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

Zheng Hao and Gu An walked up to Gu Lin. Although Zheng Hao didn't say anything, Gu Lin nodded slightly, and Gu Lin understood that Gu An's schooling was settled.

After leaving the Chen family and getting on the oxcart, Gu Lin thought about how long Zheng Hao and Gu An had spent meeting with Scholar Chen and asked curiously, "Why did you stay inside for so long? What did Scholar Chen say to you?"

Zheng Hao said, "Chen first examined Gu An, and after being satisfied with his learning, he accepted him as a student. Then he tested my learning."

"Huh?" Gu Lin was a little confused, his eyes showing bewilderment. Wasn't the other party taking Gu An to become a disciple? How come he was being tested by Chen Juren?

Seeing Uncle Gu's bewildered expression, Zheng Hao explained, "Chen, a scholar, used to be a teacher at the prefectural school. After learning that I was a student there, he became interested in testing me."

As early as when Zheng Hao brought the boy into the study, Chen Juren noticed this young man of noble character. After testing the boy's level, Chen Juren wanted to test Zheng Hao's knowledge.

I didn't expect that the other person would answer my first question without hesitation.

Chen, the scholar, increased the difficulty of the questions and continued to ask them, but Zheng Hao still did not think about them and quickly answered his questions.

The questions he asked became increasingly difficult. Except for the last policy question, where Chen Juren spoke a bit too fast and Zheng Hao didn't hear it clearly, he thought about the question for a while but was still not stumped and dictated a policy question on the spot.

Zheng Hao's performance truly surprised Chen, the scholar. He hadn't expected that such a talented student would emerge from the prefectural school after only a few years of absence.

He wanted to keep them to continue the examination, but Zheng Hao was respectful and explained that his elders were waiting for them outside, so Chen Juren couldn't force them to stay.

In private, Gu Lin spoke without restraint in front of his close relatives such as Zheng Hao and Zhao's sister-in-law, and some of his behavior seemed a bit out of line, such as criticizing Chen Juren.

Gu Lin grumbled, "There's no reason for anyone to test you the moment they come to our door. Are we going to take you as a student, or take Gu An as a student?"

Zheng Hao comforted him, "Uncle Gu, don't take it to heart. It's just an assessment; consider it a review of your previous lessons."

Gu Lin was just making a few casual complaints; he didn't really dislike Chen Juren.

Moreover, he was not an ungrateful fool. The fact that Chen Juren was willing to test Zheng Hao and even kept him in his study for so long shows that even Chen Juren, who had been immersed in the imperial examination for many years, thought highly of Zheng Hao.

Gu Lin turned his head, lowered his eyes slightly, and asked Gu An, "An'an, did Scholar Chen say when you're going to school?"

Gu An lowered his head and played with the nine-linked rings in his hand. He had already solved the seven-linked rings before. When he heard Gu Lin call him, Gu An looked up and said, "Seven days later."

It's the end of March now, and in seven days it will be the beginning of April.

Zheng Hao tilted his head slightly and glanced at Gu An indifferently.

Gu An sensed this and added, "We also need to buy school uniforms, a bookcase, and books."

Gu Lin listened and nodded, saying, "I've prepared everything except the school uniform. We'll buy the school uniform on our way back later."

Gu An nodded in agreement.

In early April, Gu An, dressed in a light blue school uniform, with her slightly chubby little body carrying a small book box, said goodbye to Gu Lin and then turned to walk into the Chen family home.

Gu Lin and Zheng Hao turned and boarded the oxcart. Recalling Gu An's figure as he walked into the Chen family's house, and looking at Zheng Hao sitting opposite him, Gu Lin couldn't help but recall that when Zheng Hao was a child, he was just like Gu An, with a small body carrying a large book box on his back, walking into the private school as steadily as a little adult.

Gu Lin sighed, "You've grown so much."

Gu Lin is only twenty-four years old now, and saying such things seems like he's trying to appear mature, but he has indeed watched Zheng Hao grow from a little child into a teenager.

Zheng Hao lowered his gaze slightly, meeting the memories and sighs in Uncle Gu's eyes, along with a touch of nostalgia.

Zheng Hao is not one to dwell on the past; he prefers to look forward. Undeniably, he and Uncle Gu have many fond memories of the past, but in Zheng Hao's view, he and Uncle Gu will have an even brighter future.

Looking at the young man in front of him with his dark eyes, Zheng Hao said, "Although I have grown up, Uncle Gu is still in his prime."

He's grown up now, so... when will Uncle Gu stop treating him like a child and start focusing all his attention on him?

Zheng Hao lowered his eyes slightly, suppressing the surging emotions within them.

Gu An laughed when he heard Zheng Hao's words, "How can you grow up while I don't change?"

Although Gu Lin didn't feel old—in modern times, twenty-four is the age of just graduating from university and is undoubtedly a young person—in ancient times, when girls and boys married and had children at fifteen, Gu Lin was not young.

