usatvline Chapter 119 Peeking at the Chapter Has Been Discovered
Chapter 119 Peeking at the Chapter Has Been Discovered
No one knows what Zheng Hao and Fang Jiyue discussed, but a few days later, Fang Jiyue indeed stopped sending gifts. Gu Lin asked Zheng Hao how he managed that, and Zheng Hao lowered his eyes to look at the young man in front of him, but under the man's curious gaze, Zheng Hao did not reveal the specific reason.
Zheng Hao said in a calm tone: "Fang Jiyue has been in business for many years and knows what's important. I explained the pros and cons to him, and after he understood, he realized that he was causing trouble for Uncle Gu, so he stopped sending gifts."
Zheng Hao's expression was aloof and indifferent, but when he spoke, his demeanor and tone carried a serious meaning, and Gu Lin hesitated for a moment before believing him.
After all, Zheng Hao had no reason to lie to him.
On New Year's Eve, the streets and alleys of the city were swept away from the shadow of bloodshed. Every household pasted festive couplets and the character "福" (good fortune) on their doors. People coming and going wore joyful smiles on their faces, and they greeted each other with "Happy New Year" when they met acquaintances.
After distributing New Year's gifts and bonuses to the staff at Good Luck Restaurant, Gu Lin went home to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner with Sister Zhao, Brother Yu, and others.
Since no one was going back to the county town this year, they decided to get together for the New Year. Usually, only Gu Lin, Gu An, and Zhao's wife were at home, but now with Zheng Hao, who hadn't been home for a long time, Zhao Dagen and his wife, and Yu's family also joined them, making the atmosphere lively.
Everyone knew each other. Mu Qinglian wasn't very familiar with Yu Ge'er and his wife at first, but after exchanging greetings and preparing the New Year's Eve dinner, they became acquainted.
Everyone sat around the round table, happily spending New Year's Eve.
As the New Year's Eve approached and the first day of the Lunar New Year arrived, many shops were closed due to the heavy snow outside. Gu Lin and the others did not go out but gathered in the lobby, brewing hot tea, roasting peanuts and melon seeds, and chatting. On the evening of the second day of the Lunar New Year, when the snow had lessened, they went out to stroll through the night market.
Previously, there was no night market in the prefectural city. In order to appease the people, Prefect Zhen specially allowed the people to set up night markets during the Lunar New Year.
Everyone was having so much fun that they forgot all about home. This joy lasted until the end of the Spring Festival before everyone dispersed to attend to their own affairs.
As the old year gives way to the new, Gu Lin has grown another year older, but the increase in age has not changed him much. Gu Lin is wearing a bright and festive outfit, which makes his skin, which has been at home for an autumn and winter, appear even whiter.
For many people, this year is nothing special, but for families with scholars, it is very important because there is not only the county examination but also the provincial examination.
Especially the provincial examination. The county examination is held once a year, and if you don't pass this year, you can take it again next year. But the provincial examination is held once every three years. If you miss it this year, you will have to wait another three years.
Some families were so busy that they were overwhelmed because their children had to take both the provincial and county examinations.
Gu Lin felt a little relieved. Fortunately, Gu An was still too young to participate in the county examination. Otherwise, with two candidates in the family, Gu Lin would have been overwhelmed.
Regardless of how others reacted to the provincial examination, Zheng Hao remained as usual. Even as the date of the provincial examination drew closer, he did not show any restlessness or anxiety. However, it was obvious to Gu Lin that he was becoming increasingly busy.
In the past, Zheng Hao would return home from the prefectural school during the ten-day holidays, and he would return home three times a month. However, after the New Year, Zheng Hao almost lived in the school dormitory and only returned home once every half month.
Gu Lin knew that the other party was preparing for the provincial examination, so he did not go to the prefectural school to disturb him. Instead, he kept an eye on the kitchen of the restaurant to ensure that the food sent to Zheng Hao every day was healthy and nutritious.
Gu Lin originally wanted to give Zheng Hao some nourishing food because he knew that Zheng Hao often got so engrossed in reading that he forgot to sleep and read until dawn. Gu Lin was afraid that if this continued for too long, the other person wouldn't be able to keep up.
But he was also a man and knew how unsuitable it was for a vigorous young man to take tonics. So, Gu Lin came up with a compromise: to have the kitchen stew a pot of soup made from pork bones or ribs every day and send it over with the meals.
Gu Lin felt a little regretful that Zheng Hao didn't like eating animal offal, because it would be more nourishing to make soup with pig's heart and liver.
As Gu Lin delivered stewed soup to the academy every day, the days passed quickly and August arrived.
Two days before the provincial examination, Zheng Hao moved back home from the prefectural school.
Considering that the other person had been living in the dormitory for almost half a year, and wondered if they would adapt well to moving back, Gu Lin asked.
Zheng Hao lowered his eyelids slightly and looked at Gu Lin with his dark eyes, explaining, "Home is quiet, which is the most suitable place for studying or resting."
