Transmigrated into the fat wife of the future prime minister

Chapter 65 Twisted Doughnuts
Xu Qingmeng looked at the sensible Yun Sheng, who was not as greedy as yesterday, and reached out to rub her head: "Sheng-jie'er, you are so sensible. Big brother has already wrapped up the food. These are for you and Mo-ge'er. Eat up."

Yun Sheng's eyes lit up. He turned his head and ate the beef jerky as Xu Qingmeng handed it to him again.

"Delicious!"

"Yunmo, here." Xu Qingmeng also stuffed a piece into Yunmo's hand, and he smiled so much that his eyes disappeared, his face full of satisfaction.

Xu Qingmeng made some more twisted dough sticks.

Twisted dough sticks were invented by Chai Wenjin at the end of the Western Han Dynasty. Legend has it that Chai Wenjin invented fried dough sticks, also known as twisted dough sticks, in order to provide food for Liu Xiu, who was hiding in a dry well.

The important thing is that the twisted dough sticks can be stored for a long time, are easy to make, and can also be a snack for the two little ones.

That evening, Gu Yunyi was talking with Madam He and Xu Qingmeng in the main room.

Madam He took out the money box, took out a hundred taels of silver notes, and put ten taels of loose silver into her purse. She instructed, "As the saying goes, a poor family should be rich when traveling. On this long journey, eat and drink as you please. Don't be stingy. After you finish the exam, take a good rest for a day. Don't rush back."

"Okay, Mother, I understand."

After nagging for a while, Madam He thought that he would have to travel the next day, so she didn't say anything more and told him to go and rest.

Xu Qingmeng followed her out and saw Gu Yunyi waiting for her at the door.
The moonlight, like water, gently spilled into the cracks of the bluestone slabs, reflecting dappled light and shadow, adding a touch of gentleness to the tranquil night. Xu Qingmeng looked up and met Gu Yunyi's deep and gentle eyes, and her heart couldn't help but tremble slightly.

She stood there, her shadow elongated by the moonlight, appearing exceptionally tall and strong, as if she could bear all the storms of the world.

To be honest, Gu Yunyi fit all her fantasies: handsome, with a great figure, and talented. The current Gu Yunyi doesn't have the ruthless decisiveness he will become in the book; he still has the naivety of a young man. It would be a lie to say she wasn't attracted to him.

She wasn't stupid; she could sense Gu Yunyi's affection for her, but she didn't know how long that affection would last.

"What's wrong? Is something else?" Her voice was soft, yet it clearly pierced the silence of the night, carrying a slight, almost imperceptible tremor, like ripples left on a lake of the heart by a gentle breeze.

Gu Yunyi stepped forward, seemingly wanting to say something, but hesitated for a moment before finally just smiling and saying, "It's nothing, it's just that you'll have to work hard after I leave."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qingmeng said, "We're family, why are we talking about this? We need to get up early to travel tomorrow, so go to sleep. I'm sleepy too." Xu Qingmeng pretended to be sleepy and chuckled.

Gu Yunyi had no choice but to give up.

The next morning, Madam He and the others saw Gu Yunyi off at the door. The carriage had been gone for quite some time before Madam He and the others returned.

Gu Yunyi didn't go alone, of course. Not all the scholars in Quan County came from Hengshan Academy. Some of them had been in contact with him after the preliminary examination. It just so happened that two of them agreed to set off together.

However, before leaving, someone was sent to deliver a letter to that young master Liu.

That night, Gu Yunyi was very disrespectful, which made him very angry. Gu Yunyi did not show up for the invitation yesterday. At this moment, he was still lying in the arms of a woman when he heard from the doorman that Gu Yunyi had sent a letter. He was so angry that he laughed.

He clutched the letter and sneered, "He had better have a reason to convince me, otherwise, I will never let him go."

He ripped the envelope open abruptly, revealing only a thin sheet of paper with a few simple lines of writing inside. Yet, these words caused Young Master Liu's expression to change drastically in an instant.

He stared for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Cowardly and greedy, how wonderful!" But as long as he was greedy, that was fine. What he despised most were those ignorant people who regarded money as worthless yet considered themselves noble.

Gu Yunyi's departure seemed to have no other impact on Gu Family Restaurant. The restaurant was still booming, but there was no longer a scholar in the study, nor the person who used to stand at the kitchen door chatting and laughing.

However, after just two days, Xu Qingmeng lost interest in thinking about it.

Xu Qingmeng used to make chili oil and put it in the shop for customers to eat for free. At first, people thought it was too spicy and dared not try it, but after they tasted the boiled fish at Gujia Restaurant, they fell in love with the taste.

The spicy aroma of chili oil ignites the taste buds of diners, who have recently been drawn to its unique flavor.

Once something is opened up, it can't be stopped.

After eating it for a few days, many people started asking if this chili oil was for sale.

Xu Qingmeng wanted to sell it, but unfortunately she didn't have the raw materials. Moreover, the dried chili peppers were not cheap to transport, and the oil, sesame seeds, Sichuan peppercorns, and other ingredients were also quite expensive. Therefore, the price of this chili oil would definitely not be cheap; it was not an affordable product that everyone could afford.

Just as he was fretting, Shen Jinwen arrived at Gu's Restaurant, beaming with joy and carrying a whole bunch of chili peppers.

"Young Master Shen, what is this?"

Shen Jinwen said, "Miss Gu, you gave me a few bottles of chili oil. I kept one for myself and gave the rest away. After we finished eating, everyone asked me where they could buy more, so here I am."

"Does Young Master Shen want me to turn all of these into chili oil?" Xu Qingmeng asked.

Shen Jinwen nodded.

Xu Qingmeng greatly admired Shen Jinwen's business acumen. It was not surprising that chili oil could become so popular throughout the country in later generations, and that this secret recipe chili oil could be so amazing now.

Soon, after discussing it with Xu Qingmeng, Shen Jinwen finalized the contract for the chili oil.

The raw materials were provided by Shen Jinwen, but she had to oversee the quality. The subsequent sales were also entirely Shen Jinwen's responsibility. This meant that all she had to do was make the products and repackage them.

As for the bonus, Xu Qingmeng didn't dwell on it too much. After all, she was just contributing her skills, which wasn't difficult, so she agreed to split it 40/60 as Shen Jinwen had suggested.

Shen Jinwen is extremely efficient. He had previously mentioned asking someone to bring Xu Qingmeng some chili peppers, and now he has even invested his own money in it.

Three days after the contract was signed, two large trucks stopped in front of Gu's Restaurant.

The truck was filled with high-quality dried chilies, ten large bags of which were unloaded in the Gu family's yard. After carefully inspecting them, Xu Qingmeng nodded in satisfaction. These chilies were bright in color and had a pure spiciness, making them excellent materials for making chili oil.

Then there were about ten barrels of oil, Sichuan peppercorns, spices, and all sorts of other things, making up a whole truckload.

Xu Qingmeng couldn't help but facepalm. She had thought it was a simple matter, just a matter of moving her hands, but she had to wash so many dried chilies, stir-fry them, and grind them. The workload was considerable. She was pregnant, and she couldn't neglect her child.

(End of this chapter)