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

Chapter 126 Uncle Gu hadn't thought of this

Stepping into the house, the courtyard was not as quiet and dark as usual. The main hall in the middle was brightly lit by candles, and through the paper on the doors and windows, one could vaguely see several figures sitting inside.

Even the slightest sound at night is exceptionally clear. Standing in the courtyard a few dozen steps away from the main hall, Zheng Hao could still hear the cheerful and pleasant laughter coming from inside.

However, amidst the different laughter, Zheng Hao felt that all he could hear were the clear and pleasant voices of young men.

A slight heat rose in his throat and face, but Zheng Hao didn't care. He lifted his leg and walked towards the main hall, but just as he was about to step across the threshold, he heard the conversation inside and stopped in his tracks.

He slightly raised his eyes to look at the lobby. Although there was a door between them, his dark eyes seemed to be able to see through the wooden door to the scene inside, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Inside the lobby, unaware that he had returned, the people were still chatting.

Having just learned to walk, the chubby, fair-skinned child grew increasingly robust and shaky as he wobbled toward the young man. Just as he was about to reach him, his little leg trembled, and he stumbled forward. As the child was about to fall to the ground, Gu Lin leaned forward, stretched out his hands, and caught the child's soft body.

The soft, fluffy touch against his chest made Gu Lin feel instantly sorry for the child in his arms.

He picked up the child with both hands, held him in his arms, and then turned the child's body so that he was facing Yu Ge'er.

Gu Lin lowered his head slightly, pointed at Yu Ge'er, and coaxed the child, "Little Bao, who is this?"

"Father, this is Father." Gu Lin taught him to recognize people.

The child sat in the young man's lap, excitedly waving his tender little arms, which, with such force and momentum, would surely make a loud thud if they hit someone.

Seeing his son's actions, Yu Ge'er leaned forward slightly, stretched out his hands towards the other, and coaxed softly, "Daddy's here, Xiao Bao, come here, Xiao Bao, come to Daddy."

Following the sound, the child looked up and saw his father. He became even more excited, waving his hands in the air and involuntarily moving his chubby little body forward. If Gu Lin hadn't held him tightly from the beginning, he might have really escaped.

Seeing that the child was about to go to Yu Ge'er, Gu Lin put him down on the ground. As soon as he stood on the ground, before he could even steady himself, the child, with his round little legs, waddled back and forth towards his father.

With a few pats, the little ball of flesh ran to Yu Ge'er's side, then threw itself into its father's arms, happily letting out a "ya" and revealing the snow-white millet grains hidden in its mouth.

Looking at the children's carefree smiles, which seemed to dispel all gloom, Gu Lin couldn't help but feel happy and said, "Sure enough, being with children makes you forget all your unhappy things."

Upon hearing this, Yu Ge'er looked at the genuine smile on Gu Lin's face and jokingly said, "If you act quickly, the child will be here soon."

As soon as Yu Ge'er finished speaking, Gu Lin was stunned. He hadn't expected that Yu Ge'er, who usually seemed reserved, would actually say something so outrageous.

Seeing the other person's smiling expression, Gu Lin's heart skipped a beat.

Sure enough, Zhao's wife spoke up, "Hurry up and have the baby while I'm still young. I can help you take care of the children for a few more years. If I get old, I won't be able to take care of them anymore."

Hearing what Sister Zhao said, Gu Lin felt a chill run down his spine. Although he liked well-behaved and cute children, it didn't mean that he was willing to have children and raise them.

To avoid being pressured to get married and have children, Gu Lin quickly changed the subject: "The little chubby boy is so cute, how can you even think about other children?"

As he spoke, Gu Lin said to the child in Yu Ge'er's arms, "Right, Xiao Bao?"

Xiao Bao didn't understand, but that didn't stop him from clapping and laughing in response.

Seeing this, Brother Yu shook his head helplessly and said, "Xiao Yao is about to have news, but you're still not in a hurry at all."

Gu Lin, who was originally teasing Xiao Bao, immediately became interested when he heard what Yu Ge'er said.

He turned to Yu Ge'er and asked, "When did this happen? Who is Xiao Yao having an affair with? How come I didn't know?"

Gu Lin would visit Haoyunlou almost every day. Logically speaking, he should have been able to detect if Xiao Yao was having an affair with someone.

Gu Lin pressed on, "Brother Yu, tell me quickly who it is."

Seeing that the young man really didn't know anything, Yu Ge'er was taken aback. He exchanged a glance with Zhao Saozi, who also looked puzzled: "You and Xiao Yao are always whispering together, how come you didn't notice anything wrong with him?"

