From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

In a blink of an eye, it was the fifth day of the first lunar month.

This year, Feng Zhengming can be said to have had a rather leisurely time.

In addition to taking Luo Qing to visit relatives and friends every day, he spent most of his time accompanying his two grandfathers, watching them play chess and listening to them explain chess to him.

Today is the fifth day of the first lunar month. Third Senior Brother and his family returned to Quancheng from their hometown, and Sixth Senior Brother also came to Quancheng specially.

Even the second senior brother made a special trip back to Quancheng from another place.

The reason why all the fellow disciples are here is because the eldest brother Li Huidong has made an appointment with all the fellow disciples to go and wish the master a happy new year together today.

Feng Zhengming rushed to his eldest brother's house.

Second senior brother Chen Zezhi, third senior brother Yang Bin, fifth senior brother Cao Zhiguo, and sixth senior brother Zhang Minghai are all here.

The only thing Feng Zhengming didn't see was his fourth senior brother, which made him feel a little strange.

"Brother, you still haven't contacted the fourth brother?"

This statement also made the other brothers feel strange.

Feng Zhengming originally thought that he would meet his fourth senior brother, who was said to be quite famous in the south, at the national cooking competition.

Unexpectedly, the fourth brother did not appear in the national cooking competition.

This made Feng Zhengming feel very strange.

Because when the fourth senior brother left Yan Xilou first, he had told the master about it.

He will definitely participate in the national cooking competition and prove himself in the national competition.

So Feng Zhengming was very confused. Why did his fourth senior brother, who always wanted to prove himself in the national competition, not show up in the national competition?
While the fellow disciples were all silent, guessing about the fourth brother's situation.

Li Huidong said, "Old Four has also returned to Quancheng. He said that he will go to Master's place to meet us today."

Hearing what Li Huidong said, the fellow students were a little surprised.

Second Senior Brother Chen Zezhi asked, "What happened to the Fourth Brother? Why didn't he come to join us, Big Brother?"

Li Huidong shook his head: "I don't know either. It doesn't matter. Let's go to the master together today. When we meet, we can ask him based on the situation."

After hesitating for a while, Li Huidong still gave serious instructions to his fellow apprentices.

"Today I am going to pay New Year's greetings to Master. I will try my best not to make him unhappy."

Feng Zhengming and several of his fellow brothers naturally nodded in agreement.

Then when the time was about right, the brothers went out together.

Feng Zhengming drove a van that his third uncle had helped him borrow, and took a few of his fellow apprentices to the Yan Family Restaurant at his master's home.

It was very fast to drive from the eldest brother's house to the master's restaurant.

It took about half an hour to arrive at the door of Master's restaurant.

Today is the fifth day of the first lunar month. Although the restaurant has not opened yet, because the fifth day is the day to welcome the God of Wealth, Yan's Restaurant is still open and there are lights and decorations in front of the door.

Feng Zhengming parked the car, and he and his fellow brothers each brought their own New Year gifts, and the group arrived in front of the restaurant in a mighty procession.

Before he even entered the door, Master's eldest son Yan Jianxing came out to greet him.

"Hahaha, mom and dad are just talking about you, big brother, you're here, come in quickly."

Everyone clasped their fists and shouted "Happy New Year" to Yan Jianxing.

Yan Jianxing also clasped his fists and responded: "Happy New Year."

When he saw Feng Zhengming, Yan Jianxing approached him in a particularly friendly manner.

"Zhengming, have you had a pretty easy New Year?"

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Yes, I had a good rest during the New Year."

Yan Jianxing said with some envy in his tone: "You are more comfortable. We will be open until the night before New Year's Eve."

Feng Zhengming was a little surprised: "Brother, you guys are open so late?"

Yan Jianxing nodded: "There's nothing we can do. Your shop and Huiquanlou both close so early. Many people can't get a seat. So they come to my place and the reservations are booked until the night before New Year's Eve. We can only open until before New Year's Eve."

After hearing Yan Jianxing's words, his fellow disciples all expressed their gratitude to him for his hard work.

Yan Jianxing smiled and said: "It was indeed a bit hard, but I also made some money before the New Year."

Third brother Yang Bin said: "If we can make money, then all the hard work will be worth it."

Yan Jianxing also agreed: "Yes, Third Brother is right."

Next, the group stepped into Yan’s Restaurant.

Just as Feng Zhengming and his friends entered the door, they heard the voice behind them.

They turned around together and saw a taxi parked in front of the door. The door opened and two figures got out of the car.

Looking closely, Feng Zhengming immediately recognized one of them as his fourth senior brother, Wang Jialiang.

The person who got off the car with Wang Jialiang was a fashionable woman wearing a bright red down jacket and with big wavy hair.

