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

Tang Susu and her four children found a clean spot in an empty alley and sat down.

She placed the wooden bucket full of copper coins on the ground, intending to ask the children to help count the money, but found that the little ones would get stuck even when counting to ten, so she had to do it herself.

After counting the copper coins one by one, the total income for the day was calculated to be seven qian and thirty-one copper coins.

The four children's eyes lit up when they heard the number, and they chattered excitedly.

Tang Susu smiled and gestured with her hand, then posed a math problem: "We sold over three hundred servings of jelly today, using more than two jin of lantern seeds, which translates to eleven and a half jin of lantern fruit. The purchase cost twenty-three copper coins; the cost of the brown sugar, peanuts, and other ingredients totaled seventy-five copper coins. You calculate how much we netted today?"

She paused for a moment, then offered a reward: "Whoever gets it right first will get an extra roujiamo (Chinese hamburger)!"

"Me! Me!" Yang Xiaobao was the first to raise his hand, blinking rapidly as he said, "It's six qian and twenty-three wen!"

"That's not right." Tang Susu shook her head.

Yang Gousheng squatted on the ground, drawing horizontal lines on the mud with pebbles, each line representing one coin, slowly sorting out the costs and income. After a while, he stood up and said confidently, "Mother, it's six qian and thirty-three coins!"

"You got it right!" Tang Susu nodded with a smile and gave the reward to Yang Gousheng.

Taking this opportunity, she decided: "Starting tonight, the four of you will each set aside half an hour every day to study arithmetic. You can't do business without arithmetic, and you'll need it whether you're managing accounts or doing your own work."

Yang Gousheng and Yang Xiaobao were filled with excitement, eager to start learning immediately;

Tang Lifu and Tang Liqiang, however, had long faces and were sighing and complaining, which immediately revealed the differences in the personalities of the four children.

Having resolved their arithmetic learning issue, the group of five headed straight for the dumpling shop.

The restaurant owner is very good at business; in addition to five bowls of steaming dumplings, they also gave away a small dish of stir-fried pickled cabbage for free.

Taking the opportunity, Tang Susu taught the children, "Look, the shopkeeper gave us this side dish for free. It didn't cost much, but it made us remember it. Next time we want dumplings, this is the first place we'll think of. It's the same principle as running our cold noodle business. Occasionally letting customers get a little something extra will make them want to come back. Just like when Gousheng miscalculated the price, Mom didn't make the customer pay, which actually brought in more business. In business, you can't lose sight of the bigger picture for small gains. Maintaining a balance between gains and losses is the key to long-term success."

Yang Gousheng nodded thoughtfully, keeping these words in mind.

Five bowls of dumplings were served, but the four teenagers only ate about half full. Tang Susu bought extra roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), and Yang Gousheng, having solved a math problem correctly, received an extra one, which he ate with great relish.

After the meal, Tang Susu took the children to the meat stall to buy groceries.

It was past noon, and the meat stall didn't have much meat left. There were only two and a half pounds of lean and fatty meat, a set of offal, and some pig blood.

Tang Susu simply bought it all: the half-fat and half-lean meat cost fifty-eight copper coins, and the more than five catties of bones and offal cost thirty-five copper coins. Seeing that she bought a lot, the shopkeeper gave her the pig's blood for free.

Yang Gousheng silently calculated today's expenses, becoming increasingly alarmed with each calculation.

I made a lot of money, but I spent a large sum of it after buying only a few things.

He wondered to himself that his mother must have earned even more yesterday, otherwise how could she have bought so much rice, cloth, ducklings, and so many snacks?

Tang Susu noticed his thoughts and explained, "Prices are rising fast these days, and money is becoming less and less valuable. We earn more, so we'll spend more too, so don't worry too much."

She turned and asked Tang Lifu to take fifteen copper coins to the dumpling shop to pack a serving of dumplings and a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) for Miao Yulan to take back.

After everything was packed up, the five of them boarded Yang Defu's oxcart and headed back.

As the sun gradually set in the west, the sky turned a warm orange hue. When they arrived at the village entrance, the villagers were busy in the fields and no one noticed them. The group made it home safely.

As soon as you enter the courtyard, you can smell the rich aroma of food.

The yard was spotless and tidy, and the newly bought ducklings were chirping and playing in the corner, full of energy.

In the kitchen, Miao Yulan had already lit the stove and was stewing soup with bones and lotus roots. In another pot, she was stir-frying pig's blood and wild vegetables with lard. Half-fat pork was cut into cubes and was simmering in the pot. White rice was also steaming in the steamer.

Yang Xiaobao squatted in the yard with great enthusiasm, chopping up wild vegetables. The ducklings surrounded his feet, waiting to be fed.

He smelled the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen, his mouth watering, and couldn't help but ask, "Mom, when can we eat?"

"We'll eat when Uncle Lifu, Uncle Liqiang, and your brother all come back," Tang Susu reminded her with a smile.

The family members quickly got to their places and got busy: Tang Lifu put down his things and went to the fields to fertilize and weed with a hoe.

Land is the lifeblood of farmers; even if they are doing business now, they cannot neglect working in the fields.

Yang Gousheng carried a vat of water and went to the mountains to fetch back the firewood that Tang Liqiang had chopped, planning to chop it after the meal; Tang Liqiang, on the other hand, went to thoroughly wash the bowls and spoons for the day.

Just as Tang Susu was about to go out and call Tang Lifu home for dinner, her neighbor, Aunt Liu, rushed over and whispered, "Gousheng's mother, something terrible has happened! While you and the children were out, Yulan went to the fields to weed by herself, slipped, and fell. Luckily, Liu Yumi was there and quickly helped her up, otherwise it would have been a disaster!"

Tang Susu was slightly taken aback.

When she got home, she didn't notice anything unusual about Miao Yulan. She even watched her busy cooking in the kitchen without realizing it at all.

She thanked Aunt Liu and turned to go back into the house.

Miao Yulan was sitting on a chair resting. As soon as she saw her, she immediately stood up and wanted to check the meat in the pot.

"Don't move." Tang Susu walked over quickly, pressed her back into the chair, and said with a hint of barely perceptible tension in her voice, "Why didn't you say you weren't feeling well? Were you badly hurt?"

Miao Yulan quickly shook her head and whispered, "Big sister, I'm fine. I just slipped and fell, but I didn't hurt myself."

"Whether it's serious or not, it's up to the doctor to decide." Tang Susu was still worried and instructed Yang Xiaobao, "Xiaobao, go and invite Doctor Zhang over to take a look."

She pulled Miao Yulan into the house and made her lie down on the bed to rest. "From now on, no matter what happens, you have to tell me. Don't try to tough it out on your own."

Miao Yulan lay on the bed, her eyes instantly reddening, tears streaming down her face. She choked out, "Big sister, it's my fault. I can't help you earn money, and I even clumsily fell down, causing you so much worry."

"Silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about?" Tang Susu sat on the edge of the bed and gently patted her back. "We're family, there's no question of whether I can help or not. You help make jelly every night, and do laundry, cook, and dig wild vegetables during the day. The house would be in chaos without you. You have to remember, you're important, don't belittle yourself like that."