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

At the prefectural school, on the drill ground.

The students, all dressed in riding attire, stood on the open ground. In addition to studying the Four Books and Five Classics for the imperial examinations, the students of the prefectural school also had to learn "charioteering" and "archery," two of the Six Arts of a Gentleman. For this purpose, the prefectural school specially invited officers from the outskirts of the military camp to teach them.

A dozen or so boys stood in a row. Among them was a tall boy dressed in a moon-white, close-fitting riding outfit. He held a bow in his left hand and nocked an arrow in his right. His dark eyes stared at the target fifty paces away for a long time without moving. Suddenly, the arrow on the bowstring flew forward and struck the red bullseye.

"Excellent!" Upon seeing the scene before him, the captain walked over and clapped his hands in praise.

Putting away his bow and arrows, Zheng Hao calmly replied to the captain, "Master, you flatter me."

The captain smiled. Who would have thought that such a rough man would come to the prefectural school to teach these scholars and even be called a teacher?

When the roughnecks in the military camp heard that they were to be sent to the prefectural school to teach archery and horsemanship, they all declined, thinking that scholars who spoke in classical Chinese were the most difficult to get along with.

When the captain was unfortunately selected to come to the prefectural school, he had similar thoughts to his colleagues. However, he did not expect that the scholars in the prefectural school were very different from the scholars outside. Some of these students came from extraordinary backgrounds, and some were aloof and proud, but they all respected him very much. They did not look down on them as soldiers as his colleagues in the military camp had said.

The captain instructed Zheng Hao, "You've only been learning archery for a short time, and your accuracy and power are quite good, but there are still some things you need to pay attention to."

As he spoke, the captain demonstrated with a bow and arrow, personally instructing Zheng Hao.

Zheng Hao watched and listened attentively. Although he was a scholar who took the imperial examinations, he only needed to be able to get started with riding and archery without becoming an expert. However, according to Zheng Hao's character, he either did things well or not at all, so he did not take the riding and archery lessons lightly.

After the captain finished imparting his experience, the school bell rang.

After the captain announced the end of get out of class, the students turned and left. Zheng Hao, Zhen Cheng, and Zhen Yuan headed towards the cafeteria, while Peng Zhizhi had disappeared.

As Zhen Cheng walked, he asked Zheng Hao, "Brother Zheng, how are you settling in since you moved to the prefectural school?"

Despite having spent the morning practicing archery and horsemanship, Zhen Cheng, who appeared refined and handsome, remained as steady as ever, with no dramatic fluctuations in his breathing, except for a slightly flushed complexion.

Zheng Hao walked unhurriedly and said to Zhen Cheng, "The prefectural school has everything you need. Although it is not as convenient as home, it is the best place for students to live."

Zhen Cheng nodded slightly, then changed the subject and asked, "I wonder if there are any vacancies in Brother Zheng's dormitory?"

Before Zheng Hao could answer, Zhen Yuan exclaimed in surprise, "Brother, are you also coming to live at the academy?"

Zhen Cheng nodded calmly. Zheng Hao pondered for a moment and said, "The academy dormitories are all six people per courtyard. I live with my two senior brothers, and there are still three empty seats left in the dormitory."

"It would be wonderful if Brother Zhencheng could come and stay at the academy. Both of my senior brothers in the academy are quiet people who are devoted to learning."

“Very well.” Zhen Cheng said, “I will move to the school in a few days, and then I will have to trouble Brother Zheng.”

Although he didn't know why the other party would give up his family's renowned teachers and move to the prefectural school, Zheng Hao smiled slightly and said, "It will be my turn to trouble Brother Zhen Cheng in the future."

Watching the two politely exchanging pleasantries, Zhen Yuan couldn't help himself. He kept following behind Zhen Cheng and asking, "Brother, why did you move to the academy?"

Faced with the impatient and incessantly chattering Zhen Yuan, Zhen Cheng ignored him, and Zhen Yuan immediately deflated. If Zhen Cheng didn't want to answer a question, even in front of his father, the other party wouldn't utter a single word. So Zhen Yuan decided to say, "Since my elder brother has come to live at the academy, I, as his younger brother, cannot slack off."

The implication was that he wanted to move to the academy with Zhen Cheng. Even someone as indifferent to people as Zhen Cheng had to explain to Zhen Yuan, "I have my own reasons for moving to the academy, and you don't have to be like me."

When Zhen Chengyue said this, Zhen Yuan became even more determined to come and live at the academy with him.

Seeing Zhen Yuan's attitude, Zhen Cheng didn't try to persuade him further. Zheng Hao smiled but remained silent as yet another person moved into the dormitory.

Upon arriving at the cafeteria, the three of them got their food and sat down at an empty table.

Looking at the food in front of him, Zhen Yuan frowned and said, "Didn't Father allocate a sum of money to the prefectural school to subsidize the students before the New Year? Why is the food at the prefectural school still so bad?"

