From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

The ceremony ended smoothly and everyone present was very happy that Feng Zhengming had officially accepted him as a disciple.

Afterwards, Xia Hui reunited with her family.

In recent years, as Xia Hui's skills have improved and her status with Feng Zhengming has increased, her family's attitude towards her has also changed.

Even her father, who had initially been strongly opposed to her learning cooking, has now tacitly agreed to her learning cooking.

The mother was so excited when she saw Xia Hui that she hugged her.

"Huihui, you are awesome. Mom is proud of you. You are the first disciple that Feng Zhuangyuan accepted. You will be the eldest sister of the Zhuangyuan family in the future. You will definitely achieve great things."

Xia Hui hugged her mother and was also a little excited.

"Mom, I finally did it. I successfully proved with my cooking skills that I can be a great chef."

When father Xia Zhennan heard his daughter's words, he couldn't help but said something coldly.

"Don't be proud. You are just an apprentice, not a disciple yet."

After hearing her father's words, Xia Hui was not unhappy. Instead, she responded to her father with a smile.

"Dad, you don't object to me learning cooking now?"

When Xia Zhennan was asked this question, his face suddenly changed. He hesitated for a moment and looked at Grandpa Xia Hui.

In the end, Xia Zhennan could only swallow his anger and say, "Will my objection be of any use?"

After hearing her father's words, Xia Hui did not show a smug smile of victory.

Instead, she expressed her opinion to her father with a serious face.

"Don't worry, Dad. I will learn the craft from my master. In the future, I will also incorporate everything I learned from my master into our Xia family's Confucius Mansion cuisine and make it even better."

Hearing Xia Hui's serious statement, Xia Zhennan felt for the first time that he might have underestimated his daughter.

At this time, Xia Zhennan realized that his daughter was really serious about learning cooking.

She really wants to prove to everyone that even if she is a woman, she can still be a good chef.

Xia Zhennan hesitated for a moment, but still reached out and took his daughter's hand.

As a father, how could Xia Zhennan not feel distressed when he saw the thick calluses on his daughter's hands?

"You have been willful since childhood. Look at your hands. How can they look like a girl's hands? Why do you have to endure this hardship?"

Xia Hui realized that her father still loved her and still cared about her.

She suddenly hugged her father.

"Dad, I really like cooking. I am willing to endure hardships in order to cook well. I also want to pass on the Confucius Mansion cuisine with my brother."

When Xia Zhennan was hugged by his daughter, he was stunned for a while, then he gently patted his daughter on the back.

"Study hard, your master is a very powerful person, I believe you will become powerful too."

At this moment, Master Xia, Xia Hui's mother and brother were very moved to see that the father and daughter had finally reconciled.

Xia Mingye watched for a while and couldn't help muttering: "The gap between me and my sister is getting bigger and bigger. She has become the apprentice of Uncle Feng, while I can only be the manager of a branch of the dry rice shop."

When Xia Hui heard what her brother said, she smiled and reached out to tap him.

"You must be a good store manager and don't let the store run badly. You must also keep your skills up and practice them well."

Xia Mingye reached out and rubbed the head that was hit by his sister: "Sister, you'll make me stupid if you hit me like this."

Xia Hui smiled and said, "Okay, I won't knock you anymore. You need to run the branch well."

Xia Mingye: "Don't worry, I have tried my best."

Xia Hui: "Just work hard. I believe you can run the branch well. Maybe you can come back home and take over the Shili Restaurant in the future."

Xia Mingye: "Sister, aren't you going home to take over the restaurant?"

Xia Hui: "I won't compete with you. The family inheritance still depends on you."

Hearing his sister say this, Xia Mingye suddenly felt depressed.

"No, sister, it's unreasonable for you, the top scholar's apprentice, not to go back and take over this restaurant, right?"

Xia Hui: "I haven't graduated yet. I still need to run the restaurant in Shanghai with my master."

Xia Mingye looked depressed: "Why do I feel that you are planning to stay in Shanghai?"

At this time, Sun Hai also came over.

"Your sister is indeed planning to stay in Shanghai, because the store in Shanghai needs us to stay there."

The mother was a little surprised when she heard this: "Huihui, you are really not coming back?"

Xia Hui: "Mom, we won't be back for now. Maybe when Sun Hai and I are both masters, and our skills can rival those of a master chef, we will come back then."

The mother was a little worried: "How long do we have to wait?"

Master Xia: "Children should go out and gain more experience, not just stay at home."

