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

Chapter 21 I will protect you

Gu Lin naturally noticed the behavior of Gu's parents. From the moment they appeared until now, they had not shown a trace of pity for the original owner's plight. On the contrary, their eyes were full of greed, trying to squeeze the last bit of value out of the original owner and sell him to another family.

Gu Lin's expression gradually turned cold, and he said, no longer willing to put on a friendly face, "You can go back now. I won't go back to the Gu family with you."

Putting aside whether he, a grown man, would be willing to get married, given his nature of only caring for his parents and not getting up early for personal gain, what kind of good family could we possibly find for him?

Gu's parents, however, thought differently. Hearing Gu Lin's refusal, they felt that he had grown too big for his britches and threatened, "You won't listen to us no matter how we talk to you. You have to come back today, or we'll tie you up and take you back!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu's father's face turned ferocious. He took out a bundle of hemp rope from his pocket and, together with Gu's mother, stepped forward to surround Gu Lin.

As the two figures drew closer, Gu Lin's expression darkened. He hadn't expected his parents to be so audacious as to kidnap someone right there in Xiahe Village.

He glanced around out of the corner of his eye. No one was home at noon; they were either working in the fields or delivering lunch. Gu Lin couldn't find anyone to ask for help.

He stared at Gu's parents, who were getting closer and closer, comparing their strengths, and then his heart sank lower and lower.

Although Gu's parents were old, they were strong and tall because they had worked in the fields for many years. In contrast, Gu Lin, who was a boy, was too thin and appeared weak in front of them.

Given the vast disparity in strength between them, Gu Lin estimated that his chances of successfully escaping were extremely slim.

No matter how panicked and anxious he was inside, Gu Lin remained calm on the surface. He glanced at his parents and said with a cold expression, "Father and Mother, you need to think this through. I am now a resident of Xiahe Village. If you just kidnap me, aren't you afraid of causing trouble and damaging the relationship between Peach Blossom Village and Xiahe Village?"

"Hmph!" Upon hearing this, Gu's mother glanced at him, her eyes almost filling their sockets with white, making her look even more sharp-tongued: "Who are you trying to scare! The Zheng family has no living elders in Xiahe Village. Do you believe that even if I tied you up and walked in front of the people of Xiahe Village, no one would bother me?"

Does Gu Lin believe it?

Natural faith.

Many things that seem unbelievable in modern times are perfectly reasonable now.

Just like the matter of Gu's parents kidnapping him back to remarry, if there were still elders in the Zheng family alive, and if the other party was unwilling to release him, even if Gu's parents were very powerful, it would be impossible for them to take Gu Lin away.

But unfortunately, Hunter Zheng died, and his parents had also passed away long ago. The people in the Zheng family who could decide Gu Lin's fate were no longer there.

Zheng Hao was under fifteen years old, and in the eyes of others, he was still a child. No one treated him as a complete person. Therefore, although Gu Lin was nominally his stepfather, he could not resist Gu's parents' decision regarding Gu's departure.

Even if Gu Lin cried and struggled as his parents took him away, not a single person in Xiahe Village would step forward to stop him.

This is a patriarchal society.

From the moment Zheng the hunter died, Gu Lin had no one to rely on. Unless Zheng Hao came of age, he would have to rely on Zheng Hao according to the custom of a husband following his son after his death. Only then would his father and mother be unable to threaten him.

But Zheng Hao is still young, and if Gu's father were to take full control of Gu Lin, no one could argue that he was wrong.

But Gu Lin is a living, breathing person; how could he be willing to be treated like an object and controlled by others?

His eyes were cold as he stared at Mr. and Mrs. Gu, who were approaching him. A thought flashed through his mind: it was nothing more than a fight to the death.

