From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

When faced with external pressure, some people are more inclined to improve themselves in order to cope with that pressure.

However, some people, when faced with external pressure, will try to find ways to cause trouble for their opponents.

In Shanghai, where chefs from all over the country gather, the diverse regional cuisines create a somewhat mixed bag, resulting in varying levels of skill and character among the chefs.

Some people who were jealous of Feng Zhengming's increasingly successful business in Shanghai started to come up with crooked ideas to deal with him.

For example, they could find some of their fellow villagers to cause trouble at Feng Zhengming's shops.

At first, Feng Zhengming thought it was an isolated incident.

Later, they discovered that several of their stores in Shanghai were experiencing similar situations.

He knew this was not an isolated incident, but rather the work of someone instigating it.

In order to find out who was behind this, Feng Zhengming had to use some connections.

At first, Luo Qing and the others thought they should call the police to resolve the issue.

But Feng Zhengming knew very well that calling the police could not completely eliminate some problems.

After all, the police can't be watching your store all the time.

If the person behind it cannot be found, then the person who instigated it cannot be dealt with.

The other party could continue to cause trouble even when the police are not around.

Moreover, it is now 2000, and the mobility of people across the country is too great. Even if the police are notified, it may not be possible to catch the key person on the other side.

Therefore, Feng Zhengming decided to handle the matter in other ways.

Just like when he was protecting his wife in Jiangxi Province.

Moreover, Feng Zhengming could find even more connections in Shanghai.

For example, there are a few gourmets who treat his restaurant like their canteen.

Through them, Feng Zhengming met several people who could help him solve his problems.

Upon meeting, Feng Zhengming was quite direct with the other party.

"I want to know who is behind those people, and I want to have a proper talk with them. We need to sit down and clarify the issues. If I can resolve this, I can make some concessions."

Since Feng Zhengming was so direct, the mediators readily agreed.

"Alright, since you've said so, Scholar Feng, give us a few days and we'll help you find the person."

"If Feng Zhuangyuan is willing to make concessions, I believe they still know what to do."

"Don't worry, we will definitely do our best to mediate for Feng Zhuangyuan."

"Yes, yes, we're all in business, and harmony brings wealth."

Feng Zhengming did not treat these people unfairly; he gave them some benefits and promised to thank them again after the matter was settled.

Feng Zhengming didn't have to wait long before the other party found out who was behind the troublemaking.

Feng Zhengming did indeed have a formal negotiation with the other party.

At first, the other party wanted to control Feng Zhengming and force him to make some concessions.

Unfortunately, they made a mistake: Feng Zhengming has always been someone who responds better to gentle persuasion than force.

Since he started selling boxed lunches outside the train station, he has never bowed his head to anyone. He was able to fight with people at the train station back then, so naturally he won't easily bow his head now.

Therefore, Feng Zhengming's solution was very simple.

"You simply want to do business. I can give you an opportunity to train your staff, and I can also visit your store to provide some guidance for improvement."

We will do our best to help you improve your business and make your shops better.

Naturally, some of the people present were dissatisfied with Feng Zhengming's solution.

"Feng Zhuangyuan, you're such a big boss now. You don't think you can just get rid of us with this, do you?"

"Yes, Mr. Feng, your business is so big, shouldn't you give us some compensation?"

“We came to Shanghai because we wanted to do business properly, but now you, Feng Zhuangyuan, have stolen our business. Giving us some compensation is nothing to you, is it?”

Upon hearing what the other person said, Feng Zhengming couldn't help but laugh.

He turned to look at the person who was trying to mediate the matter.

"What do you all think?"

The mediators looked at each other, and one of them spoke up: "You guys discuss it, we don't care how you discuss it."

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Okay, it seems there's no room for negotiation."

Upon hearing Feng Zhengming say, "There is no room for negotiation,"

This surprised everyone present.

Immediately afterwards, Feng Zhengming clapped his hands.

The door to the negotiation area was rudely opened.

Immediately afterwards, a group of people filed out.

The mediator was initially taken aback when he saw so many people rushing in.

Then they all said to Feng Zhengming, "Scholar Feng, this is not in accordance with the rules?"

Feng Zhengming stood up, his face turning cold.

