to see Feng Zhengming make a fool of himself.

To put it bluntly, the apprentices are all still very young, and in their eyes, Feng Zhengming is not considered their senior.

Furthermore, with the advent of the internet in the 21st century, many people have begun to embrace counter-trends.

Many young people, in particular, want to show off their uniqueness.

Or rather, we want to abandon the old set of moral standards.

They started prioritizing profit above all else, and stopped talking about morality.

Some even see rebelling against the authority of teachers as a trend of the times.

If they don't even respect their own master, how can you expect them to respect their senior masters?
Although Kong Xingli always emphasized to his apprentices that to cook good food, one must first learn how to be a good person.

However, faced with the dazzling world of Shanghai, the apprentices clearly let the words go in one ear and out the other.

Under such circumstances, Kong Xingli also felt quite helpless.

The only thing I can do is try to suppress my apprentices.

Seeing his apprentices' appearance, Kong Xingli felt somewhat envious of Feng Zhengming.

Not only is he skilled himself, but he can also teach his apprentices well. He truly deserves to be the top student in the country.

There aren't many people in this world who see things as clearly as Kong Xingli.

Like some people in the Shanghai Chefs Association.

They were genuinely delighted to learn that Jiang Chengzhe had left Feng Zhengming.

Even knowing that Feng Zhengming's stores were not affected.

They still decided to take the opportunity to strike at Feng Zhengming.

So soon, rumors about Feng Zhengming and Jiang Chengzhe began to appear in some tabloids and magazines in Shanghai.

Furthermore, some people have taken advantage of the internet to openly discuss these issues in online forums that have begun to emerge.

However, what they were discussing wasn't anything positive; it was mostly speculation and rumors.

Furthermore, conspiracy theories were quite prevalent at the time, especially online where many people enjoyed reading various conspiracy theories.

Therefore, the most widely circulated rumor became...

Feng Zhengming intends to suppress Jiang Chengzhe, use Jiang Chengzhe to build up his own shop, then have his apprentice replace Jiang Chengzhe, and also wants Jiang Chengzhe to continue running other shops for him.

As a result, Jiang Chengzhe was unhappy and tore up the contract between the two and left Feng Zhengming.

There are even rumors that Feng Zhengming was awarded the title of top scholar in the national examination because Jiang Chengzhe was born in Hong Kong, and the country did not allow chefs from Hong Kong to become top scholars.

Once a rumor starts circulating, it tends to become increasingly exaggerated and outlandish.

Some people even started making up stories and speculating about Feng Zhengming's orphan identity.

Various rumors were flying around, leaving both Feng Zhengming and Jiang Chengzhe, the two parties involved, somewhat amused and exasperated.

The rumors circulating in various tabloids and magazines are becoming increasingly outrageous.

Feng Zhengming arranged to meet with Jiang Chengzhe, and the two of them were interviewed by Shanghai TV and newspapers.

During the interview, the two clarified the entire incident.

Feng Zhengming stated very directly in the interview, "I think Jiang Chengzhe is a very capable and good chef. I don't think he should stay under my wing forever. He should have his own restaurant, which is why I let him leave my shop."

When he left, I gave him all his original shares at a discounted price, hoping to help him open a new store.

Of course, he still retains 10% of the shares in my shop, and he will still receive the year-end profit sharing.

Feng Zhengming's clarification surprised even the host and reporters who interviewed them.

Before the interview, everyone knew that the two separated because Feng Zhengming wanted to let Jiang Chengzhe open his own shop.

No one expected that even after they separated, the two would still have such a tangled web of interests.

The key point is that Feng Zhengming cashed out the shares for Jiang Chengzhe, which is definitely a considerable sum based on the revenue of Jiang Chengzhe's previous store.

Moreover, Feng Zhengming also reserved 10% of the store's shares for Jiang Chengzhe.

This suggests that the shares Feng Zhengming gave Jiang Chengzhe in that store were definitely not small.

This series of connections forced the interviewees to admit that Feng Zhengming was indeed quite righteous.

When the camera focused on Jiang Chengzhe, he smiled as he clarified the situation.

"Many people may like conspiracy theories and hope to see us fight each other for interests, or even go to court. But unfortunately, I'm sorry to disappoint some people. I left Feng Zhuangyuan's shop not because of those conflicts of interest."

It can be said that Feng Zhuangyuan always paid me a very high income; my salary in the restaurant was higher than that of any head chef in any other restaurant.

In addition, I also receive a share of the store's annual revenue.

I doubt any restaurant would offer me such good treatment.

Jiang Chengzhe's proud statement confirmed Feng Zhengming's earlier clarification.

"As for leaving the shop, I am indeed very reluctant, but Feng Zhuangyuan told me that I should have my own shop, and that I should integrate what I have learned over the years, what I have learned from my masters, what I have learned overseas, and what Feng Zhuangyuan has taught me, to open my own shop."

Everyone could tell that, in Jiang Chengzhe's eyes, Feng Zhengming was already considered his master.