Zhen Yuan looked at the large bowl of millet and bean rice in front of him, which was a dish made of half millet and half beans. In the past, the emperor advocated frugality, and the Zhen family always ate white rice and fine flour mixed with millet. They had never eaten bean rice before.

Besides finding the staple food unbelievably coarse, Zhen Yuan also had no appetite for the dishes served at the academy.

There was a bowl of braised tofu with scallions. The cook at the academy must have added a lot of sauce, making the originally white tofu look golden brown. There was also a bowl of stir-fried cabbage with meat. Although it was said to contain meat, Zhen Yuan opened his eyes wide, but all he could see was cabbage with only one or two thin slices of meat.

Zhen Cheng sat to the side, not saying a word but deep in thought, clearly wondering where the money allocated by the prefect had gone.

Zheng Hao had spent a long time with Mr. Zhou and happened to know some things about the prefectural school. He said to Zhen Yuan and Zhen Cheng, "The prefectural school uses most of the money allocated by the prefect to subsidize poor students so that they will not drop out of school due to poverty. Only the remaining money is used to subsidize the students' meals."

“Brother Zhenyuan thinks the food at the prefectural school is bad, but it’s actually much better than before. I heard from some senior students who have lived in the school for a long time that in the past, the prefectural school’s canteen rarely had meat, but now we can taste meat every ten days.”

Zhen Yuan knew that there were impoverished students in the prefectural school, but having seen so many students who were out of touch with reality or indulged in frivolous pursuits, Zhen Yuan really didn't know how many impoverished students there were.

He glanced at Zheng Hao and asked, "Brother Zheng, are there many students from impoverished families at the prefectural school?"

After hearing this, Zheng Hao shook his head slightly and said, "Most of the students come from well-off families. Only about thirty students come from poor families, so the headmaster and the other teachers decided to use the money allocated by the prefect to help them."

"The headmaster and the master made a wise decision to provide enough food to fill their stomachs."

Zhen Cheng picked up a piece of corn and bean rice with his chopsticks. His throat, which was used to refined rice and flour, was quite averse to coarse grains. The corn and bean rice scraped against his throat, and Zhen Cheng frowned slightly as he swallowed it.

Then, he glanced at Zheng Hao beside him and saw that the other man had picked up a piece of braised tofu with scallions. Zhen Cheng had also eaten tofu earlier. He wondered if the academy had made the tofu particularly salty so that the students would have a better appetite. Zhen Cheng took a bite and found the tofu to be very salty, but Zheng Hao was able to swallow it without changing his expression.

Noticing Zhen Cheng's gaze, Zheng Hao turned his head slightly and smiled, "My family was poor when I was young, and millet and beans were a luxury, so I don't have many requirements for food."

Sitting to the side, watching his elder brother and Zheng Hao eat the food at the academy without changing their expressions, Zhen Yuan was stunned. After listening to Zheng Hao's words, his expression became complicated. No matter how difficult things were in the past, Zheng Hao's family had always opened a restaurant. The food at Haoyunlou Restaurant was no worse than that at the Zhen family's house. However, after moving to the academy, Zheng Hao insisted on eating in the canteen for ten days.

Zhen Yuan lowered his head, picked up his food, and began to eat. After that, he did not utter another word of complaint.

Three teenagers, at the age where they're practically starving their fathers, can still eat their coarse food one bite after another.

Zheng Hao and Zhen Cheng were the fastest, finishing their meals first. Their small bowls were empty. Zhen Yuan was also quick, finishing his corn and bean rice and stir-fried cabbage with meat. However, perhaps because the tofu was too salty, he left a small half-bowl of tofu.

Zhen Yuan initially thought he had done well, managing to eat such unpalatable food. However, when he looked up and saw the empty bowls in front of his older brother and Zheng Hao, with not a single grain of rice left, Zhen Yuan gritted his teeth slightly and finished the rest of the tofu.

After finishing all the food, Zhen Yuan took out a handkerchief, wiped his mouth, and felt the stomach. Then, he asked Zheng Hao and Zhen Cheng, "Do you think the other students can get enough to eat with such a small amount of food?"

Zheng Hao explained, "The millet and bean rice at the prefectural school is free, and students are not restricted from getting more."

“If any students haven’t eaten enough, they can get some millet and bean rice. Brother Zhen Cheng can also go if he’s still hungry,” Zheng Hao said.

After finally finishing his meal, even though Zhen Yuan wasn't full, he didn't want to cause himself any trouble.

Just as he was about to refuse, a figure ran in from outside, shouting as he ran, "I had someone buy some good stuff and send it over. How come you finished eating so quickly?"

Zhen Yuan was not full, so he was very sensitive to words related to food. He turned to Peng Zhizhi, who had run up behind him, and said, "We couldn't find you after class just now. What good food did you ask someone to buy? Let me see, I'm not full."

Peng Zhizhi smiled upon hearing this, then glanced at Zheng Hao and said, "This new food has recently become popular in the prefectural city, and it's even related to Brother Zheng's family."

