Transmigrated into the role of the matriarch, I ensured my family had enough to eat and wear during

Before anyone could react, Old Lady Tang suddenly rushed forward, grabbed the mahogany tray containing the hundred taels of silver from Tang Lifu's hand, and roared, "Put it down! Susu is a member of the Tang family, Yu'er's elder sister! Yu'er is going to Fuzhou to take the imperial examination; she needs money for travel expenses, writing materials, and so on. This silver should belong to the Tang family and be used by Yu'er!"

Before she could finish speaking, she hurriedly stuffed the ten silver ingots from the plate into her clothes, openly robbing Tang Susu of the silver that Magistrate Lu had given her in broad daylight.

Tang Susu never expected her to be so bold, but she didn't act immediately. She just stood there coldly, staring at her sharply, and said in a deep voice, "Mother-in-law, have you thought this through? Who gave you this money?"

Upon seeing this, Old Lady Yang in the crowd immediately rushed forward with a howl, grabbed Old Lady Tang's sleeve, and cursed, "You shameless old hag! Coming to our Yang family's territory to rob money, do you have no shame?"

"This silver was a gift from Magistrate Lu to my daughter-in-law, Su Su. It belongs to the Yang family and has absolutely nothing to do with your Tang family. Hand it over immediately!"

Old Mrs. Tang abruptly shook off her hand, her neck stiff as she retorted, "What Yang family? Su Su was born a member of the Tang family, and she'll die a member of the Tang family. The reward money that Magistrate Lu gave her naturally belongs to the Tang family! I think you're trying to steal our Tang family's money!"

"I'll steal your mother's head!" Old Mrs. Yang was so angry that she jumped up and down and pounced on her again. The two old women instantly started fighting, pulling hair, grabbing clothes, and cursing. The villagers who were watching all backed away, and no one dared to step forward to stop them. The scene was in complete chaos.

Tang Susu walked slowly to Old Lady Tang's side, her tone icy cold and devoid of any warmth, warning her word by word: "I'll tell you again, I am now Yang Tangshi, married into the Yang family, and I am a member of the Yang family. I am no longer Tang Susu who can be manipulated by you."

"This silver was a reward from Magistrate Lu. If you dare to take even a penny of it today, I will immediately go to the town to report to the authorities and ask Magistrate Lu whether he will hold you accountable for the theft of the silver he personally rewarded!"

Old Mrs. Tang trembled with rage at her words, pointing at Tang Susu and yelling sharply, "You good-for-nothing traitor! You're always siding with outsiders, have you forgotten where you came from?!"

She cursed fiercely, but the panic in her eyes was unmistakable—no matter how bold she was, she dared not offend Magistrate Lu, and her voice gradually lost its confidence.

Tang Chengyu, who was standing to the side, had already called out to his wife in a low voice several times, but she hadn't listened at all. Now, seeing the situation getting increasingly out of control, he had no choice but to raise his voice and shout sternly, "Grandma! Stop!"

His voice was loud and angry, and the villagers watching immediately quieted down.

Tang Chengyu pushed through the crowd, strode forward, and grabbed Old Lady Tang's arm with considerable force, his tone firm: "Grandma, this silver was earned by my eldest sister through her own abilities. It was a reward from Magistrate Lu. It doesn't belong to the Tang family, much less to you. You must return the silver to my eldest sister immediately!"

Old Mrs. Tang clutched her clothes tightly, refusing to let go, her eyes red as she argued, "Yu'er, you're confused! Magistrate Lu vouched for you; you're going to Fuzhou to take the imperial examination. The journey is long, and you'll need money for travel expenses, writing materials, and a tutor. This money should be yours, how can you give it to this ungrateful wretch!"

Tang Chengyu's expression grew increasingly displeased, his brows furrowed, his face dark and menacing, radiating a cold and authoritative aura. He stared at her and declared fiercely, "Grandma, I'll say it one last time: return the silver! If you insist on taking it, then I will forfeit the imperial examination. From this day forward, I will never study again, never take the imperial examinations. Even if it disappoints Lord Lu's favor and the Tang family's expectations, I will not hesitate!"

Old Mrs. Tang was startled. Looking into his determined eyes, she knew he wasn't lying, and her anger was instantly extinguished.

Her greatest wish in this life was to see Tang Chengyu pass the imperial examination and bring honor to the family; she absolutely could not let a sum of money ruin his future.

At this moment, Chief Tang stepped forward and calmly advised, "Sister-in-law, let it go. Since Yu'er has already expressed his feelings, he should have his own way of raising the travel expenses for the imperial examination. Don't be stubborn. Return the money to the Yang family to avoid making things ugly and disappointing Lord Lu."

Seeing Tang Chengyu's resolute attitude and with the pressure from the Tang clan chief, Old Lady Tang knew that further stalemate was futile. Reluctantly, she pulled out some silver from her bosom, shoved it into Tang Susu's hand, and declared fiercely, "Our Tang family has never cared for your Yang family's worthless silver! Just wait, when Yu'er passes the imperial examinations and becomes an official, achieving great success, your Yang family won't get a single penny from the Tang family!"

After finishing her tirade, she turned and grabbed Tang Chengyu's arm, urging her urgently, "Yu'er, stop wasting your breath on them! Pack your things and come back to the Tang family with us right now. Don't stay in this place of trouble any longer!"

