After a male student transmigrated into the body of a widow,

After seeing Peng Zhi off, Gu Lin opened Zheng Hao's letter. There wasn't much written in the letter; Zheng Hao had only written a few sentences.

Uncle Gu, the students at the academy need to buy shower gel. If Jinhua Pavilion has any left, please prepare some. There's no need to rush; you can prepare it slowly before the ten-day break.

After closing the letter, Gu Lin turned around and sent someone to Jinhua Pavilion.

Ten-day holiday.

Zheng Hao did not carry a book box. He put his writing brush, ink, and books into the box and returned it to the school. Then, he took a few books and left the school, boarding an oxcart.

Because school ended early today, Zheng Hao did not go straight home. He asked the driver to take him to Haoyunlou Restaurant. When he arrived at the entrance of Haoyunlou Restaurant, Zheng Hao got out of the car and walked inside.

At this time, as it was approaching dinner time, the lobby was becoming increasingly full, and the number of people was also increasing.

However, in such a crowded place, Zheng Hao, dressed in a light-colored robe, stood out. With his youthful and handsome face and tall and elegant figure, Lin Xiaoyao saw him as soon as she looked up.

Without Zheng Hao even having to ask, Lin Xiaoyao knew who he was looking for as soon as she saw him arrive at Haoyunlou.

"Young Master Zheng," Lin Xiaoyao said to Zheng Hao, "the master is resting in the courtyard behind the restaurant. You can find him there directly."

After the other party finished speaking, Zheng Hao did not immediately turn around and leave. He thanked them with a calm but patient expression: "Thank you for your trouble."

After saying that, Zheng Hao turned and walked towards the courtyard behind the restaurant.

Watching the boy's receding figure, and recalling his conversation with him, Lin Xiaoyao felt something was off. But when he thought back to the scene, Zheng Hao's expression was as calm and aloof as ever, as if nothing was amiss. Lin Xiaoyao frowned and pondered. Just as he was about to grasp a clue, the throng of diners disrupted his thoughts.

Zheng Hao walked into the backyard. Gu Lin had a fixed room in the Good Luck Building for resting. Usually, unless he gave the order, no one else dared to enter his room casually.

Zheng Hao walked to the front of the house, raised his hand and knocked on the door. Before he could speak, a young man inside said, "Come in."

With a slight furrow in his otherwise neat brows, Zheng Hao reached out and pushed open the door, then went inside.

Gu Lin initially thought it was a waiter from the restaurant knocking on the door, but when he looked up and saw that it was Zheng Hao, he was slightly surprised and said, "I thought it was Xiao Yao and the others looking for me because they had something to say. I didn't expect it to be you."

Zheng Hao lifted his leg and walked towards Gu Lin, his cold face showing a hint of helplessness. He said to Gu Lin gently, "Although you are in your own restaurant, Uncle Gu should not be too lax with outsiders. People's hearts are in chaos, so Uncle Gu should remain vigilant. When someone knocks on the door, you should ask who it is, instead of letting them in without knowing who they are."

Facing the boy's gentle and slow-paced lecture, Gu Lin said with a hint of helplessness in his eyes, "It's not that I'm not vigilant, but in Good Fortune Restaurant, apart from you and the staff, no outsider can possibly get past the guards and into the courtyard."

Although Gu Lin has a carefree personality, he does prioritize his own safety. In ancient times, there were no surveillance cameras, so to prevent any dangerous people from entering Good Fortune Restaurant, Gu Lin specially arranged for two waiters, one to watch over the front hall and the other to guard the backyard.

Zheng Hao walked up to Gu Lin, lowered his eyes slightly, his long black eyelashes casting a shadow under his eyes, and patiently said to Gu Lin, "Even when dealing with the staff in the building, Uncle Gu should not let his guard down. One should always be wary of others."

Looking up and seeing the concern in the boy's deep eyes, Gu Lin softened and said, "Okay, I'll tell them that if they need to contact me in the future, they should introduce themselves first. Is that alright?"

Zheng Hao's expression softened, but because his face was backlit and in shadow, Gu Lin couldn't see him clearly.

Standing in front of the young man, Zheng Hao's increasingly tall figure enveloped him. However, the significant height difference did not make him appear condescending towards Gu Lin. He looked down at the young man with his head slightly lowered, appearing extremely obedient and harmless.

With that matter over, Gu Lin asked Zheng Hao about Peng Zhizhi's return with a letter instructing him to prepare shower gel.

Although Peng Zhizhi told him what had happened at the prefectural school that day, Gu Lin was still a little uneasy because he hadn't heard Zheng Hao say it himself.

Zheng Hao lowered his body slightly and sat down next to the young man. He then recounted to Gu Lin the events that had occurred at the prefectural school that day from beginning to end.