Zhen Yuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "Is it a new dish developed by Good Fortune Restaurant?"

Peng Zhizhi smiled and said, "Brother Zhen is intelligent."

Among the four, Zheng Hao and Zhen Cheng were not talkative. Usually, Peng Zhizhi and Zhen Yuan would talk, but the two would start arguing after only a few words. In the end, Zhen Cheng would step in to stop them. However, when the two were not arguing, the other would always quickly chime in when one of them spoke.

Zheng Hao remained silent. In fact, he had noticed the unique mark of Haoyunlou on the food box when Peng Zhizhi brought it in.

He had initially thought that the other party had sent a servant to Haoyunlou to buy food and deliver it, but now it was clear that this was not the case.

Peng Zhizhi stepped forward, placed the food box on the table, opened the lid, and took out the food inside. Zheng Hao and the other two saw a palm-sized, snow-white, block-shaped pastry, which was decorated with some fresh fruit pieces.

As Peng Zhizhi took out the cake, he introduced it: "This is a new delicacy developed by Haoyunlou called cake. It has a soft and fluffy texture, and is sweet but not greasy. It has recently become the favorite pastry of many ladies and gentlemen in the city. Even my father, mother and the old lady in the family love it. If it weren't for the doctor advising that eating too many sweets is bad for your health, the old lady would eat at least three or four pieces every day."

"I should have discovered this delicious treat long ago, but I've been busy with the lessons my teachers have assigned lately. Even though my mother bought the cake, she didn't dare bring it to my study to disturb my studies. It wasn't until yesterday, after the prefectural school exam, that I learned about the cake from my mother when I got home."

After taking out all the cakes, Peng Zhizhi took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands, which had accidentally gotten cream on them, and turned to the three of them, saying, "Buying these cakes is much more difficult than buying sauerkraut fish or boiled fish. For the latter two, most families only need to buy two or three to eat. But cakes are different. Every household buys at least a dozen. The cakes from Haoyunlou are also complicated to make. If I hadn't had my servants go to Haoyunlou to queue up at dawn, I'm afraid it would have been difficult to buy any cakes."

Smelling the milky aroma emanating from the cake, Peng Zhizhi said to Zheng Hao with a smile, "But this is a novel food for us. I'm afraid you're used to eating it at home, Brother Zheng."

Zhen Yuan nodded in agreement, saying, "He's the only son in the family. Whenever Uncle Gu develops something new and interesting, he'll definitely get a share. He's probably tired of eating it."

Zheng Hao smiled without saying a word, and Peng Zhizhi and Zhen Yuan assumed that their guess was correct. Little did they know that it was also the first time Zheng Hao had ever seen a cake like this. Uncle Gu had made pastries like egg tarts at home before, but he had never made a cake.

Zheng Hao lowered his eyes slightly.

"Cake doesn't keep well, let's eat it quickly."

Peng Zhizhi and the other two picked up the cake and started eating, and Zheng Hao also reached out and picked up a cake.

Zhen Yuan hadn't eaten enough, so he really enjoyed the soft and sweet cake. Although he didn't wolf it down out of politeness, it was visibly that he ate more than twice as fast as usual.

In fact, not only Zhen Yuan was not full, but Zheng Hao had not been able to eat his fill in the cafeteria for the past ten days either.

His appetite was larger than that of ordinary people, and the food at the academy could not satisfy Zheng Hao in terms of either quantity or quality.

However, Zheng Hao had food brought from home, and there was a stove in the school dormitory where he could cook simple meals, so Zheng Hao never complained that he wasn't full in the school cafeteria, because he would usually go back to the school dormitory to cook some food for himself.

The cake was neither too big nor too small, and it was quickly eaten up by the group. Zheng Hao and Zhen Cheng were usually composed and never showed their emotions, but Peng Zhizhi and Zhen Yuan were different; their faces showed that they still wanted more of the cake.

In the afternoon, after the school session ended, Peng Zhizhi invited Zheng Hao and the Zhen brothers, saying, "Brother Zheng, Brother Zhen Cheng, Brother Zhen Yuan, there's a poetry gathering being held at Qingyue Pavilion tonight by some scholars. Would you like to go and watch? I heard that the teachers at the school will also be there."

Zhen Yuan went wherever there was excitement. When Zhen Cheng heard that it was a poetry gathering organized by a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, and that the teacher of the prefectural school would also be attending, he became somewhat interested and agreed to go. However, Zheng Hao shook his head slightly and declined.

Seeing Zheng Hao's resolute expression, Peng Zhizhi and the Zhen brothers did not force him. The two sides bid farewell at the gate of the prefectural school and went their separate ways.

As Zheng Hao stepped onto the oxcart that had come to take him home, his expression was calm, but his eyes were uneasy. Having been away from home for many days, Zheng Hao was more eager to return than to go out with his classmates to attend a poetry gathering.