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

The medicine that Dr. Li prescribed to nourish the heart was indeed effective. After drinking it for a few days, Gu Lin felt that the tightness in his chest that he often felt eased.

At the same time, Gu Lin noticed that Zheng Hao was avoiding him.

At first, Gu Lin didn't notice anything, but after his condition improved, Gu Lin found that apart from watching him drink his medicine and the others eating together, he couldn't see Zheng Hao at all.

This change was so subtle that Gu Lin, if not for being directly involved, would not have noticed it at all.

Gu Lin began to recall the scenes of his interactions with Zheng Hao over the past few days. He realized that although Zheng Hao was still considerate and attentive to him after he fainted from emotional distress that day, seemingly no different from before, when he thought about it carefully now, Zheng Hao's expression was indifferent when he spoke to him, and his usual gentle smile was gone.

Most importantly, in the past, Zheng Hao would turn a blind eye when he poured the tonic into the potted plant, but after drinking the medicine prescribed by Doctor Li, the doctor went to great lengths to bring him the medicine himself every day at noon from the prefectural school.

Seeing the other person rushing back and forth between the academy and home, Gu Lin said with heartache and reluctance, "Just stay at the academy and study. You don't need to worry about me here."

Zheng Hao reached out and picked up the medicine bowl. After touching the scalding hot bowl, he calmly placed it in a wooden basin filled with cold water. After a moment, Zheng Hao touched the bowl with the back of his hand, then slightly raised his head to look at the young man in front of him and said, "Uncle Gu, drink your medicine. It's not hot anymore."

With this attitude, the young man's expression was indifferent, a faint smile playing on his lips, and his tone was as gentle as ever, but there was no joy in his eyes.

Gu Lin felt helpless in the face of Zheng Hao's behavior. He opened his mouth slightly, about to speak, but met the other's cold, dark eyes.

Bloodshot veins appeared around his dark eyes, and bluish shadows appeared under his fair eyes. Gu Lin's heart softened, and he didn't say anything. He reached out, took the medicine, and drank it.

After Gu Lin finished drinking the herbal medicine, Zheng Hao handed him warm water to rinse his mouth. Then, he took the empty medicine bowl, turned around and left the bedroom, saying to Uncle Gu in front of him, "Uncle Gu, I'm going out now. You can rest."

After saying that, Zheng Hao turned to leave. Just as he was about to step out of the room, Gu Lin called out to him, "Xiao Hao."

Looking at the other person's sturdy figure, Gu Lin opened his mouth slightly and asked, "Xiao Hao, what's wrong with you lately?"

After a pause, Gu Lin asked hesitantly, "But what did I do to make you..."

Upon hearing Uncle Gu call out to him, Zheng Hao's mind went blank and his body instinctively stopped.

He knew what Uncle Gu wanted to say to him, and he also understood that he had been a bit cold to Uncle Gu recently. He thought that the other party would hold him accountable and blame him, but he didn't expect that his words were all for his own good, and he even wondered if he had done something wrong.

For many days, the pent-up frustration in Zheng Hao's chest suddenly dissipated.

With his back to Gu Lin, Zheng Hao said slowly, "I'll put the medicine bowl in the kitchen first, and then I'll come back later."

Gu Lin did not stop him, and Zheng Hao left the bedroom.

A moment later, the bedroom door opened again, and Zheng Hao walked in from outside.

Gu Lin went from half-leaning on the bed to sitting up completely. Zheng Hao frowned slightly when he saw the scene in front of him and said, "Uncle Gu."

Gu Lin waved his hand helplessly and said, "I just finished eating and taking my medicine. If I lie down again, I'll throw up. Let me sit down and digest for a while."

Zheng Hao neither agreed nor disagreed.

Then, Gu Lin raised his head slightly to look at the boy standing in front of him, and said with a helpless smile, "Sit down quickly, my neck is getting sore from looking at you like this."

Zheng Hao sat on a stool next to Gu Lin's bed.

Gu Lin hadn't been able to get a good look at Zheng Hao because he was sitting while the other person was standing. Now that the other person was sitting face to face with him, Gu Lin looked at the other person's lips, which were drier than usual, and said apologetically, "I've made you all worry a lot lately."

Zheng Hao glanced at the apologetic face of the other party and said, "It is what I should do, Uncle Gu, there is no need to thank me. It is Aunt and Uncle Zhao who have been worried about Uncle Gu for many days."

"Uncle Gu should take care of his health."

Gu Lin said to Zheng Hao, "This was an accident, it won't happen again."

After saying that, Gu Lin looked at Zheng Hao and asked directly, "Why have you been avoiding me lately?"

