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

Deep within the garden, peach blossoms were in full bloom, filling the garden with the colors of spring. Gu Lin stood before the peach grove, captivated by the beautiful scenery.

After Zheng Hao laid out a cotton cloth on the ground and called him a few times, Gu Lin finally came to his senses.

He turned and walked towards Zheng Hao. Zheng Hao raised his head slightly and looked at the young man in front of him, saying, "Uncle Gu, please sit down. You must be tired after standing for so long."

"It hasn't even been the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, how could I get tired so easily?" Gu Lin said with a helpless smile.

Although he said that, Gu Lin still sat on the cotton cloth as Zheng Hao had instructed.

After he sat down, his mind wandered, his eyes gazing at the surrounding scenery and inhaling the unique fragrance of spring grass and flowers.

Turning his head slightly, Gu Lin saw Zheng Hao taking out drinks and food from the food box and sighed, "If only we could eat roasted meat and admire the peach blossoms in front of the peach grove."

Zheng Hao said calmly, "Why not?"

Gu Lin looked surprised upon hearing this.

But before he could ask, a voice with an upturned tone came from behind him and Zheng Hao: "That's a good idea!"

Gu Lin turned around and saw the person who spoke. It was none other than Zhen Yuan, Zheng Hao's classmate, and there were three other people with him, all of whom Gu Lin knew.

"Brother Lin".

Seeing Gu Lin not far in front of her, Zhen Yun's usually cold expression showed a slight hint of surprise.

A look of joy crossed Gu Lin's face: "Yun-ge'er, Qing-ge'er."

Ever since Zhen Yun and Zhen Qingqing ate hot pot and barbecue at Haoyunlou, they have been attracted by its delicious food. Almost every few days, Zhen Yun would take Zhen Qingqing to Haoyunlou for a meal.

The two men frequently came to dine there, and since they were also the younger brothers of Zheng Hao's classmate, Gu Lin gradually became familiar with them. In addition, all three of them were cheerful and straightforward people, and they were surprisingly able to get along well.

Zhen Cheng and the other three walked toward Gu Lin and Zheng Hao. As they walked, Zhen Yuan said, "Uncle Gu is so clever. He thought of the same thing as me. A garden with such beautiful scenery should be used for eating barbecue and drinking fine wine. I don't know how they can stare at the peach blossoms all day without eating anything."

Zhen Qingqing, who was standing next to Zhen Yun, chimed in, "The Peach Blossom Banquet only had dry snacks, not a single hot dish. I'm starving. Roast meat is much better."

Before Gu Lin could speak after Zhen Qingqing finished speaking, Zhen Yuan turned his head and teased Zhen Qingqing with a slightly wicked smile, saying, "I don't know who said that their face was getting fat the other day and that they would stop eating so many snacks and meats. But they forgot about it in just a few days. In a few more days, won't their face be bigger than the full moon of Mid-Autumn Festival?"

Obesity is a problem that many women and men are concerned about but have to face. Zhen Qingqing cares most about her appearance and figure. Zhen Yuan said both in one sentence, which made Zhen Qingqing a little annoyed. However, Zhen Yuan is not as honest as Peng Zhizhi. In front of the sharp-tongued Second Young Master Zhen, Zhen Qingqing can only suffer the blame.

Suddenly, Zhen Cheng, who had been silent all along, turned his cold gaze toward Zhen Yuan.

Seeing the warning look in his brother's eyes, Zhen Yuan thought to himself that his brother was too boring, not even allowing him to make a joke.

Seeing that Zhen Yuan had stopped talking, Zhen Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief.

Out of the corner of her eye, Zhen Qingqing glanced at the eldest young master, whose expression was icy cold. She had also seen the scene where he had warned Zhen Yuan.

Thinking about how the other party had just helped her out of a tight spot, Zhen Qingqing suddenly felt that the eldest young master wasn't so scary after all.

However, recalling the day she returned to the Zhen residence after a conflict with the eldest son's classmate, the eldest son sent someone to punish her by deducting a year's salary and slapping her palms ten times. Thinking of the pain in her palms that lasted for nearly half a month, Zhen Qingqing felt a pang of sympathy.

Unlike Zhen Yuan and Zhen Qingqing's rich inner thoughts, the only thing that stirred in Zhen Yuan's heart was his decision to go home and discuss with his father how to correct his second brother's loose tongue, which was making him look bad by casually discussing his brother's appearance and figure.

Zhen Cheng ignored the unpleasant feeling that flashed through his mind.

Accustomed to being lectured by his older brother, Zhen Yuan paid no attention and quickly shifted his attention elsewhere.

Zhen Yuan looked at Gu Lin in front of him and asked, "Uncle Gu, didn't you just say you wanted to barbecue? I'll send someone to get the grill, and we'll barbecue in a bit."

Gu Lin was somewhat surprised upon hearing this: "Are there grills and ingredients here?"

Zheng Hao explained, "This garden belongs to Brother Zhen's family. A few days ago, the prefect heard that the prefectural school wanted to hold a peach blossom banquet at Baiyuan Mountain but was struggling to find a venue, so he lent his garden to the prefectural school so that the students of the prefectural city could freely exchange knowledge."

