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

Sister Zhao prepared a large table of dishes.

After Gu Lin was taken away by the yamen runners, Sister Zhao wanted to ask Fang Jiyue for help, hoping to ask him to inquire about the situation at the government office. However, she was stopped by Brother Zhao, who was usually quiet and reserved.

Brother Zhao said, "If Ercheng hasn't returned, it means Zheng Hao has found a way to save Lin Ge'er. Now you're going to find Young Master Fang. What if a conflict breaks out between the two sides and the opportunity to save Lin Ge'er is missed?"

Zhao's wife frowned and said with annoyance, "What do you suggest we do? Although it's true that Zheng is a scholar, he's only a student at the prefectural school now. Lin'er, on the other hand, has been arrested by the yamen runners. Can Zheng really get him out?"

“I can’t guarantee anything if it were anyone else,” Brother Zhao said. “But if even Zheng can’t rescue Lin Ge’er, it won’t matter how many people you ask.”

Brother Zhao said to Sister-in-law Zhao, "What we need to do now is to keep ourselves calm and not cause trouble for Zheng and Lin."

Zhao's sister-in-law then suppressed the urge to ask Fang Jiyue for help.

Fortunately, Zheng did manage to rescue Lin Ge'er completely from the government office.

After dinner, Gu Lin went back to his room to take a shower, changed into his nightgown, and lay down on the bed.

Although Gu Lin did not suffer any real harm after spending the whole day at the government office, he remained on edge.

Light footsteps sounded outside. Gu Lin looked up from the top of the bed and saw Zhao's wife carrying in a bowl of medicine.

Gu Lin has a keen sense of smell. Even though the other party hadn't gotten close, he could already smell a distinct medicinal herb scent.

Gu Lin looked at Sister Zhao and said, "Sister-in-law, I'm not sick, I don't need to take medicine."

Zhao Saozi placed the medicine bowl on the counter beside the bed and turned to Gu Lin, saying, "This is a calming medicine. You were frightened today. Drink this calming medicine later and you'll be able to sleep well without worrying about having nightmares."

Gu Lin lowered his eyes and looked at Zhao's sister-in-law's fingers, which were red from the cold, and said, "It's so cold, thank you for brewing me some calming medicine. Does your hand still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt at all. I apply the ointment you bought for me every night before I go to sleep, and my palms have never cracked again."

Because of her family's poverty in her early years, Zhao's hands would get chilblains and chapped every winter. After Gu Lin discovered this, he took her to see a doctor and then urged her to apply ointment every day.

Three years have passed, and Zhao's hands have gradually healed. Now, in winter, her fingers may ache and itch a little, but she has never had chilblains or cracks again.

Pointing to the calming medicine, Zhao's wife said, "I've never seen a more thoughtful child than Zheng. As soon as you got back to your room, he told me to brew you some calming medicine. Otherwise, I would have forgotten about it."

This cannot be said to be because Sister Zhao was careless; rather, it is because rural families have never cared about these things.

Normally, if a child gets frightened while playing outside, the elders would not think of taking the child to see a doctor or brewing calming medicine. Instead, they would invite a local shaman to their home to exorcise the evil spirit, and then give the child a bowl of talisman water, after which the child would be fine.

Why would anyone waste money and firewood to brew a calming medicine? It's not that precious.

Thinking of how Zheng Hao had been running around for him all day, Gu Lin asked Zhao's wife, "Did Xiao Hao take his calming medicine?"

Sister Zhao patted his arm gently and said, "Don't worry, Zheng didn't want to drink it at first, but I made sure he drank it before coming here."

Perhaps it was Zhao's vivid description that brought to Gu Lin's mind the image of Zheng Hao, who clearly did not want to drink the tranquilizer, but was forced to drink it by Zhao's watchful eye.

A smile appeared on Gu Lin's face. Then, he raised his hand, picked up the calming medicine, and put the bowl to his lips to drink it.

The calming medicine was warm and slightly bitter. Gu Lin frowned, but still finished drinking it in the end.

Seeing that Gu Lin had finished drinking the medicine, Zhao's wife took the empty bowl and stood up, saying, "You should rest well. I'll go back now."

Gu Lin nodded, and then he lay down on the soft bed. Perhaps it was because the sedative was working, but his tense nerves slowly relaxed, and Gu Lin drifted into a deep sleep.

Good Fortune Restaurant had just gone through a storm, and Gu Lin was worried that it would take some time for the restaurant to recover. But to his surprise, when he arrived at Good Fortune Restaurant the next day, he found that the restaurant was well-managed.

