From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Director Zhang, who had visited the brewery, discussed with his brother-in-law Lin Jiacheng about letting him run the branch.

Feng Zhengming quickly selected a store location for the branch.

The shop is located on the south side of the brewery’s staff quarters.

Just a little to the east is the university.

There are also residential areas for employees of several other factories nearby.

Maybe this place is not as prosperous as the city, but there are definitely a lot of customers here.

Especially since it is not far from the university, I believe it will attract some college students in the future.

After selecting the shop, Feng Zhengming initially wanted to buy it directly.

But after asking, we found out that the shop belonged to someone else's factory, so they were unwilling to sell it.

Feng Zhengming had no choice but to choose long-term rental.

I signed a five-year lease directly with the other party.

After renting the place, Feng Zhengming once again found the Liujiacun decoration team and asked them to help him start decorating the new store.

Feng Zhengming was busy preparing for the new store.

In the brewery, after Lin Jiacheng and Li Huidong withdrew from the canteen contract, Fang Jian immediately contacted his brother-in-law and asked him to take over the canteen contract.

Among those who contracted the brewery canteen was Fang Hongyan.

Then when Fang Jian saw the group of chefs his brother-in-law had brought, he couldn't help but get angry.

"You're going to find this kind of chef to cook in the cafeteria? Are the dishes they cook edible? I asked you to contract the cafeteria, not to destroy the cafeteria's signboard."

Fang Jian's brother-in-law also looked helpless: "Brother-in-law, you also know that the salary of a proper chef is not low."

Hearing what his brother-in-law said, Fang Jian said seriously, "What's wrong with the salary being not low? Can't you hire a chef and hire apprentices who just graduated from vocational schools for the rest?"

The brother-in-law suddenly understood: "I understand, brother-in-law."

Fang Jian was thinking in his mind: Li Huidong went to the kitchen of Huiquanlou, can his two apprentices be found?
In the next few days, the brother-in-law found several more chefs to taste the dishes for Fang Jian.

As a result, Fang Jiandu was not satisfied with these chefs.

My brother-in-law was driven a little crazy by Fang Jian.

"Brother-in-law, aren't you asking too much? I think the dishes made by the previous chefs are really good."

Without waiting for Fang Jian to speak, Fang Hongyan who was present could not help but speak.

"Uncle, do you think it's possible that you were used to eating Li Huidong's dishes in the cafeteria, so your taste has been spoiled, and now you don't like these ordinary chefs?"

Fang Hongyan's words immediately reminded Fang Jian.

He thought about it carefully and felt that it might be true.

"Indeed, you are right, Hongyan. The dishes we ate in the cafeteria before were all made by Li Huidong. He is our top student, so his cooking skills must be impeccable. Any dish he makes is better than that of an ordinary chef."

As soon as the brother-in-law found the problem, he quickly backed out.

"Look, brother-in-law, I told you that your taste is too picky. There's really nothing wrong with those chefs, but after you tasted their dishes, you thought their skills weren't good enough."

When Fang Jian heard his brother-in-law say this, he couldn't help but feel a headache.

"What can we do? The factory has been open for several days, but the canteen has not yet resumed business."

Fang Hongyan thought for a moment and said, "Uncle, do you think we can go find Li Huidong's two apprentices? Li Huidong went to Huiquanlou, but his two apprentices were not taken with him, right?"

"How do you know that Li Huidong's two disciples didn't go to Huiquanlou with him?"

When Fang Jian asked her, Fang Hongyan smiled and replied, "Uncle, I heard that if Feng Zhengming wants to work in the kitchen of Huiquanlou, he must work in a dry rice shop for at least a year, and no one is exempt.

So I thought, if Li Huidong went to the kitchen of Huiquanlou, it would be impossible for his two apprentices to follow him directly into Huiquanlou.”

Fang Jian's brother-in-law was a little surprised when he heard this: "Is there such a thing?"

Fang Jian sighed, "Feng Zhengming is really a capable guy, much more capable than his fellow brothers."

After a short pause, Fang Jian continued to praise: "By doing this, he ensures that the people who enter Huiquanlou's kitchen are all experts, which is equivalent to preserving Huiquanlou's reputation."

Fang Hongyan took the opportunity to say, "Uncle, you are right, but Zhang Lei and Yang Peng may not think so."

Next, Fang Hongyan conducted an analysis of people’s hearts.

"Zhang Lei and Yang Peng have been learning cooking from Li Huidong for so many years. I heard that they became his apprentices when Li Huidong was still in Yanxilou. Later, Li Huidong became independent and contracted the factory canteen, and he always kept them with him.

Now, thanks to his fellow apprentice, Li Huidong has become the head chef of Huiquanlou, but he did not bring his two apprentices who had been learning cooking from him for many years.

Even if Zhang Lei and Yang Peng don't say it, they must be unhappy in their hearts."

After Fang Hongyan's analysis.

