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

Zhao's sister smiled upon hearing this, and glanced at Yu Ge'er beside her. She noticed that Yu Ge'er, who was usually so forthright and outspoken, had lowered his head slightly and his cheeks were flushed.

Sister-in-law Zhao said, "The first piece of good news is that you and Zheng have returned from the prefectural city. The second piece of good news is that the matter of Miss Mu falling into the water has been clarified. The third piece of good news is that Brother Yu is pregnant."

As soon as Zhao's sister-in-law finished speaking, Gu Lin was surprised. He opened his eyes slightly, turned his head to look at Yu Ge'er, and blurted out, "How come you're suddenly pregnant? When did you get pregnant?"

Suddenly, Gu Lin felt a weight on his arm; Zhao's wife had patted him.

Then, Gu Lin saw Zhao's wife glare at him and Yu Ge'er look embarrassed.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Sister Zhao scolded.

In broad daylight, people are talking about pregnancy and other things without any shame.

This simpleton, who usually seems clever, turns out to be a simpleton in this respect.

Seeing Zhao's wife and Yu's behavior, Gu Lin immediately realized that his words had caused them to misunderstand.

He quickly explained, "Brother Yu, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just curious why there was no news before, and you got pregnant right after I came back from the prefectural city."

Seeing the anxious look on the young man's face, Yu Ge'er did not misunderstand. After three years of getting along, he understood Gu Lin and knew that the other party had no ill intentions and was just curious.

Yu Ge'er gently stroked his lower abdomen and said, "We discovered it a few days ago. The doctor said the fetus is already three months along."

As a new father, Chen Xiaoliu, who was usually not very talkative, couldn't help but feel happy. He scratched the back of his head and said, "Neither Yu Ge'er nor I expected that the baby would come so suddenly."

Sister-in-law Zhao rolled her eyes. Look, look, there aren't many reliable people in this yard. Brother Lin is unreliable, and Chen Xiaoliu, his father, isn't much better.

Gu Lin was very happy for Yu Ge'er when he learned that she was pregnant.

Although Yu Ge'er never said it, Gu Lin could sense in the past two years that the other party was very eager to have a child.

Previously, Gu Lin had heard Zhao's wife comfort Yu Ge'er, telling him not to worry, the child would come eventually.

Yu Ge'er said to Zhao Saozi, "Sister-in-law, I am young now. If I have a child soon, my body will recover quickly and I can return to work at Xingfu Building sooner. If I wait a few more years to have a child, I will be older and my recovery will be slower. I'm afraid I won't be able to do anything then."

"Since we're going to have a baby sooner or later, we might as well have it now so we don't have to keep thinking about it later."

Now that everything is going well, Gu Lin said to Yu Ge'er, "Yu Ge'er, you are pregnant now, so don't go to Happiness Tower anymore. Stay at home and take good care of your pregnancy."

"I'll go there tomorrow to take over Happiness Building."

Upon hearing this, Yu Ge'er's expression changed, and he said, "Lin Ge'er, I don't need to rest now. I can continue working."

Yu Ge'er originally planned to rest for two months after giving birth. If you include the months before giving birth, he would have been away from Xingfulou for more than a year.

In that case, even if he returns after giving birth, he won't be able to quickly get up and running the affairs of Happiness Building.

It remains to be seen whether Brother Lin will hire someone else to be the manager at that time.

Seeing Yu Ge'er's intense reaction, Gu Lin immediately knew what the other was thinking.

He explained helplessly, "Don't worry, Brother Yu, I never thought of letting anyone else take your place. In my heart, you will always be my head manager, and no one can replace you."

Gu Lin spoke softly and gently, soothing Yu Ge'er's tense and frightened emotions, but Yu Ge'er still did not agree: "Lin Ge'er, the doctor said that there is no problem with my fetus, and I will be able to move around normally after this month. I also want to go back to work at the restaurant and do not want to stay at home until the delivery is over."

“I know my own body well, please let me stay at Happiness Building.”

Yu Ge'er spoke these words without any reluctance, because every word came from his heart.

As a young man, no one cherished the position of manager of Happiness Inn more than him.

In the entire county, or even the entire prefecture, how many young men could single-handedly manage a restaurant and become its head manager?

If it were in the past, before knowing that Yu Ge'er could make a name for himself, he might have stayed at home obediently to raise children. But now, his mission is not just to raise children; his career occupies an important place in his life.

Although Yu Ge'er cherishes her hard-won child, she doesn't want to ruin this opportunity because of childbirth.

He knew that Lin Ge'er was no ordinary person and would not abandon him because of his childbirth, but Yu Ge'er could not take advantage of the other party's tolerance and easy-going nature.

Whether in the county town or Xiahe Village, Yu Ge'er had never seen a woman or boy who, after becoming pregnant, could do nothing but stay at home until giving birth.

