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

On the day of the Peach Blossom Banquet, the students of the prefectural school were allowed to go directly to Baiyuan Mountain without having to gather at the prefectural school.

Having gone to bed a little late last night, Gu Lin got up, washed up, and hurried to the lobby. As soon as he entered, he saw a boy in a light-colored school uniform sitting at a table having breakfast.

Seeing the young man hurrying away, Zheng Hao said, "It's still early. The Peach Blossom Banquet won't start until near noon. Uncle Gu, there's no need to rush; you can take your time eating."

Gu Lin sat down next to Zheng Hao.

Although Zheng Hao said it was okay to arrive later, Gu Lin still quickened his pace. Since he was attending the banquet with his classmates, it wouldn't be impolite to arrive early.

Gu Lin lowered his head slightly and saw that today's breakfast was a bowl of hot soup noodles.

He picked up a noodle and slurped it down. Instantly, the noodles, soaked in the fragrant chicken broth, slid into his empty stomach, and a look of enjoyment appeared on Gu Lin's face.

The bowl of noodles was delicious and chewy, and Gu Lin finished it quickly. Then, he took out a handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe his mouth, turned to Zheng Hao and said, "I'm finished eating, let's go."

Zheng Hao nodded, stood up, and picked up the food box next to him.

Stepping out of his house, Gu Lin saw that the person sitting in front of the oxcart was not Brother Zhao, but a waiter from the Lucky Restaurant.

He turned to look at Zheng Hao, his eyes questioning, "Wasn't it Brother Zhao who took us to Baiyuan Mountain today?"

Zheng Hao explained, "The Peach Blossom Banquet will last from noon to evening. If Uncle Zhao takes us there, we'll have to wait at the foot of the mountain all day, which will be exhausting and time-consuming. Given Uncle Zhao's age, I'm afraid he won't be able to handle it."

After listening to Zheng Hao's explanation, Gu Lin nodded, admitting that he hadn't considered everything thoroughly.

He originally wanted Brother Zhao to take them to Baiyuan Mountain and then return to the city, picking them up again after the Peach Blossom Banquet. However, upon closer reflection, he realized that the round trip between the city and the suburbs was extremely inconvenient. Furthermore, having them wait in the car all day would present problems with food and restroom facilities.

Gu Lin said to Zheng Hao, "You've thought things through very well."

Zheng Hao said, "It is never too much to think carefully before traveling with Uncle Gu."

After boarding the oxcart and entering the carriage, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao sat facing each other.

The carriage began to move, swaying and rattling through the streets and city gates to the outskirts.

Baiyuan Mountain is some distance from the prefectural city, but because there are too many vehicles heading to Baiyuan Mountain along the way, the waiter dared not drive too fast.

Therefore, it took Gu Lin and Zheng Hao about half an hour to reach Baiyuan Mountain.

Upon arriving at the foot of the mountain, Gu Lin, who had been feeling stifled in the carriage the whole way, quickly got off the oxcart and stood under the shade of a tree to catch his breath and rest.

Zheng Hao followed closely behind and came to Gu Lin's side, asking with concern, "Uncle Gu, are you still dizzy?"

After rubbing his temples and feeling his head clear, Gu Lin shook his head slightly and said, "It's okay, I'll feel better after standing for a while."

Upon seeing this, Zheng Hao said, "Uncle Gu, please rest here for a while. I'll go and unload the things from the car."

Gu Lin waved to Zheng Hao and said, "Go on, go on."

Zheng Hao turned around and walked to the oxcart. He got on and took down a food box. After giving a few instructions to the driver, he returned to Gu Lin's side.

Having been cooped up and shaken in the train carriage, Gu Lin felt refreshed after breathing in some fresh air outside. He looked up at the mountaintop and said, "Let's go, let's start climbing."

Gu Lin and Zheng Hao embark on a mountain climbing journey.

Looking at the bustling scene of people coming and going in the mountains, Gu Lin originally thought they were the slowest families to arrive at the academy. However, on the way from the foot of the mountain to the mountainside, Gu Lin saw many students wearing academy uniforms. They were chatting and laughing with their families as they climbed up, making it a lively scene.