After getting off the taxi, the woman looked around at the facade of Yan's Restaurant.

"Jialiang, is this your master's restaurant?"

Wang Jialiang took out the gift he brought from the trunk of the taxi, glanced at the door and responded to the woman.

"Yes, Yan's Restaurant, opened by my master's eldest son."

The woman then asked, "Isn't that your master the chef?"

Wang Jialiang took the things, closed the trunk of the taxi and said, "It's all the same. The eldest son of the master has inherited the master's true teachings."

The woman immediately asked curiously, "Is it your master's son who is better, or your junior apprentice brother? Your junior apprentice brother is now the top scholar in the country. Didn't he receive the true teachings from your master?"

Wang Jialiang was stunned by the question, and then he saw a group of people walking out of Yan's Restaurant.

The leader among them was his junior fellow apprentice Feng Zhengming.

Wang Jialiang immediately walked around to the front of the woman and saw his fellow apprentices coming out of Yan’s Restaurant.

"I'm back, brothers."

Yan Jianxing saw Wang Jialiang and greeted him with a smile: "Okay, everyone is here, go in first, don't stand at the door, otherwise dad will be angry later."

The fellow disciples all laughed, greeted Wang Jialiang, and walked towards Yan's Restaurant together.

The fashionable woman followed behind Wang Jialiang.

After staring at Feng Zhengming's back for a while, the woman came to Wang Jialiang and whispered.

"Is this your junior fellow apprentice? He looks very young and has a very strong body."

Wang Jialiang glanced at the woman and said, "Of course he is young. He is only 27 years old this year."

The woman was a little surprised: "So young? You can become the top scholar in the country at such a young age, it's amazing."

Feng Zhengming slowed down a little, turned around and smiled at his fourth senior brother.

When Wang Jialiang saw his junior fellow apprentice brother turning around and smiling at him, he also smiled and took two steps forward to catch up with Feng Zhengming.

"Zhengming, you are really amazing now. You are the top student in the country."

"Thank you for the compliment, Fourth Brother." Feng Zhengming smiled and asked, "Fourth Brother, why didn't you go to the national competition?"

Wang Jialiang was a little helpless: "I couldn't help it. I was abroad at the time."

Feng Zhengming asked in surprise: "Fourth brother went abroad?"

Wang Jialiang nodded: "Yes."

Then Wang Jialiang turned his head to look at the fashionable woman behind him and said, "This is your fourth sister-in-law. Her family runs a restaurant abroad. After we met in the south, she invited me to go abroad with her and be the chef in her restaurant."

Feng Zhengming turned his head to look at the woman and quickly greeted her: "Hello, Fourth Sister-in-law."

The woman smiled and responded, "No need to be so polite, top scholar. You and Jialiang are brothers in the same school, and now you are the top scholar. Have you ever thought about going abroad?"

Wang Jialiang rushed to say, "Can you please stop trying to poach a good chef?" Without waiting for the woman to speak, Wang Jialiang said, "My junior fellow apprentice has two restaurants in Quancheng, and they are doing very well. He may not be interested in the conditions you offer."

The woman was not angry. She took two steps forward, took Wang Jialiang's arm, and continued to communicate with Feng Zhengming with a smile.

"Little Junior Brother, your fourth senior brother told me a lot about your skills. After we came back, we also watched some of your game videos. Your skills are indeed great."

Feng Zhengming said modestly: "I just learned what my master taught me well. I still have a gap in skills compared with my senior brothers."

Just at this moment, Sixth Senior Brother Zhang Minghai turned around.

"Don't be so modest. We are the top scholar. Now it's not you who is behind us, it's us who are behind you."

At the same time, the fifth and third senior brothers who were walking in front also turned around and smiled in agreement.

Feng Zhengming felt a little embarrassed for a moment when his senior brothers said this.

It was the eldest brother who came forward to help out.

"Okay, come here, get ready, and go in to wish Master and Master's Wife a Happy New Year."

The fellow disciples hurried to follow.

The New Year's greetings were held in a large private room at Yan's Restaurant.

After entering the room, I saw that the master and his wife were already sitting there waiting.

Feng Zhengming and the others quickly put down what they were holding.

Led by the eldest brother Li Huidong, all the fellow disciples knelt down in unison to their master and mistress.

Li Huidong said, "Master, Master's Wife, Huidong and his fellow apprentices have come to wish you two a happy new year. We kowtow to you and wish you good health and happiness."

Led by the eldest senior brother, Feng Zhengming and his fellow disciples kowtowed to their master and mistress to wish them a happy new year.

The master and his wife stood up, walked forward and helped everyone up.

"Alright, alright, it's a different era now. Kneeling is no longer acceptable. Everyone, stand up."

