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

The conversation about braised pork at the dinner table hadn't stopped when Tang Susu suddenly remembered the market situation for pork offal and casually said, "If we're going to do braised pork business, we need to figure out the market for pork offal first. I've heard that it's not popular on a regular basis. It has a strong smell and is troublesome to process, so meat stalls often have unsold stock. Only poor people who really can't afford fresh meat will buy it to barely fill their stomachs."

Upon hearing this, Lu Hao waved his hand and added, "Don't worry about that. Zhuo Yang's father is the biggest butcher in Jiangtou Town. He has a lot of pig offal left over from slaughtering pigs every day. They're worried about not being able to sell it. If we take over all their pig offal, the supply will definitely be stable and won't delay their business."

With that said, everyone felt more at ease, and the braised pork business was basically settled. They just had to wait for Yang Gousheng to test the market tomorrow and see how it went.

Tang Susu looked at Yang Gousheng and asked softly, "Gousheng, we've set the wholesale price. How much do you plan to sell it for per pound at retail?"

Yang Gousheng put down his chopsticks and started calculating carefully on his fingers, his tone serious: "Young Master Lu gave you 15 coins per catty. You add the cost of the seasonings, so it's 16 coins per catty. You sell it to me for 36 coins per catty. I make 5 coins per catty, and you make 21 coins per catty. I plan to retail it for 60 coins per catty."

"What? Sixty coins a catty?" Tang Lifu immediately frowned and objected, "Gousheng, your price is too expensive! The villagers in our village can't even bear to spend ten coins on a normal day. They simply can't afford braised meat at sixty coins a catty. It will definitely not sell."

Yang Gousheng, however, was confident and shook his head, explaining, "Uncle Lifu, I don't plan to sell to people in the countryside. Our braised pork tastes so good, even better than the ones in the restaurants in town. Why not do what we did with the cold noodles before, and go for the high-end market, selling exclusively to the restaurants and wealthy families in town? They don't lack money; as long as it tastes good, they're willing to spend more."

Lu Hao immediately chimed in, laughing, "That's right, that's right, I think this is a great idea! I recommend Zuihua Pavilion. The guests there are all wealthy and powerful, and they spend lavishly. As long as we can get our braised meat into their establishment, it will definitely sell like hotcakes and make a name for ourselves."

"Drunken Flower Pavilion? What kind of place is that?" Yang Gousheng asked, looking at Tang Chengyu with a puzzled expression. Tang Chengyu shook his head slightly, clearly having never heard of the name before.

Seeing this, Lu Hao couldn't help but sneer, his tone laced with sarcasm: "You two are so unsophisticated, you don't even know about Zuihua Pavilion, it's laughable to even mention it."

Upon hearing the words "Drunken Flower Pavilion," Tang Susu felt a sudden tightness in her chest, a vague premonition that this was no respectable place. She calmly stood up and said to Lu Hao, "Young Master Lu, please come to the courtyard with me. I have something to ask you."

Lu Hao was stunned for a moment. Although he was puzzled, he still followed Tang Susu out of the house and into the yard.

Not long after the two left, there was a knock at the gate. Tang Lifu got up and opened the door, where Aunt Liu walked in carrying an empty bowl, her face full of smiles: "Is Su Su home? I've come to return the bowl. By the way, I want to tell you that your braised pork is so delicious! Even my little Yu'er and Yingcai, who don't like pork intestines, are addicted to it and ate several pieces in one go."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Old Mrs. Yang arrived carrying an empty bowl, praising as she entered: "Su Su, your cooking is absolutely amazing! I've lived to such an old age and have never tasted such fragrant braised pork. The old man ate a bowl and was still saying he hadn't had enough."

Tang Susu happened to be returning from the yard when she heard their praise. She smiled and said, "Auntie, I'm glad you like it. I'll make some more for you to try next time. By the way, I have something to tell you. Gousheng is planning to start a braised meat business. He'll make it every day and sell it in town."

"Really? That's wonderful!" Aunt Liu's eyes lit up, and she quickly said, "I have a suggestion for you. Your braised pork tastes good, but it's all on the spicy side. Some customers can't handle spicy food. You could make some milder flavors to satisfy different people's preferences and improve sales."

Tang Susu's eyes lit up. She thought Aunt Liu's suggestion made a lot of sense, and nodded, saying, "Auntie, your suggestion is great! How come I didn't think of that? Besides the light flavors, we can also make some sweet ones. Maybe some people will like them too."

"Make it sweet?" Old Mrs. Yang immediately frowned and waved her hand. "That won't do. Sugar is so expensive. Using it to make braised meat is too wasteful of money. It's not worth it. Let's forget about it."

Tang Susu smiled and didn't refute, but she kept it in mind. Afterwards, the three of them chatted about the marriage prospects of the children in the village, talking animatedly.

