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

Even though Zhao's wife knew that Gu Lin had gone to buy servants, she was still surprised when she saw him return with a group of people.

She put down the handkerchief in her hand and went up to greet him with Brother Zhao, asking, "Brother Lin, why did you bring so many people back?"

Gu Lin said, "I'll tell you later, sister-in-law."

After saying that, he turned to the group of people behind him and said, "These two are my sister-in-law and elder brother. You can call them Sister-in-law Zhao and Elder Brother Zhao from now on."

Lin Xiaoyao and her group nodded in agreement.

Then, Gu Lin turned to Sister Zhao and said, "Sister Zhao, why don't you take them to clean up first? There are several young men and women inside."

Looking at the large group of people in front of her, Zhao's mind was still blank, but because she had always done whatever Gu Lin said.

Therefore, when she didn't understand something, Sister Zhao did as Gu Lin said.

Gu Lin raised the small arm he was holding, his expression showing some hesitation. Then, he said to Sister Zhao, "Sister-in-law, help him take a bath. He's still young. Check him later to see if he has any injuries."

Aunt Zhao had noticed the child beside Gu Lin long ago. Although she didn't understand why he went to buy servants but brought back a child, she didn't press him for details.

She took a few steps forward to hold the child's hand, but the child timidly took a step back and hid behind Gu Lin.

Seeing this, Gu Lin squatted down to face the child. Looking into the child's clear, innocent eyes, Gu Lin said, "Don't worry, your sister-in-law won't hurt you. Come with me to get clean."

The child stared at Gu Lin in front of him for a long time without reacting. Then he blinked and slowly let go of Gu Lin's hand, walked out from behind him, and placed his hand on Zhao's sister-in-law's hand again when she reached out to him.

After Sister Zhao led the group away, Gu Lin said to Brother Zhao in front of him, "Brother Zhao, go to the clothing store and buy a few clothes. Their clothes are unwearable after washing."

Brother Zhao nodded in agreement and immediately turned to leave.

The courtyard, which was originally a bit crowded because it was full of people, suddenly became much emptier after so many people left.

Gu Lin found a chair in the lobby and sat down. Zheng Hao didn't say anything, but silently followed and sat down next to him.

The two rarely fell silent together; Gu Lin always had so much to say, but now the other person was silent, which showed that he was not in a good mood.

Originally, he was waiting for Uncle Gu to take the initiative to speak and tell him about his inner turmoil, but the young man beside him only lowered his head slightly, picked up the teacup on the table with his left hand, picked up the lid with his right hand, and listlessly brushed the tea leaves off the tea.

After a moment's hesitation, Zheng Hao asked, "Uncle Gu, are you still troubled by the matter of buying and selling servants?"

Even though he was mature beyond his years, Zheng Hao found it difficult to remain calm when he saw his beloved Uncle Gu looking unhappy.

Without remaining silent, Gu Lin opened his lips, and Zheng Hao's heart sank.

Scratching the lid of his teacup, Gu Lin's gaze lingered on the tea leaves floating in the pale yellow tea.

He shook his head slightly and said, "That's not entirely true. I just felt a sense of kinship when I saw those children."

Gu Lin thought he had long since stopped caring about being abandoned as a child, but when he bought the child today, he found that he still harbored resentment about it deep down.

When the emaciated, small figure grabbed him and looked at him with those clear, bottomless eyes, Gu Lin's body gradually stiffened.

Gu Lin felt a sense of déjà vu about this scene.

In his youth, Gu Lin often dreamed of having a home in the dead of night.

When we were little, whenever a couple came to the orphanage to adopt a child, all the children would rush up to them, looking at the couple with longing eyes, hoping that they could be adopted by them.

Gu Lin is naturally quiet and reserved, while couples who adopt children prefer outgoing and lively children, so Gu Lin is not among the choices for couples who want to adopt children.

Gu Lin watched longingly as each couple took away other children from the orphanage. At first, she felt envious and sad, constantly blaming herself for not being more lively, cheerful, and likable.

However, as he grew older, the pressures of studies and life gradually fell on Gu Lin's shoulders, and he no longer had the time or energy to care about these things.

The children at the brokerage today instantly reminded Gu Lin of himself. They were both lonely and orphans. The difference was that Gu Lin was abandoned by his parents, while this child's parents did not abandon him, but died from serious injuries, leaving him all alone.

Hearing the young man's low voice and words beside him, Zheng Hao's expression shifted slightly.

A few obscure emotions flashed across his eyes.

