From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

The father and daughter worked together in the kitchen, preparing a rather sumptuous dinner.

After preparing the meal, Feng Zhengming asked his daughter to call her mother to come out and eat.

Feng Nuanyou cautiously pushed open the door and peeked inside.

When Luo Qing saw her eldest daughter peek in, she knew she was being called out for dinner.

Seeing her eldest daughter cautiously peeking out.

Luo Qing got up, tiptoed to the door, and gestured for her daughter to be quiet.

Then the mother and daughter quietly walked out of the house together.

His wife and daughter quietly closed the door together.

Feng Zhengming smiled and pointed to the food on the table: "I'd like to invite my beloved wife and daughter to dine with me."

Feng Nuanyou happily took her mother's hand and walked over.

"Hehehe, Mom, please sit down."

After asking her mother to sit down, Feng Nuanyou then asked her father to sit down next to her mother.

Then the little girl crawled into the seat between her parents and sat down.

Luo Qing looked at her daughter and said, "You little rascal, you have so many clever ideas."

Feng Nuanyou: "You should eat with your mom and dad."

Feng Zhengming: "Okay, let's eat together."

Luo Qing also picked up her chopsticks: "Let's eat, I'm starving."

Feng Nuanyou immediately pointed to the stir-fried cabbage: "Mom, you eat this. I made this for Dad."

Luo Qing smiled: "Did you make this for Dad?"

Feng Nuanyou: "Yes, yes, I helped my dad tear the vegetable leaves into small pieces."

Luo Qing praised, "Wow, our Youyou is really amazing."

Feng Nuanyou was naturally very happy to receive the praise.

Luo Qing picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks, took a bite, and said, "It's delicious. Youyou and Daddy worked together so well."

This made Feng Nuanyou even happier.

Then Feng Zhengming put a piece of fish stuffed with shrimp in tomato sauce on his daughter's plate, and also put a piece on his wife's plate.

Feng Nuanyou: "Mom, this is delicious, and this is delicious too."

Luo Qing took a bite; the outer shell was crispy, inside was a layer of fish meat, and there were also very crisp and bouncy shrimp.

"This way of cooking is really delicious."

Feng Zhengming: "We're going back to Shanghai soon, so I cleaned out the rest of the food in the refrigerator. I saw that there were some shrimp and a fish left, so I thought I'd make something different for you and your daughter."

Feng Nuanyou: "Dad is so great, everything he makes tastes delicious."

Tonight, the three of us had dinner together, enjoying the small, heartwarming moments that are unique to our family.

This was the only time in all these days that the three of us ate together as a family after returning to Jinan from Shanghai for the Spring Festival.

Feng Nuanyou ate with great joy, her little mouth never stopping.

Luo Qing also felt that it was very comfortable for the family of three to eat together like this.

Feng Zhengming: "When your younger siblings grow up, the five of us will sit down together to eat. Youyou, you'll be in charge of taking care of them and making sure they eat properly."

Feng Nuanyou smiled and said, "Okay, okay, I'm the big sister, I have to take care of my younger brothers and sisters."

Luo Qing looked at her husband: "Is this how you raise your daughter? You say you're not biased, but you're clearly favoring Youyou."

Feng Zhengming: "How is this favoritism? Youyou is the eldest, she's the older sister, of course she should take care of her younger brother and sister."

Luo Qing: "Don't you consider whether the two younger ones would be willing?"

Feng Zhengming: "Whether you like it or not, there is a difference between elders and juniors."

At this point, Feng Zhengming looked at his eldest daughter: "Besides, our Youyou is so sensible, she will definitely love her younger siblings and won't bully them, right?"

Feng Nuanyou: "Yes, I won't bully my younger siblings, I will protect them."

Luo Qing: "Okay, okay, you're the older sister, you'll protect your younger siblings, but if they make a mistake, you should also discipline them."

Feng Zhengming: "Look at you, and you're still criticizing me? Aren't you also biased towards our Youyou?"

Luo Qing: "I am biased. They are all my children, and I can decide who I favor."

At this moment, Luo Qing displayed the capriciousness of a little woman, leaving Feng Zhengming speechless.

Feng Nuanyou: "Mom, please don't favor me. Mom and Dad, you should both love me and my younger brother and sister. We are all good children."

Feng Zhengming and Luo Qing exchanged a smile at their daughter's words.

The couple truly trusted their eldest daughter.

