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

After deciding to send Zheng Hao to school, Gu Lin increased the number of cold dishes from 150 to 200 the next day. Although the workload increased, he also earned more money.

The two worked together, taking turns mixing the vegetables. Even though they sold two hundred tubes of cold dishes in one morning, Gu Lin didn't feel very tired.

After selling all the cold dishes on the fifth day and closing up shop, Gu Lin did not leave the city immediately. He calculated the money he had earned in the past five days. He sold two hundred tubes of cold dishes a day, at eight coins per tube. After deducting the cost, he earned nearly eight taels of silver.

Carrying the heavy money box in his arms, Gu Lin went to the money shop. He felt that copper coins were too bulky to carry around, so he exchanged some of them for silver a couple of days ago, and he did the same today.

After receiving the silver and leaving the money exchange, Gu Lin glanced at the bookstore across the street and thought that now that he had money, it was time to put Zheng Hao's education on the agenda. He turned slightly to the boy beside him and said, "Come on, let's go to the bookstore and buy some writing brushes, ink, and books."

Although Zheng Hao has not officially enrolled yet, he should start preparing the necessary things.

Leading Zheng Hao into the bookstore, Gu Lin looked around at the layout. The bookstore was neither too big nor too small, but it had everything one could need.

Gu Lin didn't browse around on his own. He didn't know what kind of things scholars in this era specifically needed to buy, so he went straight to the shopkeeper and asked, "Shopkeeper, what books should I buy for my child's early education?"

Looking up at the young man in front of him and the boy beside him, the shopkeeper had a good idea of ​​what was going on and said, "Children usually learn from books like the Three Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, the Thousand Character Classic, the Young Scholar's Jade Forest, and the Primer of Prosody. However, since your child seems to be just starting out, buying the Three Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, and the Thousand Character Classic will be enough."

These three books are enough for a child to study for two or three years. As for what happens after that, it's another matter, as children's temperaments are not fixed. The shopkeeper's gaze swept over the two people in front of him.

Gu Lin thought about it and felt that what the other party said made sense. Whether Zheng Hao would continue studying was unknown. He could buy the other books when he needed them later: "Shopkeeper, please wrap up a copy of the Three Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, and the Thousand Character Classic for me."

"Alright." The shopkeeper walked out from behind the counter, took three books from the bookshelf, and wrapped them up. Seeing this, Gu Lin looked at the writing brushes and ink displayed behind the counter and asked, "Shopkeeper, I also need to buy some writing brushes, ink, and paper. Do you have any suitable for beginners?"

“You’ve come to the right person,” the shopkeeper replied, then took a set of writing brushes and ink from the shelf behind him and said, “This set of writing brushes and ink is suitable for beginners. Although the inkstone and brush are not made of the finest materials, the materials used are not bad. For example, this brush is made of chicken feathers and sheep wool, which is soft and hard, and very elastic, making it very suitable for beginners.”

Gu Lin looked down at the calligraphy brush and inkstone the other party was showing him. Although he didn't understand these things, he could still tell whether the items were good or not.

He said, "Wrap up this set of writing materials."

Gu Lin continued, "I also need to buy some paper."

The shopkeeper seemed to have been prepared all along. He took out a light yellow sheet of paper from behind him and said, "Young man, take a close look. This is bamboo paper. The paper is of uniform thickness, neither too smooth nor too rough, making it especially suitable for young children to write on. However..."

Gu Lin noticed the slight embarrassment on the shopkeeper's face. "What is it?"

"It's just that the price is a bit higher than other bamboo paper," the shopkeeper added.

The shopkeeper did not deceive Gu Lin. This bamboo paper was different from other bamboo papers. It came from the prefectural city and did not have the shortcomings of the previous bamboo papers, such as being thin, brittle, and prone to ink bleeding. It was very popular and was correspondingly more expensive.

Seeing that there were no other problems, Gu Lin felt relieved: "The things we use for studying are the most important, so it doesn't matter if they are a little expensive."

"Wrap all of these up."

Gu Lin gestured to the writing implements on the counter.

After the shopkeeper finished packing the items, he said, "Two hundred coins each for the three primers, and two taels of silver for the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, totaling two taels and six hundred coins."

Upon hearing the price, Gu Lin immediately understood why there were so few scholars in ancient times; the basic education materials alone could consume half of most families' savings.

However, Gu Lin felt no reluctance whatsoever.

After giving the money to the shopkeeper, he still had some things to inquire about: "Shopkeeper, what are some well-known private schools in the county town?"

If Gu Lin had asked someone else about this, they might have known nothing, but the person he asked happened to be the bookstore owner.

The bookstore had been open for over ten years, and the owner frequently dealt with scholars. The business relied on these scholars for its success, and he knew all the private schools in the county very well.

Seeing that the young man had spent several taels of silver at the bookstore, the shopkeeper pondered for a moment and said, "If we're talking about well-known private schools, then it would be the Five Willows Academy and the Wang Family Academy. Both of their teachers have achieved academic success, but the former is a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination) and the latter is a Tongsheng (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination). If you only want to send your child to learn to read and write, the Wang Family Academy will be sufficient."

"However, Wuliu Academy produced two students who passed the preliminary examinations in the past two years, which shows that having a scholar as an instructor makes a difference," the shopkeeper remarked.

