After transmigrating, I became a stepmother.

"Speaking of which, Brother He was just unlucky. He caught a cold during the last imperial examination and couldn't even get out of bed, so he naturally missed the chance to participate!" Gu Liunian's tone was also full of regret.

"Oh, he's really unlucky!" Lin Hao actually wanted to say that he was just too unlucky! He wasted so much time.

"Yes!"

"By the way, I've been hearing you call him Brother He, what's his real name?" Lin Hao asked curiously, as she wasn't used to this way of addressing people in ancient times.

"Brother He's given name is Yuan, and his courtesy name is Guanzhi."

"Then why don't you call him Brother Guanzhi, just like Master He calls you by your courtesy name?" Lin Hao didn't quite understand these things.

Gu Liunian paused for a moment before answering, "It's probably just a habit!" He had never really paid attention to this issue, and Brother He had never reminded him of it either.

In other words, he should actually call Master He by his courtesy name, but he just didn't change the way he addressed him.

"That's not very nice of you. People call you by your courtesy name, which is so affectionate! But you keep calling me 'Brother He,' which sounds so distant!" Lin Hao complained, looking at him.

"Indeed, I hadn't thought about this before."

This means he will pay attention to this issue in the future.

"Will Master He still take the imperial examinations in the future?"

"I don't know. Brother He's family is not very wealthy. He came to be Yu Ge'er's tutor partly because he is observing mourning, and partly because he wants to support his family."

"Oh, his family isn't well-off?" Lin Hao was surprised. She hadn't expected that such a witty and humorous person would come from a poor family. She had thought that only wealthy families could raise someone like him!

"Yes, Uncle He is the village schoolteacher and the breadwinner for the family. He has a younger brother and a younger sister, so with Uncle He gone, the family depends entirely on him!"

Lin Hao listened, and that's why Master Fu sighed, "Every family has its own troubles!"

On second thought, Gu Liunian's good relationship with Master He is probably due to their childhood friendship and Master He's good character, as well as their similar experiences.

"Will it be alright for Master He to stay with us from now on?"

“His mother is in good health, and his younger siblings are getting old, so they can help take care of the family.” Gu Liunian had obviously discussed these matters with Master He, so his answer was easy.

"That's alright." Lin Hao was relieved to hear this.

The two of them kept chatting like that, and no one knew when they fell asleep.

As dawn broke the next day, Gu Liunian opened her eyes, glanced at the person sleeping soundly beside her, and gently got up.

Fu Cui, who was outside, heard the noise and came in to serve him, but he stopped her with a wave of his hand and she went out.

When Lin Hao woke up, the person beside her was already cold. Fu Cui heard the sound and came in, smiling, "Master really cares about Madam. This morning, I wanted to come in and serve you, but Master was afraid I would wake you, so he insisted on sending me away!"

Lin Hao felt a little embarrassed by what she said, and upon reflection, she realized that Gu Liunian was indeed quite good in this regard!

It's important to know that even in later generations, many husbands still expect their wives to get up and make breakfast before they go to work. Even when both husbands have to work, the wife is often the one who gets up first to make breakfast.

Thinking about it this way, she's incredibly lucky! She came into this world and got a rich, handsome, and talented husband—and he's also a good person! Good heavens, she must be God's favorite daughter!

Because of this realization, Lin Hao was overjoyed all day! Everyone around her was curious: why was she so happy today?

However, Lin Hao's happiness was greatly diminished after she went to the restaurant and returned home!

"Daughter-in-law of Brother Nian, you're back!" The old lady greeted Lin Hao with a smile as she entered. She was used to Lin Hao coming to sit with her first after leaving the house, so her arrival was not surprising.

"Mother, who is this?" Lin Hao asked, looking at the girl sitting below the old lady with a puzzled expression.

"You Ran, come and meet your cousin-in-law," the old lady said to the young girl with a smile.

"You Ran greets her cousin-in-law." The young woman gracefully bowed to Lin Hao. Her figure was slender and delicate, like a willow swaying in the breeze. Her voice was like a nightingale singing in a valley, melodious and moving, yet with a touch of softness.

Even a woman like Lin Hao couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for such a young girl.

"Get up quickly." Lin Hao couldn't help but step forward to help her up.

Upon closer contact, Lin Hao felt that her cousin perfectly embodied the fragility and tenderness of women!

At this moment, the old lady said again, "Both of you sit down!"

“Brother Nian’s wife, Youran, is my sister’s daughter. They’ve had some family troubles, so she’s staying with us for a while.”

Qian Youran, sitting to the left, was slightly moved when she heard the old lady's words. She hadn't expected that her cousin-in-law, who had only been married into the family for a short time, had already gained her aunt's trust and spoke to her without any restraint.

Seeing the look in her eyes, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed! She also felt a bit resentful towards the old lady for not covering for her.

You should know that she came here under the guise of visiting relatives at the Gu residence.

However, she didn't reveal her true thoughts on her face at all, still appearing delicate and harmless.

Lin Hao, on the other side, had no idea what was going on in her mind. The old lady said that something had happened in her cousin's family, so she assumed that an elder in the other family had passed away.

After all, this cousin was dressed very simply, in a way that is rarely seen in everyday life these days.

She wore a moon-white pleated auspicious moon skirt, with only a Guanghan white jade hairpin and a matching pearl flower on her head, a mutton-fat white jade bracelet on her wrist, and a white jade peony pendant hanging from her waist.

Therefore, she gave her cousin, who was new to the area, what she thought was a friendly smile, and said, "In that case, cousin, you should stay a few more days and explore our place properly."

"Yes, thank you, cousin-in-law!" Qian Youran bowed to Lin Hao again, her voice still gentle.

However, Lin Hao felt a little awkward for no reason. If she had initially thought of her cousin as a delicate young lady from a wealthy family, now she felt that she was being a bit too much of a spoiled brat.

Perhaps she was too rough around the edges and couldn't adapt to such a delicate young lady!

Thinking this to herself, Lin Hao still smiled and replied, "Cousin, there's no need for such formalities. We'll have a long time to get to know each other. If we keep thanking each other like this, wouldn't it make us seem distant?"

Actually, all Lin Hao wanted to say was that there was really no need for us to keep bowing. If her cousin bowed, and she, as her cousin's sister-in-law, didn't return the bow, it would seem like she was impolite—it's just too tiring!

"Yes, it was You Ran's fault, please don't blame me, sister-in-law!" Qian You Ran said with a hint of fear on her face.

Lin Hao was certain that she and her cousin You Ran were not on the same path!