From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Feng Zhengming successfully secured the land to reopen Yanxilou, and his next step is to find someone to carry out the renovations.

He originally planned to attract investment and find people to invest in him.

But now that he has met those elderly people who are willing to give him such a favorable price, Feng Zhengming has become much more financially secure.

Therefore, he does not plan to attract investment first; he wants to renovate the entire building first.

They used the name of Yanxilou to attract investment from others.

This will give him more control.

No one else can interfere with Feng Zhengming's business operations.

Moreover, Feng Zhengming believed that the sponsorships from various suppliers alone would save him a lot of operating costs.

This can be considered as some of the commercialization ideas that Feng Zhengming has come up with over the years.

This doesn't mean that Feng Zhengming is currently short of this sum of money.

He just hopes for a healthy operating model.

This will ensure that all of my stores can develop more freely in the future.

For Feng Zhengming especially now, continuing to open stores and expand in various places is actually not very meaningful.

What he needs to do now is improve the quality of the store.

Simply having branches of a dry rice shop is not enough to meet the growing number of outstanding young chefs emerging under one's command.

Therefore, Feng Zhengming needs to open restaurants and eateries across the country that can provide more opportunities for young chefs.

Opening a restaurant or eatery requires a larger initial investment.

Moreover, the operating costs will be much higher.

More importantly, restaurants and eateries are not like branches of dry food shops, which can attract a large number of working-class people to eat there.

Restaurants and eateries need to attract customers who are willing to spend more on food.

As a result, restaurants and eateries will definitely have a transition period beforehand.

How to better navigate the initial period of building a reputation.

This is an issue that must be considered in advance.

Feng Zhengming's idea was to attract people to invest in him.

Use other people's investment to help your restaurant and hotel get through the initial stages.

In fact, Feng Zhengming was well aware that others were willing to invest in him because of his reputation.

Feng Zhengming doesn't care about this; he just wants to make good food so that more young and outstanding chefs can have more opportunities to shine.

Moreover, he now has his own legal team, so he's not afraid of being scammed by others in investment contracts.

In the following period, Feng Zhengming stayed in Beijing and visited some of the city's master craftsmen.

The master craftsmen in Beijing were all very happy to see him.

They could all feel the respect that Feng Zhengming had for them.

This respect will make the experienced workers feel very comfortable.

After all, many master craftsmen, after retiring, will likely not have anyone visit them except for a few apprentices, let alone give their skills the respect they deserve.

But Feng Zhengming was different. No matter which master he visited, he would always approach them with the humility of an apprentice.

He always carries a notebook with him.

He would take notes on his conversations with the master craftsmen on the spot.

This attitude alone is something that many experienced craftsmen greatly admire.

Therefore, most of the master craftsmen that Feng Zhengming visited were genuinely willing to exchange some real knowledge with him.

In fact, many of these skills are secret techniques passed down only by master craftsmen.

Some of them may not even have taught their apprentices.

During his visit, Feng Zhengming obtained some unique secret recipes from these master craftsmen.

Of course, Feng Zhengming also promised that he would pass on these achievements in the future so that more people could see and learn from them, and that the skills of the master craftsmen could be passed on and continued.

The experienced craftsmen were also concerned about Feng Zhengming's reopening of Yanxilou in the capital.

Feng Zhengming would give the experienced workers a general overview of the situation.

The experienced workers all thought Feng Zhengming's arrangements were excellent.

In fact, most veteran chefs probably spend their entire lives busy in the kitchen.

When it comes to opening a shop, the experienced craftsmen really can't offer any guidance.

Even the veteran craftsmen felt that Feng Zhengming was already very successful and didn't need them to interfere too much.

Out of respect, Feng Zhengming still consulted the experienced craftsmen and asked them for their opinions.

Feng Zhengming would also write down the opinions of the experienced workers in his notebook.

There will also be some conversations with the experienced craftsmen on site.

There are some points that Feng Zhengming himself might not notice, but the experienced workers might think of and remind him of.

While the chefs may lack experience in running restaurants, they have a lot to say when it comes to managing the kitchen and catering to the tastes of most people in Beijing.

Therefore, Feng Zhengming also focused on seeking advice in this area.

Through several days of visits, Feng Zhengming obtained a lot of information from the veteran craftsmen in Beijing.

