From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

For the next few days of the Spring Festival, Feng Zhengming accompanied his wife to visit her relatives.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, we went to visit my parents-in-law.

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, I went to my wife's maternal grandmother's house.

On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, I went to my wife's grandparents' house.

Because there were two infants, Feng Zhengming was the one driving, while his wife and mother-in-law took care of the children, and his father-in-law and brother-in-law kept an eye on little Feng Nuanyou.

For this purpose, Feng Zhengming specially arranged for a seven-seater minivan to drive.

It's convenient for the whole family to visit each other's homes.

During the Lunar New Year, Luo Wenhan, the eldest brother-in-law, was usually the busiest.

Internet cafes do very well during the Chinese New Year.

But Luo Wenhan still made time to visit relatives with his family.

After all, both his maternal and paternal grandparents favored Luo Wenhan when he was a child.

However, Luo Wenhan is clearly not as popular now.

Grandma and Grandpa both like Feng Nuanyou more.

Feng Nuanyou really brought out her cheerful and bubbly side.

She always manages to amuse the elderly, winning their favor and even receiving extra red envelopes from them in private.

By the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Feng Zhengming had a little more free time.

He also specifically asked his wife for leave.

In the end, he still had to bring his daughter, Feng Nuanyou, along before he could go out and meet up with his fellow apprentices.

The main reason is that there are two little ones at home, and leaving Feng Nuanyou at home would make it difficult for the family to take care of her.

Moreover, Feng Nuanyou is also happy to go out and play with her father.

This year, when the fellow disciples gathered together, they still went to wish their master a Happy New Year first.

Interestingly, several of his fellow students, like Feng Zhengming, also had children with them.

Even Zhang Minghai, who came all the way from Yancheng, brought his two children with him.

It was quite a lively scene to have such a large group of children gathered together.

The eldest brother has a son, and the second brother has a daughter.

The third senior brother's family had one son, and before Feng Zhengming, they had a daughter.

Fifth Senior Brother also rushed back from the capital; he was also a son.

Sixth Brother has a son and a daughter.

Among these children, the second brother's daughter is the oldest.

This year, we will soon be facing the college entrance examination.

During the Chinese New Year holiday at home, her second sister-in-law always reminded her to work hard.

The second senior brother also felt that his daughter should relax a bit during the Lunar New Year, so he brought her along to the fellow disciples' gathering and to pay New Year's respects to their master on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

It's easy to tell from the girl's expression that the pressure of studying is taking its toll, which is why she doesn't look well.

Moreover, the girl intentionally kept her distance from other children.

But Feng Nuanyou quickly broke through the girl's attempt to keep her distance.

Faced with Feng Nuanyou's naturally stoic personality, the second senior brother's daughter quickly fell for her.

She even held her sister's hand the whole way and talked to her about some of her troubles.

Feng Nuanyou may not understand some of the things, but she provides great emotional support to her older sister.

"Big sister, I believe in you. You can definitely do it. Think about it, once you get into university, you'll be a really amazing and incredible person. My dad always says that university students are the most amazing."

Feng Nuanyou was also very good at praising people: "Big sister, you are so tall and beautiful. When you get into university, you will get a big red flower in our kindergarten."

Not to mention the second senior brother's daughter, even Feng Zhengming and his senior brothers laughed heartily upon hearing Feng Nuanyou's words.

As for the other senior brothers' children, they all thought this little sister was amazing and they all liked to play with her.

The children closest in age to Feng Nuanyou are the children of her fifth and sixth senior brothers.

The sixth brother's two children are a little older.

Fifth Senior Brother's son is just starting elementary school, making him the closest in age to Feng Nuanyou.

The children and Feng Nuanyou got along very well.

The eldest brother's son, Li Xiaogang, has also grown quite a bit taller, and he looks a bit like an older brother among the group of children.

The second senior brother's daughter, Chen Dongyun, kept laughing at her sister's words.

After she laughed, she really felt a sense of relief and clarity.

The slight gloom that had been on his face completely disappeared.

Upon seeing this, the second senior brother quietly expressed his gratitude to Feng Zhengming.

"Thank you, Zhengming. My daughter is facing the college entrance examination, and she is under a lot of pressure. Your sister-in-law is also putting a lot of pressure on her. Today, I was able to make her laugh because of your daughter. I'm telling you, I haven't seen her laugh like that in half a year."

Feng Zhengming: "Second brother, why are you being so polite with me? We're all family, so we should definitely give each other some guidance."

