From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

After sleeping in the dormitory for one night, Feng Zhengming got up before dawn the next day, which was National Day.

When he went outside, he found that his two senior brothers, Xia Hui, and the apprentices had also gotten up.

Everyone got up so early for one purpose: to go to the square to watch the flag-raising ceremony.

Raising the national flag in Tiananmen Square on National Day has special significance for every Chinese citizen.

Feng Zhengming had informed them in advance, so a minibus was already waiting for them.

After they boarded the minibus together, they first went to the hotel to pick up Luo Qing and her daughter.

Feng Nuanyou was still asleep when her father gently held her in his arms. The little girl opened her eyes groggily for a moment, then curled up in her father's arms and continued to sleep.

Feng Zhengming didn't wake his daughter; he and his wife carried their daughter downstairs.

After boarding the waiting minibus, I discovered that the hotel also had vehicles available to take people to watch the flag-raising ceremony.

When they arrived near the square, they saw that it was already packed with people.

Many people came specifically to watch today's flag-raising ceremony.

Feng Zhengming and his group did not ask for a special arrangement; they simply followed the crowd inside.

Standing where they could see the flagpole in the square, they waited together with the crowd watching the flag-raising ceremony.

As the sky began to lighten, the national flag team marched in step from inside Tiananmen Square.

The square fell silent instantly, and everyone seemed to hold their breath.

At this moment, Feng Zhengming's daughter woke up.

The little girl looked up carefully for a while and recognized that the person holding her was her father.

"Hehehe, Dad, Daddy..."

Feng Zhengming lowered his head and gently kissed his daughter's forehead, whispering in her ear, "Shh, be quiet."

Feng Nuanyou was kissed by her father, which made the little girl very happy.

Then she was very obedient and didn't make a sound in her father's arms.

Soon, the sun slowly rose, and the five-star red flag was raised.

Someone in the square started it, and people began to sing the national anthem as the national flag was raised.

Feng Zhengming picked up his daughter so that she could also see the national flag slowly rising.

Feng Nuanyou was a little confused at first, seeing a huge crowd of people.

I also saw other children being lifted high by their fathers.

Then the little girl heard her parents singing along with everyone else.

She didn't know how to sing, but she was humming "ee-ee-ya-ya" incoherently.

Finally, Feng Nuanyou saw the national flag slowly rising.

It rose almost at the same time as the sun, slowly ascending to the top of the flagpole.

The moment the national flag was raised, almost everyone at the scene burst into cheers.

At this moment, the sun shines brightly on the earth, and everyone in the square is filled with excitement.

The fellow apprentices, students, and his wife who were with Feng Zhengming were all very excited.

This was the first time anyone other than Cao Zhiguo had witnessed the raising of the national flag in Tiananmen Square.

Even Cao Zhiguo, who had only seen it once, was still affected by the atmosphere.

Everyone felt that their motherland, like the five-star red flag rising with the sun, was slowly rising and would one day stand at the top of the world.

After watching the flag-raising ceremony, Feng Zhengming and the others slowly walked out with the crowd.

Instead of having breakfast nearby, Feng Zhengming and his group went straight back to the hotel.

At the hotel, Feng Zhengming and the others had breakfast together.

Then Feng Zhengming told everyone to go back to their rooms and rest.

"Alright, we got up a little too early this morning. Everyone should rest well this morning. We'll go out for lunch together, and then we'll go play in the afternoon."

After hearing Feng Zhengming's arrangements, everyone was naturally very happy to agree.

Feng Zhengming and his wife also carried their daughter back to their room upstairs.

Actually, on the way back, my daughter in my arms had already fallen asleep again.

The little girl hasn't gotten up this early in a long time.

Back in the room, I gently placed my daughter on the bed.

Luo Qing asked with a smile, "How did it go? Did everything go smoothly?"

Feng Zhengming nodded: "It went very smoothly."

Luo Qing: "Did you see them?"

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, we've seen them all, and we've gained their approval."

Luo Qing was even more excited upon hearing this: "That's great, you're really amazing."

Feng Zhengming embraced his wife, who had rushed into his arms.

"Haha, haven't I always been great, haven't I?"

Then, Feng Zhengming hugged his wife and shared some of his reflections after experiencing the state banquet.