Seeing that the boy in front of her had stopped speaking and was standing quietly in place, Gu's mother assumed that he had resigned himself to his fate and said, "Wouldn't it be better if you had become sensible like this earlier? What's so good about the Zheng family? Having a burden by your side will only drag you down. Once you marry into the Peng family, you'll eat and drink well every day, and there will be people to serve you. When you give birth to a big, healthy boy, the whole family will dote on you. Isn't that a good life? Lin'er, you need to know that your mother will not harm you. This is all for your own good."

Gu Lin sneered, revealing such an aggressive demeanor for the first time since transmigrating: "Since it's so good, why don't you just marry Gu Erzhu off to him?"

Gu's mother's lifeblood was her only son, Gu Erzhu. When she saw that Gu Lin not only didn't know what was good for him, but also said such vicious words to Gu Erzhu, her face immediately darkened.

"What are you still saying to him? Just tie him up and take him back to be taught a lesson. Then we'll see if he'll behave himself." Gu's father said with a very ugly expression.

Gu's mother stopped trying to persuade Gu Lin and instead helped Gu's father surround Gu Lin.

A thick hemp rope swung over, and just as Gu Lin was about to run away, a heavy shout came from behind: "Stop!"

Then, Gu Lin saw a figure rush over. Before the three of them could react, Gu's father was hit hard and fell to the ground. The figure then stood next to Gu's father after knocking him down.

Upon seeing this, Gu's mother screamed and was about to rush forward to check on Gu's father when Gu Lin looked closely and was surprised to find that the figure was Zheng Hao.

Mother Gu also saw who the culprit was. She reached out and grabbed Zheng Hao, her voice shrill: "You little bastard, I'll teach you a lesson."

Gu Lin's expression hardened. Fearing that the other party might hurt Zheng Hao, he quickly stepped forward, only to see Zheng Hao swiftly dodge Gu's mother's descending hand and then kick Gu's mother.

Mother Gu cried out in surprise, her body swaying as she fell onto Father Gu. Both of them groaned in pain at the same time.

Approaching Mr. and Mrs. Gu, the village chief's face turned ashen: "Brother Gu, how dare you lay a hand on the people of Xiahe Village?!"

When Zheng Hao first asked him for help, saying that Gu's parents were coming to Xiahe Village and he was worried that they would make things difficult for Gu Lin and take him away, the village chief thought that the other party was too young and was making a fuss over nothing.

In the village chief's view, even if Gu's parents were not good people, they still had to abide by the rules of Xiahe Village when they came here. However, he did not expect that Gu's parents would actually dare to lay a hand on Gu Lin.

If he hadn't come today, Gu Lin would have been kidnapped by his parents, and he, as the village chief, would have lost all face.

Pushing away his mother, Gu's father endured the pain all over his body and stood up, saying to the village chief, "Village Chief Zhang, this is a family matter of the Gu family. I advise you not to interfere."

Village Chief Zhang was almost amused by Gu's father's self-righteous attitude. He said with a stern face, "Gu Lin is a Zheng family woman. The Zheng family are villagers of my Xiahe Village, so Gu Lin is a person of my Xiahe Village. Now you just kidnap her without asking any questions. Do you really think Xiahe Village is like your Peach Blossom Village, where you can do whatever you want?"

"I'm his father. Even if the Heavenly King himself came, it would be my right to control him. What business is it of yours, outsiders?"

Despite the warning from Village Chief Zhang, Gu's father not only showed no restraint, but became even more arrogant.

He glanced at Village Chief Zhang with disdain. He was just the village chief of a village with multiple surnames. What kind of influence could he have? His younger brother was the village chief of Peach Blossom Village. He was the one who ruled the clan and the village. That was the real village chief.

Unlike this guy who takes a trivial matter as a powerful command.

"You people from Xiahe Village, you think you can control everything, from heaven and earth to a widow returning home and getting married?"

Gu's father's words were extremely harsh; he almost pointed at Village Chief Zhang's nose and cursed him.

The village chief's face darkened, but what the other party said was indeed true. The Zheng family had no elders, and even though he was the village chief, he was just an outsider and had no right to stop the Gu family from taking Gu Lin away.

