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

Chapter 39 Gu Lin's Perverse Pleasures

Gu Lin put away his playful nature and stayed obediently at home for more than ten days.

It wasn't until a few days before the 20th of the twelfth lunar month that Zheng Hao returned from his studies at Wuliu Academy. Gu Lin grew increasingly anxious, glancing frequently at the gate and counting down the days until he had to leave.

Finally, on the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, Xingfuju closed its doors, and Sister Zhao stood in the lobby announcing that they would go to the market to buy New Year's goods the next day.

At that time, there were several braziers in the room, which were dry and warm. Gu Lin's already slightly rosy, round face immediately turned even redder.

Before leaving home the next morning, Gu Lin was made to put on six or seven layers of clothes by Zheng Hao and Zhao's wife, and then put on a cloak before being allowed to go out.

The whole family went out to buy New Year's goods this time, and Zhao Dagen and his brother Zhao also came from Xiahe Village early in the morning.

Gu Lin had never visited an ancient Spring Festival market before, and thought there wouldn't be much to buy. Unexpectedly, the market was filled with all kinds of snacks and fruits, couplets and auspicious knots, New Year paintings of children holding carp, and chubby and cute New Year dolls.

Because he had just recovered, Gu Lin was strictly forbidden from going into crowds.

So he could only stay outside with Zheng Hao, watching helplessly as Sister-in-law Zhao led Brother Zhao and Zhao Dagen through the crowded streets with an air of unstoppable force, buying and buying, and then emerging like fish into another crowd.

When Gu Lin first witnessed Zhao's agile skills, a look of shock appeared on his face.

Before long, Sister Zhao walked out of the crowd and came to Gu Lin with satisfaction, while the Zhao father and son behind her were covered with Sister Zhao's impressive achievements.

However, looking at the New Year's goods that Sister Zhao bought, Gu Lin felt as if something was missing.

But he couldn't remember for a moment. It wasn't until they passed a bookstore that Gu Lin remembered what Zhao's sister-in-law had forgotten to buy. He turned to the bookstore and said to Zhao's sister-in-law, "Sister-in-law, you haven't bought any couplets yet."

After hearing this, Sister Zhao glared at him and said, "You little rascal, you don't even know the cost of firewood, rice, oil, and salt now that you're in charge of the household. Those couplets in the shop are so expensive! A pair costs several hundred coins. Now that Xiao Hao can write, we don't even need to ask anyone. We can just buy a few sheets of red paper and have Xiao Hao write them."

After hearing what Sister Zhao said, Gu Lin realized that in ancient times, not only were writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and books valuable, but everything related to writing was extremely expensive.

During the Spring Festival, ordinary people usually don't buy ready-made couplets from bookstores. Instead, they buy a few sheets of red paper and then find a scholar who has a stall to write couplets for them for a dozen or so coins.

The Zheng and Zhao families used to do the same thing, offering gifts and asking the village's scholars to help them write.

However, writing couplets is different from writing characters normally. Gu Lin lowered his head slightly and asked Zheng Hao, "Xiao Hao, can you write them?"

Facing Gu Lin's slightly worried gaze, Zheng Hao raised his head slightly and said, "Uncle Gu, don't worry, although my handwriting is not yet fully formed, it has already taken shape."

Although Zheng Hao said that, Gu Lin had spent some time with him and understood that the other party was confident in his plan.

Gu Lin smiled with relief and said to the teenager in front of him with an encouraging expression, "Then you'll have to work hard this year. There are more than a dozen couplets in the house."

Seeing the teasing look on the young man's face, Zheng Hao knew that the other man meant no harm but simply enjoyed teasing him.

A hint of amusement flashed in Zheng Hao's eyes, and he said softly, "Uncle Gu, I wrote the couplets a few days ago after I returned home."

"Huh?" Gu Lin, who had just developed a slightly wicked sense of humor, was a little taken aback by Zheng Hao's words.

Seeing the bewilderment on Gu Lin's face, Zheng Hao continued unhurriedly, "These past few days, apart from reviewing my lessons, I've had nothing to do. I saw that there was red paper at home, so I wrote some couplets."

"It started on a whim. I thought if it wasn't written well, I would ask someone to rewrite it."

Seeing Zheng Hao's words and recalling the other's confidence just now, Gu Lin said, "Your handwriting is definitely fine."

Zheng Hao said noncommittally, "Uncle Gu, it's not too late to go back and take a look before making a decision."

True to his word, after the group finished buying New Year's goods and returned home, Gu Lin followed Zheng Hao to the study to see the couplets he had written.

As expected, Zheng Hao was being modest.

Although Gu Lin had no in-depth knowledge of calligraphy, he had studied some of it in college. The characters on the red paper, though not yet fully formed, were elegant and neat, unlike anything a child could write.

He held the couplet in one hand, admiring the characters, and gave Zheng Hao a thumbs up with the other. "This couplet is better than any you can buy outside. If anyone asks, I can say it was written by my child. I'll feel proud."

