From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

For most children, going to their parents' workplace and being assigned to sit somewhere alone would likely make them restless very quickly.

Feng Nuanyou didn't have this problem, although the little girl also wanted to follow her father around like a little shadow.

But she also knew that she shouldn't bother her father when he was busy.

So she would sit obediently at the restaurant's cashier, just like a small business owner watching the customers come and go.

Most customers who entered the store saw the little girl sitting at the cashier.

Not only do they smile at them, but they also greet them and say "Welcome!"

They will also make sure everyone eats their fill.

This sight will be particularly interesting.

So some guests, after finding a seat, will come back and chat with Feng Nuanyou for a few more minutes.

"Why is the young boss sitting here all alone today?"

Feng Nuanyou: "Dad told me to sit here."

Hearing this answer made the guest even more amused.

"Little boss, you listen to your dad so much? How about having dinner with us tonight? We'll treat you to something delicious, okay?"

Feng Nuanyou: "I can eat anything my dad makes, you can't afford to treat him."

This remark amused all the guests.

"We're doomed. We've been looked down upon by that small business owner."

"That's right. If we serve someone food made by their father, we'll definitely be looked down upon."

"Our little boss is really something else, sitting here he looks so impressive."

"Of course it's impressive. The young boss is Chef Feng's daughter, a true celebrity from Shanghai."

Feng Nuanyou listened to the praise from others, keeping a smile on her face, but she didn't say much in response.

Soon, staff members came over and led the guests to their seats or rooms.

After the guests left, Feng Nuanyou pouted slightly.

The little girl thought to herself that it was more fun to stay in the kitchen with her father.

The old-style restaurant has officially reopened, and customers are flocking in every day.

The vast majority of guests have a certain status and wealth.

Although occasionally some college students or young men and women come, they mostly come to the restaurant at lunchtime.

After all, the restaurant's prices are lower at lunchtime, and they also offer them certain discounts.

As for the evening?

Even in Shanghai, most people would hesitate to dine at a restaurant in an old-style house.

The sheer number of luxury cars parked nearby each night already demonstrates the different statuses of the people who come to the old-style restaurant.

Moreover, even though it is now 2002, this is still the case in a metropolis like Shanghai.

It's rare to find a chef like Feng Zhengming who can communicate fluently in a foreign language with foreigners.

This is also a key reason why old-style villa restaurants are so popular with foreigners.

Often, some foreigners are unwilling to eat Chinese food because they simply cannot understand some of the dishes.

Many chefs themselves don't know any foreign languages.

Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect chefs to communicate with foreigners.

Some restaurants do indeed hire young waiters who understand foreign languages.

However, waiters are not chefs, and they may not always be able to accurately translate the details of the dishes.

At this point, Feng Zhengming, a chef who could fluently describe his dishes in a foreign language, had a significant advantage.

In addition, Feng Zhengming was the national culinary champion, and his restaurant was named one of the top ten restaurants of the year by the World Gastronomy Association.

This further enhances his and the restaurant's value.

This is especially true for some foreigners.

They may not know enough about Chinese food. If you take them to a Chinese restaurant without proper knowledge, they may have some concerns and resistance, feeling that they may not be able to get used to Chinese food.

However, if some business people are brought to the old-style restaurant...

After introducing Feng Zhengming and the restaurant to them, almost all foreigners are willing to come.

Of course, the key is that Feng Zhengming's cooking skills are indeed satisfactory to everyone.

His fusion of Chinese and Western plating and serving styles has also won the favor of many foreigners.

It has even set a trend in Shanghai, with many restaurants in the city learning from it.

Feng Zhengming finished preparing the dishes for one group of guests, and then handed over the remaining side dishes to Fu Jun and Cai Tao.

Then he came out of the kitchen and walked to his daughter's side at the cashier.

Feng Nuanyou was sitting there, her chin resting on her hands, lost in thought.

Feng Zhengming smiled and moved closer to his daughter: "Are you bored? Isn't it no fun sitting here?"

Feng Nuanyou suddenly looked up when she heard her father's voice.

Seeing her father standing beside her, her little face immediately lit up with a smile.

"Hehehe, Dad, are you done with your work?"

Feng Zhengming: "I'm done with work for now. Would you like something to eat?"

Feng Nuanyou: "No, Dad, sit down, sit down."

Feng Zhengming sat down next to his daughter.

