From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

With Tao Mengran's help, Feng Zhengming finally found the true owner of the property.

As for the person who cheated Cao Zhiguo, he was actually a guy who wanted to become a subletter.

However, he is not entirely unrelated to the property owner.

He was essentially an intermediary found by those who jointly owned the property.

After investigating everything, Feng Zhengming did not go to see that person again, but only conveyed his attitude to the other party through Tao Mengran.

Tao Mengran and her husband have some connections in Beijing.

In addition, the other party was also aware of Feng Zhengming's current reputation.

In the end, he chose to back down and did not continue to harass Feng Zhengming and his group.

Then, through Tao Mengran's connections, Feng Zhengming finally met with the representative of the property owner of the three-story building and courtyard.

The people who came to see Feng Zhengming were all of a certain age.

Almost all of them were retired elderly people.

They were genuinely quite excited to see Feng Zhengming.

“Scholar Feng, I never thought I would actually meet Scholar Feng.”

"I finally met him in person. Before, I had only seen him in newspapers and on TV."

"Yes, yes, I even learned to cook from Feng Zhuangyuan on TV."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Hello, grandpas and grandmas. Please don't call me Scholar Feng. Just call me Zhengming, or Little Feng. Thank you for being willing to meet me."

The elderly people were very pleased with Feng Zhengming's attitude.

"Okay, okay, then I'll call you Zhengming, it'll be more friendly."

"Yes, yes, call him Zhengming."

"Zhengming, you're something else now."

Feng Zhengming: "It's nothing special. I'm a chef, and it's my duty to cook well."

Upon hearing this, the elderly people showed even greater appreciation and fondness for Feng Zhengming.

"Good, just for that sentence, it's clear you're to our liking."

"If you meet other people, they will definitely like you too."

"Haha, it seems like there's no need to negotiate anymore. Everyone will definitely be willing to sell the place to you."

Then Feng Zhengming listened to several elderly people talk about the place's glorious past.

As Tao Mengrao discovered during her investigation, that place used to be a recreational center for factory workers.

The old three-story building used to have a staff dance hall on the second floor, a staff cinema on the third floor, and a staff bathhouse on the first floor.

Those who worked in that place in the past were the ones who truly contributed to the country's development.

According to the elderly men, their factory used to be under the jurisdiction of the military.

But later they were transferred to local areas, and they followed them there.

Later, the factory went through several rounds of reorganization and various shocks.

Finally, the factory needed to be moved out of Beijing, and most of the old factory buildings had already been demolished.

The only thing left was the staff recreation center, which remained there.

The reason is that when it was built, all the factory workers worked together to build it.

The factory leaders said back then that the place would belong to all the employees forever.

So, over the years, the property rights of that place have remained with the original older generation of employees.

After listening to the elderly people's stories, I learned about their glorious past.

Feng Zhengming also greatly admired him.

"Grandpa and Grandma, you are truly great. You are also unsung heroes of our country."

The elderly could tell that Feng Zhengming's words came from the bottom of his heart.

This made the elderly very happy.

The elderly man at the head of the group asked, "Zhengming, I heard you bought that place to reopen Yanxilou?"

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, when Yanxilou in Quancheng went bankrupt, I silently made up my mind that one day when I had the ability, I would definitely reopen Yanxilou."

To be honest, all you grandparents, I have kept the old plaque of Yanxilou all these years.

"I just want to reopen Yanxi Restaurant and prove to everyone that its closure wasn't due to my master's poor skills."

Hearing Feng Zhengming's words, the elderly people felt his fighting spirit.

But before the elderly could be moved...

Feng Zhengming suddenly changed the subject.

"Grandpa and Grandma, please don't be moved by what I just said and give me the benefits, or even say that you want to give me that place."

To be honest, I bought that place because I wanted to reopen Yanxi Restaurant, and I did so to make money.

I would never reopen Yanxilou if it weren't profitable.

So, although I really wanted to get the lowest possible price there, Grandpa and Grandma, you should still pay the normal price.

The elderly people were somewhat surprised.

They were indeed moved by Feng Zhengming's words.

Of course, this is also because Feng Zhengming was already well-known.