The air was filled with the fragrance of flowers, the chirping of birds, and the bustling atmosphere. However, as Gu Lin climbed from the mountainside toward the summit, his expression slowly hardened as he looked at the increasingly difficult slope ahead.

If the path from the foot of the mountain to the mountainside was relatively smooth, then the road ahead was full of potholes and overgrown with weeds, and upon closer inspection, there were many stones standing there, blocking people's way.

Before coming to Baiyuan Mountain, Gu Lin assumed that the academy would choose a famous mountain peak to hold its banquet, so he didn't think much of climbing the mountain. As everyone knows, famous mountains often have steps built on them, which Gu Lin could accept.

But despite all his calculations, he never anticipated that the academy would not only choose an unheard-of mountain as the venue for the banquet, but that the mountain was also extremely remote, lacking not only steps but also a proper dirt path, indicating that few people usually visited this mountain.

As Gu Lin walked, he pondered and spoke his thoughts aloud.

Zheng Hao calmly raised his wide sleeves to avoid the mud on the rock surface and said, "As Uncle Gu thought, the gentlemen originally wanted to hold a peach blossom banquet at Bailu Mountain, but there are many pilgrims at Bailu Temple on Bailu Mountain. In order to avoid conflicts with the pilgrims, the gentlemen decided to change the venue and come to Baiyuan Mountain, which is only one mountain away from Bailu Mountain."

"Although there is a Taoist temple on Baiyuan Mountain, it has fewer believers than Bailu Temple and is much quieter. However, because there are few believers, Baiyuan Temple does not have much money for incense donations, so the road has never been repaired. The teachers chose Baiyuan Mountain not only because of its quiet location, but also because of the rugged road on the mountain, hoping to temper their students."

"Uncle Gu, can you still hold on? If you're tired, let's go back to the mountainside and take a sedan chair."

Gu Lin lifted his leg and stepped over the small, steep slope in front of him, then grabbed his knees with both hands, half-bent over, and took a few breaths.

He slightly raised his head to look at the boy whose expression remained unchanged and whose breathing was steady, and said, "No need, we're just a few steps from the top of the mountain."

Observing Uncle Gu's complexion, and seeing that although his forehead was covered with fine sweat but his eyes were bright, Zheng Hao said, "Uncle Gu, sit down and rest and have something to eat first. We'll climb again later."

Gu Lin didn't try to be brave. He nodded, panting. Zheng Hao went to a rock, wiped the dirt off it with a handkerchief, and turned to Gu Lin, saying, "Uncle Gu, come and sit down."

Gu Lin walked over and sat down. Zheng Hao lowered his head and wiped the stone next to him before sitting down himself.

Zheng Hao opened the food box, took out a bamboo tube, and handed it to Gu Lin, saying, "Uncle Gu, have some drink."

Gu Lin took it. The drink was specially prepared by Zhao's wife last night. In order to drink it to his heart's content while climbing the mountain, he asked Zhao's wife to add a lot of ice to it.

Feeling the cool touch from the surface of the bamboo tube, Gu Lin lowered his head slightly, opened the bamboo tube, raised his hand, and the sweet and sour, icy drink entered his mouth.

Gu Lin let out a comfortable sigh.

Looking at the lush green mountains in the distance, and feeling the gentle, cool breeze blowing through the mountains, Gu Lin felt the heat on his face from the strenuous exercise slowly cool down.

Once he had recovered his strength, Gu Lin stood up and said to Zheng Hao, "Let's go, let's continue climbing."

The two began their ascent to the mountaintop. Zheng Hao picked up a thick, long branch for Gu Lin to use as a walking stick, then led the way, scouting ahead. As he walked, he turned back to tell the young man behind him which route would be easier. Gu Lin, leaning on his walking stick, followed behind him.

Suddenly a shout came from ahead.

"Brother Zheng!"

Gu Lin looked up and saw Peng Zhizhi standing not far in front of them.