Xia Zhennan made a somewhat awkward joke: "I am still young and strong, how can it be the turn of these two little ones to take over?"

The joke was a bit awkward, but it still eased the atmosphere at home.

Xia Hui's mother felt that the fact that her husband could joke showed that he had indeed changed.

For Xia Hui and Xia Mingye, this was the first time in their lives that they saw their father tell a joke.

The brother and sister looked at each other, and then couldn't help laughing at the same time.

Xia Mingye: "Dad, I find that you really have the potential to tell jokes."

Naturally, these words caused Xia Mingye to be slapped by his father.

"Hey, Dad just told my sister that hitting me like this would make me stupid, why did you hit me harder than my sister?"

Seeing his son's expression, Xia Zhennan could only say coldly, "If you keep talking nonsense, I'll show you how I'll deal with you."

The atmosphere in the Xia family became quite harmonious, and Master Xia was very happy to see such a change in the family atmosphere.

Although Xia Hui and Xia Mingye are both away from home now, Master Xia believes that they will return home sooner or later, and the inheritance of Confucius cuisine will still fall on their shoulders.

Feng Zhengming saw off some guests and returned to Huiquan Building, where he saw the Xia family standing together and chatting.

He also noticed that the atmosphere among the Xia family was very good.

Especially when he saw a smile on Xia Zhennan's face, Feng Zhengming felt that Xia Zhennan should have also accepted the fact that Xia Hui was learning cooking.

Just as Feng Zhengming stood there watching and thinking, his wife came to him holding their daughter.

"Daddy, hehe, daddy, hug me."

When the daughter saw her father, she immediately stretched out her hands and asked her father to hug her.

Feng Zhengming naturally took his daughter from his wife's arms.

Luo Qing handed her daughter to her husband and looked at the atmosphere at the Xia family over there.

"It seems that after Xia Hui became a disciple this time, her relationship with her family has changed."

Luo Qing asked: "Is it because she became your disciple that her family members have a different view of her?"

Feng Zhengming smiled: "Not really, it's just that Senior Brother Xia accepted the fact that she wanted to learn cooking."

Luo Qing was a little surprised: "He never accepted it before?"

Feng Zhengming: "Of course I didn't accept it before, but I couldn't change it, so I had no choice but to stop it." Luo Qing: "It means Xia Hui's father really loves her. To be honest, learning to cook is very hard."

Feng Zhengming: "It is indeed very hard, so I won't let our daughter Youyou learn it. But if Youyou wants to learn it herself, I will let her try."

Luo Qing: "Hahaha, by then I'm afraid you'll feel as distressed as Xia Hui's father."

After hearing what his wife said, Feng Zhengming looked at his daughter in his arms.

He really had to admit that his wife was right.

In the future, I will feel sorry for my daughter and don’t want her to suffer the hardship of learning cooking, so I will really stop her from learning cooking.

Thinking of this, Feng Zhengming thought for a while.

"Well, when Youyou is a little older, we can cultivate her interests and hobbies to see what she likes in the end. I think all kinds of literature and art can be cultivated for her."

Luo Qing laughed immediately after hearing this: "Hahaha, you really know how to plan ahead. You let your daughter like other things early on and don't let her get involved in the kitchen, right?"

When his wife pointed it out, Feng Zhengming said directly: "Yes, let our daughter like other things, and she won't think about learning cooking in the future."

In the past, Feng Zhengming really couldn’t understand the doting some fathers had on their daughters.

But I really have a daughter, and I see how dependent and coquettish she is to me.

As a father, Feng Zhengming falls easily and does his best to spoil his daughter.

Luo Qing has already noticed this clue, so she would remind her husband from time to time.

"You can stop your daughter from learning cooking, but if she likes other things, she will have to work hard to learn them. You must not feel bad when the time comes, or stop her from learning if she doesn't want to learn anymore."

After hearing what his wife said, Feng Zhengming lowered his head and looked at the daughter in his arms.

"I shouldn't, right?"

Luo Qing: "You are not confident enough to say that."

Feng Zhengming could only smile: "Okay, you will be in charge of her when the time comes. As long as she chooses something she likes, if she doesn't want to continue learning it, you will be responsible for disciplining her."

Luo Qing: "Don't forget what you said now. I haven't even started to discipline my daughter yet, but you're already protecting her."

Feng Zhengming: "You can't discipline them too harshly. It's still okay for girls to have a little temper."

Luo Qing laughed immediately: "Haha, look, it hasn't even started yet and you're already trying to make up for your spoiling."

