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

Zheng Hao had just entered the school when Xu Xiucai walked in right after him.

Zhou Wan was initially gloating at Zheng Hao's delayed arrival, thinking that if Zheng Hao rushed over in a panic after Mr. Xu had started lecturing, he would definitely be scolded and punished by Mr. Xu. Just imagining the scene of Zheng Hao being punished made Zhou Wan extremely happy.

He had already planned how to swagger in front of Zheng Hao, who was being punished, after school, but he didn't expect that the other party would arrive before Mr. Xu arrived, as if he had timed it perfectly.

Zhou Wan gritted his teeth in annoyance.

After Xu Xiucai stood still, he took out the Analects of Confucius and then glanced at the students below: "I assigned a question this morning, now I will ask it."

After Xu Xiucai finished speaking, the entire school fell silent, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Seeing that almost all the students were hanging their heads in a guilty manner, Xu Xiucai scolded, "Among you, the latest to enter the preparatory class has studied the Analects for two years, yet now you are all hanging your heads and remaining silent. Is it because you don't want to answer or you don't know how to answer? If it's the latter, how will you enter the imperial examination in the future?"

Xu Xiucai's gaze swept over the few students in front who dared to meet his eyes, then fell slightly on the youngest figure in the classroom, before he said to Zhou Wan at the back, "Zhou Wan, you answer."

When Zhou Wan saw that Scholar Xu had called on him, he stood up despite not knowing the answer. He tried hard to recall the question Scholar Xu had asked that morning, but couldn't think of anything relevant. In the end, he stammered out a few words.

Xu Xiucai stepped down, stood in front of Zhou Wan, and said in a deep voice, "Stretch out your hand."

Zhou Wan flinched a few times, but still stretched out his hand. Xu Xiucai showed no mercy and slapped Zhou Wan's palm three times with a wooden board: "Based on this question, go back and write an essay, and hand it in to me tomorrow."

"Yes, sir." Zhou Wan withdrew his palm, which was burning and red from Xu Xiucai's slap, and then bowed respectfully.

After Zhou Wan sat down, Scholar Xu continued to call on people. His gaze fell on one person, "Zheng Hao, you answer."

"gentlemen."

Zheng Hao stood up and bowed, and then began to answer questions after Xu Xiucai nodded.

Xu Xiucai listened attentively. Although the other person was still young and could not skillfully quote classics, his thinking and logic far surpassed those of his peers, and every word he said was reasonable and substantial.

Xu Xiucai stroked his beard with satisfaction. After Zheng Hao finished answering the question and said, "Sir, I'm done answering," he nodded and asked the other man to sit down.

After that, Xu Xiucai did not ask any more questions, walked back to the front, and began to talk about the next article.

After school, Xu Xiucai left the school. Zheng Hao packed his books; he had been in a hurry to get to the private school from the alley and had accidentally gotten some dirt on his books.

Zheng Hao lowered his head slightly and wiped the surface of the book box with a damp cloth. He didn't want Uncle Gu to worry if he saw the stains on the book box.

Zhou Wan stormed up to Zheng Hao, gritting her teeth as she said, "Zheng Hao, did you do this on purpose?"

Twice now, Mr. Xu has called on him to answer questions, and after he couldn't answer, Zheng Hao was called on to answer.

Today, Zheng Hao went even further, not only extending his answer by several points but also elaborating on it in detail, completely outshining him and making him seem utterly worthless.

Zheng Hao looked up at him and said nonchalantly, "So what if it is?"

Back when Zhou Wan started causing trouble for Zheng Hao, everyone else in the school had already left when they sensed something was wrong. Now that there was no one else in the school besides Zhou Wan and Zheng Hao, Zheng Hao had given up on pretending.

“You…” Zhou Wan pointed at him, but when he met Zheng Hao’s cold expression, he remembered the last time the other party had taught him a lesson and threatened him, and he immediately lost his voice.

Without glancing at Zhou Wan again, Zheng Hao picked up his cleaned book box and left the school.

Watching Zheng Hao's departing figure, Zhou Wan's face showed a gloom rarely seen on a child.

Did Zheng Hao sense it?

He naturally sensed it, but he didn't take Zhou Wan seriously at all.

Zhou Wan, a peasant boy from Zhoujia Village, was born on the same day, month, and year as the son of the wealthy Zhou family in the county town. As a result, the Zhou family in the county town adopted him to protect the real young master from misfortune.

From a young age, Zhou Wan was told by his biological parents that he was meant to be a member of the Zhou family in the county town. However, after living in the Zhou family for more than ten years, Zhou Wan had long forgotten his true identity because his parents were kind and treated him like their own son. As he grew older, Zhou Wan gradually developed the idea of ​​replacing the real young master and becoming the sole heir of the Zhou family.

He thought he had concealed his true feelings well, but little did he know that Zhou's parents and the young master had already seen through him.

