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

Lu Hao, still with his legs crossed, calmly looked Luo Cuiju up and down, his eyes carrying a hint of amused detachment. Before Luo Cuiju could get closer, he raised his chin and said indifferently, "Give me what you're holding."

Luo Cuiju hurriedly handed over the bamboo basket with both hands, her face full of a fawning smile, her tone soft and ingratiating: "Young Master Lu, this is a thick porridge that I specially cooked with new rice. It's still warm and has a smooth texture. Please try it. There are also a few pastries, which I made myself. They're not very fancy, but please don't mind them."

Lu Hao casually took the bamboo basket, picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful of rice porridge, brought it to his lips, and took a small sip.

But the next second, he frowned, and without hesitation spat all the rice porridge in his mouth onto the ground, his tone full of disgust: "What is this stuff? It tastes so awful, so bland, how dare you give it to me to eat?"

Luo Cuiju's smile froze instantly, her face turning red and white in turns, embarrassed and at a loss for what to do.

Lu Hao put down his spoon, his eyes sweeping over her with contempt. His tone was sharp, each word piercing her heart, wantonly humiliating her: "Let me tell you, a man should marry a gentle, virtuous, and talented woman. Look at you, your hands are rough and calloused, you can't even read, you don't know a thing or two, you can't even do the most basic needlework; your cooking skills are so bad, you can barely swallow a bowl of porridge. Besides your face, you have no substance whatsoever. Do you even deserve to dream of Tang Chengyu?"

He paused, his gaze falling on Luo Cuiju's clothes, a mocking smile playing on his lips as he deliberately made things difficult: "And this dress you're wearing is clearly too big. The material isn't bad, but it doesn't fit properly. Did you steal it? Someone like you, who doesn't even have a properly fitting outfit, dares to approach Tang Chengyu, dares to put on airs in front of me?"

These words struck a nerve with Luo Cuiju—her hands had become rough from years of farm work;

She was indeed illiterate and had never attended school;

The clothes she was wearing were hand-me-downs from her older sister, and they were indeed too big.

She coveted Tang Chengyu but was always rejected. Now, she was publicly humiliated by Lu Hao, who showed her no respect whatsoever.

Luo Cuiju's cheeks flushed instantly. She instinctively hid her rough hands behind her back, her eyes quickly reddening and tears welling up. Unable to hold back any longer, she covered her face with her hands, sobbing, and turned to run towards the courtyard gate. She ran as fast as she could, afraid of being humiliated by Lu Hao again.

Miao Yulan, who was sweeping the yard nearby, saw this scene clearly and was completely stunned. The broom in her hand fell to the ground involuntarily, her eyes filled with shock and lingering fear.

She never expected that Lu Hao would be so mean and ruthless when he got angry. Luckily, she had never offended him before, otherwise she would probably have ended up like him.

After humiliating Luo Cuiju, Lu Hao dusted off his hands, looking completely indifferent. He swaggered over to Tang Chengyu, reached out, and patted him heavily on the shoulder, casually offering advice: "See? To deal with this kind of persistent woman, you have to use a sharp tongue. Hit her sore spot once and for all, and she'll never dare to bother you again."

He paused, leaned closer to Tang Chengyu, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of sigh and a warning: "You have to be careful. Some women will do anything to curry favor with the powerful. Throwing themselves into your arms is the least of their worries. They might even drug you or harm you in secret."

"Let me tell you, in Jin Huihuang's father's backyard, there was a concubine who, in order to win favor, poisoned the wife, causing her to fall seriously ill and almost lose her life. In the end, she was punished by Master Jin with a cane and kicked out of the mansion." A trace of solemnity flashed in Lu Hao's eyes. "Fortunately, my family's backyard is clean, with only my mother. There are no such messy concubines. Otherwise, I'm afraid I wouldn't be alive now."

Tang Chengyu frowned, subtly avoiding his hand, her face expressionless, and said in a cold tone, "I understand. If you have nothing to do, come and help dry the grain. Don't just loiter around here and delay my work."

"Hey? What kind of attitude is this?" Lu Hao immediately became dissatisfied, frowning and his tone full of complaints. "I kindly helped you out of that predicament and chased away that woman who was bothering you, and instead of thanking me, you're giving me that sour look and expecting me to do your work? You're really feeding a dog with your kindness!"

Tang Chengyu ignored him and turned back to continue drying the grain, ignoring Lu Hao's incessant complaints.

Just as the two were at an impasse, a cheerful shout suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate, accompanied by the low howl of wolves and the barking of dogs, making it exceptionally lively: "Mother! Aunt! I'm back!"