Upon hearing Gu Lin's words, Zheng Hao's ears involuntarily warmed up, and if one looked closely, a slight blush could be seen.

Since Zheng Hao moved to the county town to attend school and stopped running around in the mountains and fields, his complexion gradually became fairer. Although he didn't have skin as smooth as Gu Lin's, he was no longer as dark as a lump of coal.

Unaware that Zheng Hao was shy, Gu Lin took all the couplets and, together with Sister Zhao, pasted them up at home and in the shop.

After everything was settled in the county town on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, Gu Lin and his group, carrying large and small bags of New Year's goods, boarded an oxcart and returned to Xiahe Village.

Because of the cold winter, every household in the village stayed indoors to keep warm, unlike before when they could go out freely. So when Gu Lin and the others returned, no one noticed them.

After returning to the Zheng family home, thanks to the help of Brother Zhao and Zhao Dagen in cleaning, the Zheng family home did not appear dirty even though no one had lived there for several months.

"Come on, everyone, come and drink some ginger soup."

As soon as Sister Zhao got home, she went to the woodshed and boiled a pot of strong ginger soup.

After each person drank a bowl, their bodies gradually warmed up. After sweating, they went to boil water.

After the first pot of hot water was ready, Zheng Hao and Zhao's wife carried the water into Gu Lin's bedroom and then poured it into the bathtub.

Aunt Zhao pushed Gu Lin and said, "Go take a hot bath to warm yourself up."

Since developing a fever, Gu Lin realized how fragile her body was. Braving the cold wind to return to the village on a freezing day, even though she was wearing a thick coat, Gu Lin still felt cold.

So he didn't refuse and quickly went in to take off his clothes and shower.

Zhao's wife was worried that Gu Lin would catch a cold, so she put four or five charcoal braziers in the room, but Gu Lin didn't dare to bathe for too long.

He soaked in the water for a while, and when he felt his body gradually warming up, he got up and put on his clothes.

Outside the door, Sister Zhao instructed, "Lin-ge, don't come out after you finish your bath. Be careful not to catch a cold from the wind."

Gu Lin had no choice but to stay inside. He asked Zhao's sister-in-law, "Sister-in-law, have you washed up?"

Sister-in-law Zhao said, "Don't worry, we'll take turns washing. I just finished, and now Xiao Hao is going to wash."

Gu Lin felt slightly relieved after hearing this.

Braving the bitter cold, the five of them returned to Xiahe Village from the county town, and that night they had no interest in doing anything else.

After Zhao's wife cooked a pot of hot noodle soup and ate it with some hot braised dishes she brought back from the county town, everyone went home.

Gu Lin sat in the lobby, wondering if it was just his imagination, but he felt that he was even more sensitive to the cold after returning to Xiahe Village.

He rubbed his palms together and asked Zheng Hao, who was sitting opposite him, "Is it cold in your room? Do you need another charcoal brazier?"

Zheng Hao was already used to the cold of winter. In the past, his family did not have a charcoal brazier and used firewood for heating. However, firewood was limited, and they had to use it sparingly to get through the whole winter. So Zheng Hao got used to just toughing it out.

Now he is eleven or twelve years old, and he eats and sleeps well every day. He is at the age where he is full of energy, so he doesn't feel cold at all in the room with a charcoal brazier.

Zheng Hao said to Gu Lin, "I'm not cold. I'll add another charcoal brazier to Uncle Gu's room later."

Gu Lin shook his head slightly and said, "It's alright. I'll just get the charcoal brazier from the woodshed and go back to my room. That way, you won't have to go back and forth."

Zheng Hao did not agree, saying, "I'll go get the charcoal brazier. Uncle Gu, you should go back to your room first."

Without waiting for Gu Lin's reply, Zheng Hao got up and went to the woodshed.

Gu Lin didn't want to chase after him, so he could only return to his bedroom and wait for him.

Gu Lin had only been sitting in his room for a short while when he saw Zheng Hao carrying a charcoal brazier in.

Zheng Hao placed the charcoal brazier in the corner of the wall not far from Gu Lin's bed, and then slightly opened the wooden window.

Zheng Hao stood up, turned to Gu Lin and asked, "Uncle Gu, are you cold like this?"

After adding another charcoal brazier, Gu Lin immediately felt the temperature in the room rise. Zheng Hao had only opened the window a small crack, and the cold wind blew in but only against the walls. Gu Lin didn't feel cold at all. He shook his head slightly and said, "It's not cold."

Seeing Gu Lin sitting on the cold wooden bench, Zheng Hao lowered his eyes slightly and said, "Uncle Gu, please rest well. I'll go back now."

Gu Lin nodded and said goodnight. After Zheng Hao left, he stopped putting on airs as an elder and went to his own bed.