"Huidong, all of you get up. Your master and his wife will be happy if you can come together to celebrate the New Year."

Then everyone stood up together.

The master glanced at his disciples one by one.

Seeing that the fourth apprentice had also arrived, the master smiled and said, "This year, all the people are here, and the fourth one is back too."

Wang Jialiang quickly stepped forward and said, "Master, I was abroad last year, so I didn't come back to wish you a happy new year. Please forgive me, Master."

"Oh? You went abroad?" The master was a little surprised.

Wang Jialiang quickly called the woman who was waiting outside the door in.

"Master, this is my wife, Zhang Lili. Her family runs a restaurant abroad. We met and fell in love in the south. After we got married, I went abroad with her and became the head chef of her restaurant."

Zhang Lili immediately took the initiative to greet Master Yan: "Hello, Master. Jialiang has been telling me about you. It is an honor to meet you today. You and Master's wife are in good health."

Looking at such a fashionable woman like Zhang Lili.

Smell her perfume.

Master Yan took two steps back and said with a smile, "Hello, Jialiang is overseas, thanks to your care."

Zhang Lili smiled and responded, "Master, you are too polite. Jialiang is very good to me. He takes care of me and helps our family run the restaurant business very well."

Having said that, Zhang Lili couldn't help but say a few more words.

“To be honest with Master and Mistress, our restaurant’s business in foreign countries was not very good. Jialiang was not used to it when he first went there. But Jialiang’s cooking skills are really amazing, and he quickly figured out the taste preferences of foreigners.

Then he improved some dishes to suit the tastes of foreigners, and they soon became popular among many foreigners.

Jialiang made our restaurant business so prosperous. It was also because of the prosperity of the restaurant business that we were too busy last year and he did not come back to visit you, Master and Master’s Wife.”

When Wang Jialiang heard his wife say this, he said to his master, "Master, I have not brought shame to you."

Master Yan patted his apprentice on the shoulder and looked at the other apprentices present.

The old master sighed: "You haven't brought shame to the master."

Yan Jianxing smiled and said, "Dad, Mom, let's all sit down and talk about whatever we want to say."

The master's wife also said immediately: "Yes, yes, sit down and talk, sit down and talk."

Master Yan also nodded: "That's right, everyone sit down, everyone sit down."

Then Feng Zhengming and the others sat down around the big round table.

After sitting down, Master Yan glanced at the apprentices present.

At this moment, the old man's heart was filled with pride.

After working in the business for many years, Yan Xilou finally closed down on his own, which was a stain on Master Yan.

But these apprentices in front of him have all achieved some results.

Master Yan feels that his career is being continued by his apprentices.

Especially Feng Zhengming who was present.

This is Master Yan’s youngest apprentice.

He successfully won the first prize in the national cooking competition.

Master Yan is most proud of him.

"Master failed to set a good example for you. Yanxilou closed down under Master's leadership, but none of you let Master down. With your own abilities, you have still established a firm foothold in Shandong cuisine.

Whether you are in Quancheng, leaving Quancheng, or even leaving the country.

Your current achievements are worthy of praise and are the result of your own hard work.

Master congratulates you, and thank you for saving Master’s face.”

Master's words made Feng Zhengming and the others stand up immediately.

Fellow disciples all said that the Master had done nothing wrong and that the Master was a role model for everyone.

Feng Zhengming said: "Master, without the things you taught us with all your heart and soul, we would not have the good cooking skills we have now. The closure of Yanxilou is not your fault, Master."

Wang Jialiang followed up and said, "Yes, Master, don't always blame yourself. The problem with Yanxilou is the problem with the managers, not your craftsmanship."

Li Huidong said seriously: "Without your teaching, Master, we would not have the skills we have now."

Everyone was filled with gratitude towards Master.

It can be said that everyone’s job was given by the master.

How could the disciples think that there was nothing wrong with their master?

Zhang Lili looked at the expressions of her husband's fellow disciples and heard what her master said.

She seemed to understand what her parents had told her about Chinese traditions.

The difference between Chinese masters and Western teachers.

Perhaps the West emphasizes equal relationships between people.

It is difficult to understand the relationship between master and apprentice in China.

A good master is not just a teacher who imparts knowledge and answers questions, but more like a father who guides his disciples forward.

In today's reality where China is accelerating its integration with the world, this kind of master-disciple relationship may be sneered at by many people.

Even before Zhang Lili witnessed it with her own eyes, she didn't really understand the relationship between master and disciple.

But now I have seen it with my own eyes, especially seeing Master Yan, the master, honestly telling his disciples that he, as a master, has not set a good example for them.

Zhang Lili felt the strength of the master-disciple relationship.

Master Yan is truly a master who is no less capable than any of my fathers. (End of this chapter)