Seeing her father sit down, Feng Nuanyou stretched out her little hand, wanting her father's big hand to be given to her.

"Dad, do you think I should become a chef like you when I grow up?"

Feng Zhengming paused for a moment when asked about his daughter.

Then, with a smile, he asked, "Does Youyou want to be a chef like Daddy?"

Feng Nuanyou: "I don't know. Being a chef seems to be very hard, but Dad, you are a very good chef. Many people like you."

Feng Zhengming: "Being a chef is really hard work. You see, when Dad gets busy, he doesn't have time to spend with Youyou, nor does he have much time to spend with Mom and his younger siblings."

So many people love Daddy, and that's because Daddy worked so hard for it, so Daddy doesn't want Youyou to have to work as hard as he did.

Feng Nuanyou pouted, "But Daddy, what can I do in the future?"

Feng Zhengming found it strange and didn't quite understand why his daughter had suddenly become so sentimental today.
"Youyou, you can do whatever you want. Whatever you want to do, Daddy will support you."

Feng Nuanyou smiled and said, "Hehe, I know Dad will support me."

Then the little girl looked worried again: "But I don't know what I want to do?"

Feng Zhengming: "Don't rush to think about it. Youyou is still very young. At your age, you should play happily. When kindergarten starts, you can go to kindergarten and play with your friends."

Then when you go to elementary school, you should study your academic subjects well. No matter what you want to do in the future, you must first learn to recognize and write characters, and also be able to do arithmetic.

Oh, right, Youyou also needs to learn a foreign language. Look, Daddy and Mommy speak foreign languages ​​and can talk to a lot of people, right?

As Feng Nuanyou listened to her father's words, she remembered that her parents could talk directly with many foreigners.

She immediately smiled and nodded: "Yes, yes, Youyou should be able to talk to many people just like her parents."

Feng Zhengming reached out and touched his daughter's head.

"So whatever Youyou wants to do in the future, you first need to learn these basic things well. Only by learning the basics well can you do the things you want to do in the future."

After her father's guidance and education, a seed was planted in Feng Nuanyou's heart.

The little girl was sitting there in a daze, thinking about what she wanted to do in the future.
But her father's words gave the little girl some small goals.

First, I need to learn the basics my father taught me, just like my parents do. Then I need to be able to communicate well with many, many people.

The reason Feng Nuanyou had this idea about what to do in the future was actually...

It was also influenced by the children of my senior classmate Feng Zhengming.

These days a group of children are playing together, and it looks like they're having a wild time.

But in reality, this trip to Shanghai had a different impact on each child's mind.

For example, there's the older Feng Shengnan, the eldest brother's son Li Xiaogang, and the second brother's daughter Chen Jin.

Having witnessed the prosperity of Shanghai, they naturally felt a greater longing for it.

They also have their own goals and ideas.

Both Feng Shengnan and Chen Jin were thinking about getting into university in Shanghai.

Li Xiaogang, the eldest brother's son, was well aware that his grades were not good, so his idea was more direct: he wanted to learn to cook well.

Later, he can become an apprentice of the talented junior master Feng Zhengming and come to Shanghai to learn cooking from him.

Li Xiaogang even harbored the idea that he could take over the kitchen of his junior uncle's restaurant in the future.

The children of the third, fifth, and sixth senior brothers, who were a little younger, also had their own ideas.

When these children get together, they naturally start to talk about their longing for Shanghai and what they want to do in the future.

Often, adults think that children don't understand anything.

However, children are exposed to more things, and they don't necessarily know less than adults.

Influenced by her older siblings, Feng Nuanyou naturally sat in the restaurant thinking about what she wanted to do in the future.
Thinking about it this way, the little girl actually started to want to go in.

After all, the little girl had seen quite a lot of things with her parents.

But at her age, she was most exposed to her father's restaurant and went into the kitchen with him.

Seeing how much love her father received made the little girl feel that her father was very impressive.

Naturally, they would wonder if they could become a chef as good as their father in the future.

Of course, after some guidance from her father...

Feng Nuanyou also began to have more other ideas.

However, the seed that the father planted in his daughter's heart still played a crucial role.

The daughter agreed with what her father said: no matter what she wants to do in the future, she must first lay a solid foundation.

The father and daughter were sitting together talking.

Suddenly a voice was heard.

"Oh my, you two are whispering to each other here?"

