Transmigrated into the fat wife of the future prime minister

Chapter 27 Braised Noodles
Xu Qingmeng was initially just afraid of death, and because she was pregnant with the big boss's child, she wouldn't have been so dedicated. However, after spending time together, she felt the care that the He family had for her, the two little ones liked her very much, and Gu Yunyi had also changed a lot.

She felt that if things could continue like this, it would be nice; no feelings involved, just living together as a couple.

After all, she was already pregnant, and at this point, getting a divorce while still carrying the child would inevitably attract a lot of gossip.

Yun Sheng looked at the two of them with some confusion, and quietly tugged at Gu Yunyi's sleeve, "Big brother, aren't you the one who's supposed to be studying and taking the exam? Why are you thanking Mother and sister-in-law?"

"Gu Yunsheng, what are you saying? I heard everything!" Madam He said.

Yun Sheng quickly stood up straight and said, "Mother didn't say anything. If you don't believe me, ask my eldest brother."

"Humph!"

Thinking that such a joyous occasion meant she should at least offer incense to Yunyi's father, Madam He gave him some instructions and then went out.

Xu Qingmeng smiled, and seeing that the sun was getting late, she hurried to the kitchen to prepare the braised food, since she would be setting up her stall that evening.

Gu Yunyi then followed her into the kitchen.

"I'm going to make braised food, why are you coming with me?" Xu Qingmeng asked, puzzled.

"I'm going to help."

Xu Qingmeng thought to herself, "You don't even know how to do it, yet you're helping. It would be good enough if you didn't make things worse." She really wanted to refuse, since she felt a little uncomfortable being alone with Gu Yunyi. But seeing Gu Yunyi's expression, she couldn't bear to say it. Beauty really does lead people astray.

Oh well, good looks can bring joy, and besides, he's a big shot, and today is his special day, so let's just go along with it.

That evening, thanks to the star effect of the freshly made dishes, even though we had prepared a lot of braised food that day, we still couldn't sell any.

The store was packed with customers, the queue stretched all the way outside the door, and there was still a long line outside.

Xu Qingmeng and He Shi were busy slicing braised food with knives in one hand and packing it up with another. They were so busy that they couldn't stop.

Mrs. He simply called Gu Yunyi over to help collect the money, which drew a lot of teasing from the customers.

All the braised food was sold out, and there wasn't even enough left. All three of them were exhausted, but even though they were tired, Xu Qingmeng didn't want to make the evening meal too simple.

Today is a big day for the boss, so we should at least cook him a good meal.

Xu Qingmeng used the braising sauce to make braised noodles, and thinking about the toon leaves she bought today, she made scrambled eggs with toon leaves.

Blanch the toon leaves, drain, and then chop them finely. Crack four eggs into a large bowl, add the chopped toon leaves, and mix well.

Heat a pan and add some oil. Once the oil is hot, add the diced toon and egg mixture. Do not stir-fry; wait until the eggs are set before flipping them over.
Stir-fry quickly and evenly, add an appropriate amount of salt, and serve. A delicious stir-fried egg with toon leaves is ready.

Xu Qingmeng sliced ​​some meat and stir-fried it with celery. The three dishes and one staple food were served quickly.

During the meal, Mrs. He remarked with emotion,
"Mr. Shen deserves much credit for your good fortune this time. Has he said when he will return?"

Gu Yunyi shook his head. "The last time you wrote to me, sir, was before the competition. You only mentioned going south, and I estimate it will be around the time of the Climbing Festival."

"Then let me know when Mr. Shen returns, and I will prepare more things for him to take with him."

"Hmm." Xu Qingmeng saw that Madam He was in a good mood. "Mother, try this braised noodles."

He took a bite. The braising broth absorbed the oil from the braised meat, giving it a meaty flavor. It was already very flavorful. Xu Qingmeng's noodles were pulled a little thicker. After being dipped in the braising broth, they had a glossy, soy sauce-like color. They were very meaty and fragrant. She also stir-fried some scallions, ginger, and garlic, and finally added a handful of sesame seeds. It was incredibly delicious and fragrant.

"Delicious, so delicious!" Mrs. He nodded in praise, picked up another mouthful of braised noodles, put it in her mouth, the noodles were chewy and the broth was rich and fragrant, it quickly became Mrs. He's favorite.

The two little ones were easily appeased; they thought anything with meat was delicious.

Gu Yunyi didn't like that dish; like Xu Qingmeng, he preferred scrambled eggs with toon leaves.

"Qingmeng, I used to think that since my family ran a restaurant, we had plenty of good food. Who would have thought that what we had before was nothing compared to you?"

Xu Qingmeng smiled, somewhat embarrassed.

But Gu Yunyi then remarked, "Qingmeng's cooking skills are indeed excellent." As he spoke, he glanced at her.

Xu Qingmeng avoided his gaze, not looking at him, and instead spoke to Madam He.

"Mother, Yunyi's reputation is soaring right now, our restaurant will definitely spread further and further, and it will probably be busier and busier. Why don't we hire a couple of people to help out?"

Having never experienced hiring or buying slaves in her entire life, He was still somewhat hesitant.

Gu Yunyi, however, expressed his strong support.
“Mother, Qingmeng is right. I have to take the prefectural exam in April. Quan County is quite far from the prefectural city. It will be more convenient if I have a servant.”

The Tongsheng Examination, also known as the Tongshi Examination, was an entrance examination for obtaining the qualification of a student (xiucai).

Regardless of age, all candidates were called "child students" and the examinations were divided into three stages: county examination, prefectural examination, and provincial examination.

Actually, it's not entirely accurate for the officials to say that Gu Yunyi was the top candidate in the preliminary examination; at most, he could be considered the top candidate in the county examination.

The prefectural examination was held in April and was presided over by the prefect (or the prefect of a directly governed prefecture, or the assistant prefect of a directly governed hall). Scholars who had passed the county examination were allowed to participate. The examination consisted of three sessions. Those who passed the county and prefectural examinations were all called "child students".

The Imperial Examination was the highest level of the preliminary examinations. It was administered by the provincial education commissioner, and only those who passed the Imperial Examination could enter the official academy and become a local student, commonly known as a "xiucai" (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations).
Only by becoming a Xiucai (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination) can one truly take the first step towards the imperial examination system; becoming a Xiucai is merely the beginning of the process.

However, this dynasty had long prioritized military prowess over civil service, and the imperial examinations had even been suspended for several years, which led to a bias among ordinary people.

They thought that passing the county examination meant becoming a scholar, but that wasn't actually the case. It just sounded better, but the official register wouldn't actually record it that way.

Upon hearing that it concerned her son's schooling, Mrs. He knew it couldn't be delayed and quickly said...
"Then I'll go find a servant boy later and ask him to buy you a young servant."

"As for the shop, Mengniang, how about we have your family come and help out?"

Xu Qingmeng was clearly surprised by He Shi's words and looked at her with astonishment.

Madam He was not unaware of the situation. Although the shop was called Gu Family Restaurant, it would have collapsed without Xu Qingmeng. She knew perfectly well who was in charge.

Of course, Mrs. He had her own selfish motives for saying this. After all, no outsider is as trustworthy as family. Besides, her family is doing so well now thanks to her daughter-in-law, so it's only right that she help out.

Given how much the Xu family dotes on Xu Qingmeng and puts her first in everything, Madam He is not worried about any future conflicts.

(End of this chapter)