“I think we should be more low-key in the future. We were indeed a bit too high-profile before, which is why we encountered such a thing in Shanghai. In fact, even though I am the nationally recognized culinary champion, there are still many chefs who are better than me.”

During my time in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People, I felt that the chefs there were definitely better than me.

So we shouldn't be so high-profile. From now on, we'll be more low-key and focus on making the best dishes.

Luo Qing: "No matter what you do, I will definitely support you."

Feng Zhengming: "Thank you, wife. How's the shop you've been looking at going these past few days?"

Luo Qing: "Meng Ran took us to see a lot of shops. There were a few that I thought were very good and should be suitable for opening a branch of our dry rice shop. So far, we haven't seen any suitable places to open Yanxilou."

Feng Zhengming: "There's no rush to reopen Yanxilou. Since you've found some shops in the capital, you can open branches of Ganfanpu. We can open Ganfanpu in the capital first."

Luo Qing agreed: "Yes, let's open a rice shop in the capital first, so people will know about us."

Feng Zhengming: "Haha, a lot of people already know about us."

Luo Qing: "That's different. Opening a store in Beijing is much more competitive. I've done my research these past few days."

Feng Zhengming: "Oh? What were the results of your investigation?"

Luo Qing got up from her husband's arms, walked over and showed him her investigation records.

Feng Zhengming glanced through the investigation materials his wife had handed him.

A look of surprise quickly appeared on his face.

The wife's investigation report was indeed very detailed.

It not only features people from different parts of Beijing, but also reflects the different consumption levels in various shops.

It even includes detailed descriptions of surrounding areas such as brand districts, as well as the general work situations of various working professionals.

Looking at the document in his hand, Feng Zhengming could easily imagine how much investigation his wife had done to find it.
Seeing her husband's surprised look, Luo Qing smiled. "You probably can't imagine that I was doing these surveys while carrying our daughter. Because of our daughter's adorable smile, I gained a lot of help, and the surveys were much less difficult."

Upon hearing this, a scene naturally came to mind for Feng Zhengming.

The video shows a wife holding her daughter, asking people on the street for help with some investigations.

He stood up, walked over to his wife, and hugged her tightly.

The couple looked at each other, and Feng Zhengming gently kissed his wife's forehead.

"Thank you, you've worked so hard these past few days."

A smile appeared on Luo Qing's face. She felt very happy at this moment because she had successfully helped her husband in her own way.

The couple then sat down and worked together to deduce the findings based on Luo Qing's investigation report.

Luo Qing: "I think that if it's a branch of a dry rice shop, it should be opened in places where there are many ordinary working-class families. Business should be good then."

Feng Zhengming: "That's certainly possible, but I also think it's good to open them in places where there are many out-of-towners."

"That's possible, but people from other places might not be used to the food, right?" Luo Qing was still a little worried.

Feng Zhengming: "It shouldn't be a big problem. We've opened stores in Shanghai and Hongcheng, Jiangxi Province, and both are doing very well. They're also very popular with the locals."

Luo Qing nodded: "That's definitely possible, and the rent in these areas is also cheaper for out-of-towners."

Feng Zhengming: "I see you have some shops for sale here. What do you think of them?"

Luo Qing: "I went to see them all. Some looked okay, but most of the ones for sale were in bad locations, some were even in very remote corners, and you could tell that almost no one would go there."

To be honest, Feng Zhengming could attract some customers by relying on his own reputation and the fame of Feng Family Rice Shop.

However, that might still cause some unnecessary trouble.

So in the end, after much deliberation, Feng Zhengming and his wife finalized a few suitable locations for renting storefronts.

Luo Qing: "If we're going to make a move, we probably need to do it sooner rather than later, otherwise storefronts in these areas of Beijing are relatively easy to rent out."

Feng Zhengming agreed: "In that case, after the National Day holiday, once I've finished hosting a welcome banquet for the athletes, we'll first decide which storefront to rent, then start the renovations, and open the shop after the New Year."

Luo Qing was somewhat surprised: "Why is it so fast this time?"

Feng Zhengming: "Some things do need to be accelerated. We have already succeeded in Shanghai, Shandong, and Hongcheng in Jiangxi Province. This time, entering Beijing should also go relatively smoothly."

