After transmigrating, I became a stepmother.

The men following behind him were secretly lamenting their misfortune. They should have come along earlier; now, not only had they not earned a single penny, they had also offended people!

The group arrived at the restaurant across the street, the one owned by the brother-in-law of the favored concubine of the county magistrate, as Gu Liunian had mentioned. As soon as they entered, the restaurant owner, Zhu Gui, greeted them expectantly: "Officer Li, how is it?"

He asked that question, but a servant came to report that the crowd on the other side had dispersed, so it seemed his money hadn't been wasted.

The head constable, Li, shook his head slightly: "Boss Zhu, no way. Gu Liunian has already appeased all the guests. We have no legitimate reason to attack!"

Upon hearing this, Boss Zhu's face immediately changed, and he shouted loudly, "How could that be? What are you all doing? My money doesn't come for nothing!"

Upon hearing this, Officer Li and the others also showed a hint of displeasure on their faces. Although they had taken money, they hadn't taken it for nothing. They had done their job, but the other party had handled it well, so they couldn't just make trouble for no reason!

"Boss Zhu, we don't like hearing that. We've done all the work! We didn't take your money for nothing. Even if you take this to the county magistrate, we'll have a say!" Officer Li retorted coldly.

Without waiting for Zhu Gui to say anything more, he gestured for everyone to leave. "Brothers, let's go!" As for the remaining money, he didn't want it anymore. Seeing Zhu Gui's attitude, he knew he wouldn't give it to him anyway, so why put up with this humiliation?

Zhu Gui watched their merciless retreating figures, and was so angry he jumped up and down, cursing, "What's so great about you few government officials? Wait until I make it big, you'll see!"

His voice didn't soften at all, and the constable and his men, who hadn't gone far, heard it clearly. Li Er couldn't help but ask Constable Li, "Boss, is this alright?"

Upon hearing this, Officer Li sneered: "You really think he's something special? He's just a relative of a concubine, what's there to be afraid of! If he goes too far, I'll report him to the madam, and his sister won't get away with it either."

It turns out that the magistrate of Qingyuan County was named Lu Quan. He came from a poor family but married a woman from a wealthy one. It was through his wife's family's support that he was able to hold a position in such a prosperous place as Qingyuan County. Therefore, those in the know understood that the magistrate's wife actually held his future in her hands. Don't be fooled by the fact that Concubine Zhu was favored; it was only because the magistrate's wife was unwilling to lower herself to serve her. Otherwise, the magistrate wouldn't have been able to protect her.

While Officer Li and Zhu Gui parted on bad terms, Gu Liunian resolved the trouble and demonstrated his prowess to the onlookers.

Needless to say, the waiters and waitresses in the restaurant worked even harder, and the diners who witnessed the whole thing were also talking about it!

"This Boss Gu is really something! Even the government officials can't get away with anything from him!"

"But he's in the right! The officials can't just arrest people arbitrarily!"

The person who said this was met with glares from everyone. "How can you be so naive? When have those officials ever reasoned with you? It's just that Boss Gu ran into this mess today. If it were anyone else, the shop might have to close down!"

Those who knew the inside story sighed with emotion, their eyes filled with admiration as they watched Gu Liunian's retreating figure go upstairs!

Seeing him say this, everyone became interested and hurriedly asked what had happened. Without any hesitation, he told them what he knew about Gu Liunian and Zhu Gui, which drew sighs from everyone.

Gu Liunian naturally didn't hear the diners' chatter. After dealing with Officer Li and the others, he returned to the private room upstairs. As soon as Lin Hao saw him come in, she looked at him with stars in her eyes.

Gu Liunian was taken aback by her reaction, but then realized that she must have had someone keep an eye on what was happening down below.

"Gu Liunian, you're amazing!" Lin Hao didn't hold back her praise and gave him a thumbs up.

Although she didn't quite understand why he was being praised by pointing with his finger, Gu Liunian still smiled slightly and accepted the compliment.

"It's nothing, it wasn't a big deal to begin with." He said calmly, clearly not taking it to heart.

"Father, you're great!"

Little Gu Yu toddled over and hugged Gu Liunian's leg, his eyes filled with affection. Gu Liunian was about to pick him up when he looked down and noticed some obvious yellow stains on the hem of his robe. He couldn't help but frown and pulled his son away. Only then did he see that his little face looked like a little kitten, covered in some kind of yellow stain.

Lin Kan only realized this when she saw it; Tu Bai had just placed the roasted sweet potatoes on the table and left. She and Fu Cui were too worried about what was happening downstairs to eat, so the little dumpling must have smelled the aroma and started eating on its own, getting food all over its face.

Thinking of this, she mercilessly mocked the father and son. "Hahaha!"

The little dumpling blinked, staring blankly at her as she laughed happily. This dazed look made Lin Hao even happier!

The others were speechless at her behavior. Was it really okay for a mother to mock her son like that?

Clearly, the little boy didn't understand what she was laughing at. He touched his face, where the marks were even more obvious. Fu Cui couldn't bear to see Lin Hao continue laughing, so she quickly stepped forward, took out a handkerchief, and wiped the marks off the little boy's face. On Gu Liunian's side, Mo Ran was also wiping his face with a handkerchief.

Suddenly, the little boy realized what was happening. He looked at Lin Hao accusingly, his eyes filled with tears: "Mother, you're bad!"

Seeing that he was really about to cry, Lin Hao suppressed her smile, took the handkerchief from Fu Cui's hand, and comforted the little dumpling: "Baby, don't feel wronged! You don't know, I was laughing just now because you looked so cute, just like our little duck! I wasn't making fun of you!"

"Really?" The little boy looked at her with teary eyes, a hint of doubt in his gaze.

"Of course, baby is always cute, and even cuter now that her face is painted!" Lin Hao said earnestly, while speeding up her work.

"Then let's not wipe it!" Little Baozi grabbed Lin Hao's hand and said seriously.

Seeing her look of discomfiture, Gu Liunian, who had been watching the interaction between the two, curled up the corners of his mouth.

Lin Hao could only continue making things up: "Baby, but if it goes on for too long, the sweet potato will get hard, and you'll feel uncomfortable then!"

"Really?" the little bun asked skeptically.

“Really, you can ask your father if you don’t believe me.” Lin Hao decided to find a helper.

Seeing Gu Liunian nod in agreement, the little boy reluctantly let go of his hand and said, "Okay!"

Lin Hao breathed a sigh of relief. She vowed that she would never make fun of others again; it was too difficult!