So, Uncle Gu was the same person all along?

Suppressing the many questions in his mind, Zheng Hao closed his eyes slightly and then opened them, calling out, "Uncle Gu."

This time, the way he called out "Uncle Gu" was not the usual soft and gentle way he did. It carried the slightly deep voice unique to young men, and Gu Lin's gaze shifted away from the tea lid.

Gu Lin looked up at Zheng Hao, and when he met the eyes of the young man beside him, Zheng Hao noticed that the man's once vibrant eyes were now filled with sadness.

Looking at the young man's eyes, which were slightly dimmed compared to before, Zheng Hao said, "My experience is similar to that of Uncle Gu. I lost both my parents at a young age and was left with no one to rely on. If it weren't for Uncle Gu taking me in and raising me, I would have had to live under someone else's roof and have to be mindful of their feelings."

"Although I did not experience what Uncle Gu went through, no matter what happened in the past, Uncle Gu and I are now family, and we will never abandon each other."

Zheng Hao never liked repeating himself, but in front of Gu Lin, he repeatedly assured him, "We will be together forever."

Gu Lin's low spirits mainly stemmed from recalling his childhood experiences, but he has now experienced many things, and he only needs some time to quietly process these negative emotions.

Zheng Hao didn't want to be so concerned about his emotions, so he kept comforting himself.

Looking at Zheng Hao beside him, whose heart and eyes were filled with nothing but him, Gu Lin suddenly felt that he was deluded.

When did he become so fickle and indecisive?

The past is the past. Since others don't cherish him and have abandoned him, he shouldn't be sad about it. Otherwise, he will only hurt himself and the people around him who care about him.

The listlessness on his face had completely disappeared, and Gu Lin looked as if the sun had come out after a storm. He said to Zheng Hao, "I was confused for a moment, but I'm fine now."

Seeing that Uncle Gu had figured it out, Zheng Hao was slightly relieved, but the heaviness in his heart still lingered.

He could tell, or rather, he had known for three years that the Uncle Gu in front of him was no longer the Gu Lin he once was.

Who is Uncle Gu in front of me?

Mountain spirits and monsters?

Or are they wandering ghosts?

Zheng Hao didn't care. To him, whether Uncle Gu was the former or the latter, all he knew was that the young man in front of him was Uncle Gu who cared for and protected him.

Since they know the other person is not Gu Lin, then Gu's father and mother cannot be the other person's parents. So, what did Uncle Gu go through to say something like "I feel sorry for someone of my kind"?

Seeing the young man who had finally managed to put a smile back on his face, Zheng Hao's gaze darkened, but he didn't ask the question.

After buying the clothes, Brother Zhao brought them to the backyard for Lin Xiaoyao and her group to change into.

A moment later, Sister Zhao led a group of people out of the backyard.

It must be said that after the cleanup, Lin Xiaoyao and her group underwent a tremendous change.

The group of people who had previously looked like beggars and were filthy now looked much more energetic after putting on clean and tidy new clothes.

Leading the child over, Sister Zhao said to Gu Lin, "Their hair was oily and dirty, and several of them had their hair tangled up. In addition, I saw that the water was murky after they washed several basins of water, so I took scissors and cut their hair. After cutting their hair, it will be much easier to wash them."

After saying that, she took the hand of the child beside her and said, "This child has no injuries, but he is too thin. There is no flesh on his stomach, just bones."

Looking at the well-behaved and clean child next to Sister Zhao, Gu Lin said, "Thank you for your hard work, Sister Zhao. Please sit down."

After hesitating for a moment, Sister Zhao left the child where she was and went over to sit down.

Then, Gu Lin's expression turned serious, and his gaze swept over the group of people standing in the hall.

Afterwards, he said, "I bought you back not so that you would serve me."

The group of people standing in the lobby changed their previously numb expressions.

Upon closer inspection, their expressions showed no relief or liberation, but rather a pervasive sense of panic.

Unaffected, Gu Lin continued, "I have other things for you to do."

“I own a restaurant, and you are the waiters I bought. Although I have your indentures, I won’t treat you like other employers do, scolding or beating you. However,” Gu Lin’s tone shifted, “I’m not doing charity work. If any of you cheat or act wickedly, I won’t beat you, but I will sell you back to the brokerage firm.”

Gu Lin's words, though not harsh, struck at the heart of Lin Xiaoyao and her group.

“Master, we are your people now. We will listen to whatever you say,” Lin Xiaoyao said.

Then, the people around Lin Xiaoyao responded one after another.

