From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

After her father's restaurant became one of the top ten restaurants in the world, Feng Nuanyou started to feel unhappy.

It wasn't because she wasn't happy for her father.

The little girl knew that her father's restaurant was the best in the world, and of course she was very happy for him. When she was in kindergarten, she would always stand tall with great pride.

But not seeing her father when she got home every day made Feng Nuanyou less happy.

Dad is getting busier every day, and he's coming home later and later.

Many times, it was only after Feng Nuanyou fell asleep that her father could come home from outside.

The little girl only saw her father once, on New Year's Day, when her mother took her to a New Year's Eve party.

We also enjoyed the New Year's Eve dinner that Dad prepared for everyone after the New Year's Eve party.

But then, Feng Nuanyou stopped seeing her father again.

Fortunately, the kindergarten holiday finally arrived. Feng Nuanyou thought that when the kindergarten was on holiday, she could stay up a little later at night and wait for her father to come home so that he could coax her to sleep.

So the little girl started counting down the days, hoping that kindergarten would be closed for the holidays.

This caused her to become inactive at kindergarten.

When the teacher organized activities and games for the children, Feng Nuanyou was not as enthusiastic as before.

As a result, because Feng Nuanyou was not active, the other children in the class also became less active.

It seems that everyone is used to being led by Feng Nuanyou to participate in activities organized by the teacher.

Now Feng Nuanyou is unwilling to take the initiative to organize and lead everyone.

The other children also lost interest.

The kindergarten teacher felt somewhat helpless about this and had no choice but to talk to Feng Nuanyou's parents.

When Luo Qing was found by the kindergarten teacher, she found it unbelievable.

When my daughter is at home, she doesn't seem inactive at all.
Luo Qing felt that the only change in her daughter at home was that she would often say she wanted to see her father.

But in other respects, the little girl is still as well-behaved at home as before.

After meeting the teacher and listening to her words, Luo Qing realized that her daughter might indeed have some minor problems.

Luo Qing picked up her daughter from kindergarten and found a place to sit down on the way.

Luo Qing asked her daughter earnestly, "Youyou, are you missing your dad too much? Is that why you're not listening to your teacher at kindergarten and not playing with your friends?"

Feng Nuanyou looked at her mother and said, "I miss Daddy so much. It's been such a long time since I've seen him."

Luo Qing: "Mom knows, but Dad has been really busy lately. Once Dad is done with this busy period, he'll have a holiday during the Lunar New Year, and then we can be with him."

Feng Nuanyou: "Mom, can we go to the restaurant tonight to see Dad? We just want to see Dad and not disturb him."

Seeing her daughter's pitiful little face, Luo Qing finally softened and agreed.

"Okay, Mom will tell Grandma and Great-Aunt that we're going to the restaurant to see Dad tonight, and then we'll go home. Is that alright?"

Upon hearing her mother's agreement, Feng Nuanyou jumped up happily.

"Okay, okay, Mom, call quickly."

Seeing her daughter's expression, Luo Qing couldn't help but smile.

She called home and told her mother and aunt about it.

The mother and aunt both expressed their understanding and told Luo Qing to be careful on the way to the restaurant with Feng Nuanyou.

After hanging up the phone, Luo Qing hailed a taxi on the roadside and took her daughter to the restaurant.

Feng Nuanyou wanted to go to the restaurant to see her father, and the little girl was all smiles on her face the whole way in the car.

Looking at her daughter, Luo Qing smiled.

Actually, Luo Qing missed her husband quite a bit during this time.

During this period, Feng Zhengming was coming home quite late, so late that even Luo Qing was already asleep when he got home.

So, in order not to disturb his wife's sleep, Feng Zhengming chose to sleep in the guest room on the first floor after returning home.

Luo Qing only knows these past few days that her husband comes home every night and leaves in a hurry every morning.

She didn't actually see her husband much, and they hardly spoke to each other anymore.

Unlike her daughter, Luo Qing was impatient. She knew that her husband would soon be on holiday for the Spring Festival, and they would have a lot of time together to chat and talk every day.

But now, sitting in the car on the way to her husband's restaurant, Luo Qing was filled with anticipation.

As the taxi approached the restaurant intersection, it could already see many luxury cars on the road ahead.

"Wow, this restaurant is really popular now, especially at night. The roadside is almost full of nice cars, and many people are dressed very nicely, coming here specifically to eat."

