From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Once the dishes were served, the whole family sat down.

Zhang Hongwei stared nervously at the scrambled eggs with tomatoes he had made.

Surprisingly, Feng Zhengming invited everyone to try it.

"This scrambled eggs with tomatoes was made by Hongwei. Let's all try it and see how his cooking skills are for his first time!"

Zhang Hongwei felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this.

"I... I didn't cook it well, everyone, maybe you shouldn't try it."

Grandpa Situ: "Of course you have to try it. If we all eat it, we can point out your shortcomings so that you can continue to learn from your brother and do better in the future."

Grandpa Feng: "Yes, cooking is for others to eat."

With the support of his two maternal grandfathers, Zhang Hongwei suddenly felt a sense of anticipation.

As a result, her mother, Feng Suying, said, "The way you made this tomato and egg stir-fry is so big! The egg pieces are all over the place, and the tomatoes are practically gone. Isn't this just tomato sauce fried eggs?"

His mother's words were still somewhat of a blow to Zhang Hongwei.

Feng Zhengming quickly spoke up for him: "Auntie, it's not his fault. I asked him to fry the tomatoes until they were a little flat so that the eggs could absorb the tomato flavor better."

Feng Suying: "Don't try to make amends for him, it's just that the cooking was bad."

Feng Zhengming: "After all, this is the first time, Aunt, you should give Hongwei some support."

This time, Feng Suying did not continue to criticize her son's cooking.

"Okay, give it a try."

Zhang Hongwei heard his mother say she wanted to try it too.

He smiled and offered his mother a piece of food, saying, "Mom, please try it."

Feng Suying: "So you're suggesting your mother test the poison on everyone first?"

That made everyone laugh.

Auntie San smoothed things over: "Come on, let's all try it. Sheng Nan, you should try your brother's cooking too."

Finally, everyone picked up their chopsticks and took a bite.

Feng Zhengming ate a piece of egg with tomato sauce on it.

The taste was indeed quite good. Although the eggs weren't completely scrambled, the overall flavor was acceptable.

Grandpa Feng: Not bad, this tastes pretty good.

Grandpa Situ: "It's more than just good. It's the first time I've ever cooked something like this. It seems that Hongwei has some talent. The taste is really good."

Receiving affirmation from his two grandfathers greatly boosted Zhang Hongwei's confidence.

Then, her aunt, sister-in-law, younger sister, and even her niece Feng Nuanyou all said it was delicious.

This really boosted Zhang Hongwei's confidence to the max.

"Hehehe, I don't think cooking is that hard."

Feng Suying noticed that her son was getting a little carried away.

"You're getting too cocky. Can't you see everyone's encouraging you?"

Zhang Hongwei: "Thank you for your encouragement. I will definitely continue to work hard in the future."

Then he turned to Feng Zhengming and said, "Brother, let me cook a dish for everyone during the New Year."

Feng Zhengming: "Sure, I'll teach you a great dish later."

As soon as he finished speaking, Feng Nuanyou said, "Dad, you should make it during the New Year. Don't let Uncle do it."

These words immediately plunged Zhang Hongwei back into despair.

Then the whole family couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Feng Shengnan immediately supported her niece.

“That’s right, that’s right. Youyou is right. Let your older brother do it for the New Year. You don’t need to do it.”

Zhang Hongwei immediately looked miserable: "Me? Did I do that badly?"

Feng Suying didn't forget to add insult to injury to her son: "What do you think?"

Zhang Hongwei looked helpless: "It seems I really don't have any talent."

Feng Zhengming: "Actually, it wasn't bad. It's already very good for the first time. Cooking requires a lot of practice. You should practice more when you have time."

Zhang Hongwei: "Brother, you're the best. I'll definitely practice more on my own in the future."

Feng Shengnan: "Are you planning to master your skills so you can cook for your boyfriend in the future?"

Zhang Hongwei: "Don't talk nonsense. I'm trying to improve my skills so I can become a chef with my older brother in the future. Maybe I can even work as a chef in my older brother's restaurant someday."

Feng Shengnan pouted: "I don't believe you. You're the one who can't be a chef."

Zhang Hongwei: "Hey, why don't you support your brother at all? I'm your brother too."

Feng Shengnan: "Who told you not to tell the truth? Humph, you're not as upright as your older brother."

These words left Zhang Hongwei speechless.

As a result, the mother even supported her sister's words.

"Our Shengnan is amazing! Shengnan is right, Auntie supports you."

I watched as my mother and sister clinked their glasses together.

Zhang Hongwei was truly helpless.

