From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

As the Spring Festival approaches, every household in Jinan is decorating with lanterns and colorful decorations.

Feng Zhengming has been having a very relaxed time these days.

No need to rack your brains every day to think about restaurant matters, no need to think about which dishes to make today?

They don't even need to get up early in the morning to receive fresh ingredients every day.

Feng Zhengming can sleep in a little later and wake up a little later every day at home.

Then he stayed home with his wife to take care of the children.

To ensure that Feng Zhengming and the others could use computers as soon as possible, his brother-in-law specially helped configure one for them.

Feng Zhengming would play computer games with his eldest daughter, Feng Nuanyou.

I taught my eldest daughter some basic computer skills.

This also allowed my eldest daughter to get to know computers early.

The thing that makes Feng Nuanyou happiest is that she can go grocery shopping with her father.

The little girl is always very proactive. She changes her clothes and shoes herself and can't wait to urge her dad on.

Seeing their daughter's eagerness, Feng Zhengming and his wife were always at a loss for words, neither laughing nor crying.

Because there are two little ones at home, Feng Zhengming has to wait for his second aunt and third aunt to come over and help take care of the children before he and his daughter can go out to buy groceries.

If her great-aunt and third great-aunt arrive late, Feng Nuanyou will pout and wait very unhappy.

However, as soon as her father calls her to go out, the little girl immediately becomes very happy again.

Although we had prepared some of the things for the family's New Year's Eve dinner in advance.

However, there are still a few days until the Chinese New Year, so we still need to cook some home-style meals every day.

My mother-in-law hasn't been coming over much lately, mainly because she's been preoccupied with her brother-in-law's love life.

Fortunately, my second aunt and third aunt both had plenty of time.

My second aunt is already retired, so she has plenty of time.

The key issue is that my son came back from university for vacation, and my aunt got annoyed watching him every day.

She complained about this to Feng Zhengming and Luo Qing several times.

"You really do get annoyed when your kids grow up; they're so much more obedient, well-behaved, and adorable when they're little."

So every day, Auntie would come to Feng Zhengming's house early to help Luo Qing take care of the two little ones.

My third aunt was on winter break from school, so she had plenty of time.

So my third aunt came over with her daughter every day.

Feng Shengnan also helps take care of the little ones.

Sometimes, Feng Shengnan would arrive early and go to the market with her brother and niece.

Feng Shengnan also found that it was indeed very interesting to go to the market with her older brother.

Gradually, Feng Shengnan understood why her little niece liked to go to the market with her father.

Today, Feng Zhengming once again took Feng Shengnan and their daughter to the vegetable market.

Feng Nuanyou held her aunt's hand and followed behind her father, watching him pick and choose in the market and haggle with the vendors at each stall.

The most interesting part is that the stall owner often gives a relatively high price.

Moreover, the stall owner would say with considerable helplessness, "Isn't it almost Chinese New Year? Many vegetables are out of stock, so we really can't lower the price."

Feng Zhengming would directly refute the stall owner: "These are clearly all from greenhouses, don't give me that nonsense. These vegetables don't cost this much in our province right now. If you're not going to sell, I'll go somewhere else."

After being directly exposed by Feng Zhengming, the stall owner had no choice but to obediently lower the price.

When buying groceries, Feng Zhengming would also teach his younger sister and daughter some things.

He would also ask his sister and daughter what they wanted to eat.
Feng Shengnan knew that her brother could cook any dish she wanted very well.

So at first, Feng Shengnan might have been a little hesitant and embarrassed to order food.

Gradually, she was taken care of by her little niece, Feng Nuanyou.

"Auntie, you have to tell Dad. If you don't, he might not buy the dishes you like, and then you won't be able to eat what you want. So you have to tell Dad."

Encouraged by her niece, Feng Shengnan finally dared to order food.

Feng Shengnan still prefers to eat shrimp and fish, just like before.

Feng Zhengming would specially buy shrimp and fish for his younger sister.

Moreover, the shrimp and fish that Feng Zhengming bought were of very high quality.

In Feng Zhengming's view, the food he eats at home must not be made with the top-quality ingredients used in restaurants, but it certainly cannot be of poor quality.

This is also why Feng Shengnan really enjoys eating at her brother's house.

When Feng Zhengming led the older and younger girls back home after buying groceries.

Seeing that Zhang Hongwei had also run to the house.

Then his own mother gave him a piece of her mind.

"What are you doing here? You can't do any work. Didn't you say you could stay home and eat in the cafeteria?"