About ten days later, his wife Luo Qing, along with her mother and second aunt, brought the children to the capital.

In addition, the construction team from Liujia Village that Feng Zhengming contacted also came from Shandong.

We have been cooperating with the renovation and construction team in Liujia Village for many years.

Feng Zhengming still prefers to trust them.

This time, in particular, Feng Zhengming wanted to renovate Yanxi Tower.

Therefore, it is indeed necessary for them to travel from Shandong to the capital and bring over some of the ancient architectural techniques from Shandong.

Feng Zhengming specially arranged a bus to pick up the construction team from Liujia Village.

This made everyone in Liujia Village feel a little flattered.

Liu Yonggang still personally led the team. Over the years, Liu Yonggang is no longer young, but he still looks energetic.

"Scholar Feng, why did you come to pick us up in person?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Of course I'll come to pick you up. We've had such a good working relationship for so many years, and this time I'm troubling you again by having you come to Beijing. I'll definitely make sure everything is arranged for you."

Liu Yonggang was genuinely moved. In fact, their success over the years was largely thanks to Feng Zhengming.

Perhaps if Feng Zhengming hadn't been willing to believe in them, and even funded and supported them...

To this day, they are just a rural renovation team and will never have the opportunity to travel all over the country.

Therefore, Liu Yonggang and everyone in the Liujiacun renovation team are truly grateful to Feng Zhengming.

Feng Zhengming was also very grateful to them.

In order to meet Feng Zhengming's renovation needs over the years, they have recruited a lot of people and even arranged for some to receive training.

In particular, I learned a lot of traditional architectural techniques from Shandong.

Whether it's carpentry or bricklaying, their renovation team has people who specialize in learning these skills.

Furthermore, their craftsmanship is all passed down from ancient times. In terms of antique-style decoration, they can now be considered one of the most professional teams in the country.

Liu Yonggang: "Scholar Feng, I heard you're planning to reopen Yanxilou in the capital? That's a big deal! Yanxilou is a famous restaurant in Jinan. It would be fantastic if it could reopen in the capital."

Feng Zhengming: "Reopening Yanxilou is also a big deal for me."

Liu Yonggang then introduced himself to Feng Zhengming.

Those who came with him this time were all key members of their decoration company.

Moreover, several of them were ancient building repair craftsmen that Liu Yonggang had specifically found with the support of Feng Zhengming over the years.

Before they arrived, they had just finished participating in the restoration of an ancient building in Shandong.

Feng Zhengming was naturally very happy to see them.

"Thank you, thank you all for being willing to help me renovate the new Yanxi Building. I really need your help, and only you can renovate Yanxi Building to look like it used to be."

Several people involved in the restoration of ancient buildings smiled with pride upon hearing this.

For them, it was a great pleasure to be able to showcase their skills, which they had honed over the years, in the capital.

On the bus, Feng Zhengming gave them a brief overview of the decoration requirements for the new Yanxi Building in Beijing.

"Basically, I hope to restore it to its original state, that is, to have the ancient architectural style of the old Yanxi Building in Jinan. I know that it is indeed difficult to do it with pure wood now, but I hope you can decorate it to have that wooden feel as much as possible."

After listening to Feng Zhengming's words, the professionals gathered together for a discussion.

After some discussion, they felt that Feng Zhengming's request was indeed not difficult to meet.

However, there is one crucial point that Feng Zhengming needs to prepare in advance.

"The most crucial thing is actually the timber. After all, this is the capital city, and some timber may not be so easy to transport in. We need to make some preparations in advance."

Feng Zhengming had already considered the issue of timber.

"Don't worry about that, everyone. I've already asked someone to help. We'll find a way to transport the necessary timber from other places. Of course, we can't use the luxurious timber of the past, just something that captures the feel of the place."

Everyone laughed.

"Don't worry, Scholar Feng, we don't use those top-quality materials anymore."

"Yes, those materials are completely unusable now, we all know that."

“We have found a suitable alternative material. Although it requires some processing, the final result will definitely be just as good.”

"That's right, don't worry, Scholar Feng, we will definitely help you renovate Yanxi Tower well."

Feng Zhengming took everyone to the location by bus.