Luo Qing and her daughter exchanged a glance, their faces beaming with pride.

However, Luo Qing pretended not to understand.

"Really? Is the food at this restaurant good?"

The driver said, "It must be delicious. This restaurant was opened by the top chef in the country, and it was just named one of the top ten restaurants of the year. The taste is definitely top-notch."

Luo Qing smiled and asked, "Master, have you eaten this before?"

The driver shook his head: "I've never eaten there. First, I don't have that much money, and second, I don't have time to eat here. But I have eaten at other Feng Zhuangyuan restaurants, and the taste is indeed different."

Luo Qing asked curiously, "Master, you're a local. This Scholar Feng cooks Shandong cuisine. Can you get used to it?"

The driver said, "It's really good. Some of the dishes in his restaurants are local flavors."

As he spoke, the driver looked at a luxury car passing by and was quite surprised.

"See that? It's a Phantom. You really can see all sorts of top-of-the-line cars when you come here at night."

Luo Qing: "Are all of you here to eat?"

Driver: "Yes, I heard that you need to make a reservation to eat here at night. These must have been reserved in advance, otherwise we wouldn't have made a special trip here."

Luo Qing was somewhat surprised, not expecting her husband's shop to attract so many wealthy people.

But on second thought, given her husband's current fame, the old-style restaurant would indeed be a place many wealthy people would want to dine at at least once.

The taxi couldn't get to the restaurant because there were too many cars blocking the way.

Luo Qing got off the bus ahead of time with her daughter, and then walked forward with her daughter in her hand.

After walking a few steps, a car was parked next to the mother and daughter on the side of the road.

The car door opened, and Feng Nuanyou immediately saw the people inside.

"Oh, it's Grandpa."

Luo Qing turned her head and saw that the person getting off the bus was indeed an old man from Shanghai.

The old man greeted Luo Qing and her daughter Feng Nuanyou with a smile.

"Oh my, I never expected to run into the proprietress and the young master here."

Feng Nuanyou took the initiative to step forward and greet him: "Hello, Grandpa."

The old man smiled and said, "Hello."

Luo Qing: "Uncle, are you still coming to support Zhengming every day?"

The old man smiled and said, "It's mainly because I'm greedy. I'm used to Zhengming's cooking, and I really don't like eating at other places, so I still come here every night."

Feng Zhengming is very grateful to and respects Uncle Ye, knowing that Uncle Ye's help was behind his restaurant's recognition as one of the top ten restaurants of the year. Therefore, he doesn't need to make a reservation in advance when Uncle Ye comes over every night.

Feng Zhengming would reserve a table for Uncle.

However, these days, because business has been so good at night, Uncle no longer asks Feng Zhengming to reserve a table for him.

Uncle would come over every night before opening and have Feng Zhengming prepare the side dishes he wanted, then he would take them home from the restaurant to eat.

Feng Zhengming would also pack three dinners specifically for his uncle, as requested.

Two of the portions were to be delivered to two elderly women.

The uncle's diet often differs from that of the two elderly ladies.

But as many people have said, Feng Zhengming always managed to figure out the tastes of his uncle and the two old ladies.

So the old man got used to it over time and would come over every evening to pick up three packed meals to take home.

The old man asked the driver to park the car somewhere that wouldn't be in the way, and he walked towards the restaurant with Luo Qing and her daughter Feng Nuanyou.

Feng Nuanyou took a few steps, then looked back at the car her grandfather was in, and she felt a little strange.

"Grandpa, why did you come by car today?"

The old man chuckled, "Because someone asked Grandpa to help out today, and they sent that car home tonight. But that's not Grandpa's car. Grandpa isn't as rich as your father, so I can't afford a driver."

Feng Nuanyou: "Grandpa, then I'll have Dad take you home."

The old man smiled and patted Feng Nuanyou's head.

"Thank you, Youyou, you're such a good child. But no need. That car will wait for Grandpa. After Grandpa buys the food, it will take him home."

Feng Nuanyou: "He's doing quite well."

These words amused the old man.

"Haha, yes, yes, he's really good. It's his job, and it's very hard work, so Grandpa is going to bring him a meal too. Youyou, do you think your dad will give him one?"

Feng Nuanyou: Yes, Youyou can tell Daddy.

The old man smiled even more broadly.

Luo Qing laughed along with her.