Fang Jian's brother-in-law immediately said, "Yes, Yan Zi is right. If Li Huidong goes to Huiquan Restaurant to be the head chef without taking his two apprentices with him, the two apprentices will definitely not be happy."

Fang Hongyan continued, "Uncle, why don't you find a way to contact Li Huidong's two apprentices and bring them back to the cafeteria?"

Fang Jian had originally thought about going back to find Zhang Lei and Yang Peng.

Now, after listening to Fang Hongyan's analysis, I also think it may be feasible.

But he was still a little hesitant: "They have been with Li Huidong for so many years? This time I squeezed Li Huidong out of the cafeteria, can they come back to help me?"

The brother-in-law immediately said, "Brother-in-law, we can give them a little more money."

Fang Hongyan followed up by saying, "Also, they are back in the cafeteria, so we can let them cook."

The brother-in-law agreed, "That's right, they can be the chef when they come back. Even if they followed Li Huidong to Huiquanlou, they are not qualified to be the chef in the kitchen of Huiquanlou."

The more Fang Hongyan and his brother-in-law talked, the more Fang Jian felt that it made sense.

"Okay, I'll ask someone where they are. Ask them."

Fang Hongyan said: "They should be at Feng Zhengming's restaurant. It may be difficult to find Yang Peng, but Zhang Lei should be easy to persuade."

"Why is Zhang Lei easier to persuade?" Fang Jian's brother-in-law still didn't quite understand.

Fang Jian said: "Zhang Lei is a local. His father used to work in the brewery. Later, he was asked to take over the job. It is easy to find him. If we ask him to come back to work in the brewery, I think his brother and sister-in-law will speak for us."

The brother-in-law thought about it and clapped his hands: "Yes, there is also Zhang Lei's sister-in-law. That woman has also worked in the cafeteria for a long time. She is very good at making dumplings. We can call her back together. Then Zhang Lei will definitely be willing to come back."

After hearing this, Fang Jian felt that it was almost certain that he could get Zhang Lei back.

After the discussion, Fang Jian went directly to Zhang Lei’s brother’s house the next day.

Brother Zhang Lei didn't expect that Deputy Factory Director Fang Jian would come to his home.

He quickly invited Fang Jian in.

"Director Fang, look, why are you here?"

Zhang Lei's brother Zhang Yong was full of flattery towards Fang Jian.

After Fang Jian entered the room, he first chatted with Zhang Yong about family matters with a smile on his face.

I asked about Zhang Yong’s recent situation in the factory.
Gradually the topic turned to Zhang Lei.

"Zhang Yong, regarding the canteen, I didn't expect that Li Huidong would not take over the contract. Now, your Zhang Lei has also left. I wonder if Zhang Lei has a job now?" When Zhang Yong heard Fang Jian asking about his brother, he asked in surprise, "Director Fang, don't you know?"

Fang Jian was even more puzzled: "What do I know?"

Zhang Yong could only tell Fang Jian what happened again.

"It's like this, I heard that Lei Zi's junior uncle, the national champion chef Feng, is going to open a dry rice shop branch near the brewery.

Lei Zi and his junior fellow apprentice Xiao Peng did not go to Huiquanlou with Master Li, but were arranged to run the new restaurant here.

I think it’s not bad, at least he can commute to get off work close to home, and if he starts by practicing in a restaurant, he might have the opportunity to become a chef at Huiquanlou in the future.”

Fang Jian was shocked when he heard this.

He didn't expect that Feng Zhengming would actually open a branch near the brewery.

He almost immediately thought, isn't this just an attempt to steal his canteen's business?

The staff family quarters of the brewery are actually connected to the staff family quarters of several other factories.

Li Huidong made the brewery canteen famous.

Workers from other factories also often ran to the brewery canteen to buy meals after work.

Because the canteen is contracted by Li Huidong and his team.

In addition, the employees from other nearby factories and the brewery employees are all co-workers who see each other every day.

Therefore, the brewery did not refuse people from other factories from coming to the canteen to buy meals.

Over time, the brewery's canteen became a large canteen shared by employees and their families from several nearby factories.

Fang Jian also saw that this part had more money to make.

That's why he began to retreat to the second line after Director Zhang fell ill, and took the opportunity to squeeze Li Huidong and others, wanting to drive Li Huidong and Lin Jiacheng away so that he could take over the canteen contract.

Now hearing what Zhang Yong said, Fang Jian suddenly realized that the crisis had quietly approached him.

If Feng Zhengming opened a branch of Ganfanpu near the brewery.

Then who can run a better restaurant than Feng Zhengming?
Who in Quancheng doesn’t know that he is the champion of the national cooking competition?
Feng's dry rice restaurant in the city center is always doing booming business.

On the one hand, Feng Zhengming is well-known.

On the other hand, although he is very famous, the prices of the items in Fengjia Restaurant have not increased and still remain the same.

Even the pork belly is still 5 cents a piece.

