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

Tang Susu smiled and withdrew her hand, then picked up a string of copper coins and handed them to Yang Gousheng: "Gousheng, this is your wages, four hundred and eighty-five copper coins."

She paused, then explained softly, "You missed a few days while we were looking for water, so we deducted some money according to the rules. Please don't mind."

Yang Gousheng quickly accepted it with both hands, leaned forward slightly, and said respectfully, "It's no problem at all, Sister Su Su. This is what I deserve. Thank you, Sister Su Su Su."

He clutched the coin, his face full of gratitude, showing no sign of dissatisfaction.

Then, Tang Susu handed 560 copper coins to Tang Liqiang and Yang Xiaobao respectively, and said with a smile, "Liqiang, Xiaobao, these are for you. Thank you for running around these past few days."

The two happily accepted it, and Tang Liqiang scratched his head and grinned.

Yang Xiaobao carefully put the copper coin into his pocket, then skipped and hopped to the side, afraid of losing it.

Then, Tang Susu picked up 420 copper coins, walked up to Tang Chengyu, and said gently, "Yu'er, this is your wages. You didn't participate in the jelly business, but you've been busy teaching. Thank you for your hard work. We didn't deduct any money from your meal allowance. Please keep it."

Tang Chengyu extended both hands and solemnly accepted the copper coins, her eyes filled with gratitude. She said softly, "Thank you, elder sister. I will keep this money safe and teach the children to read and write."

When it was Lu Hao's turn, Tang Susu handed him 520 copper coins and said with a smile, "Young Master Lu, this is your wages. We won't deduct your meal and lodging expenses. Also, thanks to your help in finding the stone roller, which was a great help to us, we'll give you an extra 100 coins, making a total of 520 coins."

Lu Hao was no longer as frivolous as before; his attitude was exceptionally upright. He accepted the copper coins with both hands, counted them carefully, and then solemnly put them into the cloth bag close to his body. He said softly, "Thank you, Aunt Yang. I feel ashamed to accept this wage. I will do my best to help in the future."

Ah Gui, standing to the side, looked at his young master's appearance and thought to himself: When the young master was in the manor, he spent money extravagantly and didn't care about gold and silver jewelry. He never cared about these copper coins. But now he cherishes these five hundred and twenty copper coins so much. It's really strange.

Immediately afterwards, Tang Susu picked up 420 copper coins and handed them to Agui: "Agui, this is your wages. You've worked hard taking care of Young Master Lu and helping with the chores around the house during this time. Please keep it safe."

Ah Gui was stunned for a moment, then quickly waved his hand and said in shock, "Miss Tang, no, no, I can't accept it! I already have a monthly salary at the manor, I can't take double wages, I absolutely cannot accept these wages."

"Just accept it as I tell you to." Seeing this, Lu Hao spoke up, his tone calm but leaving no room for refusal. "This is money you earned through your own labor, it doesn't conflict with the monthly allowance from the manor, so accept it."

Upon hearing this, A-Gui dared not refuse any longer. He quickly and respectfully accepted the copper coin, bowing and saying, "Thank you, Miss Tang, thank you, young master."

After distributing the wages, Tang Susu looked at everyone with a relieved smile on her face and slowly said, "During this time, everyone has worked together, and our family's life has gradually improved. Once we finish our current work, we'll start building a new house, a sturdy brick house, where everyone will have their own room, with their own bed and desk. We won't have to squeeze together anymore, and we won't have to worry about the roof leaking."

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces lit up with joy, their eyes filled with anticipation. Even the usually composed Tang Chengyu broke into a smile. At dinner, everyone ate with exceptional relish, each bite imbued with hope, their hearts filled with anticipation for the new house to be completed soon.

After dinner, Lu Hao didn't wander around as usual. Instead, he got up and cleared the dishes from the table, taking them to the kitchen to wash.

Seeing this, A-Gui quickly followed to help, washing the dishes while talking to Lu Hao. The two, master and servant, were in exceptionally good spirits, no longer as reserved as before.

These days, Lu Hao goes to the classroom of Yang Family Ancestral Hall every night to listen to the lessons. Although he has known the knowledge that Tang Chengyu teaches since he was a child, he has a different understanding when he sees the children studying hard and listens to Tang Chengyu’s easy-to-understand explanations. He gradually understands that studying is not only for passing the imperial examinations, but also for understanding the world and broadening one’s horizons.

That evening, Tang Chengyu stood in the center of the classroom and solemnly announced to dozens of children: "We have been studying for more than ten days. I have decided that we will have an exam in three days. After the exam, we will be divided into two classes, A and B."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Class A is for the students who are quick to learn and do well. I will speed up the pace later and teach you more. Class B will continue at the original pace, learn slowly, and build a solid foundation."

"In addition, the top three students in each class will receive prizes." As soon as Tang Chengyu finished speaking, the children instantly erupted in excitement. He smiled and raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet. "The first place winner will receive a set of writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones; the second place winner will receive a copy of my handwritten primer; and the third place winner will receive a calligraphy brush."

The children's eyes lit up as they listened. Tang Chengyu added, "These prizes include the primers I used to copy by hand, as well as the stationery that the teachers at Chongwentang gave me. I'm donating them all to encourage everyone to study hard and learn diligently."

Writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones are extremely precious to these rural children, who rarely even see them in their daily lives. Now that they have the opportunity to obtain them, the children are very excited, clenching their little fists and determined to win a prize.

Yang Xiaobao, Deng Xiaomao, and Yang Zhimao got together and competed with each other, each saying that they were sure they could win first place.

Looking at the children's energetic appearance, Tang Chengyu smiled and said, "Don't rush, everyone. Study hard. In three days, we will divide them into classes based on their grades and award prizes based on their abilities."

Lu Hao, who was standing to the side, listened to all this with a disdainful look on his face and sneered in a low voice: "What a waste of effort. A child from a poor village who can barely get enough to eat, what kind of ranking does he want to compete for? No matter how well he studies, he can never become a student or a scholar. The division into first and second classes is just a formality and is completely useless."

Tang Chengyu did not refute his words, but simply shook his head gently, unwilling to argue with him.

The next morning, the weather was gloomy and there was not a ray of sunshine.

After the heavy rain, the paths in the fields were covered with mud and puddles, full of potholes and impossible to walk on. Fortunately, the main road in the village had been compacted beforehand and was relatively smooth enough for oxcarts to pass through.

Not long after, the sound of an oxcart rolling could be heard outside the courtyard gate. Yang Defu drove an oxcart to the gate of Tang Susu's house and called out loudly, "Susu, Aunt Yang, I've come to take you to town to sell grain!"

Tang Susu and Old Lady Yang hurriedly came out of the house. Tang Susu turned around, carried a bag of rice weighing 100 jin (50 kg), and put it on the oxcart.

Seeing this, Old Lady Yang looked puzzled and worried. She took Tang Susu's arm and said softly, "Susu, why did you only carry so little? This year there was a severe drought, and we only harvested this little bit of grain. The food is pitifully scarce, so we have to use it sparingly. It's such a waste to sell so little and keep so much white rice at home. It would be better to sell more, exchange it for some copper coins, and buy more coarse grains so we can last longer."

Tang Susu smiled and patted Old Lady Yang's hand, patiently explaining, "Auntie, I know what I'm doing. We have Young Master Lu in our family. He grew up in the county magistrate's mansion, living a life of luxury, eating only white rice and never having eaten coarse grains. We can't let him eat chaff and wild vegetables like us. Besides, this year's harvest is poor, and grain will only become more and more precious. It might even go up in price in the future. Having grain on hand is more secure than any copper coins. Keeping some white rice will be useful in case of emergency."

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Yang instantly realized her mistake, slapped her forehead, and said in annoyance, "Look at my brain! How could I not have thought of that! Of course, with less grain, prices will definitely rise. Selling rice now would be a huge loss!"

As she spoke, she strode to the oxcart, hoisted a sack of rice onto her shoulder, and carried it back into the house with lightning speed. As she carried it, she said, "I'll sell a little less; keeping some grain is better than anything else!"

Standing to the side, Tang Susu watched as Old Mrs. Yang, in her fifties, could carry a hundred-pound load of rice with remarkable agility. She couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration: "Aunt Yang has worked so hard all her life, doing farm work year after year, yet she is still so strong."

Just then, Tang Chengyu and Lu Hao also came out of the house.

Tang Susu looked at them and asked in confusion, "Yu'er, Young Master Lu, are you going to the street too?"

Tang Chengyu nodded and said softly, "Elder sister, I want to go to the street and find some copying work to earn some extra money to supplement the family income, and also buy some writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones for the children."

Lu Hao also spoke up, "Aunt Yang, I'm going to town too, to go back to the county office to change my clothes. I've been wearing these clothes for days, they're filthy. Don't worry, I promise I won't run away. I'll leave A-Gui in the village, and I'll come back after I change."

As he spoke, he glanced at A-Gui standing to the side, and A-Gui quickly bowed and replied, "Young master, rest assured, this servant will definitely stay in the village and wait for your return."

But when Ah Gui turned around and went to feed the chickens and ducks in the yard, he couldn't help but secretly wipe away his tears. He mistakenly thought that his young master was leaving early and would not come back. But even so, he still firmly believed that his young master would definitely come back to pick him up.

After settling Agui in, Tang Chengyu and Lu Hao also boarded the oxcart, and Yang Defu drove it slowly out of the village.

As Old Mrs. Yang finished packing her things and was about to get on the bus, her nose suddenly twitched. A strong, pungent stench hit her face, irritating and unpleasant, like the smell of rotten eggs. It made her wrinkle her brow and cover her nose.

"What's this smell? It's so stinky!" Old Mrs. Yang asked, frowning and looking puzzled.

Upon hearing this, Tang Chengyu also sniffed and smelled the stench. He frowned and said softly, "It should be poultry droppings from the village. There are many chickens, ducks and geese raised in the village, so it's inevitable that there will be some stench. I'm used to it. However, this smell seems to be getting stronger and stronger recently."

"No, no!" Old Mrs. Yang shook her head repeatedly, saying with certainty, "I've lived to be this old, how could I not tell the difference between the smell of chicken, duck, and goose droppings? This doesn't smell like chicken, duck, or goose droppings at all, the smell is wrong."