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

Lu Hao stared at Tang Chengyu's back, secretly speculating: His father must have abandoned him in this dilapidated village because he coveted Tang Chengyu's talent and wanted him to learn how to write essays from Tang Chengyu.

He scoffed, his face full of disdain—Tang Chengyu came from a poor family and was always busy with farm work, so he didn't even have time to study properly. How good could his studies be? His father must have miscalculated this time. He was not going to obediently follow Tang Chengyu to learn some lousy writing.

Filled with resentment, Lu Hao held a leaf in his hand, slowly fanning himself as he walked out of Tang Susu's courtyard.

From afar, he spotted Yang Gousheng busy in the fields, and his eyes lit up. He immediately headed towards Yang Gousheng.

The ridges between the rice paddies were narrow and rugged, with golden rice tightly clustered on both sides. His soft silk robe got caught on the hard husks of the rice stalks after only a few steps.

Lu Hao impatiently ripped at his long robe, creating a large tear that revealed his snow-white undergarment. He didn't care, casually tugged at his clothes, and continued walking quickly towards the fields, eager to find Yang Gousheng and escape this dreary courtyard.

At this moment, everyone in the fields is busy with their work, so tired that their feet barely touch the ground.

Yang Gousheng held a sickle and focused on cutting the rice. Because he had to leave enough rice stalks to be eight inches high, he could only carefully cut the rice ears, which was very difficult to do.

He worked bent over, his back aching as if it were about to break. Sweat rolled down his face and dripped into the soil, but he dared not stop for a moment. He just wanted to take advantage of the daylight to cut more rice and finish the autumn harvest as soon as possible.

Across from the rice paddy, Tang Liqiang was also busy harvesting rice. He was tall, but he was "swallowed up" by the dense rice, and only his busy back could be seen. He was so busy that he didn't even have time to look up to rest or drink water.

Tang Susu and Tang Lifu were responsible for gathering and bundling the harvested rice, then carrying it back to the yard to dry in the sun using a shoulder pole.

Tang Susu was parched and her muscles ached all over from the scorching sun overhead. Her bones felt like they were about to fall apart. Each bundle of rice required her to exert all her strength, but she still gritted her teeth and persevered, not daring to slack off in the slightest.

Lu Hao walked to the edge of the field and stood there for a while, but found that no one came forward to greet him, and no one even looked up at him. He was like a transparent person, ignored by everyone.

An unnamed anger surged up in his heart. Lu Hao was extremely displeased, feeling that he, the son of a county magistrate, was worthless here.

He deliberately coughed loudly a few times, hoping to attract everyone's attention.

But Tang Susu was too exhausted, her mind was full of the rice in the field, and she had no energy to pay attention to him. She kept her head down and silently did her work, without even lifting her eyelids.

Lu Hao's face turned ashen with rage. His gaze was fixed on Yang Gousheng, and he shouted sharply, "Yang Gousheng! You come here!"

Yang Gousheng was so busy that he was dizzy and unsteady on his feet. He had heard that guests had come to his house, but he had not had time to attend to them.

Hearing someone call his name, he barely straightened up, rubbed his aching back, turned his head and saw that it was Lu Hao. His face immediately darkened, and a hint of reluctance flashed in his eyes.

But he eventually put down his sickle and slowly walked towards Lu Hao, his tone indifferent: "Young Master Lu, what is it?"

Seeing his attitude—no excitement whatsoever, nor the fact that he didn't rush over to hug him—Lu Hao gritted his teeth in anger, frowning as he questioned, "Why aren't you excited to come over when you see me? You're actually dawdling around. Are you not welcoming me?"

Yang Gousheng sneered inwardly, recalling how Lu Hao had acted arrogantly and dismissively when he followed Magistrate Lu to find a water source last time. He was filled with resentment, but he still pretended to be calm and did not refute.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Lu Hao pointed to the sickle in his hand and said arrogantly, "Give me the sickle in your hand and let me see it."

Yang Gousheng's eyes darted around, and an idea popped into his head. He stepped forward respectfully, handed over the sickle, and put on a "sincere" smile: "Young Master Lu, this sickle isn't anything special. Why don't you experience harvesting rice yourself and taste the joy of farm work?"

Lu Hao was playful by nature and lacked perseverance. Upon hearing about "experiencing rice harvesting," he immediately became interested, casually threw away the leaves in his hand, and ran into the field, heading towards Yang Gousheng's direction.

But he had never walked on a muddy path in the fields before. His foot slipped, and he twisted his ankle, falling forward like a kite with a broken string.

The fields were covered with densely packed rice stubble, each one sharp. If you fell on one, you would surely be covered in cuts and injuries, with unimaginable consequences.

Fortunately, Yang Gousheng reacted quickly and reached out to support his arm, barely managing to steady him.

