After transmigrating, I became a stepmother.

"Grandma, don't be angry. Mother is just too busy!" Little Gu Yu quickly patted the old lady's chest, afraid that Lin Hao would be angry.

"Okay, okay, Grandma will listen to you, I won't be angry!" The old lady has absolutely no resistance when it comes to her grandson!

"He's really on your side! He's afraid I'll be angry with you!" The old lady said, looking at Lin Hao with a hint of jealousy.

"Haha, it wasn't for nothing that I made him so many delicious things!" Lin Hao laughed and attributed it all to the little bun's foodie nature.

The old lady didn't expose her; they were on good terms, and she was actually quite happy about it!

"Mother, since you're here, I'd like to discuss something with you and Yu'er's father!" Lin Haokan was in a good mood and wanted to share her thoughts from the past few days.

"Oh, what is it? Tell me about it!" the old lady asked curiously.

Even Gu Liunian turned her gaze over; she hadn't said she had anything to say before!

"Our restaurant's business is getting better and better. Many customers come from far away and always complain that the distance is too far and it is too inconvenient to come and go. Moreover, the restaurant can only accommodate a limited number of customers each day, and it is not good to always make people wait."

Lin Hao paused here, then mustered her courage.

“So, I was thinking, could we open a branch in the next county?” Lin Hao looked at the two of them nervously. After all, opening a branch would involve a lot of work, and she would even have to personally oversee it. As a woman, she would indeed face many inconveniences in this era.

Both of them were taken aback by her suggestion. They exchanged a glance and saw complexity in each other's eyes.

"Have you thought it through?" Gu Liunian asked first.

"Well, actually I've been thinking about it for a while now. I've noticed that most of the customers are from Ningyuan County next door. I think opening a branch there would be a good business!" Lin Hao felt a little more confident seeing that he asked this question instead of giving a straight answer.

"Furthermore, I've had people inquire about it. Magistrate Zheng of Ningyuan County is a rare example of an incorruptible official, single-mindedly focused on his political achievements, and his jurisdiction is remarkably clean and efficient. I've also heard that there aren't any particularly famous restaurants there, and the connections between them are relatively simple!"

Lin Hao recounted all the information he had gathered about Ningyuan County, adding, "I think if we were to open a restaurant in the future, we should do it the same way we do now, hiring some idiots to work and paying them their wages as usual. We'd definitely get Magistrate Zheng's support!"

Seeing how comprehensively she had considered things, Gu Liunian was somewhat astonished by her progress. Back when he first returned, she was so cautious, afraid of making a mistake, clearly very reserved!

But now, she has begun to think about how to make her business more sustainable, and her thoughtful approach is something that would put many men to shame!

The old lady also came to her senses. She had just been worried that her son's wife was acting on a whim and had been blinded by business! She hadn't expected that she had given it serious thought and had even found out the details. Just as her son had said, she was indeed talented!

“I think it’s feasible! What does Mother think?” Gu Liunian expressed his support.

"You've already said it's fine, why would I object?" The old lady glared at her son, annoyed. The brat, don't think she didn't see through his little scheme. He's just afraid she'll object, so he's taking sides with his wife in advance!

Gu Liunian pretended not to notice the sarcasm in her mother's tone and said to Lin Hao, "Then do it your way! If you need any help, just tell me."

"Okay!" Lin Hao responded crisply!

"Since it's a branch, I think the name and decor should be the same as the original store!" Lin Hao said.

"Okay, you decide!" Now that she had handed the restaurant over to her, Gu Liunian didn't plan to interfere any further, lest her subordinates disrespect her!

"Then who do you think I should ask to choose a shop?" Lin Hao felt that Manager Li was already busy enough on weekdays, and might not have the energy to spare for it!

Gu Liunian glanced at her and asked softly, "Don't you have anyone in mind?"

When Lin Hao heard him ask that question, she knew that she couldn't hide her thoughts from him. She thought to herself: He really is a fox. He stays at home reading books every day, but he can figure her out completely!

"I do have someone in mind, the second manager of the restaurant. Although I don't have much contact with him, I feel that he is a very capable person. It's just that Manager Li is so capable that his abilities are not apparent!"

“He is indeed a good man, and you may not know this, but he is a distant relative of your mother. In fact, we can call him our cousin.” Gu Liunian approved of her choice, but at the same time told her some news.

"Ah!" Lin Haokan asked the old lady for confirmation.

“What Nian-ge’er said is right, he is indeed one of my cousins, but we are already beyond the fifth degree of kinship!” the old lady said with a smile.

"That's great! With this connection, we can be much more at ease letting him do this! And we'll have a manager for this branch in the future!" Lin Hao was overjoyed, as this solved two problems at once.

"Yes, then you don't need to worry!" Gu Liunian teased, seeing her beaming smile.

"Of course! I'm just lucky! I have my mother's help!" Lin Hao said, raising her chin proudly and looking at the old lady with a fawning expression.

"Yes, Mother will help you!" the old lady replied with a smile.

"I'll help my mother too!" The little boy had been listening for a while but didn't quite understand what they were saying. He understood the last sentence, so he quickly chimed in.

"Yes, with my darling's help, I can get anything done!" Lin Hao looked at the determined-looking little dumpling and affirmed his contribution.

"Yes, either way is fine!" the little dumpling mimicked.

In his mind, how could adults not succeed? So he was sure they would all succeed.

"Then let's call Manager Sun over! Let's tell him about the situation here, okay?" Lin Hao asked, looking at the two of them.

"That's good, I haven't seen him in a long time either." The old lady smiled when she heard this. Although he was just a distant relative, since that incident many years ago, there were really not many relatives in their family who still kept in touch.

Gu Liunian then instructed Tu Bai to find someone, and before long, his grandson, the shopkeeper, arrived.

"Greetings, Madam, Master, and the Boss!"

"Get up! We haven't seen each other for so long, there's no need for such formalities!" the old lady scolded playfully.

"Propriety should not be disregarded, and besides, I still want to thank you for taking me in back then." Manager Sun looked at the old lady gratefully.

"It's only because you're capable that you're talking about taking them in or not!"

"No, if you hadn't taken me in back then, I would have been killed by my former employer's men long ago. How could I be where I am today? I will never forget your great kindness!"

He even tried to kneel down, but Gu Liunian caught him quickly.

"Uncle, you mustn't!"