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

Faced with the village head's question, "How do you know so much about farming?", Tang Susu cleared her throat and calmly explained, "Uncle Village Head, you don't know this, but I grew up at my maternal grandmother's house. My maternal grandfather was a well-known farming expert in the area, and he knew a lot about how to cultivate the fields and manage water and drainage."

"Once, during a heavy rain, the fields were flooded. It was my grandfather who dug ditches along the edge of the fields to divert the water into the river and drain it away. I was inspired by my grandfather and only remember a few of the basics."

As she spoke, she secretly pondered: The original owner's mother had married into Xihe Village from another town, and her maternal grandparents' family had only one daughter, her mother, and the lineage had long since died out.

Moreover, the two elders passed away not long after the original owner's mother died, due to excessive grief, leaving no one to testify.

From now on, no matter what happens that you can't explain, just push it to your maternal grandparents' family, and they'll never find out.

The village head listened and nodded in sudden understanding: "So that's how it is. No wonder you know so much. Your grandfather was quite a capable man."

This completely dispelled any doubts.

As the two were talking, Yang Ersha came running up, panting, and reported in a panic, "Uncle Village Head, something terrible has happened! The people from Ma'an Village have come to the hilltop of our village!"

The village head frowned, pondered for a moment, then suddenly gave a cold laugh and analyzed, "What's the panic? This mountain is our Yangqu Village's territory, and the water in the mountain is naturally ours. Besides, this mountain is close to our village, but very far from Ma'an Village."

"The village head of Ma'an Village has been doing all sorts of despicable things over the years. Most of the villagers don't like him. Even if he wants to take over this water source, the villagers may not be willing to follow him into the mountains to dig canals and cause trouble."

Despite saying that, the village head still dared not let his guard down and decided to go to the mountain to check it out himself before he could feel at ease.

After saying goodbye to the village head, Tang Susu returned home.

Miao Yulan had already prepared dinner: cornbread filled with wild vegetables and stir-fried mushrooms with scrambled eggs.

Tang Susu took four cornbread buns, put them in a bamboo basket, and planned to take them to the mountains for Tang Lifu and Tang Liqiang to eat.

Halfway there, she saw Tang Lifu and Tang Liqiang holding hoes high, digging the ground with heavy effort. Sweat dripped from their foreheads like broken beads, running down their cheeks. Their clothes were soaked with sweat and clung tightly to their bodies, but they didn't even wipe it off, continuing to work hard.

Tang Susu didn't go up to disturb them, but found a shady spot to wait.

Tang Lifu and Tang Liqiang were only able to stop and rest when the whistle for the change of shift sounded.

They were all surprised to see Tang Susu standing to the side: "Big sister, what brings you up the mountain?"

Tang Lifu wiped the sweat from his face and complained, "The sun has already set, but why is it still so hot and stuffy that it's hard to breathe?"

Tang Liqiang then leaned closer and asked curiously, "Big sister, are we continuing to work tonight, or going home to sleep?"

As soon as he finished speaking, several men in their thirties beside him shouted in response, "Of course we have to keep going! The village head said it would be finished in three days at most. If we work overtime tonight, we might be able to dig the ditch all the way down the mountain by tomorrow! The rice in the fields is waiting for water, we can't afford to delay!"

At this moment, the village head, with his hands behind his back, strolled over slowly.

After listening to everyone's comments, he said, "Working at such high intensity for so long will definitely take a toll on our bodies. But it's cool at night, which is perfect for working. So, let's work overtime tonight, and tomorrow morning everyone can go home, get a good night's sleep, and be fully refreshed before continuing our work!"

Upon hearing this, everyone became highly motivated, responded in unison, picked up their tools, and buried themselves in digging again. In no time, they had dug several dozen feet forward.

Tang Susu pulled her two younger brothers to sit on a pile of stones, took out some cornbread from a bamboo basket, and handed it to them: "Eat first, so you can have the strength to work when you have something in your stomach."

These corn and wild vegetable buns were quite ordinary in taste, but the fragrant egg and mushroom filling inside made them a rare delicacy for Tang Lifu and Tang Liqiang, who had been starving for most of the day.

They took the cornbread and began to devour it, their eyes half-closed and their faces beaming with happiness.

The villagers who were digging ditches nearby couldn't help but swallow hard when they saw this scene.

They had been exhausted for most of the day, and the women in their families hadn't brought them any food or drink. By now, they were starving.

Some people couldn't help but exclaim, "People used to say that Gou Sheng's mother abused her younger brother and wasn't good to her own son, but now it seems that was all just hearsay! This isn't bad at all; I wish I had this kind of treatment!"

The others echoed this sentiment, feeling somewhat embarrassed as they recalled their previous misunderstandings of Tang Susu.

As the sun gradually set, the sky was dotted with stars, and the cool moonlight shone on the mountains and forests, gilding the dark forests with a layer of silver frost.

The village head sent someone back to the village to inform the women to come up the mountain and hold torches to light the way for the men digging the ditch.

