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

After Tang Susu said, "The real skill is to bring water to the fields," the four boys immediately stopped in their tracks, frowning as they seriously considered how to bring water.

After thinking for a long time, they couldn't think of any other long-distance water diversion solution besides carrying the water to the village on their shoulders.

"I can't figure it out..." Yang Xiaobao scratched his head, his head aching from thinking. He couldn't help but look around, and suddenly exclaimed, "Mom! Look over there! That person looks like Sister Cuihe!"

Tang Susu looked in the direction he pointed and, sure enough, it was Shen Cuihe.

She wondered to herself: She had just borrowed ten catties of lotus roots from her own home that morning, and should have gone back to Ma'an Village by now, so why was she still in the mountains?

She squinted and observed carefully, and found that there was another person standing opposite Shen Cuihe—Yang Ersha from Yangqu Village.

Yang Ersha's face turned so red it almost reached the roots of his neck. His eyes darted away, but a silly smile lingered on his lips. His expression was exactly the same as when Yang Gousheng faced Shen Cuihe before—full of shyness and infatuation.

As soon as Yang Gousheng saw Shen Cuihe, his face lit up with joy, and he raised his foot to go forward and greet her.

Tang Susu reacted quickly, grabbing his collar and pulling him back.

"Don't go over there." She lowered her voice. "Didn't you see she was talking to Yang Ersha? Observe the situation first, and don't rush forward rashly."

Yang Gousheng struggled for a moment, but seeing Tang Susu's resolute attitude, he had no choice but to stop reluctantly, his eyes fixed on Shen Cuihe's direction.

Tang Susu led the four boys and quietly retreated into the dense vegetation at the bottom of the valley.

The vegetation here is nourished by moisture all year round, growing exceptionally lushly, which perfectly conceals their figures, allowing them to observe closely without being discovered.

Shen Cuihe said to Yang Ersha in a clear and gentle voice, "Brother Ersha, you don't need to see me off. Just take this road back, and you'll see Ma'an Village soon. I can walk by myself."

Yang Ersha chuckled憨憨地 and stuffed a cloth bag he was carrying into her hand: "Take this, it's my family's grain. If you run out, just ask your brother for more."

Shen Cuihe took the cloth bag, a shy smile appearing on her face, like a spring breeze rippling across a lake, creating gentle, touching waves.

Yang Gousheng stared wide-eyed, as if frozen in place, completely oblivious to anything amiss, his mind filled with thoughts of "Sister Cuihe's smile is so beautiful."

Tang Susu remained silent to herself, but instantly saw through Shen Cuihe's thoughts.

This girl has no affection for Yang Gousheng at all; she's clearly using him as a "fishpond" in Yangqu Village! Her own foolish son is just one of her many "fish."

But this silly boy, even after witnessing her ambiguous interactions with Yang Ersha, remained completely absorbed and failed to notice anything amiss.

"Mom," Yang Xiaobao approached Tang Susu, asking two questions with a puzzled look on his face:

"Didn't Sister Cuihe just borrow grain from Big Brother? Why is she asking Second Brother for grain again?"

"And another thing, I used to think she only smiled so beautifully at my older brother, but it turns out she smiles like that at other people too."

Tang Susu secretly praised Xiao Bao for his intelligence, as these two questions hit the nail on the head.

She glanced at Yang Gousheng beside her, hoping he could understand the deeper meaning in his brother's words and come to his senses soon.

Yang Gousheng slowly realized what was happening from Shen Cuihe's smile.

His gaze swept over Yang Ersha's shy face and the familiar grain bag in Shen Cuihe's hand.

That was the lotus root that I had personally handed to her that morning, the large basket of wild ferns she was carrying on her shoulder (I don't know if she dug them herself or borrowed them from someone else), and finally landed on the cloth bag that she had just received from Yang Ersha, which weighed about seven or eight pounds.

Even after seeing all this, Yang Gousheng stubbornly continued to make excuses for her: "Her family is too poor, they must be starving. Yang Ersha only gave her food out of pity, it wasn't what she asked for."

"Really?" Tang Susu retorted coldly, directly shattering his illusions. "If you're just ordinary friends, why are you holding hands?"

Yang Gousheng was taken aback. Following Tang Susu's gaze, he saw Yang Ersha suddenly and boldly grasp Shen Cuihe's hand.

Shen Cuihe looked shy, but showed no sign of refusal. Instead, she gently squeezed Yang Ersha's fingers.

"You!" Yang Gousheng's eyes widened, and a surge of anger welled up from the bottom of his heart. He clenched his fists and was about to rush out.

"Stop!" Tang Susu coldly stopped him. "Think carefully before you act. The Yang family hasn't even gone to the Shen family to propose marriage, and you and she aren't engaged. There's no official status between you. If you rush up now, do you want to accuse Yang Ersha of being reckless, or do you want to accuse Shen Cuihe of cheating? What right do you have to accuse her?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Yang Gousheng's head.