I saw the somewhat dilapidated three-story building that remained there.

Liu Yonggang and his team also conducted a thorough inspection inside and out.

It was confirmed that the entire building structure remained sturdy and intact.

Everyone couldn't help but sigh, the things built by that group of old workers in the past really made people feel at ease.

After the inspection was completed and everything was confirmed to be fine, Feng Zhengming arranged for them to stay overnight.

Feng Zhengming originally intended to book the hotel for them directly.

However, none of them wanted to go, feeling that it was better to stay somewhere not far from Xinyanxilou.

Feng Zhengming also contacted Tao Mengran to inquire if there were any suitable houses for rent nearby.

Unexpectedly, Tao Mengran actually found a courtyard.

Feng Zhengming rented the courtyard and let the construction team stay there first.

After the people settled in, Feng Zhengming was still in no hurry to get them to start working.

"Everyone, don't rush. We've come all this way to the capital, and I've already made arrangements. You can all explore the capital together and visit all the famous attractions."

Everyone was willing, but no one dared to agree directly; they all looked to Liu Yonggang instead.

Liu Yonggang hesitated for a moment. In his heart, he felt that following Feng Zhengming's arrangements would be like taking advantage of Feng Zhengming.

But before he could make up his mind, Feng Zhengming spoke first.

“Listen to me on this matter. If we come all this way to the capital and don’t let everyone see the famous attractions, wouldn’t it be a waste of our trip?”
Moreover, the tourist attractions in Beijing are all famous ancient architectural complexes. Visiting them can be educational, and perhaps you can even use some of that knowledge when you're helping me renovate the new Yanxi Building?

As soon as Feng Zhengming said this, those in charge of decorating the space in an antique style immediately agreed.

"Yes, yes, what Scholar Feng said is right. We are also learning from this visit."

"That's right, what a great learning opportunity this is!"

"I've been doing antique-style renovations for so long, but I've never actually seen any royal buildings from the past. I really want to see them."

"President Liu, please agree. Let's go take a look together."

Liu Yonggang was eventually persuaded and could only nod in agreement.

"Okay, let's go take a look."

Everyone cheered when Liu Yonggang agreed.

Feng Zhengming chuckled and said, "Alright, it's settled then. This bus will pick you up tomorrow morning and take you out for some fun. You can decide where you want to go."

We're not in a rush. We'll visit one attraction each day, making sure we see all of them thoroughly, rather than just rushing through.

Hearing Feng Zhengming's arrangement, Liu Yonggang was truly left speechless, both amused and exasperated.

"It's not like we're talking about spending a whole day at one attraction. Isn't that too time-consuming? We can just go and take a look."

Feng Zhengming's attitude was firm: "It won't waste any time. I said I hope you can really recreate the feel of ancient architecture in the renovation. You must take this seriously."

Faced with Feng Zhengming's words, Liu Yonggang had no choice but to agree.

After all, once we're here, Feng Zhengming is the big boss who's footing the bill.
At this moment, Liu Yonggang felt as if he were the employer, while Feng Zhengming seemed to be the one leading the construction team.

Feng Zhengming took them back to their accommodation and even recommended some nearby restaurants.

"If you don't like the food nearby, you can call me and I'll have two branches of dry rice shops in Beijing deliver the food to you. I guarantee you'll enjoy authentic Shandong cuisine."

Upon hearing this, almost everyone burst into cheers.

"That's awesome!"

"Scholar Feng is truly magnanimous."

"Great, I can eat braised pork here too."

"Thank you, Scholar Feng. Your hospitality is too kind; we are almost embarrassed."

"Yes, we really feel bad about it."

Liu Yonggang felt even more embarrassed.

"Isn't Scholar Feng's arrangement a bit too much?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "However, you can rest assured and prepare. We need to enjoy ourselves in the capital first, so that we can have more energy and work harder to renovate the new Yanxi Building for me."

Liu Yonggang could only nod in agreement.

"Alright, just for the hospitality you've shown us, Scholar Feng, we'll definitely renovate your place to the best of our ability."

Others also expressed their opinions.

"That's right, we should make Xinyanxilou the best in the capital."

"Yes, Xin Yan Xi Lou is better than any other restaurant in the capital."

"We will definitely do our best." (End of Chapter)