Zhao's wife praised Lin Xiaoyao in front of Gu Lin, saying, "After you were taken away by the yamen runners yesterday, I panicked and didn't know what to do. Fortunately, Xiaoyao was there to remind me and help me appease the customers and manage the restaurant. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to handle it all by myself."

"There's still 20% left, and he's been running around doing all that work."

Gu Lin had never imagined that Lin Xiaoyao and Yu Ercheng could help Zhao Saozi stabilize Haoyunlou.

Especially Lin Xiaoyao. Gu Lin had always thought that she was very opinionated and capable, and that she was a promising talent. After what happened yesterday, Gu Lin became even more certain of this.

Gu Lin said to Lin Xiaoyao, "Xiaoyao, from now on you will hand over the task of purchasing ingredients to Ercheng, and you will stay by my side to manage the restaurant together."

Lin Xiaoyao was pleasantly surprised when Gu Lin finished speaking.

He was incredulous and stammered, "Master, you..."

Gu Lin smiled and said, "Yesterday's incident happened suddenly, but you were able to remain calm and stabilize the situation in the restaurant. For that alone, I have to reward you. I originally wanted to train you to be the manager, but now it's just been brought forward. You deserve to be Manager Lin."

Gu Lin's words were tinged with teasing.

"Thank you, Boss. Thank you, Boss."

Lin Xiaoyao said excitedly.

Then, Gu Lin turned to Yu Ercheng and said, "You still need to hone your skills. As your abilities increase in the future, I will not treat you unfairly."

"Yes, boss!"

Yu Ercheng was not discouraged at all about Lin Xiaoyao being taken under his wing and given special training by his employer. Lin Xiaoyao's abilities were obvious to all, and he could not feel any dissatisfaction.

After arranging their future work, Gu Lin took out two contracts.

Lin Xiaoyao and Yu Ercheng had seen these two contracts countless times at the brokerage. Their eyes were fixed on Gu Lin, and their breathing gradually quickened.

Gu Lin smiled slightly and said, "When I bought you, I made it clear that I always punish those who are guilty and reward those who are meritorious. I have seen everything you have done in the past few months. This is your indenture. I have gone to the government to release you from your slave status. Now you are free."

Lin Xiaoyao and Yu Ercheng were deeply moved and unable to calm down.

For them, everything they did yesterday was simply their duty.

Gu Lin was their master, and their fate was inextricably linked with his. If something happened to him, their situation would not be much better.

They originally thought that the fact that their master was promoting them would be the greatest reward, but they never expected that the other party would actually release their indenture.

Lin Xiaoyao and Yu Ercheng were filled with gratitude and said to Gu Lin, "Thank you so much, boss. We can never repay your kindness. We will definitely serve you and help you solve your problems in the future."

Seeing the two people who were almost crying with joy, Gu Lin did not laugh at them.

He turned to the other people in the lobby who were filled with envy and said, "What I said before will still hold true in the future. As long as you work hard for me, I will not mistreat any of you."

"It's the boss."

If the people had previously been skeptical of their master's words, now that Gu Lin had released Lin Xiaoyao and Yu Ercheng's indenture, they no longer had any doubts.

At the same time, Gu Lin also inspired everyone's ambition and drive.

Gu Lin said to Lin Xiaoyao, "Everyone has worked hard these days. This month, each of you will receive an extra tael of silver as a bonus."

Everyone immediately expressed their gratitude, saying, "Thank you so much, boss!"

The next day, diners at Good Fortune Restaurant noticed that the waiters, who had looked worried just two days before, were all smiles.

They asked with some curiosity, "You don't need to be so happy that your boss is back. You all have a wide grin on your faces that hasn't stopped."

The waiter said cheerfully, "Sir, you don't know this, but our boss has been released without charge. We, his men, are overjoyed that we haven't lost our jobs. Moreover, our boss has given us bonuses as a reward."

"Wow!" a diner exclaimed in surprise. "Your boss is quite something. If it were another restaurant owner who was wronged and went to the government office, his people would be lucky if they weren't scolded or beaten. Not only did your boss not do that, he even gave you a bonus."

The waiter was secretly pleased, but at the same time he was thinking that there were even better options, since those who were capable were all free now.

Despite thinking this way, Xiao Er was still very happy. The fact that his kind-hearted master was safe and sound was the best news for them.

After all, these days, there aren't many masters who treat their servants like human beings, like Boss Gu.

