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

Tang Chengyu explained to Tang Susu somewhat awkwardly, "It's not that the bed is uncomfortable, it's that I was thinking about things during the night and didn't sleep well."

Just as Tang Susu was about to reply, she turned her head and saw that Miao Yulan had actually gotten up and was standing in the corner of the courtyard, instead of obediently resting in bed.

Seeing her looking over, Miao Yulan smiled and said, "Su Su, I feel much better. I have plenty of energy. I want to wash the clothes I've been saving up first, then go back to bed. I promise it won't delay my rest or cause any problems."

Tang Susu carefully observed Miao Yulan's expression and saw that her complexion was rosy and her eyes were bright, which did not seem like she was still sick. She thought to herself: The medicine I bought on the trading platform is indeed very effective.

Once Miao Yulan has fully recovered, Yang Houcai's matter will be over, and he should leave.

She didn't rush to urge Yang Houcai about his matter, but turned around and went into the kitchen to slowly prepare breakfast.

For breakfast, I made fried eggs with knife-cut noodles. Tang Susu specially fried an extra fried egg for Tang Chengyu.

The four boys were so enticed by the delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen that they quickly washed up in a row and sat around the dining table, chattering away as they waited for the meal to be served. The lively atmosphere dispelled the morning chill.

Tang Chengyu looked at the single poached egg in his bowl, then at the other children's bowls which only contained knife-cut noodles. He felt that eating one egg by himself was too much, so he picked up his chopsticks and divided the egg into several equal portions, which he then distributed to Yang Xiaobao, Tang Liqiang, and the others present.

Yang Xiaobao took a bite of the poached egg, the tender flavor spreading in his mouth, and immediately exclaimed happily, "Uncle Yu is so good!"

Seeing this, Yang Gousheng lightly patted him on the back of the head and complained, "You got captured with just this little bit of food? You're so pathetic."

Yang Xiaobao rubbed the back of his head, looking aggrieved, and muttered softly, "Ouch..."

After the meal, Tang Susu arranged for Tang Liqiang to stay home and wash the dishes, while Tang Lifu and Yang Gousheng loaded the prepared jelly into the car. She then turned and walked towards the banyan tree to deal with Yang Houcai's matter.

At this time, the dawn had not yet completely dispelled the darkness of night. Under the banyan tree, Houcai's wife leaned against the trunk, and Yang Houcai rested his head in her arms, his eyes closed, in a daze.

Hearing footsteps, Houcai's wife suddenly opened her eyes and saw that it was Tang Susu. She quickly stood up and said in a flustered and anxious tone, "Yang... Yang's husband, is Yang Fujun really going to kill my Houcai? He had nightmares all night, and his fever hasn't gone down. He's all listless."

Tang Susu didn't respond. She first went to the switch of the electric fence to cut off the power before approaching Yang Houcai to observe him.

She glanced at him and judged that Yang Houcai was just frightened and was not seriously injured. She even thought to herself: It would be better to scare him hard, so that these idiots in the village wouldn't come and cause trouble for no reason.

She spoke calmly, informing Houcai's wife, "Don't worry, Miao Yulan's child is safe. Gousheng's father doesn't intend to pursue the matter any further. You can take him away."

Upon hearing this, Yang Houcai slowly raised his head, lowered his head, and said to Tang Susu in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry."

Hou Cai's wife had grown up doing heavy work and was quite strong. She simply lifted Yang Hou Cai up and carried him on her back, hurrying out of the village.

A crowd of villagers gathered to watch the commotion, and as Yang Houcai was taken away, they began to discuss the matter.

"Previously, it was impossible to get close to this big banyan tree, but now we can just walk in freely?"

"It must be because Li Fu's wife is alright and Yang Fujun is no longer angry that he let Yang Houcai go."

A few curious villagers were itching to go closer and see what secrets the ground held.

Tang Susu felt a pang of anxiety, worried that the villagers might dig into the ground out of curiosity and damage her electric fence—she had other uses for it and planned to retrieve it later that evening.

She didn't say much, silently walked back and reconnected the power, then turned to look at the villagers watching and casually reminded them, "Everyone should be careful, Gou Sheng's father is still watching this place."