Gu Lin protested his innocence: "We weren't whispering. Xiao Yao and I were talking about serious matters, not just chatting. How could we possibly know these things?"

Moreover, he wasn't a true "bro" to begin with; he was still a man at heart, so it was even less likely that he would take the initiative to talk about feelings with a "bro's girl."

Seeing this, Yu Ge'er shook his head and said, "Then I can't say it even more."

Sister-in-law Zhao nodded: "This is Xiao Yao's own business, and it's not certain yet, so we can't say for sure. If you want to know, you should ask him yourself."

Seeing that the two of them had completely piqued his interest but wouldn't tell him the answer, Gu Lin felt helpless and had no other choice.

However, he began to rule out the people most likely to have an ambiguous relationship with Lin Xiaoyao.

The fact that they could develop an ambiguous relationship suggests that they had a lot of contact. Since Lin Xiaoyao often stayed at the Lucky Building, the people she spent the most time with must have been the other employees in the building, such as Yu Ercheng.

However, this is not absolute, because Lin Xiaoyao is the manager of Haoyunlou Restaurant and often represents him in dealings with managers of other restaurants and shops, and comes into contact with countless people. For a time, Gu Lin really couldn't be sure who Lin Xiaoyao was having an ambiguous relationship with.

Just as he was lost in thought, a clear, cold voice came from outside: "Uncle Zhao, be careful."

Gu Lin looked up and saw the thick cloth in front of the door lifted, revealing a handsome young man with a pine tree-like body and a face as white as jade, carrying tea as he walked in.

Zhao Dagen followed behind the other party and said apologetically, "I almost fell when I was rushing over to get some tea. Luckily, Zheng Hao helped me up."

Brother Zhao is almost fifty years old. This age is nothing in modern times, but it was considered old age in ancient times.

Because of malnutrition since childhood, Brother Zhao's bones were already quite fragile. Coupled with osteoporosis due to old age, if the other party had accidentally fallen on the bluestone slab just now, he might have really broken his leg.

Sister-in-law Zhao looked anxious and got up to check on Brother Zhao's body: "Are you alright? Why did you go to fetch tea? What if you accidentally fell and worsened your leg injury?"

Brother Zhao had a pre-existing leg ailment, but it was barely noticeable except when he walked fast.

Faced with Sister-in-law Zhao's scolding, Brother Zhao was not angry. He said in a simple and honest way, "I saw that the tea you were drinking was either empty or cold, so I thought I would go and get you some hot tea."

To prevent Sister-in-law Zhao from continuing to blame Brother Zhao, Gu Lin said, "Brother Zhao is so thoughtful. Sister-in-law Zhao thought the tea was cold, so Brother Zhao went to get her some hot tea. Thanks to Sister-in-law Zhao, we were able to have a hot drink."

"Young man, you're so glib." Sister-in-law Zhao chuckled and scolded, but was no longer angry. She instructed Brother Zhao, "In the future, when you go to fetch tea, just call me. Don't go alone."

Brother Zhao nodded repeatedly, and only then did Sister-in-law Zhao let the other party go.

Zheng Hao returned. Even though he didn't say anything, Zhao's wife and Yu'er knew what he and Lin'er were going to talk about, so they went back to their rooms, leaving the uncle and nephew space to talk.

After Sister Zhao and Brother Yu left, Gu Lin looked up at Zheng Hao and asked, "When did you get back?"

Zheng Hao paused, his hand under his sleeve, and replied, "I've been back for a while now. Because I smelled strongly of alcohol, I went outside in the main hall to get some fresh air and clear my system."

After hearing what the other party said, Gu Lin seemed to have expected it, and no surprise appeared on his face.

He said, "No wonder I saw a figure standing outside the door just now. I thought it was Brother Zhao or Brother Liu."

Gu Lin took an empty cup, poured a cup of hot tea, and handed it to Zheng Hao, saying, "Although it is autumn now, you still need to take care of yourself. Drink some hot tea to warm yourself up."

Standing just a few steps away from the young man, Zheng Hao walked over, accepted the warm tea, and then sat down in the empty seat next to him.

He raised the teacup to his lips, and the faint aroma of tea wafted into Zheng Hao's nose along with the steam. A wisp of steam rose up and stopped in front of the boy's eyes, obscuring his vision.

The misty air veiled everything in front of him. Zheng Hao lowered his eyes and looked at the handsome young man in front of him. At this moment, the young man's fair and snow-white face was also blurred.

This situation has nothing to do with the candlelight inside the house. If the candlelight were dim, perhaps the candlelight could be used as an excuse to cover up the problem. However, unlike many ordinary people in this era who were reluctant to light candles, Gu Lin preferred brightness. Therefore, he always had plenty of candlelight and lamp oil in his house, so that every room with people was brightly lit.

