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

Lu Hao stared at the three approaching carriages, his eyes instantly lighting up—could this impressive procession be his father's way of taking him back to the county magistrate's mansion?

But upon further reflection, his brows furrowed again, and the anticipation in his heart gradually sank.

Although the carriage of my father's yamen was respectable, it was far inferior to the three exquisite and luxurious carriages in front of me. The carvings on the carriages, the fine horses pulling them, and even the coachman's clothes were much more neat and tidy than those of the servants around my father.

Something's not right; these aren't people sent by my father.

Lu Hao composed himself, his gaze fixed on the carriage, his fingers unconsciously clenching, his heart filled with doubt: Whose carriage is this? Why is it heading straight for Tang Susu's house?

A moment later, three carriages came to a steady stop in front of Tang Susu's courtyard gate. The wheels rolled over the stone road, making a soft "creak" sound, breaking the brief tranquility in the courtyard.

At this moment, in the courtyard, Miao Yulan was squatting on the ground turning over the grains to dry, her hands covered with a lot of grain dust;

Lu Hao sat on a stool in the corner, still wearing the same patched old clothes;

Ah Gui was so exhausted that he collapsed to the side, panting heavily.

Tang Chengyu had just tied up a bundle of thoroughly dried grain and was about to move it aside to pile it up.

Upon hearing the sound, the four of them all looked over.

Upon seeing this, Miao Yulan quickly stood up, hurriedly patting the ash off her hands, her fingertips still covered in fine dirt. She looked flustered and reserved. Although she had once been a young lady from a landlord's family, her family had fallen on hard times. Seeing such a well-dressed and impressive visitor, she couldn't help but feel a little lost. She quickly stepped forward and stood respectfully at the courtyard gate, unsure of how to begin.

Immediately afterwards, the curtain of the first carriage was gently lifted, and two young men dressed in gorgeous brocade clothes jumped down from the carriage.

Both of them wore exquisite feathered crowns, with warm jade pendants hanging from their waists. Their clothes were embroidered with intricate patterns. Every word and action of theirs exuded an air of pampered nobility, which was completely out of place in this simple and rustic village full of grains.

When Tang Chengyu saw the two men clearly, his face instantly darkened, and a strong sense of vigilance arose in his heart. He unconsciously tightened his grip on the bundle of grain.

It was Song Zhifeng and Jin Huihuang.

Song Zhifeng was the son of the county magistrate of Qianjiang Town, while Jin Huihuang was the nephew of a wealthy merchant in Qintang Town. Both of them, like him, had studied at Chongwen Hall.

But now his family has fallen on hard times, and he has been reduced to doing farm work in his village. He has long since severed ties with these young noblemen. Why are they coming to his door? Could it be that they still won't let him go?

Before Tang Chengyu could think it over, the curtains of the next two carriages were lifted, and servants dressed in blue robes came out one after another, about seven or eight people in total.

Tang Chengyu glanced at them, his doubts growing even stronger—he recognized all these people; they were all students from Chongwen Hall, who usually fawned over Song Zhifeng and were considered his followers.

This kind of entourage was clearly brought by Song Zhifeng on purpose.

Miao Yulan was completely stunned when she saw the group of well-dressed young noblemen and students in front of her. She stood there, at a loss, her lips moved but she couldn't say a word. Her usual composure was completely gone, replaced by panic. She didn't know how to receive these distinguished visitors.

Just then, Tang Chengyu stepped forward, blocking Miao Yulan's path. He looked up at Song Zhifeng and Jin Huihuang, his tone icy and utterly unceremonious, and directly questioned, "What brings you here?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable chill, breaking the stalemate in the courtyard.

Immediately afterward, another cold, stern rebuke rang out. Lu Hao stood up from his stool, strode forward, and stared sharply at Song Zhifeng and Jin Huihuang, his tone filled with indignation: "You've gone too far! You've perfectly embodied the phrase 'bullying the weak'! You've driven Tang Chengyu from Chongwentang to this remote, impoverished area to do farm work, and you're still not satisfied? Don't you even want to leave him a way to survive?"