Still shaken, Lu Hao, after recovering his composure, trembled with rage. He flung Yang Gousheng's hand away and fiercely accused him: "Yang Gousheng! You did this on purpose! You actually schemed against me! Are you tired of living, daring to harm a county magistrate's son like me?"

Yang Gousheng put on an innocent look, shrugged, and slowly explained, "Young Master Lu, you've misunderstood. How could I dare to scheme against you?"

"Look at this field, the rice stubble is dense, and the ground is uneven and full of potholes, making it very difficult to walk."

"You are a pampered young master who has never walked on such a road before. It is not appropriate for you to stay here for long. Why don't you go back to the courtyard to rest first, so as not to accidentally twist your ankle again?"

Tang Susu glanced at Yang Gousheng from the side, secretly glad that he had caught Lu Hao in time.

If Lu Hao really falls on the rice stubble and gets disfigured or seriously injured, Magistrate Lu will certainly not let it go, and then there will be big trouble.

She quickly put down her work, stepped forward, and gently advised, "Young Master Lu, the paths in the fields are slippery; it's neither fun nor safe."

"You can either go back to the courtyard and finish your duties for the day, or you can come with Xiaobao and pick up rice ears in the field. As long as you pick up four catties, you will have finished your work for the day and you can eat on time."

Lu Hao's face was as dark as the clouds before a storm, his heart filled with resentment and anger.

He loathed this wretched place and the dirty, tiring farm work, but he knew that Tang Susu had been authorized by his father to be tough on him and didn't care about his status as the son of a county magistrate.

If he insists on disobeying, Tang Susu might actually dare to teach him a lesson, and in that case, she would be the one who suffers.

After much deliberation, he had no choice but to reluctantly follow Yang Xiaobao to the edge of the field to pick up rice ears.

Lu Hao picked up a small bamboo basket, squatted on the edge of the field, and picked up only a few ears of rice. Because of the frequent bending over, he felt sore back and tired, and his arms also became sore and weak.

He glanced at Yang Xiaobao beside him and saw that Yang Xiaobao, with his small body, was squatting on the ground, carefully picking up every fallen ear of rice. His bamboo basket was already half full, and his face was full of seriousness, not slacking off at all.

A sly glint flashed in Lu Hao's eyes, and he quickly came up with a way to slack off.

He suddenly stood up, strode over to Yang Xiaobao, and taking advantage of Yang Xiaobao's inattention, reached out and grabbed a large handful of rice ears from his bamboo basket, quickly putting them into his own.

Yang Xiaobao was focused on picking up rice ears. He reached out and lifted the bamboo basket, wanting to pick in a different spot, but found that the basket was much lighter and there were less than half of the rice ears inside.

He immediately raised his head, glared angrily at Lu Hao, puffed out his cheeks, and shouted, "Lu Hao! What are you doing? Why did you steal my ears of rice?!"

Lu Hao didn't care at all, even sneering, and reached out again to grab a few handfuls of rice ears from Yang Xiaobao's bamboo basket and put them into his own. His tone was arrogant: "So what if I take yours? You picked up a lot anyway, what's wrong with sharing some with me? Stop talking nonsense!"

Just then, a white figure suddenly darted out of the rice paddy—it was Yang Dagao.

Its entire body was covered in snow-white fur, and it had a pair of bright green eyes that were slightly upturned. It looked fierce and had an imposing presence.

When Lu Hao saw Yang Dagao, his eyes widened in fright, and he was so scared that he dropped the bamboo basket in his hand. He turned around and ran away.

But Yang Dagao was extremely fast. He leaped up and caught up with him, stretched out his claws, pressed down on his hind legs, and then opened his mouth and gently bit his outer robe. He didn't use any force, but he still made him unable to move.

Lu Hao was so frightened that his face turned pale, his body stiffened, his legs went weak, and he lost his balance. With a "thump," he fell heavily onto the ridge of the field, covered in mud and looking utterly disheveled.

"Yang Dagao, don't bite!" Yang Xiaobao immediately stepped forward and sternly reprimanded Yang Dagao, "He's a guest in our home, you can't hurt him!"

After saying that, he gently stroked Yang Dagao's head and soothed him softly.

Yang Dagao immediately released his mouth, obediently squatted down next to Yang Xiaobao, wagged his tail, and looked docile, no longer showing his fierce appearance from before.

Lu Hao froze on the ground, his face full of shock, unable to believe his eyes—this was clearly a wolf, fierce in nature, but in front of Yang Xiaobao, it was as docile as an obedient dog, and it obeyed Yang Xiaobao's every word.

He had only ever seen docile dogs since he was a child, and had never seen a wolf like this before. He couldn't help but start to doubt whether his previous understanding of wolves was wrong.