"Rules? You're talking to me about rules? By what right? What gives you the right to talk to me about rules? Do you really think you can do whatever you want in Shanghai?"

The mediators were all taken aback; they hadn't expected Feng Zhengming to change his attitude so quickly.

Immediately afterwards, those who had been brought in by the mediators, the people who had orchestrated the events, all exclaimed in surprise.

"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on with you guys? We made a deal, you took our money."

"That's right, you took our money, how can you still help Feng Zhengming?"

"You guys don't follow the rules! You can't take money from both sides."

Those shop owners and chefs who had instigated the disturbances at Feng Zhengming's shops were all subdued instantly by the people Feng Zhengming had summoned.

The group of men in the lead smiled and said, "Excuse me, gentlemen, although we are from the same hometown, Scholar Feng offered more money, so we decided to help him."

Another leader said to his fellow villager, "Why don't you add more money? If you add more than Feng Zhuangyuan, we can help you too."

“That’s right, you can pay more. As long as you pay more, we’ll help you.”

The scene immediately descended into chaos, leaving both the mediator and the person who had initially sought to cause trouble at Feng Zhengming's shop stunned.

They never expected that Feng Zhengming would spend money to bribe the people who originally went to his shop to cause trouble, and then turn around and attack the people who initially ordered them.

One of the mediators still wanted to mediate.

“Scholar Feng, what you’re doing is a bit unfair.”

Feng Zhengming sneered: "You son of a bitch, do you really think I came to you because I need your help to mediate? Let me tell you, in Shanghai, I, Feng Zhengming, am not afraid of any of you. Do you really think I can't deal with you?"
Believe it or not, if we really break off relations, I have more money to buy my own life than you do.

Feng Zhengming's harsh words shocked everyone present.

No one expected Feng Zhengming to pull such a ruthless move.

Then, Feng Zhengming showed no intention of talking and turned to walk out. "Hey, hey, hey, Feng Zhengming, don't go! What do you mean by this?"

"You need to discuss your terms, and we'll agree to them, okay?"

"No, are you here today to get revenge on us?"

"You're breaking the law by having these people attack us."

Feng Zhengming ignored him completely and walked straight out.

After waiting outside for a while, several police cars arrived. Feng Zhengming explained the situation and let the police go in.

Soon, all the people who had been brought in to negotiate with Feng Zhengming that day, including the mediators who were supposed to mediate, and those who had been paid by Feng Zhengming to use violence, were taken out by the police.

A group of people stared blankly at Feng Zhengming standing next to the police car outside.

Even at this point, no one understood what Feng Zhengming was really up to.
Finally, Feng Zhengming voluntarily allowed the police to handcuff him.

"I consider this a confession. I couldn't bear the fact that these people had bribed others to affect my business, so I spent money to hire the same group of people to retaliate against them."

But as a law-abiding citizen, I feel ashamed of the many years of teachings I received from my master.

Therefore, I chose to turn myself in. The people who beat them today were people I paid to hire.

After listening to Feng Zhengming's detailed explanation...

Everyone was stunned. Those who had taken money from Feng Zhengming to help him take revenge on his former employer couldn't help but want to curse.

The middlemen were left speechless, both amused and exasperated by Feng Zhengming's words.

Finally, the group of people who had previously paid others to cause trouble for Feng Zhengming were all bruised and battered.

But faced with Feng Zhengming's surrender, they were all speechless.

Once they were in the police car and on the way back, the captain leading the team looked at Feng Zhengming.

"Feng Zhuangyuan, you're really ruthless. You're not just ruthless to others, you're ruthless to yourself too. Is it worth it to die together with them?"

Feng Zhengming: "To be honest, I think it's worth it. At least no one will dare to mess with me anymore. They all know I can risk my life against them. At worst, I'll go in and spend a few years there. Maybe I can even improve the food standards inside."

The police captain was completely convinced: "Fine, I give up. If you get sentenced to prison, I'll feel like I'll lose all face as the captain."

As everyone expected, this matter quickly fermented in society and attracted widespread attention.

Many people have started discussing whether society is regressing.
Why would a national culinary champion like Feng Zhengming have to resort to such methods, even at the cost of mutual destruction, to bring those malicious troublemakers to justice?
Soon, all levels of government in Shanghai began to pay attention to this case.

