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

"It's locusts!" Someone on the oxcart recognized the insects, his voice trembling with shock. "These are the same things that ate all the crops in the fields last year. How come they're back again?"

Hou Cai's wife turned pale, but she forced herself to remain calm as she rushed forward, snatched the locust from Tang Lifu's hand, and crushed it with a "smack," then threw it onto the cart and stomped on it to crush it, as if this was how she could vent her fear.

No one laughed at her outburst; the atmosphere in the carriage was so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

Everyone knows how terrible locusts are.

When they pass through, they darken the sky and leave nothing but barren land. Crops in the fields can be devoured in a single day, causing more despair than drought.

Last year, Yangqu Village suffered a complete crop failure due to a locust plague and barely survived the winter thanks to government relief grain and wild vegetables.

If another locust plague strikes, the already dying crops in the fields will be completely beyond saving, and the entire village will have no choice but to leave their homes and flee the famine.

The oxcart slowly drove back to Yangqu Village. As soon as Tang Susu and Tang Lifu got off, they saw Miao Yulan sitting under the eaves mending clothes.

"Quickly, close the gate." Tang Susu urged urgently as soon as she entered the gate.

Miao Yulan was taken aback for a moment, then quickly put down her needlework and bolted the courtyard gate. Although she didn't know the reason, seeing Tang Susu's solemn expression, she didn't dare to ask any further questions.

Tang Susu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The theft of a thousand catties of grain from the Liu family made her realize the truth: "A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." With grain prices soaring, if someone saw that she had so much grain, it might bring trouble.

With the new iron pot as a cover, no one noticed the grain in her basket.

After entering the house, she mixed the small amount of grain left in the house with the newly bought rice and flour. While turning around to get something, she secretly bought three and a half pounds of fatty meat, a can of oil, and seasonings such as soy sauce and cooking wine from the mall and put them all on the table.

After buying all these things, she was completely broke.

Tang Susu planned to go into the mountains after lunch to find more mushrooms and try to earn more copper coins.

"Yulan, take the meat and process it. We'll have Dongpo pork for lunch." Tang Susu stuffed the fatty meat into Miao Yulan's hand.

Miao Yulan held the meat, looking completely bewildered: "Big sister, what is Dongpo pork?"

In Yangqu Village during this famine year, most families only ate one meal a day to make do, and those who were slightly better off only ate two meals a day, morning and evening. No one ever lit a fire to cook lunch, let alone ate such fatty meat.

"You'll see when it's done, it smells amazing." Tang Susu smiled and urged her, "Hurry up and get it done, the children must be hungry."

Miao Yulan nodded and carried the meat into the kitchen.

Soon, the rich aroma of meat wafted out of the kitchen, spreading out of the yard through the cracks in the doors and windows, and drifting towards the neighbors.

Aunt Liu was drying wild vegetables in the yard when she smelled the rich aroma of meat and was immediately stunned.

That smell...it's definitely pork! A question arose in her mind: Tang Susu's family was barely scraping by, how could they afford meat? Had they swindled money from the Tang family again?

She looked around following the scent and saw Yang Xiaobao carrying a basket of shepherd's purse, skipping and hopping home.

"Xiao Bao, wait a minute." Aunt Liu quickly called out to him, stepping forward to examine the shepherd's purse in his hand. "Why did your mother ask you to dig this?"

"Mom said shepherd's purse is delicious, so she's going to make some," Xiao Bao replied, looking up at his mother.

Aunt Liu's lips twitched slightly.

Shepherd's purse has a bitter taste, and even after blanching, its unripeness is still evident. How can it be considered delicious?

She looked at Xiao Bao with heartache—a nine-year-old child, as thin as a bean sprout, looking even younger than a five or six-year-old. He must have been spoiled by Tang Susu.

She turned and went back into the house, took a buckwheat and wild vegetable dumpling from the earthenware pot, hesitated for a moment, then divided it in half and stuffed the smaller half into Xiao Bao's hand: "Take this, have some to tide you over, don't go hungry."

Xiao Bao quickly waved his hand: "No need, Aunt Liu, my mother said we'll be eating meat later."

"Still eating meat? If your mother really loved you, she should have bought more grain and stored it away." Aunt Liu forced a dumpling into his hand and couldn't help but scold him, "Your mother is a good-for-nothing. She takes all the good things in the house to give to the Tang family, and it's you children who suffer. She deserved to be beaten by the Tang family before! When you grow up, you should separate from the family as soon as possible, so you don't end up like your second uncle and aunt, working like slaves for them."

Inside the house, Tang Susu was instructing Miao Yulan on how to caramelize sugar when she vaguely heard cursing outside. She frowned, got up, and went out.

She knew that Aunt Liu meant well by bringing food to the children, but the way she spoke was really unpleasant.

The original owner used to be sharp-tongued and always liked to take advantage of Aunt Liu's family. The two families were separated by only one wall, and there was constant friction between them.

Even so, Aunt Liu would still secretly give the children food, making her a kind-hearted neighbor.

