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

Chapter 136 Getting Back the Gambling Money

Who is causing trouble here?

A low shout came from behind.

Gu Lin turned around and saw a middle-aged man dressed in rich clothes enter, followed by two rows of servants, making quite a grand entrance.

"Third Master!"

Gu Lin turned his head and saw that the previously arrogant manager's expression changed when he saw the middle-aged man, and his face and eyes were full of panic.

A look of understanding crossed Gu Lin's eyes; this Third Master must be the owner of the gambling den.

Third Master approached Gu Lin and his group with a stern face. His hawk-like eyes swept over everyone, then lingered for a moment on the handsome and refined young man before finally turning to the steward.

"What do you think happened?"

The manager dared not reveal that he wanted to pocket the gamblers' winnings. He smiled obsequiously and said repeatedly, "It's just a small matter. No need for you to worry about it, Third Master. I'll take care of it quickly."

As the manager spoke, he glanced threateningly at Gu Lin and the other two.

"Ah!"

Gu Lin wasn't going to tolerate the other party and sneered. The entire gambling den had gradually quieted down because of the arrival of the Third Master, so his snort was particularly noticeable and the Third Master heard it as well.

The wrinkles on his eyelids were as numerous as the ravines of a valley. Third Master flipped his eyelids and looked coldly at the steward. The steward was sweating profusely. Just as the sweat was about to fall to the ground, Third Master's hawk-like eyes turned and his gaze fell on the young man who had just let out a cold laugh.

“What exactly happened? Tell me, buddy.”

Zheng Hao stood in front of Gu Lin, shielding him from view.

Gu Lin reached out and patted the back of the person in front of him. Zheng Hao suddenly stiffened. Gu Lin thought that his sudden action had startled the other person, so he said in a low voice, "Don't worry, let me do it."

Zheng Hao's brows twitched, and he finally lowered his eyes slightly, but he did not back down. He moved his feet slightly to the side, and Gu Lin stepped forward and stood beside him.

Raising his eyes, Gu Lin's gaze swept over the steward not far away. When he met the steward's threatening and angry eyes, a smile gradually appeared on his fair and gentle face.

Withdrawing his gaze, Gu Lin looked directly at the middle-aged man standing in front of the manager: "May I ask, Third Master, if a gambler wins money at your gambling den, can he/she collect the winnings on the same day?"

Hearing the young man's question, Third Master replied, "Of course."

Gu Lin asked again, "Regardless of the amount of money involved?"

Third Master said in a deep voice: "The gambling den has abundant funds. As long as a gambler can win money, no matter how big or small the bet is, he can get the money back on the same day."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lin did not speak immediately. His gaze shifted to the steward behind Third Master, who was already drenched in sweat and trembling.

Gu Lin's eyes held a half-smile, then he composed himself and looked at the middle-aged man, saying, "I won 60,000 taels in your brothel, but your manager said the amount was too large and that he needed to reconcile accounts with the manager above him. He also asked me to give him the receipts and come back to collect my winnings a month later. I wonder if your brothel has recently added this rule?"

The young man asked earnestly, his expression and tone devoid of any sarcasm, as if he genuinely found the manager's actions perplexing.

The middle-aged man's deeply furrowed brows furrowed further, adding a few more creases.

He turned to the trembling steward and asked in a cold voice, "Gou San, is this true?"

The steward trembled, then cried out, "Third Master, Third Master, don't listen to their nonsense! I'm innocent!"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man understood everything.

His hawk-like eyes flashed with disgust and ferocity as he roared, "Drag him away!"

The servants who had been following the middle-aged man immediately stepped forward and restrained the steward who was begging for mercy. The steward was still unwilling to give up and tried to cry out for mercy, but the servants dislocated his jaw and dragged him away without him being able to say a word.

The middle-aged man issued orders very quickly, and the servants carried them out even faster. In the blink of an eye, the manager who had been standing in the gambling den wailing disappeared.

After dealing with the manager, the middle-aged man turned his attention back to Gu Lin and the other two. Gu Lin stared at him warily, worried that the man might get angry after dealing with the manager and then deal with them to protect the reputation of the gambling den.

The Third Master said, "It was my fault for failing to properly discipline the steward, which led him to develop greed and caused both of you guests to worry and be afraid. I have prepared some tea to apologize, and I hope you will do me the honor of accepting my offer."

Then, he changed the subject, saying, "I have already sent someone to collect the betting money."

Gu Lin did not immediately agree, but instead glanced at Zheng Hao.

Zheng Hao said, "Since Third Master has sincerely invited us, Uncle Gu, let's accept."

Gu Lin's expression shifted slightly before he agreed.

So they followed the middle-aged man around the gambling den counter and into the courtyard behind the gambling den. After passing through the vibrant spring scenery, the group arrived at the reception hall.

