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

As dawn broke and morning mist still lingered in the mountains and forests, Tang Susu, carrying an empty basket, led Yang Xiaobao and Miao Yulan deeper into the mountains.

She knew that the thick layer of dead leaves and the dense trees blocked out the sunlight, making it a cool and damp environment ideal for mushrooms to grow. So she turned back and instructed, "Look carefully, especially under the tree roots and next to piles of dead leaves. Tell me if you see anything that looks like a small umbrella."

He paused, then added, "In our village, someone once mistakenly ate apocynum venetum, and the whole family was wiped out. Never touch mushrooms you don't recognize; only pick the ones that the elders say are edible."

Miao Yulan nodded quickly. She had been searching for wild vegetables for many years and only recognized a few common, safe mushrooms.

Yang Xiaobao, however, was filled with excitement. Clutching his small basket, he followed behind Tang Susu. They hadn't gone far when he suddenly squatted down and shouted, "Mom! Sister-in-law! There are so many tea tree mushrooms here!"

Tang Susu went over and saw that there was indeed a patch of grayish-brown tea tree mushrooms growing next to the tree roots. The caps were thick and fleshy. They were a common edible mushroom in Yangqu Village, and they were delicious in soups and stir-fries.

She smiled and ruffled Xiao Bao's hair: "Xiao Bao is so clever, he managed to find this. You can pick slowly here, but be careful not to break the stems. Your sister-in-law and I will go a little further in."

Rarely receiving praise from his mother, Yang Xiaobao's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously: "Okay! Don't worry, Mom, I'll definitely pick them all clean!"

He squatted on the ground, carefully pinching the mushroom stem with his little hands and pulling it upwards, full of energy, hoping to pick more so that his mother could praise him later.

Tang Susu led Miao Yulan deeper into the mountains and forests. After a few steps, they saw a patch of purple clover.

Although the flowers and leaves looked a bit old due to the drought, this stuff can be stir-fried, used in soups, or dried and stored. Miao Yu immediately squatted down and carefully dug up the roots of the purple clover.

Tang Susu didn't stop and continued searching. Just as she rounded a clump of bushes, a system notification suddenly sounded in her mind:

[Ding dong! Wild termite mushrooms have been discovered!]

She was delighted and looked in the direction indicated. On a patch of soft black soil, she saw several clusters of light yellow mushrooms with obvious radial cracks on their caps. They were indeed termite mushrooms.

No one in the village had ever eaten this. Everyone was afraid it was poisonous because of its strange appearance, and no one dared to pick it.

But Tang Susu knew that the chicken mushroom had an extremely delicious flavor and that the system listed a very high price—50 coins per pound.

She quickly picked up a sturdy stick from the roadside and carefully dug up the termite mushroom by the roots, afraid of damaging the cap and affecting the selling price.

Miao Yulan came over after digging up some purple clover and was startled when she saw the mushrooms Tang Susu had dug up: "Big sister, I've never seen these mushrooms before. Are they poisonous?"

"It's alright, these mushrooms are edible, even fresher than tea tree mushrooms," Tang Susu reassured her, and continued digging out the remaining termite mushrooms, putting them all into her basket.

Once the digging is complete, the system will immediately notify you:

[Ding dong! We've harvested 2.9 jin of wild, naturally grown termite mushrooms. Available for 145 coins. Want to sell?]

"For sale," Tang Susu silently thought to herself.

The next second, the termite mushrooms in the basket disappeared, and the money pouch at his waist suddenly became much heavier.

She secretly counted the money she had earned from selling other mushrooms, and now she had saved a total of 201 copper coins.

After calculating, this money could buy 100 jin of white rice, enough for the whole family to eat for more than a month, which made Tang Susu feel much more at ease.

Just then, a child's shrill and familiar cry suddenly came from ahead.

Tang Susu didn't want to meddle, but the more she listened, the more it sounded like Yang Xiaobao. She immediately picked up her basket and walked quickly forward: "Let's go see, it sounds like Xiaobao's voice."

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that Yang Xiaobao was surrounded by four or five boys, crying his heart out. He was tightly clutching a straw rope in his hand, with a grayish-brown pheasant tied to the other end.

