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

Gu Lin carried a bamboo basket containing the six gifts Zheng Hao would need to pay for his apprenticeship. As soon as they got off the oxcart, they headed to the Wuliu Academy according to the route they had inquired about.

Upon arriving at the school gate, Gu Lin saw many people queuing up. Seeing the long line in front and the increasing number of people behind, Gu Lin quickly pulled Zheng Hao to join the queue.

Then, he looked up and saw two young boys outside the school gate, who were receiving students. They took turns leading a group of people in, and after about fifteen minutes, they would lead the previous group out, and then lead another group in.

After about four groups of people went in, Gu Lin went to the front of the line. Then a little boy with a round face stood in front of them and said, "Follow me."

So, the twenty people, including Gu Lin and Zheng Hao, followed the boy into the school and arrived at a large hall. The hall was spacious and bright, and in the center sat a middle-aged man with a pale face and a solemn expression. He wore a dark robe and sat upright like a bamboo, exuding a scholarly air, and his identity was self-evident.

Scholar Xu glanced at the ten children who had entered and said, "Let's begin."

Gu Lin was puzzled when he heard this, until the child at the front of the line stepped forward and began to introduce himself, including how old he was when he started school, how many years he had studied, and how many books he had learned. Only then did Gu Lin realize that this was a self-introduction.

Then, Scholar Xu began to test the child's knowledge. The test content was selected from books the child had read. He would say one sentence, and the child would say the next, step by step. Then he would select a passage from the book and ask the child to memorize it.

Gu Lin watched as the students being tested went from speaking with ease at the beginning to stammering, and finally panicking and being unable to recite a passage.

Scholar Xu said, "That's fine."

The student's face immediately turned panicked, and his eyes welled up as if he was about to cry.

As if he hadn't seen anything, Xu Xiucai said to the boy beside him, "Take him away to rest."

The child couldn't help but cry and was led out of the main hall by the elders and other children.

Soon it was the next person's turn, a five-year-old child who had already begun his studies. The child had learned the Three Character Classic. Xu Xiucai tested him in the same way he had tested the previous student. The child was a little nervous and stumbled over his words, but he answered all the questions correctly. Gu Lin thought that Xu Xiucai would probably accept the child, but to Gu Lin's surprise, Xu Xiucai pondered for a while and said, "Go down."

Gu Lin's mouth gaped slightly. Such a young child could recite the entire article, yet Scholar Xu was still not satisfied. What kind of student did the other party want to take in?

One child after another followed. The slightly bolder children managed to stumble through Xu Xiucai's tests, while the slightly timid ones burst into tears as soon as he uttered a sound. But no matter what, not a single child managed to stay.

Watching another father and son walk out of the hall with long faces, Gu Lin felt a pang of sympathy. He didn't come to his senses until he heard "next," and when he looked around, he realized that he and Zheng Hao were the only ones left in the hall.

When he saw that the last pair of father and son was a young man and a child, Xu Xiucai frowned. How could the elders of the family not be present when the younger generation entered the school for examination?

Gu Lin was unaware that the school teacher had already taken a liking to them upon their first meeting. He led Zheng Hao forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Scholar Xu."

If he were to address someone as "sir" before enrolling in school, the other person might mind. Gu Lin felt that calling him "scholar" was the easiest way.

Xu Xiucai looked the child in front of him over and, like the other children, asked, "Have you ever studied before?"

Upon hearing the question, Gu Lin's heart sank, but he still smiled.

Zheng Hao replied, "I have never been to school."

The creases between Xu Xiucai's brows deepened. Although he had taken in children who had not yet begun their education, the boy in front of him was too old and had long missed the age for starting school. Without mincing words, he said directly to Gu Lin, "Your son is past the age for starting school. It would be best if he went to another private school. This place is not suitable for him."

Seeing this, Gu Lin was about to say something when Zheng Hao stepped forward and said, "Please give me a chance, Scholar Xu."

When Xu Xiucai saw that the other person had been silent since entering, he assumed that he was timid and shy like other children, but he was surprised to find that he was actually quite bold.

