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

Chapter 18 Teaching Character Recognition

After seeing off the last guest, Gu Lin went to the butcher shop to pick up the pig ears and chicken he had ordered in advance before leaving the county town. Because he didn't know how to kill a chicken and it was troublesome to process, Gu Lin specially asked someone to kill the chicken for him so he could take it back and clean it before using it.

Carrying chickens and pig ears, Gu Lin led Zheng Hao out of the city, got into the car, and returned to Xiahe Village. After lunch, Gu Lin felt a little sleepy, told Zheng Hao, and went back to his room to rest.

evening.

Gu Lin woke up from a deep sleep, his mind a little foggy at first. He thought he had slept until the early hours of the next day. But when he looked at the orange sunset outside the window, he realized that he had slept from noon until night.

He sat on the bed to clear his mind, and once he was fully awake, he went out to the woodshed, where he found meat and vegetables that he had already prepared for dinner on the stove.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Gu Lin turned around slightly and saw Zheng Hao, saying, "I just woke up. Are you hungry?"

Zheng Hao walked into the woodshed, shook his head, and said, "It's alright."

"I'm a little hungry," Gu Lin said. "Shall we have chicken tonight?"

Gu Lin hasn't been craving meat as much lately as he was in the first few days after he transmigrated. He's been eating pork for several days and is getting a bit tired of it. Since he hasn't had much chicken, he decided to try the chicken he brought back at noon.

Zheng Hao wasn't a picky eater, and nodded, "Okay."

Gu Lin selected one of the smaller chickens from the slaughtered chickens and chopped it in half. He put one half into a pot to make soup, and chopped the other half into thumb-sized pieces. After marinating with seasonings, he deep-fried the chicken. Soon, a fragrant dish of salt and pepper chicken appeared.

Gu Lin smelled the fragrance wafting in the air, and his stomach began to rumble.

He quickened his cooking pace, washing and heating the wok, melting a large piece of lard, and then taking the washed greens from Zheng Hao and stir-frying them over high heat. To preserve the texture of the greens, Gu Lin didn't stir-fry them for too long; once they were slightly softened, he took them out to prevent them from becoming overcooked and bitter.

When Gu Lin came out of the woodshed carrying vegetables, Zheng Hao had already placed rice and two other soup dishes on the table.

After placing the vegetables on the table, Gu Lin sat down, picked up a piece of salt and pepper chicken, and put it in Zheng Hao's bowl, saying, "Try it quickly, you must be hungry after waiting for so long."

After saying that, Gu Lin also picked up a piece of salt and pepper chicken and ate it. He was immediately captivated by the fresh and delicious juices that burst in his mouth.

Picking up his chopsticks, Zheng Hao took a bite of the salt and pepper chicken from his bowl. Then, he paused, his hand holding the chopsticks still. The chicken was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the savory sauce filling his mouth. After swallowing the chicken, Zheng Hao looked at Gu Lin beside him and said, "Is this a new dish they're going to sell?"

He had just witnessed Gu Lin making salt and pepper chicken nuggets. Although the preparation before frying was a bit more involved, it wasn't impossible to sell them in the county town. The process wasn't complicated; simply marinate the chicken beforehand and then fry it. Alternatively, to save time, one could fry the chicken nuggets at home and then transport them to the county town to sell.

Gu Lin paused for a moment, then spat out the bone from his mouth.

He hadn't considered this point, and with a slight frown, he said, "Let's stick to selling cold dishes for now. If we make too many different kinds of things, not only will I be overwhelmed, but our customers might not be able to handle it either."

This is not Gu Lin exaggerating or being too cowardly to try. Rather, nowadays, whether it's a small stall or a shop, the business is all about "monotony." Those who sell noodles sell noodles, those who sell steamed buns sell steamed buns, and those who sell wontons sell wontons. The three will never be mixed together.

Zheng Hao understood this principle. He nodded without showing any dissatisfaction. He was merely making a suggestion; the final decision would depend on Gu Lin's opinion.

After finishing their meal, Gu Lin began clearing away the dishes. Zheng Hao said, "Put the dishes in the woodshed. I'll wash them from now on."

Gu Lin hesitated. Although he didn't like washing dishes, he felt embarrassed to let a teenager do it. Zheng Hao looked at him and said, "It's only right that I wash the dishes since you cook."

"Okay," Gu Lin replied.

At the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief and felt that the pressure on him had lessened.

After placing the bowls and chopsticks in the wooden basin in the woodshed, Gu Lin went back to his room to take a bath. In ancient times, taking a bath was not an easy task. Water had to be carried back from the river bucket by bucket, and firewood had to be carried down from the mountain load by load. Gu Lin did not have the time or strength to do these chores, so he spent a few coins to have someone help him carry water and gather firewood. The bath water was boiled before he ate.

After soaking his body in hot water, Gu Lin felt much of his fatigue from the day dissipate. He dried himself off, changed into clean clothes, and went out of the room to pour the used bathwater from the tub into the yard. The ground, which had been exposed to the sun all day, made a slight hissing sound as soon as it touched the water.

After Gu Lin put the wooden bucket down, he was about to return to his room when the door opposite him suddenly opened. Zheng Hao came out and said to him, "I learned the Three Character Classic today."

Gu Lin was a little taken aback, but subconsciously asked, "How's your learning going? Can you understand what the teacher is saying?"

“I understand,” Zheng Hao said.

Gu Lin blinked, wondering if it was just his imagination, but it seemed that when he asked the question, the other person's face had flashed an expression like "easy" or "nothing special."

But why was Zheng Hao telling him all this? Gu Lin was puzzled. Did he want him to praise him?

Gu Lin thought about it more and more and it seemed very possible. What child doesn't want to be praised by adults?

