From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

In Hongcheng, Feng Zhengming and his group did not stay for long.

I simply checked out the branch's situation and chatted with Yu Fuxiang.

It was decided that Yu Fuxiang's nephew, Li Qingyuan, would go to Jinan to learn cooking.

Along with Yu Fuxiang's two very skilled culinary apprentices, Qian Song and Xu Desheng.

They were also arranged by Feng Zhengming to go to Jinan for further studies.

Feng Zhengming made the announcement in front of everyone in the kitchen.

“I heard from Master Yu that Qian Song and Xu Desheng performed the best. Master Yu also felt that their skills were good enough to be further studied in restaurants in Jinan, so I arranged for them to go to Jinan for further study this time.”

Everyone has an equal opportunity, and I hope everyone can work hard in the kitchen.

At this branch in Hongcheng, I only trust Chef Yu's judgment. I hope you all won't let him down.

Feng Zhengming's public announcement effectively confirmed Yu Fuxiang's position in the Hongcheng store.

He made it clear that he only believed Yu Fuxiang's words.

Therefore, even if others wanted to do something underhanded, they could not gain Feng Zhengming's trust.

After the announcement, Feng Zhengming looked at Qian Song, Xu Desheng, and Li Qingyuan.

"The three of you are going to Jinan. I need to remind you that the requirements for chefs' skills in Jinan are very high. You'd better be prepared and don't think you can get away with it."

If you are sent back from Jinan, you will lose all chance of promotion.

Yu Fuxiang added, "If you two are rejected, don't come to work anymore. Don't tell anyone outside that you're my apprentices. I can't afford to lose face like that."

These words caused Qian Song and Xu Desheng to exchange a glance, both unable to suppress a wry smile.

However, after their wry smiles, a resolute look still shone in their eyes.

They knew very well that this was their opportunity.

Many chefs may work hard for a long time but still not get such an opportunity.

Qian Song and Xu Desheng originally thought that following their master would mean working at the Hongcheng branch.

But neither of them expected that they would have such an opportunity to improve themselves.

In Qian Song and Xu Desheng's minds, they were determined to seize this opportunity.

Feng Zhengming then gave encouragement to everyone else in the store.

“In Master Yu’s eyes, you are all the most important people in our Hongcheng store. I believe that Master Yu chose you because you all have outstanding qualities.”

So I hope you can all keep your enthusiasm and work together with Master Yu to run this store well.

At the end of the year, I will allocate a portion of the store's profits as bonuses to everyone, so that everyone can have a good New Year.

When Feng Zhengming said that the store's profits would be distributed as bonuses to everyone at the end of the year, everyone cheered and was filled with enthusiasm.

Yu Fuxiang couldn't help but smile.

"Alright, alright, you guys get all excited when it comes to bonuses now."

After everyone dispersed, Yu Fuxiang whispered something to Feng Zhengming.

"Zhengming, isn't it a bit too much to use the profits to pay out bonuses?"

Feng Zhengming: "Haha, Master Yu, if we want everyone to be more loyal to our store, we need to give them more benefits, so we'll just give them a bonus."

Everyone has worked hard for our store all year, so we should give them some rewards.

Yu Fuxiang thought for a moment and nodded in agreement with Feng Zhengming's statement.

"It's really necessary to let everyone receive some rewards. With the incentive of rewards, everyone will work harder to do their jobs well."

Feng Zhengming: "I feel at ease with you here at the shop, Master Yu. Once Qian Song and Xu Desheng finish their training, I'll have them come back to help you and support the shop even better."

Yu Fuxiang: "I'm afraid the two of them won't want to come back then."

Feng Zhengming: "You can't say that. After traveling all over the country for a long time, I might still prefer to return to my hometown."

Yu Fuxiang agreed with this statement: "That's right. When I was young, I traveled all over the country. Later I found that home is still the best place. In my hometown, I can hear the local dialect and everyone likes the dishes I make."

Feng Zhengming: "Once they have truly experienced the outside world, I believe they will be willing to come back."

Yu Fuxiang: "Hahaha, that's even better. Then we can let the two of them take charge of the store, and I can retire to the second line with peace of mind."

Feng Zhengming still emphasized this point to Yu Fuxiang.

"Master Yu, remember to have your apprentices practice more from now on, so they don't have to do everything themselves anymore."

Yu Fuxiang smiled and said, "My two best apprentices have been sent out for further studies, so I, as their master, have to do it all myself."

