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

"Uncle Gu."

A teenager walked into the restaurant from outside, saw the young man standing behind the counter, and called out softly.

Gu Lin looked up from the ledger and saw Zheng Hao standing in front of him.

The other person was wearing a blue robe, clearly having just returned from studying at the Wuliu Academy.

Gu Lin shifted his gaze back and saw that Zheng Hao was not carrying a book box, so he knew that the other party had gone home before coming to the restaurant.

He put down the ledger in his hand and asked, "Why did you come here?"

Zheng Hao glanced up at the lobby, where there were only a few people, then looked at Gu Lin and said, "Uncle Gu, I have the day off tomorrow. Is there anything the restaurant can help me with?"

Gu Lin initially thought Zheng Hao had come over for some reason, but upon learning that Zheng Hao had the day off tomorrow, he said, "Zhao Saozi and I are enough to handle things at the restaurant. You should rest at home."

Zheng Hao stared at Gu Lin with his dark eyes for a while, then looked away slightly and said, "I read books at home just like at school, and I always get tired after a long time. Uncle Gu, I want to come and help out at the restaurant."

Since the opening of Xingfu Restaurant, Zheng Hao was unable to help out even on the opening day due to his studies, but he could clearly feel the busyness of the people around him.

In the past, when they returned home for meals, Uncle Gu and Sister-in-law Zhao always had endless things to talk about.

But in recent days, Zheng Hao could clearly feel their exhaustion. If it weren't for the need to eat, Zheng Hao suspected that Uncle Gu would have gone back to his dormitory to rest as soon as he returned.

After listening to Zheng Hao's words, Gu Lin realized that he seemed to have touched on a misconception.

That is, what you think is good may not be good for your child.

He felt that Zheng Hao had been studying at the academy for dozens of days and was physically and mentally exhausted, so he needed to stay at home and rest.

But for Zheng Hao, staying at home didn't feel relaxing or enjoyable; he only felt comfortable and happy when he helped out at the restaurant.

Gu Lin pondered deeply and realized that besides this point, he had made another mistake.

He always subconsciously stopped Zheng Hao from doing physical labor, wanting the other to focus on his studies.

However, he overlooked one point: if Zheng Hao were allowed to immerse himself in books for too long and become detached from real life, he would end up being unable to distinguish between food and agriculture, which would truly harm him.

After thinking it through, Gu Lin made a decision.

He said to Zheng Hao, "Sixth Brother and the others will take care of the other work in the restaurant. You just need to help me watch the accounts and greet the customers behind the counter."

Zheng Hao had no objection to Gu Lin's assignment and said, "Okay, Uncle Gu, tell me what I need to pay attention to."

Gu Lin wasn't in a hurry. He said to Zheng Hao, "Don't rush. The shop isn't busy yet. Let's go grab a bite to eat first. We'll be busy later."

"Besides, since you've never eaten hot pot at a restaurant before, you can experience how it differs from home cooking. If you find anything you don't like, you can tell me directly."

Zheng Hao naturally had no objections; he nodded and followed behind Gu Lin.

Gu Lin led the teenager, but instead of going to the private room on the second floor, he chose an empty table in the lobby.

Then, he asked Chen Xiaoliu to prepare a three-flavor hot pot, with both vegetarian and meat dishes, and he also specifically asked Chen to serve a bowl of rice. Zheng Hao was still growing, and if he just ate hot pot, he might get hungry again before he could have a late-night snack.

After speaking with Chen Xiaoliu, Gu Lin turned around and saw Zheng Hao across from him pouring him a drink and setting out the bowls and chopsticks.

Soon, the hot pot and dishes were served.

Gu Lin, Zheng Hao, and Zhao's wife ate hot pot together. They weren't too particular about the food; dishes like meatballs and sliced ​​meat were simply poured into the pot one plate at a time.

However, in order to keep the meat slices tender, he will control the cooking time carefully and not let them cook for too long.

Gu Lin ladled a bowl of pork tripe, mushroom, and chicken soup into his own bowl, took a sip, and then said to Zheng Hao, "So, what's the difference between eating hot pot at a restaurant and eating hot pot at home?"

After speaking, Gu Lin lowered his head slightly, took a bite of the cooked chicken foot, and found it fragrant, tender, and delicious. Gu Lin loved it.

Watching Uncle Gu across from him talking to him while stuffing large mouthfuls of food into his mouth, Zheng Hao's expression softened slightly as he said, "In terms of atmosphere, eating hot pot in a restaurant is more lively than at home."

After finishing the chicken feet, Gu Lin picked up a meatball. Because it was so hot, he only dared to carefully bite off half of it and said, "That's true. With more people in the store, it's naturally more lively."

