After transmigrating, I became a stepmother.

The next day, after breakfast, the family of three set off together to pay their respects to the old lady. Upon arriving at Rongshou Hall, the little boy happily greeted his grandmother, his voice even sweeter than usual.

"Grandma, let me tell you, I slept with Father and Mother last night!" Gu Yu, the little dumpling, said mysteriously to the old lady.

Upon hearing this, the old lady looked at the two of them with a slightly surprised expression, and then said to the little boy, "Really? Then is Yu-ge'er happy?"

The little boy's excited voice couldn't be contained: "Mmm, I'm so happy! I like sleeping with my father and mother, and I like everyone being together all the time."

Everyone was taken aback by his words, not expecting such a young child to say such a thing. It seems that Gu Liunian's long absence this time has had a significant impact on him, though children rarely show it.

Lin Hao secretly glanced at Gu Liunian's expression and saw a hint of surprise flash in his eyes, followed by a touch of guilt and heartache. His expression towards the little bun became even gentler.

Lin Haoxin said, "This man seems to be a good father, but he's not very good at expressing himself."

The old lady chatted with her eldest grandson for a few minutes, then turned to her son to inquire about his trip. It turned out that Gu Liunian had gone out on patrol this time.

The Gu family was a well-known farming and scholarly family in Jinyang County. Gu Liunian's grandfather passed the imperial examination when he was young, but he did not make any further progress in his official career for many years afterward. Therefore, he devoted himself to business and accumulated hundreds of acres of fertile land.

By the time of Gu Liunian's father, due to his frail health since childhood, his studies had been delayed and he had not made any progress. So he simply gave up and focused on running the business and teaching his son.

Gu Liunian was exceptionally intelligent and passed the imperial examination at a young age, which gave his father great hope. However, his health was too poor, and he passed away before Gu Liunian could grow up, leaving behind an orphan and a widow to face the covetous clansmen.

At a young age, Gu Liunian was forced to give up his studies to support the family business. Now, under his management, the Gu family's business has expanded further, with more than 150 acres of fertile land, seven hills, and eight shops.

Gu Liunian's extended absence this time was due to a mishap during his patrol, which caused a delay. It turned out that while patrolling a village called Lijiazhuang, he discovered that the village head was concealing and exploiting tenants, almost leading to a violent conflict. Now, the matter has been resolved satisfactorily; Gu Liunian severely punished the head, dismissed him from his post, and replaced him with someone else.

Gu Liunian spoke casually, but Lin Hao could easily sense from his words how dangerous the situation had been. A village riot was no joke; if it got out of control, it could have resulted in deaths. Thankfully, everyone returned safely.

It seems that Gu Liunian truly lives up to his reputation and is very shrewd.

After chatting with the old lady for a while, the second branch of the family arrived. Seeing Gu Liunian there, they naturally exchanged pleasantries for a while. Lin Hao wasn't interested in such a pointless conversation.

When the old lady got tired, everyone dispersed. Lin Hao took the little boy and walked back. Gu Liunian hesitated for a moment, then said to his son, "Father has to go to the study to take care of some things. I'll come and keep you company when I'm done."

The little boy was taken aback for a moment, then broke into a big smile and said, "Okay, I'll wait for Father."

Gu Liunian reached out and patted his son's head, gave Lin Hao a slight nod, and then went to the study.

The little boy's joy did not subside until he woke up from his afternoon nap and still did not see his father return, which made him feel aggrieved.