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

The night was so dark that it seemed impossible to see through. Suddenly, a series of dragging footsteps came from the entrance of Yangqu Village. Accompanied by heavy breathing, Lu Hao and A Gui stumbled in.

The two looked utterly wretched. Lu Hao's brocade robe was torn to shreds, with scraps of cloth hanging on his body. His chest and back were completely exposed, covered with abrasions of varying depths, oozing blood. Some of the blood had dried and turned black, sticking to his skin, causing pain with every movement.

His face was covered with horizontal and vertical bloodstains, and fresh blood was still slowly seeping out, dripping down his chin. The once spirited and arrogant son of an official was now completely gone, leaving only a disheveled state.

Ah Gui followed behind him, and he wasn't much better off. His coarse clothes were also torn and tattered, and the abrasions on his skin were exactly the same as Lu Hao's. He was covered in mud and grass clippings, and even his hair was matted together. He swayed with every step, as if he was about to fall to the ground at any moment.

Anyone who saw them could guess that the master and servant had probably rolled down the hillside and been badly scratched by the bushes, which was why they looked like this.

"Halt! Who are you two in the middle of the night?" Two men patrolling the village walked over, torches in hand. The torchlight illuminated the two men's miserable appearance and also carried a hint of wariness.

Lu Hao wanted to raise his head and reprimand him, but his throat was so dry and painful that it felt like all the bones in his body were being disassembled and put back together. He could only wince in pain with the slightest exertion and could only say in a hoarse and weak voice, "I...I am Lu Hao, the son of the county magistrate. Quickly...quickly take me back to the village."

Ah Gui quickly chimed in, his voice weak: "That's right, we're from the county magistrate's residence, we're lost..."

The patrolmen exchanged glances, their faces full of hesitation. One of the men spoke up: "The county magistrate's son? We can't just say that. We'll take you back to the village and hand you over to Aunt Yang. If she recognizes you, that's fine; if not, we'll have to tie you up and hand you over to the village head for disposal."

As they spoke, two village patrolmen, one on each side, half-supported and half-carried Lu Hao and A Gui, slowly walked into the village.

Lu Hao was completely powerless and could only be supported by them. He was both angry and anxious, but he didn't even have the strength to resist. He felt a wave of humiliation wash over him.

Upon reaching Tang Susu's courtyard, the village patrolman called out into the yard, "Aunt Yang, we encountered two people while patrolling the village. They said they were the sons of the county magistrate, but they looked miserable. Do you recognize them?"

Tang Susu was sitting in the yard tidying up farm tools when she heard the noise. She looked up and immediately recognized Lu Hao and A Gui. She quickly got up to greet them, saying, "I'm so glad to meet you. Thank you both, brothers. It's kind of you to bring them back."

The village patrolman breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she recognized him, but then cautioned her, "Aunt Yang, these two claim to be the county magistrate's sons, but we can't verify their authenticity. Please keep a close eye on them, and call us if anything seems amiss."

"Okay, I understand, thank you for your help." Tang Susu smiled and handed the two of them a bowl of water. After the patrolmen left, she turned to Lu Hao and A Gui, her tone flat, "How did you get into this state?"

Lu Hao pursed his lips, his eyes reddening. His usual arrogance had vanished without a trace, leaving only silence.

He was the son of the county magistrate, and had lived a life of luxury since childhood, never having experienced any hardship. In the days since he came to Yangqu Village, he has suffered a lot of mistreatment.

Now, having rolled down the hillside again, she was in excruciating pain all over her body and was escorted back like a prisoner by the village patrol. The grievances in her heart surged up, and she almost cried several times, but she forced herself to hold on and refused to show weakness.

Seeing this, A-Gui quickly spoke up, his voice trembling slightly: "Aunt Yang, we...we originally wanted to go to town for a good meal, but we accidentally wandered into the mountains and got lost. We walked from dusk till midnight, for almost three hours, and we can't even tell which way is which."