“I’m willing to listen to Feng Zhuangyuan. I want to open my own shop, so I choose to leave.”

The TV host couldn't help but ask, "So you really retained 10% of the shares?"

Jiang Chengzhe nodded: "Yes, I'm also worried that I won't be able to run my own store. If that happens, I can still use my 10% share to go back to Feng Zhuangyuan's store."

Feng Zhengming and he almost laughed at these words.

The atmosphere of the on-site interview changed immediately.

The atmosphere was initially tense, but now Feng Zhengming and Jiang Chengzhe's exchange of smiles made their relationship clear to everyone.

The two of them have a true teacher-student and friend relationship.

Feng Zhengming then introduced some details of his collaboration with Jiang Chengzhe, as well as how he was greatly inspired by Jiang Chengzhe to create many innovative dishes.

Jiang Chengzhe naturally said more; he was indeed very grateful to Feng Zhengming.

He felt that his former master had led him into the door and taught him the real skills.

But Feng Zhengming was the one who helped him combine his craft with running a shop.

Therefore, in Jiang Chengzhe's eyes, Feng Zhengming is his teacher and a role model he wants to emulate in his life.

During the interview, the two of them were completely unpretentious and expressed their true feelings.

They would also express any disputes about the dishes directly.

So after the two of them clarified their points, the interview turned into a rather interesting casual chat.

Even the host and reporters conducting the interviews found themselves unable to get a word in edgewise.

It all turned into two people giving on-site cooking demonstrations and instruction.

After the interview, the television station broadcast it, and newspapers also published the text version of the relevant content.

Not only did it clarify the matter thoroughly, but it also prompted many chefs to buy newspapers and use the culinary discussions between the two as learning material.

It must be said that, ironically, many chefs in small restaurants have actually benefited quite a bit from this.

As for those who spread rumors behind Feng Zhengming's back and engage in petty tricks to discredit him.

They could only watch helplessly as Feng Zhengming's businesses became even more popular because of the interview.

Of course, this interview was actually intentionally arranged by Feng Zhengming.

He wanted Jiang Chengzhe to take the opportunity to gain fame as well.

To pave the way for Jiang Chengzhe to open his shop.

While things were being resolved in Shanghai, my third senior brother had also arranged everything for the new store in Shicheng, Hebei Province.

Upon receiving a call from his third senior brother, Feng Zhengming expressed his gratitude over the phone.

"Thank you, Third Brother. Without you, I'm afraid I really wouldn't have been able to find the time to open the store in Hebei Province."

The third senior brother got straight to the point on the phone: "I've heard about what happened. Jiang Chengzhe is gone, so be it. You're just too sentimental. He can go his own way, but you still want to help him out."

Feng Zhengming chuckled: "Third Brother, we've all worked together for many years. I can't let others think I'm discarding you after you've served your purpose."

Third Senior Brother: "Very well, this way you're even."

Feng Zhengming: "A Zhe is a really good person. Third Brother, don't think he had this planned all along."

From the perspective of the third senior brother, he still felt that his junior brother had been taken advantage of.

Yang Bin felt that even without Jiang Chengzhe's help, his junior brother was able to run his business very well, and that it was Jiang Chengzhe who had come to him in the first place.

Now that I have the ability, I practiced at my junior apprentice's shop and started thinking about going out on my own.

Therefore, Yang Bin had a very bad impression of Jiang Chengzhe.

Feng Zhengming knew what his third senior brother thought of Jiang Chengzhe, and he carefully explained the situation to his third senior brother.

However, the third senior brother did not just let go of his prejudice against Jiang Chengzhe.

“If he valued the friendship he had built with you, he shouldn’t have hired those people. Since he did hire those apprentices, he should have had a responsibility to discipline them properly.”

He failed to discipline his apprentice properly, and after the incident, he refused to dismiss him, clearly wanting to extract more benefits from you.

Feng Zhengming: "Third Brother, I know you're definitely on my side, and I'm very grateful for your support. However, I expected Jiang Chengzhe to leave, so I don't think we need to fall out."

The third senior brother agreed with this statement.

"Yes, we're all in the kitchen industry, so there's really no need to fall out. Maybe we'll have a chance to cooperate in the future."

Taking the opportunity, Feng Zhengming changed the subject: "Third Brother, you and Sun Hai will have to work hard. Once the new store in Shicheng is ready, I will arrange everything and rush over to attend the opening."

The third senior brother did not tell Feng Zhengming not to attend the opening ceremony.

Yang Bin knew that since they had contacted Jing Guanlin, Feng Zhengming would definitely have to show up at the opening ceremony.

Otherwise, Jing Guanlin would definitely think that Feng Zhengming was prejudiced against their Hebei Province.

After all, Feng Zhengming personally presided over the opening of both the Zhengzhou and Hangzhou branches.

"Okay, how about I send Sun Hai back and replace you?"

Hearing his third senior brother's words, Feng Zhengming laughed: "Hahaha, third brother, don't worry, I'll arrange everything." (End of this chapter)