Luo Qing smiled and said, "I've noticed that all the girls in my family have the same personality as my aunt. They're all quite assertive, and my daughter Youyou is showing signs of the same thing."

Auntie laughed even harder after hearing this: "This is a good thing, it means that the girls in our family are not easily bullied."

Auntie gave a wry smile: "Sister, you don't know, Shengnan is really learning from you now. She's quite fierce at school, and those boys don't dare to mess with her easily."

Second Aunt: "This is a good thing."

Then she clinked glasses with her niece: "Auntie supports you."

Zhang Hongwei couldn't help but ask, "Little sister, doesn't anyone pursue you at school?"

Feng Shengnan: "Those boys are all so immature, I would never like them, so I ignore them."

Zhang Hongwei gave his sister a thumbs up: "You're awesome."

Feng Shengnan raised her chin even more proudly.

Grandpa Situ chuckled: "Shengnan is doing well. Now that she's in high school, she should focus on preparing for the college entrance exam. Once she gets to college, she can meet more outstanding boys and then choose one of them."

Third Aunt: "They don't need to be outstanding, as long as they are good to you."

Luo Qing agreed: "Yes, the key is to be down-to-earth."

Second Aunt: "If we could find someone like your eldest brother, that would be the best."

Feng Zhengming: "Aunt, I'm not that good. I think that when Shengnan finds a boyfriend, he will definitely be better than me. Besides, Shengnan is naturally beautiful and smart, so she will definitely find an excellent man."

After being lectured by everyone, Feng Shengnan couldn't help but speak up: "Hey, why is everyone talking about me? I'm not in a relationship, why aren't you talking about Second Brother?"

Everyone laughed.

Feng Suying looked at her son: "Tell us about your girlfriend, introduce her to everyone." Zhang Hongwei looked surprised: "Mom, how...how did you know?"

Feng Suying: "During the time you've been home, you've made so many phone calls every day, and each conversation lasts at least 30 or 40 minutes. Do you think I, your mother, wouldn't notice?"

Feng Zhengming laughed: "See, you've given yourself away."

Zhang Hongwei looked helpless: "I really didn't notice that."

Feng Suying: "Alright, stop pretending. You're a college student now, and I don't care whether you're dating or not."

After his mother said that, Zhang Hongwei finally explained the situation.

After hearing Zhang Hongwei's confession, his whole family was very encouraging to him.

Feng Suying's mother also advised, "You should care more about this girl. If she's really a good girl, don't miss out. When you have time, take her to your brother's restaurant so your brother and sister-in-law can meet her."

Zhang Hongwei's face immediately lit up with a smile when he heard his mother say that.

"Mom, I know. I'm thinking about it too. I'll find an opportunity to invite her to Shanghai and have a nice meal at my brother's restaurant."

Feng Suying: "You didn't say you'd treat your mother to a nice meal."

Hearing this left Zhang Hongwei somewhat bewildered.

What he was thinking was, "Didn't you tell me, Mom, to invite them?"
Feng Zhengming smiled and smoothed things over: "Auntie, you can go eat there often, right? I think you'll have to come back to Shanghai with us after the New Year, since the two little ones still need your help to take care of them."

"If Hongwei brings his girlfriend to Shanghai, have him treat you to something different at Azhe's restaurant."

Feng Suying looked at her son: "Can you take your mother to another good restaurant?"

Zhang Hongwei was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded and agreed: "Okay, okay, Mom, don't worry, I'll definitely take you to eat when I get to Shanghai."

Upon receiving her son's answer, Feng Suying finally smiled.

At this moment, Grandpa Feng raised his glass and said, "Alright, let's raise our glasses together and wish our family all the best."

Then everyone raised their glasses together, and they all clinked glasses in a very happy manner.

After the meal, Feng Zhengming and Zhang Hongwei escorted the two grandfathers home.

The two old men needed to take a nap, but there were quite a few people in Feng Zhengming's family, and he was afraid of disturbing their nap.

After dropping the two grandfathers off at home, on the way back, Zhang Hongwei asked Feng Zhengming for some cooking advice.

Feng Zhengming answered his cousin's question with a smile, saying, "Looks like you really want to show off your skills to your girlfriend?"

Zhang Hongwei: "No, I wanted to show off my skills to my parents first. Before the holiday ends, I want to cook a meal for them too."

Feng Zhengming: "Well done, it seems you've really matured."

Zhang Hongwei: "Brother, I suddenly realized that my mom has gray hair, and my grandpa and the others also seem to have aged a lot."