Previously, Lu Hao had always worn that patched old clothes, covered in a little grain dust, looking no different from the villagers doing farm work. He blended into the courtyard and no one noticed him. Even when he stood to the side, he was always ignored by Song Zhifeng and his group.

But when he spoke this time, his tone was firm and his words were sharp, instantly attracting the attention of all the visitors.

Everyone turned to look at the boy, who was dressed in patched old clothes but exuded arrogance. The atmosphere in the courtyard froze instantly, and even the sound of the wind blowing through the haystacks could be clearly heard.

When Jin Huihuang saw Lu Hao's attire, he was first taken aback, then threw his head back and burst into laughter. The laughter was exaggerated and grating, full of mockery: "Hahaha, who do we have here? It's Brother Lu! Your attire is truly unique, a patched old coat, covered in grain dust, which is extremely fitting for your 'county magistrate's son' demeanor!"

The students from Chongwen Hall who were accompanying him also joined in the laughter, pointing at Lu Hao with mocking tones, echoing Jin Huihuang's sarcasm: "Isn't that right? Looking at him, you could easily pass for a villager. He doesn't look even half as much like a county magistrate's son!"

"Brother Lu, how destitute have you become that you have to do farm work in this village, wearing such tattered clothes?"

Mocking voices rose and fell, echoing in the courtyard. A-Gui shrank back in fear, not daring to utter a sound.

Miao Yulan looked embarrassed. She wanted to step forward to help, but she didn't know how to start.

Tang Chengyu frowned, his expression growing colder, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes.

No one knows the hidden reason behind this mockery.

Most of the students from the surrounding counties and towns studied at Chongwen Hall. Although Lu Hao was the son of the magistrate of Dongtai Town, Dongtai Town was the poorest of the towns. In addition, Magistrate Lu was gentle and never bullied others or deliberately promoted his son.

Therefore, Lu Hao was always inconspicuous in Chongwen Hall. He had neither outstanding talent nor a powerful backer, so naturally no one deliberately sought after him.

Song Zhifeng, on the other hand, was different. Qianjiang Town, where he lived, was economically developed, and his family was well-off. County Magistrate Song had an outstanding political record and was quite prestigious in the prefecture.

Song Zhifeng, relying on his father's name, enjoyed a very high reputation in Chongwen Hall. The students who accompanied him were all his underlings. With him backing them up, they dared to mock Lu Hao so recklessly, without any fear of offending him.

Just as the laughter grew increasingly grating, Song Zhifeng gave Jin Huihuang a cold glare, his tone stern as he sharply rebuked him: "Shut up! Do you know the purpose of our trip? Don't cause trouble here and delay our business!"

Jin Huihuang's laughter stopped abruptly, his mocking expression froze. Although he was unwilling, he dared not disobey Song Zhifeng's wishes, so he quickly composed himself, lowered his head, and shut his mouth in a huff.

Then, his gaze turned to Tang Chengyu, and his expression became complicated—before coming, he had thought he would see Tang Chengyu looking dejected and miserable.

At this moment, Tang Chengyu, though dressed in tattered coarse cloth, looked to be in excellent health, with an upright posture and a proud air about him. He appeared even more outstanding than Lu Hao, who was unruly and disheveled beside him.

Jin Huihuang muttered to himself, complaining: No wonder Magistrate Lu went out of his way to support Tang Chengyu. It seems that Tang Chengyu has attached himself to Lu Hao and is using Magistrate Lu's name to be so arrogant.

In the past, I pretended to be so aloof and disdainful of associating with them. But it turns out that I just looked down on them and thought they were not good enough for me.

Song Zhifeng ignored Jin Huihuang's thoughts, stepped forward, bowed slightly to Tang Chengyu, his expression sincere and his tone respectful, showing none of his usual arrogance: "Brother Tang, I have come here specifically to apologize to you. The matter at Chongwen Hall was all a misunderstanding. I have explained the reasons to the teacher and the headmaster, and cleared up the misunderstanding about you. You can return to Chongwen Hall to study whenever you wish; the place in the school has always been reserved for you. The people who accompanied you also insulted you that day, and today I have brought them with me to apologize to you."

After saying that, Song Zhifeng turned his head and gave a wink to the students behind him.

