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

During a break while the mud bricks were drying, Tang Susu watched the Zheng brothers working diligently and walked over to them, asking gently, "Dahu, Tieqiang, you two brothers are quite young, why did you decide to come and work for me?"

Zheng Dahu paused, wiped the sweat from his face, and said somewhat awkwardly in a low voice, "Miss Tang, my birth mother died early, and after my stepmother came into the family, she always favored her own children and refused to pay for my education. After my father finished harvesting the grain, he said his back hurt and stayed at home all day without doing any work, so we can't count on him at all. I want to earn some tuition fees myself so that I can go to school and learn to read when Uncle Tang Lifu's school opens."

Upon hearing this, Tang Susu felt a pang of sadness, thinking of her own children. She gently comforted them, "It's kind of you to have this thought in your heart. Don't worry, I'll arrange for you to enroll after the school exams. Don't worry too much about tuition; just work hard and earn it slowly."

Upon hearing this, the Zheng brothers' eyes lit up, and they quickly bowed and thanked her, saying, "Thank you, Miss Tang! We will definitely work hard and will not let you down!"

No sooner had those words been spoken than the construction work in the courtyard continued in full swing.

Thirty workers were working diligently, each fulfilling their duties. The edge of the wasteland was neatly covered with dried mud bricks, and eight or nine strong men were digging the foundation in sync, shovel by shovel, their movements swift and efficient, making progress much faster than expected.

Tang Susu was also busy. Every day, in addition to supervising the work, she also had to go to the backyard to clean and disinfect the poultry sheds to prevent the poultry from getting sick.

The collected manure was transported to the fields by Tang Lifu in a cart to be used as fertilizer for the rice stubble, which was both efficient and beneficial to the soil.

After days of hard work, Tang Susu was so tired that her back ached and her whole body ached. Lying in bed at night, she secretly made up her mind that once the new house was completed, she would hire someone to help with the work so that she wouldn't have to do everything herself and could finally get some rest.

In the afternoon, the sound of hurried hooves approached, and two constables rode into Yangqu Village, shouting, "Where is the village head? Lord Lu has issued an order!"

The village head was squatting in the field, carefully checking the growth of the axillary buds, when he heard the shout. He quickly got up and went to greet him: "Sir, I'm here!"

The official dismounted, handed over a decree, and said solemnly, "Lord Lu has decreed that all fields in Wunan County with eight-inch rice stubble must not be plowed. The fields must be kept irrigated, fertilized in a timely manner, and properly managed. Violators will be severely punished! If the rice stubble has not yet sprouted ears after twenty days, the fields may be plowed."

The village headman received the decree with both hands, read it carefully, and a look of joy appeared on his face. He immediately gathered the villagers working nearby and announced loudly, "Fellow villagers, good news! Lord Lu has issued a decree that the rice stubble we left behind can really produce another harvest! This method was discovered by our village girl, Tang Susu. Thanks to her, we are able to harvest an extra crop!"

The villagers were initially somewhat skeptical, but now that the government had officially issued the decree, they were completely convinced and began to discuss it with great joy on their faces.

"It was Miss Su Su who discovered it! Thank you so much!"

"Let's hurry and apply more fertilizer; we can't let this season's harvest be delayed!"

"When the harvest is good, we must send some grain to repay Miss Susu!"

Everyone chimed in, expressing their opinions one after another, and immediately went home to prepare for fertilization, afraid of missing the best opportunity.

But not long after, Tang Susu was troubled – the village's farmyard manure was limited, and every household had to apply fertilizer to their own rice stubble, so it was simply not enough.

After much deliberation, she quietly took out the trading platform, bought some fertilizer, and secretly applied it to her six acres of rice paddies under the cover of night.

She dared not risk using hybrid rice, since the yield per acre of hybrid rice was too high. If it were grown, it would surely overturn everyone's understanding and bring unnecessary trouble. She could only take good care of this second crop of rice for the time being.

After finishing the topdressing, Tang Susu remembered Lu Hao, who was still sulking. So she followed the direction and came to the field. Sure enough, she saw Lu Hao sitting alone on the ridge, head down, looking sullen.

