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

Filled with resentment, Shen Cuihe walked with her head down on the only village road leading to Huiyangqu Village. She encountered Yang Defu driving a cart with Yang Gousheng and Tang Liqiang on board.

She immediately straightened up, quickly tidied her clothes and hair, a faint worry appearing on her face, and looked up at the oxcart.

Tang Liqiang was the first to recognize Shen Cuihe and called out to her. Yang Defu immediately stopped the oxcart and asked, "Cuihe, why are you standing here alone?"

Shen Cuihe's eyes flickered slightly as she lied, "It was Ersha who told me to wait here and pass on a message to Brother Gousheng."

Upon hearing this, Tang Liqiang quickly told Yang Defu to continue driving ahead, while Yang Gousheng stepped back a few paces and stood still, his eyes wary: "If Ersha wanted to pass on a message, why didn't he tell me himself?"

The morning sun was bright, and Shen Cuihe stood in the shade of the roadside, her brand-new blue dress with pink chrysanthemums standing out.

She slightly raised her chin, her eyes sparkling, her hands gently clutching the hem of her clothes, her expression tender as she gazed at Yang Gousheng.

Upon seeing this, Yang Gousheng immediately recalled the words Tang Susu had once said with a similar expression, words that gave him goosebumps. He stumbled and quickly took a few steps back.

Shen Cuihe looked sorrowful and complained softly, "Brother Gousheng, why are you being so distant? I've always treated you like an older brother. I'm in trouble today and want to ask you for a favor."

Yang Gousheng's nerves tightened instantly, his heart sank, and he mistakenly thought that she wanted to borrow grain again.

Shen Cuihe's expression stiffened slightly, clearly not expecting him to still remember the matter of borrowing grain before. She then slowly explained her purpose: "Ersha wants to study with Master Tang, but his family has no money. I know that the Yang family received a reward from Magistrate Lu and is well-off. I would like to borrow two taels from you, just two taels will be enough."

Yang Gousheng stared intently at Shen Cuihe with unfamiliar eyes, thinking to himself that she was even more hateful than Old Lady Tang.

Old Mrs. Tang was robbing money for her grandson's exams, and they were still relatives, yet Shen Cuihe still demanded two taels of silver.

He said coldly, "I never touched yesterday's reward money; Sister Su Su kept it all safe. Besides, school only costs ten coins. If you can't even come up with ten coins, then you don't need to study."

After saying that, he resolutely turned around and left without looking back.

Upon returning to the Yang family, Yang Gousheng immediately told Tang Susu everything about Shen Cuihe borrowing money.

Upon hearing this, Tang Susu nodded in approval: "You did the right thing, you did nothing wrong."

At the same time, he carefully instructed: "From now on, in the village, you must not speak alone with young women or newlywed wives, lest the villagers see you and spread rumors, causing trouble."

Yang Gousheng frowned, looking aggrieved: "It's not that I wanted to talk to her alone, it's that Tang Liqiang didn't wait for me and just went with the oxcart."

Tang Liqiang stood to the side, scratching his head, looking embarrassed: "I didn't understand she wanted to borrow money at the time. I just wanted to leave. Next time I see Shen Cuihe, I'll definitely stop her and make you run away quickly."

Tang Susu couldn't help but laugh when she saw the two of them.

After laughing, Tang Susu's heart gradually grew heavy. She realized that there must be many people in Yangqu Village who were eyeing her money.

Rather than letting money go to the heads of others, it's better to spend it as soon as possible to avoid causing more trouble.

She stood in the courtyard, torn between building a new house with blue bricks and tiles or a mud-brick and thatched house.

The mud-brick houses were warm in winter and cool in summer, which suited the village's conditions, but she came from modern times and preferred clean and tidy brick houses.

After finishing her work, Tang Susu went straight to the village head's house to consult him about building a brick house.

Upon hearing this, the village head said frankly, "These days, blue bricks are very precious. It takes three copper coins to buy one. In the past, one blue brick could be exchanged for a pound of buckwheat noodles."

Tang Susu then asked, "If we were to build a seven- or eight-room brick house, approximately how many bricks would be needed?"

The village headman did a quick calculation and was immediately dumbfounded: "The blue bricks are small, and each room needs four walls, and each wall needs to be built two layers high. Add to that the courtyard walls and gate towers, and you'll need at least forty or fifty thousand bricks. Just buying the bricks will cost nearly two hundred taels of silver. Add to that the cost of roofing and hiring craftsmen, and the total will be at least three hundred and fifty taels."