Second Brother: "Really, I'm so worried. During these few days of the New Year, I saw my child like that, and I didn't know what to do. Besides making her delicious food, I didn't know how to comfort her."

Feng Zhengming: "Second brother, if the child's school starts a little early, I think it would be better to let her come with us to Shanghai for a few days? Don't worry, I'll personally bring her back before school starts."

These words surprised the second senior brother. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that it was indeed a good idea.

However, the second senior brother definitely can't go. He has to go back to Dezhou tomorrow, the sixth day of the first lunar month, to prepare for the opening of the business.

"I need to ask your sister-in-law about this."

Feng Zhengming: "If you're not busy, you can come along for a trip too."

The senior brother next to him also spoke up: "Zhengming's idea is quite good. If your family really has time, let her accompany the child and go to Shanghai with Zhengming and the others for a few days."

At this moment, the third and sixth senior brothers also came over and expressed their desire to visit their homes as well.

“Zhengming, your third sister-in-law also said that if you’re not too busy after the New Year, she would like to take her son and daughter to Shanghai for a trip.”

"Yes, yes, your sixth sister-in-law also wants to go on a trip, since the kids have a few days left before school starts."

Feng Zhengming laughed: "Okay, Fifth Brother, do you want to come along? We can all go together, and the sisters-in-law can help my Luo Qing take care of our two little ones."

Fifth Brother walked over: "I'll go home and ask your sister-in-law."

Feng Zhengming then looked at his eldest brother: "Big brother, I know my sister-in-law will definitely have time. There are still a few days until the start of the semester. Let her bring Xiaogang with us."

This made the senior brother a little embarrassed.

"Well, with so many people going, won't it be too much trouble for Zhengming and the others?"

Feng Zhengming: "Brother, it's really no trouble at all. Sisters-in-law, you can help take care of our two little ones on the way over. I should thank you, sisters-in-law."

After hearing Feng Zhengming's suggestion, the senior brothers thought about it and realized that it was indeed a suitable idea.

The main reason is that, apart from the youngest daughter of the third senior brother, the other children of the senior brothers are all quite old. In addition, since Feng Zhengming is taking them, they will definitely be traveling by plane, along with the kitchen staff of several restaurants in Shanghai.

With so many people, taking care of several children is definitely not a problem.

After thinking for a moment, the eldest brother nodded: "Okay, I guess your sister-in-law is willing too, so let's all go together. They help us take care of the family all year round, and they work very hard. It's the New Year, so let them go on a trip together."

When the eldest brother spoke, all the other brothers naturally agreed.

Feng Zhengming and his family took their children to pay New Year's greetings to their master and mistress.

This naturally made Master and Mistress very happy.

The master specially invited his apprentices to lunch at his family's restaurant.

During lunch, the master also asked Feng Zhengming about reopening Yanxilou in the capital.

"Everyone in Zhengming is saying that you're planning to open Yanxilou in the capital. You told me about it before. Tell me more about your thoughts on this matter."

When Feng Zhengming saw that his master had asked him this question, he simply told him his thoughts in their entirety.

"Master, that's how it is. There are already quite a few authentic Shandong cuisine restaurants in Jinan, and even more restaurants of all sizes."

I think that given the market conditions in Jinan, it's unlikely that a restaurant as big as Yanxilou could ever appear again, which might affect everyone's business.

But the market in Beijing is huge, and last year I had my fifth brother and his team open a branch in Beijing.

We are also gradually introducing our Shandong cuisine, allowing many people in Beijing to rediscover our Shandong dishes.

So I thought, why not open Yanxilou in Beijing and create a truly authentic Shandong cuisine restaurant? That should be able to secure a place for us in the capital.

Fifth Senior Brother Cao Zhiguo echoed this sentiment.

“Junior brother is right. I also found that Shandong cuisine still has a market in Beijing. However, the way some dishes are made in Beijing is indeed different. It can be said that it has incorporated the tastes of other cuisines in Beijing and people from different places.”

However, this also shows that Shandong cuisine still has a market in Beijing, and it's possible to open an authentic Shandong cuisine restaurant there.

Master: "Zhengming, you're so busy with several shops in Shanghai, how can you find the time to come to Beijing to take charge of Yanxilou?"

Feng Zhengming: "Master, I plan to let my senior brothers take charge of Yanxi Restaurant in the capital. If you are willing to go and oversee things, you don't need to lift a finger. You can just direct them from the kitchen."

The master laughed: "You still want me to go? You little brat, you want to mess with your master again, don't you?"

