After a male student transmigrated into the body of a widow,

Even though Gu Lin said he was fine, he had no appetite for lunch. He cooked a pot of rice, stir-fried a plate of vegetables, ate a few bites, and then went back to his house.

Gu Lin lay on the bed, looking at the dark ceiling above him. He wasn't sleepy at all. He thought he wouldn't be able to fall asleep, but after a while, he felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier. Finally, everything went black and his consciousness became unclear.

After sleeping for two whole hours, Gu Lin opened his eyes and was somewhat confused about day and night when he saw that the room was pitch black. His gaze fell on the wooden window next to him and he realized that he had slept until evening when he saw a few orange lights shining through the window paper.

Bright eyes darted around in the darkness. Gu Lin felt as if he had taken a nap and felt refreshed. The gloomy mood of the day had vanished, as if all the negative feelings had disappeared with this afternoon nap.

He got up, washed his face, and went to the woodshed.

Walking to the stove, Gu Lin poured all the vegetables, chicken, and pig ears on the stove into the pot to blanch them, then took them out, added seasonings, mixed them well, and put them into a bamboo tube.

He carried several bamboo tubes to Zheng Hao's door and called out, "Little Hao."

In the blink of an eye, the door opened, and Zheng Hao walked out, asking Gu Lin, "What's wrong, Uncle Gu?"

Holding up the cold dishes in his hand, Gu Lin said to Zheng Hao, "Come with me to the village chief's house to thank him for his help."

“Okay.” Zheng Hao understood. He first went to the yard, scooped a spoonful of water from the water vat to wash his hands and remove the ink stains from his wrists, and then walked to Gu Lin’s side.

Seeing this, Gu Lin couldn't help but sigh. Zheng Hao had become more and more particular since entering the academy, but this particularity was not annoying. Gu Lin could clearly feel that the other party was not deliberately imitating others, but was truly demanding of himself.

Stepping out of Zheng's courtyard, Gu Lin, not knowing where the village chief's house was, followed Zheng Hao's footsteps discreetly to the village chief's house.

The village chief's gate was half-closed, and the courtyard outside was empty.

Before Gu Lin could react, Zheng Hao glanced inside and then called out, "Grandpa Village Chief!"

The boy's voice hadn't changed yet, and when he shouted, it had a slightly childish quality. Gu Lin, who had previously thought the other person was mature and sophisticated, suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.

In a few breaths, a slightly thin but energetic-looking middle-aged woman came out of the house. She looked at the door and saw that the people who came in were Gu Lin and Zheng Hao. She said, "It's Brother Lin and Young Master Zheng. Come in quickly!"

She came out and opened the half-closed door, then invited Gu Lin and Zheng Hao inside: "Please come in and sit down. I'll pour you two bowls of water later."

Gu Lin and Zheng Hao followed behind the other person and said after hearing what she said, "No need to trouble yourself, Aunt Zhang. We came to thank the village chief for his help this morning."

Although the village chief's wife was not present when the Zheng family's incident occurred that morning, she learned about it from the village chief afterward. She felt contempt for the behavior of Gu's parents, but she felt sorry for Lin Ge'er.

The village chief's wife turned to Gu Lin and said, "You are from Xiahe Village, how can you let anyone take you away? It is only right for the head of the family to help you, so don't say thank you."

As they entered the house, the village chief's wife called out, "Honey, Lin-ge and Zheng-xiaozi are here to see you."

The village chief was smoking a pipe inside. As soon as Gu Lin entered, he felt the smoke rising from the room. The village chief's wife glared at him fiercely, but because there were outsiders present, she couldn't embarrass her husband, so she swallowed the curse that was about to come out. However, she stared at the pipe in the village chief's hand with fiery eyes, as if she was about to snatch it away and throw it away at any moment.

The village chief subconsciously put away his pipe. He hadn't heard his wife's shout earlier, and now, seeing Gu Lin and Zheng Hao, he asked in surprise, "What brings you here?"

The village chief's wife glared at him, annoyed. "How can you talk like that?" She pointed to the stools in the room and turned to Gu Lin and Zheng Hao, saying, "Don't pay attention to your village chief, he doesn't know how to talk. Lin-ge and Zheng-xiaozi, sit down quickly."

Then she called out to the door, "Sanni, quickly pour two bowls of water."

Before they could refuse, Gu Lin saw a sallow-faced little girl bring in two bowls of water. There was no table in the room, so Gu Lin and Zheng Hao had no choice but to take the bowls from the little girl.

The bowl was almost full of water, and Gu Lin couldn't move around easily while holding it, so he lowered his head and drank some.

Once the water in the bowl was reduced to about half its original volume and unlikely to spill, Gu Lin looked up at the village chief and said, "Uncle Village Chief, Xiao Hao and I came here to thank you for your help this morning."

