From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Upon seeing her father, Feng Nuanyou was overjoyed and immediately opened her little arms, babbling for a hug.

Feng Zhengming smiled and took his daughter in his arms.

"Was Youyou a good girl today?"

Feng Nuanyou smiled and nestled in her father's arms, saying, "Daddy."

When Feng Zhengming heard his daughter call him, he replied, "Yes, Daddy's here."

Seeing the father and daughter together, Tao Mengran felt a little envious.

She looked at her husband, who smiled and took her hand.

"Hello, Mr. Feng, my name is Zhou Xiaojie, Tao Mengran's husband. This is my business card."

Feng Zhengming reached out and took the business card that Zhou Xiaojie had given him.

I glanced at the company names and Zhou Xiaojie's job title on the business card.

"Hello, Mr. Zhou."

Feng Zhengming took the initiative to extend his hand to Zhou Xiaojie.

“You’re too kind, Scholar Feng. You don’t need to call me Boss Zhou. Just call me Xiaojie.”

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Okay, then you don't need to call me Feng Zhuangyuan, just call me Zhengming. You two have worked hard today taking care of my wife and daughter."

Zhou Xiaojie: "It was all Meng Ran's fault. I picked them up after get off work and brought them back."

Feng Zhengming looked at Tao Mengran: "Thank you, Mengran. I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Tao Mengran smiled and said, "Why are you being so polite with me? I've been in Beijing for so many years, and it feels so good to see someone from my hometown."

As she spoke, Tao Mengran took Luo Qing's arm and said, "Sister Qing and I are also good sisters. In addition, I am planning to recognize your daughter as my goddaughter."

Luo Qing: "Meng Ran and our Youyou get along quite well, and Youyou likes her a lot too."

Feng Zhengming: "Sure, having another godmother won't hurt our Youyou."

Then Feng Zhengming invited Zhou Xiaojie and Tao Mengran, a married couple, to enter the hotel together.

We invited the couple to sit in the hotel room.

After sitting down, Tao Mengran couldn't wait to ask, "I heard you went to the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People today, how was it?"

As Feng Zhengming poured water for the couple, he asked in return, "What do you mean, 'how'?"

Tao Mengran: "Of course it's the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People. Isn't it different from the kitchens of your branches, restaurants, and eateries?"

Feng Zhengming nodded: "It is different, it's much bigger than my kitchens."

Tao Mengran: "Is it just big?"

Feng Zhengming: "Otherwise what? Aren't all kitchens pretty much the same?"

With a smile, he poured water for the couple and placed it in front of them.

Luo Qing: "People want to know what's going on inside. Is it in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People, where you can see things that you can't see from the outside?"

Feng Zhengming: "Hahaha, what can't you see from the outside? The kitchens are all pretty much the same, it's all the same stuff."

Zhou Xiaojie was also curious: "Is there really nothing special about it? After all, it's a place that hosts state banquets."

Feng Zhengming: "What's special about it? Maybe it's that in my own kitchen, I can only direct about ten people, but in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People, I might be directing several hundred people."

"Several hundred people?"

This number still surprised Zhou Xiaojie, Tao Mengran, and Luo Qing.

While I was surprised, upon further reflection, it all seemed reasonable.

After all, it's a place that hosts state banquets, so it's true that several hundred people are needed for large banquets.

Feng Zhengming also explained with a smile: "If it's not a grand banquet, there will be some small kitchens to prepare smaller banquets. In short, the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People is not that mysterious."

Zhou Xiaojie asked, "I heard that many of the items used were specially sent to Beijing from various places?"

Feng Zhengming: "That's true. After all, we have to receive foreign guests from all over the world, so we must ensure the safety of the food and beverages and be able to trace the source in order to prevent problems from occurring."

After Feng Zhengming explained it this way, everyone agreed that it made sense.

Then Zhou Xiaojie and Tao Mengran asked some more questions about the state banquet.

Feng Zhengming didn't hide anything and told the two of them almost everything he could.

It was learned that Feng Zhengming's trip to Beijing was not only to be in charge of the National Day banquet, but also to be in charge of the banquet to welcome the Olympic athletes afterwards.

Zhou Xiaojie and Tao Mengran both held him in high esteem.

Being able to oversee such a banquet demonstrates Feng Zhengming's unshakeable position among chefs in China.

Tao Mengran: "I really didn't expect that you would now be a head chef for state banquets."

Zhou Xiaojie: "This shows that he is a true national culinary champion."

Then Zhou Xiaojie joked, "You becoming someone's daughter's godmother, wouldn't you say that's climbing the social ladder?"

