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

Faced with her classmates' ridicule, Tang Chengyu showed no embarrassment. Instead, she raised her chin and said confidently, "She's my older sister. I ate a bowl of cold noodles from her, so naturally I don't have to pay."

Upon hearing this, the Tang family members reacted in different ways.

Tang Lifu silently washed the dishes with his head down, his hands never stopping, and he had already silently picked up an empty bowl, preparing to serve Tang Chengyu some cold noodles;

Yang Gousheng stood aside and watched coldly, his eyes full of disdain, secretly cursing Tang Chengyu for being greedy and taking other people's efforts for granted.

Tang Liqiang clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. He cursed Tang Chengyu a thousand times in his heart, thinking that this kid was really arrogant and deserved a beating.

Yang Xiaobao lowered his head, his little hands tightly gripping the hem of his clothes, filled with worry—would his mother really do what she used to do, not only giving him the cold noodles, but also giving him the copper coins he earned today?

Tang Susu's lips twitched slightly, but she felt absolutely no favoritism towards Tang Chengyu that the original owner had shown.

She wasn't the foolish and kind-hearted original owner of this body. She had four sons to raise, Miao Yulan needed nourishment during her pregnancy, and Xiao Bao needed a lot of tuition fees for school. There were expenses everywhere in the household, and she would never let the Tang family take advantage of her again.

A hint of embarrassment crossed her face as she softly said to Tang Chengyu, "Chengyu, it's not that I'm stingy. I run a small business, and I earn my money through hard work, getting up early and working late. I really don't have any spare money to let you eat cold noodles for free."

Tang Chengyu's eyes widened suddenly, staring at Tang Susu in astonishment.

In his memory, his eldest sister always granted his every request. Not to mention a bowl of cold noodles, even if he asked for money to buy writing materials, his eldest sister never frowned and refused.

He was stunned for a moment, and secretly guessed that his eldest sister must have fallen out with the Tang family, which led to the drastic change in her attitude towards him.

Seeing this, the students nearby immediately seized the opportunity, their mocking tone intensifying: "Oh, so it's not that you don't have to pay, it's just that they don't want to let you eat for free!"

"Tang Chengyu, you are well-read, don't you know the saying 'A gentleman does not eat food offered with contempt'? Asking your own sister for free food is not the behavior of a gentleman, it's a violation of etiquette!"

"A true gentleman should focus on learning and moral cultivation; why would he waste his energy on seeking meager food and clothing? You are unworthy of the status of a 'student,' much less worthy of being called a 'gentleman'!"

These words pierced Tang Chengyu's heart like needles.

He always cared about his reputation and never took his classmates' mockery of his poor family background to heart. However, the accusations of "violating etiquette" and "not worthy of being a gentleman" made his cheeks and ears turn bright red instantly, leaving him embarrassed and at a loss for what to do.

He gritted his teeth, took out three copper coins from his sleeve, clenched them tightly in his hand, and handed them to Tang Susu.

Upon seeing this, Tang Susu immediately put on a gentle smile and called out to Tang Lifu, "Lifu, serve Chengyu a bowl of cold noodles."

Although Tang Susu and Tang Chengyu are close in age, they live in two completely different worlds.

Tang Chengyu is a promising student who studies diligently every day. He will take the county-level examination next year, and everyone in the town is saying that he is very likely to pass the county-level examination and become a scholar.

Even if his official career came to an end here, the status of a scholar would be enough to free him from the quagmire of Xihe Village and allow him to reach a wider world.

Tang Lifu, on the other hand, had already started a family and his wife, Miao Yulan, was pregnant.

His future will most likely be spent tending to a few acres of barren land in Yangqu Village, living a life of farming with his face to the soil and his back to the sky, trapped in this small area for the rest of his life.

Thinking of all this, Tang Lifu felt an indescribable sense of inferiority welling up in his heart when facing Tang Chengyu.

His hands trembled slightly as he held the bowl of cold noodles, his demeanor unusually reserved. He carefully presented the bowl to Tang Chengyu as if it were a fragile treasure.

Tang Chengyu took the bowl of cold noodles, and was slightly taken aback when his fingertips touched the warm porcelain bowl.

He looked at Tang Lifu's reserved appearance, and then at Tang Susu, who was smiling gently and serving customers with great skill. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything and silently ate his cold noodles.

Tang Susu ignored Tang Chengyu's strange behavior, still smiling and quickly greeting the new customers who came in, as if the little incident had never happened.

Before long, the last bucket of jelly was sold out.

Tang Chengyu had finished eating the cold noodles, but he was still standing there without leaving.

He lowered his head, shuffled his toes on the ground, hesitated for a long while, and then looked up at Tang Susu, who was tidying up the stall. He spoke softly, "Big sister, Grandma and my mother hit you before. They were wrong, and I apologize to you on their behalf. They are old and have short tempers, and their actions were a bit excessive, but you shouldn't be too distant from the Tang family. After all, 'blood is thicker than water,' and we are still family."

"A family?" Upon hearing this, Tang Susu was both angry and amused. She slammed the empty bowl in her hand onto the makeshift table with a soft "bang".

She raised her head, staring sharply at Tang Chengyu, and questioned, "Are you saying that I shouldn't have distanced myself from the Tang family, that I should have given you the cold noodles for free, and that I should have used all the money I worked so hard to earn to support your schooling, continuing to be the Tang family's cash cow?"

Tang Chengyu was startled by her sudden question, her face instantly turning embarrassed. She stammered, "Big sister, you...you misunderstood me. That's not what I meant."

"That's not what you mean? Then what do you mean?" Tang Susu's emotions instantly flared, her voice rising sharply. "Are you suggesting I maintain that hypocritical kinship with the Tang family, continuing to be treated like a 'parasite' and suck blood? Tang Chengyu, put your hand on your heart and think about how I treated you before. If you needed writing materials, I would save money to buy them for you even if I didn't eat meat myself; if you needed books, I would ask people to search through several towns to find them for you. I treated you better than I treated my own son!"

She pointed to her forehead, her voice choked with sobs, but filled with more anger: "But just half a month ago, your own grandmother and mother beat me with sticks, leaving my head bleeding profusely. The scar on my forehead is still there! If it had been any harder, I would be dead! And you, the good brother the original owner considered the most sensible and considerate, where were you then? You didn't even show your face!"

Tang Chengyu had never seen his elder sister so angry. He stood there frozen, opening his mouth but unable to utter a sound.

After a long while, he finally came to his senses and hurriedly explained, "Big sister, I... I was focused on my studies at school and had no idea what had happened at home. I only learned the details from a fellow villager in the last two days. I really didn't mean to not come to see you..."

"Enough!" Tang Susu interrupted him impatiently, her hands still busy clearing the dishes and wooden boards off the table. "I don't want to hear your explanation. From today onwards, I have nothing to do with the Tang family. If you see me in the future, just pretend I don't exist, and you don't need to call me 'elder sister' anymore."

She paused, her eyes icy as she looked at Tang Chengyu, and said, word by word, "Our Yang family is of humble origin and unworthy to be associated with someone as important as you, a future scholar. You go your way, I'll go mine, and we shall have nothing to do with each other again!"

Tang Chengyu's face turned deathly pale, and she hurriedly tried to say something more: "Big sister, please don't be like this..."

But before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Tang Susu's cold gaze.