Over the years, Feng Nuanyou has witnessed too many people and things with her parents.

Because of their broad knowledge and experience, little girls often appear more sensible than other children.

Feng Zhengming and Luo Qing both felt that this educational approach was good.

Therefore, the couple also planned to continue this education for their two children.

However, because their eldest daughter, Feng Nuanyou, had been with them for a longer time, they did unconsciously show some favoritism towards her.

After the meal, Feng Zhengming and his eldest daughter washed all the dishes together.

After cleaning them, Feng Zhengming handed them to his eldest daughter to wipe the water off with a clean cloth and then placed them all in the cabinet at home.

The family is going to Shanghai later, so we need to put away all the tableware at home.

Of course, even after they went to Shanghai, their parents-in-law would occasionally come to visit them back home in Quancheng.

Moreover, Feng Zhengming and his wife had agreed with his brother-in-law that he could stay here after he got married.

In the evening, Feng Zhengming told his daughters stories to lull his eldest daughter to sleep first.

Then he went back to the next room and took care of the two little ones with his wife.

Taking care of the two children, Feng Zhengming couldn't help but kiss his wife: "You've really worked hard."

Luo Qing: "It's not that hard. Today it's because my aunt and third aunt have all gone back, and I'm the only one who seems to be working hard. Usually, with their help, I don't feel tired."

Feng Zhengming: "When the children grow up, I will teach them to be good to their mother."

As he spoke, Feng Zhengming moved closer to his son, almost face to face.

"You little rascal, you're a boy, so from now on you'll be with your dad to protect your mom, sister, and younger sister."

The son, who had just been fed, woke up and stared at his father, who was facing him.

Suddenly, she reached out and playfully patted her father's face twice.

Judging from the children's personalities, the son is more lively.

Sometimes she even gets restless when being breastfed.

This made Feng Zhengming think that his son might be even more mischievous than his eldest daughter in the future.

The younger daughter was noticeably quieter.

My youngest daughter is the type who might play for a while after eating, or she might just go to sleep.

Moreover, sometimes, when her brother was crying and making a fuss, the younger daughter wouldn't cry or make a fuss either; instead, she would just watch her brother cry. This made Feng Zhengming think that his younger daughter might grow up to be a very quiet girl.

Thinking that he would have a carefree daughter and a quiet, gentle daughter, Feng Zhengming felt that he would be very happy in the future.

Feng Zhengming's thoughts on his son were very straightforward: since he was a boy, he should suffer a little.

Boys must understand the various responsibilities they must shoulder.

After putting the two little ones to sleep, Feng Zhengming and his wife finally lay down as well.

Luo Qing: "I heard that some of Sun Hai's relatives have contacted him."

Feng Zhengming: "A relative is looking for him? Wants him to arrange a job for them?"

Luo Qing: "Yes, Xia Hui told me that Sun Hai's relatives wanted Sun Hai to arrange for their children to work in your shop, or even directly in Huiquanlou."

Feng Zhengming: "Sun Hai probably won't agree, right?"

Luo Qing: "Sun Hai definitely can't agree to that."

Feng Zhengming: "They are also helpless. In the past, their relatives might not have been willing to treat them well, but now that they have become famous, all kinds of relatives are taking the initiative to come to their door."

Luo Qing: "That's right, other people have also encountered this situation."

Feng Zhengming: "There's nothing we can do about it. They have to handle it themselves. They should know that my shop doesn't allow them to introduce any relatives into the store."

Luo Qing: "They all know that you have high expectations of everyone in the store."

Feng Zhengming suddenly asked, "Do you think I'm sometimes too cold-hearted?"

Luo Qing was somewhat surprised by her husband's sudden question.

Why did you suddenly think that way?

Feng Zhengming: "Over the years, whether it's others coming to me or asking others to help them come to me, I almost never give them a kind look."

After a brief pause, Feng Zhengming spoke about some aspects of the documentary "Shandong Cuisine".

"It's like when Brother Chen came to me for a documentary about Shandong cuisine. I could tell that Brother Chen meant that he hoped I could give the provincial TV station some face and not make things too awkward."

But I still couldn't help it; I didn't want the documentary about Shandong cuisine to be made into a mess.

Do you think things might have been different if I had acted more tactfully and given Brother Chen some face?

Luo Qing turned to look at her husband and gently stroked his face.

"If that's the case, are you still you?"