She walked over gently and sat down beside him, her tone tender and sincere: "Xiao Hao, I know you're feeling uncomfortable, and I understand your feelings. I'm very happy to be recognized by you."

Lu Hao raised his head, his eyes red, and said softly, "Sister Su, I just feel that you shouldn't be a widow for the rest of your life. You deserve better."

"I know," Tang Susu nodded gently, her tone firm, "but in my heart, I've always held your brother-in-law Susu in my heart. He passed away early, and I promised him that I would take good care of the children and would not remarry. Moreover, I don't want to be your stepmother. I will always love and take care of you as I love Xiaobao and the others."

She paused, then added, "Besides, your grandmother has always wanted to find your father a wife of equal social standing. I'm just an ordinary peasant woman. If I marry into the Lu family, she'll only look down on me. I don't want to suffer that kind of grievance, and I don't want you to be caught in the middle."

As Lu Hao listened, he was still disappointed, but he gradually came to understand Tang Susu's difficulties.

He was silent for a moment, then nodded and said softly, "I understand, Sister Su, I won't force you anymore. From now on, I'll call you Auntie, and I won't talk nonsense anymore."

Looking at his sensible appearance, Tang Susu smiled and patted his head: "That's right, we'll still be family from now on."

Just as the two were having their heart-to-heart talk, a commotion came from the village entrance.

First, a carriage arrived, and Song Zhifeng, dressed in a respectable long robe, alighted from it, followed by an attendant carrying a money bag. He walked to the gate of Tang Susu's courtyard, his expression respectful, and bowed to Tang Susu who came to greet him: "Junior Song Zhifeng, on the orders of my father, has come to Yangqu Village to study and train under Mr. Tang Chengyu and Young Master Lu Hao. This ten taels of silver is my room and lodging expenses; please accept it, Miss Tang."

Just as Tang Susu was about to speak, another figure rushed in – it was Jin Huihuang. The moment he entered, he saw Lu Hao and immediately exploded. He strode over, pointed at Lu Hao, and angrily shouted, "Lu Hao! You despicable man! That new stone roller was meticulously crafted by the stonemason I commissioned. Why should the credit be given to you? Are you trying to claim all the credit for yourself?"

Lu Hao also got angry, stood up, and retorted, "It was clearly me who came up with the idea to improve the stone roller; you just did the work. Why should you claim the credit?"

The two argued heatedly, their faces flushed, and it looked like they were about to come to blows when Tang Susu quickly stepped forward, pulled Lu Hao away, and said in a serious tone, "Stop arguing! Talk it out, arguing won't solve anything."

Jin Huihuang, panting, looked at Tang Susu, his voice still agitated: "Miss Tang, you be the judge! That stone roller, from finding a stonemason and selecting the stone to its final form, was all handled by me. Lu Hao only suggested an idea, and now he's about to claim all the credit! I've already had my grandfather submit a memorial to the county government, reporting my contribution. I must get this credit!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Susu nodded and reassured him, "Young Master Jin, please don't get agitated. The credit for Shi Gun belongs to both you and Young Master Lu; no one can take it away from you. Lord Lu also mentioned your contributions in his memorial, so he won't let you work in vain."

Song Zhifeng stood quietly to the side, not saying a word, but simply observing everything in front of him.

After hearing Tang Susu's words, Jin Huihuang's anger subsided slightly. Confirming that the credit would not be monopolized, he stopped arguing, but still glared at Lu Hao with a face full of resentment.

Seeing this, Tang Susu quickly smoothed things over, saying to the two, "Since you've both come to Yangqu Village, why don't you stay here for now? We can discuss things slowly."

Song Zhifeng bowed again and said respectfully, "I will follow Miss Tang's arrangements." Jin Huihuang also snorted coldly, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Tang Susu arranged for two vacant rooms to be cleaned up for Song Zhifeng and Jin Huihuang to live in.

The villagers working in the courtyard, seeing the arrival of two young men of extraordinary status and the commotion they had caused, dared not approach and silently lowered their heads to continue their work. The courtyard returned to its busy state, but with a subtle tranquility.