Even if a woman or a young man from a well-off family in the neighborhood gets pregnant, he still has to do laundry, cook, and take care of his family during the first three months.

As for Gu Lin's talk about postpartum care, if Yu Ge'er hadn't learned about its importance from him, she would have gone to Xingfu Lou the day after giving birth.

Nowadays, this is the case in every household. If they don't want to be scolded by their mothers-in-law for being a "worthless good-for-nothing," women and boys have to get off the bed and go back to work the day after giving birth.

Yu Ge'er is pregnant, and Gu Lin couldn't disregard his feelings. Seeing his insistence, Gu Lin said, "If you feel unwell, you must say so. Don't push yourself."

Yu Ge'er breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

After finishing this matter, Gu Lin remembered what Sister Zhao had just said, and he turned his head and asked, "Sister-in-law, you said that the matter of Miss Mu falling into the water has been investigated and clarified."

Slapping her thigh, Zhao's sister-in-law immediately remembered: "Not long after you left, Dagen sent a letter back. Ever since he heard your reminder, Dagen has felt that something was wrong with Miss Mu falling into the water after returning to the prefectural city. So, he went to ask Miss Mu. Miss Mu carefully recalled the scene at that time and finally said that she seemed to have been bumped by someone when she left the lotus pond, but because there were many people around the lotus pond, she did not notice. Now that Dagen asked her, she remembered."

"Miss Mu said that before she fell into the water, her former fiancé's mistress's maid was very close to her."

"Having found a clue, Da Gen and Master Mu wanted to report it to the authorities, but Miss Mu stopped them, saying that the government would not care without evidence."

"So, Miss Mu went out and took the opportunity to run into the mistress. She deliberately provoked the mistress by saying that the wealthy merchant wanted to choose another virtuous woman as his daughter-in-law. The mistress took the bait and dared not go to the wealthy merchant and her lover to make trouble. However, she felt that Miss Mu was deliberately coming to make a fool of her. She was so angry that she wanted to push Miss Mu into the pond."

"Fortunately, Miss Mu was prepared and managed to dodge. That mistress was very arrogant. She ordered her maid to hold Miss Mu down and said, 'Last time I was able to push you into the lotus pond and lose your marriage, so I can do it again this time.'"

"At that time, the woman and the maid were caught red-handed, and Da Gen and his men immediately took the mistress and the maid to the government office."

Gu Lin asked, "How did the government rule?"

At this point, Zhao's wife sneered, "I thought that the rich businessman's son would come immediately after hearing the news, but he didn't show up from the start to the end of the trial. In the end, the mistress was sentenced to three years in prison."

Hearing what Sister Zhao said, everyone felt very pleased.

But Gu Lin was not very happy, because although the mistress was at fault, the whole affair was caused by the son of that wealthy merchant.

But the other party doesn't have to bear any consequences and can continue to live a carefree life as a young master.

.

Happiness Building.

"Boss Gu, it's been a long time. Where have you been these past few days?" As Wang Yue walked in from outside, the first thing he saw was Gu Lin, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

For the first three months, Yu Ge'er's unborn child needed to rest. After handing over the affairs of Xingfu Building to Gu Lin, he went back to take care of his pregnancy.

Gu Lin looked up at Wang Yue and replied with a smile, "Young Master Wang looks very pleased with himself. It seems that everything has been going well for you lately!"

Wang Yue smiled upon hearing this. He was a man who loved to laugh, but he used to laugh heartily. Now he was a little shy and embarrassed. He said, "Some time ago, my father opened a new Ruyi Restaurant in the neighboring county. He couldn't find the time to manage the restaurant in our county, so he made me stay in the restaurant every day to manage the affairs."

Having just returned from the prefectural city, Gu Lin genuinely didn't know this.

He was slightly surprised, then said apologetically, "I just returned from the prefectural city and was unaware of this news. I am truly sorry. I will carefully select a congratulatory gift tomorrow to make up for it. I hope Young Master Wang will not blame me."

Wang Yue waved his hand and said, "I know you must have been held up by other things, and Manager Gu in your building has already sent the congratulatory gift, so there was no mistake."

Hearing what the other party said, Gu Lin breathed a slight sigh of relief. There were many things to do in Happiness Building, so it was normal that Yu Ge'er had forgotten to tell him.

Wang Yue returned to the question he had asked when he first entered: "Boss Gu has been in the prefectural city for so long, has he found another way to make money?"

Gu Lin smiled and said truthfully, "It's just accompanying the children in the family to the prefectural city to participate in the imperial examination."

Wang Yue was somewhat surprised to hear this. He had heard that Gu Lin had a child, but it was not her biological child; it was a child left behind by her late husband.

But as far as he knew, Gu Lin's stepson only started school when he was ten years old, and only three years had passed. How could the other party possibly take the imperial examination?

Thinking this, Wang Yue did not ask rashly, but instead asked, "I wonder what Mr. Gu's child's name is, where he studies, or perhaps I have heard of your son's reputation."