"This pheasant is mine! I caught it in the grass!" Xiao Bao cried out.

A chubby-faced kid across from them grabbed the pheasant's wing and retorted, neck stiff with arrogance, "Nonsense! The pheasant doesn't have your name carved on it. Whoever catches it keeps it!"

"That's right! We saw it first!" The other boys chimed in, trying to drag the pheasant away.

"Stop!" Tang Susu stepped forward quickly and shouted.

The boys were startled. When they turned around and saw it was her, they immediately took two steps back, their faces showing fear.

Everyone in Yangqu Village knows that Sister Yang is notoriously shrewish. She even dares to point her finger at her own mother-in-law and curse her. Throwing tantrums and making a scene is commonplace for her, and no one dares to mess with her.

The leader was Zheng Dahu, the eldest son of the Zheng family, who was eleven or twelve years old. He usually led a group of children to bully others in the village, but he was terrified of Tang Susu.

He clutched the pheasant's wing tightly, refusing to let go, but dared not approach Tang Susu. He could only stand there and argue, "Sister-in-law Yang... we caught this pheasant first, it was your Xiaobao who came and snatched it!"

"I didn't! I caught it first!" Yang Xiaobao cried even harder, lunging forward to snatch the pheasant, but Zheng Dahu pushed him, and he almost fell.

Tang Susu helped Xiao Bao up, her gaze first falling on the plump pheasant. Her mind instantly flashed through dishes like Kung Pao Chicken, stir-fried chicken with mushrooms, and sweet and sour chicken, and she swallowed hard.

This is real meat, more precious than anything else.

She looked down at Xiaobao, rolled up his sleeve, and saw several red marks on his arm, and the back of his clothes was torn, clearly indicating that he had been bullied.

Tang Susu understood. Nine-year-old Xiaobao was timid and would never dare to snatch things from children older than himself. It must have been Zheng Dahu and his gang who deliberately stole Xiaobao's prey because he was alone.

Her face darkened, and her cold gaze swept over Zheng Dahu and his group: "Whether my Xiaobao stole anything or not, you all know the answer. Now, his arm is scratched and his clothes are torn. How are you going to settle this?"

Zheng Dahu was taken aback, not expecting her to bring this up instead of directly arguing about the pheasant. He forced a smile and said, "He snatched our pheasant first, that's why we pushed him!"

"Oh?" Tang Susu raised an eyebrow, her voice rising a few decibels. "So you admit you hit him? Fine, then I won't waste any more words with you."

"First, I need to take Xiaobao to see Dr. Zhang. The medical expenses will be forty or fifty coins, which you can cover."

"Secondly, my baby's clothes are torn, you need to buy him a new set."

"If you don't handle these two things properly, I'll go to your doorstep and cry every day, so the whole village will know that Zheng the scoundrel's son is bullying people!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Dahu and his companions panicked instantly.

They had all heard that Tang Susu used to be notorious for her audacity; she would roll around and curse at other people's doorsteps for three copper coins, cursing all day long without repeating herself.

If we let her come to our door and cause trouble every day, my parents will definitely beat them to death.

Moreover, when Tang Susu said she wanted to find the village head, they became even more afraid.

The village head values ​​rules the most. If he finds out that they are bullying children and stealing things, they will definitely be in trouble.

Zheng Dahu gritted his teeth and abruptly threw the pheasant to the ground: "Who wants to argue with you about this! We don't want this chicken!"

After saying that, he shouted, "Let's go!"

He and his group of friends disappeared without looking back.

Yang Xiaobao immediately rushed over and hugged the pheasant tightly, afraid it would run away. His voice, still trembling with tears, was tinged with excitement: "Mom! They didn't take the pheasant away!"

Tang Susu smiled and patted his head: "It's alright, let's take the chicken back."

She brought up the system's LCD screen, searched for a few items, spent a penny to buy a tube of erythromycin ointment, squatted down and said to Xiaobao, "Hold out your hand, Mom will put some medicine on it for you, and the wound won't hurt anymore."