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

During the meal, Zheng Hao told Gu Lin what Mr. Zhou had told him: "Uncle Gu, I will be living at the prefectural school to prepare for next year's provincial examination."

Gu Lin was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly recovered and looked up at Zheng Hao, saying, "Are you moving there tomorrow? I'll prepare some things for you to take with you later."

Gu Lin was quite surprised by Zheng Hao's sudden decision to move into the academy, but he could understand it because it was for his studies. However, since he and Zheng Hao had never been apart, his only concern was that Zheng Hao might not be used to the food and accommodations at the academy.

With his eyes slightly lowered, Zheng Hao looked at the young man opposite him and replied calmly, "You don't need to bring too much stuff. I will go home every ten days or so. Just bring some clothes. The academy also has a canteen that can fill your stomach. Uncle Gu, you don't need to worry too much."

After Zheng Hao's words of comfort, Gu Lin could only nod.

However, after the meal, while Zhao's wife and the others were sitting in the courtyard digesting their food, Gu Lin stepped into the kitchen.

A moment later, he brought out a food box and turned to walk towards Zheng Hao's bedroom. At this time, Zheng Hao was packing his belongings inside the room.

Gu Lin knocked on the door, and Zheng Hao's voice came out. Gu Lin pushed the door open and stepped in.

Zheng Hao turned around and looked at Uncle Gu walking towards him. His gaze shifted slightly downwards, and he saw the food box that the young man was carrying.

Noticing the other person's gaze, Gu Lin proactively held up the food box and said, "I've prepared some food that's easy to preserve so you can take it to the academy. Food outside is never as good as home cooking. The food box contains beef jerky and pork jerky that my sister-in-law made before. If you don't like the food at the academy, you can eat it with these."

As Gu Lin said these words, Zheng Hao's eyes widened in surprise, but his expression gradually softened.

Others might not know the weight of the food box, but he knew that the beef jerky and pork jerky in the house were specially made by Aunt Zhao for Uncle Gu to eat as snacks. Uncle Gu had to eat a few strips of beef jerky and a few palm-sized pieces of pork jerky every day, otherwise he would be listless at the end of the day.

But now, judging from the weight of the food box in Uncle Gu's hand, Zheng Hao realized that Uncle Gu had probably given him all the food he had stored at home.

Zheng Hao's lips moved slightly, but when his gaze met the obvious reluctance on the young man's face, his hardened heart softened, and at the same time, he swallowed back the words that were about to come out.

As dawn broke, some commotion was heard in a small courtyard in the prefectural city.

Looking up at Zheng Hao as he boarded the oxcart, Sister Zhao asked, "Lin-ge'er hasn't gotten up yet. Aren't you going to say goodbye to your Uncle Gu before going to the prefectural school?"

Because he had to move his luggage to the prefectural school today, Zheng Hao arrived at school earlier than usual.

He lowered his head slightly, his dark eyes looking at Sister Zhao, and said in a slightly low voice, "Let Uncle Gu continue to rest because he is sleepy. During the time I stay at the academy, I will have to trouble you to take care of Uncle Gu. Although Uncle Gu is lively and a little eccentric, he listens to the advice of those around him, so please take good care of him."

“We’re family, why speak like strangers!” Sister Zhao waved her hand, her face full of reassurance, and said, “I guarantee that when you leave, Lin-ge’er will be the same when you come back.”

Zheng Hao instructed, "If anything happens at home, Auntie, please send someone to the prefectural school to find me."

Zhao's sister-in-law knew that the other party was most worried about Lin Ge'er, so she nodded repeatedly.

Having given all the necessary instructions, Zheng Hao looked up at a certain room, then turned and walked into the carriage, saying to Brother Zhao outside, "Uncle Zhao, let's go."

Brother Zhao raised his whip, and then the oxcart slowly drove towards the prefectural school.

When Gu Lin got up, the sun was already high in the sky. He lay on the bed with his eyes half-closed. Suddenly, his muddled mind cleared up immediately. Gu Lin got up and ran out of the bedroom. Unusually, at this time, Aunt Zhao did not go to Haoyunlou, but stayed in the yard to pick beans.

Gu Lin made quite a commotion, and Zhao's wife immediately noticed him. Seeing that he had run out barefoot, Zhao's wife scolded him lightly, "Go back and put on your shoes. You were saying you had an upset stomach a few days ago, and now you dare to walk barefoot again."

Running up to Sister Zhao, Gu Lin asked anxiously, "Sister-in-law, has Xiao Hao left?"

As Zhao's wife got up and walked towards Gu Lin's bedroom, she said, "He left before dawn. I originally wanted to wake you up, but Zheng told you to keep sleeping, so I didn't wake you up."

Gu Lin slapped his forehead, looking annoyed. He had promised to take the other person to the academy yesterday, but he had broken his promise today.