Then, he turned slightly to Gu Lin and said, "At first, I didn't intend to publicize the shower gel I brought. I planned that after the shower gel sold out outside, other students would notice that my body smelled different, and then the shower gel would naturally come to mind. I didn't expect Brother Peng's unintentional act to bring this process forward."

"Although it was unexpected, the outcome was good," Zheng Hao said.

Moreover, taking this opportunity, Zheng Hao's already good reputation at the prefectural school improved even more, and he successfully separated bath gel from the category of products used by young men and women, causing scholars to gradually equate it with elegant items such as incense.

After listening to Zheng Hao's account and confirming that the matter would not affect him, Gu Lin said, "I have prepared the shower gel you requested, and it is all at Jinhua Pavilion."

"Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Gu," Zheng Hao said. "I've been putting this matter off for a few days, and it's time to reply to them. I'll send someone to deliver the letter now, telling them to pick up the bath gel at Jinhua Pavilion."

Gu Lin nodded; he had already spoken with the manager of Jinhua Pavilion.

.

Summer has passed, and autumn has arrived in the blink of an eye.

After shedding his light clothing, Gu Lin changed into slightly thicker autumn clothes under the watchful eyes of Zhao's wife and Zheng Hao long after the tail end of summer had disappeared.

The young man propped his chin on his hand, looked up at the window, and saw that the once lush and green courtyard was now withered and yellow. The autumn wind blew by, and the withered leaves on the branches fell down, covering the bluestone slabs.

Gu Lin licked his lips. Autumn was dry and prone to causing internal heat, and his lips would easily peel when the wind blew. He was better off at home with vegetables and fruits, but he didn't know if Zheng Hao could handle being away from home for more than ten days. Gu Lin thought he should send some soup over. He decided to skip the nourishing soups and medicines from before. In this dry season, Gu Lin felt that he should stew some pear soup for him to drink.

Without hesitation, Gu Lin dressed and went out. He didn't need to go to the distant market to buy pears. He walked a few steps to his neighbor's house and could see the large pear tree in his neighbor's yard laden with fruit.

After moving to the city, Gu Lin got along well with his neighbors, especially the one who had the big pear tree.

This family is small; the elderly couple usually deal with people outside the home.

They had a son and a daughter. Their daughter married into a family in the county town below. Every year during festivals, their daughter and son-in-law would bring their grandchildren to visit them.

Their son worked as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) away from home. Years ago, he married his childhood sweetheart, but because the boy was in poor health, the couple had never had any children. Although the Bai couple were anxious about this, they felt a special bond with their daughter-in-law because they had watched her grow up, so they prioritized her health.

Gu Lin raised his hand and knocked on the door twice. He heard running sounds coming from inside, and then the door was opened, revealing a slightly pale face.

Gu Lin was slightly surprised, because it wasn't the Bai family couple who opened the door, but their daughter-in-law, Ning Ge'er.

Seeing the other person's breathing become heavier as he jogged, and his thin body swaying in the chilly autumn wind, Gu Lin was startled and quickly stepped forward to support him, asking, "Brother Ning, are you alright?"

Supported by Gu Lin, Ning Ge'er steadied himself and said to Gu Lin, slightly out of breath, "I'm fine, I just ran a little too fast and I'm a little dizzy."

"Then let's go inside and sit down quickly, instead of standing and talking." Seeing that the other person couldn't stand for a long time, Gu Lin quickly helped Ning Ge'er into the house and sat down.

After sitting down in the lobby, Ning Ge'er looked up at Gu Lin and said with an embarrassed expression, "Look at my body, it's no good as soon as the seasons change. Please forgive me for not being a good host."

Gu Lin waved his hand and said, "We're neighbors, why are you saying this to me? My sister-in-law and Aunt Bai have been talking about it for ages."

Speaking of this, remembering that he hadn't seen Aunt Bai and Uncle Bai since they came in, Gu Lin asked, "Brother Ning, where are Aunt Bai and Uncle Bai?"

Ning-ge replied, "Mother caught a cold by accident, and Father accompanied her to the clinic to see a doctor."

Gu Lin knew how healthy Aunt Bai was; he hadn't seen her get sick all year from spring to winter. Gu Lin asked, "Why did you suddenly get sick? Is it serious?"

Ning Ge'er parted his lips slightly and said, "I heard Mother sneeze last night. Mother said it was nothing and told us not to worry, but when she woke up this morning, she had a terrible headache. In the end, she couldn't persuade Father to let her go see a doctor."

At this point, Ning-ge asked, "Lin-ge, is there something you need to see my mother and the others? If so, you can tell me, and I'll tell her when she gets back."

Gu Lin said, "It's not anything else important. I just noticed the weather is dry and wanted to buy some pears from you to make a soup."

After Ning Ge'er had rested and caught his breath, he said to Gu Lin, "It's just a few pears, why are you buying them? I'll go get them for you."