"Later, in the middle of the night, we suddenly heard wolves howling. We were terrified and ran forward as fast as we could. We didn't pay attention to our footing and fell down a steep slope. We rolled a long way and were covered in scratches from tree branches. Our clothes were torn and we were dizzy from the fall. It took us a long time to get up and grope our way back. Luckily, we ran into the village patrolman."

As A-Gui spoke, he couldn't help but sniffle again, the pain from his wounds causing him to gasp.

Just then, a "gurgling" sound rang out; it was Lu Hao's stomach growling.

His cheeks flushed red, and he became even more embarrassed. He subconsciously tensed up, but he couldn't resist the extreme hunger. His voice grew louder and louder, and he could no longer hide it.

Tang Susu glanced at him, didn't ask any more questions, turned and went into the house. A moment later, she came out with a rough porcelain bowl containing the reserved white rice and buckwheat porridge, which was still warm. "Eat something to tide you over first. We can talk about other things after you've eaten."

Lu Hao looked at the rice in his bowl, his brows furrowing unconsciously.

He had always eaten delicacies since childhood, and he would never have touched such plain white rice and buckwheat porridge before.

But at this moment, hunger swept over his whole body, his stomach was growling loudly, and all his strength was exhausted. Coupled with the pain from his wound, he could no longer be picky. He took the bowl, picked up his chopsticks, and started shoveling food into his mouth.

To his surprise, this seemingly simple meal had a subtle aroma of rice and was soft and delicious, much better than he had imagined.

He ate quickly and hurriedly, finishing two-thirds of the bowl in a short time, leaving only a small half-bowl.

At that moment, he caught sight of A-Gui standing to the side, staring longingly at the rice in his bowl, his mouth practically watering, his eyes filled with desire, yet he dared not utter a word.

Lu Hao was taken aback for a moment, then frowned and said with disdain, "What are you looking at? Here, take the rest. Don't look like you've never seen anything like this before."

As he spoke, he pushed the bowl in front of A-Gui. A-Gui was overjoyed and quickly took the bowl, wolfing down the food.

Tang Susu stood aside, watching this scene unfold. A smile flashed in her eyes as she thought to herself: This Lu Hao, although a bit arrogant, still has some conscience. He's not the kind of person who's completely cold-blooded. With proper guidance, he might be able to be taught a lesson.

After the two finished eating, Tang Susu said, "Your clothes are no longer suitable for you. I'll have Gousheng and Liqiang get you two new outfits to change into."

As he spoke, he called out into the house, and Yang Gousheng and Tang Liqiang quickly ran out.

Tang Susu instructed, "Gousheng, go get a piece of clothing for Young Master Lu. Liqiang, get one for Agui."

Yang Gousheng responded and turned back to his room. He looked at the two pieces of clothing in the room: one was a brand-new coarse cloth jacket, which his mother had made for him for the New Year; the other was an old jacket with patches.

He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't bear to take the new clothes out, so he picked up the old clothes with patches and handed them to Lu Hao: "Here, take this one."

Lu Hao's face darkened as he looked at the old, patched-up garment, stained with dirt, and his tone became visibly resistant: "I won't wear this kind of tattered clothing!"

He had always worn fine silk robes since childhood; he had never worn such patched, coarse old clothes before. He felt it was bad luck to even touch them, let alone wear them.

Tang Susu said calmly, "That's how things are in the village. Everyone wears patched clothes. If you don't want to wear them, you'll just have to go naked."

Lu Hao looked around and saw that the busy villagers in the courtyard were all wearing coarse cloth clothes, which were patched more or less. Even Yang Gousheng and Tang Liqiang's clothes were not in good condition.

He gritted his teeth, his heart filled with resentment, but he knew he had no other choice at the moment. He could only reluctantly accept the old clothes and nod: "I'll wear them."

After changing his clothes, Lu Hao frowned. The old clothes were very uncomfortable, chafing his skin and causing itching. They also had a faint smell of smokiness, a far cry from the brocade clothes he used to wear. But he could only put up with it.

"I want to take a shower," Lu Hao said curtly.

In the past, he was always served by maids and servants when he took a bath. There was an exquisite bath tub, the best bath powder, and the water temperature had to be just right.

