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

When Old Lady Yang learned that Shen had failed to learn Tang Susu's skills at her house and had even led the way in raising prices and causing trouble, she was already furious.

As soon as Shen stepped into the house, her face fell, and she launched into a tirade: "You short-sighted fool! Aren't there enough chores at home for you to keep you busy? All you do is run around outside, eyeing other people's things!"

She got angrier and angrier as she cursed, pointing her finger at Shen's nose and scolding, "We're all family, it's one thing not to help, but to cause trouble! The price of the lantern fruit was set by my third sister-in-law, why did you go and meddle?"

"You insisted on making her raise the price? Did you think you could earn more that way? In the end, she simply stopped charging, and you were happy then? How come I never saw through your malicious intentions before!"

Shen stood there like a wilted eggplant, head down and silent, but her heart was full of resentment: Miao Yulan was indeed her sister-in-law, but she hadn't shared a single penny of her earnings with her, so why should she help her?

She was just trying to get some benefits for the children, what's wrong with that?

Seeing that she was only outwardly compliant but inwardly resentful, Old Lady Yang became even angrier and pointed at her, cursing her until her mouth was dry before she finally vented her anger.

Just then, Yang Xiaobao came stumbling over, carrying a wooden bowl: "Grandma! Mom asked me to bring you and Grandpa some lotus root and bone soup!"

He carefully placed the soup bowl on the low stool where Old Lady Yang was sitting, and without waiting for a response, he turned and ran home, afraid that he would miss out on the good food at home if he was late.

Just as Old Mrs. Yang turned to go to the kitchen to get busy, Madam Shen took the opportunity to get close to the pot, quickly grabbed a piece of bone with meat in it, stuffed it into Peach Blossom's mouth who was watching eagerly, and whispered, "Quick, hide it in the backyard to eat, don't let anyone else see."

Peach Blossom's mouth was already watering from the aroma of the meat. She took the bone and swallowed the meat whole, reluctant to throw away the bone. She looked around and found a quiet corner to sit down. She carefully held the pork bone in her mouth and sucked out the marrow and fat little by little.

At the Tang family's place, a lively dining scene had already begun.

Yang Xiaobao was sitting on a small stool, sucking on a bone with relish. He held the oily bone in one hand and used chopsticks to pick up pieces of Dongpo pork from the table with the other, eating one piece at a time, his mouth glistening with oil, his little face full of satisfaction.

He was about to pick up another piece of Dongpo pork when Tang Susu pressed his wrist down: "The remaining pieces are for your aunt."

Miao Yulan had a bitter taste in her mouth after taking the medicine to prevent miscarriage, and lost her appetite after eating only one piece of Dongpo pork.

Tang Susu sat beside her and patiently advised, "Your health wasn't good to begin with, and you almost lost your child. You need to eat well and take care of yourself now. Even just one more bite is good."

Looking at the white rice, steaming pork bone soup, glistening Dongpo pork, and a bowl of oily stir-fried wild vegetables with pig's blood in front of her, Miao Yulan felt a pang of guilt.

She knew that such food was a rare treat in Yangqu Village during the famine years, but she found it hard to swallow.

Seeing this, Tang Lifu turned around and went to the kitchen to heat up the dumplings he had bought from the street. He then brought them to Miao Yulan and said, "These dumplings are light. Eat some and fill your stomach first."

Miao Yulan quickly declined, saying, "Brother, these dumplings are good food, you should give them to my sister."

"Auntie, you eat!" Yang Xiaobao blinked and leaned closer, saying, "We've already had dumplings in town, so you should eat quickly so your little uncle can grow up to be fair and chubby!"

"He's my little cousin, not my little uncle," Yang Gousheng said, tapping his head to correct him.

Yang Xiaobao rubbed his head, which had been hit, and looked at Tang Susu with a wronged expression: "Mom, my brother bullied me!"

Tang Susu shook her head helplessly: "Stop nagging, everyone hurry up and eat." The whole family continued their meal noisily and lively.

On the other side, Old Mrs. Yang kept the lotus root and bone soup warm in the pot, waiting for Old Mr. Yang to come home so they could eat together.

She hurried to Tang Susu's house, thinking to herself that she should give Tang Susu a few words of advice, telling her not to just eat after earning a little money, but to start thinking about the dowry money for the boys in the family in the future.