Looking at the fearless Gu's father in front of him, Village Chief Zhang knew how difficult the other party was to deal with, and really didn't want to get involved in the farce. He glanced at Zheng Hao beside him, thinking that at worst, each family in the village would save a meal to help him out.

This is cleaner and more efficient than arguing with Mr. Gu.

Seeing the village chief fall silent, Gu Lin had a bad feeling. He had never hated this era so much before. Even after experiencing many hardships and setbacks in the decades that followed, he had never felt so helpless and resentful.

Zheng Hao stood in front of Gu Lin, separating him from Gu's father, the village chief, and the others. He looked at Gu's father with a fierce expression and said, "My father has already bought Uncle Gu. You can't take Uncle Gu away."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu's parents, who had been so confident, changed their expressions. Zheng Hao took out a piece of paper from his pocket and looked at the village chief: "Village chief, this is Uncle Gu's indenture."

The village chief's expression changed accordingly.

He almost forgot that Gu Lin didn't marry into the Zheng family; she was bought by Hunter Zheng. However, Hunter Zheng was concerned about Gu Lin's reputation, so he never made it public. But the village chief was present to witness when Hunter Zheng and the Gu family bought Gu Lin.

When the village chief turned around and saw the ugly expressions on Gu's parents' faces, he understood immediately: the Gu family was trying to renege on their promises now that someone was dead.

He looked at Gu's father with a fierce expression and said, "Elder Gu, Hunter Zheng paid ten taels of silver to buy Gu Lin from you back then. What's wrong with you now? You want to go back on your word as soon as you see him? Gu Lin's indenture was made in triplicate, and one copy is with the government. Do you want to go back on your word now? Do you want to go to the government?"

Veins bulged on Gu's father's forehead, but Zheng Hao was not afraid at all. He looked directly at the other man and said, "Uncle Gu is a member of the Zheng family, and the indenture is in my hands. Even if we go to the government, we are in the right."

A hint of malice, barely perceptible to others, flashed across Zheng Hao's face, and a chill ran down the spine of Gu's father, who was meeting his gaze: "According to the Great Zhou Law, anyone who disregards the law and causes trouble at the government office without cause shall be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane and exiled a thousand miles away."

Gu's father didn't know whether Zheng Hao was telling the truth or not, but the situation was gradually getting worse. He was already feeling guilty and originally planned to take advantage of Zheng Hao's young age and ignorance to take Gu Lin back and remarry her. However, before the hunter Zheng died, he handed Gu Lin's indenture to Zheng Hao.

If Gu Lin were a free person, no one could interfere with them taking each other away. However, Gu Lin was nominally a wife of the Zheng family but in reality a slave to the Zheng family. Even if Gu's father wanted the fifty taels of silver, he would have to think twice.

Mrs. Gu started to panic. She quickly got up from the ground and called out to Mr. Gu, "Old man!"

Even though he was unwilling, Gu's father had no choice. He didn't want to push the village chief of Xiahe Village too far and cause trouble for the government. Gu's father turned his head and glared at Gu's mother, saying, "Don't embarrass yourself, let's go!"

Gu's mother may seem formidable, but she's just a paper tiger with no real threat. Once Gu's father speaks, she doesn't dare to argue back.

The two arrived arrogantly, but left dejectedly.

Looking at the young man beside him who seemed unaffected and remained calm, but whose forehead was covered in fine sweat, Zheng Hao pursed his lips.

"Aunt Zhao."

Zheng Hao looked at Zhao's wife and said, "Please help me get Uncle Gu home."

When the village chief arrived, Sister Zhao was already there, but she hadn't had a chance to speak yet; she could only watch anxiously.

Seeing that they could now insert themselves, Sister Zhao quickly stepped forward to help Gu Lin.

Normally, Gu Lin would have been too embarrassed to let the other person help him, but after what had just happened, his limbs felt a little weak.