Hearing Zheng Hao's words, Gu Lin felt relieved.
He turned to check the contents of Zheng Hao's basket, afraid that the other might have forgotten something, so he didn't notice the boy's dark eyes following him.
Looking at Gu Lin's thin back, Zheng Hao thought that he had lied to Uncle Gu. He had deliberately said those things just now, and Uncle Gu must have misunderstood that he moved back because the school dormitory was noisy.
The truth is...
For nearly a year, he and Uncle Gu had been almost completely separated. Zheng Hao had endured it for too long, and if he were still separated from Uncle Gu a few days before entering the venue, he would find it difficult to suppress the restlessness in his heart.
On the eighth day of the eighth lunar month, the first session of the provincial examination was held. Gu Lin boarded an oxcart and personally escorted Zheng Hao to the examination venue.
When the oxcart arrived outside the examination hall, Da Zhuo turned around and said that they had arrived, but strangely, the people inside the cart responded but did not come out immediately.
Zheng Hao picked up the exam basket, and Gu Lin got up to get out of the car with him. Zheng Hao stopped him and said gently, "It's crowded outside. It's the same if Uncle Gu takes me to the exam room from the car."
Seeing that the other party's tone was gentle but not refusing, Gu Lin knew there was no way to refuse.
Not wanting to delay the other person's entry into the examination room, Gu Lin nodded slightly in agreement.
Zheng Hao's brows furrowed as he said, "Uncle Gu, wait for me to come back."
After saying that, Zheng Hao turned and got out of the car. Gu Lin lifted the curtain and watched his figure gradually disappear into the examination hall. Then, he said to Da Zhuo, "Let's go back."
The provincial examination consisted of three sessions, held on the 8th, 10th, and 14th days of the eighth lunar month, respectively. From the moment he left the first session until he returned home, Zheng Hao made no move, leaving no indication of how well he had performed.
However, even though Gu Lin, who was close to him, was unsure of Zheng Hao's final results, he knew from Zheng Hao's calm demeanor that Zheng Hao probably hadn't done very poorly.
Over the next few days, Zheng Hao took the second and third exams in turn. When he came out of the last exam, Gu Lin saw many scholars kneeling outside the exam hall, weeping bitterly.
Gu Lin got off the train and felt a pang of sympathy upon seeing the scene. He glanced up and saw Zheng Hao walking towards him from a distance, eventually standing in front of him.
Gu Lin raised his head slightly to observe the other person's mental state. Seeing that Zheng Hao's expression was normal, unlike the other candidates who looked distressed, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Although he did not attend school or participate in the imperial examinations, there were two scholars in his family, so he knew quite a bit about the imperial examinations. Therefore, he was very clear about how difficult the provincial examinations were.
Many child prodigies can pass the county, prefectural, and provincial examinations in one go, but many fail the provincial examination.
Therefore, even though Zheng Hao was exceptionally talented, Gu Lin never expected that he would pass the provincial examination and be listed on the honor roll on his first try.
However, he kept his thoughts to himself and said nothing, only saying to the boy in front of him, "Let's go home."
Zheng Hao nodded slightly, and walked to the car with Gu Lin. He helped Gu Lin into the car first, and then got in himself.
After the provincial examination, Zheng Hao had some free time. Others might not have noticed, but Gu Lin, who often stayed at home, could personally feel Zheng Hao's leisure.
In the past, Zheng Hao was either at the academy or in his study at home, and he could not be seen anywhere. Now, Gu Lin felt that he could see him everywhere he went.
Of course, this doesn't mean Zheng Hao is particularly idle; rather, compared to the past, the seemingly idle Zheng Hao is still very hardworking in Gu Lin's eyes.
After the provincial examination, Zheng Hao continued his usual routine, spending his time either reviewing his books in the study or writing essays. Gu Lin sat beside him reading storybooks to pass the time, while Zheng Hao picked up a book to read, but this so-called book was actually a geographical record of various places.
Gu Lin tried to take the other person's geography book and look at it, but after opening the first page, he had no desire to continue reading.
He turned around and sat back in the recliner he had specially made, looking at the new storybook he had bought. When he was thirsty, he sat up and picked up the tea on the table to quench his thirst, and when he was hungry, he ate the pastries on the plate.
Compared to his restless and rustling behavior, Zheng Hao was much more composed. He sat upright in his chair like a giant bell, without making any unnecessary movements.
After finishing the last page, Zheng Hao put down the book and looked up at the young man sitting not far away.
At this moment, the other person was not leaning back in the recliner, but lying face down on it, with a cloak covering their back, flipping through a book with one hand and feeding themselves pastries with the other.
Zheng Hao is very clean and will not eat, whether in the dormitory or in his study at home. However, when facing Gu Lin, his bottom line is compromised time and time again.
Finally, when Uncle Gu moved the recliner into the serious and formal study, Zheng Hao paused for a moment, and then personally helped him move the recliner in.