Gu Lin turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on Lin Xiaoyao.

The slender young man stood at the front of the crowd, giving off the air of a leader.

Gu Lin said, "I won't let you do anything illegal or risk your lives. As long as you work hard, I won't treat you unfairly."

"From now on, you will continue to use your old names; I will not make any changes."

Lin Xiaoyao and her group's expressions changed: "Thank you, host, thank you, host."

Gu Lin didn't say anything more.

He held the indentures of these people, meaning he had the power of life and death over them.

However, Gu Lin didn't want things to escalate to that point, so he gave some warnings in advance.

This is how you get a date for every beating you receive.

Gu Lin said, "Everything's packed. Come with me."

Although Gu Lin took them home to wash up, he never intended for them to live with him.

There were empty rooms in the backyard of the Fucheng Restaurant, and these people would be working at the restaurant in the future, so Gu Lin had planned to let them live there from the beginning.

Gu Lin got up and led his group away. As he passed the standing child, his gaze fell on him.

Turning his head slightly, Gu Lin said to Sister Zhao, "The child is too young, let him live with us for now."

After hearing Gu Lin's words, Zhao's wife breathed a slight sigh of relief. She had been worried about how such a young child would live after going to the restaurant with a group of people. Now that Gu Lin had said that the child could stay and live with them, everything would be fine.

After leading the group to the restaurant and settling them in, Gu Lin said, "You all have a good rest today. I'll come back to train you again tomorrow."

Lin Xiaoyao replied, "Okay, thank you, host."

Gu Lin nodded, and before leaving, he said to Lin Xiaoyao, "You're young and clever, so keep an eye on them and don't let them cause any trouble."

Lin Xiaoyao wasn't stupid; she immediately understood what the other person meant.

He suppressed his excitement and said, "Don't worry, I will keep a close eye on them."

Gu Lin turned and left.

True to his word, Gu Lin gave Lin Xiaoyao and her group a day to rest, and then came over the next day to train them.

When they arrived, he and Zheng Hao brought two large bags of ready-made clothes. Apart from the clothes that Brother Zhao had bought, these people had no other clothes to change into.

It's the height of summer now, and Gu Lin can't stand them wearing the same clothes for several days in a row.

Since we've already spent the big money, there's no need to save the small amount.

After distributing the clothes, Gu Lin separated the men and the girls for training.

He bought so many people, not to have them run errands.

The city's high cost of living meant that Gu Lin had plenty of room to make his mark, so he had many ideas for the newly opened restaurant.

However, all of this could only be implemented after the people were trained. Fortunately, although Lin Xiaoyao and her group were quite inexperienced at first, they gradually got the hang of the restaurant's affairs under Gu Lin's training.

Seeing this, Gu Lin breathed a sigh of relief.

I was initially worried that they, like the people of the prefecture, would have difficulty mastering what they were being trained in.

Unexpectedly, these people studied very hard, and they reduced what Gu Lin originally needed half a month to learn to seven days.

Previously, due to insufficient manpower, Gu Lin's restaurant, even though it was fully renovated and ready to open, lacked the necessary resources. Now that the staff has been trained, Gu Lin can move up the opening date of the restaurant.

However, Zheng Hao started school much earlier than the restaurant opened.

After finishing his work at the restaurant and returning home, Gu Lin saw Zheng Hao sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard.

Originally, there were no stone tables and benches in the courtyard of the prefectural city, but Gu Lin and his companions were used to the layout of the courtyard in the county town, so Gu Lin asked someone to make a set of stone tables and benches.

"Uncle Gu is back."

Looking at the clothes on the stone table behind Zheng Hao, Gu Lin asked, "Have you completed the enrollment procedures at the prefectural school?"

Before leaving home in the morning, Zheng Hao told himself about going to the prefectural school to pay his tuition and receive his school uniform.

Gu Lin walked closer and closer, and after the other person sat down beside him, Zheng Hao spoke softly, talking about his trip to the academy that day.

Gu Lin listened attentively.

From Zheng Hao, Gu Lin learned about the prefectural schools of this era.

Like modern schools, the academy had all sorts of rules. For example, as a student of the academy, one had to wear the academy uniform every day, and was not allowed to skip classes without a reason or talk back to teachers. Otherwise, one would be given a verbal reprimand or expelled from the academy.

As he spoke of some of the representative rules of the prefectural school, Zheng Hao noticed that the young man beside him was gradually showing interest, and then he brought up the topic of accommodation.