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

The morning sun shone through the thin mist, casting a warm glow on the fields and roadsides of Yangqu Village.

Tang Susu stood at the gate of the courtyard and looked up at her own rice field. She saw that the field was full of rainwater and shimmering with light. Several ducks were leisurely paddling in the water, occasionally dipping their heads to peck at water plants and insect eggs.

The six white geese, with their upright posture and promising growth, have long since become the leaders of the duck flock. They strut along the edge of the rice paddy with their heads held high, vigilantly guarding the paddy and not allowing other poultry to approach.

A noise came from the kitchen. Miao Yulan, who was pregnant, was sitting by the stove tending the fire, while Tang Lifu was washing the pots and pans and preparing breakfast. The two worked together seamlessly and methodically.

With nothing to do, Tang Susu walked into the field to check on the condition of the harvested rice stubble.

Now, ten days after the rice harvest, the once withered rice stalks have quietly turned green again. On each stalk, tiny axillary buds have sprouted. Looking down along the stalks, you can see new green stems branching out, densely packed, exuding vitality.

Tang Susu squatted down and gently touched the tender axillary buds, a relieved smile on her face—it seemed that a second crop of rice was entirely feasible. As long as she applied fertilizer immediately and preserved these axillary buds and green stems, the rice would surely produce ears and grains in the future, yielding an extra harvest.

As she was observing, she heard footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw the village headman, who was holding a small notebook. He walked up to her with a smile and said, "Susu, I was just looking for you. I have something to tell you. I made a call in the village yesterday, and nearly twenty people have signed up to help you make mud bricks. They are all the most capable men in the village."

"That's great, thank you so much, Uncle Village Head." Tang Susu stood up with a smile, reached out and grabbed the village head's hand, "Uncle Village Head, don't rush to talk about building houses, I'll show you something good, I guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised."

As she spoke, she pulled the village head to the rice stubble, pointed to the greening axillary buds and stems, and said solemnly, "Look, these rice stubble, after being harvested, not only did they not wither, but they also sprouted axillary buds and are dividing. In a while, they will be able to produce ears and grains, and we can harvest another season of rice!"

The village head squatted down, leaned closer to examine it carefully, and the smile on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by shock and disbelief.

He had lived most of his life farming, and he always turned the rice stubble into the mud to fertilize the fields after harvesting a season of rice. He had never seen rice stubble grow back and produce more grains after the harvest.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" The village head shook his head repeatedly, his tone resolute. "Susu, you child, don't joke around. Once the rice is harvested, it's harvested. How can it grow grains again? This is simply absurd. I've lived for over sixty years and have never heard of such a thing!"

Seeing his excited expression, Tang Susu did not refute him, but said sincerely, "Uncle Village Head, I'm not joking. I guarantee with my integrity that these rice stubble can really produce more grain. I originally left the rice stubble in the field to suppress insect eggs in the soil and kill pests. I didn't expect it to sprout axillary buds. It's a pleasant surprise."

She paused, then advised, "Now is the perfect time for topdressing. You should quickly organize the villagers to topdress their rice stubble to preserve these axillary buds, so that they can harvest an extra crop of grain and store more food to cope with future difficulties."

The village head fell silent. He still harbored some resentment when he recalled how Tang Susu had "tricked" the Yang family into dividing their property.

During this time, everything Tang Susu did genuinely helped the village: selling cold noodles, teaching children to read, and now building a new house. She was reliable in every way.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, Su Su, I'll trust you one more time! I'll go to town right now and report this to Magistrate Lu, so he can be happy too. I'll also ask him to send someone to take a look. If it really works, then all the villagers in the county can follow suit!"

As the two were talking, the sound of ox hooves came from not far away. They saw Yang Defu leading an old ox, carrying a plow, and walking towards his own rice field, muttering, "After harvesting the rice, turn the rice stubble into the mud, so the field will be more fertile next year, and the crops will grow better."

Upon seeing this, the village head's expression changed drastically, and he shouted sternly, "Defu, stop! You can't plow the fields!"

Yang Defu was startled and stopped in his tracks, looking at the village head with a puzzled expression: "Village head, what's wrong? Isn't it normal to plow the fields after harvesting the rice?"

"Normalism my foot!" The village head strode forward, pointing to the rice stubble that had turned green again. "Look, these rice stubble have all turned green and sprouted axillary buds. Su Su said they can produce another harvest. If you turn over the rice stubble, you'll ruin this season's harvest! Quickly lead the ox away. You absolutely cannot touch these rice stubble; they're our treasures!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Defu hurriedly went to check the rice stubble. Seeing the tender shoots, he was speechless with surprise. He quickly led the ox away sheepishly, saying, "Okay, okay, I won't plow, I won't plow, I'll take the ox back right now!"

The village head watched him walk away, still anxious, fearing that villagers from other villages had already turned over the rice stubble, delaying the important matter. He hurriedly said to Tang Susu, "Susu, this matter is too urgent. I won't say any more to you. I'll walk to the town and report to Magistrate Lu as soon as possible!"

As he spoke, he strode quickly toward the edge of the village, his steps hurried, not daring to delay for even a moment.

Tang Susu watched his retreating figure, smiled helplessly, and turned to go home.

By this time, breakfast was ready, and the family sat around in the yard, enjoying the hot meal.