Almost everyone across the country knows his status as the national culinary champion.

The elderly enjoy reading newspapers and news, and naturally they all know through these publications that Feng Zhengming is now the only chef in China to have his restaurant recognized as one of the top ten chefs of the year internationally.

There's also Feng Zhengming's acquisition of street food stalls in Beijing, which helped revive the city's traditional snacks.

These have all been reported by television stations and newspapers in Beijing.

With these filters, the elderly will naturally appreciate Feng Zhengming and be more easily moved by his words.

Even some of the elderly representatives who came to negotiate were somewhat inclined to lower the price for Feng Zhengming.

Surprisingly, Feng Zhengming refused to lower the price himself.

What the elderly people didn't know was that after learning about their past, Feng Zhengming was unwilling to take advantage of them on price.

You should know that this place holds memories of the elderly people's youth.

Even people in Beijing acknowledge that the property rights of that place belong to all the elderly people there.

This is enough to show that everything they did for the construction of the motherland is always remembered by everyone.

Therefore, Feng Zhengming felt that he should not take advantage of these elderly people.

The elderly representatives looked at each other.

Finally, the elderly people who were present today also spoke in turn.

“Zhengming, you really don’t need to do this. We’re too old to need that much money anymore. Besides, we have pensions and medical subsidies, so we really don’t need that much money.”

"We hope that in the future, that place can be used by someone to accomplish something great at a crucial moment."

"Looking back now, that place might have been reserved for you."

"So you really don't need to give us a lot of money, or we only need to charge a symbolic amount. You should use your funds to renovate that place and showcase your culinary skills."

"Yes, we hope to see that place become a very beautiful Yanxi Tower that everyone will remember."

"Since you've treasured the old plaque for so many years, how could we be stingy in supporting you with a building?" Feng Zhengming didn't expect that the old folks would actually give him such an unexpected price in the end.

Their factory initially had over 1000 employees.

So in the end, the old folks only asked Feng Zhengming for a little over 1000 yuan, which was one yuan for each of the factory's former employees.

This outcome made Feng Zhengming feel extremely guilty.

He felt he had taken too much advantage of the elderly.

However, the elders all insisted, and even stated that if Feng Zhengming did not agree, then they would not allow Feng Zhengming to use that place.

In the end, Feng Zhengming agreed to the elderly people's arrangement.

He spent over 1000 yuan to buy such a large area of ​​land.

At the same time, Feng Zhengming also made a promise to the elderly that in the future, no matter how much they ate at any of Feng Zhengming's restaurants, whether they were entertaining guests or eating with their families, they could enjoy their meals freely.

Feng Zhengming only charged the elderly one yuan for each meal.

The elderly people agreed to this arrangement.

"Haha, great! We'll sell that place to you for one yuan, and from now on, you can charge us one yuan for every meal."

"That way, neither of us owes the other anything, and you should make good use of that place."

"When you open, we'll all want to go and see it."

Feng Zhengming smiled and agreed: "You're welcome! When I open my business, I'll definitely invite Grandpa and Grandma to come and witness the skills of me and my fellow apprentices."

The elderly people all smiled happily.

"Haha, your skills are definitely top-notch."

"That's right, I often eat at your senior's restaurant."

"Yes, yes, we often go there to eat. I especially like the noodles at the dry rice shop."

"Yes, yes, that shop belongs to your apprentice. His noodles are really good."

"Especially that braised pork noodle soup, it was made to perfection."

Feng Zhengming: "If my grandparents like to eat here, they can go often. I will definitely not let them pay more than 1 yuan."

The elderly people all smiled and agreed, saying they would definitely go there often in the future.

"Of course I'll go, I'm really craving your food."

"That's right, they must go there often."

"It would be great if we didn't have to queue, but it's okay, the food tastes better when there are more people."

"Haha, yeah, I love going out when there are lots of people around to join in the fun."

Feng Zhengming: "It's okay. I'll have them make arrangements to specially welcome you, Grandpa and Grandma, to eat here. They'll even arrange for you to eat in the kitchen."

The elderly people were amused by Feng Zhengming's words and felt that eating in the back kitchen was indeed a bit of an exaggeration.

