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

The village chief was very efficient. Just a few days later, Zhang Erniu came to deliver a message saying that the celebration banquet would be held in five days and asked Gu Lin and Zheng Hao to invite their friends in advance.

Gu Lin asked Zheng Hao, "Xiao Hao, who would you like to invite?"

Zheng Hao said, "I am not familiar with my classmates at the academy, so I may only invite Mr. Xu to come."

Gu Lin pondered for a moment and then said, "Then I'll invite Manager Chen and the others."

According to Gu Lin, he still did not want to publicize it extensively.

Now, Xingfulou is showing signs of rivaling Fumanlou in the county town, and at the same time, Gu Lin has countless friends. If he were to invite them all, he would probably need to set up more than a dozen tables just to entertain his friends.

That day was a good day for Zheng Hao, not a time for him to socialize with his business partners.

Therefore, after discussing it, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao decided not to invite too many people, only a few close friends.

On the day of the celebration banquet, Yu Ge'er was unable to travel back and forth due to his pregnancy, so he and Chen Xiaoliu did not return to Xiahe Village, but stayed in the county town instead.

Gu Lin then asked Chen Xiaoliu to help look after Xingfulou. As for Xingfuju, Zhao Saozi wanted to go back with them, but she couldn't spare anyone to help look after the shop. Gu Lin took it upon himself to close Xingfuju, and only then did Zhao Saozi and the others get on the oxcart and return to Xiahe Village.

The celebratory banquet was held outside the ancestral hall in Xiahe Village. After Gu Lin and the others returned to the village, Brother Zhao did not stop the oxcart, but drove directly to the ancestral hall.

Sitting in the car, Gu Lin asked with a hint of curiosity, "Aren't all the people in the village refugees? We don't all have the same surname, so why is there an ancestral hall?"

Gu Lin's voice wasn't loud, so Zhao's wife and brother, who were sitting in the front, didn't hear it, but Zheng Hao, who was sitting next to him, did.

He tilted his head slightly and explained to Gu Lin, "The ancestral hall in the village was built by the ancestors of each family who fled here. It doesn't belong to any particular family or surname. However, although the ancestral halls are in one place, each family worships their own during festivals."

After hearing Zheng Hao's explanation, Gu Lin understood.

The oxcart arrived outside the ancestral hall.

Upon seeing them return, the village chief, who had been talking to other elderly people in the village, came over and said, "Brother Lin and Young Master Zheng, the banquet is about to begin. When will your friends arrive?"

Gu Lin said to the village chief, "They came from the county town, and they should be arriving around the right time."

"Xiao Hao and I will go pick them up."

The village chief breathed a slight sigh of relief. Gu Lin and Zheng Hao had invited either the shopkeeper of a family in the county or their classmates and teachers from the academy. He didn't know who should be sent to pick them up, so it would be best if Gu Lin and Zheng Hao could personally receive them.

After speaking with the village chief, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao walked towards the village entrance.

Along the way, they didn't see any pedestrians. Thinking of the girls and servants they had seen outside the ancestral hall, Gu Lin thought that the village's women and boys had probably all been called away by the village chief to help.

As Gu Lin walked, he said to Zheng Hao, "Today, only Mr. Xu should be coming from your side. You just need to take good care of Mr. Xu. I will handle the rest of the people."

Hearing Uncle Gu's words of advice, Zheng Hao's cold and stern expression softened slightly.

In this world, apart from Uncle Gu, probably no one would treat him like a child who has not yet grown up and give him advice.

As soon as they arrived at the village entrance, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao saw that Xu Xiucai had arrived.

They stepped forward and said, "Mr. Xu."

After getting off the oxcart, Xu Xiucai walked a few steps to Gu Lin and Zheng Hao.

Scholar Xu first looked at Gu Lin and said, "Husband Gu, congratulations on your son's excellent achievement this time."

Gu Lin smiled and cupped his hands in thanks, saying, "It's all thanks to Mr. Xu's excellent teaching."

He stroked his beard, and a smile appeared on his usually stern face: "I have had many students, among whom Zheng Hao is the most intelligent and the most diligent in his studies. Zheng Hao's success is mainly due to his own efforts."

"Mr. Xu is too kind," Gu Lin said.

Turning to Zheng Hao, Scholar Xu asked, "After the provincial examination, I can no longer teach you. Are you going to the county school or the prefectural school next?"

“The students will go to the prefectural school,” Zheng Hao replied.

With a slight twitch of his eyebrows, Xu Xiucai's previously tense face softened a little as he said, "Going to the prefectural school is fine. If you don't go, then I'll have to persuade you."

Xu Xiucai said, "The scholars at the county school are not as learned as those at the prefectural school, and the county school is not as well-informed about the imperial examinations as the prefectural school. Going to the prefectural school is your best choice."