Immediately afterwards, Yang Dagao raised his head and let out a loud wolf howl at Lu Hao. Then, he sprang up and stood in front of Yang Xiaobao, once again adopting a fierce posture. His emerald green eyes were fixed on Lu Hao, as if warning him not to bully Yang Xiaobao anymore and to be ready to pounce at any time.

Lu Hao was already terrified and his body went limp. Hearing the wolf howl and seeing Yang Dagao's fierce appearance, he stumbled and fell heavily to the ground again, too scared to even breathe.

Yang Xiaobao stepped forward, squatted down, and carefully put all the rice ears that Lu Hao had stolen from his bamboo basket back into his own basket. Then, looking up at the disheveled Lu Hao, he said earnestly, "Sister Su Su said that everyone must complete their own tasks and cannot steal other people's things."

"Brother Chengyu also said that it's better to rely on yourself than to ask others for help. You'd better hurry up and pick up the rice ears carefully, otherwise you won't be able to eat if you don't finish the task."

After saying that, he ignored Lu Hao and, with Yang Dagao, continued to carefully pick up rice ears along the edge of the field.

Lu Hao sat on the ground, covered in mud, trembling with anger, his eyes red.

He was the son of a high-ranking county magistrate, pampered and indulged by others since childhood, and had never suffered such humiliation. Now, he was being lectured by a nine-year-old child and was so frightened by a wolf that he fell down repeatedly.

He felt like a dragon trapped in shallow waters, full of strength but with nowhere to use it. Here, everyone dared to bully him.

Overcome with anger, Lu Hao suddenly stood up and kicked the bamboo basket beside him, scattering rice ears all over the ground. He was desperate and secretly vowed: Since you all bully me, then I will not work anymore. Let's see what Tang Susu dares to do to me. At worst, I will have my father come and take me back!

After venting his anger, Lu Hao walked aimlessly through the fields with an arrogant air. After taking only a few steps, he heard several village women working in the fields gossiping in hushed tones while harvesting rice.

"Have you heard? Widow Lan and Yang Houcai are getting involved again. It's really unsettling to watch."

"That's right. I saw them having a secret rendezvous in the woods behind the village just a few days ago. I heard that Widow Lan is pregnant with Yang Houcai's child."

"Alas, in the past, if a widowed woman had an affair with another man, or even became pregnant, she would be drowned in a pig cage. It was truly disgraceful!"

Upon hearing these words, Lu Hao's lips twitched a few times, his face full of disdain.

He thought to himself, "These people from Yangqu Village are really too outrageous. They actually dare to openly discuss such shameful things in the fields."

It's shameless and disgraceful that a widow could conceive another man's child.

He increasingly complained about his father for sending him to such a "rotten village," worrying that if he stayed there too long, he would be corrupted by these people and pick up all sorts of bad habits.

Impatient to stay in the fields any longer, Lu Hao turned around and walked towards Tang Susu's house without looking back, wanting to escape this place he hated as soon as possible.

Back in the courtyard, he saw his servant, A-Gui, still diligently threshing grain, swinging his flail. He immediately ordered A-Gui, "A-Gui, go and fetch a few stools and put them under the big tree. I want to sleep."

A-Gui dared not disobey, so he could only put down the flail and hurriedly bring over a few stools, placing them under the shade of the big tree in the courtyard.

Lu Hao lay down directly, closed his eyes, completely abandoned his work, ignored the rules set by Tang Susu, and fell asleep peacefully.

Lu Hao slept until sunset, when it gradually got dark.

The kitchen was filled with the enticing aroma of food, the fragrance of rice and the simple scents of vegetables, making one's mouth water.

He was half asleep and mistakenly thought he was lying in the county government office on a soft and comfortable bed. He subconsciously rolled over and fell off the stool with a "thump" onto the hard ground.

My head was ringing from the impact, and my vision went black. It took me a while to recover, and my whole body ached.

Lu Hao grinned angrily, shouting, "A-Gui! Where the hell have you been? Help me up right now! Do you want to kill me with pain?"

I called out several times, but no one responded.

He looked up and saw that A-Gui was still in the yard, vigorously swinging the flail and pounding the rice stalks. His palms were covered with large and small blisters, some of which had broken and were oozing blood, but he did not dare to stop and continued to work.

Ah Gui was filled with grievance and helplessness. He couldn't believe that he, a servant of an official's son, would have to do such dirty and tiring farm work in this dilapidated village.

He has been busy since the afternoon, for more than an hour, and has only managed to produce four or five catties of rice. This is still far from the eight catties that he and Lu Hao were supposed to harvest together.

The aroma of food from the kitchen kept wafting into A-Gui's nostrils. He was so hungry that his stomach was growling and he had no strength left. But he remembered the rule set by Tang Su-Su: no food until the work was finished.

He dared not slack off in the slightest, and could only endure the hunger and exhaustion, grit his teeth, and continue to swing the flail, not daring to stop for a moment, hoping to finish the task as soon as possible and have a hot meal.