The cart they used to sell boxed lunches was still there. Meng Zhao loaded the prepared items and, together with Gu Shi, pushed the cart toward the county school.
Unlike the provincial and metropolitan examinations, which were more rigorous and required candidates to stay after entering, the county examination consisted of five sessions over five days, allowing candidates to return home each day. Therefore, even after the examinations had begun, a large crowd of parents gathered outside the county school to pick up their children.
Not only that, Meng Zhao also saw many parents bringing their children over, probably wanting them to experience the atmosphere of the exam.
Education is expensive. Not to mention tuition fees, even basic necessities like writing materials are not cheap. Those who can afford to send their children to school are generally considered to have some financial resources. Even if a family is poor, they can cut back on other expenses, but they can't skimp on food.
Many others shared Meng Zhao's thoughts. Luckily, they arrived early and managed to secure a spot; otherwise, they would have had to move their stalls to the next street.
"We're selling jujube zongzi! The soft and sticky jujube zongzi are ready!" As soon as Meng Zhao and her team set up their stall, the jujube zongzi stall next door was surrounded by layers of people.
Gu asked curiously, "I don't usually see many people enjoying these jujube zongzi, so why are they selling so well today?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao smiled and said, "I guess it's because the date rice dumpling sounds like 'early middle school' in Chinese. Those parents who come to pick up and drop off their children don't care what they eat, so they just buy a date rice dumpling for good luck."
Madam Gu suddenly realized, "Oh~ so that's how it is! No wonder so many people are rushing to buy it. I have to buy a copy too, so that our Qinghe can pass the exam soon."
Meng Zhao smiled and stopped her, "Stop, stop, stop, Mother, don't be in a hurry, look at this." Meng Zhao took out a plate of exquisite pastries from under the stall and put them out.
Gu looked down and replied, "Isn't this rice cake? Wait, why are there words on it?"
After saying that, she walked around to the front of the stall and took a look. The normally round rice cakes were actually printed with the words "Ding Sheng" (meaning "Victory is assured"). These pastries were made and delivered by the teahouse workers last night. Because they were made late, it was already dark when they were delivered, so Gu Shi did not see them.
A sly glint flashed across Meng Zhao's face as she smiled and said, "This is called 'Ding Sheng Gao' (定胜糕), Mother, please don't call it the wrong name later."
Madam Gu then realized what was going on and carefully examined the pastries on the plate, discovering that the ordinary pastries were all printed with words such as "Top Scholar," "Second Scholar," and "Third Scholar."
The two exchanged a glance, understood each other perfectly, and began to hawk their wares, "Selling Ding Sheng Gao (a type of rice cake)! Eat Ding Sheng Gao, and you'll definitely succeed in your exams!"
Sure enough, it wasn't long before their stall was surrounded by people. The parents who were sending their children to school all beamed with joy when they heard the name of the pastry, and they all took out their money to buy a few pieces for good luck.
This reminded the vendors nearby that, regardless of whether it was a good match or not, as long as it was called out, it was considered auspicious. So they all followed suit, and soon, all sorts of names like "Jidi Congee," "Zhuangyuan Wine," and "Jinshi Dumplings" appeared.
Those who hadn't originally planned to spend money couldn't resist buying one or two items after hearing these calls for sale.
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