After hearing this, Gu Lin did not immediately indicate which private school he wanted to choose. He bid farewell to the shopkeeper and prepared to leave the bookstore.

Before he stepped out of the bookstore, the shopkeeper reminded him, "If you want to visit the teacher at the academy, you need to change into a long robe and bring the six rites. Scholars value these etiquettes very much."

After thanking Zheng Hao, Gu Lin left the bookstore.

Carrying a basket of newly purchased items, Gu Lin walked down the street and asked Zheng Hao with a slight bow of his head, "Which academy do you want to go to?"

Gu Lin had a concrete idea in mind, but ultimately it wasn't him who would be going to study, so the choice of academy had to be one that Zheng Hao himself was satisfied with.

Without hesitation, the young boy replied as if he had already thought it through: "Wu Liu Academy".

Gu Lin looked at Zheng Hao, his eyes narrowed and a smile appeared at the corners of his eyes. This was also an academy he favored, but he still asked, "Why go to Wuliu Academy? Isn't Wang Family Academy better?"

Gu Lin chose Wuliu Academy because its teachers far surpassed those of other private schools in the county, and it had even produced two students who passed the imperial examinations in recent years, indicating that Wuliu Academy's teaching was quite good.

This was his idea, but Gu Lin was curious why Zheng Hao chose Wuliu Academy. He noticed that Zheng Hao still had a fierce and violent look between his brows, but he was calm and composed, unlike his usual self: "Wang Family Academy is a clan school, so the teachers there must value the Wang family's children more. Moreover, I've heard that the Wang family's children are arrogant and domineering in the academy, and the teachers not only don't dissuade them but also show them favoritism. On the other hand, although Wuliu Academy hasn't been established as long as Wang Family Academy, its academic atmosphere and teaching style are renowned far and wide. Comparing the two, I naturally choose Wuliu Academy."

It was rare for Zheng Hao to speak at such a long pace, which surprised Gu Lin somewhat, but what truly astonished him was not this: "How do you know so much?"

In the past few days, he has only been able to find out general information about the private school, such as the teacher's academic achievements and how many students it has produced. He knows nothing more in-depth.

Zheng Hao's eyes were calm: "Many scholars in the county town know this. Many of the people who come to buy cold dishes every day have scholars in their families. They inevitably chat while queuing. Although I haven't listened carefully, I've remembered it because they've said it many times."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lin recalled the bustling crowd when he sold cold dishes that morning. Back then, he had to shout to speak, and if customers didn't speak loudly, he couldn't hear what they were saying at all, let alone hear other people's conversations.

Zheng Hao said, "No need to exert yourself, you'll remember it after hearing it."

Seeing the nonchalant expression on the face of the young man in front of him, Gu Lin fell silent. Unwilling to humiliate himself, he turned and walked towards the clothing shop.

Zheng Haoren had short legs, but he wasn't flustered when Gu Lin turned to leave. He followed closely behind Gu Lin.

.

The next day, Gu Lin got up and didn't dress casually as usual. He specially changed into the robe he had bought the day before, tied his hair up, and looked in the bronze mirror. A face was reflected on the mirror. Although it was a little blurry, you could clearly see that the person in the mirror was clean and refreshing.

Gu Lin left the dormitory with satisfaction and walked to Zheng Hao's room: "Xiao Hao, are you done?"

A moment later, the door opened, and Zheng Hao appeared in front of Gu Lin.

The young man's eyes lit up. Usually, the other man wore short, coarse linen clothes, his whole body gray and unremarkable. But now, dressed in a light-colored fine cotton robe, his posture was as upright as a small pine tree. He looked clean, neat, and exceptionally handsome. Especially since his features were naturally good, at first glance he really looked like a scholar.

Gu Lin didn't hold back his praise: "It looks really good."

The young man praised people without any subtlety or tact. Zheng Hao thought he didn't care about other people's opinions of him, but faced with the man's straightforwardness and boldness, he felt as if his body was being bitten by ants, which was unbearably uncomfortable.

Seeing the boy's hair disheveled, Gu Lin stepped forward and said, "I'll tie your hair up for you. You can't just tie your hair back like you used to today."

Zheng Hao was pressed down by Gu Lin and sat on a wooden stool. There was no bronze mirror in the room, so Zheng Hao couldn't see what was happening behind him, but he could feel a slender, warm hand tracing over his head. It was a warmth and reliability different from his mother's; the young man's unhurried, slender fingers moving through his hair gave him a sense of security.

Gu Lin combed Zheng Hao's hair with a wooden comb. Actually, he didn't know how to tie his hair before, but after coming to this world, he adapted to the local customs and learned to manage his long hair. However, tying one's own hair and tying someone else's hair are two different concepts. Zheng Hao's hair was thick and rather stiff, and Gu Lin could barely hold all of it with both hands. When he picked up a hair tie to tie the hair, it was a bit difficult, and it took him quite a while. His hands were sore before he finally managed to tie Zheng Hao's hair.

Gu Lin looked at his neatly tied hair with satisfaction and patted Zheng Hao on the shoulder: "Not bad, you look very energetic."

Zheng Hao turned his head slightly and looked at the young man behind him. He had a smile on his face, his chin was slightly raised, and his hands were on his hips. He looked unreliable, but his restless heart seemed to have found a safe haven.