As he spoke, he stood up and handed the cold dishes to the village chief's wife, saying, "Aunt Zhang, these are cold dishes I made myself. You and Uncle Zhang can try them and see how they taste."

Although Gu Lin's parents had been driven away, he knew it was only temporary and that they would definitely come back later.

There were only two people in the Zheng family, him and Zheng Hao. If they were to rely on the two of them alone, it would be difficult to deal with Gu's parents. Therefore, after thinking for a long time, Gu Lin decided to find outside help for himself. The first step was to build a good relationship with the village chief.

The village chief, who hadn't spoken since asking the first question, raised his eyelids, looked at the cold dishes, and asked with some interest, "Is this the kind of business you run in the county town?"

Gu Lin carried several bamboo baskets out to sell vegetables every day. At first, he carried two baskets, but later he carried six. Anyone with a bit of sense realized that he wasn't going to the county town to sell vegetables. The people of Xiahe Village often traveled to and from the county town, so over time, villagers naturally started to see Gu Lin selling cold dishes. Several days ago, the news that Gu Lin was doing business in the county town had already spread like wildfire throughout the village.

The village chief was curious about the taste of the cold dishes Gu Lin made, which could sell for seven or eight coins in the county town.

He urged his wife, "Old woman, let me have a taste."

Seeing the village chief's anxious look, the village chief's wife muttered, "The older you get, the less you can control your mouth."

What kind of elder is so greedy in front of younger generations? Even her three-year-old grandson can't compare.

Despite saying that, the village chief's wife still opened the bamboo tube and handed it to the village chief.

Suddenly, a fragrant aroma poured out of the bamboo tube, filling the previously smoky house with a sour and spicy scent. The village chief's mouth watered upon smelling it, and after looking at the red and green cold dishes inside the bamboo tube, he became even more eager to taste them.

The village chief's wife couldn't help but swallow her saliva as she smelled the aroma of the cold dishes. After realizing what she had done, she felt a little embarrassed and annoyed, wondering why she was being so greedy, just like a child.

Looking up and seeing the old man staring intently at the cold dish in her hand, the village chief's wife felt she had regained some face and said, "Eat it."

The village chief didn't even use chopsticks. He picked up a piece of lotus root coated in red oil and put it in his mouth. After taking the first bite, his cloudy eyes lit up. Then he looked at Gu Lin. No wonder the food made by the other party was so popular in the county town. With such skills, he would be sought after anywhere.

However, I've never heard of Gu Lin having such good cooking skills before.

The village chief turned to his wife and said, "Old woman, you should try it."

The village chief's wife felt her face burning with embarrassment at the old man's audacity in picking up the cold dish and eating it. How could someone his age act so carelessly? However, the aroma filled her nostrils, and unlike her husband, she picked up a piece of cold dish with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.

She paused for a moment, quickly chewed a few bites and swallowed, then turned to look at Gu Lin and said, "Brother Lin, your cooking is really good! How did you come up with the idea of ​​making eggplant and lotus root this way? I've never eaten such delicious eggplant before."

Suddenly, the village chief's wife was nudged a few times. She turned and glared at the village chief, but when she saw the hint in his eyes, she immediately realized her mistake and quickly turned back to Gu Lin to explain, "Brother Lin, don't mind me. Your aunt didn't mean to ask for your recipes."

After hearing this, the village chief tapped his pipe with a headache.

If an old woman says something so bluntly, it means she didn't mean it that way, and others will start to have doubts and suspicions.

Gu Lin didn't take it to heart and said to the village chief's wife, "Don't worry, Auntie, I understand what you mean."

"Good, good." The village chief's wife was instantly relieved to see that Gu Lin was so open and didn't seem to mind at all.

Gu Lin smiled slightly upon seeing this, then looked up at the village chief: "Uncle Village Chief, there is something else I want to tell you."

The village chief, feeling indebted to the other party, was prepared for them to take this opportunity to make some requests: "What is it?"

Gu Lin said, "I currently run a cold dish business in the county town. My family's vegetables are almost used up. I wonder if other villagers have any extra vegetables. I would like to buy vegetables from the villagers of Xiahe Village."

Buying melons and vegetables?

The village chief paused, his previously nonchalant expression turning serious. He looked at Gu Lin and said, "Brother Lin, do you know what you're saying?"

It's no wonder the village chief was so serious. Although Xiahe Village has fewer people than the surrounding villages, each household has a lot of melons and vegetables in their fields. How could Gu Lin possibly consume them all by himself? If he couldn't consume them all and could only buy the melons and vegetables from some of the villagers, then the rest of the villagers would definitely have objections. In the end, he, the village chief, might become the villagers' punching bag.

Gu Lin understood the other party's concerns and said, "Please rest assured, I will take as many melons and vegetables as the village has, and I will definitely not make things difficult for you."