Looking around, he saw that the boy was accompanied only by an elder, so there must be some unspeakable difficulties at home. Xu Xiucai's family had also been poor in his early years, and he knew how much determination it took for an ordinary family to send a child to study. He sighed and said, "Alright, I'll test you. If you pass, I'll accept you as a student."

Gu Lin was slightly anxious. The test the other party was supposed to be was definitely a test of knowledge. No matter how smart Zheng Hao was, how could he pass if he hadn't studied? He should have sent Zheng Hao to another private school for a while before coming to Wuliu Academy.

Zheng Hao, however, remained calm and said, "Thank you, sir."

Scholar Xu stroked his beard and said, "I will first silently read the Three Character Classic twice, and then you will recite it. If you are completely correct, I will accept you as my student."

Before the other person could react, Xu Xiucai began to silently recite the Three Character Classic. After one reading, he paused briefly and then immediately began to recite it a second time.

After finishing twice, Scholar Xu picked up his teacup, took two sips of tea, and looked at the quiet boy, saying, "Let's begin."

Although he temporarily gave the child in front of him a chance out of pity, it did not mean that he would relax his requirements. His test for the boy seemed easy, but for a child who had never been to school, the possibility of him reciting the Three Character Classic after only hearing it twice was extremely small.

Xu Xiucai sighed slightly. The boy in front of him was brave but not reckless, and composed and generous. If the boy were younger, he would have taken him in. But looking into the boy's dark and bright eyes, Xu Xiucai finally hardened his heart. The students he taught must take the imperial examination. He could not make an exception for one person.

Zheng Hao was unaware of Xu Xiucai's thoughts, and even if he had, he wouldn't have cared. His young age didn't mean he was an ignorant child; once he decided to do something, no difficulty could stop him.

Therefore, when faced with a test he knew nothing about, Zheng Hao did not show the slightest fear or hesitation. He clearly recited what he had just memorized, word by word.

At first, Xu Xiucai didn't pay much attention, but as the boy recited the article he had just memorized word for word without any mistakes, Xu Xiucai sat up straighter. His expression became slightly serious as he focused intently on the boy in front of him, whose skin was slightly dark and whose eyes were bright.

When the other person uttered the last sentence without a single mistake, Xu Xiucai's expression became slightly agitated: "You really have never read a book?"

Zheng Hao replied, "Never."

Scholar Xu then asked, "Do you understand the meaning of the text you just recited?"

"I don't know." Even though he didn't know, Zheng Hao still stared straight at Xu Xiucai without any guilt.

Upon hearing this, Xu Xiucai was not disappointed. The other party had never been to school, and it was already quite remarkable that he could repeat it completely and without error after hearing him read it twice silently.

However, he calmed himself down. He had seen children with extraordinary memories in their childhood before, but the imperial examinations were not something that could be passed with just a good memory.

Xu Xiucai gradually calmed down and said, "You can come to school tomorrow."

.

After paying the tuition and six rites, Gu Lin left the school with Zheng Hao. Looking at the boy beside him, he was curious about why the boy's memory was so outstanding, but after thinking about it, he realized that everyone has their own little secrets and there was no need to pry. So he asked no questions and got into Uncle Zhang's oxcart with Zheng Hao to go home.

The people on the oxcart were quite surprised to see Gu Lin and Zheng Hao wearing new clothes made of fine cloth. They never got to wear such nice clothes during festivals. Finally, one of them couldn't contain himself and asked, "Brother Lin, what did you and Zheng go about this morning?"

Seeing that the other party was genuinely curious and had no ill intentions, and considering that Zheng Hao's studies had already been settled and there was no point in hiding it, Gu Lin told the truth: "Xiao Hao and I went to the academy to pay our respects to the teacher."

Everyone on the oxcart, including Uncle Zhang at the front, turned around in shock. Someone quickly recovered and asked, "How did it go? Did you get through?"

Gu Lin nodded: "Passed."

The young man who had asked the first question noticed something and said, "A private school in the county town must cost a lot of money, right?"

Gu Lin knew human nature well. If he lived a miserable life, others would sympathize with him and pity him. Conversely, if he lived a good life, others would be jealous. He showed a little worry on his face and smiled bravely: "Xiao Hao is still young. I can't let him keep selling vegetables with me. There is still some money at home. If I grit my teeth, it will be enough to send him to the academy. I just hope that he can learn more characters in the future so that he can find a stable job."

