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

Gu Lin turned around and picked out several pieces of light-colored fabric. After asking Zheng Hao for his opinion and seeing that the other party was satisfied, Gu Lin handed the fabric to the shopkeeper and then discussed the style of the winter clothes with him.

After the discussion was completed, Gu Lin paid the deposit and prepared to leave.

After Zheng Hao saw that the other party had finished making winter clothes for him, he turned to leave and asked, "Uncle Gu, aren't you getting winter clothes made?"

Gu Lin lowered his head slightly and said to Zheng Hao, "Sister Zhao and I came over a few days ago to have our clothes made. We brought you here today specifically to have your clothes made."

Zheng Hao then realized why Uncle Gu had been so busy choosing fabrics as soon as he entered the clothing shop, instead of making his own winter clothes.

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

Upon entering, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao were not greeted by the usual meal laid out by Zhao's wife, but by Manager Chen sitting in the main hall.

Gu Lin quickened his pace and stepped forward, saying, "Uncle Chen, what brings you to my humble abode today?"

Upon hearing Gu Lin's voice, Manager Chen turned his head, then stood up and said to the young man in front of him, "Fu Man Lou just happened to get some fresh mutton today. Thinking that mutton is nourishing in autumn and winter, we sent some to you."

After saying that, Manager Chen took out an envelope from his sleeve and said to Gu Lin, "This is Fu Man Lou's profit share for this month."

After hearing what Manager Chen said, Gu Lin realized that it was already the end of September, and his dividend should have arrived by then.

It's not that Gu Lin has a bad memory, but rather that Fu Man Lou's profit sharing isn't paid out monthly as per the rules.

Fu Man Lou has more than one branch in the county town; there are also many branches in the prefectural city. Therefore, Manager Chen would only send the dividends from the county town after Fang Jiyue had delivered the dividends from the prefectural city. This back-and-forth process sometimes took two months to deliver the dividends.

After receiving his share of the profits, Gu Lin did not open it on the spot. He said to Manager Chen, "It's noon now, Uncle Chen, why don't you stay for lunch?"

Gu Lin always liked to keep public and private matters separate. When there was work-related business, he would address Chen Wu as Manager Chen, while in private he would call him Uncle Chen.

Manager Chen clearly liked Gu Lin's approach. He smiled and shook his head slightly, saying, "The restaurant is very busy. Now that the goods have been delivered, I'll take my leave."

After hearing the other party's refusal, Gu Lin felt it was inappropriate to insist that they stay.

He packed some milk tea and spicy hot pot for Manager Chen to take back.

Manager Chen did not refuse. He already knew that Gu Lin had developed new food, but after being advised by the young master, he did not ask Gu Lin about the new food.

If nothing goes wrong, the matter of buying food recipes from Gu Lin in the future should be discussed between the young master and the other party.

After Manager Chen left, Gu Lin immediately opened the envelope and took out the silver notes inside. He was surprised to find that there were four hundred more taels than last time.

After Manager Chen arrived, Zhao's wife, who had been staying in the kitchen to avoid suspicion, came out because no one else was home.

She looked at the silver notes in Gu Lin's hand. In the past, she would have screamed in surprise because she had never seen so much money before.

Now that she has been in business for a while and has handled a lot of money, although she is still shocked to see several hundred taels of silver in Gu Lin's hand, she will not be surprised at the drop of a hat.

Zheng Hao, who was standing to the side, remained calm after seeing the "huge" amount of silver notes.

His material desires have always been very low. In the past, all he wanted was to have enough to eat. Now, his life is what many people dream of, so Zheng Hao is already very satisfied.

Moreover, Uncle Gu often gave him silver, so Zheng Hao did not have much desire for money.

After putting away the silver notes, Gu Lin looked at the half sheep that Manager Chen had brought. He saw that the sheep's body was covered with a layer of blood, which showed that it had been freshly slaughtered.

Gu Lin turned to Zheng Hao and Sister Zhao and said, "How about we have roast lamb tonight?"

Sister-in-law Zhao had no objections; Zheng Hao did whatever Uncle Gu said.

Seeing that the two agreed, Gu Lin's peach blossom eyes narrowed with a smile. He took out a large piece of mutton and gave it to Zheng Hao, saying, "Take some mutton to Mr. Xu."

Looking at Gu Lin, who was always thinking of him, Zheng Hao was deeply moved. He took the mutton and replied, "Okay."

After Zheng Hao left home to deliver mutton to Mr. Xu, Gu Lin took a whole leg of lamb into the kitchen and then rearranged the spices used for making braised dishes and spicy hot pot to marinate the lamb leg.

The lamb leg needed a long time to marinate, so Gu Lin placed the spiced lamb leg in the kitchen and went out.

Roasted mutton can only be eaten in the evening, but braised mutton, stewed mutton, and mutton soup can be made and eaten now.

Gu Lin carried the remaining large basket of mutton from the lobby into the kitchen. Then, based on his memory of various ways to cook mutton, he cut the mutton into chunks, slices, marinated it, stir-fried it, and braised it.

