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

After Zheng Hao finished drinking the hangover soup, Gu Lin said in a low voice, "Xiao Hao, let me help you back to your room to sleep."

Gu Lin thought it would be very difficult to move the other person back to the dormitory, but to his surprise, Zheng Hao got up as soon as Gu Lin finished speaking.

Although his movements were slow, Gu Lin didn't need to help him up. Zheng Hao was no longer the little kid he used to be; if Gu Lin really wanted to help him, Gu Lin simply didn't have the strength.

Supporting Zheng Hao, Gu Lin hadn't even started walking when Zheng Hao lifted his leg and moved forward. The first step was the same as before, but from the second step onwards, Gu Lin noticed that Zheng Hao's body and steps gradually lost their balance.

He quickly helped the other person up and carried them back to their bedroom.

After moving Zheng Hao to the bed, Gu Lin covered him with a blanket and left.

Zheng Hao didn't wake up until evening.

When Zheng Hao opened his eyes and saw the dark ceiling in front of him, his expression immediately became wary, but he quickly realized that he had returned to Xiahe Village.

The scenes of Gu Shu taking care of him while he was drunk during the day gradually surfaced in Zheng Hao's mind.

Finally, he got up, washed up briefly, and left his bedroom.

Hearing the noise from across the room, Gu Lin opened the door and saw Zheng Hao walking out of his bedroom.

Gu Lin said, "Dinner is being kept warm in the kitchen."

Several fragments from the day flashed through Zheng Hao's mind. He paused for a moment, then thanked Gu Lin: "Thank you for taking care of me, Uncle Gu, and helping me back to my room."

Zheng Hao went to fetch the food and found Gu Lin sitting at the table when he arrived in the lobby.

He stepped forward and sat down next to Gu Lin as usual. Gu Lin had already eaten, but that didn't stop him from having dinner with Zheng Hao.

Watching Zheng Hao eat his dry rice, Gu Lin served him a bowl of soup and then said to him, "Today's celebration banquet has attracted many local landlords and gentry who have sent gifts. The village chief showed me the gift list, and the amount they are giving is unsettling. The minimum monetary gift is fifty taels of silver, and some are even giving fertile land. In total, it's quite a sum."

Gu Lin finished speaking, but Zheng Hao's expression remained unchanged.

His expression was stern. After swallowing the food in his mouth, he said, "Uncle Gu, pick out some inexpensive gifts to keep. As for the land and money, ask Grandpa Village Chief to return them."

Gu Lin raised an eyebrow slightly. This was unlike Zheng Hao's usual style. Given Zheng Hao's aversion to trouble, he should have made him return all the gifts.

Although the young man beside him did not speak, Zheng Hao understood his meaning and explained, "Now that I am a scholar, it is not appropriate for me to accept such congratulatory gifts, but it is not appropriate for me not to accept them either. I will choose the less valuable ones to accept so as not to attract attention."

Gu Lin immediately understood that if Zheng Hao accepted all the gifts, it would make him seem like he was accepting everything, but if he returned all the gifts, it would make him seem too aloof and lacking in social skills.

Gu Lin pondered for a moment and said, "Not only this time, but we will do the same in similar situations in the future."

Zheng Hao's expression softened and a hint of pleasure appeared on his face as he acknowledged Uncle Gu's wholehearted support without any doubt or wavering. He said, "I will still need Uncle Gu to take care of things for me in the future."

Gu Linwei puffed out her chest, assuring everyone there would be no problem.

After sorting through the congratulatory gifts sent by the local gentry and landlords, Gu Lin only selected the less valuable items to keep, and asked the village chief to return the remaining valuable items.

When the landlords and gentry first saw their congratulatory gifts being returned, their expressions changed. They all wondered if this young scholar was someone who couldn't tolerate any wrongdoing.

If that's the case, even if Zheng Hao is a young scholar, the landlords and gentry would feel that they don't need to be too friendly with him.

Water that is too clear has no fish; if Zheng Hao insists on going his own way, he is destined not to go far.

Fortunately, the village chief explained to them, "Our village scholar appreciates everyone's congratulatory gifts, but some of them are really valuable. If the scholar feels uneasy accepting them, he can choose to keep the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone as gifts."

"I will remember everyone's kindness."

Hearing this, the landlords and gentry felt somewhat relieved.

The leading local gentry member praised him, saying, "Scholar, your noble character and integrity are truly admirable."

Other local gentry and landlords spoke up one after another. Although Zheng Hao was not there, this did not prevent them from showing their desire to befriend him.

Logically speaking, although there were few scholars in the dozen or so nearby villages, there were still some. Why would these gentry and landlords value Zheng Hao so much?

To be honest, the landlords and gentry were all shrewd people. Although they cared about Zheng Hao, they didn't really value him that much.

The young scholar who had studied for three years was indeed exceptionally talented, but it was not that they had never seen a genius before.

They had seen people pass the imperial examinations at the age of eleven or twelve, but so what? On the road to the imperial examinations, passing the examinations was just the starting point. All the geniuses they had previously admired had shone brightly at the beginning, but all of them had failed in the provincial examinations.

