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

Old Mrs. Yang clutched the copper coins she'd received from the cloth shop, her brow furrowed, her voice full of heartache: "Susu, you child, you really waste money! We villagers are all rough and unrefined; there's no need for such fuss. A simple coat to keep out the wind is enough; why bother with an undergarment? It's a complete waste of copper coins!"

As she spoke, she started counting on her fingers, her tone becoming increasingly serious: "That hundred taels of silver may seem like a lot, but it has many uses—buying land will cost money, my grandchildren will need money to get married when they grow up, and my wife will need money for childbirth and postpartum care. We have to be frugal in every way, and we can't just spend it recklessly. We have to save it for emergencies."

Seeing the distressed look on her face, Tang Susu couldn't help but laugh, her tone cheerful: "Auntie, don't worry about these copper coins. We now have the legitimate silver bestowed by Lord Lu, so we don't need to be as stingy as before. Besides, clothing is a major life event. The weather is getting colder, the autumn dew is heavy, and the chill is strong. Making a pair of thick cloth shoes and a cotton-padded coat with an inner garment can prevent the cold from getting into the body and causing illness. It's much more cost-effective than spending money on medical treatment later."

Seeing that Tang Susu's attitude was firm and her words made sense, Old Lady Yang could only sigh and stop nagging, but she still couldn't help feeling sorry for the money that had been spent.

The two women carried the fabric and needles and thread out of the cloth shop. Old Mrs. Yang's eyes lit up and she suggested, "Since we're already in town, why don't we go to the butcher shop and buy a pound of pork to take back for the children to enjoy? They've been busy with the autumn harvest and are exhausted."

She specifically emphasized "one jin" (a unit of weight), clearly indicating that she was still reluctant to spend more money.

Tang Susu knew that Old Lady Yang was not only worried about the money, but also about Lu Hao. She was afraid of mistreating the county magistrate's son, but she was also reluctant to buy too much. So she didn't object and nodded: "Okay, but one jin might not be enough for the family. Auntie, could you buy two more jin for me, making a total of three jin of pork, so that everyone can have a treat when we get back?"

As she spoke, she added, "I have some personal matters to attend to. I'm going to buy some salt and see if there's any new business to be done. Let's agree to meet at the city gate after the incense stick has burned for a while, and then we'll go back to the village together."

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Yang quickly grabbed her arm and earnestly instructed, "You must be careful with your money. Don't flaunt your wealth. The town is full of all sorts of people, so don't let anyone eye your silver. After you've finished your business, hurry to the city gate. Don't linger too long. I'll be waiting for you there."

"Don't worry, Auntie, I know what I'm doing." Tang Susu smiled and nodded, releasing her hand and turning to walk towards the dark alley.

Tang Susu has lived in Dongtai Town for many years and knows the town's streets and alleys like the back of her hand.

She quickly walked into a secluded dark alley, and after confirming that no one was around, she quietly opened the trading platform, spent a small amount of copper coins to buy a silk dress and a gold hairpin, and then used the platform's props to apply old-age makeup.

With fine wrinkles and scattered age spots appearing on her face, she instantly transformed into a composed and dignified wealthy woman, a stark contrast to her usual simple peasant appearance.

After disguising herself properly, she straightened her clothes, slowly walked out of the dark alley, and headed towards the largest pawnshop in town.

This pawnshop has a spacious storefront and an impressive entrance. However, due to poor harvests and food shortages among the people, there has been a constant stream of people coming to pawn their clothes and jewelry in exchange for grain. As a result, the pawnshop owner has become increasingly arrogant and has been pushing prices down to extremely low levels. Previously, Tang Susu had tried to pawn a silver hairpin in exchange for grain, but the deal fell through because the owner was pushing the price down too hard.

As soon as she reached the pawnshop entrance, the doorman noticed her silk clothes and gold hairpin, and immediately greeted her with a beaming smile, speaking respectfully, "Please come in, ma'am. Are you here to pawn something or to redeem something?"

"I need to see your manager," Tang Susu said calmly, yet with an air of authority, neither humble nor arrogant. "My master has a rare treasure to sell, and only your manager can receive him personally."

Seeing that she possessed an extraordinary bearing, unlike an ordinary person, the waiter dared not be negligent and quickly bowed, replying, "Please wait a moment, Granny, I will go and inform the manager right away."

Before long, the pawnshop manager hurried out from the back room, a fawning smile plastered on his face. He bowed to Tang Susu and said, "I was unaware of your arrival, Madam. Please come to the back room and serve tea!"

As he spoke, he respectfully invited Tang Susu into the back room, instructed the waiter to brew the best tea, and personally served it to her.

