From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

While Feng Zhengming was busy studying in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People, his wife, along with their daughter and Tao Mengran, were looking after some shops.

Tao Mengran first took them to see some of the more bustling streets in Beijing.

"There are many old restaurants here. You can see those are all long-established restaurants in Beijing."

Luo Qing looked closely and could sense that these restaurants exuded a sense of history. She also believed that the shops on this street must be very difficult to rent, let alone buy.

Tao Mengran was also very straightforward, telling Luo Qing that she hadn't brought her here to show her the house.

"I'm here mainly to show you around the catering industry in Beijing."

Luo Qing: "Thank you. If any of the restaurants here are up for sale, please let us know."

Tao Mengran was taken aback for a moment, then laughed: "Sister, the owners here probably won't transfer ownership easily, and even if they do, they won't let you change the signboard so easily."

Luo Qing: "It's okay if we don't change the signboard. We can take over this time-honored brand; it's not like we can't do it."

Tao Mengran was taken aback by Luo Qing's confidence once again.

But Tao Mengran then smiled and nodded, "He is indeed capable. After all, your husband is the national culinary champion. He can take over any restaurant, and he will definitely do a better job than before."

Luo Qing said with a hint of pride, "If these time-honored brands were to actually be taken over, they certainly wouldn't have time to manage them themselves."

Tao Mengran: "By the way, I was going to ask this before. Now that you have so many branches, including those in Shanghai, especially the restaurant in the old villa."

If Chef Feng comes to Beijing to participate in state banquets like this, who exactly is in charge of your restaurants?

Luo Qing explained to Tao Mengran, "Each store has a manager and a head chef in charge. He doesn't have to do it himself. They are all young chefs trained by him and his senior brothers, and they are all very capable."

Tao Mengran: "So, you have your own system for training chefs?"

Luo Qing nodded: "Yes, it's still being improved, and we can train a batch every year."

Tao Mengran was genuinely surprised to hear that a group of people had been trained.

"Training them in batches? Are you planning to conquer the whole country through branches?"

Luo Qing smiled and said, "I do have such a plan, but we still need to let things settle down. Some things can't be rushed."

Tao Mengran looked at the restaurants on the street again.

She was actually a little excited about which restaurant was going out of business and would be sold.

Feng Zhengming can send someone to take over when the time comes.

Next, Tao Mengran took Luo Qing to see some shops in Beijing that were in relatively good locations.

Although the location is good, it's definitely not among the best locations in Kyoto.

However, none of them are considered very bad, as they are all located in relatively prosperous areas.

After looking at them, Luo Qing felt that these places were suitable for opening branches of the dry rice shop.

Luo Qing then shared some of her thoughts.

Tao Mengran nodded: "You're right. These places are quite prosperous and are considered highly sought-after locations in Beijing. Although they can't compare to the most prosperous areas, they are still considered prime real estate."

Therefore, these shops are all quite small and can only serve as branches of your family's dry rice shop.

Luo Qing: "Zhengming doesn't really want to open a branch of his dry rice shop in Beijing."

Tao Mengran asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why?"

Before Luo Qing could answer, Tao Mengran earnestly shared her thoughts.

“I think your family’s branch store model is very good. It’s very suitable for opening branches in places like Kyoto. Moreover, most people in Kyoto can accept the taste of your family’s family’s family’s food.”

Luo Qing: "We already have many branches. If we want to open a branch in Beijing, we need to send staff over."

Tao Mengran: "Don't you have a training team? Why don't you just send a team over?"

Luo Qing: "But if we open a branch in Beijing, everyone will want to come."

Tao Mengran was taken aback for a moment when she heard this, but then she understood what Luo Qing meant.

Indeed, as Luo Qing said, if Feng Zhengming opened a branch of his dry rice shop in Beijing, many people would definitely want to come to the branch in Beijing.

After all, for many young people, going to Beijing might offer more opportunities.

There might be considerable competition for who gets to go to Beijing.

However, Tao Mengran didn't think it was a big problem.

Given Feng Zhengming's reputation, he shouldn't be unable to resolve this minor issue.

Therefore, Tao Mengran believes there may be other reasons as well.

"Shouldn't Feng Zhuangyuan have a way to balance the personnel arrangements? He shouldn't be unable to solve such a small problem. I believe that no one will have any objections to whoever he arranges."

Seeing that Tao Mengran had thought of this, Luo Qing smiled and said, "Another point is that he doesn't want to put too much pressure on some of his fellow chefs in Beijing."

