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

Miao Yulan carried the water to Tang Lifu's side, wiped the sweat from his forehead with her sleeve, and said in a low voice, "Honey, I'm a little worried. Ever since my eldest sister took over the household, we've been eating and using things too extravagantly. Last night's white rice and flour, this morning's buckwheat rice, and this pot of chicken—it's all gone in one meal. I'm worried that after this feast, we'll run out of food tomorrow."

Tang Lifu continued chopping wood with his axe, saying without looking up, "Don't overthink it. Our eldest sister knows what she's doing. Just follow her instructions."

Miao Yulan nodded, agreeing with her husband's reasoning.

The eldest sister is the head of the family, so even if there are objections, she doesn't dare to argue back.

She picked up the chopped firewood from the ground, turned around and went into the kitchen, where she carefully and neatly arranged it.

Inside the main room, Tang Susu was fanning herself with a worn-out palm-leaf fan to ward off the summer heat.

It was so hot that she was sweating profusely with the slightest movement. She secretly decided that she would take a shower that night no matter what.

Thinking about how she relied entirely on her own two feet to travel into the mountains during the day, leaving her with a sore back, she felt even more that traveling in ancient times was too difficult. She secretly made up her mind: once she had earned enough money, she would buy a horse-drawn carriage to make traveling more convenient.

But then I thought about it again, and realized that the family was missing so many things—cotton clothes and quilts for winter, a new pot for cooking, a new house to shelter them from the wind and rain, plus a horse-drawn carriage, each of which would cost a lot of money.

The ideal was beautiful, but reality was far from ideal, and she couldn't help but sigh.

"Mom! Mom!" Yang Xiaobao ran back from outside, panting, his little face flushed red.

"What's wrong? Why are you in such a panic?" Tang Susu asked, putting down her palm-leaf fan.

"Brother Qiangzi said... he saw my eldest brother and second uncle go to Xihe Village!" Xiao Bao said, leaning against the door frame, panting heavily.

Tang Susu's heart skipped a beat, and she instantly became alert.

Xihe Village was the original owner's maternal home village. Although it was only a short distance from Yangqu Village, the Tang family was large and powerful.

Yesterday, Yang Gousheng and Tang Liqiang suggested going to ask for thirty taels of compensation money. She had clearly opposed it, but she never expected that the two boys would actually take action on their own.

She immediately stood up and called out to Tang Lifu in the yard, "Lifu, stop chopping wood! Come with me!"

Tang Lifu was taken aback: "Sis, where are you going? Dinner will be ready soon."

"Go to Xihe Village! Gousheng and Liqiang went there, they're probably going to get into trouble!" Tang Susu said urgently, grabbing the straw hat by the door and walking quickly outside.

She completely forgot about eating, fearing that if she arrived late, something might happen to her two teenagers.

Upon hearing this, Tang Lifu panicked, threw down his axe, and followed after them.

Braving the scorching sun, the two ran quickly toward Xihe Village.

The sun was so hot it made my skin burn, and the dirt road beneath my feet was scorching hot.

Tang Susu ran until she was out of breath, and she realized even more how difficult it was to have no means of transportation, which made her even more determined to buy a horse-drawn carriage.

Xihe Village is larger and has a larger population than Yangqu Village, but it also suffered from a severe drought. The fields are covered with deep cracks and there is not a trace of greenery.

Tang Susu walked into the Tang family's gate with familiarity and immediately saw a scene that made her heart tighten.

Tang Liqiang and Yang Gousheng were tied to the osmanthus tree in front of the house with thick hemp rope. Under the scorching sun, their lips were cracked and bleeding, their faces were as pale as paper, and their heads were tilted to one side. They were about to dehydrate and faint.

"Liqiang! Gousheng!" Tang Lifu was instantly enraged upon seeing this, and charged over with a roar.

Hearing the sound, Tang Liqiang and Yang Gousheng in the tree opened their eyes with difficulty. When they saw Tang Lifu, hope instantly ignited in their eyes, thinking that their saviors had arrived.

But when they saw Tang Susu standing behind Tang Lifu with a cold expression, their faces changed drastically, and they were instantly terrified.

They had secretly come to the Tang family before to seek justice for the original owner's mistreatment, but each time they returned, they were severely beaten by the original owner.

The original owner had always favored the Tang family, and they were afraid that if they came here on their own this time, they would be beaten again when they returned.

In fact, their visit to the Tang family was also due to their pent-up anger.

Unable to get back the thirty taels of silver, he tried to secretly take some of the Tang family's things to cause them some losses. However, he was caught red-handed by the Tang family as soon as he reached the chicken coop and was tied to a tree.