Tao Mengran: "What do you mean by 'marrying up'? When we met, he wasn't even the top scholar yet. Who knew he would become the national culinary champion now?"

Feng Zhengming: "Hahaha, when we first met, Miss Tao, I was still running a food stall in front of the train station."

"Yes," Tao Mengran blurted out, but then quickly corrected herself.

"But at the time I thought you definitely wouldn't just stay there as a food stall forever, you'd definitely become very successful in the future."

Zhou Xiaojie: "Zhengming, your current achievements may have started from when you were setting up a food stall in front of the train station. It's a case of accumulating knowledge and experience before making a breakthrough."

Feng Zhengming: "See, my brother-in-law really knows how to talk."

Tao Mengran glanced at her husband.

Zhou Xiaojie smiled and said, "This is absolutely the truth, not flattery."

Tao Mengran understood that her husband usually dealt with all sorts of people outside, so he was always very careful about what he said, and usually what he said made everyone feel comfortable.

Tao Mengran didn't like that kind of husband; she still hoped he could be more honest.

Fortunately, her husband has always been devoted to Tao Mengran.

Even her husband would never ask Tao Mengran to help him with business dealings.

Even for social events where Tao Mengran was required to attend, Zhou Xiaojie would try his best to drink with the guests himself.

This really touched Tao Mengran.

Feng Zhengming: "If you have the chance, go to Shanghai for fun. I'll treat you to a meal there. I wouldn't dare say it can compare to a state banquet, but our restaurant is pretty good too."

Tao Mengran snapped out of her daze and looked at Feng Zhengming: "I know, your restaurant in that old villa in Shanghai, right?"

Luo Qing: "Yes, you two must let us know when you go, and we'll invite you to try it."

Tao Mengran: "Okay, we'll definitely go when we have time."

Zhou Xiaojie also sincerely agreed: "I will definitely go."

After chatting for a while, Zhou Xiaojie, seeing that it was getting late, said goodbye and left with Tao Mengran. Feng Zhengming saw the couple downstairs, while Luo Qing stayed upstairs with their daughter.

Before leaving, Tao Mengran leaned closer to Feng Nuanyou and asked her goddaughter to kiss her.

The little girl was quite obedient and actually kissed Tao Mengran on the cheek.

This made Tao Mengran very happy.

I saw them downstairs and watched them drive away.

Feng Zhengming felt that Tao Mengran and her husband were indeed a very harmonious couple.

On the way back, Tao Mengran couldn't help but say to her husband, "Don't you think Brother Feng and Sister Qing's daughter is really cute?"

Zhou Xiaojie roughly guessed what his wife meant.

“If you like children, let’s have one when we have time. Our family has been urging us to have one for the past two years.”

Tao Mengran: "I didn't think so before, but after meeting Brother Feng and Sister Qing's daughter today, I really think it's great to have a child."

Zhou Xiaojie: "It's really good, but neither of us may have that much time to take care of the child."

These words pulled Tao Mengran back to reality from her pleasant thoughts.

“Yes, we don’t have that much time to spend with our children. Chef Feng’s daughter is so well-behaved, I think it’s because they’ve always kept her with them.”

Zhou Xiaojie really agrees with this.

"It's strange, Chef Feng is so busy, yet he still manages to bring his daughter with him."

Tao Mengran: "I heard from Sister Qing that when she went to Hongcheng to work on the branch, her daughter was taken care of by Brother Feng for a while. At that time, Brother Feng took his daughter into the kitchen every day."

Zhou Xiaojie was somewhat incredulous: "You bring your daughter into the kitchen every day?"

Tao Mengran: "Isn't it unbelievable? I found it unbelievable too, but it seems that Brother Feng really did it, and he raised his daughter very well."

Zhou Xiaojie asked, "Does this mean we'll have to bring the child to the company in the future?"

Before his wife could reply, Zhou Xiaojie gave a simulation: "At that time, we will put a crib in our office, and the company's restrooms will also be equipped with a special nursery so that we can change the baby's diapers."

Hearing her husband's words, Tao Mengran smiled and gently patted him.

"You actually believed that? Bringing the child to the company is definitely not an option."

Zhou Xiaojie thought for a moment and said, "When our company grows bigger in the future, we can arrange a nursery for our employees so that those who need to take care of their children can have someone look after them while they are at work."

Tao Mengran felt that her husband's idea was a bit too idealistic, but she was still happy that he was willing to think that way.

After seeing Zhou Xiaojie and Tao Mengran off, Feng Zhengming returned to his hotel room.

Luo Qing first asked him about the situation in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People today.