Then Luo Qing, Xia Hui, Jiang Chengzhe, and everyone from Feng Zhengming's several shops in Shanghai mobilized the customers of Feng Zhengming's shops, as well as some friends, to petition.

This incident quickly caused a great sensation in Shanghai.

Many people feel that Feng Zhengming's determination to go all out, even at the cost of his own life, to bring those who fight and cause trouble to justice is truly admirable.

Even if Feng Zhengming paid those people to beat him up and help him take revenge, it was still someone else who paid people to cause trouble in his shop first.

So after the public outcry, everyone sympathized with Feng Zhengming and felt that he represented justice.

As a result, almost everyone in society is supporting Feng Zhengming.

Faced with pressure from all sides of society, the leaders of Shanghai also stepped forward.

It even alarmed legal experts in Beijing who had to intervene.

In the end, Feng Zhengming was still sentenced, but after paying a fine, his sentence was commuted to probation.

The ringleaders, because it was discovered that they had other cases on their hands, were generally given heavy sentences.

As for the merchants who paid the ringleaders to cause trouble for Feng Zhengming, they were all punished.

The whole incident quickly spread throughout the country.

Those who wanted to stab Feng Zhengming in the back witnessed Feng Zhengming's ruthlessness for the first time.

Originally, some people in Jiangxi Province wanted to take this opportunity to cause some trouble for Feng Zhengming's shop in Hongcheng.

However, upon learning of the situation, the Jiangxi provincial authorities issued a notice overnight, urging the provincial government and the municipal bureau of Hongcheng to conduct a thorough investigation to determine whether someone was targeting Feng Zhengming's shop.
It really makes everyone feel insecure because of Feng Zhengming.

What followed was a nationwide crackdown on organized crime.

The country has also witnessed the harm that some criminal gangs have caused to society.

They even dared to target Feng Zhengming, a master chef of state banquets and a national culinary champion.

This even forced Feng Zhengming to resort to a suicidal approach to wipe them all out.

In this situation, how can ordinary people face the challenges of society?
Therefore, the nationwide crackdown on organized crime was truly initiated by Feng Zhengming.

Those mediators who were released took the initiative to apologize to Feng Zhengming after their release.

"Scholar Feng, I am truly sorry. We failed to mediate the matter properly."

"Scholar Feng, please forgive my rudeness and show me mercy."

"Don't worry, we will never provoke you again."

"We promise to turn over a new leaf from now on and help those in need."

Feng Zhengming was confronted by the mediator who took the initiative to apologize.

He smiled and said, "I should be apologizing to you. I didn't tell you in advance and instead took advantage of you, which led to you all going to jail and almost getting dragged into it."

"No, no, no, Scholar Feng, you're too kind. You've given us a wake-up call."

"Yes, yes, we were blind to your greatness before, we didn't know how amazing you were."

"Please don't apologize to us, we really can't accept it."

After this battle, everyone realized that Feng Zhengming was truly not someone to be trifled with.

The key point is, don't be fooled by the number of stores they own; they can really fight you to the death.

They'd even go so far as to die together with you.

These days, everyone wants to make money. Who wants to risk their life? If you risk your life, how can you make money?

Faced with someone like Feng Zhengming who would rather die together with others, everyone would rather not provoke him.

Finally, Feng Zhengming treated the mediators to a meal.

This was partly a welcome-back dinner for them, and partly an apology to them.

From then on, Feng Zhengming became truly famous, and no one dared to provoke him.

And not only in Shanghai, but also in Hongcheng, Jiangxi Province, no one dared to provoke him easily.

After resolving these troubles, Feng Zhengming did not pursue further retaliation against the others.

Although he knew there must be someone behind it all, he stopped trying to find out who was actually behind it.

Everything quickly returned to normal, and no one in Shanghai's catering industry or among chefs mentioned the matter again.

At the same time, Feng Zhengming's status among chefs and in the catering industry was also fully confirmed.

No one dared to provoke him easily anymore; even jealousy could only be kept in their hearts.

Some were even living in fear, worried that Feng Zhengming might take action against them. (End of Chapter)