Feng Zhengming: "Master Yu, what are you saying? Should I tell them not to go?"

Yu Fuxiang quickly waved his hand: "No, no, no, I was just joking. Let them go."

Feng Zhengming: "Master Yu, you must promise me that you will enable the other apprentices to fight in the future."

Yu Fuxiang nodded in agreement: "Okay, I promise you."

Feng Zhengming didn't rush to leave. Instead, he and Master Yu first saw his nephew Li Qingyuan and his two apprentices onto the train bound for Jinan.

He and his wife, along with his mother-in-law, second aunt, and children, continued their journey to Chengdu.

The group arrived in Chengdu and, as soon as they stepped off the plane and out of the airport, they saw Wang Hanwen waiting outside the arrival gate.

Wang Hanwen spotted Feng Zhengming and his group at a glance and excitedly went to greet them.

"Chef, over here, over here."

Wang Hanwen quickly came forward, and his girlfriend Chu Huijuan followed closely behind.

Upon seeing Wang Hanwen, Feng Zhengming immediately smiled and hugged him.

"Haha, long time no see. It seems you've been quite busy lately, Hanwen. Is preparing to open the store very tiring? You look like you've lost weight."

Wang Hanwen hugged Feng Zhengming, his heart truly filled with gratitude.

Only when he truly returned to his hometown did he realize the extent of the prejudice against people from different social classes.

His former close fellow apprentices are now all targeting him in various ways.

Especially his business of opening a shop, even some Sichuan cuisine chefs secretly tried to sabotage him.

Only then did Wang Hanwen truly understand what made Feng Zhengming, the top scholar, so remarkable.

Feng Zhengming almost never treated anyone in his shop differently.

Whether it's those who have followed him for many years or those who joined his shop later through a job application.

Or those who, after graduating, entered the kitchen of the shop and worked their way up from apprentices.

Even Wang Hanwen and his five other young chefs from other cuisines.

When they arrived at Feng Zhengming's place, they would not be treated differently in any way.

But not all chefs can do that.

Wang Hanwen hadn't thought much about it in the past, probably because he had spent so much time with Feng Zhengming. He naturally assumed that all chefs could get along well.

Only after returning to Chengdu did he realize what it meant to be "rivals in the same trade".

If it weren't for the support of his mentor and girlfriend during this period, Wang Hanwen might have wanted to return to Shanghai from Chengdu and simply work as an assistant to Feng Zhengming.

Wang Hanwen introduced his girlfriend to Feng Zhengming and his group.

Chu Huijuan generously extended her greetings to Feng Zhengming and the others.

"Welcome, welcome, Scholar Feng, to Chengdu!"

Feng Zhengming: "Thank you. Seeing you, I finally understand why people say there are many beautiful women in Chengdu, and I also understand why Wang Hanwen insisted on coming back."

These words made Chu Huijuan and Wang Hanwen blush.

Luo Qing stepped forward and said, "You're just talking without thinking, without any regard for the occasion. Xiao Wang's girlfriend is here, and you're still saying things like that."

Feng Zhengming: "Haha, my wife is jealous. Don't be jealous. In my eyes, my wife is definitely the most beautiful."

Luo Qing couldn't help but laugh and gently pat her husband a few times.

Wang Hanwen and Chu Huijuan couldn't help but feel a little envious of this scene.

Everyone knows that Feng Zhengming and his wife have a very good relationship.

Moreover, the children's lunch kitchen that Luo Qing was in charge of was recently featured in newspapers and magazines across the country.

In some places, people have begun to follow suit, wanting to open a similar kitchen in their own locations.

However, firstly, they lacked Feng Zhengming's influence.

Secondly, to achieve the scale of Luo Qing's children's kitchen, it really requires a huge investment.

So although people in various places want to learn it, no one is able to actually do it.

Chu Huijuan huddled together with Luo Qing, asking her all sorts of questions, wanting to learn from Luo Qing's experience.

Luo Qing could also tell that Chu Huijuan was a very enthusiastic girl.

Moreover, Chu Huijuan genuinely wanted to open a kitchen like that in Chengdu.

Luo Qing didn't keep anything from Chu Huijuan and told her the key issue directly.

"The key to our success in establishing that children's lunch kitchen in Shanghai is my husband. His influence is undeniable, and he has a team of chefs under his command who can train a large number of people."

Upon hearing this, Chu Huijuan immediately understood.