Although Jin Huihuang was unwilling, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward, bowing to Tang Chengyu. His tone was stiff but also apologetic: "Brother Tang, I was rash in my actions and offended you with my words. I am truly sorry. I hope you will forgive us this time."

Immediately afterwards, the students from Chongwen Hall who were accompanying him also stepped forward one after another, bowed to Tang Chengyu to apologize, and spoke respectfully, each with their heads down, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

Although they were unwilling, they knew that their primary task was to apologize. If they offended Tang Chengyu, they would be offending Magistrate Lu, which would be a loss.

After apologizing, Song Zhifeng took an exquisite wooden box from a servant and handed it to Tang Chengyu, saying with a smile, "Brother Tang, this is a small gift, nothing special, but it's my apology. I hope you'll accept it as a token of my remorse."

The wooden box was opened, revealing a set of fine writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, made of excellent materials and clearly of considerable value.

Seeing this, Jin Huihuang was not to be outdone. He took a delicate white paper fan from his waist, with exquisite bamboo patterns embroidered on the surface, and handed it over, his tone still somewhat stiff: "Brother Tang, this is my apology gift. I hope you will accept it."

Faced with everyone's apologies and the gifts they offered, Tang Chengyu remained calm and composed, showing no emotion whatsoever. He was neither proud of the apologies nor moved by the precious gifts; he remained as indifferent as ever.

He knew perfectly well that the reason these people came to apologize so respectfully was not because they were truly repentant. The real reason was that Magistrate Lu had recently been appreciated by the prefectural governor and was riding high. Since Magistrate Lu had spoken, Magistrate Song dared not be negligent. Therefore, he had no choice but to send Song Zhifeng to apologize to him in person, and also to curry favor with Lu Hao and ease the relationship between the two magistrates.

Having figured this out, Tang Chengyu spoke calmly and without emotion: "I've long since let this matter go. Consider it a misunderstanding, and let it be over. Brother Song, Brother Jin, please take back your gifts; I'm busy with farming here and really don't have time to entertain you all. Please excuse me."

After saying that, he turned around and prepared to continue turning over the grains to dry, showing no respect for Song Zhifeng and Jin Huihuang.

Jin Huihuang was already reluctant to apologize, and now that Tang Chengyu had publicly rejected him, his face instantly darkened, his expression turning ferocious. He couldn't help but shout angrily, "Tang Chengyu! Don't push your luck! We came here out of kindness to apologize, and even brought you gifts as compensation, and you dare to refuse? You really don't know what's good for you!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Hao stepped forward, blocking Tang Chengyu's path. A mocking smile played on his lips as he retorted sharply, "He's already said he doesn't care about this anymore and doesn't want your gift. Are you trying to force him to accept your apology by being so persistent?"

As he spoke, he changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over Song Zhifeng and his group, a calculating glint in his eyes. He smiled and suggested, "In my opinion, your gifts were completely misplaced. Since you're here to apologize, why don't you stay and work for Tang Chengyu? Do a good day of farm work. If you do well, Tang Chengyu's anger will subside, and this matter will truly be over. What do you think?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Huihuang was instantly enraged. His face turned ashen, and he pointed at Lu Hao, shouting angrily, "Lu Hao! You have no shame! I am the young master of the Jin family, and I have never done farm work since I was a child. How dare you make me work for someone else? You should take a good look at yourself in the mirror and see what kind of person you are!"

The accompanying students also showed their dissatisfaction, but dared not speak up because of Song Zhifeng.

Lu Hao, however, remained unperturbed, his smile still on his face. He changed the subject, his tone seemingly casual but actually subtly exerting pressure: "Brother Jin, you can't say that. My father has been going to the prefectural capital every day to pay his respects to the prefect, and the two have been having very pleasant conversations. If one day, my father, in a moment of enthusiasm, lets slip that the son of the county magistrate of Qianjiang Town is abusing his father's power, bullying his classmates, and hasn't even offered a sincere apology, and the prefectural governor finds out, what do you think the consequences will be?"

At the end, he deliberately paused, gave a fake smile, and concealed his intention to put pressure on him: "Hahaha, I was just saying it casually, Brother Song, don't take it to heart."

Song Zhifeng's face turned pale and then red, he was so angry that he was trembling all over, but he was helpless.