Aunt Zhao came out of Gu Lin's bedroom with the shoes in her hand, then threw them in front of him. Looking up at Gu Lin's frustrated expression, Aunt Zhao comforted him, "Zheng knows how you feel. He's worried about you and afraid you'll get tired."

Regardless, the matter was over. Gu Lin felt annoyed for a while, then thought he would make it up to Zheng Hao when he returned home on his day off.

Although Zheng Hao doesn't talk much at home, for some reason, after he went to live at the academy, Gu Lin always felt that the house was much quieter.

Gu Lin was too embarrassed to ask if Zhao's wife and the others felt the same way.

He felt it was mostly out of habit; he was used to having someone sit next to him while eating, taking a walk together after dinner to aid digestion, or practicing calligraphy together in the study. Even though the two of them didn't talk much, Gu Lin felt very uncomfortable when the other person was not there.

He realized he was just too idle and needed to find something to distract himself.

So Gu Lin decided to research new foods.

However, he did not plan to study formal dishes. Firstly, he did not want to attract too much attention, and secondly, Gu Lin discovered that in addition to hot pot, barbecue, drinks, and home-style dishes such as boiled fish and sauerkraut fish, Good Luck Restaurant was missing desserts.

Making desserts usually requires an oven. Back in the county town, Gu Lin had specially hired someone to build an oven in his yard. However, because he didn't have time to study dessert making carefully, Gu Lin has only ever used the oven to make simple desserts like egg tarts and puddings.

Now, he wants to do something different.

Gu Lin hired a well-known craftsman in the prefectural city to help build an oven. After the oven was completely dry, Gu Lin first used it to bake egg tarts to test whether the oven had been successfully built.

When the steaming, golden-brown egg tarts came out of the oven, Gu Lin knew that the oven in front of him was successfully built.

Next, Gu Lin took action to make the dessert he wanted to create.

He first took out the finely ground flour and sifted it several times with a sieve. Then he poured in milk and egg liquid and stirred it. After stirring it evenly, Gu Lin added the whipped egg whites. Since he had the time it took to bake egg tarts, Gu Lin put the cake batter into the oven and then went to do other things.

"bang bang bang"

A sound came from the door. Gu Lin, who had washed his hands, went to open the door. When he saw who it was, he found it was a familiar face—Fang Jiyue's personal attendant, the one who had given Gu Lin the jade jewelry before.

The other party first greeted Gu Lin with a smile, and then presented the exquisite gift box to the young man in front of him with both hands, saying, "Boss Gu, this is a shower gel made by the young master according to the recipe. The young master specially instructed me to bring the shower gel for you to try."

Gu Lin raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. In just a few days, the other party had already developed the shower gel.

Thinking this to himself, Gu Lin said gratefully, "It's kind of you, Young Master Fang, to think of me so kindly and send me the shower gel as soon as it's made so I can try it out."

Hearing the other party's thanks, the servant nodded inwardly, realizing that his young master was making a better impression on Boss Gu.

Then, Gu Lin looked at the servant in front of him and asked, "I have met you many times, but I still don't know how to address you."

When asked his name, Fang Yuan smiled and said, "Mr. Gu, you can just call me Fang Yuan."

Gu Lin readily agreed and smiled, "Brother Fang Yuan."

Then, as if remembering something, Fang Yuan said to Gu Lin with a secretive expression, "Boss Gu, the profits that the Chamber of Commerce asked us to pay at the banquet don't need to be paid."

"Why don't we have to pay anymore for no reason?" Thinking of what Zheng Hao had told him before, Gu Lin asked calmly, "Does the Chamber of Commerce also think this is inappropriate?"

Fang Yuan shook his head, his face showing an expression of utter disbelief.

He looked around, then leaned closer to Gu Lin and whispered, "You don't know yet, but last night the prefect confiscated the property of the leading families in the Chamber of Commerce!"

Seeing the shocked expression on the young man's face, Fang Yuan said, "Not to mention Boss Gu's surprise, even we were caught off guard. Who would have thought that the once arrogant companies would fall to such a state?"

"I heard that the scene of the raids last night was terrifying. It wasn't just the few families in the Chamber of Commerce. All the families who bought the items in the auction were successively visited by the yamen runners. Some were fined, some were exiled. The officials and yamen runners who had previously benefited from the auctions showed no mercy."

Fang Yuan was so engrossed in his conversation that he didn't notice that apart from a slight change in Gu Lin's expression at the beginning, the other party's expression remained unchanged afterward, as if he had expected it all along.

After discussing the Chamber of Commerce with Gu Lin, Fang Yuan left.

Gu Lin turned and walked into his house, leaning against the hard wooden door. His expression changed slightly. He thought of what Zheng Hao had said to him that day: "When a building is about to collapse, no egg can remain intact."