The implication was that Zhen Yuan was the owner of the garden and knew exactly what was inside.

Having been in business for a long time, he often had sweet words on his lips. Gu Lin blurted out, "The Prefect is truly considerate of the students and cherishes talent."

Zhen Cheng remained unmoved, while Zhen Yuan and the other two showed a hint of pride and self-satisfaction on their faces.

Zhen Yuan continued, "We visited Baiyuan Mountain before, and this barbecue grill has been here for a while."

Gu Lin immediately understood and said to them with a smile, "It's even more convenient with all the tools. Come and sit down, and we'll grill the meat together in a bit."

The four members of the Zhen family sat down on the cotton cloth.

The cotton cloth prepared by Zheng Hao was very large, so the six people could sit on it without feeling crowded.

Zheng Hao sat next to Gu Lin, while Zhen Cheng and the other three sat opposite them.

Soon after, the Zhen family's servants brought over the grill and ingredients.

The men present were all pampered young masters who had never dealt with the mundane realities of daily life. After exchanging a few words with Zhen Cheng and the others and gaining their approval, Gu Lin stood up and directed the Zhen family servants to place the grill and ingredients in different locations.

Zheng Hao naturally couldn't just sit by and watch Uncle Gu busy himself. As the other man directed the servants to set up the grill and ingredients, Zheng Hao waited for the Zhen family servants to light the charcoal fire before picking up the cured and fresh meat from the tray and placing it on the wire grill to roast.

Although Zhen Cheng and the others were young masters who were waited on hand and foot, Zheng Hao and Gu Lin were their friends and elders. Whether it was out of consideration for their friendship or the way of hospitality, there was no reason for them to be busy while they just stood by and watched.

Zhen Cheng got up and walked to Zheng Hao's side. Watching the other man's slender, jade-like fingers turning the meat on the grill, he asked, "Brother Zheng, is there anything I can help you with?"

Zhen Yuan also stood up and asked Gu Lin, "Uncle Gu, do you need any help?"

Gu Lin waved his hand and said it wasn't necessary; he was just directing the Zhen family servants to arrange things.

Compared to Zhen Cheng and Zhen Yuan, who were used to Zheng Hao's culinary skills, Zhen Yun and Zhen Qingqing reacted more strongly.

This wasn't the first time they'd seen a man who could cook; the cooks in restaurants and home kitchens were almost all men. But they hadn't expected a man like Zheng Hao to handle oil and salt.

Zhen Cheng was taciturn and rarely spoke in the mansion, but Zhen Yuan was the opposite. Therefore, Zhen Yun and Zhen Qingqing knew that Zheng Hao was no ordinary scholar, otherwise, why would the two sons of the prefect befriend him?

Faced with Zheng Hao like this, in the prefectural city, or even the entire Great Qian Dynasty, no elder would be willing to order him around.

Of course, Gu Lin is an exception.

After directing the servants to arrange the items, Gu Lin turned to look at the meat ingredients on the tray.

Some meats are cut into slices that are very easy to grill, but some meats are cut into pieces about a third the size of a thumb, which are not only difficult to cook through but also difficult to turn over.

Gu Lin said to Zheng Hao and Zhen Cheng, "Let's skewer the meat pieces with bamboo sticks; it'll make grilling easier that way."

Zhen Yuan and his companions were inexperienced, and their food was prepared and served by the servants. Even Zhen Qingqing, who was nominally a servant, enjoyed the treatment of a half-young master in the Zhen family, so they had never eaten meat before.

For them, grilling meat themselves at Good Fortune Restaurant was something they had never even imagined before.

However, they are not opposed to such things.

Seeing the expressions on the faces of the men who were eager to try but hesitated to touch the meat, Gu Lin turned to the servant and said, "Could you please bring me a few pairs of gloves?"

The attendant saw Zhen Cheng nod and left. A moment later, he returned with several pairs of cotton gloves.

Gu Lin handed gloves to Zheng Hao, Zhen Cheng, and the other three, saying, "Put on gloves so your hands won't get dirty when you skewer the meat."

Zhen Qingqing looked slightly excited and leaned forward slightly. Gu Lin had no doubt that if Zhen Cheng hadn't been there, she would have been the first to rush forward.

With Zhen Cheng standing in front of him, Zhen Qingqing dared not be presumptuous; a cunning glint flashed in his clean, bright eyes.

Zhen Qingqing leaned close to Zhen Yun's ear and whispered, "Young Master, would you like some skewers? Let's hurry over there."

Turning her head slightly to look at Zhen Qingqing, who was still looking playful, Zhen Yun said helplessly, "Your older brother is still here, so you should restrain yourself, or I won't be able to stop you from being punished later."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Qingqing pouted slightly, her bright cat-like eyes darting around. Her gaze met Zhen Cheng's, who was sweeping in their direction. Instantly, Zhen Qingqing froze, like a mouse before a cat, and obediently lowered her head.

She stood obediently next to Zhen Yun.

Zhen Cheng calmly withdrew his gaze.

After everyone put on gloves, Gu Lin held a bamboo skewer in his left hand and a piece of meat in his right, teaching everyone how to skewer the meat.

