From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Seeing that everyone seemed to be having a good time at the tourist attractions, Feng Zhengming decided to go with his third senior brother to check out his fifth senior brother's shop first.

This also allows other people to spend more time at the attractions.

Arriving at Fifth Brother's shop, we found that it was larger and closer to the tourist attractions, so it was actually more crowded, mostly with tourists from all over the country.

Standing in front of the door, you can see that there are still many people queuing up, waiting for their number to be called to go in.

Yang Bin laughed as he looked at it: "Not bad, Lao Wu's shop is doing really well."

Just then, a young girl with a camera hanging around her neck walked up to Feng Zhengming.

"You, you must be that Scholar Feng, right?"

Feng Zhengming looked at the girl and then smiled: "Yes, it's me."

The girl was immediately very excited and quickly turned around and ran back to call her parents over.

"Mom and Dad, look, it really is that Scholar Feng."

Next, a large group of people swarmed around, excluding Yang Bin and completely surrounding Feng Zhengming.

Looking at the scene before him, Yang Bin couldn't help but laugh.

"Haha, looks like Junior Brother will need to disguise himself when he goes out from now on?"

Surrounded by so many people, Feng Zhengming was caught off guard.

After some guidance, the crowd was eventually dispersed.

However, Feng Zhengming then had to accompany everyone to take photos.

Almost every time, a family of three takes a photo with him in front of his shop.

Some people also took photos with him alone.

There were also groups of brothers standing on either side of him taking photos together.

Feng Zhengming tried his best to accommodate everyone and took photos with different people at the entrance.

By the time the group photo was almost over, Feng Zhengming was covered in sweat from being so crowded.

Then he and his third senior brother quickly went into the shop together.

Upon arriving at the shop, the two brothers didn't dare to greet anyone too much. They could only go into the kitchen first to greet their fifth senior brother and wash the sweat off their faces.

When Cao Zhiguo learned that his third senior brother and junior brother had arrived, he handed over the kitchen to his apprentices to take charge of, and went to the back to find them.

Seeing his junior brother wash his face, Cao Zhiguo chuckled, "Looks like our junior brother is still as popular as ever!"

Yang Bin immediately chimed in: "They are indeed very popular; a lot of people surrounded them at the entrance taking pictures."

Cao Zhiguo: "There's nothing we can do. My junior brother is now admired by many people, and many people in our shop come specifically for him."

Feng Zhengming turned to his two senior brothers and said, "Alright, stop making fun of me. Fifth Brother, your business is doing very well too, isn't it?"

Cao Zhiguo: "Yes, this place is closer to the scenic area, so business here is very good. But it seems that business is just as good in Chongshan, and he is very busy every day."

Yang Bin: "We went there this morning, and Lü Chongshan's skills are indeed getting better and better."

"How could it not be good? He's been working hard, trying to get his junior brother to take him on as a disciple," Cao Zhiguo said bluntly.

Feng Zhengming: "He is already considered my apprentice, only lacking a formal apprenticeship ceremony."

Cao Zhiguo: "I told him not to worry about not being able to become an apprentice, I will definitely make him become an apprentice."

Yang Bin: "Judging from this, all of Junior Brother's apprentices have unique skills?"

Cao Zhiguo: "If we're talking about it, Third Senior Brother, Lü Chongshan can be considered to have been trained by Junior Brother. In the past, he seemed to only know how to make hand-pulled noodles and steamed buns, but now he can do everything."

Yang Bin nodded: "I saw him in his shop, he's improving very quickly."

Feng Zhengming: "Lü Chongshan has a good foundation. He was just too focused on pastry making in the past, which delayed his cooking skills. With a little guidance, he can learn to cook on his own."

Cao Zhiguo: "But his pastry-making skills have become his unique advantage. It's not easy for other chefs to learn pastry-making skills."

Feng Zhengming nodded in agreement: "That's right, Bai's case is indeed his strength."

Then Cao Zhiguo asked, "By the way, how's it going with the new stores you've opened?"

Feng Zhengming smiled: "With Third Brother in charge, there's definitely no problem."

Yang Bin laughed at what he said: "Stop flattering me. How can my intervention be as effective as yours? Besides, I didn't go to the new store in Hangzhou. Wasn't it you who ran it?"

Cao Zhiguo: "Hahaha, Zhengming still likes to flatter others."

Feng Zhengming: "Of course I'll support you all; you are my strongest backing."