This time, Tao Mengran was puzzled again.

"Why does opening a branch in Kyoto put so much pressure on the chefs there?"

Luo Qing: "It's very simple. Think about it. Some snack shops in Beijing are doing very well. If we open a branch and include some of Beijing's specialty snacks, wouldn't that put pressure on the snack shops in Beijing?"
"Furthermore, when our branch opens, it will inevitably attract long queues and crowds, which will cause resentment among our competitors in Beijing."

Tao Mengran was stunned for a moment, and thought about it carefully again and again.

"Surely Scholar Feng isn't afraid of his colleagues in the capital?"

Luo Qing: "We should respect them and leave some room for compromise."

Tao Mengran laughed: "I'm still more looking forward to the day when Feng Zhuangyuan can single-handedly deal some blows to the chefs in the capital."

After a slight pause, before Luo Qing could speak, Tao Mengran spoke first.

“I know he has made his own recommendation guides in Shandong and Shanghai, and I look forward to seeing a version in Beijing, a recommendation guide for Beijing.”

Luo Qing was completely amused by Tao Mengran: "Why do I feel like you're just enjoying the show?"

Tao Mengran: "That's right, I love watching this spectacle. Feng Zhuangyuan is crushing the other chefs."

Luo Qing stared at Tao Mengran for a moment: "You weren't discouraged by the chefs in Beijing, were you?"

Feng Nuanyou, who had been very well-behaved in her mother's arms, also stared wide-eyed at the aunt in front of her.

The little girl could also clearly sense that her aunt was very enthusiastic about her father opening a branch store.

After a moment of silence, Tao Mengran finally spoke.

"It's not that I'm being discouraged, it's just that I feel some chefs in Beijing are very pretentious. Even though their skills may not be that great, they always act like they're amazing and like to boast about their lineage or how they were awarded in competitions."

And you might not know this, but recently, quite a few foreign restaurants have opened in Beijing. The chefs in those restaurants, even though they're all Chinese, speak mostly foreign languages.

Luo Qing: Oh, that kind of restaurant? There are quite a few in Shanghai.

Tao Mengran: "Anyway, Beijing is often a mixed bag. People may not be very good at cooking, but they dare to boast about themselves."

Luo Qing: "This can also be considered a marketing tactic."

Tao Mengran: "So after you come, you can reorganize things and make those messy shops unable to stay in business."

Luo Qing: "This is something he doesn't want to do, because doing so would offend many people."

Tao Mengran: "Does he need to be afraid of offending people? I think if it weren't for his age, many people would probably consider him a grandmaster chef."

It has to be said that Tao Mengran's words really amused Luo Qing.

Hearing her mother laugh, Feng Nuanyou looked at her and then laughed along. Tao Mengran, seeing Feng Nuanyou laugh, moved closer to the little girl.

"Sister Qing, your daughter is so cute."

Luo Qing asked, somewhat puzzled, "You've been married for several years now, how come you don't have any children yet?"

Tao Mengran: "My husband and I are both quite busy right now. Even if we had a child, we wouldn't have time to take care of it. So we decided to postpone having children for a few more years, when our company will be more stable."

Luo Qing was somewhat surprised: "Isn't your company stable enough? It seems that your company has already started to take on various cooperative development projects in Beijing."

Tao Mengran said helplessly, "It's because of those projects that our company is not stable now. Those projects really require too much time and energy to keep an eye on."

Luo Qing could understand this point.

“That’s right. Since it’s a project in Beijing, it’s bound to be even more stringent.”

Tao Mengran: "Yes, so we are really busy and don't have time to have children."

Luo Qing thought for a moment: "Then his family won't pressure you?"

Tao Mengran looked helpless, reaching out to tease Feng Nuanyou while sighing.

"How could we not urge them? Our family doesn't know how hard we've worked. They just feel that since we're married, we should have children as soon as possible and not keep putting it off."

Luo Qing thought for a moment: "How old are you this year?"

Tao Mengran: "I'm two years younger than you, Sister Qing."

Luo Qing: "She is indeed not young, no wonder your husband's family is pressuring him to get married."

Tao Mengran found Feng Nuanyou increasingly adorable the more she teased her.

"Sister Qing, I think it would be better if I became your daughter's godmother. I think your daughter is really cute, very beautiful, and such a smart little girl."

Luo Qing thought for a moment and said, "That's fine. I'll talk to her dad about it later."

Tao Mengran perked up and simply picked the little girl up from the stroller.