The others in the carriage initially thought that Gu Lin must have spent a lot of money to send Zheng Hao to school, but after hearing this, they immediately dismissed the idea. Good families wouldn't send their children to school; it's a bottomless pit where you can throw money around and not hear a peep. Lin-ge'er has no one to rely on, so he has to place all his hopes on the only male in the family. They don't know how he managed to scrape together this money; they're afraid his livelihood will be in trouble from now on.

A group of people couldn't help but feel sympathy and said, "I think Zheng is a promising young man, and he will definitely live up to your expectations, Brother Lin."

Gu Lin shook his head slightly and added fuel to the fire, saying, "I dare not think about whether they will be successful or not. As parents, all we hope for is that our children will have a better life in the future."

The women and men all felt the same way after hearing this; what do parents want most in the future—for their children to have a better life than they did?

Having finally arrived at Xiahe Village, Gu Lin immediately dragged Zheng Hao away amidst the sympathy and pity of a group of women and men.

However, no matter how much he played the victim on the oxcart, the news that Zheng Hao was going to study in the county town quickly spread throughout the entire Xiahe Village.

A group of women and men gathered together, asking around for news from someone who had just returned from the county town: "Is it true that Brother Lin is sending Zheng boy to study in the county town?"

"It couldn't be more real; they even wore new clothes to formally become apprentices today."

An elderly woman sighed a few times and said, "Why is Lin Ge so foolish? The academy is a bottomless pit. Sending Zheng boy to learn a trade would be better than sending him to the academy."

Another woman retorted, "You make it sound so easy. Why wouldn't a craftsman with so many sons and nephews teach an outsider? Even if Zheng is accepted as an apprentice, would the master pass on his skills to him if he didn't serve him like a slave for ten or twenty years? If it were like that, it would be considered good. Look at Zhao Dagen. He gives gifts to that carpenter Wang every year and works hard without complaint, yet he still doesn't have a proper master-apprentice relationship. This morning, he must have done something wrong to offend him, and he was kicked out covered in blood."

One of the young men sighed slightly and said, "Young Zheng seems to be quite clever. It would be good for him to learn some scholarly ways. Who knows, he might have a bright future."

Before anyone else could respond, a sharp, piercing voice broke through: "What kind of daydreaming is this? Do you think that just because someone goes to school they're a literary genius descended from heaven? Don't you even take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror? My son started his studies at six and has been diligently studying for ten years. Now he still has to obediently follow the teacher and listen to his teachings. That Zheng boy only started his studies at ten. He's so far behind everyone else. If he manages to achieve anything, I, Tian Dahua, will be walking backwards from now on."

The young man who was speaking, upon hearing Tian Dahua's harsh words, even scolded himself, saying, "Your son Zixiang wants to take the imperial examination, but Zheng boy may not. After he learns to read, he can go to the county town to work as a manager or accountant. Why do you have to say such unpleasant things?"

After Tian Dahua fell into the cesspool, gossip about her and Wang Ge'er spread quickly through the village. When her husband found out, he beat her severely. If she hadn't given birth to a good son, she would have been kicked out of her husband's house long ago. So from yesterday until now, she has been holding back a lot of resentment and anger with nowhere to vent it.

Tian Dahua's face was sharp and mean, and she laughed wildly: "A peasant is a peasant. What a sacred place that academy is. People with only money in their hearts will only defile it when they go there. What do they expect to learn?"

That guy wasn't good with words, and after being countered, his lips trembled and he couldn't utter a word.

An elderly woman said upon seeing this, "Zixiang's mother, please be kind with your words. Don't you think about how you also need to take care of Zixiang? If what happened yesterday gets out, Zixiang's reputation will suffer."

Upon hearing this, the others immediately pictured Tian Dahua covered in excrement, along with the rumors, whether true or false. The women and men who had long disliked Tian Dahua all smiled.

Upon hearing the old woman's words and seeing the mocking expressions of the crowd in front of her, Tian Dahua's face immediately twisted in anger. However, because the other woman was the village chief's wife, she dared not open her mouth to curse and turned away with a sigh in her heart.