Seeing that Gu Lin had almost finished his dipping sauce, Zheng Hao took the bowl from him, prepared some more sauce, and said, "Business is good here, and there are many customers. Can Uncle Liu and the others handle it all on their own?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Lin stopped eating.

Zheng Hao's words pinpointed the pressing problem facing Xingfulou. Gu Lin said helplessly, "I'm worried about this too. Although Brother Zhao, Brother Liu, and a few others are holding things together, we're actually severely short-handed."

"I've wanted to hire a waiter for a long time, but not only do waiters need to be literate, they also need to be good-looking, clean, and tidy. In this huge county, I can't find anyone I'm satisfied with."

Zheng Hao lowered his head slightly, thought for a moment, then looked up at Gu Lin and said, "Uncle Gu, if you trust me, why not entrust this matter to me?"

Putting down his chopsticks, Gu Lin looked at him: "Do you have a suitable candidate?"

Zheng Hao nodded slightly and said, "There are a few relatives of the students at the academy who have read some books and are now looking for work in the county town. I'll go and see if they're interested. If there are suitable candidates, I'll recruit them."

After thinking for a moment, Gu Lin asked, "Won't this affect you?"

Zheng Hao knew what Gu Lin wanted to say. The other party was asking what would happen if Gu Lin didn't hire the students' relatives who weren't suitable to stay in the restaurant.

Zheng Hao shook his head and said, "No."

After hearing Zheng Hao's assurance, Gu Lin felt slightly relieved and said, "I need two or three people here. You can recruit whoever is suitable.

After finishing their conversation, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao continued eating hotpot and chatting.

Zheng Hao was taciturn, so Gu Lin did most of the talking. However, Zheng Hao wasn't completely silent; he would respond to Gu Lin every few sentences.

After the two finished their hot pot meal, the number of customers at Xingfu Lou increased significantly.

Gu Lin led Zheng Hao to the counter, showing him how to serve customers. After serving two or three customers, Zheng Hao stepped forward and said, "Uncle Gu, I understand now, let me do it."

Gu Lin moved aside and watched how the other party dealt with the diners.

Zheng Hao was not without experience in doing business and dealing with people. He had worked at a cold dish stall before, and now he had switched to Xingfulou. The two seemed different, but in essence, they were not much different.

So Gu Lin watched as Zheng Hao greeted the guests, gradually becoming more skilled from the beginning.

Cleverly, when faced with a constant stream of diners, Zheng Hao's usually calm and composed face broke into a slight smile, though faint, it conveyed the host's kindness.

All Gu Lin did that night was pour Zheng Hao a few glasses of water; he had no other use for anything else.

Zheng Hao handled all the diners in the building by himself. Normally, Gu Lin would need Yu Ge'er to take over for him.

As darkness approached, the diners at Xingfu Restaurant gradually left, and Gu Lin poured Zheng Hao a glass of water and handed it to him.

Zheng Hao took it, and even though his lips were dry, he remained calm and drank slowly.

After Zheng Hao finished drinking the water and put down the empty bowl, Gu Lin looked hesitant and curious. Then, as if he could finally not hold back, he slowly said to Zheng Hao, "You've been smiling the whole time tonight?"

Looking up at Gu Lin, Zheng Hao's cold expression turned slightly helpless as he said, "Uncle Gu, business dealings are different from daily life; one must greet people with a smile."

Gu Lin understood this principle, but he found it strange that Zheng Hao understood it so well.

The other person used to be unruly, but now they are cold and indifferent. Either way, it shows that the other person has a great flaw in their interpersonal skills.

However, when facing diners in the restaurant, Zheng Hao displayed a level of social sophistication that was in no way inferior to that of a businessman.

If Gu Lin's understanding of human relationships stemmed from his experience in society, Zheng Hao's situation did not seem to reflect this.

It's as if he doesn't need to experience it firsthand; he only needs to watch it as an observer to understand everything.

"Uncle Gu."

Seeing that Gu Lin did not react, Zheng Hao was somewhat used to it. Gu Lin was probably just spacing out again. Zheng Hao called out to him again.

"Huh?" Gu Lin came back to his senses.

Zheng Hao raised his head slightly and asked, "Uncle Gu, what should we have for supper?"

"Noodles with tomato sauce?"

Attention drawn by Zheng Hao's question, Gu Lin snapped out of his thoughts and asked the same question in return.

The tomato sauce noodles were a replica of modern tomato meat sauce spaghetti by Gu Lin. Since spaghetti could not be completely replicated in ancient times, Gu Lin took a step back and made noodles by mixing flour with eggs and salt, and then made a rich tomato sauce with tomatoes and chopped meat.

Although the noodles lack the chewy texture of modern noodles, the deliciousness of being topped with carefully simmered meat broth is incredibly tempting, even late at night.

"it is good."

