From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

After some careful preparation, Feng Zhengming's third uncle and Grandpa Situ also helped him buy a complete set of hiking equipment.

Finally, on May 5th, he set off with Ding Yuan and two people sent by his second uncle.

What surprised Feng Zhengming was that the two people sent by his second uncle were also acquaintances.

One of them is Gao Yongfu, who had competed with Feng Zhengming in swordsmanship in the army.

There was another person who was once my second uncle’s bodyguard, named Hou Dong.

Hou Dong also likes cooking. After seeing Feng Zhengming's cooking skills in the army, he took the initiative to apply to be transferred to the kitchen team.

This time, Hou Dong took the initiative to apply to accompany Feng Zhengming on his hiking trip across Qi and Lu after learning the news.

Although Hou Dong is not tall, his sturdy arms and legs look particularly powerful.

It is not difficult to see that Hou Dong should have performed very well in military training.

When Feng Zhengming met Hou Dong, he thought that his second uncle agreed to let him follow him probably because of his good physical fitness.

Of course, it can be said that each of the four people on this trip is absolutely physically strong.

Needless to say, the three men have served in the military and their physical fitness is excellent.

Feng Zhengming is taller and stronger, and the muscles in his arms are no less than those of the three former soldiers.

Grandpa Feng and Grandpa Situ took Uncle San's car and went to the edge of Quancheng to see them off.

Looking at Feng Zhengming and the other three, everyone couldn't help but feel relieved about their trip.

The way these four of them act, I'm afraid no one would dare to provoke them even if they were walking on the street.

Feng Zhengming said goodbye to his two grandfathers and his family with a smile on his face.

"Grandpa Situ, I'm not at home. You should take care of your health and don't cook for yourself. We have two dry rice restaurants and Huiquan Restaurant. You can go and order whatever you want and let them cook it for you."

Grandpa Feng's face suddenly turned stern: "What nonsense are you talking about, brat? You can't just eat at our own business."

I know that grandpa is not really angry, he just doesn’t want to cause trouble for everyone in the shop.

Feng Zhengming quickly comforted his grandfather: "Grandpa, it's really okay, you and Grandpa Situ go to eat, how much does it cost for a meal? We don't need three meals for you, you can go and eat."

Feng Zhengming then added: "It's okay if you don't go. I've told the restaurant that if they don't want you to go at mealtime, they'll send you home."

This really made Grandpa Feng a little dissatisfied: "What are you doing? Do you really think of the people in the shop as your slaves?"

Without waiting for Feng Zhengming to open his mouth to persuade him, Grandpa Situ smiled and tried to smooth things over.

"The child is so thoughtful. Don't be so angry. He is just worried that when he is not at home, our two old men might have problems with their arms and legs while cooking."

Feng Zhengming quickly agreed: "Yes, yes, Grandpa Situ understands my intentions, Grandpa, don't be angry, you can go to the shop with Grandpa Situ to eat, so I can rest assured."

Of course, Grandpa Feng also knew how Feng Zhengming felt about him.

He finally nodded and agreed.

"Okay, I'll go eat with your Grandpa Situ."

Feng Zhengming laughed when he heard this: "Okay, it's settled."

The third uncle then stepped forward and said, "Zhengming, you actually have a driver's license. You can ask your second uncle to get you a jeep. Wouldn't it be convenient for you to drive together?"

Feng Zhengming shook his head: "Uncle San, if we drive, we will just be rushing around and won't be able to truly understand the situation in various parts of Qi and Lu.

And only when you really step on the land of Qilu can you feel the breath of your hometown more deeply.”

Mr. Situ couldn't help laughing after hearing this: "Zhengming, you really don't look like a cook. You look more like a scholar who can cook."

"Hahaha, I dare not. I am not a scholar. I have never been to a proper school. I really don't understand those poems and lyrics."

Grandpa Situ immediately reminded him: "You should take time to read and learn from this. Food should not only taste good, but also have its own culture. If you don't know how to tell the cultural story of food well, you will suffer."

Feng Zhengming was a little surprised. He didn't expect that Grandpa Situ could think of this in this era.

In the future, many domestic and foreign delicacies will indeed rise by telling stories.

Shandong cuisine is precisely the type that can’t tell a good story.

This time, Feng Zhengming insisted on walking across the entire Qilu area.

I just want to go to every corner of Qi and Lu.

Let’s go and see the place where Shandong cuisine originated and developed. What kind of stories are there?
Perhaps it can become his material in the future, allowing him to tell the story of Shandong cuisine better.