From Uncle Gu's jet-black, shiny hair to the other woman's smooth, fair face without any wrinkles or blemishes, Zheng Hao had seen many women and men of the same age as Uncle Gu. They were either from wealthy families or poor and destitute, but none of them could compare to Uncle Gu in terms of appearance and demeanor.

People say that businessmen are cunning and corrupt, but Uncle Gu has always maintained a childlike heart. Perhaps it is this childlike heart that makes Uncle Gu different from his peers and still retain the vigor of a young man.

The oxcart arrived at the prefectural school first. The driver called out a few times from outside, and Gu Lin said to Zheng Hao, who was sitting opposite him, "Go."

Zheng Hao got up, picked up the food box that was placed next to him, and went downstairs.

Gu Lin leaned out and said to the driver, "Go back to Haoyunlou."

Upon arriving at Haoyunlou, Gu Lin dismounted from the oxcart and entered the restaurant. Lin Xiaoyao, who was behind the counter, saw him come in and called out loudly, "Master."

Lin Xiaoyao rarely behaved like this, so Gu Lin went over and asked, "What's wrong?"

There weren't many diners in the lobby at the moment, so Lin Xiaoyao walked around the counter and whispered in Gu Lin's ear, "A few days ago, the waiter who was cleaning the restaurant accidentally knocked over the gift that Young Master Fang gave you. The waiter rushed over to tell me, and when I picked up the gift box from the ground, I found that it was already open, so I checked to see if anything inside was broken. Who knew that the gift Young Master Fang gave was a set of jade jewelry? If the jade hadn't been well protected inside the gift box, it would have shattered when the box fell to the ground."

Gu Lin, who hadn't even frowned when he heard the waiter knock over the gift, frowned and turned to Lin Xiaoyao to ask, "Where is the gift from Young Master Fang?"

Lin Xiaoyao said, "I was afraid that the cleaning assistant would drop it again, so I took it out of the storeroom and put it in the room where you rest during the day, boss."

Gu Lin breathed a sigh of relief and said to Lin Xiaoyao, "You did a great job."

After saying that, he told the other party to continue with the accounting and not to worry about him, and then turned and went to the room he had reserved for himself at Good Fortune Restaurant.

Upon entering the room, Gu Lin saw a gift box on the counter next to the bed.

Gu Lin stepped forward and untied the ribbon on the gift box. Then he opened the box and sure enough, a bright green color flashed before his eyes. Inside the gift box was a set of jewelry made of light blue jade, including jade, a thumb ring, a hairpin and earrings.

Although Gu Lin didn't know how to appraise jade, he could tell how expensive the set was just by looking at the lustrous green jade jewelry lying in the gift box.

Gu Lin's face showed annoyance. When the servant presented the gift that day, he did not specifically mention it, so he assumed that Fang Jiyue was sending local specialties as usual. He did not expect that this time, for some reason, he would send a set of jade jewelry worth a lot of money.

If Gu Lin had known in advance what was inside the gift box, he would never have accepted it. But now that so much time has passed, it wouldn't look good for him to return the jade to Fu Man Lou.

Looking at the jade jewelry in front of him, Gu Lin had a headache. Oh well, he would find an excuse to return the gift when Fang Jiyue returned to the city next time.

Rubbing his temples, Gu Lin picked up the gift box, moved a few steps to a cabinet, bent down and put the gift box in the cabinet. Just as he was about to get up, there was a knock on the door.

Gu Lin locked the cabinet door, then turned around and asked loudly, "Who is it!"

A soft female voice came in: "Uncle Gu is my Xiao Cui."

A look of confusion crossed Gu Lin's face. He didn't understand why the other party had suddenly come to find him. He walked to the table, sat down, and then said loudly, "Come in."

With a creak, the door opened, and Xiao Cui's small, thin body entered the room.

When Gu Lin saw Xiao Cui again after half a month, he felt that she had changed a little, inside and out.

For example, when they first met, Xiao Cui was so thin that she was just skin and bones. Due to long-term hunger, her skin was dark purple. But after half a month of recuperation, her previously sunken lips became fuller, and her skin gradually improved.

Most importantly, the other party has become bolder and more energetic. Originally, Xiao Cui dared not look directly at anyone except Zhao's wife, but now, from the moment she entered the room until now, her eyes have been constantly meeting Gu Lin's.

Gu Lin thought it was good that there was such a change, which meant that the other person still had hope for life.

Walking a few steps in front of Gu Lin, Xiao Cui looked directly at him, but her voice was still low: "Uncle Gu, do you need anyone to work here?"

Having clearly understood what the other person was saying, Gu Lin asked the person in front of him, "Why aren't you staying home and resting? You're not fully recovered yet, so don't rush to find work. Does your sister-in-law know you want to go out and find work?"

Xiao Cui nodded first, and then said, "I've talked to my aunt, and she agreed to let me go out and find work. I've also recovered my health and want to be like my brother and the others, getting up early and going home late every day to have my own things to do, instead of just eating and sleeping at home."