The charcoal brazier was very close to him, and Zheng Hao had opened the window, so Gu Lin felt warm but not stuffy. With the warm charcoal brazier and the quilt, Gu Lin fell asleep peacefully.

The 24th day of the twelfth lunar month.

Since the Zheng family only had Gu Lin and Zheng Hao, and the Zhao family only had Zhao Saozi and her two children, the two families decided to celebrate the New Year together.

Gu Lin didn't know what the customs were for the Spring Festival here, so he didn't want to cause trouble and entrusted all the preparations for the New Year to Zhao's wife, while he assisted her.

At first, Gu Lin couldn't feel the atmosphere of the Spring Festival, but seeing Zhao's wife get up early in the morning and lead the whole family to clean the house inside and out, Gu Lin felt a bit of the busyness that belongs to the New Year.

On the 23rd, sticky candy is made; on the 24th, the house is swept; on the 25th, tofu is ground; on the 26th, meat is bought; on the 27th, the New Year's chicken is slaughtered; on the 28th, the dough is fermented; on the 29th, steamed buns are made; stay up all night on New Year's Eve, twist and turn on New Year's Day, and dumplings are made every year on New Year's Eve.

Having just returned from the county town on the 23rd, Gu Lin and his family naturally didn't make any candied melons. However, Gu Lin felt that the candied melons they bought from the county town were sufficient.

But Sister Zhao didn't think so. She felt that in the past, when the family was poor, many New Year customs were just dealt with casually. Now that the family was better off, they should naturally have a proper New Year.

Aunt Zhao hurriedly brought the ingredients for making candied melon into the kitchen, and Gu Lin watched from the side. After Aunt Zhao made a plate of golden candied melon, she turned her head and saw Gu Lin's bright eyes. She paused for a moment, then stuffed the candied melon into Gu Lin's arms: "You greedy cat, eat it, eat it."

"Thank you, sister-in-law," Gu Lin said sweetly, then lowered his head to eat the candied melon.

The candied melon was sweet, and it could be a bit too sweet if you ate too much of it, but Gu Lin didn't mind at all. He actually ate the whole plate of candied melon with gusto.

Watching the young man, who was craving food like a child, Zhao's wife shook her head with a mixture of helplessness and amusement.

The twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month.

The weather cleared up slightly and it didn't snow. After Gu Lin finished eating the thick white porridge cooked by Sister Zhao, when Sister Zhao mentioned that the village chief was slaughtering a pig and she needed to buy pork, Gu Lin volunteered to help her buy it.

So, Gu Lin finally got the chance to go out.

Although he could only go with Zheng Hao's company, Gu Lin was already very satisfied.

Gu Lin and Zheng Hao walked on the thick snow and encountered many villagers along the way. They were all carrying wooden basins, just like them, and were obviously going to the village chief's house to buy meat.

"Brother Lin".

As the villagers hesitated and furtively glanced at Gu Lin, a voice came from behind them.

Yu Ge'er stepped forward and asked Gu Lin, "Lin Ge'er, when did you get back?"

Gu Lin recognized the other person as one of the few honest people in Xiahe Village who hadn't caused any trouble.

Gu Lin replied politely, "I came back the day before yesterday."

Yu Ge'er said, "Luckily we came back early. If we had come back when the snow was heavy these past two days, the road would have been difficult to travel."

"Yes," Gu Lin nodded.

Gu Lin is not a good talker. He can be very eloquent with strangers or close relatives, but he never knows what to say to people he knows but is not close to.

Yu Ge'er, being perceptive, said, "My wife is at the village chief's house. I'll go there first."

"Okay." Gu Lin replied immediately when he saw that the other party was about to leave.

After Yu Ge'er left, Gu Lin casually asked, "Xiao Hao, do you know which family that person belonged to?"

Although he knew that the other party was one of the families who hadn't caused trouble, he didn't know exactly who they were.

Zheng Hao said, "That's Chen Liuye's daughter-in-law."

Gu Lin looked blank. Seeing that the other person clearly didn't recognize him, Zheng Hao added, "The old man in tattered clothes that you saw at the village chief's house that day when you asked to buy melons and vegetables was Master Chen Liu."

Gu Lin had some recollection of it, but recalling the clothes Yu Ge'er was wearing earlier, apart from some patches, they weren't very worn out. He asked with some doubt.

Zheng Hao: "Uncle Yu was someone that Master Chen's family went through a lot of trouble to marry, and Uncle Chen treated Uncle Yu very well."

Gu Lin understood. Although Master Chen's family was poor, they treated Yu Ge'er well, so they gave all the good things in the house to Yu Ge'er first.

This was the first time Gu Lin had seen someone treat his son so well since he came into this world.

When Gu Lin and Zheng Hao arrived at the village chief's house, it was neither too early nor too late; the pig had already been slaughtered and cut into pieces.

The villagers who arrived first had already lined up and told the village chief which piece of meat they wanted.

But when Gu Lin walked in, the previously noisy courtyard instantly fell silent.