As soon as she entered the Tang family's courtyard, her gaze swept into the house and instantly landed on the food on the table.

She strode into the house and saw more clearly: in front of each person was a large bowl of white rice, and on the table was a large pot of lotus root and bone soup, a bowl of oily pork, and a pot of oily wild vegetables stir-fried with pig's blood.

Old Mrs. Yang had no interest in appreciating the food; her mind was preoccupied with calculating the cost: a pound of white rice cost thirty copper coins, and this family used at least three or four pounds for one meal, so the rice alone would cost over a hundred copper coins.

That big bone was worth at least ten copper coins, and that large bowl of fatty pork must have cost at least sixty or seventy copper coins. This meal cost several hundred copper coins!

She was so angry that her chest tightened, and she almost had a heart attack. She exploded on the spot, pointing at Tang Susu and yelling, "You spendthrift woman! What kind of family do we have? We're not an official or wealthy family, how can we afford to be so extravagant? I bet even the Liu family doesn't eat like this!"

She grew increasingly agitated with each word: "You've only earned a few copper coins and you've already become so arrogant, squandering them recklessly! Don't you think about the two boys in the family who need to get married? Gousheng is almost fifteen, and in a few months he'll be engaged and getting married. Liqiang is also of marriageable age. We'll need to build Gousheng a mud house, and the bride price has gone up to five coins now. Instead of saving money, you're wasting it like this. You're enjoying yourself today, but you might be eating dirt tomorrow!"

Tang Susu looked helpless, not expecting her wife to rush in and cause trouble at this time.

She put down her chopsticks and explained, "Mother, please don't be angry. This rice is something I've been saving for a long time, reluctant to eat it. I only made this today because I was worried about Yulan's health. If you haven't eaten, sit down and eat some with us; there's still some rice left in the pot."

"I'm so angry I'm full, what's the point of eating!" Old Mrs. Yang waved her hand and continued her tirade, "I know you've made some money selling food, but money doesn't last! With these years of famine, there will be many more places to spend money in the future! Gousheng is almost fifteen, and most of the boys in the village get engaged at fourteen, married at fifteen, and become fathers at sixteen. How can we not be anxious?"

Yang Gousheng quickly said, "Grandma, I'm not in a hurry to get married. Let's make things easier for the family first."

"You're not worried, but I am!" Old Mrs. Yang glared at him, then turned her gaze to Miao Yulan's pale face. Her expression darkened further, and she scolded her, "And you, you're pregnant, so stay home and rest. Don't run around causing trouble all day! Calling the doctor and getting medicine has cost dozens of copper coins. Do you think those coins fell from the sky?"

Miao Yulan, her face full of shame, lowered her head and murmured in agreement, "Yes, Grandma, I understand."

Seeing Miao Yulan's aggrieved look, Tang Susu secretly decided that she would never let Miao Yulan work hard again, whether it was farm work or heavy housework.

She was also silently planning her future livelihood: the business of selling jelly noodles probably wouldn't last long, at most about a month.

We should take advantage of this time to expand the market and let Gousheng and Liqiang get busy on the streets, exploring their business or other abilities. I can't always be in their way.

Moreover, the jelly can be sold out in half a day, so you can go home early in the afternoon. You can do the work in the fields, carrying water and collecting firewood in the evening.

Miao Yulan was asked to cook a simple meal at home for lunch so that she wouldn't have to go through the hassle of going back and forth.

As for the newly bought chickens and ducks, Tang Susu had a plan: if Yang Xiaobao was home, she could ask him to help take care of them.

But she wanted to send Yang Xiaobao to school to learn to read and write, so that he could have a better future.

She decided that when she went to town tomorrow, she would also check on the school and ask Yang Xiaobao about her own wishes.

If he doesn't want to study, we can let him focus on raising livestock in the village.

Old Mrs. Yang was still nagging when she suddenly suggested, "If Yulan really can't stay idle and insists on going to work in the fields, then we should ask Lanxia to help. We can't let her do whatever she wants on her own anymore. Who can take responsibility if something happens?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Susu's eyes lit up, and she said with a smile, "Mother, I was just about to ask you for a favor."

Old Mrs. Yang immediately became alert, her eyes widening: "What are you planning now? Let me tell you, don't even think about letting the old house provide lunch for Yulan again!"