Feng Zhengming was taken aback when he heard Zhang Hongwei's words.

Then Feng Zhengming recalled the scene of his first visit to Grandpa Feng.

The series of events that followed, including my moving into Grandpa Feng's house.

Looking back now, it all seems like it happened yesterday.

But as Zhang Hongwei said, Grandpa Feng is indeed getting older.

"People always get old. Think about it, when I first came into this family, I was just a young man in my early twenties. Now, in the blink of an eye, my daughter is all grown up. Youyou will be five years old after the New Year."

Zhang Hongwei: "It's true, brother. I'm graduating next year too. Time really seems to have flown by."

Feng Zhengming: What are your plans after graduation?

Zhang Hongwei: "I plan to continue my postgraduate studies. I want to become a real aerospace pilot in China. I am still far from that goal. I plan to take the postgraduate entrance exam, then do an internship, and then pursue a doctorate."

Feng Zhengming: Are you planning to go abroad?

Zhang Hongwei: "I don't want to go abroad. I hope to do technological research and development for my motherland. I also believe that our domestic aerospace technology is absolutely not inferior to that of foreign countries."

Feng Zhengming nodded: "In the field of aerospace, it seems that you really can't learn much even if you go abroad."

Zhang Hongwei laughed: "Maybe you'll have the chance to ride in the masturbation plane I designed someday."

Feng Zhengming: "Great, I'm really looking forward to it."

At this point, Zhang Hongwei looked at Feng Zhengming with emotion again.

"Brother, you are really amazing. After I went to university, I carefully studied your experience and realized how amazing you are. It is really not easy for you to get to where you are today through your own abilities."

Feng Zhengming: "Haha, what are you saying? I didn't rely solely on my own abilities. I was apprenticed to a master of Shandong cuisine, and my grandfather passed down the recipe for braised pork belly to me. I also have the help of my fellow apprentices."

"How could I have gotten to where I am today on my own? I'd probably still be selling boxed lunches from a cart at the train station."

Zhang Hongwei: "But you seized the opportunity, and so many chefs who apprenticed under master chefs of state banquets haven't achieved what you have today, have they?"

After his cousin said that, Feng Zhengming said, "Maybe I'm just luckier than them."

Zhang Hongwei: "Luck is also a part of strength. I think that the fact that you can develop your cooking skills to this level shows that you are strong enough."

Feng Zhengming: "Alright, stop bragging."

Zhang Hongwei: "Brother, I'm telling the truth."

Feng Zhengming: "I believe you are speaking from the heart, but we cannot ignore the objective situation. In this day and age, everyone needs someone who can demonstrate the strength of our Chinese nation, and I am just here at the right time."

To be honest, in terms of culinary skills, I may not have surpassed my master and his generation of veteran chefs.

I seized the opportunities of the times, integrated elements from different cuisines, and took advantage of Shanghai's unique position in the global market.

"Incorporating some Western elements has also helped my restaurant gain wider recognition."

After saying this, Feng Zhengming looked at Zhang Hongwei: "So you also need to identify your own path, and then you must persist in running towards the path you have chosen."

The road may be rugged, and you may encounter many obstacles, and you may not even reach the end.

But the process of running towards a goal is also a memorable experience in life.

Zhang Hongwei: "Hahaha, brother, what are you saying? You're still very young. You're only in your thirties, the age when you should be making your mark. I'm even younger; my life has just begun."

Feng Zhengming: "That's right, we have a long life ahead of us, so let's work hard."

While saying this to Zhang Hongwei, Feng Zhengming was already considering whether to speed up the process.

Feng Zhengming believes that the reopening of Yanxilou Restaurant in Beijing should be completed within the next year or two.

The main reason is that both grandfathers and the master are getting older.

Feng Zhengming felt that he couldn't possibly let his elderly master go to the capital to oversee Yanxi Tower for him in the end.

We must let our master and two grandfathers see Yanxilou open in the capital while they are still in good health.

With this in mind, Feng Zhengming began to plan his series of initiatives for the year.

First and foremost, the most important thing is the chef training courses in Shandong and Shanghai.

To truly build a solid foundation and successfully operate Yanxi Restaurant in Beijing, the quality of the kitchen chefs is crucial.

At that time, Feng Zhengming will definitely need to go and oversee things with his fellow disciples.

So whether it's in various parts of Shandong or in several stores in Shanghai, they all need a suitable head chef to maintain their reputation.

Therefore, the training program was established not only to train chefs from both regions, but also because Feng Zhengming wanted to take the opportunity to promote more of his young chefs. (End of Chapter)