From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

I visited my master and his wife, and spent time at home with my two grandfathers, having a meal and chatting.

Especially Feng Nuanyou, this little cutie, suddenly saw something very interesting at home.

I watch my two great-grandfathers play chess every day and learn to play chess from them.

With the little girl watching and learning alongside them, the two great-grandfathers found playing chess even more enjoyable every day.

On the third day after Feng Zhengming returned to Jinan, he began to visit various shops in the city.

Our first stop was naturally the old shop run by the third senior brother.

This is where Feng Zhengming started, and it's now a must-visit restaurant for people from all over the country who come to Jinan.

Over the years, everyone knows that Feng Zhengming is no longer in the kitchen of this restaurant.

But the old shop's taste has never changed, and its prices and portion sizes remain affordable.

This allows the long-established shop to maintain a good reputation.

When Feng Zhengming appeared at the old shop, he was naturally recognized by the shop's customers.

"Is that Scholar Feng? You're back!"

"It really is Scholar Feng! Scholar Feng has returned!"

"I never expected to meet Scholar Feng here."

"Hello, Scholar Feng. We've come from Northeast China specifically to eat at your old restaurant."

“We came all the way from Shanxi Province, specifically to eat at your old restaurant.”

Feng Zhengming responded to everyone with a smile.

"Welcome to our guests who have come from afar. If you are not satisfied with the taste, please let us know at any time and we will make some adjustments for you."

The guests all said they really liked the taste of all the dishes at the old shop.

“Feng Zhuangyuan, we can all get used to your family’s food.”

"Yes, we came from out of town, and at first we were worried that we wouldn't be used to the food here, but the taste of your restaurant is really just right."

"We in Shanxi Province have always thought that the noodles from our area are the best. I never expected that the noodles in your shop, Feng Zhuangyuan, are also so delicious."

"Haha, we have roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) where we're from, but none of them taste as good as the braised pork from your shop, Feng Zhuangyuan."

"The braised pork belly and braised pork knuckle taste really good."

"I like pig's trotters, and those pig's trotters were really tender and mushy."

"I prefer Four Happiness Meatballs; those big meatballs are so satisfying to eat."

Even though we're in the 21st century now, most people probably don't lack food.

But the taste of Feng Zhengming's old shop is still loved by everyone.

This is also why the old shops have always had the best business in Jinan.

Feng Zhengming: "If you think the queue is too long, you can try other shops. The taste of other shops in Jinan is also quite good."

Hearing such suggestions to customers go to other shops made many of the old shop's customers laugh.

"Haha, other people are afraid that their business will not be good enough, but our Scholar Feng is afraid that business will be too good and he will not be able to handle it."

"That's true, Feng Zhuangyuan's shop is never short of business."

"There are several Feng Zhuangyuan stores in Quancheng, you can also try other stores."

"How can that be the same? This is Feng Zhuangyuan's oldest restaurant. You have to come to the old restaurant to eat here to show that you support Feng Zhuangyuan."

“That’s right, we won’t go to any other stores, we have to come to Feng Zhuangyuan’s original store.”

Feng Zhengming was both amused and exasperated by everyone's words.

He also knew that many people from other places came to Laopu simply because it was his first shop.

However, with the increasing number of people at the old shop, many regular customers often have to wait in line.

Therefore, Feng Zhengming still hopes to divert some customers from the old shops, so that regular customers can avoid some queuing time.

However, it seems that Feng Zhengming's idea is difficult to realize now.

The most crucial point is that, whether they are regular customers or customers who come to Jinan specifically to eat at Feng's Rice Shop, they are almost all unwilling to choose other stores.

Especially for people from other places, they would rather queue up at the old shop than not have a meal there.

Feng Zhengming felt that he really didn't have any good solutions to this problem.

Perhaps the only solution is to ensure that the old shop has enough staff in its kitchen.

With that thought in mind, Feng Zhengming greeted the customers and walked through the crowd into the old shop.

Then he went directly into the changing room in the back kitchen.

After changing into a chef's uniform and washing himself thoroughly, he headed towards the old shop's kitchen.

Inside the kitchen, cooking was in full swing.

Third Senior Brother Yang Bin personally led everyone in their busy work.

Now, in Feng Zhengming's eyes, the third senior brother has already developed a kind of dignified demeanor.

In the kitchen, the third senior brother is not only the head chef, but also the mentor of all the kitchen staff.