After the meal, Tang Susu stood up and began assigning tasks for the day, her tone methodical:

"Gousheng, go to the street today to try selling braised dishes. Remember to imitate the method of making jelly noodles: taste them first before selling, and see how well they sell. Agui, go to Jiangtou Town and find the Zhuo family to finalize the supply of pig offal. As Young Master Lu said, it's ten coins per catty. Buy all their pig offal every day, and don't let anything go wrong. Yu'er and Young Master Lu, go to the ancestral hall. Yu'er will give a lesson, and Young Master Lu can also listen in and learn more. Lifu, you are in charge of today's work arrangements. Count the number of people and arrange the work. Xiaobao, you are in charge of registering the workers who come to work, the tools they bring, and the work period. Don't make any mistakes. Liqiang, go to the back mountain to dig soil and prepare the materials for making mud bricks."

Everyone responded and packed their things, ready to set off.

Just then, footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate. Yang Feicheng led eighteen laborers, carrying hoes, carrying poles and other tools, into the courtyard. Most of these men were village patrol team members, quick and efficient, and hardworking.

"Susu, we're here. Just tell us what to do, we'll do whatever you say!" Yang Feicheng said with a smile.

Tang Susu nodded and gestured for Yang Xiaobao to step forward and register: "Thank you all for your hard work. After you've registered, we'll divide the work. Some of you will carry soil, some will make bricks, and the rest will be responsible for drying the bricks. We must hurry and ensure the quality."

After everyone registered, they immediately took charge of their respective tasks, and the courtyard instantly became lively. Some carried soil, some mixed mud, some made bricks, and some dried bricks. Everyone worked with great enthusiasm and in an orderly manner.

Tang Susu observed for a moment and felt that there were still some manpower shortages, so she said to Tang Lifu, "Lifu, go and find about twenty more people in the village, the more the better. We plan to make the bricks in ten days, build the house in ten days, and try to move into the new house in about twenty days."

"Okay, big sister, I'll go right away." Tang Lifu replied and immediately turned around to find someone.

Not long after, two more figures appeared outside the courtyard gate; they were Zheng Dahu and his younger brother Zheng Tieqiang.

Zheng Dahu is Zheng Popi's eldest son and also a village patrol member. He used to follow his father and always caused trouble. Tang Susu had always disliked the father and son.

The two brothers approached Tang Susu, bowed slightly, and looked somewhat reserved. Zheng Dahu spoke first, his tone sincere: "Miss Tang, we two brothers want to work for you, to help you make mud bricks. We don't want thirty coins a day, twenty coins each is fine, we just ask that you give us a chance."

Tang Susu looked at them and saw that the two brothers were wearing faded old clothes, their eyes full of sincerity and expectation, unlike their usual mischievousness.

She paused for a moment, recalling that Zheng Dahu had been quite responsible during his village patrols recently, and nodded: "Okay, I agree. But let me make this clear: I'll only give you a one-day trial period. If you work diligently and efficiently, and do a good job, your pay will increase to thirty coins a day tomorrow. If you slack off or do a perfunctory job, I'll fire you immediately without paying you a single penny."

"Thank you, Miss Tang! Thank you, Miss Tang!" The two brothers were overjoyed and quickly bowed to express their gratitude. "We will definitely work hard and never slack off!"

After saying that, the two immediately picked up their tools and joined the team making mud bricks.

Unexpectedly, the two brothers, who seemed rough, were actually very quick and efficient. They did every step of the process, from mixing mud and shaping bricks to drying them, with great skill.

Zheng Tieqiang was even more diligent. When he saw a pile of rice straw on the side, he took the initiative to help chop the rice straw to mix with mud and make the mud bricks stronger. He did a very good job.

Tang Susu saw this and nodded secretly, feeling that she hadn't misjudged him.

A day passed in the blink of an eye. A small pile of mud bricks had already been stacked up in the yard. Everyone was sweating profusely, but they all had smiles on their faces, looking forward to the early completion of the new house.

As evening approached, the sound of a carriage came from the direction of Yangqu Village. It was Lord Lu, Master Liang, Registrar Yan, and the village head who had come with them. They rode in the carriage, and after a bumpy ride, they finally arrived at Yangqu Village.

During the journey, the carriage also gave a ride to Yang Gousheng, who was returning home. Today, Yang Gousheng went to Jiangtou Town and delivered two catties of braised food to Zuiyuefang and Linjia Restaurant for trial sales.

After tasting the food, the shopkeepers were very satisfied and agreed to supply it to them in the future. He successfully completed his mission and was on his way to the village when he happened to meet Lord Lu and his party.

Yang Gousheng sat by the carriage, wiping his sweat as he told Lord Lu about the trial sale of braised food.

County Magistrate Lu has been busy dealing with the county's grain affairs and the affairs of displaced people recently. He has been overworked and has lost a lot of weight, but his official demeanor remains undiminished.

He leaned against the carriage, closed his eyes to rest, and occasionally opened them to look out at the fields, carefully examining the condition of the rice paddies.

Suddenly, his gaze faltered as he seemed to spot a familiar figure in the field. His expression changed slightly, and he immediately shouted sharply, "Stop the car! Stop the car now!"

Upon hearing this, the coachman quickly pulled on the reins, and the carriage slowly came to a stop. Everyone looked at Lord Lu with confusion, wondering why he had suddenly asked the carriage to stop.