After transmigrating, I became a stepmother.

Since Gu Liunian resolved the trouble at the restaurant, the restaurant's reputation has spread far and wide. Riding this wave of goodwill, Yuelai Restaurant's signature hot pot has become a household name!

Every day, a large number of customers come to dine here, and even people from nearby counties come here by reputation!

In addition, the area that Lin Hao specially set up for female guests has become a popular gathering place for women in the county, especially for the exquisite desserts, which are very popular among them!

Business was booming, and although everyone in the restaurant was busy, they were all full of energy! This was because Lin Hao had set a rule that if the daily income exceeded one hundred taels, everyone would receive a bonus.

"Master." A lady approached Lin Hao hesitantly and stammered.

"What's wrong, Aunt Zhao?" Lin Hao recognized Aunt Zhao, who was washing vegetables in the kitchen.

"Boss, I have something I'd like to discuss with you!" Aunt Zhao's weathered face showed her trepidation.

"What is it? Please tell me!"

"I'd like to ask you for an advance on this month's wages. Don't worry, I'll definitely work hard and won't be absent or take any leave!"

Seeing that Aunt Zhao was the same age as the old lady in the family, yet lived such different lives, Lin Hao couldn't help but feel sad.

"Did something happen at home?" Lin Hao's question wasn't just a wild guess. The restaurant's wages were really not low in this era; they could easily support two people. She had heard that her family only had one son, so logically, this situation shouldn't have occurred!

"Boss, my son is sick, and we're short of money to buy medicine!" Aunt Zhao said, nervously clutching the hem of her clothes.

"Alright, you can go to the accounting office to get the money in a bit! I'll talk to the accountant."

"Thank you so much, boss! You're such a kind person!" Aunt Zhao bowed repeatedly to Lin Hao with great emotion.

Lin Hao quickly helped her up, saying, "Aunt Zhao, please don't do this! You're shortening my lifespan!"

"No, no, it's what I should do, it's what I should do!" Aunt Zhao said, tears streaming down her face.

"Alright, go ahead and get busy! When you're done, go to the accounting office!" Lin Hao quickly sent the person away; she couldn't stand this!

Watching Aunt Zhao leave with profuse thanks, Lin Hao frowned slightly and turned to Liu Dan, saying, "Liu Dan, go and find out what's going on at Aunt Zhao's house."

"Judging from her demeanor just now, it seemed like it wasn't just about her child being sick. I wonder if I'm overthinking it!" Her voice trailed off at the end.

As she spoke, she shook her head and continued to focus on the ledger in her hands.

A short while later, Liu Dan returned, her eyes red.

"What's wrong? Who bullied you?" Lin Kan saw her like this and quickly put down the ledger, asking with concern. But in her heart, she thought, "That shouldn't be the case. Everyone knows Liu Dan is her person!"

"Madam, Aunt Zhao has suffered so much!" Liu Dan said, sobbing a few times.

"What happened?" Lin Hao asked, slightly taken aback.

"Madam, I just went to inquire about Aunt Zhao, as you instructed. You can't believe how tragic her situation is!"

As Liu Dan recounted her story with great emotion, Lin Hao couldn't help but feel sympathy for Aunt Zhao.

Years ago, young Aunt Zhao fled with her parents, but due to the hardships along the way, her parents contracted serious illnesses when they arrived here. Because they had no money for treatment, the two could only die with resentment.

Unable to support herself as a child, Zhao was adopted by her husband's family and became their child bride.

She thought she had met kind people, but she never expected to fall into a den of wolves. That family only took her in because they were poor and worried that their son wouldn't be able to find a wife in the future, so they just wanted to get a free laborer!

At such a young age, Aunt Zhao had to take care of the entire family's needs, from food and drink to toileting. She was busy all day long, like a spinning top! Even so, she could only eat half a meal each day, and sometimes she couldn't even eat a bite of vegetables, relying entirely on plain water to swallow!

After giving birth to a son, the good days didn't last long. A cold burned the child, leaving him mentally disabled. Zhao Da Niang wanted to abandon the child and have another one, but she refused. The family simply kicked the mother and son out of the house, leaving them without even a piece of clothing.

Aunt Zhao could only beg her neighbors for a meal and find work to support herself and her son. Fortunately, Gu Liunian saw her and, seeing that she was poor but still clean, took her back to the restaurant and arranged a job for her!

Such human suffering would likely have succumbed to for someone with a weaker will, but Aunt Zhao has persevered through it all, which is truly admirable!

She thought she should do something so that her trip to this ancient era wouldn't have been in vain.

"Madam?" Liu Dan was puzzled when she suddenly fell silent, so she called out to her. Seeing this, Fu Cui tugged at her, signaling her to be quiet.

After walking a few steps away, Liu Dan whispered, "Why did you pull me?"

"Can't you see that Madam is thinking about something? We can't really help her anyway, so let's not make things worse!"

"I didn't cause any trouble!" Liu Dan pouted and muttered, but didn't say anything more in the end.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Lin Hao came to her senses and said to the two of them, "Let's go back to the manor."

"Yes," they both replied in unison.

Upon returning to the manor, Lin Hao couldn't wait to go to the study to find Gu Liunian, leaving the two maids following behind completely bewildered.

When Gu Liunian heard Mo Ran announce that Madam had arrived, he was also taken aback. Lin Hao rarely came to his study to see him. What had happened?

He stood up and was just in time to greet Lin Hao as she entered. Before he could ask anything, Lin Hao had already spoken first.

"Gu Liunian, I have something I want to tell you!" she said, pulling him down to sit.

"What's the matter?"

Do you know Aunt Zhao from the restaurant?

"I know." After thinking for a moment, Gu Liunian remembered such a person.

"I only found out today that he has a son in his twenties, and that his son is said to be mentally challenged, and that she has raised him all by herself all these years."

Gu Liunian listened to her quietly. He knew that she didn't just want to talk to him about Aunt Zhao's experiences!

Sure enough, Lin Hao continued, "Do you think it's possible for our restaurant to hire some idiots like that? The restaurant needs manpower anyway, and they should be able to do simple tasks like washing dishes!"

Gu Liunian hadn't expected her to have such thoughts. In that instant, he looked at the struggle and urgency in her eyes, but he also saw the beauty and kindness in her heart!

Seeing that he was looking at her without saying anything, Lin Hao thought that her idea could not be realized, and she not only felt discouraged, but her eyebrows and eyes also drooped!

"I think it's possible, but it's still best to know them thoroughly!" Gu Liunian couldn't bear to see those once vibrant eyes dimmed, so she spoke softly.

"Really?" Lin Hao perked up immediately.

"Mm." Gu Liunian nodded gently. Indeed, this energetic look suited her best.

"Then I'll ask Manager Li to arrange this!"

"Okay!" Gu Liunian poured a cup of tea and pushed it towards her: "Have some tea!" Judging from her eagerness, she must not have had water in a long time.

Lin Hao took the teacup and took a sip, only then realizing that she was thirsty and her throat was dry. She hadn't even noticed before. She couldn't help but take another sip before she felt better!

After putting down her teacup, she realized that she had come directly to find Gu Liunian without even realizing that she might have disturbed his reading.

"Am I bothering you?" she asked, embarrassed.