After calming down for a while, he felt he had come to his senses. He turned to the village chief and thanked him solemnly: "Thank you for your help, village chief."

Although the other party had just wanted to give up on him, rationally speaking, he couldn't blame them. However, it was impossible for Gu Lin not to feel any resentment.

But since they still live in Xiahe Village, Gu Lin can only pretend to be unconcerned to avoid the village chief holding a grudge and making things difficult for them.

Sure enough, the village chief was very satisfied with Gu Lin's performance, feeling that he had not helped him in vain, and comforted him, "Go back now, your parents probably won't come again for a while."

Gu Lin and Sister-in-law Zhao left together, and Zheng Hao followed him back to the Zheng family home.

After returning home, Gu Lin turned to Sister Zhao and said, "Sister-in-law, I'm fine now. You can go back home without worry."

Aunt Zhao was still a little worried, but seeing that Gu Lin was not much different from before except for being a little pale, she said, "I'll stay at home. Just call me if you need anything."

"Ok."

Sister-in-law Zhao turned and left the Zheng family.

After the other person's figure completely disappeared, Gu Lin looked up at the azure sky and saw a flock of birds flying under the fluffy clouds. Thinking of the scene just now, Gu Lin felt not only anger but also a bit of sympathy for the original owner, or rather, empathy.

After a series of arguments, Mr. and Mrs. Gu remained completely unaware that their son had been replaced by another person. Or rather, even if they knew, they wouldn't have cared, because in their eyes, the original owner of this body was merely a commodity. As long as this son could bring them enough profit, it didn't matter who he actually was.

This was the original owner's tragedy; having parents was worse than having no parents at all. But Gu Lin's parents weren't like his father and mother. Watching the large bird leading the little birds into flight, Gu Lin recalled two loving faces. He was old enough to remember things when he lost his parents. In his memory, his parents were very loving and doted on him. But more than a decade had passed in the blink of an eye, and the world had changed drastically. His memories of his parents were fading. Gu Lin thought that now he had transmigrated into a book, and he didn't even have photos of his parents anymore. He feared that in a few more years, he would even forget what his parents looked like.

Gu Lin thought about it and realized that it was no wonder the original owner was also named Gu Lin. Their experiences were so similar; they both grew up without parental love and stumbled along on their own.

Gu Lin was somewhat better off than the original owner; at least he had experienced his parents' love and was able to make his own decisions about his marriage. However…

Gu Lin felt a coolness on his cheek, and when he raised his hand to wipe it, he found that he was crying.

He actually cried.

"Uncle Gu."

A familiar voice came from behind him. Gu Lin paused, then turned to look at the person who had come.

He had already held back his tears, but his eyes were still watery and red, though he was completely unaware of it.

Looking at Zheng Hao, Gu Lin's expression flashed with surprise at the boy's way of addressing him, because Zheng Hao had never addressed him by that name in the past few days.

Zheng Hao took out the indenture he had used to threaten Gu's parents earlier and handed it to Gu Lin, saying, "Uncle Gu, don't worry, my father canceled your indenture a long time ago. You are a member of the Zheng family, not a slave of the Zheng family."

Gu Lin glanced at the black words on the paper that had nothing to do with the contract of indenture, his eyes slightly widened, and tears welled up in his eyes. Zheng Hao looked at the boy's tears in front of him and felt anxious, but he was cold and hard by nature and not good at comforting people, so he could only say stiffly, "Don't cry."

The Zheng family has never treated you as an outsider. You suffered because of the Zheng family after my father passed away, but I will protect and take care of you from now on, and I will never let anyone bully you again.

Recalling what had just happened, a ferocious glint flashed in Zheng Hao's dark eyes.

Looking at the teenager in front of him who had made the promise, Gu Lin wiped away the tears in his eyes and smiled, "I believe you."

Zheng Hao's expression grew even more determined as he said, "Yes."