Tang Susu glanced at him and said in a flat tone, "If you want to take a bath, you can fetch water and boil it yourself. There's a well in the yard, and firewood is in the corner."

Also, at night, you'll need to get your own straw to lay on the floor and make your own sheets. There are only two wooden plank and straw beds in the room, not enough for you to sleep on.

Lu Hao was stunned. From childhood to adulthood, he had never carried water or lit a fire by himself, let alone slept on a makeshift bed on the floor.

He was about to retort, but seeing Tang Susu's unyielding gaze and considering his current situation, he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue and could only give a muffled reply.

Ah Gui, who was standing nearby, quickly said, "Young master, I'll go fetch water. You rest."

As he spoke, A-Gui picked up the bucket in the yard, endured the pain from his wounds, and walked step by step to the well. He then laboriously carried the water towards the kitchen.

Although he was also a servant in the county magistrate's mansion and didn't usually have to do heavy work, seeing his young master's disheveled appearance, he could only force himself to do as much as he could.

Lu Hao stood in the courtyard, watching A Gui struggling to carry water. He felt a pang of sadness and bitterness in his heart, but he said nothing.

The courtyard was bustling with activity as villagers were busy with farm work. Nine-year-old Yang Xiaobao was squatting on the ground, laboriously threshing grains. His small body belied his skillful movements.

In the corner, a wolf lay, its eyes scanning its surroundings warily, but it showed no aggression. Occasionally, it would glance up at the people in the yard, then lower its head and lie quietly.

Lu Hao glanced at the wolf, his heart tightened slightly, and he subconsciously took a step back, but he didn't dare to make a sound.

After A-Gui finished carrying the water, Lu Hao went with him to the corner of the wall to gather straw to prepare for laying out a bedding mat.

He had never done this kind of work before, and he was clumsy. When he was carrying straw, he accidentally aggravated the wound on his back, which made him gasp in pain and a fine layer of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

After struggling for a while, they finally managed to lay out a simple straw mat in the corner of the room.

Next, they had to start a fire. Lu Hao and A Gui squatted by the stove, looking at the firewood in the firebox, at a loss.

They had never even been near a stove, let alone lit a fire, since they were children.

Ah Gui picked up a match and struck it several times before he could barely light one. He quickly put it into the stove and added a few more pieces of firewood, but the fire went out after only a brief flame, leaving only a wisp of black smoke that made the two of them cough.

The two struggled for a long time, changing the firewood several times, but the stove remained cold and empty, without even a single flame. Their faces were covered in soot, making them look even more disheveled.

"You guys are so clumsy! How can you light a fire like this?" A childish voice rang out. Yang Xiaobao had walked over at some point, holding a few haystacks in his hand, and said with a smile.

As he spoke, he skillfully placed the haystack into the stove, then picked up the tinderbox, blew on it gently, and the tinderbox lit up. He carefully extended the tinderbox into the stove and lit the haystack.

A moment later, the haystacks caught fire, the flames crackling and spreading slowly along the haystacks to ignite the firewood beside them. The fire quickly grew strong, and warmth instantly filled the air.

Looking at the ignited fire in the stove, A-Gui then looked at Yang Xiaobao with eyes full of admiration and quickly said, "Xiaobao, you're amazing! We've been struggling to light it for so long, and you lit it in no time."

Yang Xiaobao proudly raised his chin and said with a smile, "What's so difficult about that? I've known how to start a fire since I was a child. From now on, you can just call me Bao'er. I'll teach you how to start a fire: first put in dry grass, then fine firewood, and finally coarse firewood. That way, the fire will burn brightly and won't go out easily."

"Okay, okay, thank you, Bao'er." A-Gui quickly agreed, watching the fire in the stove intently and remembering what Yang Xiaobao had said.

Lu Hao stood aside, watching this scene, feeling a mix of emotions, but he didn't say anything, only nodded silently.

After the water was boiled, Lu Hao was no longer picky as usual. He didn't ask for bath beans or a fancy bath tub. He simply found a rough porcelain basin, poured in hot water, and washed the mud and blood off his body.

