From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Time flies and National Day is fast approaching.

This year's National Day was filled with a joyful and uplifting atmosphere across the country.

In the still-unfinished Olympic Games, Chinese athletes have achieved remarkable results.

Seeing the daily gold medal tally makes people across the country truly feel the nation's prosperity and strength.

Every day, the topics of conversation among people on the streets and alleys are all related to the Olympics.

"How many gold medals do you think we'll win today?"

"Haha, it definitely won't be less. We've really done a great job this year."

"That's right, our Olympic athletes are really amazing in this Olympics."

"I think we might be able to come in first place on this year's medal tally."

"First place, we must be number one!"

"Let's be rational. We still have a slight gap compared to the US and Russia. We should be able to get into the top three this year."

"How can we be in the top three? We have to be number one."

"Being in the top three is already very impressive. What does being in the top three signify?"

"What does that mean? Doesn't it mean we're still not good enough?"

"Bullshit, the top three shows that we are close to catching up with the US and Russia, and other countries are no longer our rivals."

"Yes, yes, that's right. Being in the top three means we are the third in the world."

Feng Zhengming has been quite busy lately. He had already received advance notice that he would be attending a reception banquet during the National Day holiday.

The banquet took place after October 1st.

It was a triumphant banquet held for the Olympic delegation.

Therefore, he needed to make arrangements in Shanghai and head to Beijing ahead of time.

He needs to consult with some nutrition experts and more specialized medical professionals to finalize the menu.

After all, there are certain things that cannot be added to the food prepared for athletes.

Therefore, the menu needs to be screened and confirmed in advance.

Some seasonings that may affect athletes cannot be used.

Before heading to Beijing, Feng Zhengming first went to the library in Shanghai and read through a lot of materials.

They also specifically consulted some experts in Shanghai.

Therefore, after September 20th, Feng Zhengming changed the old villa restaurant to only be open in the evening, and the evening business only accepted advance reservations, so that it was no longer possible to walk into the restaurant and get a seat at any time.

The main reason for doing this is to free up more time for myself to study in the library and consult with experts.

The trip to Beijing was scheduled for September 25th, and once there, Feng Zhengming would likely be selected to attend the National Day banquet.

Feng Zhengming himself did not expect that he would be so busy during this National Day holiday.

Fortunately, telephones are now quite common, so he could communicate with people in Beijing in advance about the menu for the National Day banquet.

In order to focus on preparing the banquet in Beijing, Feng Zhengming plans to close the old-style restaurant for a few days during the National Day holiday.

This news surprised many people.

National Day is clearly a time when business would be better.

As a result, Feng Zhengming had to close his business for the entire National Day holiday.

Not to mention the diners, even the young chefs like Jiang Chengzhe couldn't understand it.

Feng Zhengming, however, did not offer them any further explanation.

"I know there will be a lot of tourists coming to Shanghai during the National Day holiday, and our restaurant will definitely have better business, but compared with doing business, I think we should prioritize the country's needs."

Therefore, the Old House Restaurant will be closed during the National Day holiday, while other shops will remain open as usual. Deng Huaichuan, Wang Hanwen, Huang Yunliang, Li Yao, and Han Rui, you will all go to the shops on the Western Restaurant Street to help Jiang Chengzhe.

Our restaurant will reopen when I return.

Feng Zhengming has already said so, what else can anyone say? They can only follow his arrangements.

News then spread that his old-style restaurant would be closed for the National Day holiday.

The happiest people were naturally the restaurants and eateries in Shanghai.

Those fellow chefs suddenly realized that their idea of ​​using shady methods to deal with Feng Zhengming was a mistake.

It would be better to elevate Feng Zhengming to a high position and have him participate in various state banquets and reception dinners.

He'll be too busy with those banquets to keep up, and naturally he won't be able to compete with everyone else for business.

With this idea in mind, some chefs in Shanghai began to seriously consider how to further elevate Feng Zhengming's status and get him involved in more banquets.

As a result, Feng Zhengming was unable to properly run his restaurant.

This also alleviated the pressure on other large restaurants and high-end eateries in Shanghai.

Before this trip to Beijing, Feng Zhengming notified several of his senior fellow students in advance.

I originally wanted to have a few of my senior brothers go together.

