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

Under the arrangement of the village head, the patrol team set up a simple roadblock at the entrance of the village and set clear rules for passage: villagers could enter and leave without being stopped, but if people from other villages came to Yangqu Village, they had to answer the team members' questions one by one, explain their purpose, and be allowed to pass only after it was confirmed that there were no problems.

With this rule in place, the village felt even safer.

As soon as Tang Susu reached the banyan tree, she was surrounded by several villagers, all praising her with gratitude: "Aunt Yang, your idea of ​​forming a village patrol team is brilliant!"

One of the middle-aged men shared with a smile, "Last night, my son was on duty when he ran into people from Ma'an Village who came to steal grain. Ten team members roared and pounced on them, capturing seven on the spot!"

The villagers immediately started talking amongst themselves, and some couldn't help but laugh: "Just seven people from another village, daring to come to our Yangqu Village to steal grain, they've really got some nerve!"

Some people also asked, "What happened to the seven people who were captured?"

The man shook his head and said, "What else can we do? They didn't steal anything, so it doesn't count as a crime. We can only let them go."

Someone immediately suggested, "Next time we encounter this, let's not make a fuss. Let's catch them after they've stolen the grain, then hand them over to the authorities and make them regret it!"

Another villager added, "I heard that after those people were released, the head of Ma'an Village held a village-wide meeting, warning the villagers not to go to Yangqu Village to steal grain again, and saying that going again would be a disgrace to the whole village!"

Tang Susu smiled and waved her hand modestly, saying, "I just made a simple suggestion. The key is for everyone to unite as one to protect our food supply."

When she smiled, a soft light seemed to flash in her eyes, and the villagers who looked at her were all stunned.

Aunt Yang is completely different now than before.

Not only is her skin much fairer than before, but her temperament has also become gentler. All the shrewishness and arguing she used to have is gone. Instead, she is like a spring breeze, gentle and with a new charm that is hard to fathom.

Feeling uncomfortable under everyone's gaze, Tang Susu shivered and quickly made an excuse: "I'm going to check on Old Yang's house. I'll be leaving now."

After saying that, he quickly left the banyan tree.

After she left, a group of village women gathered together and started chattering.

Some people said, "She had such a fierce fight with the old woman about separating the family property before, and she hasn't come to Old Yang's house much since then. Why did she suddenly go there today?"

Others countered, "No matter what, we're all family. How can blood ties really be severed? Even if the lotus root is severed, there are still threads connecting us."

Tang Susu walked to the gate of Old Yang's house and gently called out, "Mom, are you home?"

Hearing her voice, Old Lady Yang quickly stepped out of the courtyard gate, her face full of astonishment—after the family division, this third daughter-in-law rarely set foot in the old house, and her sudden visit today made her feel inexplicably uneasy.

She wondered to herself: Could it be that she wanted to move back to the old house after sending some good food these past few days? She immediately told herself that no matter what Tang Susu said or how much she made a fuss, she had to stand firm and never give in.

Madam Shen also came out of the house, her face plastered with feigned enthusiasm, and greeted, "Gou Sheng's mother is here? Come in and sit down."

Tang Susu walked into the main room and sat down on the stool opposite Granny Yang and Madam Shen. She got straight to the point and said, "Mother, Second Sister-in-law, I've come today to ask you about someone."

Old Mrs. Yang composed herself and asked, "Whom are you asking about?"

"Shen Cuihe," Tang Susu replied, then added, "This girl seems to be from Ma'an Village, do you know her?"

Old Mrs. Yang rarely went out and only stayed in Yangqu Village, so she naturally didn't recognize him and shook her head.

Madam Shen immediately replied, "Of course I know her! Shen Cuihe's father is my cousin. When I married into Yangqu Village, she was less than a year old. I never imagined that more than ten years would pass and she would grow into such a beautiful young lady."

As she spoke, she countered Tang Susu's question, "Why are you asking about her?"

Tang Susu smiled and said frankly, "I want to find a match for Gousheng. This girl seems to get along quite well with Gousheng, so I want to find out about her character and family background. If it's a good match, I'll arrange an engagement for the two children."

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Yang's vigilance vanished instantly, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Yang Gousheng is almost fifteen years old. In Yangqu Village, boys can get married when they turn fifteen. She has been thinking about her grandson's marriage these days, but she didn't expect Tang Susu to take the initiative to care.

She was still holding firm to her position of not letting the third branch of the family move back to the old house, but now she couldn't help but imagine: as long as Tang Susu could arrange Gousheng's marriage, it might not be impossible for the third branch of the family to move back to the old house and live together.

As Shen listened from the side, a barely perceptible hint of disdain curled at the corner of her lips.

She knew in her heart that Shen Cuihe's father was an idle, debauched man who spent all his time in gambling dens and never came home at night, which angered Shen Cuihe's mother to the point of vomiting blood and dying young.

Shen Cuihe single-handedly managed everything in the household.