Not wanting to reveal her sudden change in temperament, Tang Susu mimicked the original owner's tone, putting her hands on her hips and saying, "Aunt Liu, my little Bao doesn't need to eat this. We'll be eating meat soon, so you should keep this dumpling for yourself."

The boastful tone in her voice startled Aunt Liu. She then looked towards the kitchen, smelling the increasingly strong aroma of meat, and her face filled with disbelief: "You really bought meat? You spendthrift woman, with grain prices so high now, instead of stocking up on food, you're buying meat? Do you want your children to go hungry because of you?"

"What's it to you if I buy meat?" Tang Susu raised an eyebrow, deliberately raising her voice so the neighbors could hear. "The Tang family practically smashed my head open; they took back everything I gave them. It's only natural for me to buy meat with my own things. Xiao Bao, come home with Mommy for some meat!"

She didn't say this to show off, but rather to use Aunt Liu's words to spread the news of her falling out with the Tang family throughout the village.

From now on, everyone will know that she no longer favors the Tang family, which will reduce the amount of trouble.

Aunt Liu was speechless after being rebuked. She cursed "wasteful" while swallowing hard.

She was thinking to herself that after the autumn harvest, she would definitely take some grain and trade it with Tang Susu for a piece of meat to satisfy the child's craving.

Before returning to the house, Tang Susu instructed Xiaobao: "From now on, if there are any good things in the house, you are not allowed to tell outsiders, especially the Tang family, lest they come and take them."

Xiao Bao nodded vigorously, swallowed the dumpling in his mouth, and clenched his little fists: "I know, Mom! I won't let my maternal grandparents' family come and take the meat!"

Tang Susu smiled and patted his head. She picked up a piece of freshly stewed Dongpo pork from the pot, tasted it herself to make sure it was cooked through and flavorful, and then fed it to Xiaobao.

Xiao Bao opened his mouth wide and took a bite, swallowing it whole. Before he could even taste it, he licked the oil off his lips, his eyes sparkling, and said, "Mommy, I want more!"

"You greedy little cat." Tang Susu smiled helplessly. "Go and call your second uncle and eldest brother home for dinner first, then I'll give you some when they get back."

Xiao Bao cheered and ran outside as fast as he could.

Tang Susu asked Miao Yulan to serve the Dongpo pork, then put the mixed rice into the pot to simmer. She turned and called to Tang Lifu, who was about to leave, "Lifu, wait a moment."

"Sis, what's wrong?"

"There's only one stove in the house, and you can only cook one thing at a time. It's too much trouble." Tang Susu pointed to an empty space at the kitchen door. "Build a small stove here, and make it into a two-pot stove. Use the old pot to cook rice, and the new iron pot to stir-fry vegetables. It will save firewood and be faster."

Tang Lifu had worked as a stove-building laborer in town before, so he understood immediately and nodded: "Okay, I'll go to the riverbank to collect stones and mix yellow mud."

He turned and walked out to find materials and start construction.

Before long, the rice in the pot was cooked, and the rich aroma of rice mixed with the smell of meat filled the entire yard.

Just then, Yang Xiaobao rushed into the yard in a panic, shouting, "Mom! Something's wrong! Second Uncle and Big Brother are arguing with someone!"

Tang Susu's temples throbbed, and she felt a wave of exhaustion – these two kids really know how to cause trouble.

Hearing the commotion, Tang Lifu dropped the mud he was holding and angrily rushed towards the door, shouting, "Who dares to bully them? I'll go teach him a lesson!"

"Stop right there!" Tang Susu shouted at him sharply. "You stay home and build the stove. I'll be inspecting it when I get back."

Tang Lifu stopped in his tracks, his face flushed with anxiety: "Sister, they're all arguing with someone, I can't just ignore it!"

"I'll handle it," Tang Susu said in a deep voice. "Your presence will only escalate the situation and make things harder to manage. It's appropriate for parents to intervene in conflicts between children, but they need to find the right approach."

She turned to Xiaobao and said, "Come on, take me to see him."

Xiao Bao led the way, explaining as he ran, "Mom, the one arguing with Second Uncle and Big Brother is Zheng Da Hu's father, Zheng the Rascal!"

Tang Susu understood.

Zheng and his son were notorious in Yangqu Village for being lazy, good-for-nothing, and idle.

This is definitely because of Zheng Dahu's previous incident of stealing pheasants. They're deliberately trying to cause trouble. Tang Liqiang and Yang Gousheng are suffering for no reason.

The two hurried to the well at the edge of the village and saw a crowd gathered there watching the commotion, with some people making a fuss.

In the center of the circle, Zheng the Rascal was wrestling with Tang Liqiang and Yang Gousheng.

Zheng the Rascal was big and burly, while Tang Liqiang and Yang Gousheng, though strong, were still just kids and were clearly at a disadvantage.

"Zheng, you shameless rascal! You're so old, why are you arguing with two kids!" someone in the crowd couldn't help but mock.