Feng Zhengming: "Everything went smoothly, don't worry. How did it go with Tao Mengran to look at shops today? Did you find anything suitable?"

Luo Qing recounted the details of the shops she and Tao Mengran had visited that day.

Feng Zhengming: "It seems that the capital city is still very big. It is not easy to establish oneself in the capital."

Luo Qing: "Meng Ran suggested that we start with a branch of the dry rice shop. We have also looked at many suitable places to open a branch."

Feng Zhengming: "There's no rush for any of this. Shanghai needs to stabilize for another year or two. We'll use that time to gather some people and then we can move to Beijing in one fell swoop."

Luo Qing immediately thought of her husband's thoughts.

"You want to open a branch store and Yanxi Restaurant together?"

Feng Zhengming: "If possible, I would like to start one together, but we need to see if the time is right. It can't be rushed."

Luo Qing asked, somewhat puzzled, "What timing is needed?"

Feng Zhengming: "Of course, it is a suitable opportunity for us to enter Beijing, such as in terms of personnel, finding suitable shops, and various aspects of supply."

Hearing her husband say this, Luo Qing understood that these were things that needed to be considered.

Especially for stores in suitable locations, and also for personnel issues.

Why was Feng Zhengming able to open branches in various parts of Shandong, Shanghai, and even Hongcheng in Jiangxi Province?

One reason is that he is able to accurately grasp the local people's taste preferences.

Most importantly, he does have a sufficient number of excellent chefs under his command.

If he had to personally manage every store, Feng Zhengming wouldn't have been able to open so many branches.

Therefore, every chef and apprentice under his command is Feng Zhengming's true wealth.

Feng Zhengming looked at his wife and said, "If we go to Beijing, many people will definitely want to come, so the personnel arrangement is very important. We need to consider who to choose."

Luo Qing laughed instead: "As the top scholar, how can they possibly argue with you?"

Feng Zhengming also laughed: "You can't say that. As the top scholar, I also have to respect them."

Luo Qing: "Then let's have a big competition, the one with the best skills."

Feng Zhengming laughed again: "Hahaha, this is indeed a good idea. We should have them all have a big competition to see how much progress they've made during this time."

Luo Qing thought for a moment and asked, "If Xia Hui wins the championship, would you be willing to let her come to Beijing?"

Feng Zhengming: "I respect their personal choices."

Luo Qing: "I don't think Xia Hui would be willing to come. She would rather stay by your side and learn for a longer period of time."

Feng Zhengming: "But she always has to face some things on her own."

Luo Qing: "And what about Sun Hai? You can't just separate the two of them, can you? One in Shanghai and the other in Beijing, isn't that a bad idea?"

Feng Zhengming thought for a moment and said, "You've reminded me. I think we can arrange for the young couple to come to Beijing together."

These words startled Luo Qing, who thought about it and found it hard to believe: "You mean, you want Xia Hui and Sun Hai to come to Beijing together? Are you suggesting they take charge of a branch store in Beijing?"

Feng Zhengming: "That's right, the young couple will definitely be able to run the Beijing branch well."

Luo Qing asked in confusion, "So your branch in Beijing isn't a fast-food style store?"

Feng Zhengming: "It should be said that it is not simply a fast food style. Just like Jiang Chengzhe told me, we need to add a category of stores between fast food restaurants and restaurants."

Luo Qing immediately understood: "It really works. With Sun Hai and Xia Hui in charge, there won't be any problems."

Feng Zhengming: "Alright, let's not talk about this for now. After we finish the state banquet and welcome banquet, and the year-end competition is over, let's see how Xia Hui and Sun Hai perform."

Luo Qing chuckled, "You're definitely biased towards your own apprentices. Bringing them to the capital for the state banquet and welcoming feast was a chance for them to learn more, wasn't it?"

Feng Zhengming made no secret from his wife: "Yes, not only them, but also my third and fifth brothers."

Luo Qing asked, somewhat puzzled, "Third Brother and Fifth Brother?"

Feng Zhengming: "Originally, I wanted my eldest brother, second brother, and sixth brother to come as well, so that their resumes would be better and they would have experience in observing and learning from state banquets and welcoming banquets. They could teach apprentices in future training programs."

Luo Qing understood upon hearing this: "You want to use the standards of the Grand Hall's kitchen to train the apprentices with the help of the senior apprentices?"

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, otherwise how can we improve the chefs' standards? In the future, I want to upgrade our current dry rice shop and reopen a fast food restaurant for the apprentices."

This time, Luo Qing finally understood: Feng Zhengming was paving the way for the chefs' advancement within Zhengluxing. (End of Chapter)