"Good!" the village chief exclaimed, a rare look of joy appearing on his usually wrinkled face. "If it can really be done, Brother Lin, you've done a great thing for the village!"

When it's time to be humble, Gu Lin is humble; when it's time to enjoy praise, he is never shy: "Village chief, you flatter me. I am also a member of Xiahe Village. Now that I have some strength, I naturally want to give back to the village."

Hearing Gu Lin's words, the village chief was even happier: "Good, good, good. I'll gather the heads of every household in the village later to discuss this matter. Don't worry, Brother Lin, I'll definitely handle this properly."

Although the village chief was weak and timid, he wasn't ungrateful. Gu Lin was now buying melons from the villagers of Xiahe Village because he valued their kindness. If he didn't do a good job, they wouldn't let him waste their livelihood.

Seeing the village chief's sallow face turn rosy, Gu Lin then revealed the real purpose of his trip: "I have one more thing I need your help with."

After the other party proposed to buy the melons and vegetables from the villagers of Xiahe Village, the village chief was happy that the villagers would have an extra source of income. He looked at Gu Lin and said, "Just ask. If I can get it done for you, I definitely will."

Gu Lin said, "The village chief knew that my parents came to see me this morning, but he didn't know their purpose. They wanted me to abandon Xiao Hao and go back to my parents' home with them to marry a mentally challenged man in exchange for money to help my younger brother get married. But I said I didn't want to remarry. After my husband passed away, I just wanted to stay with Xiao Hao and live a good life!"

Upon hearing this, the village chief's wife immediately lost her temper: "How can there be such parents? Not only do they not care about their son-in-law after he dies, but they even want to push their son into a fire pit."

Gu Lin lowered his eyes slightly. Although he did not speak, the trembling eyelashes on his eyes revealed his strength and vulnerability.

The village chief glanced at the old woman, signaling her not to stab Lin Ge'er in the back, then turned to Gu Lin and said, "Once a boy marries, he belongs to his husband's family. If you don't want to remarry, no one can force you. If your parents dare to bring people to make trouble, it's not appropriate for you, as their child, to step forward, but we, the people of Xiahe Village, are not afraid."

Seeing the village chief's changed expression, now one of fearlessness instead of his usual timidity, Gu Lin was very satisfied.

He knew that the village chief and villagers would help him out of consideration for his past relationship with Hunter Zheng, in situations where it wouldn't harm their own interests. However, the incident involving his parents that morning reminded him that if he encountered trouble and the people of Xiahe Village felt that helping him would harm their own interests, then even the deepest gratitude would be useless.

Only when their own interests are infringed upon will the village chief and the villagers of Xiahe Village stand on the same side as him. Thus, Gu Lin tied the interests of the villagers of Xiahe Village to his own.

"bang bang bang"

The village chief struck the gong loudly, the resounding clang echoing throughout the village for about fifteen minutes before finally stopping.

Many figures appeared on the village roads. After hearing the sound of a gong coming from the village chief's house, the villagers hurried over.

"Uncle, why did you call us here?"

The once spacious courtyard of the village chief's house was now crowded with people. A young man standing at the front of the crowd stepped forward and asked the village chief, "This is the village chief's nephew, named Zhang Erniu."

"Yes, what happened to the village chief? They're even banging gongs late at night," a man about the same age as the village chief asked.

The gong isn't struck casually. It's only used to summon villagers when something major happens in the village and the village chief needs to urgently notify every household. Otherwise, it's only used a few times a year.

Uncle Zhang patted Zhang Erniu's head with his large, fan-like hand and said, "What nonsense are you spouting? Don't you trust your uncle to do things?"

Zhang Erniu rubbed his head, which had been hit, looking somewhat aggrieved, and said to his second uncle, "It's almost midnight. What can't we talk about tomorrow? Don't you want to know what your uncle is going to say?"

Uncle Zhang lifted his eyelids and glanced at him: "Keep quiet, you'll find out soon enough. Your uncle must have something important to tell you to call us over."

Seeing the noisy crowd in front of him, the village chief raised his hand, and the crowd gradually quieted down.

The village chief was very satisfied with this. Although he did not have the same say as other village chiefs in Xiahe Village, the villagers still respected him.

He looked at the group of villagers in front of him and asked, "Have all the heads of the households in the village come?"

Zhang Erniu glanced behind him, then stuck his head out and said, "Uncle, Wang Mazi's family hasn't come yet."

Only Wang Mazi and his widowed mother remained in Wang Mazi's family. His widowed mother had raised him with great difficulty, but she never expected to raise such a good-for-nothing. Before Liu Sanlai was driven out of Xiahe Village, Wang Mazi spent every day with him.

Now I wonder where he's up to stealing chickens and dogs again.

The village chief's face creased, and after a snort, he said solemnly, "Ignore him."

The village chief glanced at the crowd in front of him and said in a deep voice, "I know you're all curious why I called you all here so late at night."