After transmigrating, I became a stepmother.

Back at Qiyuan, Lin Hao changed Xiaobaozi's clothes and tidied him up. The mother and son then sat facing each other on the bed.

The little boy stared at her with his big, round eyes, clearly not forgetting what Lin Hao had said before.

The fact that the little dumpling has been patient until now shows how sensible he is. An ordinary child wouldn't have waited so patiently; they would have thrown a tantrum long ago.

"Baby, first of all, I have to admit something to you: I am indeed not your biological mother."

The little boy's eyes immediately filled with tears. He didn't understand why his perfectly good mother was no longer his mother.

Where did his mother go? Did she abandon him?

"Your biological mother is my older sister. She's sick and went to a very, very far place for treatment. She can't come back. But she was afraid you'd be scared, so she asked me to take good care of you for her. It's not that she's abandoning you; on the contrary, she loves you very much!"

Lin Hao wiped away his tears and explained gently.

Looking at his pitiful eyes, Lin Hao earnestly assured him, "Baby, you have to believe me. Even if I'm not your biological mother, I will always be good to you."

"Because you are a good child who deserves to be loved! So, while other children only have one mother to love them, you have the love of two mothers."

The little boy twitched his fingers, which were tightly gripping the hem of his clothes, and pursed his lips. "What if you had your own child? Would you still love me?"

He heard these words from Yi Ge'er, and Yi Ge'er was certain that he would no longer have his mother's love in the future.

Sensing his unease, Lin Hao solemnly said to him, "Regardless of whether I have my own children in the future, you will always be very important to me, and no one can replace you! I don't know if I will have my own children in the future, but I promise you, if I want children, I will definitely get your consent first. Okay?"

"Really?" The little boy looked at her earnestly, his eyes filled with undisguised affection and longing.

Lin Hao answered without hesitation, "Really! I promise!"

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, the little boy could no longer restrain himself and rushed into Lin Hao's arms, tightly hugging her neck. Lin Hao could clearly feel the warmth and moisture of his breath.

She didn't say anything more, but gently and rhythmically stroked the little boy's back, giving him strength in this way.

"I believe in my mother." A soft, childlike voice came from her neck, making Lin Hao's heart ache.

She kept coaxing him until he fell asleep in bed, his little hand tightly gripping Lin Hao's little finger. Whenever Lin Hao moved, his little brows would furrow, as if he was about to wake up. Lin Hao could only stay with him and eventually fell asleep herself.

"Madam, wake up, it's time for lunch." Hearing Fu Cui's voice in a daze, Lin Hao struggled to open her eyes. Fu Cui quickly stepped forward, "Madam, it's time for lunch. If you sleep any longer, you'll be tired tonight."

Lin Hao looked down at the little dumpling who was sleeping soundly, and gently patted him, "Baby, wake up, it's time to eat!"

During the process, she touched the hand that the little bun had been holding, and a tingling sensation came over her. Lin Hao couldn't help but gasp.

The little boy's long eyelashes fluttered, and he opened his round, bright eyes, which looked like two freshly washed purple grapes. Seeing it was Lin Hao, he instinctively said, "Mother, hug me!"

Lin Hao, suppressing the tingling sensation, hugged him. "Baby, let's get up and move around a bit, then have lunch, okay?"

"Okay." The obedient voice was so sweet it melted anyone's heart. After stretching her arms a few times, Lin Hao led him to wash up.

After lunch, Little Baozi didn't try to run outside as usual, but instead clung tightly to Lin Hao's side.

Lin Hao sighed, then gently pulled him into her arms and they looked at the picture book together.

To be honest, Lin Hao has drawn all the children's stories she can remember, and now she's run out of ideas. With the picture book almost finished, she doesn't know what to do next.

Thinking of this, Lin Haoxin had a sudden idea. The little bun wasn't just hers, so why should she be the only one worrying about it? She should ask Gu Liunian! He was well-educated and must know a lot of stories. He could pick and choose, and there would surely be some suitable for the child.

Having made up her mind, Lin Hao began to wholeheartedly tell stories to the little boy. Meanwhile, Gu Liunian, completely unaware of the situation, was having a headache and had no idea that she had been assigned such a task.

The Gu family owns a restaurant, but business has been slow lately. The past few years have been difficult, making business even worse. A month ago, the brother of the county magistrate's concubine opened a restaurant not far away, further diverting a large portion of their customers.

Gu Liunian sat in the chair, gently stirring his teacup, his expression calm. "Manager Li, do you have any solutions to this matter?"

Manager Li sat at the lower end of the table. “Master,” he said, “the business of this restaurant is nothing more than good service, excellent food, and low prices. Everyone does the same thing in the former, so there’s no room for innovation. As for the latter, they have the backing of the county magistrate, so many of their costs are lower than ours, making it really difficult for us to compete. Therefore, the only path we can take is the middle one.”

Gu Liunian nodded, signaling him to continue.

Manager Li added, "As for the dishes, I've tried the ones across the street, and to be honest, they're just as good as ours. After all, they're all famous chefs we've invited from out of town, and their skills are top-notch. It's hard to tell which is better."

"So, you want to create some new dishes," Gu Liunian confirmed.

"Indeed, but I have discussed it with the master chef for a long time, but we still haven't come up with any good ideas. Right now, we are sending people to inquire about any new dishes, but we can't be too ostentatious, lest the news leak out. Therefore, we haven't found anything yet."

"Then let's do it your way for now! We'll see." With that, Gu Liunian got up and went back to his residence.

Manager Li was left there alone, feeling a headache.