Recently, his father repeatedly warned him that Magistrate Lu had recently gained the favor of the prefectural governor and was riding high, so he must curry favor with him and never offend him.

The reason he was sent to apologize to Tang Chengyu was to ease tensions with Magistrate Lu and to befriend Lu Hao. If he offended Lu Hao because of this, causing the prefectural governor to be dissatisfied with his father and affecting his father's political achievements, then he would be in real trouble.

Weighing the pros and cons, Song Zhifeng could only suppress his anger and resentment. He put away the wooden box in his hand, looked at Lu Hao, and said in a harsh tone, but with a hint of compromise: "Brother Lu, please speak frankly. What do you hope we can do to settle this matter?"

Seeing Song Zhifeng compromise, Lu Hao's smile grew even brighter, and a hint of smugness flashed in his eyes.

He had already made up his mind—he was having a headache about how to efficiently finish the threshing work. Eight pounds of grain, if he and A-Gui were to do it alone, it would probably take them a whole day to finish. Now that Song Zhifeng and his group had provided free labor, he could make good use of them.

A brilliant plan quietly took shape in his mind: let Song Zhifeng and his group stay and help with the threshing. This would solve his own problem and also give these pampered young masters a good "torture"—a win-win situation.

Lu Hao suppressed his inner scheming and said with a smile, "It's very simple. Stay and help us thresh the grain. Do a day's farm work. As long as you do a good job, Tang Chengyu's anger will subside, and this matter will be wiped clean."

Song Zhifeng's face was grim, but he could only grit his teeth and nod: "Okay, we agree."

Meanwhile, the sun in the fields had risen high overhead. At noon, the sun was blazing and the sunlight was scorching, making the earth scorching hot, and even the wind carried a wave of heat.

Tang Susu squatted on the edge of the field, intently twisting straw ropes to tie up rice stalks. Her forehead was covered with beads of sweat that dripped down her cheeks, hitting the soil and evaporating instantly. She had no time to wipe them away, as she was almost exhausted from even lifting her hand.

Her movements were gentle and cautious. She was extra careful with each bundle of rice, afraid of using too much force and causing the grains to fall. If the grains fell into the field, it would be time-consuming and laborious to pick them up later, which would be a loss. These grains were their harvest for the whole year, and they could not afford to waste a single grain.

After bundling the last bundle of rice, Tang Susu slowly stood up, stretched her aching back, rubbed her throbbing temples, and then quietly took out a small jar of ointment from her bosom, carefully applying it to her blistered hands.

The ointment was cooling, and when applied to the wound, it slightly relieved the pain.

She looked at the dense blisters on her palms, some of which had already burst and formed a thin scab, while others were still swollen and filled with pus. She felt a pang of sadness, but did not complain. She picked up the carrying pole, hoisted the bundle of rice, and prepared to go home.

Just then, she looked up and saw Miao Yulan walking towards her step by step along the ridge of the field.

Tang Susu's heart jumped up instantly, filled with worry—the ridges between the fields were narrow and muddy, and the rice stalks on both sides grew so thickly that they blocked the view. It was easy to slip and fall, and Miao Yulan was delicate by nature. If she fell, the consequences would be unimaginable.

She quickly put down her carrying pole, rushed forward, grabbed Miao Yulan's arm, and said urgently, with a hint of reproach and concern, "Yulan, it's so hot, the sun is so strong, why aren't you at home? What are you doing here? This ridge is so narrow, it's so dangerous!"

Miao Yulan was supported by Tang Susu. Feeling the warmth of her palm, her eyes instantly welled up with tears, and her heart was filled with gratitude.

During the busy farming season, everyone in the village, regardless of age or gender, including the pregnant Shen, had to work in the fields, let alone her.

She had originally planned to come to the fields to help harvest the grain and lighten Tang Susu's burden, but Tang Susu firmly stopped her, saying that she was weak and didn't need to do such heavy work; she could just stay home and help with drying the grain and cooking.

Just now, she saw Tang Susu busy in the fields from afar in the yard.

Under the scorching sun, Tang Susu was drenched in sweat, her figure thin and frail. Her heart ached, especially when she saw the dense blisters on her open palms. It made her heart ache, and her eyes instantly reddened.