Feng Zhengming: "Master, we really don't mean to make things difficult for you. We just hope that you can give us your feedback. After all, since we are going to reopen Yanxilou, and in the capital, we must do it better than before."

Master: "If you were to design and preside over it, it would definitely be better than if I did it."

Feng Zhengming: "I will definitely go, but I do have a restaurant to run in Shanghai, so I can't stay in Beijing all the time. I still need you to come and help out occasionally, Master."

The other senior brothers also spoke up, all hoping that their master could intervene.

However, the master's attitude remained quite firm.

“I won’t get involved. You are all master chefs who can handle things on your own. Since you’ve decided to reopen Yanxilou in the capital, you should work hard on it yourselves.”

At this point, the master paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over his disciples.

Finally, the master's gaze fell on his youngest apprentice, Feng Zhengming.

“Zhengming, this is a test for you and your fellow disciples. If you need your master to get through this test, it only means that you are still not skilled enough.”

Hearing their master say that made Feng Zhengming and his fellow disciples lower their heads unconsciously.

In fact, Feng Zhengming and his fellow apprentices were not entirely confident about the reopening of Yanxilou in the capital.

The main reason behind this is the pressure brought by the old plaque of Yanxilou.

If that old plaque is to be hung up, then whether Yanxilou is still in Jinan or Beijing, it must be able to produce craftsmanship worthy of that old plaque.

This is not about creating the kind of innovative Shandong cuisine that Feng Zhengming runs in his old-style restaurant in Shanghai.

The first step is to make the most classic Shandong dishes authentic enough.

At the same time, it is also necessary to make some appropriate innovations based on the old dishes.

In a place like Beijing, where the Eight Great Buildings once stood, and many other restaurants and eateries have since risen to prominence.

Making a name for yourself based on authentic Shandong cuisine is indeed not an easy task.

At that time, there will definitely be a lot of professionals who will come to the reopened Yanxilou to find fault.

That's absolutely the extreme of nitpicking.

Therefore, the pressure in this regard is quite great for both Feng Zhengming and his senior brothers.

Even though Feng Zhengming sent several of his senior brothers to the kitchen, he himself took charge of everything in the back kitchen.

He really didn't dare to say that he wouldn't be criticized for his traditional Shandong cuisine.

Now the master has said he will not come forward.

Clearly, the master was preparing a major test for his disciples.

This may be a major event that will solidify Feng Zhengming and his fellow apprentices' status among Shandong cuisine chefs.

After a brief silence, Feng Zhengming laughed.

“Alright, Master told us to do it ourselves, so we’ll do it ourselves. I’ll arrange the restaurants in Shanghai and personally go to the reopened Yanxi Restaurant in Beijing. I believe my fellow disciples and I can make Yanxi Restaurant famous again.”

Upon hearing Feng Zhengming's words, the senior brothers all smiled and said they would definitely cooperate with him.

“That’s right, we will definitely cooperate fully with Zhengming then.”

"We brothers are like brothers when we fight together. We are definitely going to fight together."

"No problem. With all of us brothers working together, we can definitely restore Yanxilou's reputation."

"I will definitely do my best."

"I'll also make arrangements for the store in Yancheng and go to Beijing to help everyone."

Seeing his fellow disciples so united, the master smiled with satisfaction.

This is what Master wanted to see.

The master knew very well that his disciples were all capable.

The junior apprentice is like a key that can unlock the abilities of the senior apprentices.

The master believed that with his junior apprentice leading his senior brothers, they could run the restaurant very well, whether in the capital or elsewhere.

At the same time, the master also hoped to see Yanxilou reopen in the capital and regain its fame.

After discussing Yanxilou, the master asked about the documentary on Shandong cuisine.

Not only our master, but also our fellow disciples are very curious about this.

Everyone has heard that Feng Zhengming had a falling out with the deputy director of the TV station, so they are all curious about what Feng Zhengming will do next in making this documentary.
Feng Zhengming earnestly shared some of his thoughts.

"Since it's a documentary about Shandong cuisine, it should definitely focus on Shandong cuisine. My idea is to start with the most well-known classic Shandong dishes and explore the evolution of classic Shandong cuisine step by step by tracing the inheritance of these dishes."

This allows us to examine some of the techniques used in Shandong cuisine, as well as some of the fundamental issues surrounding its origins.

At the same time, we can also showcase some local specialties from various parts of Shandong.

Of course, the local specialties and explorations are all meant to serve the purpose of introducing the dishes; preparing them in this way better promotes Shandong cuisine.

After hearing Feng Zhengming's words, the master and his fellow disciples fell into deep thought. (End of Chapter)