"Which bastard dares to cause trouble in my Tang family!" Old Mrs. Tang stormed out of the inner room, holding a cane in her hand. When she saw Tang Susu and Tang Lifu, her face darkened even more.

She pointed her cane at the two people in the tree and cursed, "You two little bastards, how dare you kill my only old hen! That hen lays one egg every day, which can be exchanged for a lot of food every month, and it even supports my Chengyu's schooling! You must pay three taels of silver in compensation, or don't even think about taking them away!"

Tang Susu went through the original owner's memories and quickly sorted out the clues.

The original owner's father was originally the son of Old Man Tang's elder brother. Because Old Man Tang and his wife could not have a son, they adopted the original owner's father.

Unexpectedly, just over a year after the adoption, Old Lady Tang gave birth to the original owner's second uncle.

From then on, the original owner's father's life in the Tang family became increasingly difficult, and it was common for him to go hungry and cold.

However, the original owner of this body never learned her lesson and was single-mindedly trying to please the Tang family. She always thought that as long as she did well enough, she would gain the Tang family's acceptance and attention.

"Lifu, go untie the ropes and bring them down." Tang Susu said coldly, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"You dare!" Old Mrs. Tang raised her cane, about to stop Tang Lifu. "These two little bastards, I'm going to tie them up and leave them out in the sun for three days and three nights, without food or water, to teach them a lesson! They dare to touch my Tang family's things, they're tired of living!"

She kept cursing, "Bastard! You son of a bitch! You fatherless brat!"

Tang Lifu stopped and looked at Tang Susu, then at the furious old woman. He hesitated for a moment, unsure of whose opinion to follow.

Tang Susu's eyes turned cold as she glanced at Tang Lifu and demanded sharply, "You dare disobey me?"

Tang Lifu shivered and dared not hesitate any longer. He quickly stepped forward and untied the ropes binding Tang Liqiang and Yang Gousheng in a few moments. He carefully helped the two men to the ground and let them rest against the tree trunk.

"Look at this! Look at this!" Old Mrs. Tang jumped up and down in anger, pointing at Tang Susu and yelling, "It's all your fault for spoiling them! You've let these little brats run wild, daring to come to their parents' house and cause trouble!"

"I teach my own people, what right do outsiders have to interfere?" Tang Susu retorted coldly.

Old Mrs. Tang and Aunt Tang, who had just come out of the house, were both stunned when they heard this.

The Tang Susu before them was completely different from the timid and submissive woman who used to fawn over them.

"Stop your nonsense!" Old Mrs. Tang snapped out of her daze and continued her tantrum. "Three taels of silver in compensation, not a penny less! My chickens can lay eggs for ten years; their value far exceeds three taels!"

Tang Susu curled her lips into a cold smile and nodded insincerely: "Alright, three taels of silver, I'll pay."

Old Mrs. Tang thought she had given in, and a smug look appeared on her face.

But the next second, Tang Susu changed the subject, her voice suddenly rising: "However, I want to settle another score with you. Last year, the thirty taels of silver that Gou Sheng's father risked his life for indemnity were all given to Second Uncle by the original owner."

"After deducting the cost of these three taels of chicken, the Tang family still owes me twenty-seven taels of silver. Tell me, when will they repay this debt?"

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Aunt Tang, who was standing nearby, immediately erupted in anger, jumping out and shouting, "You brought those thirty taels of silver over voluntarily, we didn't steal it! Why should we return it?"

"Given it to me willingly?" Tang Susu scoffed. "Even if it was given to me willingly, can't I ask for it back now? Paying back debts is a matter of course."

She stepped forward, her sharp gaze sweeping over the Tang family members present: "If you don't want to return it, fine. I'll go to the county magistrate right now and ask him whether the Tang family should return the martyr's pension and kidnap his son, and what punishment they should receive!"

She deliberately emphasized the words "martyr" and "kidnapping," her gaze fixed on Aunt Tang: "I want the whole county to know how the Tang family treats the family of a martyr. I wonder if this will affect Cheng Yu's future?"

Tang Chengyu was the son of Tang Ershen and the only student in the Tang family to pass the imperial examinations. He had a very good chance of becoming the first scholar in Xihe Village and was the hope of everyone in the Tang family. What they valued most was Tang Chengyu's reputation, and they would never dare to make a big fuss over thirty taels of silver and affect his career.

Aunt Tang's face turned deathly pale instantly. She stared at Tang Susu in disbelief and shrieked, "You madwoman! You dare go to the county magistrate? Chengyu will never acknowledge you as her sister again!"