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

The governor was an official from the capital, directly dispatched to the local area. His main duties were to check and balance local officials and supervise government affairs.

Lu, the county magistrate, had served in Dongtai Town for many years, working diligently and conscientiously, yet he had never met the governor and held this official sent from the capital in awe.

Facing the stern-looking prefectural magistrate, County Magistrate Lu bowed respectfully and reported: "Your Excellency, I have ordered the registrar to adjust the tax rates. Within the territory of Dongtai Town, except for Yangqu Village, the tax revenue of all other villages has increased by 30% to 40%."

He paused, then continued, "This is a year of famine, and grain production in all villages has decreased. However, after raising the tax rate, the amount of grain collected by the government is expected to be roughly the same as the year before last."

"Moreover, there is precedent. I have already informed the villages that if the government needs to mobilize manpower and resources to divert water for drought relief, we will collect more taxes afterward."

"This approach is better than the fields failing completely, with not a single grain of rice to be harvested, making it impossible to hand over the grain to the state government or appease the displaced people."

Upon hearing this, the county magistrates all widened their eyes, their faces filled with astonishment and resentment, and they all gathered around.

"Lord Lu, how could you act in this way? You shared the method of digging ditches to divert water with us, but you didn't mention a single word about raising the tax rate!"

"Yes, Lord Lu, the villagers are currently happily harvesting their grain, hoping to save some for winter. Suddenly demanding so much more will surely cause them to refuse, easily triggering a mass riot, which would be a huge problem!"

Although everyone was full of dissatisfaction, they were helpless. Half of Fuzhou had no harvest, and those counties and towns that had a harvest should have handed over more grain. Otherwise, the large influx of refugees would have unimaginable consequences.

Finally, Magistrate Song was the first to composed himself, bowing his head and declaring, "Since it is the order of the prefectural magistrate, and it is a last resort, Qianjiang Town will definitely pay the full amount of taxes on time and will not hold back."

Seeing this, the other county magistrates also put away their complaints and earnestly promised that they would obey the prefect's orders and pay the full amount of taxes. Upon seeing this, the prefect's expression softened slightly, and he nodded in approval.

The prefectural governor stroked his beard and said in a deep voice, "The increase in taxes is a last resort. When you return, you must explain the reasons to the people, making it clear that it is to appease the displaced people, stabilize the situation, and avoid provoking any resentment among them."

"In addition, during the autumn harvest, the fields are piled with grain, making them easy targets for bandits. All localities must do a good job in guarding the fields and protecting the fruits of the people's labor."

"Furthermore, we must strictly control the behavior of merchants hoarding grain and selling it at high prices, and strictly prohibit price gouging that would cause hardship for the people."

All the county officials bowed and nodded, noting down each and every detail without the slightest negligence.

After the prefectural governor left, Magistrate Lu was immediately surrounded by the other magistrates, and complaints arose again, all accusing him of not informing them of the tax increase in advance, thus putting everyone in a passive position.

Magistrate Lu first feigned a sigh, his face showing worry: "You all don't know this, but the troublemakers in Qianjiang Town have always been difficult to deal with. They obstructed the water diversion project in every way before, and now that we want to collect more taxes, I'm afraid they'll cause trouble again. It's really worrying."

As soon as he finished speaking, a slight smile appeared on his lips. He changed the subject and retorted, "Even if I had informed you all beforehand, I doubt you would have listened, would you?"

"Previously, I suggested leaving eight-inch-high rice stubble when harvesting grain to completely eliminate locust eggs, but everyone dismissed it, saying I was talking nonsense. Now I don't need to waste my breath."

"When the locust plague comes again next year, you will all regret it."

Upon hearing this, the county magistrates did not take Magistrate Lu's words to heart, and their faces still showed disdain.

"Lord Lu, you are worrying too much. Although we do not understand farming, we are literate and know that there has never been a situation in history where locust plagues have raged for three consecutive years."

"We have already suffered from locust plagues for two consecutive years. There is absolutely no possibility of another one next year. Leaving those tall rice stubble is just a waste of effort and a pointless exercise."

After saying this, everyone shook their heads and left, resolutely refusing to implement the method of leaving rice stubble.

As he watched the departing figures of the crowd, Magistrate Lu shook his head and sighed helplessly, "It's better to have no books than to believe only in them. In the end, we must listen to the experience of farmers in the fields, or we will suffer sooner or later."

He knew in his heart that the strategies he adopted twice from Yang Lizheng and Tang Susu of Yangqu Village had achieved excellent results, whether in diverting water to fight drought or in eliminating locusts to protect grain.

He firmly believes that this method of leaving rice stubble will definitely resolve the locust plague threat next year.

The route from Fuzhou back to the county government office was about 80% the same for both County Magistrate Lu and County Magistrate Song.

Song, the county magistrate, had his own private carriage, but he insisted on riding in the same carriage as Lu, which clearly indicated that he had ulterior motives.

During the journey, Magistrate Song finally couldn't help but tentatively ask, "Lord Lu, regarding the matter of leaving rice stubble that you mentioned earlier, is it truly necessary to popularize it?"

He was very anxious. He and County Magistrate Lu had been serving in Fuzhou for seven years, and neither of them had achieved any outstanding political achievements.

This year, however, Magistrate Lu has achieved considerable success with his water diversion and locust control strategies, and he is on the verge of promotion. He can't help but suspect that Magistrate Lu has a powerful figure guiding him.

Upon hearing this, Magistrate Lu raised his eyes indifferently and said directly, "Lord Song, to be honest, I originally planned to come to see you the next day. Since we have met today, let's get straight to the point."

"Is it true that your eldest son, who studies at Chongwen Hall, is colluding with the nephew of the wealthy Jin family head in Qintang Town, specifically bullying students who have no power or influence?"