While cooking, he would constantly remind everyone in the kitchen of many details.

Besides his third senior brother, his two apprentices were also working at the stoves next door in the kitchen.

So while the third senior brother was cooking, he would occasionally turn his head to look at the two apprentices in front of the stove next to him.

If anything goes wrong, the third senior brother will immediately reprimand him sternly.

"What's going on? How many times have I told you? Heat control, heat control! Is high heat all you know how to do? You use high heat for everything, what's the point of talking about heat control then? Turn the heat down, fry slowly, don't rush."

Feng Zhengming stood at the edge of the kitchen, silently watching everything.

It must be admitted that the third senior brother's style of managing the kitchen is different from his and the other senior brothers'.

Feng Zhengming thought that his third senior brother was really suitable to mentor apprentices.

Although the third senior brother occasionally loses his temper, he is quite patient most of the time.

This kind of patience can give apprentices and students more courage to try.

In fact, in the kitchens of all of Feng Zhengming's restaurants, any chef who can work on the stove must have excellent skills and would not easily make any mistakes.

After all, the competition in the kitchens of all of Feng Zhengming's stores is quite fierce.

Without exceptional skills, there would be no chance of even getting close to the stove.

Right now, in the old shop's kitchen, only the third senior apprentice is working with his two apprentices.

Others can only assist them and must prepare the cutting and preparation of each dish as quickly as possible according to the requirements.

After observing for a while, Feng Zhengming quickly noticed that two apprentices were taking the opportunity to slack off.

However, before he could speak, his third senior brother had already noticed and reprimanded him.

"What are you two doing? Trying to slack off? If you don't want to work in the kitchen, get out. Remember, this is the kitchen of Feng's Rice Shop, and no one is allowed to slack off here."

The two apprentices were terrified and quickly begged Yang Bin for forgiveness and apologized.

Yang Bin: "Don't apologize to me. You're not just working for me in the kitchen. If you want to be a good chef, you have to be able to endure this hardship. If you find it too tiring, then leave as soon as possible."

The two apprentices dared not slack off and quickly returned to their posts to get busy. Feng Zhengming still did not disturb his third senior brothers.

I just stood there quietly watching until the round of orders finally came to an end.

Yang Bin turned to look at Feng Zhengming: "How was it? You've been standing there without saying a word since you arrived. Were you trying to find some fault with me, senior brother?"

Feng Zhengming was not surprised at all that his third senior brother had discovered him long ago.

A chef who can be the head chef cannot effectively manage and direct the kitchen if he cannot be observant and attentive to his surroundings.

Therefore, Yang Bin did not greet Feng Zhengming immediately.

He had already noticed Feng Zhengming walk in.

However, the kitchen of the old shop is indeed very busy.

Especially just now, around noon, a group of customers suddenly poured in, almost making Yang Bin feel overwhelmed.

This has become a popular sight at the old shops.

The busiest times for many old shops are not lunch and dinner.

Because the old shops attract tourists from other places who come to Jinan to eat.

This means that the busiest time for the old shops is usually some time before the normal mealtime.

"With you here, Third Brother, I have no chance to speak. You are the head chef here, and the mentor of everyone in the kitchen. They can only listen to you."

Yang Bin laughed when he heard this: "Hahaha, you're really cunning, no wonder the senior brothers always say that only you can lead us to accomplish great things."

Hearing Feng Zhengming and Yang Bin's conversation, the other kitchen staff then noticed Feng Zhengming standing to the side.

Yang Bin's apprentices stepped forward first to greet their junior uncle, Feng Zhengming.

Feng Zhengming looked the group of people over. Now, almost everyone in the old shop's kitchen was a newcomer.

The previous group of elderly people have almost all been relocated.

Among this batch of newcomers, nominally there are only four of the third senior brother's apprentices, but in reality, everyone in the kitchen is considered the third senior brother's apprentice because they are all being taught by him.

Feng Zhengming smiled and greeted everyone.

"I am very happy to see that everyone is already familiar with everything in the kitchen. I hope that in the future, some of you can also leave the old shop and become a real chef, running a restaurant."

These words excited everyone present.

The reason why everyone is willing to go into the kitchen of Feng Zhengming's old shop to learn from scratch is because they are willing to be strictly required by Yang Bin.

All I wanted was to learn real skills so I could become a top chef in the future.

If I could be assigned to be the head chef at one of Feng Zhengming's other shops.