Zhang Hongwei grinned and said, "Mom, you came to my brother's place for an extra meal without me, and I didn't even say anything. Now that I've come all this way, you're going to scold me?"

As Feng Zhengming entered, he called out, "Then come and help out. Doing some work will do you good."

Auntie immediately chimed in, "Yes, yes, go help your brother with the work, or you won't get lunch."

Zhang Hongwei didn't dare to refuse and obediently went to the kitchen to help.

Meanwhile, the third aunt would bring the two girls to pick up the two grandfathers for a meal.

Zhang Hongwei was in the kitchen, and he moved closer to Feng Zhengming.

"Brother, I've got a girlfriend at school, but I haven't told my mom. Don't let this get out of the picture."

Feng Zhengming laughed: "Not bad, you didn't find a flight attendant, did you?"

Zhang Hongwei: "No, she's from our school, but she's not a flight attendant. She's a mechanical repair major, a proper female aircraft mechanic."

Feng Zhengming: "Not bad, you two are a good match."

Zhang Hongwei: We've just started getting to know each other.

Feng Zhengming: "Then let's get along well, and you can bring him back when you have time."

Zhang Hongwei: "No, it's too early to bring it back."

Feng Zhengming then asked, "Where are you from?"

Zhang Hongwei: "Oh, her family is from Beijing."

"Not bad, it seems you've managed to climb the social ladder."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hongwei said with a proud look, "It should be that she climbed up our family's high branch. My brother, you are a chef of state banquets and now the head chef of one of the world's top ten restaurants of the year. Can her family be as powerful as yours?"

Feng Zhengming: "You're being a bit too arrogant. My achievements have nothing to do with you."

"Hehe, just kidding. We don't care about family background in college."

Feng Zhengming: "Get along well. Your relationship is still very pure during your university years, and you should cherish it."

Zhang Hongwei: "Brother, weren't you and your sister-in-law your first love?" Feng Zhengming: "Yes, your sister-in-law pursued me back then, I agreed, and later we got married."

After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Hongwei asked, "Brother, you've been such a great chef all these years, haven't you ever met any soulmates?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and gently tapped Zhang Hongwei.

"What's wrong with your brain? If your mom heard you say that, do you believe she wouldn't let you eat lunch here and would kick you out the door?"

Zhang Hongwei: "No, brother, I was just asking casually. Please don't tell my mom."

Feng Zhengming: "In my family's eyes, I am a very good chef, a national culinary champion, and the head chef of one of the top ten restaurants in the world. But perhaps in other people's eyes, I am just a chef who can cook delicious food."

Therefore, I won't have much interaction with other women. They might think highly of me, but deep down they might still feel that getting too close to me is me being unworthy of them.

Zhang Hongwei was stunned after hearing Feng Zhengming's words.

For Zhang Hongwei, this was a question he had never really considered before.

Only after Feng Zhengming brought it up did he begin to seriously consider it.

After some thought, Zhang Hongwei discovered that he also had some ideas about the pros and cons of different professions.

Zhang Hongwei discovered that he would respect Feng Zhengming very much, but if it were a chef from their school cafeteria, he might not respect the other person in the same way he respected Feng Zhengming.

This thought surprised Zhang Hongwei instantly.

They are both chefs, but perhaps the chefs in the school cafeteria are not as skilled as Feng Zhengming.

But the work that the cooks in the school cafeteria have to do every day is probably even harder than what Feng Zhengming does.

But Zhang Hongwei just doesn't think that we need to respect the school cafeteria's chefs.

Thinking about all this, Zhang Hongwei's expression became complicated.

"Brother, you seem to see people very clearly. I just thought about it carefully, and I realized that I might have some professional biases. I just imagined you as a chef in our school cafeteria."

I think I probably wouldn't be as respectful. I wouldn't look down on the other person, but I also wouldn't think they're particularly impressive or deserving of more recognition.

Feng Zhengming smiled: "The fact that you realize this already puts you ahead of many others."

Then, Feng Zhengming took the opportunity to tell Zhang Hongwei some things.

"Everyone's work deserves sufficient respect. However, nowadays, people may only ever see the glamorous successes and not the people in all walks of life who are quietly contributing without fame."

So, like you just said, you'll see me as a successful person, and your perception of me will no longer be that of a chef.

Actually, I'm just a chef, and my job is no different from most chefs'.

Zhang Hongwei: "Brother, you're really amazing. It's rare that you can put yourself in the position of a chef."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "I have to put myself in the position of a chef, because only in this way can I better understand what other chefs need."
Why are people like your sister Xia Hui, brother Sun Hai, and the others in my kitchen willing to work so hard for me?