After saying that, Ning Ge'er got up and left the hall to go to a room. Then he came out with a basket, walked up to Gu Lin and said, "The pear tree at home has a lot of pears. There are only a few people in our family and we can't eat them all. You can take them back and eat them for fun. If you need more, come and get some more."

Looking at the basket full of pears, Gu Lin knew this wasn't the materially abundant modern world. How could he possibly eat someone else's food for free? He took out some money and gave it to Ning Ge'er, saying, "Ning Ge'er, your family's pears are big, sweet, and juicy. They wouldn't be cheap even if sold outside. Please accept this money."

Ning Ge'er disagreed, saying, "That's unreasonable. We'll become distant if we talk about these things. I suddenly fell ill at night before. If it weren't for your kind family taking me to the clinic in your oxcart, I don't know if I would still be standing here. It's just a few pears. Even if my parents and husband were here, they wouldn't take your money, let alone me."

Seeing that Ning Ge'er was determined not to accept the money, and considering that the other party was in poor health, Gu Lin could not simply leave the money and run away as he would with others. If the other party caught up and something unexpected happened, it would be terrible.

Gu Lin said to Ning Ge'er, "Then I'll stew some pear soup and bring it over for you to try later. It's perfect since you're using pears for me to make soup."

Ning Ge'er knew Gu Lin's character; the other party didn't like taking advantage of others. He smiled slightly and said, "Then I'm in for a treat."

With a basket of pears in hand, Gu Lin turned and went home.

After washing the pears, Gu Lin peeled them, cut them into chunks, and boiled them in water. Then he added maltose and poured the mixture into a porcelain bowl. After filling the bowl with pear soup, Gu Lin first gave a portion of the soup to Ning Ge'er. Then he went home, put the bowl into a food box, and boarded an oxcart to go to the prefectural school.

After getting off the car and arriving at the gate of the academy, the guard saw Gu Lin approaching and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Gu Lin carefully chose his words and said, "I have a junior studying at the prefectural school. I would like to trouble you to go in and inform him that his name is Zheng Hao."

The guard, who had originally intended to send the young man home, immediately snapped out of his daze when he heard the young man in front of him mention Zheng Hao. He looked at the food box the young man was carrying and smiled, saying, "Wait a moment, I'll have someone go in and call Scholar Zheng."

While waiting, the guard asked Gu Lin, "Are you here to deliver lunch to Scholar Zheng?"

There's nothing I can't say. Gu Lin nodded slightly and smiled, saying, "I shouldn't have come to disturb his studies, but the weather is dry, and thinking that he studies at the academy every day, I made some soup to soothe his throat."

Although many people come to the academy to deliver food every day, most of them are servants from the students' homes. Very few are close relatives or elders. Gu Lin was afraid that this would have a bad influence on Zheng Hao, so he still had to explain.

As he spoke, Gu Lin turned his head slightly and saw a tall figure slowly walking over. The person took long strides and crossed the threshold of the academy in a few steps, arriving in front of Gu Lin.

Zheng Hao lowered his eyes slightly, and the light blue ribbon tied in his hair fluttered in the wind. Gu Lin stood in front of him, and because he raised his head, the silk ribbon brushed against his face.

“Uncle Gu.” Zheng Hao’s gaze shifted slightly downwards, landing on the food box carried by the young man in front of him. “I’ll take Uncle Gu inside.”

Gu Lin hesitated slightly upon hearing this. He looked at the guards and the gate of the academy and said softly to Zheng Hao, "Isn't the academy not allowed to let outsiders in? I just came to bring you pear soup. You can just take the food box inside."

Zheng Hao gave Gu Lin a reassuring look, then took out a piece of paper and handed it to the guard, saying, "There are fruits and meat in the canteen today. Uncle, you can go and eat if you have time."

Students need to pay for their own meals at the academy, but the academy will issue vouchers from time to time that can be exchanged for food, allowing students to redeem fruit and meals in the canteen.

These tickets were of no interest to students from well-off families, but they were valuable to students from poor families and guards.

The guard thanked Zheng Hao, saying, "Thank you, Scholar Zheng."

Then he turned and walked into the prefectural school.

Gu Lin stood aside and witnessed Zheng Hao openly bribing the guards in public, his expression unchanged.

Zheng Hao turned his head and saw Uncle Gu's shocked expression and wide, surprised eyes. He immediately understood what the young man in front of him was thinking.

Zheng Hao explained with a hint of helplessness in his eyes, "Uncle Gu's rules are rigid, but people are flexible. Although outsiders are not allowed to enter the academy, if an elder from the family comes to deliver something, the headmaster and teachers will turn a blind eye. They just don't allow unauthorized personnel to enter."

Gu Lin nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this, but his gaze toward Zheng Hao became increasingly strange.

[Gu Lin appears calm on the surface, but is inwardly screaming: When did my son become like this behind my back?!]