Transmigrated into the fat wife of the future prime minister

Chapter 67 Recruitment
Xu Qingmeng just smiled when she heard this.

Xu Qingmeng dreamed that next time she could make garlic chili sauce or mushroom meat sauce, and if she made it a few more times, she would soon have plenty of money, enough to buy a shop.

"Mother, the chili oil sold so well this time. Young Master Shen has tasted success, so I'm sure he'll send even more chilies next time. Also, I'm planning to make the other two sauces available as well. What do you think, should we find another helper?"

Xu Qing dreams of making money, but she doesn't want to exhaust herself.

Not to mention Shen Jinwen tasted the sweetness, Madam He also felt how fragrant it was to hold more than one hundred taels in her hand. Of course, she would not object and even discussed with her with great interest which aunt was efficient and which young wife did a good job.

Because the Gu family produced a top scholar in the imperial examination, and because Madam Huang and Huang Boyang stood up for the Gu family, and because the Gu family restaurant was becoming increasingly popular, many people wanted to apply as soon as Madam He said she wanted to hire people.

Within two days, Mrs. He had arranged marriages with a woman surnamed Tang from the next alley and another woman surnamed Li.

Tang's wife was about thirty years old. Her husband worked at the docks, and she had a mother-in-law who needed medication all year round. They lived a rather frugal life. So, Tang's wife used to work with He's wife doing laundry for others. She was very efficient at her work.

Not long after Aunt Li got married, her husband passed away unexpectedly. However, the two had a very good relationship, and Aunt Li has remained a widow ever since, helping her husband take care of his elderly parents.

Xu Qingmeng saw the two of them. Although their clothes had some patches, they were both clean and tidy. Madam He had known them for many years and knew their honest nature, so Xu Qingmeng nodded.

Shen Jinwen only said the chili peppers he ordered would arrive at the end of the month, and there's no work yet, so they'll be helping out at Gu's restaurant for now, earning one and a half taels of silver a month for each of them.

Both of them were very happy. After all, dockworkers do such heavy work every day and may not earn this much money in a month. This was just washing vegetables, chopping vegetables, washing dishes, and helping out in the kitchen. When there were chili peppers, they just sat down and ground them. It couldn't be simpler for them.

The two thanked Mrs. He and Xu Qingmeng several times and said they would start work the next day before leaving.

On April 20th, Madam He began to talk about Gu Yunyi every day, wondering why he hadn't returned home by the time the prefectural examination was over.

She would mutter it more than a dozen times a day, and whenever the shop was quiet, she would sit in front of the door and watch, afraid of missing anything.

Everyone could see He Shi's worries, so they tried their best not to mention the matter at home. Even Yun Sheng had been behaving himself these past few days.

Perhaps it was because of He's constant nagging, but on the morning of April 22nd, several candidates who had taken the prefectural examination were returning home and happened to pass by their restaurant.

With her sharp eyes, Ms. He noticed the situation and, ignoring the customers in line, grabbed two meat buns and went out.

"Quan-ge'er, have you finished the prefectural examination?"

Li Quan knew that Gu Yunyi had also participated in the prefectural examination, so he quickly said, "Auntie, the prefectural examination was over on the 15th. I only came back after resting for two days. Has Gu Yunyi not returned yet?"

Mrs. He nodded, her face full of worry: "Yes, I don't know what's going on, there's still no news."

Li Quan scratched his head and said, "Auntie is also very worried. The examination hall is very simple, and it is not very convenient to eat and stay. Many candidates fell ill after leaving the examination hall and may need to rest and recuperate in the prefectural city for a couple of days. Yun Yi is probably still staying at the inn. He may be waiting for the results of the prefectural examination to be released before returning. That is also possible."

Hearing this, Madam He could only comfort herself in her heart, but the worry in her eyes did not lessen. She handed the steamed buns in her hand to Li Quan and said, "You rushed back so early in the morning, you must not have had breakfast yet. Have a couple of steamed buns to tide you over before you go home, so your mother won't worry."

"Okay, thank you then, Auntie. I'll come visit again when Yunyi comes back." Li Quan happily took the buns and hurried home.

After Mrs. He left, Xu Qingmeng took over her position and was selling steamed buns.

Several neighbors who lived nearby saw He Shi return and asked, "What did Quan Ge'er just say? Did he mention seeing your Yun Yi?"

"You don't need to worry about Yunyi's studies. I suppose he wants to rest for a couple more days before coming back."

"Maybe he was delayed because he was buying a gift for Mengniang in the prefectural city."

"That's right, the kids are all grown up and they'll have to go out and make their own way in the world. Sister Gu, you have to put your mind at ease."

Ms. He nodded, thanked everyone for their kindness, and seeing that more and more people were coming, she quickly put away her worry and started selling steamed buns.

Only when no one was around did Madam He say to Xu Qingmeng, "Li Quan said the exam would be over in eighteen days. I don't know what's wrong with Yun Yi. He was told to rest for a day or two before coming back, but he wasn't told to rest indefinitely and stay outside without coming back."

Xu Qingmeng: "Perhaps something has delayed things. It's not uncommon for many candidates to discuss things with their classmates after the exam, but one or two days is definitely not enough."

Madam He snorted and complained, "I think he's just being lazy. In the past, it was one thing if he didn't do any work during exams, but now that the exams are over, he still hasn't come back to do any work. Who in this family is idle? He just happens to be hiding away in the prefectural city."

Xu Qingmeng was both amused and exasperated, but she knew that Madam He was worried about him and was just venting her frustration at his late return. She then comforted Madam He with a few words.

Finally, he added, "Yun Yi might also be planning to come back today. He's on his way back now. Let's wait for him this afternoon."

"Let him indulge his bad habits, whether he comes back or not is up to him. Get to work, get to work, there's still a lot to do at noon." After saying that, Mrs. He went to work.

Xu Qingmeng had no choice but to rest for a while before getting busy again.

At the city gate of Quan County, Gu Yunyi and Huang Boyang were sitting in a carriage. Although both of them looked pale, they were both extremely excited.
Huang Boyang said, "I heard before that Liu Shengming charges a thousand taels for a spot on the list, and the price for the prefectural examination will probably be more than ten times that. This time, he's going to suffer a setback. I didn't believe it when Elder Shen told me how smart you were."

Gu Yunyi's lips curled up slightly, but a faint worry crept onto his brow.

Seeing this, Huang Boyang's smile involuntarily faded a bit, and he said, "Brother Gu, don't worry. I've already spoken with Mother to ask her to take care of your mother, your wife, and your sister-in-law. They'll be fine."

Gu Yunyi lowered his eyes, pondered for a moment, and said, "Young Master Liu is a very bold and reckless person. If he has some scruples, I am not too worried. But I am afraid that he will be fearless and reckless, and I would rather be punished even more severely."

(End of this chapter)