"So that's how it is. I was wondering before how Feng Zhuangyuan managed to keep the taste of so many of his branches consistently good."

"As expected, it's because Feng Zhuangyuan has his own personnel training team, capable of cultivating a sufficient number of excellent chefs."

Luo Qing: "Before we came to Chengdu, we passed through Hongcheng, and at our branch there, we arranged for three young people to go to Jinan to learn."

Chu Huijuan: "That's great, Feng Zhuangyuan's arrangement is really good."

Luo Qing: "So if you want to build a children's kitchen in Rongcheng to provide lunch for children in kindergartens and schools, it's not enough to just invest money."

This requires you to contact the local chefs' association to encourage more chefs to participate.

Upon hearing this, Chu Huijuan looked at Wang Hanwen and sighed helplessly.

"Sister, you don't know, Hanwen is different from Feng Zhuangyuan. He is also quite arrogant, so he doesn't get along well with some people."

Moreover, he lacked Feng Zhuangyuan's skills and reputation, so many times when he wanted to do something, people were unwilling to help him.

Through her conversation with Chu Huijuan, Luo Qing also learned some things about Wang Hanwen's situation in his hometown.

It's true that you can't blame Wang Hanwen for not fitting in with the community in his hometown.

This is related to some of his childhood experiences.

Wang Hanwen was born in the countryside. When he was very young, his father fell ill, and his mother, unable to bear it any longer, abandoned him and left home.

Since then, Wang Hanwen has almost been taking care of his father, going to school, and finding ways to do farm work all at the same time.

So many family burdens rested on his shoulders as a single child.

It did make him more resilient, but it also made him less sociable.

Later, a local chef from the village, known for his martial arts and chivalrous style, recognized Wang Hanwen's talent and ability to endure hardship.

When traveling to different villages to prepare large feasts, they would take Wang Hanwen along to help out and earn some money.

After Wang Hanwen's father passed away, he learned quite a few dishes from a master chef from the Jianghu school.

After that, he came to Chengdu on his own, wanting to find a place to seriously learn cooking.

The process of seeking a master was fraught with difficulties, as many people turned him away.

It was because he was willing to work hard that he was able to bury himself in his work and work diligently even when he was cleaning in the kitchen of a restaurant.

He finally gained his master's appreciation, and after a few pointers, it was discovered that Wang Hanwen was indeed very motivated.

The master took Wang Hanwen as his apprentice and taught him a lot more systematically.

However, due to his personality flaws, his relationship with his fellow apprentices has never been very good.

Moreover, some of his fellow students also have some prejudice against him.

Luo Qing looked at Wang Hanwen, who was walking ahead and chatting and laughing with her husband.

"When Hanwen was with us, I didn't think he was introverted. Although he didn't talk much, he seemed to have a very harmonious relationship with my husband and the others."

Chu Huijuan smiled helplessly: "Sister, you don't know, he told me about this when he came back."

He said he never felt discriminated against by anyone at Feng Zhuangyuan's kitchen. He said Feng Zhuangyuan was the best chef he had ever met, truly managing the kitchen exceptionally well and maintaining good relationships with everyone.

Luo Qing: "That's true. He has a really good personality. He's polite to everyone and respects people with skills."

Chu Huijuan: "Yes, Hanwen told me that Feng Zhuangyuan is an exceptionally humble person and the only person he has truly respected over the years."

Luo Qing smiled and said, "Looking at it this way, it seems like a mistake to let Wang Hanwen come back to open the shop. We should have let him stay on our side."

Chu Huijuan: "He still wants to come back. After all, everyone wants to return home in glory, and he also wants to prove himself."

Wang Hanwen, who was chatting with Feng Zhengming, felt very relaxed in front of Feng Zhengming.

You can say whatever you want.

Sharing your true thoughts with Feng Zhengming will also earn you some advice and affirmation.

For example, he hopes to make his Chengdu branch a very famous store in Chengdu, and wants to show his fellow apprentices who look down on him what they've got.

Feng Zhengming did not stop him; instead, he gave him a certain degree of affirmation.

"That's a good idea. At least you set a goal for yourself, and then you have to work towards that goal."

Feng Zhengming also warned: "However, you must work hard in a proper way. If you want to run the shop well, you must show your skills and let everyone see the new things you have learned from me."

Wang Hanwen said with a serious expression, "Don't worry, Chef, I will make them submit with my skills." (End of Chapter)