Feng Zhengming felt a little helpless after hearing what his wife said.

After becoming a father, he really couldn't guarantee that he would not be soft-hearted if someone begged him with tears in the future.

In the end, Feng Zhengming had no choice but to make a serious decision: "Then I will continue to work hard, so that I can create good conditions for my daughter in the future, so that she won't have to suffer too much."

Luo Qing could only sigh helplessly.

She knew that no matter what she said now, it would not be able to stop her husband from doting on their daughter.

However, judging from Feng Zhengming's current behavior, he still has a certain bottom line and will not spoil his daughter too much.

The young couple was thinking about their daughter's future education.

Xia Hui came over with her family.

Xia Hui's mother took the initiative to express her gratitude to Feng Zhengming.

"Thank you. It is an honor for Xia Hui and our family that you are willing to accept her as your apprentice."

Feng Zhengming: "You are too polite. It was Xia Hui who was willing to work hard. I took advantage of her by accepting her as my apprentice."

Xia Mingye: "Yes, Uncle Feng, you are not much older than me and my sister. Now that you have accepted my sister as your apprentice, you are older than us."

Xia Hui glared at her brother and said, "Master is of a higher generation than me, and you have always called me Uncle Master, haven't you?"

Xia Mingye thought for a moment and said, "That's true. We have been calling him Uncle Shi since the beginning."

Hearing what Xia Mingye said, everyone was immediately amused by him.

Mother: "When will you be as smart as your sister? When you are with your sister, I always feel like you don't seem to be my child."

Xia Mingye: "Yes, mom, didn't you give me enough nutrition? Why am I not as smart as my sister?"

"Hahaha……"

Xia Mingye's words finally made everyone laugh.

I really didn't expect that this kid would say this in front of his parents.

Xia Zhennan and his wife both looked helpless.

I was even a little embarrassed to face Feng Zhengming, and I didn't dare to face Master Xia's gaze.

Fortunately, Master Xia reached out and gently patted his eldest grandson's shoulder.

"Xiaoye is a person who appears foolish despite being wise. He often seems confused, but he actually knows what's going on. He just doesn't want to steal the limelight from his sister in front of everyone."

Feng Zhengming also agreed with what Master Xia said.

"Yes, I also think Xiaoye is very smart. He can learn many things at a glance, and he can master various skills very quickly. It's just that he deliberately hides his incompetence in front of his sister."

After hearing what his grandfather and Uncle Feng said, Xia Mingye immediately felt a little embarrassed.

"Master, Uncle Feng, please stop praising me like that. I feel embarrassed."

Feng Zhengming: "Be a good store manager and remember that the Jining branch cannot have any more problems."

Xia Hui also helped, saying, "That's right. Letting you be the store manager is a training for you. You must not be careless."

Xia Mingye was very serious this time: "I know, Uncle Feng, Sister, don't worry."

Seeing their son's serious look, the parents secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew that his son was not a stupid boy from a landlord's family.

Feng Zhengming then chatted with Master Xia and Xia Zhennan about some things related to Confucius Mansion cuisine.

"I think Confucius cuisine also needs to keep pace with the times and cannot simply stick to past traditions. We should work hard to learn and change some things that should be changed."

Master Xia strongly agrees with this point.

"Zhengming, you're right. The dish you asked Xiaohui to cook today really gave us some new ideas."

Feng Zhengming: "The roasted mandarin fish with eight delicacies in a flower basket is one of my attempts. It seems to be very successful. I think I will let Xia Hui continue to work hard in this area in the future."

Master Xia agreed: "Yes, we can continue to work in that direction."

Then, without waiting for Feng Zhengming to speak, Master Xia looked serious.

"Food should first be delicious. Only when it tastes good can we consider the plating design. This aspect may have been neglected in the past."

Feng Zhengming: "That can't be said. After all, we didn't eat Confucius Mansion cuisine every day in the past."

Master Xia nodded: "That's right. In the past, many dishes were used for sacrifices or banquets for receptions."

Feng Zhengming: "Now we want to let more people taste it, make the dishes more delicious, so that most people can taste it and ordinary people can afford it."

Both Master Xia and Xia Hui's father agreed with Feng Zhengming's words.

Xia Zhennan looked at his daughter and son, then at his father. He now admired his father's vision even more.

If it weren't for his father's insistence, Xia Zhennan would not have let his daughter learn cooking, nor would he have let his son follow Feng Zhengming.

Then the Kongfu cuisine may have missed the period of improvement and development to keep up with the times. (End of this chapter)