Seeing the light and longing in Xiao Cui's eyes as she spoke of Lin Xiaoyao, and the gradually firming look on her face, Gu Lin finally realized why she had made this decision.

Gu Lin didn't agree immediately. He pondered for a moment and said to Xiao Cui, "There are plenty of jobs to do at Good Fortune Tower, but they are all hard work. Are you willing to do them?"

Xiao Cui nodded without hesitation and said to Gu Lin, "I'm willing."

Xiao Cui continued, "Uncle Gu, you don't need to worry about me being Aunt's relative. Just assign me any work you need."

Gu Lin shook his head slightly and said, "I have never had any rules about favoritism or closeness. I only look at the ability of my subordinates. Whether they are men or women, I dare to use anyone who is capable."

"Is this how Uncle Gu promoted Little Brother?" Xiao Cui suddenly asked.

Gu Lin nodded.

The thin, numb girl in front of him gradually regained her light. She opened her mouth, trying to confirm again: "If one day I can be like Little Brother, Uncle Gu won't think I'm a girl..."

Xiao Cui was interrupted by Gu Lin before she could finish speaking.

"No," Gu Lin said firmly, "but there's one thing you must remember: Good Fortune Tower does not employ people who break the law or are morally corrupt. No matter how capable such a person is, I will not use them."

After a moment of silence, Xiao Cui said, "Uncle Gu, I understand. Please arrange some work for me."

"Don't rush," Gu Lin said to Xiao Cui. "I'll have Xiao Yao arrange work for you. You should start as a waiter. At Haoyunlou, you have to learn everything, whether it's kitchen work or waiter work. But since you're a woman, you won't have to waiter work, but you'll be assigned to help the female customers in the private rooms grill meat."

After Gu Lin finished speaking, he didn't say anything more.

Xiao Cui had finally recovered from the ordeal and rekindled her hope for life. She couldn't tell him that Lin Xiaoyao's rise to the position of manager was largely due to his innate shrewdness. It was extremely difficult for an ordinary employee to become a manager. However, Gu Lin didn't say anything to undermine Xiao Cui's confidence. He believed that Zhao Saozi's decision not to stop her from finding work was because she shared his thoughts.

Xiao Cui bowed and thanked him, "Thank you, Uncle Gu."

.

In the courtyard full of spring, a deck chair swayed back and forth, and upon closer inspection, a young man lay on it in a languid posture.

The young man looked relaxed, engrossed in reading a storybook.

Recently, Gu Lin became fascinated with vernacular stories after reading travelogues. Ancient vernacular stories were not just about old-fashioned tales of talented scholars and beautiful women; the openness of the ancients' minds was no less than that of modern people.

Gu Lin was reading a love story about Emperor Yongwu of the Yong Dynasty and his ministers, which was fabricated by the people of Daqian. The author wrote it in a way that resembled a modern novel. It described how Emperor Yongwu was a political enemy of his ministers when he was a prince, and how he purged his political enemies after ascending the throne, but only spared his ministers.

The author describes the minister as having the looks of Song Yu and Pan An, with a slender and graceful figure. Emperor Wu was very fond of him and summoned him to the palace every night to sleep with his feet touching.

Gu Lin felt increasingly aching as he read on. He hadn't expected that it wasn't just modern people who enjoyed writing fan fiction; ancient scholars were just as good at it as modern people.

With its plot and explicit content, Gu Lin was engrossed in reading when he suddenly felt a shadow loom over him.

Gu Lin usually reads these kinds of stories either in his own bedroom or openly after everyone in his family has left. Suddenly, someone appeared in front of him, and Gu Lin was startled.

With a tremor in his hand, Gu Lin quickly closed the storybook. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he looked up and saw that the person in front of him was Sister Zhao.

Without making a sound, Gu Lin hid the storybook behind his back and said to Sister Zhao, "Sister-in-law, you're back. I've cooked the rice."

His posture was very obedient, which made Sister Zhao pinch his fair and soft cheeks with both joy and affection, saying, "Good boy, I will make you something delicious later."

After saying that, Sister Zhao handed over the invitation in her hand and said, "Brother Lin, this is the invitation that Xiao Yao received. The person who sent the invitation originally wanted to give it to you in person, but since you haven't been to Haoyunlou these past two days, they had no choice but to give it to Xiao Yao instead."

After taking the invitation, Gu Lin opened it and read through its contents. A look of surprise crossed his face. Seeing this, Aunt Zhao asked, "Is there anything bad written inside?"

Gu Lin shook his head, his expression somewhat strange, and said, "On the contrary, this invitation is very good."

Hearing that it was good, Sister Zhao was relieved. Without asking any more questions, she turned and went to the kitchen.

Lin Ge'er is a picky eater; he thinks even the dishes he makes are not good. He can only eat the dishes she makes. Zhao Saozi walked into the kitchen with a helpless look on her face.