Zheng Hao didn't look over. He turned around and pulled the young man behind him to his side before turning to Peng Zhizhi and saying, "Brother Peng."

"You've finally arrived! Brother Zhen and I have been waiting for you for ages. What happened? Why did it take you so long to climb such a low mountain?"

At this moment, Gu Lin walked out from behind Zheng Hao.

Seeing the surprise flash across his face, Peng Zhizhi cupped his hands in greeting and asked, "Uncle Gu, you and Brother Zheng have come to the Peach Blossom Banquet together?"

Gu Lin said, "A few days ago, Xiao Hao told me that your academy was holding a peach blossom banquet. I thought it sounded interesting, so I came with him. I hope I didn't spoil your fun?"

No, no.

Peng Zhizhi walked over and said, "The master had already allowed us to bring our families to the Peach Blossom Banquet. I originally thought that you, Uncle Gu, would be too busy to come, but I didn't expect you to actually come with Brother Zheng."

Moreover, what truly surprised Peng Zhizhi was that Gu Lin, as a widow, had remained unmarried for three years and should, in principle, be mindful of her deceased husband and not openly indulge in pleasure.

If Gu Lin is ignorant of etiquette, Zheng Hao, who has studied the classics for so many years, should also know it. However, not only did he not remind him, he even personally took Uncle Gu on a trip.

Seeing Uncle Gu and Peng Zhizhi chatting, Zheng Hao asked, "Where is Brother Zhen? Did Brother Peng come down alone?"

Peng Zhizhi slapped his forehead and said to Zheng Hao, "I almost forgot about this. I came down to pick you up because I have something important to say. Hurry up and go up. The students from Xuzhou Prefecture next door have come here to compete. The teachers and Brother Zhen Cheng are dealing with them. I came down the mountain to see where you were because I noticed you hadn't arrived yet."

"Students from Xuzhou Prefecture?"

Without Zheng Hao needing to ask for details, Peng Zhizhi explained in detail: "It's strange that the students from Xuzhou Prefectural School are like this. According to the rules, in the past, when they traveled to our prefecture, they would send a letter to our prefectural school, and then the two sides would gather together to discuss scholarship. This time, they came to our prefecture without informing the headmaster and teachers, and they somehow found out that we were going to hold a peach blossom banquet at Baiyuan Mountain. A group of them barged in without saying a word."

After the teachers from the Xuzhou Prefectural School greeted our teacher, they began to make things difficult for him. Fortunately, Mr. Zhou was very knowledgeable and was not stumped.

Zheng Hao remained silent.

Seeing Peng Zhizhi's angry face, Gu Lin asked, "Since Mr. Zhou handled it so well, it should be the teachers from the opposite academy who are angry. Why are you so angry?"

Peng Zhizhi said helplessly, "Since the teachers of Xuzhou Prefectural School did not make things difficult for our Prefectural School, it is naturally the turn of the students of the two Prefectural Schools to compare themselves."

“If the students of Xuzhou Prefectural School sincerely want to discuss scholarship with us, we will naturally welcome them. However, they always ask difficult questions from miscellaneous books, and apart from Brother Zhen Cheng, Brother Zhen Yuan, and a few senior brothers from the top class, none of us can answer them.”

At this point, Peng Zhizhi said to Zheng Hao, "Seeing that the situation was not good, I came down to see where you were. Fortunately, you arrived. Come up with me quickly. I just came down, and another scholar known as a child prodigy came out from the opposite side. I don't know if Brother Zhen Cheng and the others can handle him."

Hearing Peng Zhizhi's words and seeing his anxious expression, Gu Lin said to Zheng Hao, "Let's go up quickly."

Seeing the young man's slightly pale face, Zheng Hao said, "No need to rush. Brother Zhen Cheng is very learned and can easily deal with the students of Xuzhou Prefectural School. It's only a few steps from here to the top of the mountain. If we walk slowly, we will get there soon."

Seeing the scene of fatherly love and filial piety before him, Peng Zhizhi was extremely anxious and said, "Why don't you go up first, Brother Zheng, and I'll take Uncle Gu and walk slowly behind you?"