Xu Xiucai said, "Moreover, a few days ago, the county magistrate invited the teachers of the county school and private schools to discuss the annual examinations for students. During that time, I heard the county magistrate and the headmaster of the county school say that the county school's performance next year would probably be even worse than that of the prefectural school."

"At that time, the headmaster of the county school asked the county magistrate why he said that. The county magistrate replied that a fourth-rank official in the capital had resigned and returned to his hometown. That fourth-rank official happened to be from this prefecture. Now that he has resigned and returned, he has been invited by the headmaster of the prefectural school to teach at the prefectural school."

At this point, Xu Xiucai's eyes shone with a special light.

He said to Zheng Hao, "The lowest rank for a fourth-grade official is a second-class Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). People generally say that there is a world of difference between a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examinations) and a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examinations), but they do not know that a Juren cannot be compared with a Jinshi."

“Those who can obtain the Jinshi degree are all the pride of their respective prefectures. Among them are people like you who have achieved the top three honors, as well as those who have achieved the top honors in the provincial and metropolitan examinations. Any one of them is a genius whose name is known throughout the region.”

"If you go to the prefectural school and receive instruction from a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), you will have a high chance of being among the top scorers in the provincial examinations, if not the best."

Gu Lin could tell that Xu Xiucai was genuinely thinking of Zheng Hao's best interests.

Zheng Hao bowed slightly and greeted Xu Xiucai with a cupped-hand salute, saying, "Thank you for your consideration, sir. I will not let you down."

Xu Xiucai's gaze fell on the outstanding young man in front of him, whose figure and temperament were exceptional. His expression was quite complicated.

Three years ago, when he took Zheng Hao in as his student, he didn't pay much attention to him. Even though Zheng Hao had a good memory, he had already missed the best age for studying, so Xu Xiucai didn't have high expectations for him.

Later, after discovering Zheng Hao's talent and aptitude for studying, Scholar Xu felt as if he had obtained a rare and precious jade, and began to do his best to teach him.

Zheng Hao did not disappoint him. In just three years, he not only fully absorbed what Zheng Hao taught him, but he was also able to apply what he learned to other situations.

Moreover, the other person never becomes complacent because of their talent, because they are aware of the time gap between themselves and others, and they are working hard almost all the time.

Xu Xiucai once considered taking Zheng Hao as his apprentice, and even now, he still harbors this desire.

However, he knew that his talent was limited and that he had often found it difficult to teach the other person in the past. Now that the other person was a scholar, Xu Xiucai would not be so shameless as to ask for help.

After Gu Lin and Zheng Hao exchanged pleasantries with Scholar Xu for a while, Manager Chen and Wang Yue arrived shortly after.

Gu Lin went to greet him, and Manager Chen presented the congratulatory gift, saying to Gu Lin, "Young Master received the news and originally wanted to come, but he was held up by business in the prefectural city, so he specially asked me to deliver the congratulatory gift on his behalf. This gift just arrived this morning and was sent by the young master on horseback."

Gu Lin accepted the gift and thanked him, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Young Master Fang."

Following closely behind, Wang Yue also presented his congratulatory gift.

After catching up with the two, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao led them to the celebration banquet.

Once everyone had arrived, the village chief announced loudly that the celebratory banquet was about to begin.

There were twenty tables in total, with fifteen people at each table. Gu Lin, Zheng Hao, Zhao's wife, Wang Yue, and the village chief, along with other close friends, sat together.

One by one, the women and men brought out the dishes they had prepared. As soon as Gu Lin saw the dishes, he knew that Xiahe Village had gone all out this time.

Large bowls of chicken, duck, fish, and meat were served, not only in generous portions, but also prepared in a variety of ways, including stir-frying, stewing, steaming, and boiling, with no skimping on oil or salt.

Even before the main dishes were served, the woman and her friends brought over a bowl of sweet soup. Although it was just ordinary mung bean soup, Gu Lin felt a refreshing sweetness in his mouth, and it was clear that real sugar had been added.

Before the main course began, the village chief stood up and addressed everyone present: "This celebratory banquet is to celebrate Zheng Hao of our village for winning the 'Little Three Top Scholars' title and obtaining the 'Xiucai' degree. This is not only a joyous occasion for the Zheng family, but also for our Xiahe Village. I won't say anything fancy, but I just hope that our village's Xiucai will continue to thrive and that the people of our village will live better and better lives."

"The village chief is right!"

Those at the celebratory banquet echoed this sentiment.

After the village chief finished speaking, he sat down. At this moment, everyone's eyes involuntarily fell on Zheng Hao.

If it were anyone else, they would have started jeering long ago, but for some reason, the villagers of Xiahe Village didn't dare to be too unruly in front of the boy's calm and composed face.

Fortunately, Zheng Hao didn't let the conversation fall flat. He stood up, looked at everyone, and said, "Those present here are all my elders and mentors. I will remember their teachings and will never forget my original aspirations, diligently studying and progressing in the future."

"it is good!"