In an instant, the cool kitchen was filled with warmth, and the rich aroma of mutton permeated every corner of the kitchen.

Just as Gu Lin was simmering the fragrant mutton soup, Zheng Hao returned.

He served himself a bowl of mutton soup, then served Zheng Hao a bowl, saying, "Have some mutton soup to warm yourself up first. The weather can change in an instant, and the wind can be quite chilly."

Zheng Hao took the mutton soup, took a sip, and Gu Lin had added something to it, because Zheng Hao didn't find the mutton soup to have a gamey smell.

On the contrary, he found the mutton soup fragrant and slightly spicy, and drank half a bowl in one go, after which Zheng Hao broke out in a thin layer of sweat on his back.

Gu Lin also took a sip and found the mutton soup in the bowl extremely delicious.

However, he preferred mutton offal soup, which had a different flavor from mutton soup. A bowl of it on a winter's day was both satisfying and warming, a truly wonderful thing.

However, there were many rules to follow when giving gifts in this era. Manager Chen must have felt that it was not proper to not clean the offal when giving mutton, so there was no liver in the mutton.

Zheng Hao put down the empty bowl, raised his head slightly and said to Gu Lin, "It's not that cold yet, but Mr. Xu said that winter will come earlier this year than last year, and there will be frequent heavy snowfall."

Gu Lin was surprised and puzzled after hearing Zheng Hao's words.

Isn't Xu Xiucai a scholar? How come he knows how to read the weather?

Gu Lin's straightforward expression revealed his current thoughts. Zheng Hao explained, "Mr. Xu has some knowledge of astronomy, and his predictions in previous years have never been inaccurate."

Gu Lin's face turned serious as he said, "If that's the case, then we need to hurry back to Xiahe Village this winter, otherwise we won't be able to get back once the heavy snow closes the mountain pass."

"Okay." Zheng Hao nodded in agreement.

However, it was still autumn, and it was too early to talk about such things. After the two of them had a clear idea of ​​what was going on, they busied themselves with roasting lamb.

While Aunt Zhao was busy at the shop in front, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao set up a grill in the back, skewered lamb legs with iron skewers, and put them on the grill to roast.

Zheng Hao flipped the mutton as instructed by Gu Lin, while Gu Lin poured himself a bowl of honey and brushed a layer of honey onto the mutton leg every now and then.

As the mutton gradually turned golden brown and crispy, and the aroma wafted from the charcoal fire, Gu Lin couldn't resist any longer.

He picked up the prepared knife, made a cut on the lamb leg, and then cut off a thin piece of meat and put it in his mouth to eat.

He was immediately amazed by the crispy exterior and tender interior of the mutton.

After tasting it himself, Gu Lin cut a slice of mutton for Zheng Hao. Since Zheng Hao needed to turn the mutton over, Gu Lin simply stuffed it into his mouth and asked, "How is it? Is it good?"

Since he could remember, Zheng Hao had never been fed by anyone. Moreover, as he grew older, his territorial instincts became extremely strong. While his peers would share a piece of cornbread or a wild fruit with their companions, Zheng Hao would not. So when Gu Lin suddenly offered him food, Zheng Hao instinctively leaned back. When he realized that it was Gu Lin, Zheng Hao restrained himself.

A piece of mutton was fed into his mouth; it was slightly warm but not hot, and Zheng Hao chewed it carefully.

It was indeed delicious.

Gu Lin ate the roasted lamb and said with a slight regret, "It would be nice if there was cumin."

Zheng Hao swallowed the roasted mutton in his mouth, then turned to Gu Lin and asked, "What is cumin?"

Gu Lin said, "It's a kind of spice. Roasted lamb with cumin is very delicious."

Looking at Gu Lin's longing expression, Zheng Hao asked, "How did Uncle Gu know?"

How did Gu Lin know?

Did he eat it in modern times?

of course not!

Today is Gu Lin's first time eating roasted lamb.

In modern times, he was an orphan who grew up in a welfare home. He had to earn his living expenses in college by doing part-time jobs, so he wouldn't have money to eat roasted mutton.

But even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run. Whether it's from online videos or from his time working part-time at a sheep farm, Gu Lin has heard many stories about how roasted lamb and cumin are a perfect match.

Although Gu Lin had never eaten them, he was always very curious about their taste.

Gu Lin told the truth: "I heard it from someone else."

After hearing Gu Lin's answer, Zheng Hao did not ask any further questions.

He was thinking that there were too many mysteries surrounding the other person. As far as he knew, before marrying his father, Uncle Gu had lived in Peach Blossom Village. The villagers of Peach Blossom Village were all farmers and rarely went to the county town. Where did Uncle Gu, a young man, learn that roasted mutton should be served with cumin?

After Aunt Gu married into the Zheng family, their family didn't lack meat, but it was just wild pheasants and rabbits. If they actually hunted wild boars or goats, Father Zheng wouldn't eat them; he would send them directly to the county town to sell to restaurants or wealthy merchants.

So, where exactly did Uncle Gu hear this from?