She secretly gloated: If Tang Susu really married Shen Cuihe, she would have to get involved with that gambling-addicted in-law, and trouble would definitely keep coming.

But outwardly, Madam Shen kept praising her: "That girl is wonderful! She's pretty, hardworking, and can do all the housework. If Gousheng marries her, he'll definitely be blessed!"

Tang Susu saw Shen's expression and instantly understood—Shen wasn't telling the truth, and the Shen family's situation was definitely not simple.

She didn't press further, got up to take her leave, and said, "I'll go back and think about when would be a good time to propose. I won't bother you any longer, I'm leaving now."

Old Mrs. Yang was taken aback for a moment, then quickly urged her to stay, "Won't you stay a little longer? Have a cup of tea before you go."

She thought to herself: Why did they leave before we even got to the point? Do they expect me, their mother-in-law, to be the one to ask them to move back to their old house?

Tang Susu shook her head and said with a smile, "No, Mother, I have some things to take care of when I get back."

After saying that, he quickly left Old Yang's house.

She pondered in her heart that she couldn't completely trust what Shen said, nor could she rely on her own intuition. The safest way was to go to Ma'an Village herself to find out Shen Cuihe's background.

However, we can put that aside for now. The most important thing right now is to find a water source to alleviate the drought in the village.

After lunch, Tang Susu carried the mugwort she had cut earlier on her back and led her four boys back into the mountains.

With patrol teams on duty in the mountains, the people of Ma'an Village dared not approach easily anymore. There was not a single person in sight in the mountains, and even the once bustling lotus pond was deserted, which made it convenient for her to carry out her plans.

The soil in the lotus pond, after being turned over and exposed to the scorching sun, became extremely dry and hard, making it painful to step on.

Tang Susu led the four boys straight to the slightly damp patch of land they had discovered earlier, and had them take out the mugwort and light it.

"Mom, why are you burning mugwort?" Yang Gousheng asked curiously.

"Just follow the smoke," Tang Susu explained simply. "Burning mugwort produces a lot of smoke, which drifts in the direction of moisture. If there is water underground, the moisture evaporates, and the smoke gathers and rises. The place where the smoke is thickest and rises the highest is the exact location of the water source."

The four boys listened intently, their eyes shining as they stared intently at the burning mugwort.

There was a sufficient amount of mugwort, and the thick smoke produced after burning did not drift everywhere, but instead slowly floated down into the valley below.

"Follow them!" Tang Susu called out, leading the four boys and following the smoke forward.

After walking for about half an hour, they came to the side of a valley with broad-leaved forest. This place was right between two mountains, and the surrounding vegetation was much denser than in other places. There were also a lot of mosquitoes, buzzing around people.

The thick smoke, upon reaching this point, suddenly rose straight up, coalesced into a ball, and lingered for a long time.

"Big sister, look! There's water here!" Tang Liqiang, with his sharp eyes, pointed to a rock wall and shouted. He then took two steps to the side and jumped up excitedly, "There's a crack in the rock over here! Big sister, water is flowing out!"

In a year of severe drought, a spring was found hidden deep in the mountains!

Tang Lifu strode forward, reached out and collected a handful of the seeping spring water. After tasting it, he excitedly shouted, "It's sweet! It's spring water! It really is mountain spring water!"

Tang Susu smiled—the method she learned from the ancient book really worked; she had indeed found the water source!

Looking at the spring water slowly seeping from the cracks in the rocks, she concluded that the underground water resources must be very abundant. With this spring water, the drought crisis in Yangqu Village could be alleviated by at least 50%.

Spring water seeps out from the stone wall, drips onto the ground, and then slowly seeps into the soil.

The four boys stood around, staring wide-eyed, their eyes filled with astonishment and excitement.

"Mom, you're amazing! You actually managed to find water using mugwort!" Yang Gousheng asked with admiration, "How did you know this method?"

Tang Susu didn't tell the truth and made up an excuse: "When I was about Xiaobao's age, I went to play at my neighbor's fourth grandmother's house and happened to see a doctor using mugwort to fumigate her legs. The doctor said that mugwort can remove dampness, and dampness only exists where there is water. I connected these two things together and brought you here today to try it out. I didn't expect to actually find water."

"Mommy is so smart!" Yang Xiaobao's eyes sparkled, his face full of pride.

Tang Lifu was also very excited: "With this spring water, we no longer have to worry about the village wells running out of water! This spring water tastes so sweet, even better than well water."

Tang Liqiang patted his chest and volunteered, "Big sister, from now on, let me do the water-carrying work! I can carry four loads a day!"

Tang Susu glared at him irritably: "It takes an incense stick's time to go up the mountain, and two incense sticks' time for a round trip. Running four times a day is just asking for trouble."

She changed the subject and looked at the four boys, "Finding a water source isn't impressive. The real skill is getting that water into the village's fields and reviving the crops."