He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, he concealed all the complex emotions within them.

When Zhao's wife and Gu An returned, the cake was ready. Gu Lin put on gloves and took the cake out of the oven. Then he used a spoon to spread cream on the cake base and finally put some chopped fruit on top of the cake.

Gu Lin cut the cake into pieces and placed them on a white porcelain plate. Then, he handed them to Zhao's wife and Gu An.

Sister-in-law Zhao took the cake, took a bite, and then looked at Gu Lin with a look of surprise and delight, saying, "Brother Lin, this cake is different from the pastries you usually make. It's so soft and fluffy, and the snow-white stuff is so sweet and delicate that you can't stop eating it. This cake is definitely good enough to be sold."

Gu An also ate some cake. He wasn't as eloquent as Sister Zhao, who could utter many words of praise, but he still nodded and said to the young man in front of him, "Uncle Gu's cake is delicious."

Gu Lin also picked up a spoon and scooped up some cake to eat. The cream was sweet and creamy, melting in his mouth, followed by the soft cake base. Gu Lin squinted his eyes slightly, then scooped up a piece of honeydew melon. The fresh fruit and the soft cake complemented each other perfectly, and Gu Lin thoroughly enjoyed it.

Good Luck Building.

The regular customer went straight to the table by the window after entering the restaurant. Without him even having to beckon, the waiter from Haoyunlou cleverly stepped forward and greeted him, "Greetings, sir. What would you like to eat?"

The regular customer turned his head and glanced at the menu hanging high in front of the counter. His gaze swept over the hot pot and barbecue dishes, finally settling on the boiled fish. He was about to give the waiter an order when his eyes suddenly stopped. The regular customer asked, "Waiter, what's the meaning of the cakes on the menu? One costs two hundred coins?"

Knowing what the other party wanted to ask, the waiter replied, "This cake is a dessert developed by our boss. Because it is complicated to make, it requires adding milk and sugar, and even ice, so the price cannot be cheap."

"But the taste is indeed delicious. You can buy some to try. Our waiters are all grateful for the owner's kindness and have been given a piece of cake. The sweet and fluffy taste and the soft and fluffy texture are something I dream about!"

Upon hearing this, a regular customer looked at the waiter with suspicion and said, "Isn't that an exaggeration? Your cakes are just pastries, to put it bluntly. There are several time-honored brands in the city that have been making pastries for decades. How can your Haoyunlou, a restaurant that only serves dishes, possibly make pastries better than those established brands? Are you just praising your own wares?"

Upon hearing this, the waiter said to the regular customer, "You are a regular customer of our Lucky Restaurant. How could you not know what our Lucky Restaurant is like?"

When asked this question by the waiter, the regular customer immediately recalled the taste of pickled fish and boiled fish.

After a moment, he looked up at the waiter and said, "Your Good Fortune Restaurant likes to make these strange and unusual dishes. I've never seen any other shop that makes antique soup and roast meat as varied as your Good Fortune Restaurant."

The waiter chuckled and said, "It's all about meeting the needs of our guests. Whatever you like, our restaurant will prepare it."

These words pleased the regular customer, who often dined at Haoyunlou Restaurant and didn't care about the two hundred coins.

A regular customer said, "Give me a cake, sauerkraut fish, and seasonal vegetables."

The waiter immediately agreed and turned to go to the kitchen.

In a moment, the waiter came to the regular customer with a tray and unloaded the sauerkraut fish, seasonal vegetables, and cake from the tray onto the table.

When the cake appeared in front of them, regular customers were immediately drawn to the snow-white triangular shape and the fruit pieces on top.

Without the waiter's explanation, the regular customer instinctively reached out with both hands, picked up the plate with his left hand and the spoon with his right, then scooped up a spoonful of cake and put it in his mouth. His eyes lit up as the sweet and delicate cream filled his entire mouth.

Ignoring the sauerkraut fish and seasonal vegetables on the table, the regular customer lowered his head and scooped up the cake, taking bite after bite without stopping until he finished the cake on the plate.

People at the time had a sweet tooth, and even regular customers were not immune. He was very satisfied with the cake in front of him and turned to the waiter, saying, "Your cakes are quite good. The taste and texture are fresher than those old-established pastries. Pack ten for me so I can take them home for my family."

The waiter flicked his handkerchief and said, "Alright!"

When selling cakes, Gu Lin did not have the waiter promote the cakes in front of the customers in the same way he promoted the sauerkraut fish. After all, as long as the desserts are not bad and people try them once, many people cannot resist them.

As Gu Lin guessed correctly, many diners were willing to try the new products at Hao Yun Lou. Once they tried them, they were hooked. Almost everyone was captivated by the sweet and soft cakes. They not only ate their fill at Hao Yun Lou, but also bought a lot of cakes to take home.

Good Luck Tower's cakes gradually gained a reputation.