So Gu Lin gave Zheng Hao a thumbs up without hesitation and said, "Not bad."

Looking at the young man's behavior, although Zheng Hao didn't know what the strange gesture meant, considering the current situation, the gesture was very likely a compliment.

Having grown accustomed to Gu Lin's occasional strange behavior lately, Zheng Hao didn't feel uncomfortable. However, he also realized that some things, if he didn't say them directly, the other person might never understand.

Zheng Hao said to the boy in front of him, "Didn't you want to learn to read? I can teach you now."

Gu Lin then realized what the other person had done earlier, but hesitated and said, "Didn't you just start learning? Won't this interfere with your homework?"

Seeing that the other party did not distrust or look down on him, Zheng Hao said, "I have already finished my homework, and I can learn it again while I am teaching you."

"Then trouble you."

Gu Lin certainly wanted to learn to read. He didn't know if he could return to the modern world. If he couldn't go back and had to live in this world forever, he would have to learn the language of this world for long-term development.

Gu Lin followed Zheng Hao to the side room. This room was originally empty, but after Zheng Hao enrolled in school, the original room did not have a desk, so this room was used as Zheng Hao's study.

The soft candlelight illuminated the entire desk. After the two sat down, Zheng Hao carefully opened the book. Watching his actions, Gu Lin could sense that the other person cherished the book very much.

Zheng Hao looked up at Gu Lin beside him and said, "Read the book and read after me."

Gu Lin quickly focused on the book, reading a sentence after Zheng Hao read it. These were all things he had learned in his previous life, but he did not take it lightly. On the contrary, he recalled his past memories to identify the words in the book.

After reading it twice, Zheng Hao picked up a brush, dipped it in water instead of ink, and wrote the character "人" (person) on the table to teach Gu Lin to recognize it. After confirming that Gu Lin remembered it, he continued to write the next character. Gu Lin became more and more serious as he learned, and unconsciously his hand followed Zheng Hao's strokes. It wasn't until the other party wrote the last character and stopped writing that Gu Lin came back to his senses and looked up.

Zheng Hao put away his books and brush and said, "I've finished learning today's material."

"So fast?!"

Gu Lin looked at the water drain beside him, and after only a short while, he had finished learning a chapter.

Zheng Hao didn't say much. Back when Gu Lin and Fang Jiyue signed the contract, he had already discovered that the other party was not completely illiterate. Now, when he started recognizing characters, he didn't seem like someone without any foundation. Rather, it was as if he had learned them but forgotten them, and with a little guidance, he quickly remembered them.

Seeing that it was getting late, Gu Lin glanced at the still-wet water stains on the table and said to Zheng Hao, "Don't be stingy with your ink, use it freely and practice your calligraphy."

Zheng Hao's eyes, slightly darker than his skin, flickered, and he looked at Gu Lin, saying, "Okay."

After saying that, Gu Lin turned and left, returning to his own house.

.

With business going smoothly these past few days, Gu Lin's wooden box has brought in a lot more money. However, since he hasn't found a suitable person to hire, he hasn't made many hand-shredded chicken and pig ears, except for maintaining the original quantity of cold dishes.

After lunch, there was a knock on the wooden gate of the courtyard. Gu Lin went to open the door and was surprised to find it was Sister-in-law Zhao. "Sister-in-law, why are you back?"

These days, Sister-in-law Zhao has been staying at the county clinic to take care of Zhao Dagen. Gu Lin, out of consideration for the difference between men and boys, cannot go there every day, but he still goes to the clinic every other day to see if the Zhao family needs any help.

As Zhao's wife followed Gu Lin into the Zheng family home, she asked somewhat apologetically, "Brother Lin, do you need anyone else here?"

Gu Lin immediately understood what the other party meant and said, "I still need someone to help me with my business."

"Do you think I'm suitable?" Sister Zhao asked.

Gu Lin said, "It would be great if you could come and help me, but what about Da Gen who is still injured?"

As far as he knew, Brother Zhao kept watch at night, while Sister-in-law Zhao took care of Zhao Dagen during the day. If she left, the Zhao family would surely fall into chaos.

Sister-in-law Zhao said, "Dagen's wound has started to heal, and the doctor said he can go home to rest."

Gu Lin hadn't expected it to happen so quickly. He frowned slightly. Zhao Dagen's injury was quite serious; in modern times, he would have been hospitalized for half a month, which wouldn't be considered long. But considering the cost of the clinic, Gu Lin said, "Then, sister-in-law, come and help me! Mixing vegetables here is hard work, but I won't let you work for free. How about thirty coins a day?"

Thirty coins?!

Sister Zhao thought she had misheard, but seeing Gu Lin's expression, she knew he was telling the truth. She couldn't believe it—thirty coins! A man carrying sandbags at the dock all day only earned fifteen coins, while she could earn thirty coins just by standing behind the stall mixing a cold dish. As for Gu Lin's talk of hardship, Sister Zhao didn't care at all; hardship couldn't compare to working in the fields.

However, when Gu Lin offered so much money, Sister Zhao refused, saying, "I don't need that much, ten coins will be enough."

Gu Lin's expression changed from his previous gentleness, and he said with a straight face, "No, sister-in-law, listen to me. The price I paid for hiring you is not only for you, but I would have paid the same to anyone else."

Sister Zhao frowned, looking somewhat troubled, but seeing the unyielding look on the young man in front of her, she said, "Fine, but I don't want the first two months' wages. You don't need to refuse. My family owes you so much, it's only right that I work for you for free for a year."

Gu Lin didn't like hearing this. He had no intention of using her kindness to get something in return, but seeing Zhao's stubborn expression, he knew he couldn't reason with her for the time being, so he agreed first.

As for the wages for those two months, he could simply pay them as a bonus.