When he touched the wound while cleaning it, the pain made him tremble all over, but he could only grit his teeth and force himself to finish cleaning.

Afterwards, A-Gui also took a quick shower, and the two of them changed into clean old clothes. Their fatigue intensified, and they just wanted to rest as soon as possible.

The two wooden plank and straw beds in the room had already been occupied by Yang Gousheng and Tang Liqiang, so Lu Hao could only lie on the straw bed he had laid out himself. The hard straw made him uncomfortable all over, and his wounds were also throbbing.

A-Gui initially found two chairs, put them together, and wanted to sleep on them. But as soon as he lay down, the chairs started to shake and make creaking noises, which annoyed Lu Hao.

"Stop arguing, come here and sleep on the floor with me." Lu Hao frowned, his tone a little impatient, but also hiding a hint of concern.

Agui paused for a moment, then quickly nodded, carefully lying down on the straw next to Lu Hao, trying not to touch his wound and not daring to make a sound.

As night deepened, the village remained quiet, with villagers still busy with farm work in their courtyards. The sounds of flails and threshing rice rose and fell, creating the most distinctive noise of the night.

After Tang Susu finished tidying up the farm tools, she couldn't help but feel a little worried when she thought of Lu Hao and A Gui in the house.

Lu Hao is only fifteen years old this year, and A Gui is only thirteen or fourteen. The two teenagers were not only injured, but also frightened. After a whole day, they were tired and hungry, and extremely exhausted. If they develop a fever or have nightmares at night, it will be troublesome.

After thinking for a moment, Tang Susu turned and went into the house. She took out iodine, wound medicine, and a small packet of tranquilizers from the cabinet. She walked over to Lu Hao and A Gui and said softly, "A Gui, please clean Lu Hao's wounds and apply the wound medicine. You two should each take a tranquilizer so you can sleep more soundly at night and prevent fever."

A-Gui quickly got up and took the medicine and iodine from Tang Su-Su. Looking at the iodine and wound medicine in his hand, he felt a little confused.

When he was in the county magistrate's mansion, the young master was always given the best wound medicine, with exquisite packaging and excellent efficacy. But the medicine that Tang Susu gave him looked ordinary. The iodine was a transparent liquid, and the external wound medicine was just a common brown ointment, which looked like it was made from wild herbs from the village. It was completely different from the expensive medicine he used before.

But he didn't dare ask any more questions and quickly nodded, "Okay, thank you, Aunt Yang."

As he spoke, A-Gui carefully picked up the iodine solution, dipped it into a clean cloth, and gently wiped Lu Hao's wounds.

When the iodine touched the wound, a sharp pain shot through him. Lu Hao stiffened, instinctively wanting to pull away and stubbornly refuse, but he was too tired. The pain throughout his body left him without the strength to resist. He could only grit his teeth, close his eyes, and silently accept A-Gui's treatment, letting him apply the ointment to his wound.

After treating the wound, A-Gui picked up two tranquilizers, handed one to Lu Hao, kept one for himself, poured two bowls of warm water, and together with Lu Hao, took the tranquilizers.

The tranquilizer tasted somewhat bitter, and Lu Hao frowned as he forced it down.

A moment later, a faint warmth spread down my throat, my fatigue intensified, and the pain in my wound seemed to lessen somewhat.

He closed his eyes, the noise around him gradually faded, and soon he fell into a deep sleep.

Ah Gui was also exhausted. After taking a sedative, he fell asleep soon after, his face still showing signs of fatigue and lingering fear.

Tang Susu looked at the two sleeping soundly, sighed softly, and carefully checked their wounds again. After confirming that there were no problems, she gently closed the door and turned to go back to her own room.

However, the worry in her heart still did not dissipate. She would get up from time to time and peek into the two people's room, fearing that something might happen to them during the night.

As night deepened, the sounds of bustling activity in the village gradually subsided, leaving only the occasional bark of a dog, which, along with the two people's even breathing, were exceptionally clear in the quiet night.