Feng Zhengming and his daughter looked up together and saw a middle-aged woman with a perm and fashionable clothes.

The woman was a regular customer of Feng Zhengming's restaurant.

However, the woman always came to entertain some business partners.

Judging from the thick layer of powder on the woman's face, it was not hard to tell that she was not young.

However, the woman was indeed a woman of considerable style.

Every time she entertains guests at the restaurant, she almost always requests the largest private room on the third floor, and the dishes and wines she orders are always quite exquisite.

Moreover, the woman was quite generous, never stingy even with the waiters.

Therefore, many of the restaurant's waiters had a very good impression of the woman.

Feng Zhengming stood up with a smile: "Sister, did you like the food tonight?"

The woman smiled and said, "Your cooking skills, Feng Zhuangyuan, are naturally beyond reproach. Those foreigners have never been very optimistic about our Chinese food, but with you, Feng Zhuangyuan, who would dare to disagree?"

Feng Zhengming: "Thank you for the compliment, sister. How was business tonight?"

The woman sighed, "Business is tough these days. Foreigners aren't as easily fooled as they used to be."

Feng Zhengming found it very pleasant to listen to the woman speak.

Because women rarely hide anything; they will say what they want to say directly.

Of course, Feng Zhengming also knew that the woman's behavior was probably just for his benefit.

Just like how she sometimes acts like a charming little woman in front of different business partners, and at other times she is a very strong and powerful woman.

Feng Zhengming: "Is there anything else you need, sister? I see you've had quite a bit to drink. Would you like me to prepare a bowl of noodle soup for you?"

The woman smiled and said, "Great! I was just thinking of having something with soup, so I'll have a bowl of yellow croaker noodles."

Feng Zhengming: "Then sit down for a while, I'll bring it to you right away."

At the same time, Feng Zhengming called over two waitresses and asked them to help the woman to sit down for a while.

The woman smiled at Feng Nuanyou: "Young boss, would you like to come out and sit with me for a while?"

Feng Nuanyou first looked up at her father.

Feng Zhengming felt that there was no problem with letting his daughter sit with the woman for a while.

So he smiled at his daughter.

When Feng Nuanyou saw her father smiling at her, she knew he had agreed.

"Okay, Auntie, please sit down. I'll get you my food."

The woman immediately laughed: "I want to see what our little boss will give me to eat."

Feng Zhengming walked out of the cashier's counter and went directly to the kitchen to prepare yellow croaker noodles for the woman.

In the kitchen, the milky white fish soup, fish slices, and pickled mustard greens were all prepared.

Feng Zhengming instructed his apprentice to cook the noodles, while he quickly stir-fried the pickled mustard greens until fragrant, then added the milky white fish soup.

The fish slices should be cooked separately, then taken out and added to the fish soup to simmer briefly.

Season the soup, then add the cooked noodles to the soup.

Bring to a boil briefly, and skim off all the foam.

Finally, pour it into the prepared bowl and garnish with some chopped green onions.

Feng Zhengming brought out the bowl of yellow croaker noodles and heard the woman laughing non-stop as her daughter amused her.

After Feng Zhengming put the yellow croaker noodles down, the woman smiled and looked at him.

“Feng Zhuangyuan, your daughter is really amazing. She knows a lot at such a young age.”

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "She's quite mischievous. She likes to listen to adults talk, and the more she listens, the more she understands. I'm sorry you had to see that."

The woman glanced at the yellow croaker noodles, then leaned closer to smell them: "This is the taste. Only you can make this kind of aroma here."

Then the woman looked at Feng Nuanyou: "Nannan, would you like to eat together?"

Feng Nuanyou: "I'm full, Auntie, you can eat now."

Feng Zhengming: "Sister, you eat your food. She is indeed full. She ate with me before we opened for business."

The woman did not insist and accepted the small bowl and chopsticks that Feng Zhengming had asked the waiter to bring.

He ladled out a small bowl of food and ate it all.

After finishing a bowl of yellow croaker noodles, the woman's flushed face from drinking alcohol subsided considerably.

The woman put down her bowl and looked at Feng Zhengming standing in front of her.

"Feng Zhuangyuan, are you planning to open a shop in Pudong?"

Feng Zhengming was somewhat surprised. He knew the woman would definitely have something to say to him tonight, but he didn't expect her to bring up the trip to Pudong first. (End of Chapter)