Zheng Hao didn't feel too hungry; he just wanted to get Gu Lin's attention back.

So, Gu Lin handed the key to Happiness Building to Chen Xiaoliu, and he and Zheng Hao went home first.

Three days later, Gu Lin saw the three waiters that Zheng Hao had recruited for him.

Judging by their appearance alone, the three young men were tall and strong, and looked quite energetic. Gu Lin said, "I have a seven-day trial period here, with ten coins per day. If you pass the assessment after the trial period, can you stay?"

The three young men looked at each other, glanced at Zheng Hao beside Gu Lin, and then said to Gu Lin, "We will follow Boss Gu's arrangements."

Gu Lin then asked Chen Xiaoliu to show them the process, and turned to Zheng Hao, saying, "These people all seem pretty good. If there are no major problems, they can all stay."

Zheng Hao said, "Uncle Gu, you don't need to worry about me. If they don't do a good job, just fire them."

Gu Lin nodded and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Despite Gu Lin's words, Zheng Hao was not entirely reassured.

If these three people have serious problems, Uncle Gu will not tolerate it and will definitely fire them.

But if they only have some minor issues, Uncle Gu might tolerate them out of consideration for him.

Zheng Hao would not allow this situation to occur.

These three people were obtained from Niu Qiang.

After dealing with Liu Sanlai, Zheng Hao had some contact with Niu Qiang.

Niu Qiang was a local tyrant in the county, with dozens of henchmen under his command. Although he would take on some shady jobs, he was cautious and kept a low profile, so he didn't earn much.

But with so many people under his command who need to eat, Niu Qiang certainly couldn't just sit around and wait for his resources to run out.

So, when Niu Qiang learned that Zheng Hao was interested in hiring waiters, he came to him, introduced him to several of his literate underlings, and assured him that he wouldn't blame him no matter what.

Seeing that Niu Qiang was straightforward and not two-faced, and knowing that he might need to rely on him for some things in the future, Zheng Hao made a decision and selected three suitable people from among them.

If these three people try to cheat or cause trouble for Uncle Gu, Zheng Hao will handle it personally.

After a seven-day trial period, Niu Qiang's three underlings quickly got the hang of their jobs at Xingfu Restaurant. Gu Lin saw that they were all clever and capable people, so he kept them on.

Zheng Hao observed the three men for a while and, seeing that they had no ulterior motives, he felt relieved and devoted all his attention to the Four Books and Five Classics.

Time flies like water.

Three years later.

Beneath the lush, green trees, soft sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves. A tall, slender boy, his posture as upright as a pine tree, stood up after completing his horse stance. His face was fair, and his features still retained the innocence of youth, yet this could not conceal the handsome features that gradually emerged as he grew older.

Beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, and the young man's fair face, like jade, was flushed with a rosy hue. His eyes were calm and bright, and combined with his straight nose and slightly thin lips, he appeared particularly aggressive.

However, all of this changed when he saw one person.

The young man who came out of the kitchen and headed straight for the courtyard walked quickly toward Zheng Hao. Seeing that the other man's clothes were soaked, he complained, "Why are you sweating so much? It's not fully warm yet. Be careful not to catch a cold."

Faced with the young man's incessant chatter, Zheng Hao's previously cold and aggressive expression softened as he said, "Uncle Gu, I'll go back to my room to change my clothes first."

"Okay, go ahead. Your sister-in-law has already prepared the meal. Come out and eat after you change your clothes. Also, remember not to take a cold shower. The kitchen has boiled hot water for you." Gu Lin instructed Zheng Hao with concern.

For some reason, this kid has been doing this since last year: every morning after his workout, he pours cold water over himself.

Gu Lin always gets up late. If he hadn't been unable to sleep these past few days and hadn't gotten up early to see it, he doesn't know how much longer this kid would have kept it from him.

Young people don't know how to take care of their bodies. They take a cold shower right after exercising because they feel hot. It feels good, but as they get older, all sorts of illnesses will come their way.

Therefore, Gu Lin seriously explained to Zheng Hao the dangers of taking cold showers, and the other party obediently listened and promised not to take cold showers again.

Gu Lin was still worried. Teenagers in their adolescence are usually very opinionated, and he was concerned that Zheng Hao was two-faced. So he made sure to keep an eye on him every morning for a few days.

Sure enough, Gu Lin caught Zheng Hao, who was usually sensible and well-behaved, in a compromising situation. For the next two weeks, Gu Lin watched him take hot showers, only stopping when he saw that Zheng Hao had finally made it a habit.

However, fearing that Zheng Hao might repeat the mistake, Gu Lin would still remind him from time to time.

A hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes. Knowing he was in the wrong, Zheng Hao didn't say anything. Only after Gu Lin turned and walked towards the lobby did he go back to his room to take a bath.