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

Chapter 106 Quietly Coaxing People

Gu Lin and Zheng Hao did not take an oxcart when they went out. In Gu Lin's words, "It's a rare festival. If we take a car, we will miss a lot of excitement. If we walk, we can not only digest our food but also see many interesting things."

Zheng Hao always nodded in agreement to these harmless matters.

Gu Lin walked through the slightly dark alleyway. It would be closer to the outside street from here, but in the past, if he were alone, Gu Lin would not dare to take this route.

Today was different because Zheng Hao was with him. Gu Lin walked in front, and with the help of the moonlight, he could see the road conditions clearly. He successfully crossed the gravel or the uneven ground.

However, Gu Lin said regretfully as he walked, "I wonder how Xiao An is doing traveling and studying with Scholar Chen?"

Upon hearing the other party mention Gu An, Zheng Hao remained calm but gently comforted him, saying, "Gu An and Mr. Chen should have been in Xuzhou Prefecture for about half a month. Mr. Chen went there specifically to visit a friend. Gu An may have suffered some fatigue along the way, but he won't when he arrives in Xuzhou Prefecture."

A month ago, Chen, a scholar, went to Xuzhou Prefecture at the invitation of a friend and gave the students of the academy a holiday. Unexpectedly, when Gu An returned, he told Gu Lin that Chen wanted to take him on a study tour. Gu Lin hesitated, as Gu An was too young for him. In the end, Zheng Hao pondered for a moment and said, "Chen is a prudent man. Since he made this decision, it means that he has thought it through carefully. Gu An may have unexpected gains if he goes with him."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lin asked the boy in front of him, "Xiao An, do you want to go?"

Gu Lin thought that based on the other party's personality, he would be inclined not to go, but to his surprise, Gu An nodded to him and said, "Uncle Gu, I want to go on a study tour with the teacher."

Studying abroad was a serious matter, and since Gu An himself wanted to go, Gu Lin had no reason to dissuade him. So, he prepared a lot of pills and winter clothes for Gu An to take with him, since Mr. Chen had not given a specific return date, only saying that he would return no later than next spring.

Walking through the alley and onto the brightly lit street, Gu Lin looked around and saw that every stall was adorned with bright red lanterns, creating a festive atmosphere. But looking around at the few pedestrians on the street, Gu Lin remarked, "Did we come out too early? Why does it feel like there are so few people on the street?"

Zheng Hao explained, "This place is a bit remote, and the lantern festival is being held on Jinhua Street, so everyone should be going there."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lin encouraged Zheng Hao and said, "Then let's hurry over there."

After speaking, Gu Lin consciously quickened his pace, with Zheng Hao following beside him, adjusting his speed accordingly.

Walking briskly to Jinhua Street, looking at the bustling scene before him with pedestrians flowing like water, Gu Lin sighed, "Sure enough, everyone's coming this way."

Unlike usual, Jinhua Street was exceptionally lively tonight, with stalls lining both sides of the street and a variety of acrobatic performances taking place in the surrounding open spaces—something rarely seen in the past.

Suddenly, a flame flashed over the crowd and past Gu Lin's eyes. Gu Lin was drawn to it and immediately looked over, only to see a shirtless man spitting out a thick and violent fire dragon from his mouth.

Gu Lin strode over and looked closely. He could clearly see the man spitting out thicker and thicker fire dragons from his mouth. He knew exactly what method the man must have used to do it, but Gu Lin stared at the fire-breathing man, looking him over from left to right, but couldn't find anything wrong with him.

Gu Lin wasn't there to cause trouble, so since he couldn't find anything to criticize, he simply watched the performance unfold before him.

The fire-breathing man walked among the crowd, spewing out several giant dragons back and forth. Then, a man came up and took off his upper body clothing. Among the people watching the performance were married women and men, as well as some unmarried young women and men.

Unlike the former who boldly stared and gasped, secretly commenting on the man's physique, the young girls and boys took out their handkerchiefs, half-covering their faces, and then looked at the man lying on the wooden bench with a mixture of shyness and amazement.

The fire-breathing man and another man carried a huge rock and placed it on the chest of the lying man. Then, the fire-breathing man picked up a giant hammer and smashed it down on the lying man.

Immediately, the young women and men present closed their eyes, unable to bear to look, fearing that the man lying there would spit out blood.

Some of the bolder ones chatted amongst themselves with their friends while watching.

"My God, is this what they call breaking a boulder on your chest?"

"How can such a large rock be placed on a person and smashed? Won't that person die?"

Watching a group of lively and cheerful teenagers talking about innocent and interesting things, Gu Lin couldn't help but chuckle.

The fire-breathing man's giant hammer struck the stone slab on the man lying on the ground with a loud "thud." Under the astonished and shocked gazes of the crowd, the man on the ground groaned as the giant stone on his body shattered.

Some of the men watching the acrobatics nearby couldn't help but shout, "Bravo!"