Cao Zhiguo: "We're no good. You should praise our senior brother more."

"Yes, senior brother, you should praise him more."

Seeing that both of his senior brothers mentioned their eldest brother, Feng Zhengming thought for a moment.

"Third brother, when you go back to Jinan this time, and you and your wife bring the kids to Beijing for a visit, please invite your eldest brother along. It just so happens that your eldest sister-in-law and the kids are on holiday as well. You two families can come to Beijing together. Don't worry about the expenses."

Cao Zhiguo: "That's right, you and your senior brother's families should come to the capital for a visit. I'll arrange everything for you here."

Yang Bin: "Would the eldest brother be willing to come?"

Feng Zhengming: "I would be willing, because Sun Hai can take over from the senior brother when he goes back."

After thinking about it carefully, the two senior brothers also felt that it seemed to be true.

However, the third senior brother still asked Feng Zhengming to go back and persuade him.

After thinking about it, Feng Zhengming agreed.

“Alright, since we’re out here, let’s go back to Quancheng. I’ll talk to the senior brother myself and have Sun Hai, Deng Huaichuan, Wang Hanwen, Huang Yunliang, Li Yao, and Han Rui stay in Quancheng and take charge of Huiquan Tower for a while.”

After hearing Feng Zhengming's arrangement, the third and fifth senior brothers both felt that it was quite reasonable.

If it were simply Sun Hai taking over Huiquan Tower, the senior disciple might not feel at ease.

With five young chefs working alongside Sun Hai, the senior chef should be able to rest assured.

Moreover, with Feng Zhengming personally going back to persuade them, the success rate is even higher.

The fifth senior brother also offered some ideas.

"When the time comes, you can tell him to come to the capital and check on the craftsmanship of those small shops that buy and sell goods. That way, he will definitely be willing to make the trip."

Feng Zhengming and his third senior brother were immediately amused.

Third Senior Brother: "As expected, Fifth Senior Brother, you've spent more time with the Eldest Senior Brother and understand his temperament better."

Fifth Senior Brother: "There's nothing I can do. The eldest senior brother is the kind of person who, under normal circumstances, just doesn't like to be idle. He's worried about betraying Zhengming's trust in him."

Feng Zhengming: "I still want to thank you all. The trust you senior brothers have in me is really important." The third and fifth senior brothers exchanged a glance upon hearing this, and then they both laughed.

"The most important thing is that we trust each other."

"Yes, Zhengming, you have always trusted us over the years, so naturally we will help you run your shop well."

The three brothers smiled, feeling that the trip had indeed been worthwhile.

Feng Zhengming then asked his fifth senior brother about some of the changes that had taken place in Beijing during this period.

Fifth Senior Brother: "Your judgment is correct. After the news of the successful bid for the Olympics was announced, the catering companies in Beijing were indeed busy. They all wanted to seize the time to make some changes and try to gain more opportunities for themselves."

At this point, Cao Zhiguo gave Feng Zhengming a thumbs up.

"Junior brother, you have a good eye. You acquired all those small shops in the scenic area in advance and made some renovations, turning them into very good ones."

"Just before you came here, I was called in to talk about those tourist shops."

The third senior brother's expression also turned serious: "The capital is not satisfied with those small shops?"

Fifth Senior Brother shook his head: "It's not that I'm dissatisfied, it seems that I hope those small shops can be made more exquisite, and I also hope that there will be some employees who can speak foreign languages ​​to be responsible for receiving some foreigners."

Feng Zhengming: "That's understandable. After all, there will definitely be many foreigners coming during the Olympics."

The third senior brother asked, "Wouldn't that mean we need to conduct some special training?"

Feng Zhengming: "I'll contact them later and find a foreign language teacher so that everyone can take a spoken English class in their spare time. We don't need everyone to be able to write, just to be able to understand and say a few everyday sentences."

Fifth Senior Brother: "Also, the signs of some small shops also need to be in standard foreign languages."

Feng Zhengming: "We can just change it later. In short, we will try our best to cooperate."

At this point, the third senior brother suddenly asked, "So, does that mean we in Jinan also need to make some preparations? And Zhengming, your shop in Shanghai, does it need them too?"

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Quancheng does need to make some preparations. I'll ask Aunt Luo Qing later to see if we can have everyone go to their university in their spare time to open a night school class to teach them foreign languages."

Listening to Feng Zhengming's arrangements, the two senior brothers felt that their junior brother's ideas were indeed ahead of their time.