However, Zhou's parents were mindful of the kindness Zhou Wan had shown in protecting their young master from disaster, so as long as Zhou Wan didn't go too far, they turned a blind eye.

However, the Zhou family had very strict family rules, and they always raised their children to be like those of scholarly families. Even Zhou Wan was not allowed to become a spoiled brat. Seeing that Zhou Wan was unruly from a young age, Zhou's parents thought of sending him to the best school in the county, hoping that he would learn manners and reason.

But Zhou Wan was destined to disappoint them. From the moment he entered the Five Willows Academy, he began to bully his classmates.

Because he only bullied students from ordinary families, the students wouldn't hold it against him after he gave them some money as compensation.

If Zhou Wan had known how Zheng Hao learned about her background, she wouldn't have needed to be so hesitant to act rashly.

Zheng Hao was not a kind person by nature. No matter how well he disguised himself these days, his fierce nature remained unchanged.

Faced with Zhou Wan's repeated provocations, Zheng Hao was no longer willing to let him off easily.

However, Zhou Wan is still a member of the Zhou family on the surface. If something really happens to him, it's hard to guarantee that the Zhou family won't take action against him. He needs to choose the right time and then strike him dead.

Back home, Zheng Hao behaved as usual, and Gu Lin was unaware that he had just had an unpleasant encounter with someone at the academy.

A few days later, Zhou Wan no longer had the energy to go and cause trouble for Zheng Hao.

It wasn't that he was afraid of Zheng Hao, but rather that, for some reason, his sickly older brother had inexplicably started disciplining him.

Zhou Wan was beaten terribly by the other party. He was beaten with a cane for not studying well, he was beaten again after being tied up and brought back from drinking with others, and he was beaten again for bringing his servant to school and being scolded for not being ambitious. Zhou Wan's buttocks were almost beaten raw.

He had no desire to cause any more trouble for Zheng Hao.

.

Gu Lin felt that time flew by during his time in the county town.

Unlike in the village, people in the county town interact with each other in a very friendly and respectful manner. Gu Lin no longer needs to think about who each person is, their generation, what to call them, and how to start a casual conversation, as he did in Xiahe Village.

In short, Gu Lin lived a very comfortable life in the county town.

He stood in the courtyard, holding a blueprint, directing Zhao Dagen, whose injuries had healed, and the bricklayer as they built the oven according to his instructions.

A few days ago, Gu Lin learned from a casual chat with Zhao's wife that Zheng Hao's birthday was in mid-August. Carefully calculating the time, Gu Lin realized that mid-August was approaching, and wanted to bake a birthday cake for Zheng Hao to celebrate. He specially asked a bricklayer and Zhao Dagen to help build an oven, only to discover that the oven he built couldn't bake a cake at all, and couldn't even bake egg tarts properly.

So Gu Lin knocked over the oven, and after pondering for several days, he modified the oven blueprints according to the knowledge he had learned in modern times, and then asked the bricklayer and Zhao Dagen to rebuild the oven.

The bricklayer and Zhao Dagen finished building the oven for the second time. The bricklayer said to Gu Lin, "Gu husband, the oven will be ready to use tomorrow."

"Okay, thank you, Jinwajiang." Gu Lin thanked them and then brought sweet fruit drinks to the two who had been working hard for a long time.

After drinking his beverage, Jin the tiler patted Zhao Dagen on the shoulder and said, "Good lad, you used to learn this kind of work?"

Seeing this scene, Gu Lin felt something, but he remained silent.

Zhao Dagen didn't notice anything amiss and told the truth: "No."

"You have some talent. Why don't you come with me to learn bricklaying?" the bricklayer asked.

Seeing that he had guessed correctly, Gu Lin raised an eyebrow.

Zhao Dagen looked helpless, but still firmly shook his head and said, "No, I want to learn woodworking."

"Woodworking? You have a master?" the tiler asked, somewhat surprised.

Upon hearing the other person's words, Zhao Dagen's eyes flashed with disappointment as he replied, "No."

Upon seeing this, the tile setter pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you know woodworking? How good are your skills?"

Before Zhao Dagen could shake his head and say that his skills were not good, Gu Lin spoke to Jin Wajiang: "Jin Wajiang, although my nephew did not have an apprenticeship, he is very good at self-taught craftsmanship. You can see the wooden cart by the corner of the wall and the tables and chairs in the main hall. They were all made by my nephew."

Jinwajiang has seen all the things Gu Lin mentioned in the past few days. If the wooden cart and tables and chairs were indeed made by Zhao Dagen, they are indeed quite good.

Jinwajiang said to Zhao Dagen, "I have a carpenter friend who wants to take on apprentices, but he has very strict requirements. I can take you to meet him, but whether he will accept you or not depends on your own abilities."

Hearing what the tiler said, Zhao Dagen was somewhat incredulous. He stared blankly at the other man. Where the tiler couldn't see, Gu Lin raised his hand and slapped Zhao Dagen's arm. Zhao Dagen immediately reacted and turned to look at Gu Lin, who mouthed "I agree to thank you."