Everyone looked up and saw Yang Xiaobao leading two wolves and two dogs, rushing excitedly into the yard. The two wolves, one black and one white, were Yang Dagao and Yang Dabai; the two dogs, one yellow and one brown, were Yang Dahuang and Aunt Liu's Laifu.

Yang Xiaobao ran to the center of the yard, stopped, and proudly patted the wolfhound beside him, introducing their recent situation to everyone: "Look, Laifu used to be stronger than Yang Dahuang, but these days when he hunts with Yang Dagao, he's been surpassed by Yang Dahuang. Look how strong Yang Dahuang is now, with such shiny fur; Laifu was initially afraid of Yang Dagao and didn't dare to get close to him, but after spending these past few days together, he's become familiar with him and can even hunt together."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone saw that Yang Dagao had a plump wild rabbit in his mouth, its fur smooth.

Yang Dahuang and Laifu each had a pheasant in their mouths, flapping their wings but unable to break free;

Yang Dabai hopped and skipped around Yang Xiaobao, occasionally nuzzling his trouser leg with his head in a very affectionate manner.

Yang Xiaobao was excited and proudly boasted, "Look! Yang Dagao is amazing! He caught this wild rabbit. It runs so fast! I originally wanted to roast rabbit meat for dinner, but my mother told me that rabbit meat soup is more nourishing, so I'll make rabbit meat soup for my aunt to help her recover. My aunt works in the fields every day, it's so hard for her."

Miao Yulan looked at the wild rabbits and pheasants in the yard, a relieved smile on her face. She walked over, gently patted Yang Xiaobao's head, and said with a smile, "Okay, I'll do whatever Xiaobao says. Tonight we'll cook pheasant soup and braised rabbit. This chicken leg will be a reward for Yang Dagao. Thanks to him, we were able to hunt so much game."

"No, no!" No sooner had Miao Yulan finished speaking than Lu Hao hurriedly interjected, saying anxiously, "Aunt Yang said that since I completed double the task, I should be rewarded with a big chicken leg. This chicken leg belongs to Yang Dagao, so I have to get another one, otherwise it's not fair!"

Tang Chengyu raised his eyes, gave him a cold glance, and mercilessly exposed him: "Your so-called completion of the mission was only achieved with the help of Song Zhifeng and his group, not by your own hands. How dare you ask for a reward?"

"I don't care!" Lu Hao started to act spoiled, frowning and speaking in a firm tone, "Aunt Yang promised me that no matter how I finished, as long as I completed it, I would get a reward—she had to give me a chicken leg, otherwise I'm not leaving!"

Looking at Lu Hao's shameless behavior, A Gui thought to himself: "Young Master is such a disgrace. As the son of a county magistrate, he has meat at every meal in the mansion and is tired of eating delicacies. Now he is fighting with a wolf for a chicken leg in this small village. If the old lady sees this, she will be heartbroken and may even scold these people for mistreating the young master."

Just then, Aunt Liu's voice came from outside the courtyard gate. She quickly walked in and immediately saw the pheasant in Laifu's beak. A happy smile spread across her face. She walked over, gently took the pheasant from Laifu's beak, and said with a smile, "Oh my, Laifu is getting more and more capable! He can even hunt pheasants now! Xiaobao, from now on, let Laifu go hunting with Yang Dagao and learn more skills. When he catches some game, Auntie will reward you with a big chicken leg, how about that?"

Yang Xiaobao shook his head, his tone obedient and sensible: "No need, Aunt Liu. Laifu is just helping out by hunting with Yang Dagao, so there's no need for a reward. You can take this pheasant back for your children. They're growing and need some nourishment."

Hearing this, Aunt Liu felt a warmth in her heart and said with a smile, "You're such a thoughtful child. Okay, then I won't stand on ceremony with you. After the grain harvest, I'll bring you some noodles and rice so you and Su Su can have a better meal."

"Thank you, Aunt Liu!" Yang Xiaobao smiled happily. Then, he picked up the bamboo basket beside him, waved to the wolfhounds, and said, "Yang Dagao, Yang Dabai, Yang Dahuang, and Laifu, let's go to the fields to pick up rice ears. We can't waste a single grain!"

After saying that, he led the wolfhound towards the gate of the courtyard.

Lu Hao stood aside, watching Yang Xiaobao and the wolfhounds, and suddenly felt bored—he had nothing to do in this village except farm work.

Moreover, he had never seen a wolf hunt before, and filled with curiosity, he hesitated for a moment before quickly following after them, calling out as he went, "Wait for me! I'm going with you!"