That would be a very good thing for anyone in the kitchen.

On the one hand, the salary and benefits for the head chef are very good.

On the other hand, being able to become the head chef also means that one's culinary skills are good enough.

Feng Zhengming then gave a warning to everyone in the kitchen.

"There's one point I've emphasized to everyone more than once, and I want to emphasize it again today: if you want to become a top chef, you first need to get your attitude right."

You need to be clear about why you want to learn to cook. Is it simply to have a job? Or to make money?
Or is it that you truly love cooking and genuinely enjoy the joy that food brings to yourself and to the guests you need to entertain?

Understanding why you're working so hard learning to cook in the kitchen is crucial for supporting your progress.

Feng Zhengming's admonition caused the young people in the kitchen to fall into deep thought.

Yang Bin told them to continue thinking, and then he walked over and left with his junior brother.

Walking to the back, Yang Bin asked with a smile, "You've seen Master? You should know that Master doesn't want to go to the capital, right?"

Feng Zhengming: I understand. My master told me that he doesn't want people to think he's benefiting from our success.

"And what Master meant was that you should start your own business."

After saying this, Yang Bin paused briefly and immediately stated his position.

"Don't worry, my senior brother and I have all told you that we will definitely support you."

Feng Zhengming: "Thank you, Third Brother. Yesterday, Master took me to the family restaurant, and I also chatted with Master's eldest brother. In the future, Master's succession will definitely depend on the eldest brother. We can only walk our own path."

Yang Bin: "That's good too, it means that the chef at Yan Family Restaurant has already approved it."

"Third Brother, have you and Eldest Brother ever thought about starting your own business? I will definitely support you wholeheartedly." Feng Zhengming asked this question very directly.

Yang Bin was taken aback, then chuckled and lightly punched Feng Zhengming.

"You brat, are you testing me? Trying to see if I have any ulterior motives? So now that you're the big boss, you're starting to doubt the loyalty of those around you."

Upon hearing his third senior brother's words, Feng Zhengming couldn't help but laugh.

"Third Brother, I'm really not testing you. I just think that you and the eldest brother are capable of opening your own restaurant, and I can provide you with financial support."

Yang Bin shook his head: "I don't want to do it myself. Working in your shop will allow me to focus more on my work."

This idea wasn't just shared by the third senior brother; the other senior brothers also had it.

In the past, my senior brothers might have thought that they wanted to own their own restaurant, the kind where they could make all the decisions.

However, over the years, following Feng Zhengming, I have seen many things that have made my fellow students realize the problems.

That means opening your own shop, even if it's just a small street-side restaurant, you'll need to put in a lot of effort and worry about many things beyond cooking.

On the contrary, Feng Zhengming had many things handled with the help of others.

The senior apprentices can focus on cooking in the kitchen and also take good care of their apprentices.

Over the years, whether it was the third senior brother, the eldest senior brother, the second senior brother, or even the fifth senior brother in the capital and the sixth senior brother in Yancheng, they had all become accustomed to this pattern.

Everything outside can be handled by Feng Zhengming.

All they need to do is keep an eye on the kitchen and make sure the food is cooked well, and everything will be fine.

Yang Bin: "We've gotten used to it. You've taken care of all sorts of miscellaneous things for us over the years. How could we possibly have the ability to open a restaurant on our own?"

Feng Zhengming: "If you want to open one, I can take care of everything for your restaurant."

Yang Bin laughed: "Hahaha, isn't that the same as now?"

Feng Zhengming thought about it and laughed along.

Third Senior Brother is absolutely right.

If his fellow apprentices opened shops, Feng Zhengming would still take care of all the miscellaneous tasks.

That's indeed no different from the situation my senior brothers are in now, in their respective shops.

Rather than opening their own shop, the senior students might prefer to continue working at Feng Zhengming's shop.

"After that, when we go to the capital, Third Brother, why don't you come along too?"

Yang Bin: "I actually don't want to go. I feel more comfortable staying in Jinan and being able to take care of my family. You know your nephew is going to middle school soon, so I'll definitely have to keep a close eye on him."

Feng Zhengming: "Then, Third Brother, you go there for a year. After a year, when the personnel are stable, you can come back."

Upon hearing this, Yang Bin immediately agreed: "That's fine, I'll consider it a year of further study."

With his third senior brother agreeing to go for a year, Feng Zhengming was basically at ease. (End of Chapter)