Zhao Dagen immediately turned his head, his mind unusually quick for once, and thanked the tiler, "Thank you, Uncle Jin."

The tiler waved his hand and said, "If it weren't for your honesty, hard work, and some talent, I wouldn't have helped you."

The tiler said, "I'll be coming tomorrow. Get ready. I'm going back now."

Gu Lin reminded Zhao Dagen, "Send the tiler home."

At Gu Lin's suggestion, Zhao Dagen followed behind Jin Wajiang and escorted him home.

the next morning.

The oven in the yard is finally dry.

When there weren't so many customers in front of the shop, Gu Lin slipped away from the shop to the back room and started making egg tarts in the kitchen.

Gu Lin first separated the egg yolks and whites, put the egg yolks into a dry bowl, stirred the egg yolks until smooth, added milk and stirred again, then added brown sugar, and the originally slightly yellowish-white liquid turned reddish-brown.

In this era, there was no white sugar, only maltose and brown sugar. Maltose was not as sweet as the latter, so Gu Lin chose brown sugar to make egg tarts.

But Gu Lin still didn't know the maximum temperature the newly built oven in the yard could reach.

Therefore, Gu Lin could only try things out as he went.

He poured the prepared egg tart filling into the tart shells he had made that morning, and then placed them one by one into the oven.

When Zheng Hao returned, he saw Gu Lin bending over, half-peeking into the oven that had been under construction for half a month and was only completed yesterday.

Zheng Hao approached and said, "Uncle Gu."

"what are you doing?"

Gu Lin immediately leaned out, instinctively blocking the oven behind him, and said to Zheng Hao, "It's nothing, just trying to make some new food."

Zheng Hao didn't notice anything amiss in Gu Lin's actions; he knew that Uncle Gu liked to develop new foods.

So Zheng Hao nodded and didn't ask what new food the other person was making, because Uncle Gu always let him try it first whenever he made something new.

Gu Lin's favoritism gave Zheng Hao an unprecedented sense of security.

Therefore, Zheng Hao was willing to suppress his true nature in front of Uncle Gu and act as a well-behaved and sensible child.

Seeing that Zheng Hao didn't ask any more questions, Gu Lin breathed a slight sigh of relief. If the other party had pressed him for details, he really wouldn't know how to lie to him.

Gu Lin said to Zheng Hao, "Let's go eat first."

Zheng Hao glanced at the oven behind Gu Lin and said, "Uncle Gu, shouldn't we light it first?"

Gu Lin said without changing his expression, "It's alright. Let the contents ferment first; they'll taste better when baked later."

Although Zheng Hao could cook, he could only make simple dishes, so he didn't know much about cooking. He believed Gu Lin's explanation without a doubt.

Gu Lin, having successfully deceived Zheng Hao, breathed a sigh of relief.

After Zheng Hao finished eating, took a nap, and went to the private school, Gu Lin came out of his room to continue baking egg tarts.

After baking the egg tarts in the oven for about fifteen minutes, Gu Lin put on special gloves, opened the oven, and took out the baked egg tarts.

The egg custard inside the tart shell was hot, but showed no sign of solidifying.

Clearly, the egg tarts failed to bake this time.

However, Gu Lin did not give up.

He learned from his failed attempt at making egg tarts and continued to study and experiment for the next few days. In case Zheng Hao discovered that Gu Lin only baked egg tarts in the courtyard after Zheng Hao had gone to the academy.

Fortunately, two days before Zheng Hao's birthday, after several failures, Gu Lin finally concluded that it takes about an incense stick's time to bake egg tarts successfully.

On Zheng Hao's birthday.

Gu Lin closed the shop half an hour earlier than usual, leaving the remaining work to Zhao Saozi.

Gu Lin hurried home and used the ingredients he had prepared earlier to make the egg tart filling, then poured it into the specially made large egg tart shells.

Finally, Gu Lin calculated the time and put the large egg tarts into the oven. These large tarts would take at least half an hour to bake properly. Zheng Hao would return in about an hour, by which time they should be done.

While the egg tarts were baking in the oven, Gu Lin went into the kitchen to start preparing the dishes for Zheng Hao's birthday banquet.

When Zheng Hao returned home from school and opened the gate, he saw people sitting in the courtyard, which should have been empty. He saw Uncle Gu, Sister-in-law Zhao, and two others sitting on stone benches in front of the stone table.

He glanced around and saw the stone table laden with all sorts of dishes. Gu Lin stood up from the stone bench, walked over to Zheng Hao, and pulled him toward the table: "Xiao Hao, let's celebrate your special day together today."

Good days?

Looking at the smiling young man, Zheng Hao followed him, but in his mind he wondered if Uncle Gu knew that he had won first place in the exam and had prepared a meal in advance to celebrate his return.