Tang Susu picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and slowly began to speak, fabricating an identity she had already prepared: "Shopkeeper, to be honest, my master is a wealthy merchant from the north. He was robbed while passing through this area and lost 50% of his family's assets. Now he is in a hurry to raise money to make ends meet, so he has no choice but to pawn his family heirloom."

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's eyes flashed with a shrewd light, and he quickly said, "Don't worry, Granny, if it's a real treasure, our shop will definitely offer a reasonable price and will never treat you or the owner unfairly."

Without further ado, Tang Susu took out a luminous pearl from the brocade box she carried with her. The pearl was the size of a goose egg, pure and flawless, and translucent under the light, gleaming with a faint luster.

"This is my master's family heirloom," Tang Susu said solemnly. "It was passed down from a founding hero of the previous dynasty. It was bestowed by the emperor and has a history of seven or eight hundred years. It is a rare treasure that ordinary people can never see."

The shopkeeper quickly came forward, carefully picked up the luminous pearl, examined it carefully from all angles, and then gestured to the waiter to close the doors and windows of the back room, instantly making the room dark.

The luminous pearl slowly emitted a soft, dim light, its brightness moderate and not dazzling, yet enough to illuminate the entire back hall, making even the dust in the corners of the walls clearly visible.

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up instantly, an expression of disbelief appearing on his face. He caressed the luminous pearl with obvious delight, his voice trembling with excitement: "A genuine piece! Truly a rare gem! I've hardly ever seen a luminous pearl of this quality in my entire life!"

He had already made up his mind that no matter how much it cost, he would pawn this luminous pearl, and he was sure he could make a fortune by reselling it later.

After calming his excitement, the shopkeeper put away his smile and pretended to be composed as he began to haggle: "Madam, to be honest, while luminous pearls are rare in the capital, they are not unheard of. Moreover, although this item is precious, it is not practical. If you pawn it, my shop can only offer two or three hundred taels of silver at most; if you pawn it outright, considering your sincerity, I will offer six hundred taels. What do you say?"

Tang Susu sneered inwardly, having already anticipated his attempt to lower the price. Her face remained impassive as she slowly reached out, took back the luminous pearl, closed the brocade box, and stood up to leave: "Shopkeeper, your price is far too insincere. My master said this luminous pearl is only dead, not alive. If you can't offer a fair price, I'll go to another pawnshop; surely there will be someone who knows its value."

Seeing that she was really about to leave, the shopkeeper panicked and hurriedly stepped forward to stop her, forcing a smile and pleading urgently, "Granny, please wait! Please wait! It was my fault, I bargained too hard, let's discuss it again, let's discuss it again!"

He quickly raised the price: "Eight hundred taels! Granny, how about eight hundred taels? This is the highest price our shop can offer!"

Tang Susu didn't stop walking; she simply held up two fingers and said calmly, "Less than this number, no discussion."

The shopkeeper looked at the two fingers she held out, a troubled expression on his face. He hesitated for a long time—two thousand taels of silver was no small sum, but if he missed this luminous pearl, it would be as difficult as climbing to heaven to find it again in the future.

Finally, the shopkeeper gritted his teeth and hardened his heart: "Fine! It'll be as the old woman says! Two thousand taels of silver, no questions asked!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Susu finally showed a faint smile and nodded: "Deal."

Then, the shopkeeper hurriedly had someone bring him a silver note with two thousand taels of silver in it, and then took out the pawn contract. After Tang Susu carefully checked the silver note and confirmed that it was correct, she pressed her fingerprint on the contract, handed the luminous pearl to the shopkeeper, picked up the silver note, turned around and walked out of the pawnshop quickly without stopping.

Tang Susu breathed a sigh of relief after walking a long way from the pawnshop, secretly revealing to herself that this luminous pearl was not some heirloom from two dynasties at all, but just an artificial product she bought from a trading platform. It was worthless in modern times and only cost her one and a half taels of silver on the trading platform, but in this ancient time, it was a rare treasure. The pawnshop owner could make several times the profit by reselling it.

Worried that the shopkeeper would realize what was happening and send someone to follow her, she quickened her pace and returned to the dark alley. She quickly removed her disguise, changed back into her peasant clothes, carefully put away the silver notes, and returned the silk clothes and gold hairpin she had used for disguise to the trading platform.

After everything was settled, Tang Susu opened the trading platform, found the upgrade entrance for the storage space, and spent a thousand taels of silver without hesitation to activate the storage space. Instantly, a storage cabinet of about two cubic meters appeared on the platform interface. It was spacious and clean, enough to store a lot of things. It would be much more convenient to store food, clothing and items from the trading platform in the future.