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

Magistrate Song stared at Song Zhifeng, whose face was full of defiance, and said in a heavy and stern tone: "Do you know that agriculture is the foundation of the nation? Only when the people have enough to eat can the country be stable. That new-style stone roller may seem ordinary, but it can save the people half the effort of threshing grain, benefiting the entire village and the entire county. This is a truly great achievement!"

He pointed at Song Zhifeng, his words earnest: "Lu Hao is unruly, yet he managed to come up with a way to improve the stone roller, and Jin Huihuang made it himself; both of them have made contributions. But you, you only know how to bury yourself in your books, you don't understand the hardships of the people. Even if you win the top prize in the provincial examination, what use will it be?"

Song Zhifeng was rendered speechless by the reprimand. After a moment of silence, he finally relented: "I'll go, but I want to see for myself whether that unruly Lu Hao has really improved."

When Magistrate Song saw that he had agreed, his expression softened slightly: "Tomorrow I will send someone to take you to Yangqu Village. You should experience farm life properly and learn from Lu Hao and Tang Chengyu. Don't be arrogant and unrealistic again."

Meanwhile, Jin Huihuang rushed back to the Jin family home. As soon as he entered, he shouted to Old Master Jin, "Grandpa, great news! Great news! The new stone roller I made has been written into a memorial by Lord Lu and reported to the Prefect!"

Grandpa Jin was sitting in his armchair drinking tea. At first, he didn't think much of it, waving his hand and saying, "It's just a stone tool, is it worth making such a fuss about?"

"This isn't an ordinary tool, Grandpa!" Jin Huihuang exclaimed urgently. "It's a memorial personally submitted by Lord Lu, and it even mentions my contribution. This is a major event that can be recorded as part of his political achievements!"

Upon hearing this, Old Master Jin immediately sat up straight, his expression becoming serious: "Are you serious? Lord Lu really wrote you into the memorial?"

"Absolutely true!" Jin Huihuang nodded vigorously.

Old Master Jin immediately instructed: "Quickly, write down clearly the stonemason who made the stone roller, the time it took, the specific usage, and how much manpower it can save. Don't miss a single detail! This credit is earned by your skills, and it is rightfully yours. Our Jin family must keep it firmly in our hands and not let others take it away."

After a moment's thought, he added, "Go to Qintang again and find Magistrate Tan. Ask him to submit a memorial to report on the stone roller incident and mention your contribution. That way, even if Lord Lu makes a mistake, we can be sure that the credit will not be monopolized."

"Also, go to Yangqu Village immediately and carefully understand the usage and maintenance techniques of the stone roller, so that you can answer fluently if the prefect asks you any questions."

Jin Huihuang quickly replied, "Okay, Grandpa, I'll take care of it right away!"

In the evening, a rich aroma of braised meat wafted through Tang Susu's courtyard.

Ah Gui returned from Jiangtou Town carrying two large bags of pig offal. His face was full of fatigue, but he couldn't hide his smile: "Miss Tang, I've already made arrangements with the Zhuo family. They'll reserve the pig offal for us every day at ten copper coins a pound. We can pick it up first thing tomorrow morning."

Seeing his tired appearance, Tang Susu smiled and handed him a fried egg: "You've worked hard, Agui. Here, have this fried egg to help you recover."

Ah Gui quickly accepted it, flattered and overwhelmed: "Thank you, Miss Tang. It's no trouble at all. It's all what I should do."

Afterwards, Tang Susu and Miao Yulan cleaned more than 30 jin of pig offal, divided it into two pots, put in the braising spices, and started a fire to braise it.

Before long, the rich aroma of braised meat filled the entire courtyard, making people's mouths water.

Yang Xiaobao tiptoed, glancing frequently at the kitchen, and couldn't help but swallow hard. Yang Gousheng grabbed him, saying, "Don't move around. This braised meat is for business purposes. You can't just eat it. We'll buy you something delicious when we make some money."

Yang Xiaobao pursed his lips, but obediently looked away.

The two brothers huddled together and whispered to each other that once their braised meat business took off and they made money, they would go to town to buy fried dough twists, sugar cakes, and all sorts of delicious snacks.

Yang Xiaobao asked Lu Hao curiously, "Brother Hao, what do the snacks in the city taste like? Are they even tastier than fried dough twists?"

Lu Hao became very interested and excitedly told them about the snacks in the city and the warm and harmonious atmosphere in the courtyard.