Luo Qing shared some of her thoughts.

“I think the area in Beijing is very large, so we can open several more stores.”

Feng Zhengming laughed: "Do you want to open three or four stores at once, like we did in Shanghai?"

Luo Qing: "Meng Ran, her husband, and I discussed it, and we all felt that we could do that and seize the entire market in Beijing at once."

Feng Zhengming: "We can do that, but there's really no need to do it in Beijing. At most, we can open two stores at the same time."

Luo Qing asked curiously, "Why two companies?"

Feng Zhengming: "One of them is located near some popular tourist attractions, mainly serving tourists from other places, while the other serves people who work in Beijing."

After listening to her husband's words, Luo Qing thought about it carefully and realized that they made a lot of sense.

"That's right. Although there are many people in Kyoto, there are only two main groups of people. Moreover, there are too many shops in Kyoto. Opening multiple shops does not necessarily mean you can compete with others. It is better to specialize in and target specific groups."

Upon hearing his wife's words, Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "It seems you've studied business very thoroughly over the years."

Luo Qing smiled: "Likewise, you don't look like a chef anymore, you look more like a businesswoman."

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, when I'm doing business, I'm definitely a businessman."

Luo Qing: "Do you think you'll face some suppression now that you've opened two stores in Beijing? Just like in Shanghai, will they stop letting you participate in state banquets?"

Feng Zhengming: "There's no need to worry about that. I met with a few people yesterday, and they were quite encouraging for me to open a shop in Beijing."

"You're encouraged to open a shop in Beijing?" Luo Qing was somewhat surprised.

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, after all, they have witnessed my skills. Opening a shop in Beijing is not my exclusive right. Aren't other people also opening shops in Beijing? One more shop won't make a difference."

At this point, Feng Zhengming looked at his wife.

"As for whether I can still participate in state banquets in the future, it's hard to say. After all, I can't give up all my businesses to work in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People."

So, will there be another opportunity to attend state banquets in the future? That really depends on the situation.

Upon hearing her husband's words, Luo Qing was initially somewhat confused.

But after thinking about it carefully, she understood what her husband meant.

After all, Feng Zhengming has already made money by opening stores, and Zhengluxing Catering Company has now gained a certain reputation.

Since Feng Zhengming chose the path of commerce, he had to abandon non-commercial things.

It's fair to say that allowing him to temporarily serve as head chef was already a special favor for him.

If he hadn't been the champion of the national cooking competition, he probably wouldn't have had such an opportunity.

Feng Zhengming also discussed this matter privately with some leaders.

The leaders' meaning was clear: this was mainly because the Olympic athletes had achieved excellent results at the Olympics.

Therefore, the leaders felt that having Feng Zhengming, the national culinary champion, serve as the head chef to welcome them was a way of showing equal respect and a reward for the athletes' outstanding achievements.

Without this layer, Feng Zhengming might not have gotten this opportunity.

Feng Zhengming himself could understand this.

Especially after actually entering the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People, I saw those master chefs working diligently in the kitchen.

Only then did Feng Zhengming reflect on whether his publicity methods were indeed too excessive.

So he never thought he could participate in state banquets again.

He felt that the chefs who worked diligently in the kitchen were more qualified than him.

Of course, Feng Zhengming will not give up his pursuit.

He wants to open all three of his stores in Beijing.

Most importantly, he was determined to openly and legitimately hang the old plaque of Yanxilou in the capital.

That old plaque represents the traditional style of Shandong cuisine.

It was hung above the entrance of a restaurant in the capital.

Only then can we prove that Shandong cuisine has returned to the capital.

This can be considered a complete rebirth for Yanxilou.

It's not just about reviving Yanxilou in Jinan, but about taking it to the next level and ushering in a new beginning for Shandong cuisine in Beijing.

After their afternoon nap, Feng Zhengming and his wife took their daughter, along with their two senior brothers, apprentices, and students, and went out together.

The streets of Beijing were packed with people during the National Day holiday. Any famous tourist attractions were completely jammed.

Feng Zhengming and his wife then led everyone to see several potential shop locations.

Upon learning that it was a candidate shop, the two senior apprentices, their apprentices, and their students were all very excited.

They knew that Feng Zhengming was finally going to Beijing. (End of Chapter)