However, the eldest, second, and sixth senior brothers all declined.

The eldest brother said, "The stores in the province need people. Huiquanlou is having a wedding banquet during the National Day holiday, so I definitely can't leave."

The second senior brother also said, "We also have activities in Texas for National Day."

Sixth Senior Brother: "I also have a wedding banquet here for National Day, I really can't go."

Of course, his senior brothers didn't let Feng Zhengming go to Beijing alone.

After discussion, it was decided that the third and fifth senior brothers would accompany Feng Zhengming to the capital.

In addition, there were three apprentices: Xia Hui, Sun Decai, Tang Yong, and Lu Haisheng.

Feng Zhengming brought his wife and daughter along as well.

This was also because the application was approved and the authorities in Kyoto agreed.

At first, Kyoto did disagree with him bringing his daughter along.

As a result, Feng Zhengming said that his daughter was too young and very dependent on him, so he had to bring her along.

This left the capital with no choice but to agree to let Feng Zhengming bring his wife and daughter to Beijing.

Of course, Feng Zhengming also stated that he would bear the expenses of his wife and daughter's trip to Beijing himself and would not let the government in Beijing pay for it.

With everything arranged, Feng Zhengming and his group set off from Shanghai.

The third and fifth senior brothers set off from Jinan and arrived in Beijing one after the other.

After meeting up with his two senior brothers, Feng Zhengming led them to check into the state guesthouse.

Feng Zhengming paid for all the accommodations himself.

The people who were originally there to greet them said they could give Feng Zhengming a few free spots.

Feng Zhengming stated righteously, "I cannot take advantage of the country."

Then he booked a room for everyone.

He, his wife, and their daughter lived in a large room.

After checking in, the people in charge of the state banquet in Beijing immediately came to visit Feng Zhengming.

The group was taken aback when they entered Feng Zhengming's room.

"Haha, no wonder he's called Scholar Feng, even here he has to stay in such a big room?" "No wonder, Scholar Feng is now arguably the most famous and richest chef in the country."

"That's because they are truly capable; they manage so many stores very well."

"Moreover, Zhengming has given many people better choices and the ability to eat better."

When Feng Zhengming heard the words from the several masters from Beijing, he smiled and invited them to come in and sit down.

"Please have a seat, everyone. I chose this large room at my own expense, mainly because I brought my wife and daughter with me, and a large room will make us more comfortable."

Once everyone was seated, they noticed that Luo Qing and the little girl were in Feng Zhengming's large room.

The little girl, nestled in her mother's arms, stared wide-eyed at the people entering the room with curiosity.

To the surprise of everyone who entered, the little girl wasn't afraid of them at all.

Feng Zhengming gently patted his daughter's head, telling her to stay quietly in her mother's arms and not make a sound.

The little girl smiled at her father after he patted her head, then nestled obediently in her mother's arms.

Feng Zhengming took out the menu he had brought and handed it to the person who came.

"Everyone, this is a menu I brought. I consulted many people and also looked up some books in the library before finalizing this menu, removing all kinds of things that are not suitable for athletes to eat."

Upon seeing the menu that Feng Zhengming had brought out, the several chefs from Beijing who had come to visit him passed it around for a while.

Everyone was soon surprised by Feng Zhengming's menu again.

The contents of this menu can be described as very detailed.

It clearly states what ingredients and seasonings are needed for each dish.

Such a detailed menu left the chefs in Beijing feeling there was nothing to adjust.

Feng Zhengming has already written down the specific ingredients very clearly.

The only thing that might not be written down is the method.

However, the method is actually the simplest for the chefs present.

When cooking for athletes, as long as the ingredients are generally fine, there are many ways to prepare them.

The chefs at Kyoto have all undergone a series of training programs.

Some of them are even chefs and nutrition experts hired by the national team.

They were all somewhat impressed with Feng Zhengming's menu.

Feng Zhengming took into full consideration the balance of nutrition and some taste issues, and while trying to avoid giving the athletes things that could not be eaten, he also ensured that the dishes tasted right.

Master Hou, who came with him, smiled and said, "It seems that Zhengming has indeed made ample preparations for this trip."

Feng Zhengming: "When I received the notification, I was really at a loss at first, and I was worried that the menu I designed might affect the athletes."