Just based on this price, who in Quanzhou City, and even the entire province of Qilu, would not give a thumbs up to Feng Zhengming?
Fang Jian suddenly realized that he might have come to the wrong place to find Zhang Lei.

I’m afraid Zhang Lei won’t go to the cafeteria to work for him.

Zhang Yong was a little surprised when he saw Fang Jian kept silent.

"Director Fang, why did you come to see Zhang Lei today?"

Fang Jian came back to his senses, thought about it and decided to tell his purpose.

"Oh, it's like this. Isn't my brother-in-law the one who has contracted the factory cafeteria now? They can't find a suitable chef, and I thought your Lei Zi has been learning from Master Li for many years. So I wanted to ask if your Lei Zi is willing to go back to the cafeteria?"

After Zhang Yong heard what Fang Jian said, he immediately understood Fang Jian's intention.

Isn't this clearly an attempt to poach people?

But before Zhang Yong could open his mouth, his wife, who came out from the kitchen to pour water, quickly spoke.

"Director Fang, it's such a small matter that you have to come here in person. You can tell our Zhang Yong at the factory, and he will come back and tell Lei Zi. Lei Zi will definitely go to the factory cafeteria."

When Zhang Yong heard his wife say this, he immediately frowned, thinking that what his wife said was inappropriate.

Fang Jian was also a little surprised when he heard what Zhang Yong’s wife said.

Zhang Yong's wife, Zhang Lei's sister-in-law, took the opportunity to continue speaking.

"Director Fang, can I go back to the cafeteria as well? I learned a lot of things in the cafeteria before, such as how to make the fillings for the buns in the cafeteria. Can I go back to the cafeteria with our Lei Zi?"

These words immediately made Fang Jian and Zhang Yong understand.

Zhang Lei’s sister-in-law was so enthusiastic that she immediately agreed to let Zhang Lei return to the cafeteria.

In fact, she wanted to go back to the cafeteria.

Originally, Feng Zhengming also agreed to let Zhang Lei's wife go with him to the Ganfanpu branch.

But today Fang Jian came to the door, which gave Zhang Lei's sister-in-law a new idea.

In the eyes of Zhang Lei's sister-in-law, she was at most an ordinary waitress in Feng Zhengming's dry rice shop.

Besides, Feng Zhengming’s dry rice shop is, after all, a private shop.

Zhang Lei’s sister-in-law feels that it still cannot be compared with the brewery canteen.

Although they were not formal employees in the brewery canteen, Zhang Lei's sister-in-law felt that working in the brewery canteen gave it a better reputation.

Moreover, Zhang Lei's sister-in-law was still thinking about continuing to work in the cafeteria.

In the future, we can continue to eat in the cafeteria, which can save the family a lot of expenses.

When Fang Jian heard Zhang Yong's wife say this, he smiled and responded, "Of course, I came here because my brother-in-law thinks that Zhang Lei and his sister-in-law have great cooking skills, so he wants to invite you back."

Zhang Lei's sister-in-law agreed without saying a word.

"Okay, Director Fang, don't worry. When Lei Zi comes back, his brother and I will tell him. He listens to his brother the most. As long as we tell him, he will definitely be willing to go back to the cafeteria."

Then Zhang Lei's sister-in-law asked another question.

"But Director, if we go back, what will the salary be?"

Fang Jian smiled and said, "Don't worry about this. When you go back, I will tell my brother-in-law that I will increase the salary given to Chef Lei Zi and yours as well."

Hearing these words, Zhang Lei's sister-in-law smiled happily and did not give Zhang Yong any chance to speak.

"Okay, okay, thank you, Director. Don't worry, we will definitely let Leizi go back to the cafeteria. This way, the two brothers will be in the factory and can take care of each other. Don't you agree?"

Fang Jian nodded with a smile: "Yes, that's right, the two brothers are both in the factory, it will be much better to take care of each other."

Zhang Yong always felt that it was inappropriate for his wife to agree to Fang Jian, but he didn't know what to say at this time.

Only after Fang Jian left did Zhang Yong finally lose his patience.

"How can you just help Xiao Lei agree to such a thing? Xiao Lei goes to his junior master's dry rice shop. In the future, if he has the opportunity to learn the skills well and go to Huiquan Restaurant, he can become a master chef."

Without waiting for his wife to speak, Zhang Yong continued, "What future does he have if he knows how to run the factory cafeteria?"

His wife was not afraid of Zhang Yong at all: "Future? How much is the future worth? Lei Zi went to Feng Zhengming's restaurant and got an apprentice's salary, but I'll be a waiter there, so I have a future?"

Without giving Zhang Yong a chance to refute, his wife continued, "Now Fang Jian's brother-in-law has contracted the canteen, and they couldn't find a suitable chef, so they came to us and begged us.

At a time like this, if Lei Zi and I go back to help them, won’t they worship us?
Director Zhang is about to retire, and Fang Jian may be the new director. Will he forget your kindness by then? Will he not promote you?"

Zhang Yong was completely speechless after hearing what his wife said. (End of this chapter)