Gu Lin felt there was nothing he couldn't say, so he said, "My son takes my late husband's surname, Zheng, and his name is Zheng Hao. He is studying at the Wuliu Academy."

Zheng Hao, the Five Willows Academy?

Upon hearing the name, Wang Yue felt it sounded familiar, but couldn't recall where he had heard it before.

His brows furrowed deeper and deeper as his gaze fell upon a calligraphy scroll hanging behind the restaurant counter.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Wang Yue, and he remembered.

Isn't Zheng Hao the one that Zhao Xing was talking about...?

Suddenly, a loud, noisy gong sound came from outside Happiness Building.

The diners in the lobby of Xingfu Restaurant were immediately drawn to the restaurant, and one by one they put down their hot pots and headed out of the restaurant.

Looking up, one could see several constables walking towards Happiness Tower in the distance. The pedestrians on the street were attracted and followed the constables to the outside of Happiness Tower.

The commotion outside grew louder and louder, and the sound of the gong drew closer to Xingfu Building. Gu Lin also came out from behind the counter.

The constables stepped into Happiness Building with smiles on their faces. Finally, their gazes fell on Gu Lin, and they asked, "Is this the home of Scholar Zheng Hao?"

Hearing the bailiff's words, Gu Lin's heart skipped a beat.

He stepped forward and said to the constables, "Gentlemen, this is indeed Zheng Hao's home. I am Zheng Hao's...father. May I ask what brings you here?"

As soon as Gu Lin finished speaking, the two constables at the front of the yamen smiled and congratulated him, saying, "Boss Gu has good news. We have come here to congratulate your son on achieving first place in the county examination and becoming the top scholar in the county. The county magistrate was overjoyed when he heard the news and specially ordered us to come and congratulate Scholar Zheng."

After saying that, he glanced around and asked, "I wonder if Scholar Zheng is at home?"

Zheng Hao had just been sent out to purchase some items and hadn't returned yet. Just as Gu Lin was about to speak, he heard Zheng Hao's voice coming from the doorway: "I'm here."

Gu Lin and the constables all turned to look at the doorway, and Zheng Hao walked over and stood beside Gu Lin.

Upon seeing the person in question return, the yamen runners congratulated him again, saying, "Congratulations to Scholar Zheng for winning first place in the county examination and becoming the first person in the county to achieve the 'Triple Crown' title. The county magistrate cherishes talent and has specially ordered us to present him with a congratulatory gift."

After he finished speaking, the yamen runners stepped forward and took out a tray with writing implements on it. Another yamen runner followed closely behind and took out a wooden box. He opened the wooden box, which was filled with gleaming silver.

The head constable said to Zheng Hao, "Scholar Zheng, these things are a reward from the county magistrate. He hopes that you will achieve great success in the imperial examinations."

After accepting the gifts from the yamen runners, Zheng Hao said, "Please convey my gratitude to the magistrate on my behalf. I will certainly not disappoint the magistrate's appreciation."

"sure!"

The two constables said repeatedly.

While Zheng Hao was speaking to the other party, Gu Lin had already wrapped a red envelope behind him. After they finished speaking, Gu Lin stepped forward and handed the red envelope to the leading yamen runner, saying, "Thank you all for coming to deliver the letter. This is just a small token of my appreciation. Please take it and have some tea."

"How can this be? Boss Gu, please take it back immediately."

Gu Lin simply said, "Sir, please accept it; consider it a token of good fortune."

Upon hearing this, the constables readily accepted the red envelope. Feeling its weight, their smiles became even more genuine: "Boss Gu, please don't be so polite. We brothers all share the surname Li. Boss Gu, just call us if you need anything in the future."

Gu Lin smiled and agreed.

After the constables left, the diners in Xingfu Restaurant immediately surrounded them, jeering, "Boss Gu, your son passed the three examinations in a row and won the Junior Three Scholarship, making him the first in the county. Your restaurant must let us share in his glory!"

Hearing this, Gu Lin smiled and said, "Of course, of course. Today, we'll give each table a plate of meatballs and each person a can of milk tea!"

As soon as Gu Lin finished speaking, the atmosphere inside Happiness Building reached a climax.

"Mr. Gu is so generous!"

"Mr. Gu is so straightforward!"

Although it wasn't their own children who became scholars or top scholars, as diners at Xingfulou Restaurant, they felt a shared sense of honor and shame.

Especially these newly appointed scholars and top three scholars, they had not only seen them before, but had also had contact with them many times.

At this point, the diners at Xingfulou couldn't help but sigh that Xiao Sanyuan in front of them was indeed taught by Boss Gu.

Despite his young age, he has achieved what others have not, yet he shows none of the arrogance or haughtiness of other scholars.

Recalling the scholar's gentle and patient manner when he spoke to them, the diners at Xingfu Restaurant felt even more honored.