As he skewered the meat, he instructed the people in front of him: "Skewering meat doesn't take much effort. Just pick up the bamboo skewer and poke the meat into it."

Watching Gu Lin's movements carefully, Zhen Qingqing deftly skewered the meat. Looking around the room, he was the one who learned the fastest.

Gu Lin praised, "Your meat pieces are skewered very neatly and beautifully."

Hearing the praise, Zhen Qingqing's cat-like eyes filled with pride, and his small chin was raised high. If he had a tail, it would probably be raised just like his chin.

Zhen Cheng and the other two finished skewering the meat. Gu Lin smiled and said, "You guys did a great job skewering meat for the first time. Many people can't even get the bamboo skewers into the meat at first."

Zhen Yuan shook his head slightly and said, "This job is really not something an ordinary person can do. Skewering a single piece of meat on a bamboo stick is more tiring than writing a policy essay."

Gu Lin smiled and said, "Everyone has their own expertise; practice makes perfect!"

Upon hearing this, Zhen Yuan was first taken aback, then burst into laughter.

Looking at Zhen Yuan, who was laughing out loud without regard for his image, Gu Lin was puzzled. After carefully recalling whether he had said anything wrong, and confirming that he hadn't, Gu Lin still didn't understand why the other person was laughing for no reason.

He looked at the others present and found that apart from Zhen Qingqing and himself looking bewildered, Zhen Yun also had a slight smile on her face, while Zhen Cheng's face showed no emotional fluctuation.

He turned to look at Zheng Hao beside him.

Seeing Uncle Gu's puzzled expression, Zheng Hao said, "Uncle Gu is right."

After saying that, Zheng Hao turned to Zhen Yuan and asked, "Why are you laughing, Brother Zhen Yuan?"

Faced with Zheng Hao's unwavering questioning, Zhen Yuan's face showed a hint of disbelief.

Under the other person's calm and indifferent expression and eyes, Zhen Yuan slowly stopped laughing.

Zhen Yuan explained: "The saying 'There is a sequence to learning the truth, and each profession has its own area of ​​expertise' comes from Han Yu's 'Exhortation to Learning.' It means that the principles we learn are learned in a certain order, and each skill and academic discipline has its own research direction."

After carefully recalling the context in which Uncle Gu used this phrase, Zhen Yuan said, "Uncle Gu's use of this famous saying in this situation is quite appropriate; it was I who was impolite first."

After speaking, Zhen Yuan bowed to Gu Lin.

After the other party admitted their mistake, Zhen Cheng said, "When you were debating with the students from Xuzhou Prefecture just now, I thought you knew not to listen to one side's opinion. I didn't expect that your vision was still limited to a small piece of land. If Uncle Gu hadn't reminded you, you might have made a big mistake somewhere in the future."

After understanding what the Zhen brothers had said and done, Gu Lin said with a hint of helplessness, "Zhen Yuan is not wrong to insist on his point of view, but wouldn't it be better to apply the obscure knowledge in the book to the daily lives of ordinary people?"

As soon as Gu Lin said this, the surrounding environment quieted down.

He was somewhat confused, wondering if he had said something strange again, but when he looked at the people in front of him, he found that they were all looking at him with strange and surprised eyes.

He turned to look at Zheng Hao beside him and found that the other man's eyes held a complex emotion.

Even Zhen Qingqing, who hadn't understood why Zhen Yuan had laughed, said, "How can a commoner learn the words of a sage?"

Zhen Qingqing frowned slightly, her expression showing curiosity and confusion but no malice. Gu Lin knew that she was not mocking his remarks.

Gu Lin countered, "Confucius once said, 'In education, there should be no discrimination.' If I remember correctly, Confucius had a disciple named Yan Hui. He lived on a single bamboo bowl of rice and a gourd of water. Others would find it unbearable, but Yan Hui remained joyful. Even sages advocated education for all. Why would we think that ordinary people cannot learn the words of sages?"

Zhen Qingqing was speechless.

Gu Lin continued, "When I first started reading, I was completely illiterate and could only grope in the dark. But after learning from Zheng Hao, I went from only being able to understand one or two words to being able to read a whole book independently. Ordinary people struggle to make ends meet every day, and what they lack is simply the opportunity to study."

In the past, Zhen Qingqing would have scoffed at such remarks, but standing before them were Gu Lin, who had raised three outstanding scholars, and Zheng Hao, who had become one after only three years of study, so they had nothing to say.

After a moment of silence, Zhen Cheng spoke up: "Uncle Gu is far superior to us."

Gu Lin was stunned by the praise; he had only said some very normal things.

Zhen Cheng said, "The principles recorded in the book are something we have read many times, but we do not understand them as well as Uncle Gu."

Gu Lin couldn't accept such praise and said, "You're still young. You'll understand as you get to know more people and things in the future."

"Don't think about these things. This isn't a school. The important thing is for everyone to have fun together. Come on, let's eat meat and drink some beverages."

Zheng Hao said, "Uncle Gu is right. Brother Zhen Cheng, you should not waste this precious time."

Looking at the cheerful group around him, Zhen Cheng replied, "Okay."