Gu Lin originally didn't want to ask so directly, but wanted to gently guide Zheng Hao to reveal his truest thoughts. However, when he met the boy's bloodshot eyes and calm demeanor, Gu Lin realized more than ever that the child he had been watching had grown up.

The other person is no longer a naive child, but has grown into a handsome young man.

He could no longer treat Zheng Hao like a child; he should treat Zheng Hao as an equal.

Gu Lin asked again, "Is it because of my illness?"

"That day when you saw Doctor Li out, did Doctor Li say anything else to you, such as that my body wasn't as fine as Doctor Li had said at the time...?"

Gu Lin voiced his guess, but Zheng Hao interrupted him.

"Uncle Gu, don't overthink it."

Generally, when Gu Lin speaks, whether it's about serious matters or trivial matters, Zheng Hao will listen patiently and wait for the other person to finish speaking before speaking himself.

Therefore, Gu Lin did not react when the other party interrupted him.

He looked up at Zheng Hao, whose expression was calm and whose tone was as composed as ever: "When I escorted Doctor Li back to the clinic that day, he only told me how to take care of Uncle Gu, and didn't say anything else. So Uncle Gu, don't overthink things and add to your worries."

"Moreover, I haven't been deliberately avoiding Uncle Gu lately. Mr. Zhou has assigned a lot of homework, so I often stay in the study instead of walking around in the yard as I used to. That's why Uncle Gu had the misconception that I was deliberately avoiding you."

Zheng Hao lowered his eyes slightly, his expression unchanged, and said, "I have been so focused on my studies lately that I have neglected Uncle Gu. I will pay attention in the future."

Gu Lin couldn't tell anything wrong from the other person's expression, but what the other person said made Gu Lin purse his lips.

He said to Zheng Hao, "I'm overthinking it. Don't put pressure on yourself. Focus on your studies."

"Classes are about to start at the prefectural school, you may go."

Zheng Hao turned and left the bedroom.

Watching the other person's departing figure, the young man's previously relaxed and easygoing expression turned serious.

Although Zheng Hao had just explained that he wasn't deliberately avoiding him, but rather had inadvertently neglected him due to being busy with his studies, Gu Lin knew that the other party wasn't telling the truth.

In the past, Zheng Hao had his share of heavy coursework. Even the night before the college entrance exam, the other party would ask him what he wanted for a late-night snack. When did he start avoiding him like this?

Gu Lin initially thought it was due to his illness, and that the other party was angry with him and unwilling to talk to him, but judging from Zheng Hao's behavior just now, it didn't seem like that.

Gu Lin sighed slightly. The child is getting older and his thoughts are becoming more and more difficult to understand. He would ask him again in a while.

On the oxcart, Zheng Hao's eyes were slightly closed, and the image of Uncle Gu's expression when he spoke to him inside the house just now floated before his eyes.

It could be apology, worry, or heartache.

Zheng Hao's jaw tightened, making the lines of his overall profile appear even sharper. Even with his eyes closed, concealing his dark, cold beastly pupils, the removal of his usual disguise, coupled with his deep and sculpted face, made him appear anything but calm and gentle.

The image of clear, bright eyes flashed through Zheng Hao's mind as he recalled the words spoken by the sickly young man.

Even though she was the one who was most uncomfortable and the one who was neglected, she always thought of others.

Contrary to his words to Gu Lin, Zheng Hao has indeed been avoiding him in recent days.

But Zheng Hao wasn't dissatisfied with Uncle Gu's targeting of Uncle Gu; he was dissatisfied with himself.

Since the day Uncle Gu fell ill, every night when Zheng Hao fell asleep, he would see the image of the young man suddenly turning pale and collapsing into his arms. Unlike in reality, when he saved Uncle Gu, in his dream, no one was present when Uncle Gu fell ill, and Uncle Gu collapsed to the ground, panting in pain.

Awakened by a nightmare, Zheng Hao had difficulty falling back asleep for the rest of the night. Meanwhile, Doctor Li's words echoed in his ears: "There were some things I couldn't say in front of Boss Gu while we were inside."

Zheng Hao said to Doctor Li, "Please speak freely."

Although Zheng Hao was only sixteen years old, under the moonlight, his shadow on the ground already showed the beginnings of a man.

Doctor Li said, "Mr. Gu's heart condition requires treatment from a more skilled physician. Currently, Mr. Gu's condition is not serious, and with my medical skills, I can barely manage to treat it, but a complete cure is impossible. Mr. Gu's heart is underdeveloped, which is not a major problem, but this only applies before the age of thirty. If his body undergoes new changes after thirty, the medicine I prescribe will be insufficient."

After Dr. Li finished speaking, he looked at the boy beside him. The faint moonlight shone on Zheng Hao's face, making his deep features appear half in shadow and half in light, giving him a very unpredictable look.