His fist fell limply to his sides, his teeth grinding together, yet he still stubbornly insisted, "Cuihe isn't that kind of person. She must have been forced..."

Tang Susu was secretly indignant: her family had given Shen Cuihe twenty catties of lotus roots, saying it was a loan, but judging from the way it looked, they had no intention of returning them. These were life-saving grains that the four boys had worked so hard to dig up.

But then she turned around and asked Yang Ersha for more food; she really has quite an appetite.

Not long after, Yang Ersha reluctantly said goodbye to Shen Cuihe and turned to walk back into the village.

Shen Cuihe stood alone, carrying a full load of things, preparing to head back to Ma'an Village.

"Shen Cuihe!" Yang Gousheng could no longer hold back and came out from behind the bushes, calling out to her loudly.

Shen Cuihe was startled and turned her head sharply. Seeing that it was Yang Gousheng, she first glanced in the direction Yang Ersha had left in, and only after confirming that he was far away did she breathe a sigh of relief, put on a gentle smile again, and asked, "Brother Gousheng, what are you doing here? Is there something you need?"

In the past, whenever Shen Cuihe smiled, Yang Gousheng would become dizzy and forget everything.

This time, however, he stood calmly in place, his sharp eyes fixed on the cloth bag in her hand, and demanded, "Where did you get this bag of grain?"

Shen Cuihe remained calm and composed, casually lying, "This belongs to my uncle. He works in Yangqu Village and asked me to bring the grain home for him."

Yang Gousheng's heart sank to the bottom.

He had been desperately trying to find excuses for her, but she lied to him without even blinking.

He struggled to suppress the surging anger within him and said, word by word, "I saw it clearly just now. This grain was given to you by Yang Ersha."

Shen Cuihe's smile froze instantly, and then her eyes quickly filled with tears, her eyes red and swollen, looking as if she had suffered a great injustice. She choked out as she explained, "It was Yang Ersha who kept pestering me, insisting that I take the grain home to eat. I really didn't want it, but my family really had no food left, so I had no choice but to accept it..."

As she spoke, tears streamed down her cheeks like beads from a broken string.

When Yang Gousheng saw her crying, he panicked instantly. His previous anger vanished without a trace, leaving only heartache.

He stepped forward, wanting to offer comfort but unsure what to say, and stood there helplessly.

Tang Susu sighed several times, knowing full well that Yang Gousheng was no match for Shen Cuihe's "skills." If she continued to watch, her son would only be completely dominated, so she had no choice but to step in herself.

Tang Susu cleared her throat and stepped out from among the bushes, a gentle smile on her face. She feigned to comfort her, saying, "Miss Shen, don't cry, don't cry. If you have any grievances, tell your aunt, and your aunt will stand up for you."

When Shen Cuihe saw Tang Susu, and Tang Lifu, Tang Liqiang and Yang Xiaobao following behind her, her body tensed up instantly, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes, and her crying subsided a little.

Tang Susu continued, deliberately raising her voice and feigning indignation: "That Yang Ersha, he's such a simpleton! How dare he harass a young girl like you behind your back! Since he forced you to give him this grain, how can he take someone else's things for no reason? Auntie will return the grain to him right now, smash it on his head, and teach him a lesson!"

As she spoke, she made a move to take the grain bag from Shen Cuihe's hand.

Seeing this, Shen Cuihe immediately gripped the grain bag tightly, took a step back, and stammered, unable to speak, "No... no need, Auntie, this... this isn't right..."

"What's wrong with that?" Tang Susu changed the subject, staring sharply at her, and directly suggested, "My Gousheng likes you, and I think you also have feelings for Gousheng. How about this, Auntie will go to your house right now to propose marriage and finalize your engagement."

She paused, her tone carrying a hint of threat: "You're so beautiful, it's sure Yang Ersha isn't the only one bothering you. After the engagement, anyone who dares to bother you again will be an enemy of the Yang family. At that time, your aunt will tear them to pieces and will never let you suffer the slightest grievance."

Upon hearing this, Yang Gousheng's face instantly turned bright red, and his heart pounded like a rabbit's.

He had already imagined the scene of marrying Shen Cuihe and having children in his mind. Marrying Shen Cuihe was his only dream now.

Shen Cuihe lowered her head, her hands nervously twisting together, and remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, she finally raised her head, her eyes darting around as she asked a crucial question: "Then...where will Gou Sheng and I live after we get married?"

She had already found out that the Yang family only had three mud-brick houses.

Tang Lifu and Miao Yulan are the eldest brother and sister-in-law, so they definitely need to share a room; Tang Susu, as the mother-in-law, also needs to share a room.

The remaining room will be occupied by the three boys, Tang Liqiang, Yang Gousheng, and Yang Xiaobao.

If Tang Lifu and his wife don't move out, she will have to live in the same room as her mother-in-law, Tang Susu, after she marries into the family.

This is something she simply cannot accept.