It's not just because being by my side can bring them certain honors, increase their fame, and allow them to learn better skills.

Also because I treated them well, ensuring they received the rewards they deserved for their labor.

Zhang Hongwei nodded: "So, brother, you need to put yourself in the chef's position and understand the difficulties other chefs face in order to better provide them with solutions to those difficulties."

Feng Zhengming looked at his cousin approvingly: "Yes, you must remember to always maintain a humble, apprentice-like heart."

Zhang Hongwei suddenly laughed: "Hahaha, Xing-ge, I got it. I'll help you with the work."

Although Zhang Hongwei used to work part-time at the old shop during the summer vacation to earn some pocket money.

But he wasn't very good at his work in the kitchen.

Feng Zhengming neither blamed him nor made him leave the kitchen.

Instead, he was very patient and taught Zhang Hongwei how to do it step by step.

For example, how should we clean vegetables and meat?
How should I cut it?

Feng Zhengming even patiently taught Zhang Hongwei how to hold a knife.

Zhang Hongwei really learned a lot in the kitchen, and even became eager to try cooking himself.
Feng Zhengming then asked him to try a tomato and egg dish.

"Pull harder, pull up with the chopsticks, yes, break the eggs."

"Okay, okay, next we can strain the egg mixture, but for home cooking, we don't actually need to do that. We should heat the pan first, make sure the pan is hot and the oil is cold, then add the egg mixture when the oil is warm and stir-fry it. Yes, yes."

With Feng Zhengming's guidance, Zhang Hongwei successfully fried the eggs.

Next, when he was stir-frying tomatoes, Feng Zhengming taught him in detail how to do it.

"Let the tomatoes cook until they become mushy; that will make them taste even better."

Sauté the tomatoes until cooked through, then add the eggs to the pan and stir-fry together with the tomatoes.

"Don't toss the wok, you're not good enough yet. Just stir-fry it with the spatula like this, yes, flip it."

As a result, during the stir-frying process, Zhang Hongwei did not control the force well at first and almost flipped the tomato and egg mixture out of the pan.

Fortunately, Feng Zhengming reacted quickly and blocked the attack for Zhang Hongwei.

"Look at you, you're too impatient. Don't be hasty. Flip it little by little, stir it gently."

Just as Feng Zhengming was teaching his younger cousin how to stir-fry tomatoes and eggs, his aunt and the others brought over the two grandfathers.

Upon entering, the two grandfathers happened to see Feng Zhengming teaching Zhang Hongwei how to cook.

Grandpa Situ chuckled, "Not bad, Hongwei has started learning to cook too?"

Grandpa Feng: "It's not Hongwei, but why does your stir-fry look so awkward?"

Zhang Hongwei turned his head to look at the two grandfathers at the door.

"Grandpa, I'm just learning. I just started learning with my brother, so I'm not very familiar with it yet. Please wait a bit. You should eat more of my brother's cooking. I'll eat this tomato and egg stir-fry by myself."

Feng Zhengming laughed: "It's alright, let's all try it together."

Grandpa Situ: "Yes, yes, Zhengming is right, let's all try it together."

These words made Zhang Hongwei very embarrassed.

Fortunately, the dish turned out reasonably well in the end.

Feng Nuanyou leaned closer to take a look.

"Oh, Uncle cooked this? Uncle cooks it very well."

Receiving Feng Nuanyou's praise brought a smile to Zhang Hongwei's face.

"Haha, thank you, Youyou. It seems that Uncle does have some talent."

Just as Zhang Hongwei grinned happily, Feng Shengnan glanced at him and curled her lips: "Youyou is just saying nice things about you. Your cooking is terrible. How dare you praise yourself for having talent?"

Zhang Hongwei was instantly brought back to reality by his sister, which made him very unhappy.

"You silly girl, you don't understand. My style is different from yours. This is just my style."

Feng Shengnan laughed: "What style is this? I think it's a messy style."

Zhang Hongwei's face flushed instantly: "I've noticed you've become so sharp-tongued lately!"

Feng Shengnan: "It's your fault for not doing it right. Don't believe me? Ask your second aunt."

These words immediately made Zhang Hongwei back down.

Feng Zhengming encouraged from the side: "It's okay, I think Auntie will definitely think it's good, after all, it's your first time cooking."

Encouraged by Feng Zhengming and his daughter Feng Nuanyou, Zhang Hongwei finally mustered the courage to serve his stir-fried dishes. (End of Chapter)