After the matter was settled, Tao Mengran and Feng Zhengming took the elderly people back home together.

After seeing the elderly off, Tao Mengran felt somewhat incredulous.

"You actually managed to get those old people to sell that place to you for one yuan per person? Do you know that I've heard that many people want to buy it, but none of them have been able to do so yet?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Maybe I'm more popular with older people."

Upon hearing this, Tao Mengran was reminded of her time in Jinan.

"It seems that's true. My parents have always thought about you, and when you were in Jinan, all the old masters really liked you. You're really popular with the older generation."

Feng Zhengming laughed loudly: "Hahaha, you actually believe that? I think sincerity is the best policy."

Tao Mengran was taken aback at first, but after thinking about Feng Zhengming's words carefully, she realized that he was right.

Feng Zhengming has always been sincere in his dealings with others.

He treats everyone with great sincerity.

If the other party tries to play tricks on him, Feng Zhengming will absolutely not tolerate it and will definitely teach them a lesson.

However, if the other party is also willing to sincerely befriend him, he will gain Feng Zhengming's friendship.

It is indeed a fortunate thing to have gained Feng Zhengming's friendship.

After all, the fame and fortune he possesses now are truly unmatched by ordinary people.

Therefore, with his help, some things can be resolved very smoothly.

Therefore, many people give him feedback after receiving his help.

This is why Feng Zhengming has always received a lot of help and can be said to have hardly encountered any setbacks.

Of course, all this has a premise.

Feng Zhengming is indeed a top chef with exceptional culinary skills.

He used his abilities to constantly prove himself to everyone.

Therefore, he was able to gain enough fame and fortune.

Tao Mengran: "Congratulations, brother-in-law! You've secured the place you wanted. Yanxi Restaurant will be reopening in the capital soon, which must be a very happy thing for you."

Feng Zhengming: "I am indeed very happy. It is the achievement of my goal after so many years of hard work."

Tao Mengran was somewhat surprised: "All these years, you've actually been trying to reopen Yanxi Tower?"

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, all these years, I have worked so hard to reopen Yanxilou."

Tao Mengran found it unbelievable. She never imagined that Feng Zhengming would become the national culinary champion and open so many branches of his dry rice shop all over the country in order to reopen Yanxilou.

Then he opened an old-style house restaurant in Shanghai that became one of the world's top ten restaurants of the year.

All these achievements were actually preparations made by Feng Zhengming for reopening Yanxilou.

Feng Zhengming: "I know it may seem unbelievable to you, but for so many years I have only had this one ultimate wish: to reopen Yanxilou."

Tao Mengran thought about it carefully and said, "I can understand. Yanxilou does have a different meaning for you."

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, Yanxilou is the first home I have. It holds many wonderful memories for me, my master, and my fellow disciples, so Yanxilou is very important to me."

Tao Mengran asked, "Didn't you think about punishing the manager who caused Yanxilou to go bankrupt?"

Feng Zhengming: "No need, they have already received the punishment they deserved."

Tao Mengran was somewhat surprised: "They were punished?"

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, they brought Yanxilou down back then. We don't know how much they embezzled. It was all found out, and they were all arrested."

"Okay." Tao Mengran couldn't help but exclaim.

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Alright, thank you for your help this time. When your sister Qing brings the child over, I'll invite your family to my rented courtyard for a meal."

Tao Mengran nodded with a smile: "It's settled then. I'm looking forward to your meal."

Feng Zhengming: "Don't worry, you'll get your share. My fifth senior brother and his family will also be there, as well as my apprentice from another shop in Beijing and his girlfriend."

Tao Mengran laughed: "You really do take advantage of the opportunity to take care of everyone."

Feng Zhengming laughed again: "Hahaha, it's rare for everyone to gather in the capital. We're all from the same hometown, so of course we have to take care of everyone."

Tao Mengran didn't care about those things, and just firmly said, "You must cook us a good meal then, or I'll tell my sister Qing."

Feng Zhengming agreed: "Okay, don't worry."

After parting ways with Tao Mengran, Feng Zhengming hailed a taxi and headed to his fifth senior brother's shop. (End of Chapter)