Normally, Zheng Hao wouldn't entrust Uncle Gu to an outsider, but seeing Peng Zhizhi's anxious expression, he knew that his own students' performance in the competition between the two schools at the Peach Blossom Banquet wasn't very promising; otherwise, the other side wouldn't be in such a hurry.

After a moment of contemplation, Zheng Hao said to Gu Lin, "Uncle Gu, I'll go up first. You and Brother Peng can walk slowly. I'll come down to pick you up after I've dealt with things."

Peng Zhizhi remained silent. It wasn't far from the mountaintop. He would have already led his men up there by the time the competition between the opposing students was over.

Zheng Hao said to Peng Zhizhi, "Brother Peng, please take Uncle Gu upstairs."

Peng Zhizhi said sincerely, "Don't worry, I will take good care of Uncle Gu when he goes up."

After handing the food box to the other party, Zheng Hao instructed Gu Lin, "If you get hungry while climbing the mountain later, Uncle Gu, please stop and eat something. Don't force yourself."

Seeing Zheng Hao, who was different from his usual cold and taciturn self, Peng Zhizhi fell silent once again.

In his surroundings, Peng Zhizhi had never met anyone as considerate of his elders as Zheng Hao.

His parents were very filial to their grandparents, having meals with them every day. When the weather changed, they would instruct the servants to take good care of their grandparents. This was considered filial piety, but it still couldn't compare to the gentle instructions Zheng Hao gave to Uncle Gu.

The other party's behavior was so meticulous that they even considered that the other party might get tired and hungry while climbing the mountain, and told the other party to rest when they needed to and not to push themselves. This was even more exaggerated and outrageous than how his parents treated his five-year-old younger brother.

After giving his instructions, Zheng Hao turned and went up the mountain first, while Gu Lin and Peng Zhizhi followed behind.

As they walked, Peng Zhizhi asked Gu Lin, "There are sedan chair carriers at the foot of the mountain and halfway up the mountain. Why didn't you ride in a sedan chair when you went up the mountain, Uncle Gu?"

Gu Lin carefully navigated around the obstacle in front of him and said, "I promised Xiao Hao that I would accompany him on a spring outing. If I were to ride in a sedan chair, wouldn't I be breaking my promise?"

Peng Zhizhi's expression showed a hint of surprise. Gu Lin's words were hard for him to understand. When did it become the junior's place to question the words and deeds of the elders? Even if Uncle Gu broke his promise to Zheng Hao, as a gentleman and a filial son, Zheng Hao should have been understanding of Uncle Gu's difficulties.

Unaware of what the other person was thinking, Gu Lin continued, "But I didn't expect the road to Baiyuan Mountain to be so difficult. I thought it would only take an hour to climb up, but it's almost noon and I still haven't reached the top."

Gu Lin sighed after he finished speaking.

Peng Zhizhi found Gu Lin's behavior somewhat intriguing.

The elders he usually saw were either stern and unsmiling or kind and gentle, but Uncle Gu, who was Zheng's brother, was different from those elders. His words and actions were not like those of an elder, but rather like those of someone his own age.

Moreover, perhaps because they were close in age, Peng Zhizhi addressed the other person as Uncle Gu, but found it difficult to treat him as an elder.

Peng Zhizhi said, "Uncle Gu, don't underestimate yourself. I saw that all the other students' brothers and sisters went up in sedan chairs. Uncle Gu was able to walk from the bottom of the mountain to the top on his own, which is already very impressive."

Gu Lin waved his hand and said casually, "I'm not that capable. If Xiao Hao hadn't been by my side, helping me up every now and then, I wouldn't have been able to go any further after reaching the mountainside. You wouldn't have been able to see me here."

Perhaps it was Gu Lin's tone and expression that made Peng Zhizhi chuckle.

As the youngest son in his family, he retained a childlike nature. Seeing the other party's sincere and genuine behavior, Peng Zhizhi found it very amusing. Moreover, since the person who could restrain him was not around, Peng Zhizhi laughed out loud.