After saying that, she walked away.

Most of the villagers were intimidated by her words and dared not approach her easily anymore.

But Zheng, fearless and reckless, didn't take the warning to heart at all. He nonchalantly took two steps forward, and as soon as he touched the weeds near the fence, he was struck by an electric current that made his whole body go numb. He cried out "Ouch!" and jumped back.

He rubbed his numb arm, muttering to himself, "Could it really be a ghost?"

He became increasingly convinced that only Tang Susu could get close to this place because "Yang Fujun was protecting her in secret," which completely dispelled any thoughts of overstepping his bounds.

When Tang Susu returned home, all the jelly had already been loaded onto the oxcart.

Because there were so many wooden buckets of jelly that the oxcart couldn't fit them all, the people found some clean wooden planks, placed them on top of the buckets, stacked them on top of each other, and then tied them tightly with strong ropes to prevent the goods from tipping over during transport.

With all that loading, the oxcart was packed to the brim, leaving no room for anyone to sit.

Tang Susu, Yang Gousheng, and Tang Chengyu had no choice but to follow the oxcart on foot to deliver the goods.

Qianjiang Town and Qintang Town are not far from Yangqu Village, but they are in different directions from Dongtai Town and Jiangtou Town.

Yang Defu, who was driving the oxcart, suggested, "Let's go to Qianjiang Town first, and then go to Jiangtou Town after we finish delivering the goods. This way we can avoid backtracking and save time."

Tang Susu nodded in agreement: "Let's do it your way."

The cooperation between businesses in Qianjiang Town and Qintang Town was agreed upon in advance by the village head.

In addition to delivering the goods, Tang Susu also finalized the daily order quantity and settlement price with each merchant during this visit, confirming the details repeatedly to ensure that subsequent cooperation would proceed smoothly with payment and delivery settled on time.

This delivery involved many merchants, and the process was relatively complicated.

Tang Susu specifically called Yang Gousheng to her side and instructed him to carefully record the delivery details and settlement information for each household. She then solemnly told him, "From now on, I'll be in charge of delivering jelly and managing these business matters."

Yang Gousheng's eyes lit up, and he nodded emphatically: "Mom, don't worry, I'll definitely take good care of her!"

After delivering the cold noodles to the last two restaurants in Qianjiang Town—Linjia Restaurant and Zuiyuefang—Tang Susu, along with Yang Gousheng and Tang Chengyu, headed straight for Renningtang.

Before he even reached the entrance of Renning Hall, many passersby noticed Tang Chengyu, pointing and whispering among themselves.

"Isn't this Tang Chengyu, the one who was expelled from Chongwentang? I heard he got caught cheating on the exam, how dare he still show his face?"

"This is a disgrace to the dignity of scholars. If it were me, I would have found a place to hide long ago. How could I have the face to wander around this town?"

"I guess he was too ashamed to go near Chongwentang anymore, so he came here instead..."

Tang Chengyu bit her lip tightly, her face turning red and white in turns, her expression extremely embarrassed, and she subconsciously slowed her pace.

Tang Susu heard all these discussions clearly and instantly understood—Tang Chengyu's decision to give up school was not because he lacked money, but for another reason: he had been accused of cheating.

She recalled Tang Chengyu's seriousness and reverence for the classics when he explained the Three Character Classic last night, and felt that such a person did not seem like someone who would cheat.

But with so many people around, it wasn't the right time to ask questions. So she suppressed her doubts, pretended not to hear the gossip, reached out and tugged at Tang Chengyu's arm, and walked straight into Renning Hall.

Tang Chengyu had just reached the counter and hadn't even had a chance to speak when the manager of Renningtang spoke first, his tone apologetic yet resolute: "Chengyu, I'm really sorry, but you've been expelled from the school. We can no longer sell the books you copied before, and our previous cooperation on copying books has to be terminated."

Tang Chengyu's body stiffened slightly, and the color drained from his face instantly.

He had collaborated with Renningtang on copying books for many years, thinking it was his way out after failing the imperial examinations, but unexpectedly, even this way out was blocked.