Seeing this, A-Gui shook his head helplessly and could only follow, fearing that Lu Hao would cause some trouble.

At this moment, the sun was setting, and the golden afterglow spilled into every corner of the village, giving the earth a warm glow.

Miao Yulan walked into the kitchen, tied on her apron, and began to get busy. Since living with Tang Susu, she had also developed a habit of thrift and frugality under Tang Susu's influence. She never left any leftovers when cooking, saving as much as possible and never wasting a single grain of rice or a single bite of food.

She first cleaned the pheasant, put it in a pot, added water to make soup, and then cut the rabbit into pieces to make braised rabbit meat.

After processing the wild game, she carefully collected the rabbit and chicken furs and hung them to dry on a rope in the yard. She planned to use the collected furs to make winter clothes and bedding so that she would be warmer in winter and wouldn't have to suffer from the cold anymore.

Not long after, Tang Susu returned from the fields carrying a load of rice. She put down the carrying pole, wiped the sweat from her face, and went into the kitchen. Seeing Miao Yulan's busy figure, she smiled and said, "Yulan, you've worked hard. Let me help you. Let's hurry up and prepare the meal so the children can eat when they come back."

"Big sister, it's no trouble at all. With your help, we'll be done in no time," Miao Yulan replied with a smile. The two worked together, one stir-frying the rabbit meat and the other preparing the vegetables. Their movements were skilled and efficient, and before long, the meal was all ready.

The aroma of fresh pheasant soup, the tempting color of dry-pot rabbit meat, the refreshing and palatable tender vegetables, and a pot of steaming freshly cooked white rice filled the entire courtyard.

At dinner time, the family sat around the table in the main room, happily preparing to eat. Ah Gui, however, remained squatting on the threshold of the main room, holding his bowl and eating quietly, not daring to come up to the table.

Yang Xiaobao looked at the chicken leg on the table with bright eyes. He tugged at Tang Susu's sleeve and whispered, "Mom, Aunt, let's give this chicken leg to Yang Dagao as a reward. He was the best hunter today, thank you for your hard work."

Tang Susu smiled and nodded, saying gently, "Okay, I'll do whatever Xiaobao says. This chicken leg is for Yang Dagao."

After receiving permission, Yang Xiaobao picked up the chicken leg, walked quickly to the yard, and handed it to Yang Dagao.

Yang Dagao lowered his head, took the chicken leg, and began to eat it in big bites. After a few bites, he didn't forget to take the remaining meat and share it with Yang Dabai and Yang Dahuang beside him, being very docile.

Just then, Lu Hao, with lightning speed, grabbed the last large chicken leg on the table, clutched it tightly in his hand, and said smugly, "This chicken leg is mine! I still need to find someone to make a stone roller to help with the threshing at home. Consider this chicken leg an early reward for me; otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered to find someone to make a stone roller!"

Tang Susu looked at his shameless appearance, shook her head helplessly, and could only compromise: "Okay, okay, here's a chicken leg for you, eat it quickly, stop making trouble."

Upon receiving permission, Lu Hao immediately grinned, taking large bites of the chicken leg with his mouth full of meat, and mumbled, "Delicious, delicious! It's even better than the chef at my local government office! It smells amazing!"

He took a couple of bites, looked at A-Gui squatting on the doorstep, hesitated for a moment, and then tossed the rest of the chicken leg to A-Gui, saying casually, "Here, have it. I'm full."

Ah Gui quickly caught the chicken leg, a look of surprise on his face. He carefully held the chicken leg and slowly savored it. He ate a very full meal and even ate two extra bowls of rice.

After dinner, Tang Chengyu cleared the table of dishes and chopsticks, picked up a few books, and said softly to the four children in the yard, "Come on, come with me to study, learn to read, and learn arithmetic. No slacking off."

The four children quickly put down what they were holding and obediently followed Tang Chengyu out of the courtyard.

Watching their departing figures, Lu Hao was filled with curiosity. He quickly stepped forward, stopped Tang Chengyu, and asked in confusion, "Hey, where are you going? What are you doing out so late?"

Tang Chengyu stopped and replied calmly, "Go teach the children, teach them to read, write, and do arithmetic."

Upon hearing this, Lu Hao instantly recalled that Tang Chengyu had previously mentioned wanting to work as a teacher in Yangqu Village to save money for his trip to Fuzhou to take the imperial examination. He frowned, a hint of doubt on his face, and asked bluntly, "You're just a student who has only completed the preliminary examination, not even a scholar. Are you qualified to be a teacher? Can you teach these children well?"