Before long, the women arrived, each carrying a torch.

Torches were lined up on both sides of the ditch, their flickering flames resembling stars fallen to earth or a fiery dragon coiled in the mountains—a truly magnificent sight.

Tang Susu also joined the torchbearers, helping to provide light for the men.

Just then, the system's built-in robotic loli voice suddenly kept ringing in her mind:

[Ding dong! Wild asparagus found in its natural habitat!]

Following the clue, Tang Susu looked over and saw a string of things that looked like small sweet potatoes growing in the soil of the ditch.

But the light was too dim for her to see clearly, and everyone was busy digging ditches, so she couldn't go up and dig herself. She could only keep it in mind for the time being.

[Ding-dong! Found a natural bellflower root!]

She then saw many bellflowers growing not far away.

Bellflower is a common and cheap wild vegetable in the village. Bellflower roots can sell for thirty copper coins a pound, but this small amount of money doesn't interest her for the time being.

[Ding dong! Found natural green false physalis!]

Tang Susu frowned; she had never heard of this name before.

She quietly brought up the system's trading panel and looked at the pictures on it.

The plant in the picture has small purple flowers, an upright stem with many branches, and oval or elliptical leaves with fine serrations on the edges. The pale purple or white bell-shaped corolla droops downwards, and after the flowers wither, it will produce small spherical berries covered with a layer of persistent calyx.

Upon seeing the picture, Tang Susu instantly recognized it—she had seen this plant before!

In modern times, people often use it to make jelly, which has a smooth texture and a refreshing taste.

She had even tried making it following a tutorial before, and she still remembers the specific steps very clearly.

A business opportunity instantly popped into Tang Susu's mind.

She now has 130 taels of silver and 480 copper coins, which makes her a wealthy household within a hundred miles.

But this money was obtained through the system's trading platform, and its source is unclear. We must find a way to launder it.

Fortunately, she could legalize these ill-gotten gains by running a cold noodle business.

Moreover, making jelly is low-cost and high-profit. Not only can you make money, but you can also take the opportunity to buy land and try to build a new house before winter arrives so that the whole family can live more comfortably.

Just then, she saw Yang Xiaobao leading a group of village kids, playing and frolicking on the grass beside the ditch.

The children chanted slogans like "Who can pick the most lantern fruits?"—they called the berries of the false aralia elata lantern fruits. After picking them, they casually threw the berries on the ground and trampled them.

Tang Susu felt heartbroken; these were all valuable items that could be exchanged for money!

She quickly walked over, torch in hand, and made a deal with the children: "Give me the lantern fruits you've picked. If you pick enough to make a pound, I'll trade you an egg, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiaobao panicked and tugged at Tang Susu's clothes, saying, "Mommy, I'll pick them! I'll pick them! Save the eggs for me!"

Tang Susu smiled helplessly and ruffled his hair: "If you pick enough to fill a pound, Mommy will give you an egg, okay?"

Hearing this from not far away, Aunt Liu came over curiously and asked, "Gousheng's mother, why are you collecting these lantern fruits? You can't eat them, and none of the livestock in the house will even take a bite."

Tang Susu replied seriously, "When I was little, my grandma used these lantern fruits to make something really delicious. Now that so many are growing here, I thought I'd get some to take home and try making it. Maybe I can succeed."

Aunt Liu thought Tang Susu was a bit silly for exchanging precious eggs for something that was everywhere.

But she didn't say much, and quickly turned to call her two children: "Corn! Little Fish! Come here, go pick some lantern fruits, and we'll trade them for eggs!"

When the other village women heard this, they called their children over and asked them to pick false sour grass.

As everyone knows, Tang Susu found three big, fat chickens—one male and two females—in the mountains a few days ago. The two females can lay four eggs a day, so she doesn't have to worry about not having enough eggs.

The children, who were originally running and playing in the mountains, were all excited to pick false sour grass when they heard that they could exchange it for eggs. They were all full of energy.

Before long, the children had collected quite a few fake groundcherries.

It contained four bamboo baskets, eight or nine bamboo baskets, and more than a dozen children used their clothes to carry the contents. It was estimated to weigh about thirty pounds in total.

Tang Susu was secretly amazed at how strong these children were. She planned to contract out the work of picking false sour grass to them from now on.

She called Yang Gousheng over and asked him to take a few of the older children and carry the collected false sorrel home first.

The children carried fake sour grass on their backs and in their arms, chattering as they walked home, their faces full of anticipation.

Soon, children gathered around Tang Susu, reaching out their little hands for eggs.

Tang Susu gently explained to them, "Children, my chickens can only lay four eggs a day, so only four children can receive an egg each day. Please let the younger children receive theirs first, and the older children can wait until tomorrow, okay?"

The two older brothers, Liu Yumi and Liu Sumi, from Aunt Liu's family, listened to Tang Susu's words and said sensibly, "We're not in a hurry. Let the younger brothers and sisters get them first. We'll get ours tomorrow."