"Zheng Huiyuan, Gu Fulang, this brother, please have a seat." Third Master greeted the three men opposite him. When he saw Niu Qiang, tall and imposing, unlike any other man, he paused, not wanting to overlook him.

Upon hearing how the other party addressed them, Gu Lin's expression shifted slightly, but seeing Zheng Hao calmly sit down, Gu Lin also sat down without making a sound.

After everyone was seated, Third Master introduced himself in a friendly manner: "My surname is Cui, Cui Jianda. I am the third son in my family. I am also known as Cui Laosan, but I am also respectfully addressed as Third Master Cui."

Although the middle-aged man had a pair of fierce eagle eyes, he was not at all menacing when he spoke to people in a friendly manner.

Faced with Cui Jianda's knowledge of their identities, Zheng Hao remained calm and composed, saying, "Although Third Master Cui knows our identities, we still need to introduce ourselves out of courtesy."

Zheng Hao: "My name is Zheng Hao. I am from Xuzhou Prefecture. I came to the capital to participate in the metropolitan examination. I passed the metropolitan examination a few days ago and am now waiting for the palace examination to begin."

"This is my elder, Uncle Gu Lin, and that is Brother Niu Qiang, the bodyguard who escorted me to the capital."

After Zheng Hao finished speaking, Cui Jianda didn't let him finish, praising, "As expected of the chairman and his elders and friends, I could tell from the moment I entered the gambling house that you all had an extraordinary temperament, unlike others."

Faced with the other party's praise, Gu Lin, who had been in business for many years, was able to respond without changing his expression: "Third Master Cui, you flatter me. You live up to your reputation. No wonder you have been able to expand the Cui family's businesses all over the country."

Cui Jianda laughed a few times, then changed the subject: "You all came to the gambling den, you should have had a good time, but your fun was ruined by greedy people. It is really my fault for not disciplining you properly. I will not be at peace if I do not make compensation."

"Here's what we'll do. Besides returning the 60,000 taels of gambling money to Mr. Gu, I'll give you an additional 10,000 taels to calm your nerves. In the future, when you come to the Cui family's gambling den, you'll all have a free allowance of 10,000 taels."

Hearing the promise, Gu Lin was slightly surprised. It was quite a generous offer of 40,000 taels of silver. However, when he thought about how the Cui family's gambling den had a daily turnover of hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, Gu Lin remained calm.

However, he didn't want the money; he only wanted his gambling winnings back.

Zheng Hao gave him a reassuring look.

Then, he turned to Cui Jianda and said, "Master Cui has a large family business and many affairs. It is understandable that he was misled by his subordinates for a while. Moreover, Master Cui arrived in time today. He is discerning and fair in handling matters. We do not think it is the fault of Cui Family Gambling House or Master Cui."

Hearing what Zheng Hao said, Gu Lin, having known him for many years, still had this kind of tacit understanding.

He nodded, earnestly agreeing, "Since the person who made the mistake has been dealt with, and we haven't suffered any substantial harm, compensation is unnecessary. Otherwise, we'd feel guilty accepting 40,000 taels of silver."

Seeing that neither the handsome young man nor the young lad showed any desire or greed for money, Cui Jianda was somewhat surprised.

Although he hadn't looked into the details of this newly appointed top scholar, he was aware of his background.

The other party had come from a remote prefecture to the capital and had been staying in inns, and not even large ones. So it was obvious that they came from ordinary families, and they should have accepted the huge compensation.

However, his understanding was not in-depth, so he did not know that although Zheng Huiyuan and his elders came from ordinary backgrounds, they were not short of money.

Seeing that the young man and the handsome youth really didn't care, Cui Jianda took out a token and said, "This is a token of my Cui family. If you two need help in the future, you can use this token to ask all the Cui family's businesses in the Great Qian to help you once."

This item was valuable and of great significance, so Gu Lin did not accept it immediately. He first exchanged a glance with Zheng Hao, and when the other party nodded slightly, Gu Lin reached out and took the token from Cui Jianda: "Then thank you very much, Third Master Cui."

Gu Lin clasped his hands in a fist salute.

Cui Jianda was somewhat surprised to see that it was not the handsome young man who accepted the token from his hand, but a young man who reached out and took it.

However, he had traveled extensively throughout the country and even ventured deep into foreign lands, where he had seen many women and boys who could rival men. Therefore, he did not hold the outdated belief that Zheng Hao's decision to have a boy accept his token was an insult to him.

At this moment, a manager jogged over and handed an envelope to Cui Jianda. Cui Jianda took it and handed it to Gu Lin, saying, "This is Gu Fulang's betting funds and winnings. Gu Fulang, please check if the amount is correct."