Lu Hao, who was standing to the side, felt very uncomfortable and bored. He wanted to turn around and slip away several times, but Tang Susu stopped him with her eyes.

After Aunt Liu and Granny Yang left, Tang Susu turned to Lu Hao and asked in a serious tone, "Tell me, what exactly is Zuihua Pavilion? Judging from your appearance, I know it's not a good place."

Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, Lu Hao stopped trying to cover it up and said nonchalantly, "It's nothing, just the most upscale brothel in Jiangtou Town. All the girls there are beautiful and sing well, but it's a bit expensive, and ordinary people can't get in."

As he spoke, he added with a smug look, "I heard from the servants in the manor that hiring a courtesan at Zuihua Pavilion costs at least ten taels of silver. My father only gives me six taels of silver a month for pocket money, which is not enough at all, so I have never been there."

Tang Susu was both angry and speechless. She glared at him and said, "I don't care what you were like before, you're not allowed to mention going to Zuihua Pavilion again, and you're definitely not allowed to actually go to a place like that!"

Seeing Lu Hao's defiant expression, she raised her voice and warned, "I'm not saying you can't go. If you really want to go, I can't stop you. But remember, **you're not allowed to take Yu'er, Gousheng, or any of them with you.** They're all honest and law-abiding children; you can't lead them astray, understand?"

Although Lu Hao was unwilling, he didn't dare to object when he saw Tang Susu's serious expression. He could only nod reluctantly and say, "I know, I know, I won't take them. You're so long-winded."

The two returned to the house, and Lu Hao immediately spotted Yang Gousheng. Recalling what had just happened, he couldn't help but mock, "Yang Gousheng, you don't even know about Zuihua Pavilion? What a country bumpkin! Even if we could get our braised meat in, they wouldn't let you in wearing those shabby clothes."

Upon hearing this, Yang Gousheng immediately became displeased and retorted with a frown, "You're no better. Your clothes are patched upon patched, making you look like a beggar. How dare you criticize me?"

"You!" Lu Hao was so angry that his face turned red, but he couldn't refute it. After a pause, he still reminded him seriously, "I'm telling you the truth, the merchants in the city are very materialistic. They only look at appearances. When you go to town to do business in the future, especially to places like restaurants and brothels, you must dress properly, otherwise you will be looked down upon and you won't be able to do business."

Yang Gousheng was still unconvinced and pouted, saying, "I know, I don't need you to remind me, I know what I'm doing."

But in his heart, he secretly remembered Lu Hao's words—he knew that although Lu Hao was unruly, he knew more about these social skills than he did.

Just then, Yang Xiaobao and Tang Liqiang each took out a cloth bag from their pockets, ran to Yang Gousheng, and carefully opened it. Inside were the copper coins they had earned during this period, scattered here and there, but it was clear that it was all their savings.

"Brother Gousheng, here are my coins, you can use them as capital," Yang Xiaobao said earnestly, looking up at his little face. "If you don't have enough money to buy braised meat when you go to town tomorrow, use mine."

Tang Liqiang also handed over his cloth bag, smiling as he said, "And mine too, Brother Gousheng. Let's make money together. You can pay us back when you've earned some."

Yang Gousheng's eyes welled up slightly as he looked at the copper coins the two men handed him. He carefully took them, clutched them tightly in his hand, and said solemnly, "Thank you, Xiaobao and Liqiang. Don't worry, I'll take this money for now. Once I make money selling braised meat, I'll definitely pay you back double, with interest."

Tang Susu stood aside, watching the three children help each other and work together as one, and a gratified smile appeared on her face—the children have all grown up and become more and more sensible, so no matter how hard or tiring it is, it's all worth it.

After dinner, everyone rested, while Tang Susu packed her things and headed towards the village head's house.

She planned to talk to the village head about building a new house. The busy farming season was over, and the weather was still warm, making it a good time to build a house.

When we arrived at the village head's house, the gate was ajar, and we could hear laughter and chatter coming from inside.

Tang Susu gently pushed open the door and saw the village head's family sitting in the courtyard, sharing snacks. The village head's wife and daughter were sitting to the side making winter clothes. The atmosphere was warm and lively.

When the village head saw Tang Susu, he quickly stood up with a smile: "Susu, what brings you here? Come in and sit down, is something the matter?"

Tang Susu walked in with a smile, sat down, and got straight to the point: "Uncle Village Head, I've come today to discuss building a new house with you. Now that the harvest season is over, I plan to start construction as soon as possible. I've prepared nearly three thousand mud bricks, but I don't know if that will be enough."

As she spoke, she added, "I would like to ask Uncle Village Head for a favor. Once Yu'er has drawn up the simple blueprint of the house, I would like you to help me calculate how many bricks and how much timber we will need to build a decent brick house. This will allow us to prepare in advance and avoid delaying the start of construction."