The man who had been lying down stood up. His strong body still bore the marks left by the boulder. These marks had not caused him any real harm, but the slightly red marks on his muscular body looked quite sexy, and many young men and women blushed.

Gu Lin couldn't help but admire the man's physique. Although the man in front of him had a good physique, Gu Lin preferred a physique that looked slim in clothes but muscular when undressed. The man's muscles were too exaggerated.

"Uncle Gu."

As Gu Lin stared intently at the naked upper body of the man performing the chest-breaking stunt, Zheng Hao's eyes darkened.

Hearing someone call his name, Gu Lin immediately turned around. Zheng Hao asked, "Uncle Gu, was your performance good?"

Meeting Zheng Hao's dark eyes, for some reason, Gu Lin felt that the other person wasn't asking if his performance was good, but rather if the man's physique was good-looking.

Gu Lin felt his idea was absurd, and he immediately cleared his mind of these wild thoughts.

At the same time, the man performing fire-breathing and the man performing chest-breaking of a large stone, one banging a gong and the other holding a tray, addressed the crowd watching the acrobatics: "Thank you all for your support. If you have money, please support us financially; if you don't have money, please support us with your presence!"

The copper coins flew one by one onto the tray the man was holding. Gu Lin also brought silver coins, but when he took out his purse, he found it was full of silver. Gu Lin turned to Zheng Hao and asked, "Xiao Hao, did you bring any copper coins?"

As Zheng Hao watched the young man beside him rummage through his purse, his expression grew increasingly cold. But when the man closed the purse, leaving the silver untouched as a tip, and instead asked him for copper coins, Zheng Hao's expression softened slightly. He took off the purse hanging in front of his waist, and instead of taking money, handed it directly to the man.

Gu Lin didn't think anything was wrong. He took Zheng Hao's purse and opened it, finding that it was filled with silver, just like his own purse. However, unlike Zheng Hao's purse, which was entirely filled with silver, Zheng Hao's purse also contained a few copper coins.

Since he didn't have many copper coins, Gu Lin simply poured out all the copper coins, totaling twenty coins. When the man walked up to him, he placed these copper coins on the tray.

The man looked up and was about to express his gratitude, but when he saw the young man in front of him return the purse to the boy behind him, he paused, and then said loudly, "Thank you for the reward, husband and young master!"

Gu Lin was stunned. Before he could react, the man turned and went to the audience below.

Gu Lin remained silent for a moment.

The night wind was chilly, seeping in through the collar and cuffs, making one shiver.

However, Zheng Hao's breathing was hot. Even with lanterns illuminating the darkness, his eyes were obscure and difficult to read. His cold, straight lips seemed to curl slightly, but the movement vanished in an instant.

As if nothing had happened, Zheng Hao said in a calm tone, "Uncle Gu, we've been watching the acrobatics here for so long, do you want to find a place to sit down and rest for a while?"

Gu Lin was in an awkward situation, so he didn't say much and nodded in agreement with the other party's suggestion.

However, Gu Lin felt a little depressed. He and Zheng Hao were several years apart in age, but everyone, including Mr. Chen's page and the fire-breathing man just now, thought he and Zheng Hao were a couple. Even if they didn't know they were uncle and nephew, they should have guessed they were brothers based on their ages.

As an elder, Gu Lin felt somewhat embarrassed when he and a younger person were mistaken for a married couple by outsiders.

He was too embarrassed to look at Zheng Hao's changing expression.

As they walked, Zheng Hao suddenly turned around and said, "Uncle Gu."

"Huh?" Gu Lin looked up at the boy standing in front of him. Zheng Hao asked somewhat helplessly, "How about we go to Fulai Restaurant?"

Judging from the other person's expression, Gu Lin knew that the other person must have spoken to him just now, but he was distracted and didn't hear it.

Gu Lin immediately nodded in agreement.

So, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao stepped into the Fulai Restaurant.

At this moment, the lobby of Fulai Restaurant was full of people, and a sharp-eyed waiter came forward to greet the guests.

Upon seeing Gu Lin, the waiter exclaimed in surprise, "Boss Gu!"

"You've come at just the right time. Our shopkeeper was just saying how delicious the mooncakes you sent were the other day."

Gu Lin knew the manager of Fulai Restaurant. He said to the waiter, "I see your manager is busy greeting customers, so I won't disturb him. Does your restaurant have any private rooms available?"

The waiter nodded and said, "You've come at the right time. The private rooms on the second floor were almost all booked, but the young master of the Wang family had something come up and cancelled his reservation. Now there's one available."

"Shall I take you two up?"

Gu Lin nodded and thanked him, "Thank you for your trouble."

Gu Lin and Zheng Hao followed the waiter to the second floor. As they turned the corner on their way to the private room, several people approached. Suddenly, one of the handsome young men noticed Gu Lin and looked slightly surprised, or rather, he only showed this expression after seeing Zheng Hao behind Gu Lin.

