From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Chapter 2 Getting ready to sell lunch boxes
  Together with senior brother Li Huidong, we first returned to the brewery’s cafeteria and the kitchen.

As soon as he entered the door, he heard a rude scolding inside.

"How many times have I told you? You must buy according to the needs on the list. Don't buy everything just because you are cheap. When you two bought so many big bags of eggplants, how long are we going to use them? Can the canteen still cook eggplant every day?”

Li Huidong led Feng Zhengming in. When he saw the scolding scene, he quickly stepped forward to smooth things over.

"Brother-in-law, since it's cheap, it's okay to buy more. We'll use it slowly."

Feng Zhengming walked in and saw several people clearly.

The person who reprimanded was Lin Jiacheng, senior brother Li Huidong’s brother-in-law and his partner in contracting the canteen.

The two people being trained were about the same age as Feng Zhengming, and they were Li Huidong's two apprentices, Zhang Lei and Yang Peng.

I saw Li Huidong leading Feng Zhengming back.

Lin Jiacheng stopped scolding the two apprentices for the time being.

"Zhengming is here."

Feng Zhengming quickly responded: "Hello, brother-in-law. If you stay in the cafeteria from now on, you will cause trouble to your brother-in-law."

Lin Jiacheng smiled and said, "Why are you so polite? You and Huidong are brothers. We are family members. If you need anything in the future, just ask."

Seeing that his two apprentices were still standing there, Li Huidong immediately said: "Zhang Lei, Yang Peng, you two should move the eggplants first, pour them out, and filter and clean them."

Zhang Lei and Yang Peng naturally did not dare to have any objections, so they quickly responded and carried a large bag of eggplants and went out to work.

Feng Zhengming looked at the big bag of eggplants they were carrying and couldn't help but ask: "Brother-in-law, senior brother, can you give me some eggplants?"

Lin Jiacheng asked curiously: "Do you like eggplant? Go get it yourself."

Without waiting for Feng Zhengming to explain, Li Huidong explained for him.

"I'm not brother-in-law," Zhengming said on the road, "I want to do some business of my own to support myself.

The square at the train station is being rebuilt during this period, so isn’t it true that people are going to the South Station to get on the train? He just wanted to make lunch boxes in the kitchen of our canteen and sell lunch boxes at South Station. "

Lin Jiacheng was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then praised Feng Zhengming.

"Okay, I didn't expect Zhengming to be very smart. The south station was originally relatively remote and there weren't many shops around it. Now people are going there to board the train temporarily. It's a good market gap."

Feng Zhengming said: "I just want to try to be self-reliant, but I can't leave Yanxi Tower without causing trouble to my senior brother.

I don’t have much capital now, so I have to lend you some raw materials on credit from my brother-in-law and senior brother. When I make money, I will return the money to you. "

Lin Jiacheng laughed when he heard this: "Hahaha, why are you so polite to your senior brother? You can use whatever you want. Anyway, your senior brother and I are contracting the canteen. It's our own place."

Then Lin Jiacheng reminded me: "But Zhengming, you have to think clearly. Going to the South Station to sell lunch boxes is very hard in the wind, rain, and sun. It's no better than working as a cook in the cafeteria."

Feng Zhengming responded: "I know that in the past, I was protected by my master and senior brothers in Yanxi Tower. Now that Yanxi Tower is closed and my master has retired and returned to his hometown, I have to rely on myself, so I am not afraid of hardship."

When Lin Jiacheng heard what Feng Zhengming said, he nodded and said, "Well done, you look like us Qilu men."

Immediately afterwards, Lin Jiacheng said: "Go find Zhang Lei and Yang Peng, don't look back. Those two guys sifted out all the good eggplants, leaving you with all the rotten ones."

Feng Zhengming was not polite: "Okay, I'm going."

Putting down the pot, spoon and knife on his back, Feng Zhengming prepared to go to the yard behind the canteen to choose some eggplants.

Li Huidong said: "You pick yours, and leave the rest for Zhang Lei and Yang Peng to clean."

Feng Zhengming responded and ran quickly to the backyard.

After watching Feng Zhengming run out.

Lin Jiacheng said to his brother-in-law Li Huidong: "Feng Zhengming is quite discerning. He knows that he can't rely on you as a senior brother all the time. It's good to think of doing business on his own." Li Huidong said: "Zhengming has no relatives or friends, and the master has returned to the countryside. , I, the senior brother, will definitely take care of him. If he fails to sell lunch boxes, I will let him continue to work in the back of the cafeteria."

Lin Jiacheng said: "I didn't say not to let him work in the kitchen in the cafeteria. Anyway, the kitchen in the cafeteria also needs manpower. If we provide him with food and shelter, we are doing our best, right? You, the senior brother, can't still help him." Are you going to start a family? What will you do with your own family? Don’t you think about your wife and children? "

Li Huidong was speechless.

He really wanted to help his junior brother more.

But his brother-in-law's reminder also made him recognize the reality.

Li Huidong is a person who keeps to himself and only knows how to cook in the kitchen.

This time Yanxilou was facing bankruptcy. If his brother-in-law hadn't helped him, he might not have had the guts to contract the brewery canteen.

It was like when Feng Zhengming told him that he wanted to sell lunch boxes at the train station.

Li Huidong chose to retreat almost instantly.

In his bones he didn't want to take risks.

Therefore, Li Huidong is also self-aware and knows that he still needs to rely on his brother-in-law to coordinate some of the tasks in the canteen.

Now hearing what his brother-in-law said, Li Huidong could only nod his head in the end.

"Okay, brother-in-law, let Zhengming try it first. If he is really capable and famous, I will have lived up to the master who entrusted him to me."

Lin Jiacheng said: "You are just too honest. With so many brothers and sisters, why would you entrust Feng Zhengming to you?"

Li Huidong smiled honestly and said, "Brother-in-law, didn't we already agree? Let him stay."

Lin Jiacheng said: "Didn't you already stay?"

Li Huidong smiled and said, "Thank you, brother-in-law."

Lin Jiacheng said: "Don't be polite to me. Besides, Feng Zhengming has been with your master for more than two years, right? His craftsmanship is better than your two apprentices."

Li Huidong nodded: "Zhengming's craftsmanship is indeed good, and Master always praises him for his spirituality."

Lin Jiacheng said: "Okay, let's do this first. When you come back, you can watch over here in the cafeteria while I go to the factory."

Feng Zhengming came to the pool in the backyard of the cafeteria.

I saw the senior brother and his two apprentices pouring the entire bag of eggplants they bought into the pool.

Feng Zhengming quickly rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward to help.

When Zhang Lei and Yang Peng saw Feng Zhengming, they also called out respectfully: "Uncle Junior."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Don't call me that. We are about the same age. From now on, when my senior brother and the others are away, you can just call me by my name."

Seeing that Feng Zhengming was not acting like a junior master, Zhang Lei and Yang Peng naturally relaxed.

The two people first lamented the collapse of Yanxi Tower.

When I learned that Feng Zhengming wanted to use eggplant, he was planning to make lunch boxes to sell at the train station.

Zhang Lei asked in surprise: "Zhengming, are you going to sell at South Station? The road from our side is not easy, and people at the station are rushing to catch trains. Can anyone buy lunch boxes?"

Yang Peng said: "Yes, and the South Station is very small and there is no station square. It may not be feasible to do business there."

Feng Zhengming did not argue with the two, but said while selecting eggplants: "I'm just going to try it."

Zhang Lei and Yang Peng soon discovered that the eggplants selected by Feng Zhengming were all squeezed and deformed, but they were left with intact eggplants.

(End of this chapter)