Feng Zhengming responded to Grandpa Situ seriously: "Okay, I will take time to study and read books, and strive to tell the cultural stories of food well in the future."

The second uncle still instructed Feng Zhengming and the other two to accompany him.

Let them pay attention to safety on the road, the key is to protect Feng Zhengming.

Feng Zhengming said goodbye to Luo Qing again.

Luo Qing expressed her position to Feng Zhengming in a serious manner.

"I will also study hard. I will try to pass the junior accountant exam by the time you come back. I will also learn more from Uncle San. I may go to the island city in the second half of the year. If you pass by there, we will meet there."

Seeing Luo Qing now, Feng Zhengming is actually very happy about the various changes that have taken place in her.

Luo Qing is a beautiful ticket seller from a train station.

Now she is slowly developing the temperament of a female manager.

Witnessing Luo Qing's changes with his own eyes, Feng Zhengming felt as if he was raising a strong woman with his own hands.

So when Feng Zhengming saw Luo Qing now, he actually felt a little sense of accomplishment.

He believed that Luo Qing would become more and more powerful.

When he goes south to Shanghai in the future, Luo Qing will become his best helper.

Perhaps by then, Luo Qing will expand her uncle's business to Shanghai.

There is a strong and powerful woman who supports me in opening a high-end restaurant.

Feng Zhengming felt that this should be a very pleasant thing.

Thinking of this, Feng Zhengming hugged Luo Qing.

He whispered softly in her ear: "Don't put too much pressure on yourself, we still have a lot of time, and we don't have to rush to do many things. We can learn slowly and do them slowly.

I'm not at home, so when you have time, remember to help me visit my two grandfathers, and take good care of yourself."

Luo Qing also hugged Feng Zhengming and whispered in his ear.

"I know. You must pay attention to safety on the road. If you really encounter danger, run away quickly. Don't rely on your good health to fight with others."

Feng Zhengming smiled and agreed: "Don't worry, we are not going to fight."

At this moment, everyone who was seeing them off watched Feng Zhengming and Luo Qing hugging each other.

Everyone had a smile on their face.

Now Feng Zhengming and Luo Qing are more like ordinary young people.

After saying a few words, Feng Zhengming finally reminded Luo Qing.

"Talk to your parents about your brother's studies. Stop scolding him all the time and ask him to study hard. He must learn the maintenance techniques well before he can do a good job."

When Luo Qing heard this, Feng Zhengming still didn't forget about his brother.

Her heart was also deeply moved.

After the Chinese New Year, Luo Qing never asked about her brother's affairs.

It was only later that she found out that Feng Zhengming had really helped her brother find a home appliance repairman.

Then Luo Wenhan really started to study seriously.

I heard from my parents that my brother is even quite serious every day.

Luo Qing loved Feng Zhengming even more.

Because he always thinks of many things before her.

Feng Zhengming always takes Luo Qing's affairs, whether personal or family, to heart.

Luo Qing was touched and whispered back, "Don't worry, I will visit Grandpa and Grandpa Situ often and make sure they don't get into any trouble. I will also tell my parents about your words to my brother."

Finally, it was time to say goodbye. Luo Qing couldn't help crying. Second Aunt and Third Aunt comforted her.

Feng Zhengming led the group, waved goodbye to his family, and the four of them set off on their journey together.

The whole family watched Feng Zhengming and his companions go far east, their hearts full of anticipation for Feng Zhengming's trip.

After leaving the city of Quancheng, Ding Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Chef, where should we go first?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and replied, "Let's go east first, to Qiucheng. There we have green onions, which are indispensable for Shandong cuisine, and iron pans, which are essential for cooking. We must go and take a good look."

Originally Qiucheng was just a small county, but now it has been established as a county-level city.

It is still under the jurisdiction of Quancheng.

Just as Feng Zhengming said, the green onions produced in Qiucheng are indispensable to Shandong cuisine.

Qiucheng’s iron pan is also a must-have tool for Shandong cuisine chefs.

Qiucheng is not far from Quancheng. If you drive here, it will only take more than an hour.

Of course, if you walk, it’s quite a long way.

However, Feng Zhengming and the others didn't care at all.

The group of people were talking as they walked.

Ding Yuan, Gao Yongfu and Hou Dong took this opportunity to learn cooking skills from Feng Zhengming, the national cooking champion.

Feng Zhengming naturally knew everything and could give answers to all the questions raised by the three people.

Three people even talked about the problems they encountered in cooking.

Feng Zhengming will also tell them how to solve the problem?

Finally, we walked into a wilderness.