At dinner, everyone sat together, eating a simple meal. Yang Gousheng hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but tentatively ask Tang Susu, "Mother, I heard that some people in the village asked you if you would ever remarry... Are you really planning to remain a widow for the rest of your life and never remarry?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Hao suddenly raised his head, his eyes fixed on Tang Susu, even stopping the chopsticks in his hand, his face full of tension and anticipation.

Tang Susu put down her chopsticks, nodded gently, and said in a calm but firm tone, "Yes, Mother doesn't plan to remarry. With you children here, Mother is content."

"No way!" Lu Hao immediately became agitated, standing up abruptly. His tone was filled with dissatisfaction and excitement. "Sister Su, you're only twenty-seven, in the prime of your life. How can you spend your whole life as a widow? Right now, the children are still young and need your care, but what will you do when they grow up, get married, and move out? You'll be so lonely!"

Seeing this, Tang Lifu quickly spoke up, his tone solemn: "Xiao Hao, don't get agitated. We siblings will never separate. Our eldest sister will always be our family. No matter what happens to us in the future, we will always be with her and never let her be lonely."

Tang Liqiang, Yang Gousheng, and Yang Xiaobao all nodded in agreement, saying in unison, "Yes! We won't separate; we'll always stay with Mother/Eldest Sister!"

Looking at everyone, Lu Hao felt anxious and angry, but he didn't know how to refute them. In the end, he could only put down his chopsticks in a huff and turn around to run out of the courtyard.

Seeing this, A-Gui quickly put down his chopsticks and followed after him, afraid that something might happen to Lu Hao.

The courtyard fell silent instantly. Tang Susu watched Lu Hao's retreating figure, then looked at the children in front of her with evasive expressions, and instantly realized that the children must be hiding something from her.

Her expression turned serious, and she asked softly, "Tell me honestly, why was Xiao Hao so agitated today? And before, he kept saying strange things. Is there something you're hiding from me?"

Yang Gousheng felt uncomfortable under Tang Susu's gaze. After hesitating for a long time, he finally couldn't hide it anymore. He lowered his head and confessed in a low voice, "Mother, it's...it's Lu Hao. He wants you to be his stepmother and wants you to marry Lord Lu."

Yang Xiaobao quickly added, his eyes red-rimmed: "Mother, I don't want you to marry Lord Lu. I'm afraid you'll be taken away and won't want us anymore."

Tang Lifu looked at Tang Susu and said sincerely, "Big sister, we all know you've had a tough time. Whatever decision you make, we respect it. We will never force you or hold you hostage. Just be happy."

Tang Susu felt a warmth in her heart as she listened, and her eyes welled up with tears.

She gently stroked the children's heads and soothed them tenderly, "Silly children, how could your mother abandon you? As I just said, I don't plan to remarry. In this life, my heart will be devoted to you, to watching you grow up, to seeing you establish your own families and careers. I will never leave you."

She paused, then solemnly reiterated, "I promise you, no matter what happens in the future, I will never remarry. Our family will always be together, and we will never separate."

Outside the courtyard gate, Lu Hao hid in the corner and heard Tang Susu's words clearly.

He was filled with resentment, and his nose felt sore, but he knew that Tang Susu's mind was made up, and there was no use in forcing her. He could only turn around silently, find a corner, and sit down.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Tang Susu's courtyard became lively.

All thirty workers arrived, each full of energy, carrying their tools, ready to start work.

Zheng Dahu and Zheng Tieqiang also arrived early, standing at the back of the crowd. They looked somewhat uneasy, their eyes filled with anticipation and a hint of anxiety—they were afraid that Tang Susu would not let them continue working if they hadn't done well yesterday.

Tang Susu walked up to the crowd, her gaze falling on the Zheng brothers, and said with a smile, "Zheng Dahu and Zheng Tieqiang, you worked very hard yesterday, were quick and efficient, and made a lot of good mud bricks. You deserve praise."

Upon hearing this, the two brothers' faces lit up with surprise, and they quickly lowered their heads, somewhat embarrassed.

Tang Susu continued, "Starting today, your daily wage will be increased to thirty-six coins. Work hard, and if you perform well in the future, you can get a raise."

"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, never slack off, and will certainly not let Miss Tang down!"

After saying that, the two immediately picked up their tools and got to work, working even harder and more diligently than yesterday, afraid of disappointing Tang Susu's approval.

Seeing this, the other workers also became more energetic, and the yard was filled with busy sounds again as the construction project proceeded in full swing.