However, it's never wrong to be friendly with people. It's just a matter of giving some gifts and money to show a friendly attitude. If Zheng Hao can make further progress, they will have gained something. Even if they don't make any progress, it won't do them any harm to befriend the scholar.

This was the idea of ​​many people, even the illiterate villagers of Xiahe Village.

Unlike the wealthy landlords and gentry, they didn't have the fortune to give Zheng Hao lavish gifts, but they still prepared congratulatory gifts according to the highest standards in the countryside, hoping that Gu Lin and Zheng Hao would remember their kindness.

After dealing with the matter of the congratulatory gift, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao planned to return to the county town.

Zheng Hao will soon be enrolling in the prefectural school, so Gu Lin needs to hurry back to the county town to take care of many things before he can set off for the prefectural town as soon as possible.

Before leaving Xiahe Village, Gu Lin told the village chief about their trip to the prefectural city.

Before the village chief could speak, Gu Lin finished speaking, Zhang Erniu, who was standing next to him, asked, "Brother Lin, after you go to the prefectural city, will the fruits and vegetables from Xingfulou and Xingfuju still be sourced from the village?"

Looking up, Gu Lin noticed that not only Zhang Erniu was worried about this matter, but even the village chief had a deep frown on his face.

Gu Lin explained, "We're just going to the prefectural city. Xingfulou and Xingfuju will still be open, and we'll naturally continue to buy fruits and vegetables from the village."

Upon hearing this, the village chief's deeply lined face slowly broke into a smile. He said, "It's good for people to go out and explore when they're young, but you and Zheng Hao are an orphan and a widow. Be careful when you go to the prefectural city and always be on guard against others."

Gu Lin nodded in agreement.

After speaking kindly to the village chief, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao left the village chief's house and headed towards the Zheng family's house.

As they walked and talked, Zheng Hao suddenly turned serious. Before Gu Lin could react, Zheng Hao pulled him away.

Lifting his leg to kick the figure rushing towards him, Zheng Hao pulled the young man behind him. After protecting Gu Lin, Zheng Hao finally turned his attention to the man he had kicked to the ground.

Zheng Hao spoke, his voice cold: "Chen Zixiang."

"Ah! Stop! You little bastard, how dare you hit our Zixiang!"

When Tian Dahua caught up from behind and saw Zheng Hao kicking and hitting her son, the anger and resentment that had been building up in her heart exploded.

Upon hearing the other party's foul language, Gu Lin's usually gentle expression turned cold, while Zheng Hao's expression remained unchanged, as if Tian Dahua wasn't cursing him at all.

Tian Dahua rushed to Chen Zixiang's side and asked anxiously, "Zixiang, are you alright? Does it hurt?"

She raised her hand to help Chen Zixiang up, but he pushed her away. Then, Chen Zixiang slowly got up from the ground.

After regaining his balance, Chen Zixiang endured the pain and looked up at the boy standing not far in front of him. Thinking about the recent events and the celebration banquet held in the village, blood vessels gradually appeared in the whites of Chen Zixiang's eyes.

Chen Zixiang said softly, "Zheng Hao, how come you're so lucky?"

Gu Lin had already stepped out from behind Zheng Hao. He looked at Chen Zixiang and noticed that the other man's condition was somewhat off.

Ignoring their reactions, Chen Zixiang continued, "After your parents died, you should have been homeless, a despised bastard, living at the mercy of others. But why are you so lucky? Not only did you get a home again, but you also got to study at the best school in the county."

"That's settled then."

Chen Zixiang murmured, his voice gradually becoming hoarse: "But why is Heaven so unfair? I have studied hard for more than ten years, yet I cannot compare to you who have only studied for three years."

"People say that heaven rewards diligence. I have been practicing diligently since I was a child, getting up at the crack of dawn and studying by the light of fireflies and snow, but I still can't compare to those who take shortcuts."

When Chen Zixiang spoke, his posture was particularly sorrowful. Some villagers who had come to see what was going on after hearing the noise couldn't help but feel a lump in their throats and empathize with him.

Gu Lin couldn't listen any longer. He said coldly, "Shut up!"

Chen Zixiang was taken aback.

Gu Lin spoke up, saying to him, "You said you've studied diligently for over a decade, rising at the crack of dawn every day without daring to slack off. Isn't that what a scholar should do?"

Chen Zixiang's handsome face froze.

Gu Lin didn't let him off the hook and continued, "You say Zheng Hao is opportunistic and can't compare to your ten years of hard study, but I think that's nonsense."

"Others may not know, but I do. In order to narrow the gap between Zheng Hao and those of you who started school at a young age, he read until the third watch of the night and got up before the rooster crowed. While you were following your teachers to participate in poetry gatherings, going on outings, or composing poems about nature, Zheng Hao was always holding a book and reading."

"Heaven rewards diligence, and Heaven never fails those who make sacrifices. You say you've sacrificed a lot, but have you been spending your family's money in the county town visiting brothels with your classmates every day, or have you neglected your studies and become obsessed with storybooks?"