Gu Lin took the envelope but did not open it.

Although that's what the other party said, he couldn't actually open the envelope to check the banknotes.

Gu Lin put the envelope into his sleeve and said to Cui Jianda with his trust, "There's no need to check. Master Cui is honest and upright. A mere 60,000 taels of silver is probably not even worth your attention."

Gu Lin's actions pleased and reassured Cui Jianda.

Although the Cui family had powerful backers, it would be a great loss to offend a top scholar who was expected to become a first-class or second-class scholar for no reason.

Wanting to further develop their relationship, Cui Jianda invited, "I have already arranged a dinner party. I would like to invite Zheng Huiyuan and Gu Fulang to join me."

Gu Lin didn't agree immediately. It wasn't because he hadn't completely calmed down; after the other party apologized, he was no longer angry.

Gu Lin looked apologetic: "We originally came to the gambling den to collect our winnings and then return to the inn. Now that we've been delayed for a while, it's getting late and we should head back. Otherwise, if we stay any longer, it will be inconvenient to return to the inn."

The young man in front of him was clearly not a two-faced person, and given his earnest words, Cui Jianda said with a regretful expression, "After Zheng Huiyuan's imperial examination in a few days, I will host a banquet. I would like to invite Zheng Huiyuan and Mr. Gu to grace us with their presence."

Seeing that Cui Jianda had meticulously remembered to invite them again after Zheng Hao's palace examination, Gu Lin's goodwill towards him immediately increased.

He replied with a smile, "Definitely, definitely."

Cui Jianda saw them out, and Gu Lin said, "Third Master Cui, please wait."

Cui Jianda stopped after escorting them to the courtyard corridor and had his servants lead Gu Lin and the other two out of the gambling den.

The three boarded the carriage. There were few pedestrians and vehicles on the road at night, so they soon returned to the inn.

After getting off the car, the three walked towards the second floor of the inn. Just as Niu Qiang was about to enter the room, Gu Lin called out to him, "Brother Niu, please wait."

The handsome young man who was about to step into the house paused, then stopped, turned around and looked at the young man and the tall man, his expression unreadable.

It was already late, so on their way back they bought some late-night snacks. Uncle Gu couldn't possibly ask Niu Qiang to stay for dinner.

Niu Qiang stopped and turned around to face Gu Lin, who was not far away.

Under Zheng Hao's dark gaze, Niu Qiang's expression remained fierce as he asked Gu Lin, "What's wrong, Boss Gu?"

Gu Lin took out the silver notes from the envelope and handed them to Niu Qiang, saying, "That day, thanks to you being by my side, I was able to successfully enter the gambling den to place my bet. Today, you also came with us to the gambling den to intimidate the manager and the thugs. This money is for you."

Each silver note was worth a thousand taels, and Gu Lin had three silver notes in his hand. Niu Qiang had never seen anyone treat money so casually.

He said stiffly, "I am hired by Zheng Huiyuan, and it is my duty to protect Boss Gu. This money is yours and has nothing to do with me. I will not take it."

After saying that, before Gu Lin could continue speaking, Niu Qiang turned around and went into his room before Gu Lin could react.

Gu Lin was speechless for a moment.

Zheng Hao approached Gu Lin and said softly, "Three thousand taels is a considerable sum of money for ordinary people, so it's understandable that Niu Qiang is unwilling to accept it. If Uncle Gu feels bad about it, please provide Niu Qiang and the bodyguards with more good wine and food on a regular basis. The bodyguards who are traveling with Niu Qiang are all his brothers. Also, please make the holiday gifts and New Year's gifts for Niu Qiang more generous. If you still feel bad about it, you can give this money to Niu Qiang as a wedding gift when he gets married in the future."

Niu Qiang was unwilling to accept it, and Gu Lin had no choice but to accept it. Gu Lin thought Zheng Hao's idea was good.

He said, "We'll do it your way."

Then, Gu Lin took out another silver note and gave it to Zheng Hao: "After deducting the three thousand taels given to Brother Niu, there are still three thousand taels of capital left. We will split the remaining fifty-four thousand taels in half. I made sixty thousand taels with you, but I won't keep it all to myself. This is your money."

Looking at the dozens of silver notes stacked in the hands of the young man in front of him, a fortune that others could only dream of, the man gave him half without batting an eye.

With his dark eyes fixed intently on Uncle Gu, Zheng Hao said in a low voice, "Uncle Gu is good at managing money. These banknotes will be more useful with you. Besides, I don't lack money on a daily basis. Uncle Gu, you should take them back."

None of them wanted to accept the money, as if the banknotes were some kind of monster.

Gu Lin looked at Zheng Hao with some helplessness and said, "Okay, I'll save it for you first. Just tell me if you need it in the future."