This time, it wasn't anyone else who spoke up, but Gu Lin who cheered.

Zheng Hao turned his head and looked at the young man who had responded to him.

He raised his hand, picked up the wine on the table, and toasted Gu Lin. Gu Lin was stunned and didn't react before seeing the other party drink the wine.

Immediately, only one thought came to Gu Lin's mind.

Zheng Hao is not an adult and cannot drink alcohol.

Fortunately, Zheng Hao was very sensible. After toasting Xu Xiucai and the others two more times, he stopped drinking.

After finishing their meal, everyone chatted for a while and then dispersed.

Zheng Hao was sent by Gu Lin to see Xu Xiucai and his group off.

The village chief walked over and handed the gift list to Gu Lin, saying, "Brother Lin, this is the gift list for today's celebration banquet. I've already had Da Niu and Er Niu deliver the gifts to your house."

Gu Lin thanked him, took the gift list, and looked at it. Slowly, he frowned and asked, "Uncle Village Chief, where did the twenty taels and fifty taels of silver on the gift list come from? I've never heard of these families who gave these gifts."

Most of the guests at the celebration banquet were villagers from Xiahe Village. He and Zheng Hao only invited three people, including Xu Xiucai. They had already given their gifts to him and Zheng Hao, and the amount of money given by the villagers of Xiahe Village could not possibly be that much.

The village elder explained, “When you went to the village entrance to greet your friends just now, the local gentry and landlords sent people to deliver congratulatory gifts. Knowing that you were afraid of trouble, I didn’t spread the word about the celebratory banquet. But I don’t know where they got the news, but they came one by one today to deliver gifts, and left immediately after delivering their gifts. I had no choice but to write it down and deal with it when you have time.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Lin said to the village chief, "Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Village Chief. I will discuss with Xiao Hao how to resolve this matter when I get back."

The village chief nodded, turned, and left.

Zheng Hao returned after seeing Xu Xiucai and the others off.

He said to Gu Lin, "Uncle Gu, let's go back."

Gu Lin nodded. Although there was still some work to be done at the ancestral hall, the village chief had already arranged for people to clean it up.

Gu Lin had nothing to do there, so he went back with Zheng Hao.

Back home, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao entered the lobby. He was about to talk to Zheng Hao about the gift list when he turned around and saw the boy, who used to stand upright like a pine tree, sitting in a chair with his hand on his forehead.

The other person's usually sharp, dark eyes now occasionally flashed with a hazy look.

Clearly, Zheng Hao was drunk.

Recalling the drinks the other party had consumed at the banquet, Gu Lin felt a headache coming on. The drinks served today were premium liquor that he had specially asked Brother Zhao to purchase. Zheng Hao had never drunk alcohol before, and it was no wonder he got drunk after downing three cups of this fine brew.

Gu Lin took a few steps forward to get closer to Zheng Hao. They had been quite far apart before, but now that they were closer, Gu Lin could see that Zheng Hao's neck was slightly red.

"Xiao Hao".

"Xiao Hao, are you feeling unwell?"

Zheng Hao's gaze was slightly dazed, his dark eyes, made particularly impolite by his drunkenness, staring unblinkingly at the young man in front of him.

Gu Lin and Zheng Hao were standing very close, about two fists apart. Zheng Hao's senses were numbed by alcohol, but strangely, his sense of smell was unusually sharp.

He inhaled the faint scent of soap emanating from Uncle Gu, and Zheng Hao felt increasingly reluctant to move from his chair. He wanted to stay this close to Uncle Gu forever.

However, despite his good intentions, Gu Lin did not follow through.

Seeing that Zheng Hao was drunk, Gu Lin quickly turned around and went to the kitchen to cook a hangover soup. After cooking the hangover soup, Gu Lin served it and returned to the main hall.

If Zheng Hao was still somewhat conscious before Gu Lin went to the kitchen, now that he has returned, Zheng Hao's usually slightly upturned phoenix eyes are now half-closed.

Gu Lin stepped forward and called to Zheng Hao, "Xiao Hao, get up and drink some hangover soup. Go back to your room and sleep later."

Zheng Hao raised his head slightly, and his half-closed eyelids quietly opened.

Even when drunk, his eyes still held a hint of clarity and wariness. When he saw that the person standing in front of him was Gu Lin, Zheng Hao blinked slightly, and then the wariness in his eyes gradually faded.

As Zheng Hao brought the hangover soup to the other man's lips, he felt the warmth of the soup against his skin. He raised his eyes slightly, intending to look at Uncle Gu's face, but instead noticed the young man's Adam's apple, which he usually hid under his clothes. The Adam's apple was small and delicate, with a slight outline on his fair neck, and it would tremble gently with the other man's breath.

For some reason, seeing this scene, Zheng Hao felt a burning sensation in his eyes and a strange thirst in his throat.

Finally, he slightly shifted his gaze, no longer daring to look at the young man's neck.