Seeing Gu Lin lying down while eating pastries, Zheng Hao's indifferent eyes showed a hint of helplessness, and he said, "Uncle Gu, don't lie down while eating pastries, be careful not to choke."
He glanced at the sky outside the window and saw that it was getting dark. He reminded Gu Lin, "We'll be having dinner soon, so don't eat too many pastries and fill your stomach."
Gu Lin didn't hear Zheng Hao's words clearly; he was engrossed in reading the storybook.
This story tells of a young man from a wealthy family who was kidnapped by bandits while praying at a temple. During this time, in order to save his life, the young man agreed to become the bandit's wife. However, he discovered that the bandit looked very much like his mother's uncle. Upon closer inspection, he also noticed that the bandit looked very much like his father. The young man immediately suspected that he and the bandit had been switched at birth.
But the young master would never allow this to happen. His mother was a princess, his uncle was a prince, and his father was a minister. He had been pampered since childhood and was a golden branch and jade leaf. How could he possibly give up everything he enjoyed now?
So he endured and lay low, trying to lower the bandits' guard by being gentle and considerate. But the bandits were very shrewd, so the young man had no choice but to agree to marry them. The two lived happily as a newlywed couple for two months. When the bandits lowered their guard, the young man escaped.
He stumbled his way back to the capital. His mother, the princess, and his father, the minister, felt sorry for his plight and declared that they would tear the bandits to pieces.
In the past, a pampered young man would have demanded that his mother and father kill the bandit who had caused him so much humiliation. However, the bandit looked exactly like his parents, so if they sent someone to kill him, his true identity would surely be exposed.
The boy dared not make a sound, only crying and sobbing that he had been defiled by the bandits and had escaped while the bandits were out. The bandits had gone south and were no longer in the capital, so the princess's mother and the minister's father had no way to deal with it.
The young man thought he had gotten away with it, but when he went to pay his respects to his parents one day, he saw a tall figure in the main hall. His mother, the princess who used to dote on him, his father, the minister, and his uncle, the prince, looked at him strangely.
Seeing that the protagonist's true identity had been revealed and the male lead had been recognized, Gu Lin turned the page, eager to see how the two protagonists would react to each other.
He waved his hand in Zheng Hao's direction to indicate that he was fine, and his body swayed with the swing of his arm. Zheng Hao clearly saw a crumb of pastry fall from the corner of the young man's mouth.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade the other party, Zheng Hao didn't continue speaking. He got up and walked towards the young man who was lying down.
Suddenly, a shadow fell over Gu Lin's head, and the storybook in front of him was taken away.
Only he and Zheng Hao were in the study, and it was quite obvious who had brought the storybook.
Gu Lin quickly looked up, his expression slightly flustered, and said to Zheng Hao, "I don't want any more pastries, hurry up and give me back my storybook!"
Seeing the other person's flustered expression, Zheng Hao felt something was strange.
He knew that Uncle Gu liked to read storybooks. He originally thought that the other party was reading some stories about scholars and fox spirits or young ladies and scholars. He knew from his classmates' casual conversations that these two types of storybooks, especially those about scholars and young ladies, were the most popular among young men and women, so it was not surprising that Uncle Gu read these.
But judging from Uncle Gu's reaction, it seems that's not the case.
Zheng Hao picked up the storybook in his hand and looked down at it. When he saw the words on the paper, his expression did not change, but his body obviously stiffened.
Because he had just grabbed the storybook directly, he had flipped it over and the page turned to the scene where the young master's true identity was exposed. As proud as a peacock, he couldn't bear it and wanted to run away, but his parents stopped him. Then the bandit regained his identity, and the young master was adopted as a son by his princess mother and minister father. The young master was reluctant to give up his wealth and honor and was afraid that the bandit would retaliate against him, so he tried to avoid them as much as possible. But one night, the bandit broke into the young master's bedroom.
The following sentences vividly and ambiguously depict a scene that evokes a sense of excitement.
Gu Lin stood up and reached out to snatch the storybook back, but Zheng Hao, who was skilled in martial arts, reacted faster and subconsciously raised his arm to dodge Gu Lin's move.
Gu Lin's body stiffened slightly, unsure of what to do next. Reading erotic novels was bad enough, but being discovered by a junior was even worse.
He didn't dare to look up and meet Zheng Hao's gaze, and whispered, "Give me back the book."
Seeing Uncle Gu bowing his head before him, Zheng Hao's eyes were filled with turbulent emotions. He restrained himself and did not react violently.
After a long pause, he lowered his eyes slightly, looked at Uncle Gu standing in front of him who dared not look at him, and asked in a normal voice, "This book is a banned book. Where did Uncle Gu buy it?"
In the Great Qian Dynasty, erotic books and erotic pictures were forbidden. They were usually purchased privately by men from bookstores they knew well. No women or young men would buy these books outside.
Zheng Hao's eyes darkened. How did Uncle Gu manage to buy this book? Was the person who sold him the storybook a man?