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

Lord Lu lifted the carriage curtain, his gaze fixed on the familiar figure in the field—it was Lu Hao.

He gestured for everyone to be quiet, then quietly opened the car door, walked slowly and quietly, wanting to see what his son was like in the village on a daily basis.

Lu Hao had been listening to lectures at the ancestral hall for half a day and couldn't sit still any longer, so he slipped away to the fields to relax. He squatted on the edge of the field with a blade of grass in his mouth, looking around listlessly.

Not far away, two little girls with pigtails were squatting by the rice stubble, talking softly, their voices full of confusion: "My mother said that after my mother passed away, she became a star in the sky and watches over me every night."

Upon hearing this, Lu Hao froze, and the grass root in his mouth lost its flavor.

He lost his mother at a young age. After she passed away, the servants tricked him by saying that she would "turn into a star." He believed it for a long time and often stared at the starry sky at night, hoping to see his mother's figure. But in the end, he only got nothing.

A surge of bitterness welled up inside him, and he couldn't help but speak, his tone stiff and blunt: "Don't be silly. When people die, they're buried in the ground and slowly turn into dust. They don't turn into stars. It's all a lie."

These words were like a needle, piercing the little girl's only remaining hope.

The little girl, whose mother was ill, instantly had tears in her eyes, her lips trembled, and she couldn't help but burst into tears, crying and shouting, "You're lying! My mother will turn into a star! You're a bad person!"

Lord Lu stood not far away, seeing and hearing the whole scene clearly.

He assumed that Lu Hao was taking advantage of his status as the son of a county magistrate to deliberately bully the two young girls, to shatter their illusions, to show off his power, and to bully the weak while fearing the strong. His pent-up anger was instantly ignited, and he flew into a rage.

"Lu Hao! How dare you!" Lord Lu shouted angrily, rushing over. "As the son of the county magistrate, it's one thing to be ignorant and incompetent, but how dare you bully two defenseless little girls! Do you even know your mistake?"

Lu Hao was startled and stood up abruptly. When he saw his angry father, the casualness on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a hint of panic. However, he still tried to remain calm: "I didn't bully them. I was just telling the truth."

"The truth?" Lord Lu trembled with rage, raising his hand to slap Lu Hao across the face. "You unruly brat, how dare you argue! Bullying a child and showing no remorse, today I will teach you a lesson on behalf of your mother!"

"Lord Lu, please have mercy!" Seeing this, the village head rushed forward, grabbing Lord Lu's hand tightly, his voice urgent, "Lord Lu, you've misunderstood! Young Master Hao'er didn't do it on purpose! Please let me explain!"

"A misunderstanding?" Lord Lu glared at the village head, his tone icy. "I saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears. What misunderstanding could there be? Today, I must teach him a lesson and show him what propriety, righteousness, and a sense of shame truly mean!"

He shoved the village head aside and ordered, "Lu Hao, kneel down! Recite the Lu family precepts one hundred times. You are not allowed to get up until you have finished!"

Looking at his father's furious expression and then at the villagers who had gathered around after hearing the news, Lu Hao felt a burning sensation on his face, his heart filled with grievance and resentment.

He didn't mean to bully the little girl; he was just telling the truth he had kept hidden in his heart for many years. But his father not only refused to listen to his explanation, but also made him kneel down and recite the family precepts in public, humiliating him.

"I won't kneel!" Lu Hao retorted, his eyes red, his tone stubborn and resentful. "I did nothing wrong, why should I kneel? You never listen to my explanations, you never believe me, you only know how to scold me and punish me!"

After saying that, he could no longer hold back and turned to run towards the small hill outside the village. His steps were hurried, and his back was full of grievance and loneliness.

Lord Lu watched his son's retreating figure, his anger intensifying, his chest heaving violently, yet also revealing a sense of powerlessness.

He stood there, gazing into the distance, lost in self-doubt: as the county magistrate, he had worked diligently, managing grain affairs and comforting displaced people, achieving respectable results. Yet, in the end, he couldn't even raise his own son properly—unruly, bullying the weak and fearing the strong. What kind of success was that? He was nothing more than a failed father.

Yang Gousheng, who was standing to the side, saw all of this and knew that things had gotten out of hand. If he didn't find someone to help him out quickly, Young Master Lu would suffer even more injustice, and Lord Lu would remain angry.

He didn't dare to delay, and quickly said to the village head, "I'll go call Sister Su Su," then turned around and ran quickly toward Tang Su Su's house.

At this moment, Tang Susu was supervising the work in the yard, checking the progress of everyone making mud bricks, and occasionally giving a few words of advice to ensure the quality of the mud bricks.