"I didn't want to get involved in these matters, but they happened to be bullying students from Dongtai Town. After the harvest season, I will definitely report this to the prefectural governor."

Magistrate Song trembled violently, his face turned deathly pale, and he was filled with panic.

He knew his eldest son was a good-for-nothing who idled away his days and did whatever he wanted. He sent him to Chongwen Hall to study, hoping to help him restrain his ways, but he never expected that his son would still not change his ways.

The headmaster of Chongwen Hall had complained to him many times, but he had been busy with government affairs and deliberately avoided the matter, never expecting that Magistrate Lu would find out about it.

He knew that if his superiors found out about his poor parenting, he would likely never have a chance for promotion in his life.

Immediately, Magistrate Song clasped his hands in apology, his tone urgent: "Thank you for the reminder, Lord Lu. It was my negligence in inquiring about my son's affairs. Upon returning to town, I will immediately bring him home and discipline him properly, ensuring he never misbehaves again!"

County Magistrate Lu nodded slightly and added, "In addition, you also need to have my son publicly apologize to those students who were expelled from Chongwen Hall because he wronged them, clear their names, and restore their innocence."

After saying this, he said with emotion, "Lord Song, you are already very fortunate to have a virtuous wife by your side who can help you discipline your children."

"On the other hand, my wife and children have passed away early, leaving only my elderly mother. She has always doted on her only son, Lu Hao. I have been busy with government affairs and have no time to discipline him, which has made him increasingly willful and reckless. This time, it is time to teach him a lesson."

Magistrate Song quickly agreed and promised repeatedly that he would do as he was told and would not be perfunctory. Only then did Magistrate Lu stop talking.

Upon returning to the Dongtai Town County Government Office, Magistrate Lu immediately dispatched someone to Chongwen Hall to bring his son, Lu Hao, back to the County Government Office.

With a serious expression, he earnestly told Lu Hao, "Tomorrow, you will come with me to Yangqu Village to experience farm life, endure some hardships, and temper your temper."

Lu Hao never liked studying and spent his days thinking about skipping classes to have fun. When he heard that he didn't have to go to school and could go to the village, he immediately agreed. Little did he know that a different kind of "trial" awaited him.

On the second day of the autumn harvest, the sun was blazing, the sunlight was scorching, the ground was burning hot, and even the wind carried heat.

Tang Susu stood in the golden rice field, sweat rolling down her forehead, sliding down her cheeks, and dripping into the rice paddy at her feet, where it was instantly absorbed by the soil.

Her muscles ached all over, her bones felt like they were about to fall apart, and a wave of exhaustion washed over her, almost drowning her.

The Tang family has six mu of grain, and only four people are harvesting it now. She and Tang Lifu are in one team, and Tang Liqiang and Yang Gousheng are in another team. The two teams take turns harvesting, with two people responsible for cutting the grain and two people responsible for bundling it. After bundling, they carry the bundles of grain back to the yard and stack them.

In the fields, Yang Xiaobao was also busy. His small body moved through the rice paddies, picking up the rice ears that had been missed during harvesting, as well as the grains that had accidentally fallen during the harvest. He didn't slack off at all.

At home, Miao Yulan and Tang Chengyu stayed behind to handle the harvested rice.

Miao Yulan sat on a low stool, holding rice ears in her hands, repeatedly shaking and pounding them on a wooden basin, trying to remove the grains. However, some grains were stuck very firmly and were difficult to remove. She could only put them in the yard to dry in the sun for half a day, and then Tang Chengyu would process them after they were dry.

Tang Chengyu then held a flail, raised it high, and then brought it down heavily, repeatedly beating the dried rice ears until all the grains fell off.

However, Miao Yulan was heavily pregnant and weak all over, while Tang Chengyu was a frail scholar who had studied since childhood and had never done heavy work. Both of them lacked strength, and their threshing efficiency was extremely low.

After working for half a day, they only managed to collect a wooden basin full of grains. These grains still need to be taken to the front door, spread on a bamboo mat to dry, and then hulled to become edible rice.

Tang Susu spent half a day harvesting in the fields, and several large and small blisters appeared on her palms. They were crystal clear and painful to the touch, and she could no longer hold the sickle.

Left with no other choice, she had to switch jobs with Tang Liqiang. Tang Liqiang was responsible for harvesting the rice, while she was responsible for collecting the harvested rice, tying it into neat bundles with straw rope, and then carrying the bundles home step by step on a wooden stick with pointed ends.

Although her own fields were right in front of her house, the scorching sun made every step of the heavy load of rice incredibly difficult. The burden made her breathless, her chest tight, and her clothes soaked with sweat, clinging to her body, causing her great discomfort.

After finally returning to the courtyard and putting down the bundle of grain on her shoulder, Tang Susu discovered that her shoulder was also injured. Her left shoulder was red and swollen, and her right shoulder was even more abraded, with blood seeping from the wound, causing unbearable pain.

She immediately went back inside and bought several plasters for treating external injuries from the trading platform, carefully applying them to the wounds on her palms and shoulders.

As soon as the plaster was applied, a cooling sensation spread instantly, relieving most of the pain, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Tang Susu sat on a bench in the courtyard, closed her eyes to rest, and felt deeply moved.

In every era, farmers have always been the hardest-working and most exhausted people. They work from sunrise to sunset, toiling in the fields year after year, yet often go hungry. They are the most easily overlooked and marginalized, and are also the poorest group.

After resting for about fifteen minutes, Tang Susu recovered and looked up into the courtyard. She saw Tang Chengyu swinging a flail, still working hard to thresh the rice stalks. She gently waved to him, her tone soft but firm, as if she had something important to tell him.