Although it lacks modern electric lights, from the outside, in a street that is dark or has only two or three scattered candlelight, there is a house that shines as brightly as day, which is particularly eye-catching.

Such uniqueness was quite eye-catching, and it wasn't uncommon for people to have designs on the Gu family. However, the bodyguards Zheng Hao had stationed in the area were no pushovers; often, before Gu Lin and his men even noticed, Niu Qiang and his men would have already dealt with the troublemakers.

After finishing his cup of hot tea, Gu Lin didn't pour any more for the other person. Drinking some black tea at night can nourish and protect the stomach, but too much can easily affect sleep.

Zheng Hao lowered his eyes and watched as the young man in front of him put down the teapot. With a flick of his slender, jade-like hand, he poured him another glass of water.

Zheng Hao suddenly spoke, whether he had planned it all along or was intoxicated by the alcohol, he said to the young man in front of him, "Uncle Gu, I will be setting off for the capital to participate in the imperial examination in a month."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lin slightly raised his head to look at Zheng Hao, his face full of surprise: "So fast?"

He knew that Zheng Hao would be taking the imperial examination next year, but he did not expect him to set off so early. He originally thought that according to the examination schedule, Zheng Hao could stay in the prefectural city for a while.

Zheng Hao remained calm and explained, "Before the New Year, Brother Zhen Cheng and Brother Zhen Yuan will be returning to the capital with the Zhen family guards who are escorting the New Year's gifts. After some thought, Brother Peng and I decided to go to the capital with them."

When Gu Lin first learned that the other party was going to set off for the capital so early, he was very surprised. But after thinking for a while, he said, "From the prefectural city to the capital, the journey is long and fraught with danger. With more people, you will be safer to look after each other."

On the way between the prefectural city and the county town, if one was unlucky, one would encounter bandits who would rob one on the way. From the prefectural city to the capital, one had to cross countless rivers and mountains. Gu Lin dared not imagine how dangerous it was, with river bandits, thieves, and wild beasts in the mountains along the way.

He thought for a moment, then looked up at Zheng Hao and said, "We can't entrust our lives to others. Besides Da Zhuo taking them, you should hire a few more bodyguards and Niu Qiang. They are all skilled in martial arts, so it will be safer for you to take them with you."

Zheng Hao was a cautious man and would not entrust his life and fortune to others. Although he was traveling to the capital with Zhen Cheng and Zhen Yuan, he made arrangements for everything along the way.

However, Zheng Hao was not concerned about his upcoming departure from the prefectural city to travel to the capital, but he was worried about Uncle Gu.

He had never been separated from Uncle Gu for so long. Moving from home to the school dormitory was the longest time and the farthest distance they had ever been apart.

However, looking at the bloodless lips of the young man in front of him, Zheng Hao could not allow him to accompany him on his arduous journey.

Uncle Gu's health cannot withstand the constant travel.

He had many things he wanted to say to Uncle Gu, or rather, many things he wanted to tell him. Besides telling him to be careful, protect his health, not to overeat, and to drink his tonics on time, Zheng Hao, who was a little drunk but felt unusually clear-headed, also wanted to tell him not to pay attention to the men outside.

It's best not to even glance at it.

However, this was not something a nephew should say to his elders.

Zheng Hao was extremely good at controlling his desires. He did not allow himself to lose control because he knew from a young age that he was different from Zhou Wan, Zhen Cheng and others. They had fathers and brothers to rely on, while he relied on Uncle Gu. If something happened to him, Uncle Gu would be like a lamb without a master, left to be devoured by the hungry wolves around him.

Therefore, Zheng Hao never reveals his thoughts unless he is absolutely certain. He has a family, and whether Uncle Gu can maintain his freedom and smile depends on him.

Even in front of Gu Lin, Zheng Hao never revealed his full emotions...

And desire.

Therefore, Uncle Gu never realized that the younger generation he had raised had developed a nefarious desire for him.

Zheng Hao, his heart filled with resentment, looked at the young man in front of him with his dark eyes. He parted his lips slightly and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "It's getting late, I'll go back first. Uncle Gu should also get some rest."

Gu Lin didn't notice anything amiss. When the other person stood up, he also stood up and said, "Let's go, let's go back together."

Their bedrooms were very close together. On their way back from the main hall, they went to Gu Lin's bedroom first, and then to Zheng Hao's room.

Zheng Hao lowered his eyes slightly, his emotions difficult to discern. After a long while, he nodded in agreement.