After finishing my work, I went to the backyard to clean the poultry shed, intending to tidy up the backyard in preparation for raising poultry in the future.

"Sister Su! Sister Su! Something terrible has happened!" Yang Gousheng rushed in, panting, his voice urgent. "Lord Lu is here! He's arguing with Young Master Lu in the fields. Lord Lu is going to hit Young Master Lu, and Young Master Lu, feeling wronged, ran away. You'd better go and see!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Susu's heart tightened. She quickly put down her tools, wiped the dirt off her hands, and hurriedly asked, "What happened? Why are you arguing?"

While panting, Yang Gousheng quickly recounted the events in general terms.

After listening, Tang Susu frowned and immediately made a judgment in her mind—although Lu Hao was unruly and straightforward, he had stayed in the village for more than ten days and had never bullied anyone, let alone deliberately bullied young children. There must be a misunderstanding in this matter.

"Come on, take me to see this." Tang Susu didn't delay any longer and quickly followed Yang Gousheng towards the fields.

When they arrived at the fields, Lord Lu was still ashen-faced. The village head, Master Liang, and Chief Clerk Yan were standing by, trying to persuade him carefully, but they couldn't convince him at all.

Tang Susu took a deep breath, disregarding the difference in status between herself and Lord Lu, and quickly stepped forward, speaking directly to interrupt Lord Lu's anger: "Lord Lu, please calm down. You have misunderstood Young Master Lu."

Upon hearing this, Lord Lu turned to look at Tang Susu, his eyes icy and his tone impatient: "What does it have to do with you, a peasant woman, that I'm disciplining my own son? Step aside!"

"Lord Lu, this matter concerns Young Master Lu's reputation and your opinion of him. I cannot back down." Tang Susu said firmly, neither humble nor arrogant. "I dare to swear on my life that Young Master Lu has been in Yangqu Village for more than ten days and has never abused his power to bully anyone, much less deliberately bully two young girls. His words today are by no means malicious."

Before Lord Lu could refute, Tang Susu slowly began to recount Lu Hao's transformation over the past few days, her tone sincere: "When Young Master Lu first came to the village, he was indeed spoiled and couldn't stand hardship. He even secretly ran away, only to fall off a cliff and get injured all over. But when he came back, he didn't complain at all. Instead, he took the initiative to help the villagers with their work, cutting rice, threshing grain, leading cattle—he did everything. Even when he was covered in sweat, he never slacked off."

"Not only that, he also led the students of Chongwentang to come to the village to help with the labor. He was also smart and capable, and improved the stone roller threshing tool, making it faster and easier for the villagers to thresh grains, saving them a lot of effort."

Tang Susu paused, looked solemnly at Lord Lu, and said the most crucial point: "A few days ago, when we were harvesting the grain, Young Master Lu volunteered to help, and I rewarded him with a boiled egg. He couldn't bear to eat it and kept it hidden in his bosom, protecting it carefully. I asked him why, and he said that this was the first reward he had earned through his own efforts, it was an honor, and he wanted to hide it, take it home, and give it to you—his most beloved father."

Upon hearing this, Lord Lu was startled. The anger on his face instantly froze, replaced by shock and disbelief. He stared blankly at Tang Susu, his lips moving, but he couldn't utter a single word.

He always thought that his son, who had been pampered since childhood, was picky about food and wasteful, and never cherished anything. He assumed that his son would not care about that egg, either throwing it away or giving it to a servant. He never imagined that his son would treasure an ordinary boiled egg, keeping it hidden away and unwilling to eat it, just to give it to him.

Seeing his shocked expression, Tang Susu added softly, "Lord Lu, you've always thought Young Master Lu was unruly and immature, but you've never truly understood him. He's stubborn and not good at expressing himself, but deep down, he's filial and longs for your approval and care. That egg may be insignificant to you, but to Young Master Lu, it's an honor he earned through hard work, and it's his most sincere expression of filial piety towards you."

Lord Lu stood there, speechless for a long time. Tang Susu's words echoed in his mind, along with his own furious appearance, Lu Hao's aggrieved red eyes, and his lonely figure as he ran away. His heart felt as if something had clenched it tightly, a bitter and astringent feeling welling up inside him.

He suddenly realized that he had always been prejudiced against his son, only seeing his naughty and mischievous side, but never truly getting into his heart, never listening to his inner voice, and never understanding his stubbornness and filial piety.

As a father, he not only failed to give his son enough care and recognition, but also repeatedly misunderstood, scolded, and humiliated him. What a failure he was.