After a long pause, Zheng Hao asked, "Is there any way to treat this if we go to the capital?"

Doctor Li stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "There are many skilled physicians in the capital, especially the imperial physicians, who are all renowned doctors. Among them is a physician named Du, who is skilled in treating the heart. I've heard that many elderly high-ranking officials and nobles with heart problems prefer to seek his treatment, and their conditions have improved. If we can get him to treat you, perhaps there is a chance to save Mr. Gu's heart."

“But…” Doctor Li hesitated for a moment. Zheng Hao looked at him with eyes like a wild beast. Doctor Li said, “Imperial Physician Du treats elderly people. I have never heard of him successfully treating someone with congenital heart failure.”

Moreover, looking at the young man in front of him, Doctor Li sighed inwardly. Even if Physician Du could save Boss Gu, what difference would it make? They, the common people, were not on the same social class as the imperial physicians. The other party was just a character who existed only in operas.

Zheng Hao didn't say anything. He escorted Doctor Li back to the clinic and then left with the medicine.

.

One after another, horse-drawn carriages and oxcarts drove in the same direction along the street, eventually stopping in front of a magnificent restaurant.

Through the car door and curtain, Yu Ercheng said to the person inside, "Master, we've arrived."

The curtain inside the carriage was lifted, and the door was gently opened. Gu Lin stepped out of the carriage, looked up at the magnificent restaurant in front of him, and then said to Er Cheng, "Let's go in."

Yu Ercheng got off first and placed a wooden stool for people to step on when getting off the vehicle. Gu Lin then stepped onto the stool and came to the ground.

Gu Lin walked in front, with Yu Ercheng following behind as his attendant.

Gu Lin arrived at the door, where a person was standing outside to check the invitations of visitors to prevent unrelated people from entering. Without Gu Lin's prompting, Yu Ercheng handed over the invitation.

After verifying the invitation, the other party returned it to Yu Ercheng and then smiled at Gu Lin, saying, "Mr. Gu, please come in."

Gu Lin went inside, and a waiter led the way. Gu Lin followed the waiter to a private room on the second floor. The waiter bowed slightly and said, "Please feel free to ask if you have any needs, Mr. Gu."

After saying this, the attendant turned and left the private room.

Yu Ercheng said to Gu Lin with a look of admiration, "Boss, the banquet held by the Fucheng Chamber of Commerce is quite grand!"

Looking at the fresh fruit platter on the table, with its crisp and sweet melons and juicy watermelons, Yu Ercheng's eyes widened in surprise, and he even saw grapes, a rare sight indeed.

These are all fruits that are abundant in summer. It's not even summer yet, but the fruit platters that the Fucheng Chamber of Commerce serves to its guests are already quite impressive.

And when we came in, the carriages at the front were more luxurious than the last, with each guest who got off the carriage followed by more than a dozen servants. If the restaurant hadn't only allowed one servant per person to come in, Yu Ercheng thought the place would have been completely insufficient to accommodate them.

Gu Lin glanced at the fruit plate and said to Er Cheng, "If you want to eat, then eat. I can't eat any more, and the fruit will get stale and unappetizing if left any longer."

Staring at the tempting fruit platter, Yu Ercheng swallowed hard. Although he really wanted to eat, he didn't forget the purpose of his trip to the banquet with his employer.

The banquet hosted by the Chamber of Commerce was a mixed bag of people. Before Yu Ercheng came to the banquet hosted by the Chamber of Commerce in Fucheng with his employer, Zheng Hao had already given him a dressing down.

As mentioned earlier, Yu Ercheng was somewhat intimidated by this young master Zheng, but since they didn't meet often, it wasn't a big deal. However, when the other party suddenly came to question him, Yu Ercheng was scrutinized for everything he had done recently, trying to recall if he had done anything wrong.

Unexpectedly, when Yu Ercheng came to Zheng Hao, the latter did not ask a single question about him. Instead, he gave a cold and stern order: "On the day Uncle Gu went to the banquet, you must be on your guard and watch out for everyone and everything around you, understand?"

The young man in front of him seemed to be giving an ordinary order without uttering any threats, but Yu Ercheng was not naive enough to think that the other party was as benevolent as his master. If he messed things up, he would definitely suffer the consequences.

Facing a boy more than ten years younger than himself, Yu Ercheng dared not be perfunctory in the slightest. He repeatedly assured the boy that he would protect his employer and not allow any unknown objects or people with ulterior motives to get close to his employer.

After telling Yu Ercheng to leave, Zheng Hao's expression darkened. If it weren't for the fact that Mr. Zhou and the headmaster had arranged for him to help receive the distinguished guests at the academy on the day of the banquet held by the Prefectural Chamber of Commerce, Zheng Hao would never have entrusted Uncle Gu to someone else.