Feng Zhengming even considered: "Perhaps in the future, we will have the opportunity to open stores abroad, and then everyone can put what they have learned to use."

Upon hearing Feng Zhengming mention that he might open a shop abroad, the two senior brothers showed a hint of surprise on their faces.

Fifth Senior Brother: "Zhengming, didn't you always say you didn't want to go abroad?"

Third Senior Brother: "Yes, you said before that you felt that if we went abroad, people might not be able to accept our cooking methods and tastes, so it's better to focus on developing the domestic market."

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, I'm not saying I necessarily have to go abroad, I'm just saying that maybe there will be an opportunity in the future."

Then he carefully explained to his two senior brothers.

"Third Brother, Fifth Brother, think about it. When the Olympics are held in China, won't many foreigners come to China? When they flood into China, can our culture also take the opportunity to go abroad?"

Perhaps by then, we could try opening a few restaurants abroad, and maybe even collaborate with Fourth Brother.

Upon hearing Feng Zhengming mention his fourth senior brother, the third and fifth senior brothers also felt a pang of longing.

"I wonder how Fourth Senior Brother is doing abroad?"

"It should be alright, otherwise he would have come back long ago. Maybe in the future, just like Zhengming said, we will have the opportunity to go abroad and we will need Lao Si's help."

Cao Zhiguo: That's great! We can go abroad and see the world then.

Feng Zhengming: "These are things for the future. Now that we are facing the Olympics, we must make some preparations."

The two senior brothers immediately looked at their junior brother, still waiting for him to assign them tasks.

Feng Zhengming: "For now, we don't need to do a lot of things. We just need to manage our stores well, ensure the unique characteristics of each store, and control the quality of our products."

In Feng Zhengming's plan, the next period of time would be for him to complete the integration of the national market.

He must complete the standardization of the national catering market before the Olympics.

In short, the goal is to develop its own recommendation guidelines in Shanghai, Beijing, and the surrounding provinces.

We need to get more people in the catering industry involved.

On the one hand, it relies on recommendations to support more snacks and small restaurants.

On the other hand, recommended guidelines should also be used to regulate those restaurants.

Feng Zhengming was well aware that after the 08 Olympics, the recommendation guide from foreign tire companies would also enter the domestic market.

Therefore, time is running out, and we must get our recommended guidelines accepted in China as soon as possible.

The way to gain recognition from others is to first do a good job in your own store.

All of my stores meet the standards I set.

This will naturally lead to others recognizing and accepting your standards.

With widespread customer approval, competitors can only operate according to their own standards.

Feng Zhengming shared his thoughts with his two senior brothers.

Finally, he stated directly: "We must open Yanxilou in Beijing. We need to find a suitable location and reopen Yanxilou in Beijing before the Olympics."

We want to make Yanxilou a benchmark restaurant in Beijing. Although it may not be able to compare with places like the Beijing Hotel, we want Yanxilou to have the characteristics of Shandong cuisine.

Besides, the Beijing Hotel doesn't serve Shandong cuisine, so let our Yanxi Restaurant fill that gap."

The two senior brothers were quite excited by Feng Zhengming's words.

At the same time, they were also filled with anticipation, hoping to help their junior brother accomplish this task.

Feng Zhengming and the others chatted in the kitchen, while Xia Hui and the others browsed the shops at the scenic spot, visiting all of them.

Deng Huaichuan, Wang Hanwen, Huang Yunliang, Li Yao, and Han Rui were once again greatly impressed.

Especially knowing that these small shops were acquired by Feng Zhengming, and that Feng Zhengming was the one who reorganized these small shops.

This made the five young chefs realize that the right path for them was to return to their hometown and start a branch of Feng Zhengming's restaurant.

This allows them to learn management and operation from their own small shops.

Just like Jiang Chengzhe, he constantly tried to incorporate his personal characteristics into a branch store.

This trip helped the five young chefs finally understand themselves and where they should start.

Xia Hui, Gao Yongfu, Hou Dong, and Lu Haisheng also gained some inspiration from observing these small shops, which made Xia Hui realize that even after Jiang Chengzhe left, she still had ways to improve the shop on the Western restaurant street.

This trip for rest and vacation has essentially achieved Feng Zhengming's goal of allowing everyone to relax and reflect on their objectives.

These people will become Feng Zhengming's capable assistants in realizing his ideals. (End of Chapter)