Villagers in Yangqu Village with school-aged children panicked and crowded around. Someone whispered, "Master Tang, are you really leaving? My child just learned a few characters from you and wants to continue learning."

"Yeah, Mr. Tang, please don't go!"

The crowd had mixed feelings. Although they felt it was a pity that Tang Chengyu had said he would not take the academy exam, they were also secretly glad that their child would have more opportunities to study.

Now that he has Magistrate Lu as his guarantor, his future is bright. People are reluctant to see him leave, but secretly hope that he will stay.

Tang Chengyu gently pushed away Old Lady Tang's hand and said firmly to the crowd, "Fellow villagers, I keep my word. I will stay in Yangqu Village. After things are settled here and I have checked on the children's studies, I will return to the Tang family. I will not leave immediately."

"What? You're not leaving right away?" Old Mrs. Tang exclaimed in disbelief. "Yu'er, are you out of your mind! With Magistrate Lu vouching for you, you should hurry back to the Tang family and focus on your exams. What are you doing staying in this poor mountain village?!"

Not only was Old Lady Tang shocked, but the whole village was also stunned. Everyone was convinced that he had come to Yangqu Village out of necessity, and now that his future was bright, he would leave immediately. Only Tang Susu remained calm, as she had expected it.

Tang Susu tugged at Tang Chengyu's sleeve and gently reminded her, "Yu'er, it's getting late, it's time for the children to start class."

Tang Chengyu nodded, then turned to the villagers and smiled, "Don't worry, ladies and folks, I won't leave. I will continue to take in students. As long as the children are willing to learn, I am willing to teach them."

Upon hearing this, the villagers breathed a sigh of relief and thanked him repeatedly.

On the other side, Old Lady Yang pulled Yang, the village head, and urged him anxiously: "Village head, quickly send people to measure the land on Gou Tuo Mountain. Find several people and get it measured and settled before dark to avoid any unforeseen problems! I'm afraid that old hag will come and cause trouble in the middle of the night, either stealing money or obstructing the purchase of land. Only when the land deed is settled can I feel at ease."

Yang Lizheng nodded and immediately summoned Yang Feicheng, Yang Feimo and others, and also called Tang Lifu and Yang Gousheng, saying with a smile, "Let's go, let's go measure the land together. Many hands make light work, and if we finish measuring sooner, it will put Tang Xiaoniangzi at ease."

With measuring tools in hand, the group hurried to Gou Tuo Mountain, measuring and meticulously recording their findings. As they measured, Yang, the village head, said, "According to the rules, we'll measure and record everything today, and tomorrow morning we'll go to the yamen to get it stamped and filed. Only then will this land truly belong to Miss Tang."

Tang Susu didn't understand the land purchase process, so she didn't join in the fun. She turned around and went home, saying to Miao Yulan, "Yulan, we have a lot of things to do today, so dinner will be postponed. Let's cook a nice meal to entertain the village head and fellow villagers who helped with the land survey, and to reward everyone."

Miao Yulan smiled and replied, "Okay, Sister Su, I'll do whatever you say."

Tang Susu took out the bamboo rat meat, rabbit meat, and chicken that were drying at home and said, "I'll stew the chicken with lotus root and add some shiitake mushrooms for flavor; I'll make a dry pot with the rabbit meat and braise the bamboo rat meat; there are also fresh vegetables in the yard, so I'll stir-fry two plates of green vegetables and wild vegetables; I'll also make some white flour pancakes and wild vegetable egg soup with eggs and white flour, cook some buckwheat rice, and make some corn and wild vegetable pancakes."

"Okay, I'll get started right away." Miao Yulan immediately got busy, and soon a fragrant aroma wafted from the kitchen.

Not long after, Yang, the village head, returned with everyone, holding the completed land deed. As he entered the courtyard, he called out, "Young Madam Tang, the land has been measured!"

Tang Susu stepped forward, smiling, and asked, "Village head, how many acres are there in total?"

"Forty-two mu, calculated at half a tael per mu, totaling twenty-one taels of silver," Yang Lizheng said, handing over the land deed.

Old Mrs. Yang immediately stepped forward, smiling and suggesting, "Village head, we're all neighbors, could you round down this extra tael? Let's just take twenty taels."

Yang Lizheng laughed heartily and waved his hand: "Don't worry, Auntie, even if you hadn't suggested it, I would have wiped off this tael. Miss Tang has done a great service to our village, so I can still help with this little favor."

He then looked at Tang Chengyu: "Young Master Tang, could you please check the land deed? Once you've confirmed it's correct, we'll go to the yamen to get it stamped first thing tomorrow morning."

Tang Chengyu took the land deed, carefully examined it, and after confirming that it was correct, folded it up and handed it to Yang, the village head, saying, "Village head, no problem. I'll go to the yamen with you tomorrow."

Tang Susu smiled and invited, "Village head, auntie, and all the villagers, thank you for your hard work. Dinner is ready, please stay for a simple meal. I just didn't have time to go to the market to buy fresh meat, so I can only use the ingredients I have at home. Please don't mind."

As Yang Lizheng and his wife entered the main room, they were greeted by the enticing aroma of meat. Looking at the table laden with food, his wife exclaimed, "My goodness, this is so lavish! It's even more festive than the New Year!"

Yang, the village head, was also visibly shocked, but said with a smile, "Miss Tang, you're too kind. This meal is even better than what we ate during the New Year!"