Transmigrated into the fat wife of the future prime minister

Chapter 168 Fresh Meat Mooncakes
There were no ovens in the city, but the barbecue rack that Gu Yunyi had made before came in handy, and they were placed on it to grill over charcoal.

The only requirement is to keep turning the mooncakes to ensure they are heated evenly on both sides until they are golden brown and crispy.

As time went by, the aroma of the mooncakes grew stronger and stronger, gradually enveloping the entire courtyard.

Yuanbao was attracted by the aroma and kept smacking his little mouth.

Xu Qingmeng said with a smile, "Yuanbao, do you want some too?"

"Auntie... Auntie... Xiangxiang..."

"You!" Hui Niang nodded at Yuan Bao's head in an annoyed tone.

"Okay, we'll give Yuanbao the first mooncake later, okay?"

"Eat...I want to eat..."

Under Yuanbao's expectant gaze, the first mooncake was finally baked.

Xu Qingmeng carefully took the mooncakes off the grill. The mooncakes emitted an enticing aroma. After they cooled slightly, she handed them to Yuanbao, who was reaching out his little hand.

Yuanbao couldn't wait to take the mooncake and take a small bite.

The crispy outer layer made a slight "crunching" sound under his little teeth, and the sweet filling instantly burst in his mouth.

Her already large eyes lit up instantly, her cheeks puffed out, and she mumbled, "So...delicious..."

Xu Qingmeng and Huiniang couldn't help but laugh when they saw Yuanbao's adorable appearance.

As the mooncakes were baked one by one, the aroma filling the courtyard grew stronger and stronger.

"Sister-in-law, you should try some too. These mooncakes taste best right after they come out of the oven."

There were only three people: Xu Qingmeng, Huiniang, and Yuanbao. Xu Qingmeng didn't do much.

Hui Niang took a mooncake, took a bite, and said, "Meng Niang, the crust of this mooncake is really crispy!"

Hui Niang had eaten mooncakes before, but none were as good as Xu Qingmeng's. The outer crust wasn't thick, but it was layered. One bite, combined with the filling inside, was truly delicious.

"There's more here, have a couple more if you like."

"What a pity, they have nothing to eat."

"It's no big deal, we can do it later."

"Then let's not do it, you're working so hard."

"There's nothing hard about it."

On the day the exam hall opened, Xu Qingmeng went to the street and bought a lot of fresh vegetables and an old hen. Remembering that Gu Yunyi hadn't eaten mooncakes and that he was a carnivore, Xu Qingmeng decided to make some fresh meat mooncakes.

Seeing that Xu Qingmeng had bought so many things, Huiniang smiled and said, "It's only been three days, how could you possibly lose several pounds? You're just a worrywart, and you're pregnant now!"

"I'd heard that the exam venue was quite grueling, hadn't I? I wonder what it'll be like afterward," Xu Qingmeng said with a smile.

By noon, Xu Qingmeng had already finished making the fresh meat mooncakes.

In the afternoon, the examination hall opened, and Xu Qingmeng and Huiniang took Yuanbao with them.

There were many people in front of the examination hall, all of them just like the girls, eagerly waiting for their family members to come out. It was a huge crowd, comparable to the scene of parents picking up their children from school in later generations. As soon as the bell rang, someone in the crowd shouted, "They're out! They're out!"

Immediately afterwards, the previously calm crowd suddenly became crowded, with people constantly trying to get forward.

Xu Qingmeng and her companion were both women, one of whom was pregnant and the other had a child with her, so they didn't try to squeeze to the front.

The two of them, with Yuanbao in tow, stood behind, constantly tiptoeing to peer inside.

"Big Brother, you're finally out! How was it? How did the exam go?"

"Young Master Li, have you seen my husband? Do you know when he will come out?"

"I heard something went wrong during this exam, son, do you know what happened?"

"I heard it was smuggled and he was immediately sent to jail, but I don't know if it's true or not."

Xu Qingmeng stood on the longevity noodle table, listening to the series of discussions among the crowd, then looked at Hui Niang beside her with a bewildered expression: "Something happened in the examination hall? How come I haven't heard about it?"

"I don't know, maybe someone with connections heard about it and spread the word? But this kind of thing must be true, no one would dare to spread such rumors."

Xu Qingmeng and Huiniang both trusted their own family, so they didn't take the matter to heart. Moreover, according to the people around them, every year during those exams, there were always quite a few people who tried to cheat their way through.

But no one ever actually gets away with it; they're always caught on the spot. Even if they do, it's not surprising.

However, more and more students came out, saying that the one who was arrested was from Quan County, which made Xu Qingmeng uneasy.

She certainly believed Gu Yunyi, but there was no guarantee that Liu, the county magistrate...

After all, Liu, the county magistrate, must have connections above him to be able to stir up trouble in the prefectural city. Xu Qingmeng was worried that they might be coming to retaliate.

Thinking about it this way, Xu Qingmeng suddenly became a little nervous, while Huiniang, standing to the side, was somewhat puzzled.

Just as he was about to ask Xu Qingmeng what was wrong, he spotted Fang Ziheng.

Hui Niang's eyes lit up, and she quickly waved to him, shouting, "Husband, we're here! Yuanbao, look, your father is back!"

Fang Ziheng, with his keen hearing, quickly turned around and saw Hui Niang and Xu Qingmeng. Although they looked somewhat weak, they still wore faint smiles.

Upon seeing the people, Fang Ziheng quickly pushed through the crowd and walked over with the two of them.

"Yuanbao, did you miss your daddy? My eldest son." Fang Ziheng put the box on the ground, then tried to take his son and give him a big kiss.

Before she even got close, Hui Niang stretched out her arm and stopped her, saying, "What are you doing? You smell terrible. Stay away from our precious son. He's not in good health to begin with."

Fang Ziheng didn't press the matter further, since his son's health had indeed been poor since the accident.

Then she looked at Xu Qingmeng standing to the side, and seeing that she didn't see Gu Yunyi, she asked, "Why haven't Brother Gu and the others come out yet? That shouldn't be the case. The candidates from Quan County came out before me."

Fang Ziheng's words caused Xu Qingmeng's already anxious heart to plummet to the bottom. She then nervously looked towards the courtyard gate, her lips tightly pursed.

Seeing that she didn't say anything and her expression was not good, Fang Ziheng looked at Hui Niang with confusion.

After hearing Fang Ziheng's words, Hui Niang finally understood what Xu Qingmeng was worried about.

He quickly whispered in Fang Ziheng's ear what he had just heard from the students who came out, "They said that three people from Quan County have been arrested."

(End of this chapter)