"Junior Brother Zheng."

Upon seeing his fellow students from the academy, Zheng Hao slightly raised his head and replied, "Senior Brother Zhao."

Seeing him there, Senior Brother Zhao looked somewhat surprised. He smiled and said, "It's usually harder than climbing to heaven to ask you out, but I actually saw you outside today. This is..."

Senior Brother Zhao's gaze fell on the young man in front of Zheng Hao, his tone slightly hesitant, because he didn't know how to address him.

He had heard that Zheng Hao had an uncle, a young man who had taken care of him and supported his studies, but judging from the age of the young man in front of him, he didn't seem to be Zheng Hao's uncle. Could it be...?

Senior Brother Zhao's gaze towards Zheng Hao became subtle.

Zheng Hao, without changing his expression, introduced Zhao Jin to Gu Lin: "Uncle Gu, this is Senior Brother Zhao Jin from the prefectural school."

Then he introduced to Zhao Jin: "Senior Brother Zhao, this is Uncle Gu, an elder in my family."

Upon hearing Zheng Hao's words, Zhao Jin realized he had misunderstood. He cupped his hands in greeting to Gu Lin and said, "Zhao Jin greets Uncle Gu."

Gu Lin had noticed the scrutiny in the other person's eyes. In the past, he might not have cared, but after the fire-breathing man misunderstood his relationship with Zheng Hao, Gu Lin nodded indifferently to Zhao Jin in front of him.

Zhao Jin felt a little embarrassed by Gu Lin's indifference and misunderstood their relationship. After exchanging a few pleasantries with Zheng Hao, he left.

Gu Lin and Zheng Hao sat down in the private room. After the waiter left, Zheng Hao noticed that Uncle Gu, who was sitting opposite him, still looked uninterested and unhappy. He carefully asked, "Uncle Gu, did Senior Brother Zhao's behavior just now upset you?"

Hearing Zheng Hao's question, Gu Lin came back to his senses.

He raised his head slightly, met the other person's deep, focused black eyes, and couldn't help but look away slightly before shaking his head and saying, "It's not like that, I'm just a little tired from walking for so long."

Zhao Jin's scrutiny of him was more of a teasing gesture towards Zheng Hao, frivolous and inappropriate but without malice, which Gu Lin, as a man, didn't mind.

Seeing that the other party was unwilling to say more, Zheng Hao did not ask any further questions. If he was not mistaken, Uncle Gu was probably troubled by what the fire-breathing man had said.

Thinking of this, Zheng Hao's breathing became slightly heavy. Last time, when the two of them took Gu An to the academy to become students, the pageboy misunderstood their relationship, but Uncle Gu didn't react much. Now, however, the other party is reacting so strongly. Could it be...?

Zheng Hao lowered his eyes slightly, calming the turmoil in his heart, and then said softly to Gu Lin, "I've heard that the pigeon soup at Fulai Restaurant is extremely delicious. Uncle Gu, would you like to try it?"

Gu Lin had eaten a lot of meat that night, and his stomach was full of oil. He definitely wouldn't have an appetite for anything else, but Zheng Hao mentioned pigeon soup. Gu Lin recalled the sweet and delicious taste and started to crave it.

He hesitated for a moment and said, "I can't eat that much."

Unlike other restaurants where the pigeon soup is served in a small bowl, Fu Man Lou's pigeon soup consists of only one pigeon stewed with red dates and goji berries.

Fu Man Lou's pigeon soup is made by first preparing a pigeon, half a chicken, and a quarter of a duck. The three ingredients are washed, cut into pieces, blanched in a pot, and then rinsed with clean water to remove blood and fishy smell. Then, the pigeon, chicken, and duck are placed in a stew pot, along with pitted red dates, goji berries, ginger slices, scallions, and Fu Man Lou's secret spices, and stewed. When the lid is finally lifted, the soup is clear without any oil. It is fresh, sweet, and delicious. The chicken, duck, and pigeon are especially tender because they are stewed for a long time, and the bones are soft and mushy.

Zheng Hao said calmly, "I'm a little hungry after walking for so long."

"It's just a pot of stew, Uncle Gu, don't worry."

Upon hearing Zheng Hao's words, Gu Lin put aside his previous worries and began to consider the feasibility of Zheng Hao's words. Then, thinking about the other party's appetite, Gu Lin immediately felt relieved.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Hao rang a bell to call the waiter up.

After the waiter brought the food, Gu Lin ordered a pigeon soup, but thinking that eating only soup was not interesting, Gu Lin wanted to order some dry dishes as well.

He turned to look at Zheng Hao, his eyes questioning. Under the expectant gaze of the other, Zheng Hao nodded.

Gu Lin immediately turned around with a beaming smile and gave instructions to the waiter.

[So far, Zheng Hao is still unmarried and has no official status, but in some aspects he surpasses 50% of men. He has five years of practical experience in how to please his wife, hehe.]