While chatting with the diners, the waiter smiled and said when they were about to order: "Sir, our Haoyunlou Restaurant has developed a new dish. To thank all our customers for their continued support, the owner has decided that the new dish will only be charged at half price for the next month."

"Oh?" The diner asked curiously, "Doesn't your Good Fortune Restaurant specialize in roast meat and antique soup? Why are you starting to cook like other restaurants?"

The waiter smiled and said, "Look at what you're saying. Our Good Luck Restaurant always puts the customers' wishes first. After the owner heard that many customers wanted to try new dishes, he worked hard to develop them. We just made them, and we tasted them and thought they were good before we dared to serve them to you!"

The diner raised his hand and pointed at the waiter, saying, "Look at you, spouting such nice words as if they're free. Well then, I'll order one, but if it's not good, I won't hold back."

"Of course, of course!" the waiter replied.

After saying that, the waiter left.

A moment later, he came over carrying a tray in both hands.

The waiter takes the dishes off the tray and places them on the table in front of the diner.

The diners were initially full of curiosity about what new dishes Hao Yun Lou could develop, but when they saw the fish slices floating on the ceramic bowl in front of them, their faces turned sour.

"You're asking me to eat food that even a dog wouldn't eat, even though it costs over a hundred coins?"

The waiter said, "Oh, sir, our Good Luck Restaurant has always been honest in our business. How could we dare to cheat you?"

The diner pointed at the fish in front of him and said, "If you're not lying to me, why would you serve fish soup? The fish is fishy, ​​smelly, and has many bones. Other restaurants fry and braise fish pieces with heavy spices, but you just boil fish in water and add a few chili peppers and think you can fool me?"

"Sir, you've really wronged us. This is a special pickled fish dish made by Xiaolou. Although it looks bland, it's incredibly flavorful. Rest assured, the fish won't have the fishy smell you're expecting. If you're not satisfied, I can even offer you a free meal!"

"Is that really true?" The diner looked at the waiter with a skeptical expression.

The waiter puffed out his chest, full of confidence, and said, "Absolutely true!"

"Alright, I'll try it first. If it's fishy and unpalatable, I'll go and have a good talk with your boss."

After the diner finished speaking, he picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of snow-white fish. He didn't dare to eat it immediately, but instead put the fish in front of him and carefully observed and smelled it.

The fish meat on the chopsticks was evenly sliced, with slightly dark fish skin covering the snow-white flesh. Diners looked down and smelled it, but there was no fishy smell as expected. On the contrary, they didn't know what the chef had added to the fish, but it smelled sour and spicy.

The smell wasn't pungent at all; on the contrary, it made diners who hadn't eaten lunch drool.

Swallowing hard, the diner looked at the fish in front of him with suspicion. Could it be that he was wrong, and the fish in front of him wasn't so bad?

Thinking this, the diner picked up a piece of fish and tentatively put it into his mouth.

Immediately, the diners paused in their chewing of the fish, but then resumed chewing the tender, spicy fish.

He had never eaten such delicious fish before. Neither the spicy fried fish served in other grand restaurants in the city nor the fish pieces braised with more than a dozen spices could compare to the sauerkraut fish in front of him.

Only the belly of the fish was tender and delicious; the other parts tasted like chewing wood.

But this restaurant manages to make the whole fish fragrant, tender, and smooth.

The diner kept putting his chopsticks into the pickled fish, completely forgetting his earlier doubts about it.

With a bowl of rice, he completely ignored the roasted meat being grilled by the waiter on the table. His eyes and mind were only on the sauerkraut fish in front of him. Gradually, the entire bowl of fish slices was finished by the diner. And that wasn't enough. The diner also ate the bean sprouts and bean curd sheets that were served with the sauerkraut fish.

"belch"

The diner let out a burp; it was the first time he had ever eaten so much outside.

He said to the waiter serving him, "Your restaurant's pickled fish is very good. Could you pack another one, no, two, for me to take home for my family?"

"okay!"

Seeing the satisfied attitude of the diners in front of him towards the pickled fish, the waiter knew that the new dish launched by his boss was a success.

He walked out of the private room with a smile, and seeing the waiter coming out of the other private rooms and walking with him to the kitchen, he couldn't help but quicken his pace.

Anyone who has tasted pickled fish can't resist its deliciousness. If he doesn't hurry to the kitchen and ask the chef to make it, he doesn't know when it will be his turn.

The popularity of the pickled fish exceeded Gu Lin's expectations. He looked at the account book that Lin Xiaoyao brought over and was momentarily stunned.