His wife's words startled Feng Zhengming, but then he smiled.

“That would no longer be me. Over the years, whether it's cooking, running those shops, participating in competitions, or being a judge, I've always been just as strict with myself and others.”

If I were to actually compromise with them on a documentary about Shandong cuisine, I might not be able to get over that mental hurdle.

Luo Qing: "So, you should just be yourself."

Hearing his wife's words, Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Okay, with my wife's support, I'll continue doing this."

Luo Qing smiled and reached out to pinch her husband's cheek.

"You, sometimes you just overthink things. You're already very capable, so why worry about what other people think of you? What they think of you won't affect what you're doing, will it?"

Feng Zhengming: "That's what I say, but I still feel that maybe I shouldn't have been so forceful with them."

Luo Qing: "Why can't we be assertive? We have the ability, so why can't we be assertive?"

Feng Zhengming almost burst out laughing: "Good, good, my wife is right. If we have the ability, we should be assertive and make them all listen to us."

Luo Qing strongly agreed: "That's right. Look at everyone now, they're all imitating you. Aren't many restaurants and eateries in Shanghai and Beijing copying your establishments? That proves you're right."

Feng Zhengming: "How do you know they're imitating me?"

Luo Qing leaned close to her husband's ear and said, "Because I have informants."

After listening for a moment, Feng Zhengming quickly understood what his wife meant.

The wife may seem to stay home with the children every day, but she actually has a group of girlfriends acting as her informants.

For example, Tao Mengran in Beijing, and Liu Fangyou in Shanghai.

They spend most of their work time communicating with different people, so they often have to attend social events.

They could also help Luo Qing learn a lot about the situation in both places.

In addition, Luo Qing also has some close friends in Hongcheng, Jiangxi Province, where she opened a shop.

Therefore, Luo Qing, without leaving home, has become quite familiar with the situation in various places.

Her sisters sent her various restaurant information from all over the country.

Feng Zhengming: "I've also heard that many people in China are now imitating my model to open stores. I heard Jiang Chengzhe tell me that several restaurants in Shanghai that imitate my old-style house restaurant will open after the New Year."

Luo Qing: "Won't they pose a threat to you?"

Feng Zhengming: "Not for the time being, but their presence is actually a kind of encouragement for us."

Luo Qing: "Then you still need to be careful. They might really see you as a competitor and want to defeat you."

These words made Feng Zhengming chuckle softly: "If someone defeats me, you should be happy for me, it means I still have room for improvement."

Luo Qing: "I don't believe anyone can beat you."

Feng Zhengming: "Thank you for your trust, my wife."

Before his wife could speak, Feng Zhengming put his arm around her and continued talking.

"Cooking skills also need to be constantly innovated. I will also grow old one day. When I can no longer do it, new people will surpass me and defeat me."

Luo Qing asked, "What if your son defeats you in the future?"

Feng Zhengming: "I certainly don't want it to be my son."

Luo Qing: "Why? Are you worried about being defeated by your son and feeling too ashamed?"

Feng Zhengming: "Because if it were our son, he might not actually have the ability to defeat me."

Luo Qing asked in surprise, "What kind of talk is that?"

Feng Zhengming: "Think about it, is it possible that your son's success was only because others put him in that position out of respect for me?"

After hearing her husband say that, Luo Qing really couldn't refute it.

Feng Zhengming: "I still hope that in the future, our children will all have their own careers, and we can provide them with financial support, instead of them needing to learn cooking from me or inherit my mantle."

They might even need to rely on my shops to make a decent living in the future.

Hearing her husband's words, Luo Qing finally couldn't help but ask the question.

"Why don't you want your children to learn to cook? Aren't you just like Xia Hui's father?"

Feng Zhengming: "First of all, learning to cook is indeed very hard work. Secondly, I worry that they are not learning to cook because they genuinely like cooking."

Think about it, if they don't like it, but are forced to learn it just to inherit my craft, can they truly master it?

Luo Qing felt that her husband was right.

"That's true. If you don't genuinely like it, you'll definitely not learn it well if you're forced to."

Feng Zhengming: "Moreover, being a good chef is my life's pursuit, and I hope that my children can also have their own life's pursuit."

Luo Qing smiled and nodded: "Yes, we don't force the children to learn to cook. They should learn what they like."

Although the couple had discussed this before, they finally reached a complete agreement tonight. (End of Chapter)