Tang Susu quickly calculated in her mind and then decided to settle for second best and build a mud-brick house first. However, the floor must be paved with blue bricks. This way, the house would not be muddy on rainy days and would not be too conspicuous and attract attention.

She asked the village head to help her find out where the bluestone bricks were sold, and the village head readily agreed: "Leave it to me. After the grain harvest, I will go and inquire around the area."

During their casual conversation, the two mentioned that the harvest would begin the next day. The village head immediately got up and called Yang Feicheng and Yang Feimo, instructing them to inform the entire village to hold a meeting under the big banyan tree in the evening.

As dusk fell, the villagers of Yangqu Village gathered under the large banyan tree. The village headman stood on a high stone pier and announced joyfully, "Thanks to Miss Tang this year, we've solved the drought and locust plague. Tomorrow, we'll officially begin harvesting the grain!"

Then, changing the subject, he emphasized: "There is one more thing. When harvesting rice, the rice stubble must be left at least eight inches long. Only in this way can the locust eggs in the soil be completely eliminated. Otherwise, the locust plague will still ravage the crops next year."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yang Houcai was the first to stand up and object: "Village head, I agree to burning the fields and destroying the rice stubble, but leaving eight-inch-high rice stubble will severely impact harvesting efficiency! We could originally harvest five-tenths of an acre a day, but doing it this way will delay the harvest by at least half a day!"

Zheng the rascal immediately chimed in, shouting at the top of his lungs, "That's right, village head! Leaving about three inches is enough; it can still burn and destroy the eggs. Why bother with all that trouble!"

The village head firmly believed that Tang Susu's method was correct, and besides, County Magistrate Lu had already notified all the villages in Dongtai Town to do the same, so he simply thought that the two were deliberately causing trouble.

He responded with a laugh, "You can stay as long as you want! The insect eggs are growing in your own fields. If you can't get rid of them all, and there's a locust plague next year, that's your own business. The villagers won't care."

Having said that, he waved his hand and adjourned the meeting.

The villagers dispersed, leaving Yang Houcai standing alone, filled with resentment and anger.

He was already exhausted from harvesting seven or eight acres of grain by himself. He was unwilling to give in, but he didn't dare let the grain rot in the field. In the end, he could only sigh and decide to send his family home first, and go to the field to harvest the grain himself.

Yang Houcai was about to go to Yang Tieqiao's house to borrow farm tools when he looked up and saw Widow Lan walking towards him.

After their affair was discovered, they avoided each other like the plague, never meeting in broad daylight for fear of being seen and gossiped about by the villagers.

The widow walked closer and gave Yang Houcai a wink, signaling him to go to the woods behind the village to talk.

Yang Houcai hesitated, as if he wanted to refuse, but Widow Lan's face immediately darkened, and she took a step forward with a coercive look in her eyes.

Yang Houcai had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow her into the woods behind the village.

Deep in the forest, where no one was around, Widow Lan stopped, slowly raised her hand, touched her belly, looked up at Yang Houcai, and said, word by word, "I think I'm pregnant."

In late July, the scorching sun beat down on the ground, and the autumn harvest officially began in Yangqu Village.

Not only Yangqu Village, but the entire Dongtai Town, and even all the counties and towns in Fuzhou, are harvesting grains at this time, and farmers are welcoming the busiest ten days of the year.

On the village road in Fuzhou, several well-decorated horse-drawn carriages were parked, with several yamen runners in official robes standing solemnly beside them.

Leading the group was a prefectural governor of Fuzhou, who was about forty or fifty years old. He stood tall and dignified, with his hands behind his back, gazing intently at the busy farmland in the distance.

The prefectural magistrate spoke slowly, his voice steady yet carrying an undeniable authority, and the yamen runners beside him immediately bent down to listen.

He stated bluntly: "The current situation is dire. The north is suffering from severe drought with no harvest, while the south is flooded, causing widespread suffering. Fuzhou is located at the junction of the north and south. Although there are towns like Qianjiang, Qintang, and Dongtai that have managed to dig water sources, control locusts, and protect crops, resulting in a harvest, there are now displaced people in Fuzhou."

He paused, then continued, "If the problem of displaced people spreads, the consequences will be unimaginable. In order to appease the displaced people and stabilize the situation, this prefecture has decided to increase the annual tax revenue of all counties and towns within Fuzhou."