"Hehehe, then it's settled. I'll be the godmother of your daughter. If you really open a restaurant in Beijing, I'll definitely come to congratulate you properly. I'll also bring my goddaughter to have some fun with you then."

Luo Qing laughed and asked, "You're not planning to introduce our daughter to your business partners, are you?"

Tao Mengran: "Of course, we'll let them all know that your daughter is also my goddaughter."

Luo Qing was both amused and exasperated: "Why don't you just have a daughter of your own sooner?"

Tao Mengran: "No way, my daughter's family would definitely not be happy. He is the eldest son in the family, and they are counting on him to carry on the family line. So if I have a child, I will definitely give him a son."

Upon hearing this, Luo Qing was taken aback and stared at Tao Mengran, who was teasing her daughter.

"Mengran, you, you and your husband, you..."

Seeing that Luo Qing was hesitant to speak, Tao Mengran understood what she wanted to ask.

"Haha, Sister Qing, you don't need to be so nervous. Of course, I have feelings for him when I marry him, otherwise I wouldn't have married him so easily. He is also very good to me."

Listen to Tao Mengran recount how the two met, fell in love, got married, and what happened after marriage.

Luo Qing sensed that Tao Mengran and her husband had a very good relationship.

Tao Mengran's happiness can also be felt from her narration.

Luo Qing finally understood why the couple hadn't had children yet.

They were like a married couple who were still deeply in love.

Tao Mengran often recounts many sweet moments between the couple.

Therefore, their current state of mind leads to their lack of enthusiasm for having children.

The couple probably felt that having a child would disrupt their life as a couple.

After explaining her situation, Tao Mengran asked Luo Qing, "Is Chef Feng free tonight? Would he do us the honor of treating him to dinner?"

Luo Qing was a little embarrassed: "I really can't say. He went to finalize the menu today, and I don't know if he'll be back tonight."

Tao Mengran: "Scholar Feng is such a busy man, truly worthy of being a chef for state banquets."

Luo Qing: "Just like you said about you two, he's always busy."

Tao Mengran asked curiously, "He's so busy, don't you find it hard to take care of the child alone?"

Luo Qing laughed instead: "What's so hard about it? I bring my child to the store most of the time, so I can see him all the time, and I can help him with a lot of things."

Tao Mengran thought it made sense: "Haha, you two are a match made in heaven."

Luo Qing was very frank: "It's because he's capable; there's very little I can help with."

Tao Mengran: "For him, a wife like you is the best. He can rest assured to pursue the career he wants to pursue, and you can also help him handle some work."

Hearing Tao Mengran say this, Luo Qing's heart stirred slightly.

She seemed to realize why Tao Mengran hadn't competed with her back then.

This can be seen from Tao Mengran's current situation.

She is a woman who would not give up her career for love and family.

Tao Mengran did indeed have feelings for Feng Zhengming back then.

However, she could tell that Feng Zhengming was someone who didn't like others interfering in his career.

In particular, some of Tao Mengran's ideas conflicted with Feng Zhengming's own development philosophy at the time.

Therefore, Tao Mengran ultimately did not choose to pursue Feng Zhengming.

Tao Mengran's departure from Jinan to Beijing to pursue her career can be seen as a farewell to Feng Zhengming.

Tao Mengran's husband now works with her, and the two are willing to work together for their careers, with each of them even taking charge of a part of the company's business.

In this way, Tao Mengran can better demonstrate her value.

At the same time, she also has a very harmonious relationship with her husband.

Luo Qing realized that, indeed, marital happiness requires finding the most compatible person.

The two women, with their child, decided not to go to the shop in the afternoon and instead took the child to places like the zoo.

Feng Nuanyou was naturally very happy. She wasn't afraid of the little animals at all and even teased them.

One afternoon, the two women and their child had a really great time.

Tao Mengran became even more determined to become Feng Nuanyou's godmother.

In the evening, Tao Mengran's husband came to pick them up.

When Tao Mengran saw her husband, she hugged him in front of Luo Qing.

Luo Qing could tell that the couple wasn't intentionally putting on an act of affection; their practiced embrace suggested that this was how they usually acted.

Tao Mengran mentioned to her husband that she wanted to adopt Feng Nuanyou as her goddaughter, and her husband smiled and expressed his support for his wife.

Then Tao Mengran's husband drove Luo Qing and their daughter back to their hotel.

They happened to run into Feng Zhengming and his group who were returning. (End of Chapter)