As soon as Gu Lin finished speaking, Chen Zixiang's face turned deathly pale, and his previously sorrowful eyes became evasive. Tian Dahua and the surrounding villagers looked on incredulously.

It turns out that Chen Zixiang, whom they thought was studying hard in the county town, had been deceiving everyone all along.

The county town was so small that Gu Lin encountered Chen Zixiang more than once during those three years.

Every time Gu Lin saw Chen Zixiang, he was either indulging in pleasure or living a life of debauchery. Therefore, Gu Lin found it difficult to feel any sympathy for Chen Zixiang's plight.

When Gu Lin heard the other party implying that Zheng Hao was unworthy of achieving fame and success, he immediately exploded.

Tian Dahua's lips trembled as she tried to say something, but a slightly aged voice came from behind: "Enough! Get back here! Aren't you ashamed enough already?"

Grandma Chen rushed over, her face dark and gloomy. She glanced at Gu Lin, then looked away and urged Tian Dahua and Chen Zixiang to go back.

If the other party doesn't provoke him, Gu Lin won't go looking for trouble.

After Grandma Chen led Tian Dahua and Chen Zixiang away, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao also turned around and went back to the Zheng family.

When the village chief and Zhang Erniu arrived after hearing the news, the matter had already been resolved and everyone had left.

Zhang Erniu touched his forehead and said, "Grandma Chen is being so agreeable this time. Her precious grandson was beaten and scolded, isn't she going to seek justice for him?"

The village chief glanced at his nephew, who was pretending to be stupid, and turned to leave without saying a word.

He thought to himself, any smart person would know that he shouldn't provoke Lin Ge'er and his group easily. What kind of fool could Grandmother Chen be, managing to keep all the men and women, young and old, in the Chen family so well?

Ordinary people may not be knowledgeable, but they have their own principles for survival and are adept at reading people's expressions and changing their stance accordingly.

After resolving all the issues in Xiahe Village, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao returned to the county town.

Gu Lin originally planned to return to the county town on the day the celebration banquet ended, but he didn't expect to have to deal with the congratulatory gifts and Zheng Hao's drunkenness.

They were not able to leave Xiahe Village until the third day.

As early as the afternoon of the same day the celebration banquet ended, Sister-in-law Zhao and Brother Zhao rushed back to the county town to busy themselves with the business of Xingfuju.

Gu Lin suggested there was no need to rush, but according to Zhao's wife, if Xingfuju remained closed, money would flow into other people's pockets, which Zhao's wife found unbearable.

When Gu Lin and Zheng Hao returned to the county town, they found that Xingfulou Restaurant was still open.

Gu Lin was a little puzzled. He remembered asking Sister Zhao to tell Brother Yu to close Xingfu Restaurant for two days to avoid exhausting himself managing the restaurant.

Judging from the appearance of the restaurant in front of me, Happiness Restaurant must have been open all along and never closed.

Gu Lin told Zheng Hao to go back and take a bath first, and that he would go back later.

After Zheng Hao left, Gu Lin entered the Happiness Building.

He originally thought he would see Yu Ge'er standing behind the counter, but unexpectedly it was Chen Xiaoliu, who usually worked as a waiter, doing the accounting and serving customers, with Yu Ge'er sitting next to him.

Gu Lin became curious. When he left the county town that day, he asked Chen Xiaoliu to help take care of Xingfu Building, meaning he wanted the other party to help Yu Ge'er. He didn't expect that something would happen now that he didn't know about.

Yu Ge'er's gaze kept scanning the lobby, so when Gu Lin came in, he was the first to spot him.

Yu Ge'er stood up and waited for Gu Lin to come to the counter. Before Gu Lin could ask any questions, Yu Ge'er explained, "I had nothing to do at home, so I continued to run Happiness Restaurant. Xiao Liu learned arithmetic from me and also knows some characters, so I let him greet the customers while I watched over him to prevent him from making mistakes."

At this point, Yu Ge'er couldn't help but feel a little worried. He wondered if Lin Ge'er would think he had acted on his own initiative.

Unexpectedly, Gu Lin said with a smile, "Luckily, you and Sister-in-law Zhao are helping me keep an eye on things. Otherwise, if I were to work only sporadically, Happiness Building and Happiness Residence would have gone out of business long ago."

Seeing that Gu Lin didn't seem to mind at all, Yu Ge'er was relieved.

Afterwards, he laughed at himself, thinking, "Don't I know what kind of person Brother Lin is? If he really cared about these things, he wouldn't have entrusted the restaurant to me."

However, a cryptic smile appeared on Gu Lin's lips.

He looked at Yu Ge'er with a teasing look in his eyes and said, "Yu Ge'er is a good husband-teacher. Now, thanks to your teaching, Xiao Liu Ge is good at both internal and external affairs. He not only takes care of the family, but he can also be a manager. Otherwise, if Sister Zhao says that Yu Ge'er is to go east, Xiao Liu Ge wouldn't dare to go west."

Unexpectedly, Gu Lin suddenly started teasing him. Yu Ge'er's cheeks flushed, and he was about to speak with annoyance when Gu Lin cleverly ran away.