There are large tracts of farmland on both sides of the road.

Feng Zhengming and his friends were walking and looking around.

You can also see some farmers busy working in the fields.

The journey took about three or four hours.

Finally, Feng Zhengming and his friends saw the fields planted with green onions.

Ding Yuan saw the first one and exclaimed: "Look, it's green onions, green onions."

Gao Yongfu couldn't help but laugh at Ding Yuan after hearing his exclamation: "You've never seen a green onion before? Why are you making such a fuss?"

Ding Yuan immediately retorted: "Who hasn't seen it? Let me tell you, before I joined the army, my family also planted onions in our fields, but my family only planted shallots."

Feng Zhengming led the three people to the edge of the field and looked at the green onions one by one, feeling quite excited.

Just at this moment, I saw someone coming out of the village beside the field.

Feng Zhengming hurried forward and greeted the other party politely.

"Hello, may I ask if the green onions here are yours?"

The other party looked at Feng Zhengming.

I have to say that the other party was wearing dark blue coarse cloth clothes.

Compared with the hiking equipment that Feng Zhengming's third uncle and Grandpa Situ bought for him, there really feels like a world of difference.

But when the other party heard Feng Zhengming's accent, he still smiled.

"We belong to this family. Are you from the city?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and replied, "Yes, we are from Quancheng. We came here and saw that your green onions are growing so well. Can you sell us a few to quench our thirst?"

The farmer immediately smiled and told Feng Zhengming and the others to go and pull them out.

"You guys are just picking them, why bother buying them? What are a few onions worth?"

This made Feng Zhengming feel a little embarrassed.

The three people with him felt even more embarrassed.

The education they received in the army was that they should not take even a single penny or thread from the masses.

This allows them to pull any onion from the ground without paying.

The three of them really couldn't accept it.

However, this farmer was quite generous. He simply pulled out four of them and gave them to Feng Zhengming and the others.

The farmer even pulled one out himself and taught Feng Zhengming and the others how to peel off the outermost layer and eat it.

"Eat it, it's sweet, our onions are delicious."

Unable to refuse the kind offer, Feng Zhengming and the others followed suit and peeled off the outermost dirt and onion skin and started eating.

The green onions are really sweet when you bite them.

Although the onion heart is a little spicy, it still tastes very sweet overall.

The key is that the scallions are very tender and no shreds will remain after chewing.

After eating a scallion, the sweet and spicy taste, as well as the moisture of the scallion, instantly made the four people no longer thirsty. It was even more effective than drinking water, and it felt like chewing on a juicy fruit.

While eating green onions, the farmer chatted with Feng Zhengming and others.

I asked about their origins and what they were doing here.
Feng Zhengming naturally did not say that he was the national champion in cooking.

I just told my fellow villagers that my group of four were planning to walk all over the land of Qi and Lu and see the scenery of various places in Qi and Lu on foot.

This statement also surprised the fellow villager.

"On foot? Walking? You are incredible. How big is Qilu? How long will it take you to walk there?"

Feng Zhengming and the other three laughed together.

"We can walk as long as we want. We just want to walk for a while and see how long it will take us."

This is still difficult for farmers to understand.

However, the farmers were still very enthusiastic and invited Feng Zhengming and his friends to visit the village.

Feng Zhengming and his friends followed the farmers into the village.

The group of people were also chatting as they walked.

We learned that the farmer's name was Chen Changsheng.

I heard Feng Zhengming and others mention another famous iron pot in Qiucheng.

Chen Changsheng told them that if they wanted to find someone who made iron pots, they would have to go quite a distance.

After entering the village, Feng Zhengming and his three companions could still feel that the village was a bit backward.

It can be seen that some homes do not even have electricity.

But the villagers are still very hospitable.

They were quite enthusiastic about Feng Zhengming and his people.

Chickens and local dogs can be seen everywhere in the village, wandering around with people.

Feng Zhengming was deeply touched by such a simple village.

In his past and present lives, Feng Zhengming had spent most of his time in the city. This was his first time coming to a village like this.

This place is obviously a little more backward than the village where Luo Qing's grandparents live.

But just like the village of Luo Qing’s grandparents, the people here are also quite welcoming.

As soon as a stranger entered the village, people would run around the village shouting.

Finally, Feng Zhengming and his friends met Chen Changsheng and went to his home.

He still lives in a house made of earth and stones.

Chen Changsheng was still enthusiastic and invited Feng Zhengming and his friends to come in. At the same time, he shouted to the family, "Guests are coming. Prepare some more food tonight." (End of this chapter)