As I walked to the restaurant entrance, I saw many people taking photos at the door.

Feng Nuanyou stood obediently beside her mother and uncle, waiting for them to finish taking photos before going inside together.

Perhaps because everyone who came was quite excited, no one noticed Luo Qing and the old man for a moment.

As they approached the restaurant's small building, the waiting staff immediately spotted Luo Qing and Feng Nuanyou, who was holding her hand.

"Boss lady, you came with Youyou? Come in quickly, I'll have someone inform the head chef."

Luo Qing: "We don't need to greet them. You go and greet Uncle first, and let him sit inside for a while."

The staff quickly recovered and hurriedly invited the old man inside.

Instead of going in with the waiter, the old man looked at the mother and daughter and said, "Let's go in together. The food might take a while to cook. Why don't you sit with Grandpa for a bit?"

Feng Nuanyou smiled and agreed, "Okay, I'll sit with the old man."

Luo Qing nodded in agreement and followed them inside.

Upon entering the restaurant, a waiter led us to a private lounge.

Because this room was relatively small, Feng Zhengming did not decorate it as a private room, but used it as a temporary rest room.

After entering the room, Feng Nuanyou didn't sit down: "Mom, can I go find Dad?"

Luo Qing knew that her daughter was eager to see her father.

So she nodded in agreement.

"Go ahead, but be careful. Don't bump into anyone or bother your dad."

Feng Nuanyou immediately agreed; "I know."

She watched her daughter leave the room and then walk towards the kitchen on her own.

Luo Qing also sat down opposite the old man.

"Uncle, please have some water. Knowing you've arrived, Youyou's dad should be bringing your food over soon."

The old man smiled and nodded: "Zhengming has been very busy these days, and he must be coming home very late, right? So Youyou must have missed her dad for a while."

Luo Qing: "Yes, he has been very busy these days."

Then Luo Qing couldn't help but sigh, "Sometimes I think, maybe it's a good thing that he didn't get into the world's top ten restaurants of the year? That way our family can have an easier time."

The old man said, "Many things are not things you can do just by wanting to; often, you are forced to do them because you are pushed to."

Luo Qing looked at the old man and felt that what he said was very true.

"Uncle, you're absolutely right. We're often pushed to do a lot of things. Zhengming probably never imagined that his restaurant would become one of the top ten in the world so quickly."

The old man said, "This is because with great power comes great responsibility."

Luo Qing nodded: "Actually, we don't have much ability."

Uncle: "Zhengming has it. He opened this restaurant to set a standard for the domestic catering industry. This is a testament to his ability. When he started doing it, it pushed him to this position."

After listening to the old man's words, Luo Qing felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.

These days, she misses her husband just as much as her daughter does.

So she already felt a little regretful, thinking that if her husband hadn't made the restaurant one of the top ten restaurants in the world, he wouldn't have been so busy and tired.

Hearing the old man's words made Luo Qing suddenly realize that there were some things she had to do.

When Feng Zhengming demonstrated sufficient strength, he could only support him and get all these things done.

The old man said, "As our country becomes more and more prosperous and powerful, we not only need to be strong in industry, but also in culture. Food culture is also a part of culture."

This recognition as one of the world's top ten restaurants of the year is very timely, allowing our culinary culture to be truly understood by more people.

Luo Qing: "Uncle, you're right. This is indeed what he should do, and it seems that only he can do it."

The old man smiled and said, "Yes, only he can do it."

Feng Nuanyou walked carefully through the restaurant, eventually making her way to the kitchen.

No one else is allowed to enter, but when everyone sees the little girl, they all make way for her so that she can enter the kitchen without any obstruction.

To Feng Nuanyou's surprise, she ran into her father at the door as soon as she stepped into the kitchen.

Before she could even speak, her father picked her up.

"Oh, Dad, you knew I was here?"

Feng Zhengming held his daughter, his face beaming with a happy smile.

"Yes, Dad knows that Youyou must miss Dad, so Youyou came to see Dad."

Feng Nuanyou hugged her father's neck: "Daddy, do you miss Youyou?"

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, Dad misses Youyou too. Every night when Dad comes home, he looks at Youyou sleeping before going to his room to sleep."

Hearing her father say this, Feng Nuanyou was very happy; her father was also thinking of her.

Feng Nuanyou carried her daughter into the kitchen, letting her sit beside her and watch her cook. (End of Chapter)