Miao Yulan took a deep breath to calm herself down, forced a smile, and said softly, "Big sister, I'm fine. I just wanted to come see you and bring you some water. By the way, big sister, we have guests at our house. They're from Yudi Academy, about ten of them, and they all look like young masters of noble status."

Upon hearing this, Tang Susu frowned slightly, a hint of doubt arising in her heart.

She walked up to the high point of the field ridge and looked towards her home. She could vaguely see three impressive carriages parked in front of the courtyard gate. The carriages were exquisitely decorated and the horses were tall and strong, which seemed out of place in this simple village.

Tang Susu immediately guessed the reason—these people must be Tang Chengyu's classmates from Chongwen Hall. Perhaps they heard that Tang Chengyu had returned to the village and came to visit him, or perhaps they had other purposes.

Without thinking further, she bent down, picked up the carrying pole, hoisted the grain onto her shoulder, and hurried home. She said calmly to Miao Yulan, "I know. Let's go home first. We shouldn't neglect our guests or let them cause trouble and delay the busy farming season."

Miao Yulan nodded and quickly followed behind Tang Susu, her eyes fixed on the rice Tang Susu was carrying. She carefully picked up every grain of rice that had fallen along the way and put it into her pocket, afraid of wasting a single grain.

The two walked briskly along the ridge of the field, one after the other, towards their home. The sun was still scorching, and their clothes were soaked with sweat, but it did not slow their pace at all.

Before long, Tang Susu returned home carrying the grain.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, the scene before her made her stop in her tracks, her brows furrowing tightly.

In the courtyard, a large amount of rice was still being dried. Song Zhifeng and his group were directing their servants to drive a horse-drawn cart back and forth over the rice, trying to use the cart wheels to crush the grains off the rice ears and complete the threshing.

However, Tang Susu immediately noticed the problem—the carriage wheels were too narrow, limiting the area that could be threshed. Even after repeated threshing, the grains were not completely removed, and most of the rice ears remained intact. The threshing effect was extremely poor and inefficient, wasting time and easily causing the spread-out grains to be crushed onto the ground, resulting in waste.

Looking at the chaotic scene, Tang Susu shook her head helplessly, thinking to herself: This is not a solution at all. We can't even finish husking all the grain in a whole day. I must think of a more efficient and less strenuous way.

Just then, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind, reminding her of a scene she had seen while scrolling through short videos in her previous life.

In the rural areas of the 1980s, when harvesting grain, people would use a rope to pull a large oval stone back and forth on the threshing ground to crush the grain. That tool was both labor-saving and efficient, allowing the grains to be removed quickly without much effort.

Tang Susu thought carefully and remembered that the tool was called a stone roller, also known as a millstone. It was a farm tool with a long history, but later, with the development of agricultural technology, this tool was gradually phased out and was not widely promoted.

She had seen the stone roller once before at a classmate's hometown, but by then, it had been abandoned in a corner and no one was using it.

If a stone roller could be made for threshing, it would certainly solve the current problem. It would be much more efficient and less labor-intensive than using a horse-drawn cart to crush the grain.

As Tang Susu was pondering how to make a stone roller, footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate. Her neighbor, Aunt Liu, carrying a water ladle, quickly walked in.

Aunt Liu originally came to Tang Susu's house to fetch some water to take back, but as soon as she entered the yard, she was stunned by the scene in front of her. Her eyes widened, and her face was full of shock and curiosity.

In front of the courtyard gate, three magnificent carriages were parked. Inside the courtyard stood a dozen or so well-dressed and handsome young noblemen, each dressed in brocade robes and exuding an extraordinary air, which contrasted sharply with the grains filling the courtyard and the simple courtyard.

Aunt Liu quickly stepped forward, grabbed Tang Susu's arm, and whispered, her voice full of curiosity and gossip. Her eyes kept glancing at Song Zhifeng and his group as she whispered, "Susu, tell me, these young men are so well-dressed and so handsome, they don't look like ordinary people. What kind of distinguished guests have come to your house? Just now, I saw many girls from the village stop and stare at your house as they passed by, and they all blushed with embarrassment!"