After all, they bring glory to the country while they are away, so we definitely want to treat them to a good meal when they come home.

"And I can't let them get into trouble just because of a meal; that would be a huge sin on my part."

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing Feng Zhengming's words.

Chef Zheng: "It seems our champion is quite nervous? Don't be nervous, your menu is already very good."

Chef Hu: "Yes, this menu is really good, even better than the menu we designed before."

Hearing what the master chefs from Beijing said, Feng Zhengming was indeed relieved.

"Thank you all for your recognition. I've been really worried these past few days, not sleeping well, and unable to concentrate on my work at the restaurant. I even had to close the restaurant down for this banquet."

Feng Zhengming's words stunned the master chefs in Beijing.

Then Master Hu laughed: "Hahaha, Zhengming is really too nervous. It shouldn't be like this. You've attended state banquets before, Zhengming."

Chef Zheng: "Yes, Zhengming, you also performed very well at the state banquet."

Master Hu: "After this state banquet, our reception work will always be based on some of your standards."

Feng Zhengming: "Back then, I was a bit like a newborn calf that wasn't afraid of tigers. This time it's different. I'm really worried about affecting the athletes' health when I have to cook for them."

Chef Zheng had previously been in charge of catering for some national teams.

I have also participated in some specialized training programs in Beijing.

So Master Zheng said, "Zhengming, you don't need to be so nervous. Usually, athletes strictly control their diet during training camps, but they don't need to control it like that at other times."

Eating certain foods occasionally, even once or twice, won't have a significant impact.

Master Hou nodded: "That's right. Besides, we've prepared all sorts of materials for them this time, so there won't be any problems."

Luo Qing finally couldn't help but interject.

“He is indeed too nervous. We have advised him before, but now, after listening to the advice of several master chefs from Beijing, he should be able to relax a bit and not be so nervous.”

Master Hou: "This also shows that Zhengming is really dedicated."

Now, several master chefs in Beijing also agree.

Everyone felt that Feng Zhengming was truly serious and responsible.

After making a copy of Feng Zhengming's menu, the chefs from Beijing said their goodbyes and left.

After everyone left, Luo Qing asked with a smile, "Aren't you nervous now?"

Feng Zhengming shook his head: "I'm still a little nervous. The task I've been given this time is quite challenging."

Luo Qing reassured her, "Isn't this a recognition of your abilities? Everyone knows you have these abilities, which is why they entrusted you with the responsibility of hosting such an important banquet."

Feng Zhengming: "Actually, there are many chefs in Beijing who are better than me, such as Chef Hou, Chef Zheng and Chef Hu, who are all very famous chefs in Beijing."

Luo Qing: "Then you should learn from them more. I believe you can become a chef as good as them."

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, I really need to learn more from them at state banquets."

Luo Qing: "Don't you think that people's attitudes towards you have changed this time in Beijing?"

Feng Zhengming: "It's different now, probably because I made quite a commotion in Shanghai."

Luo Qing thought for a moment and asked, "You said you were sent to Beijing this time to be in charge of the welcoming banquet for the athletes. Is it to show some people that you are a nationally recognized chef and not just anyone can mess with you?"

Upon hearing his wife's words, Feng Zhengming thought about it carefully and realized that what she said might actually make sense.

He really caused quite a stir in Shanghai this time.

This even led to a nationwide crackdown on organized crime.

This shows that many people have indeed noticed that matter.

Just as his wife said, Feng Zhengming is indeed very famous now.

Even he is not immune to being bullied by some people.

Wouldn't that cause a major problem with public security?
This kind of thing definitely can't be allowed to become a reality.

Therefore, the government will definitely step forward to support Feng Zhengming and demonstrate the country's stance on this matter, which is that such things cannot be tolerated.

Sending Feng Zhengming to Beijing to oversee the welcoming banquet for the Olympic athletes is tantamount to announcing our attitude towards him to everyone.

This further strengthens the recognition of Feng Zhengming's status as the national culinary champion.

"I've thrown a punch to avoid a hundred punches in the future. We should be able to do business with more peace of mind now, without those shady people finding opportunities to attack us."

Luo Qing also agreed with her husband's statement.

"That's right, we can't let those people bully us so easily. We need to make everyone understand that we're not to be trifled with." (End of Chapter)