Zheng Hao's doubts remained unresolved, but the once violent man was still able to restrain his nature, secretly lying in wait for the opportunity to kill his enemy.

Now that Gu Lin is harmless to him and even treats him very well, Zheng Hao can pretend he didn't notice anything amiss and might even help cover it up.

He glanced at Gu Lin beside him, a slight smile playing on his lips. As long as Uncle Gu was Uncle Gu, that was enough.

Gu Lin was unaware that Zheng Hao had already seen through him, and he continued cooking the remaining mutton. After Zhao's wife returned, he took out the roasted mutton, along with the braised, stir-fried, and stewed mutton. The three of them happily enjoyed the whole lamb feast with milk tea and drinks.

.

As autumn turned to winter, the cool breeze on the street was replaced by the cold wind. Gu Lin, who had never seen snow in real life, saw snowflakes for the first time in ancient times.

Looking at the fine snow falling all over the courtyard, Gu Lin's heart was filled with excitement.

He stepped out of the house, his feet sinking into the thin, soft snow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Gu Lin squatted down, scooped up a small ball of snow with both hands, his expression full of delight, and then began to build a snowman in the yard.

However, there wasn't enough snow, and there was only a thin layer of snow on the ground, so Gu Lin's process of building a snowman did not go smoothly.

He felt that he wouldn't be able to build his snowman by hand.

So he picked up the shovel in the corner, shoveled up the snow in the yard and piled it up, then squatted down to build a snowman.

He worked from morning till afternoon, and finally, through his efforts, a snowman about half a person's height was built.

He even took a carrot and two chestnuts from the kitchen and embedded them in the snowman's face to serve as its nose and eyes.

In the evening, when Zhao's wife and Zheng Hao returned from outside, the first thing they saw was a snowman, about half a person's height, standing upright on the snow in the yard.

Sister Zhao laughed and said, "Oh my, who built this snowman? It's quite interesting."

The snowman's body was crooked and twisted, and the carrots and chestnuts that served as the snowman's nose and eyes were also crooked and twisted.

Gu Lin waited in the yard for Zhao's wife and Zheng Hao to return and admire his snowman. Upon hearing Zhao's wife's words, he slightly puffed out his chest.

Although the young man in front of her didn't outwardly ask for their praise, his expression was too easy to understand. Not only did Sister-in-law Zhao understand it, but even Zheng Hao understood it.

He looked at the crooked snowman next to Gu Lin, raised his head slightly to look at Gu Lin and said, "Uncle Gu's snowman is very unique."

Sister Zhao clapped her hands and said, "Indeed, it's better than what the girls in our village piled up."

Upon hearing Zhao's words, Zheng Hao paused for a moment. The little girl from Xiahe Village was only four or five years old this year, and the snowman she built could not be called a snowman; it could only be described as a pile of snow standing up.

But seeing Gu Lin's happy and joyful expression, Zheng Hao said nothing.

As evening fell, Gu Lin, who had been happily building a snowman outside during the day, started sneezing.

Sister-in-law Zhao looked anxious and stepped forward, saying, "Alright, alright! I told you to go out and build a snowman during the day without wearing any clothes. Now you've caught a cold!"

She quickly ran to the kitchen to make ginger soup: "The clinics are all closed now, I'll go make you some ginger soup first, and we can go to the clinic tomorrow."

Seeing Gu Lin struggling to breathe with a stuffy nose, Zheng Hao frowned slightly: "Uncle Gu, if you're really feeling unwell, we should see a doctor. There should still be some clinics open in the county town."

Gu Lin shook his head, looked at Zheng Hao who was looking at him with a worried expression, and comforted him, "It's okay, I'll drink some ginger soup in a while and sweat it out tonight."

Before Zheng Hao could say anything more, Zhao's wife brought in ginger soup.

After drinking the ginger soup, Gu Lin felt sleepy because his nose was blocked and he had difficulty breathing, and his brain was somewhat lacking in oxygen.

Gu Lin said to Zheng Hao and Zhao's wife, "I'm fine, you two go back to sleep."

Seeing Gu Lin looking tired, Zheng Hao and Sister Zhao left the house, but Sister Zhao was still worried about leaving.

Zheng Hao turned to her and said, "Auntie, you should go back to sleep. I'll stay here and watch over Uncle Gu."

Upon hearing this, Sister Zhao immediately said, "How can that be? You still have to study tomorrow."

Zheng Hao said, "It's alright. There's a soft couch in the outer room of Uncle Gu's bedroom. I can sleep there."

Zhao's wife still felt it was inappropriate, but although Zheng Hao was young, he made the decision with a calm and composed demeanor, unlike an ordinary child.

Zhao's sister-in-law couldn't find the words to object, and finally she said to Zheng Hao, "Okay, you get some rest, call me if you need anything tonight."

Zheng Hao nodded, then took a quilt from his own room and went to Gu Lin's bedroom.

He placed the quilt on the soft couch in the outer room, and then lay down on it himself.

Knowing that Gu Lin was unwell, Zheng Hao didn't sleep very well that night. In the middle of the night, he heard rustling sounds coming from inside.