Seeing his distraught state, the shopkeeper lowered his voice and whispered in his ear, "I know your character; you're upright and honest, and you would never cheat. You've been wronged, and you need to find a way to prove your innocence as soon as possible, otherwise you won't have the chance to participate in the imperial examinations next year, not only now."

Tang Chengyu clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, his heart filled with helplessness and bitterness.

Born into a poor peasant family, he was powerless and powerless, utterly powerless to contend with the sons of wealthy and powerful families. Moreover, he was proud and aloof, unwilling to stoop to begging for favors.

Since the shopkeeper had clearly refused, he didn't press the matter further. He nodded slightly to the shopkeeper, turned around, and silently walked out of Renning Hall.

Tang Susu followed closely behind and deliberately asked him in front of him, "You said you wanted to copy books at Renning Hall to pay off your debts. Have you discussed it with the manager? When can I come to collect the money for the settlement?"

Tang Chengyu stopped in his tracks, turned around, and said with a hint of frustration, "The cooperation with Renningtang is not going to work out. I guess I'll have to find another job."

Seeing his dejected look, Tang Susu gently comforted him, "It's alright, don't worry, we can take our time and look around later. We'll find a suitable job eventually."

Afterwards, Tang Susu took the two of them to the town's general store to buy a batch of new buckets and basins to store the jelly.

She bought a total of 15 buckets and 15 basins. After paying, Tang Chengyu offered to help carry them, wanting to do more to make up for it.

But he had been studying all his life and had never done such physical labor before. As soon as he picked up the stacked buckets and basins, he lost his grip and they all fell to the ground with a crash.

Fortunately, the utensils in the general store were of good quality, and the fall did not damage them.

Upon seeing this, Yang Gousheng immediately frowned and became angry, unable to help but complain, "Don't cause trouble here. Just watch from the side and don't block the way!"

He muttered to himself: Uncle Yu is very knowledgeable, but he's too clumsy when it comes to work. If he can't continue his studies in the future, with this kind of strength, he probably won't even be able to support himself.

Tang Susu glared at Yang Gousheng, signaling him to shut up, then turned to Tang Chengyu and softly suggested, "Chengyu, I have an idea, and I'd like to ask if you'd be willing."

Tang Chengyu raised her head, her eyes filled with a hint of confusion: "Big sister, what do you say?"

"I would like to ask you to be my teacher," Tang Susu said directly.

Tang Chengyu smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Elder sister, you don't know this, only those with the title of Xiucai or above can serve as teachers in Chongwen Hall. Most of the other schools in the area were also founded by Xiucai, so they don't need to recruit extra teachers. I... I am not qualified to be a teacher."

He lowered his head, his eyes downcast, filled with helplessness and resentment.

If he were to return to Xihe Village to do farm work, he would be stuck in the fields for the rest of his life, and all his years of hard study would be in vain. He was really unwilling to accept this, but he had no other choice.

Seeing this, Tang Susu directly stated: "I'm not asking you to go to the school to be a teacher, but to come to my house to teach Lifu, Liqiang, Gousheng, and Xiaobao, to read, do arithmetic, and learn those classic principles."

Then, she offered her debt settlement plan: "You said you owed me sixty taels of silver. I'll give you five taels a month, and you'll work as my tutor for a year. That will completely pay off the debt. What do you say?"

Tang Susu had already made her plans: the tutor at Chongwentang earned about seven taels of silver a month, but he was a scholar; Tang Chengyu, although he hadn't passed the imperial examination, was far more knowledgeable than the average tutor, so five taels a month was reasonable.

Moreover, if the four children were sent to school, each child would have to pay at least one tael of silver per month for tuition, which would amount to forty-eight taels a year, and they might not even learn anything.

Hiring Tang Chengyu as a private tutor seems to cost sixty taels a year, but in reality, it's offset by "an outstanding debt that doesn't have a clear breakdown." Not only do you not have to spend real money, but you can also help your children learn something. No matter how you look at it, it's a win-win situation.

After listening, Tang Chengyu hesitated for only a moment before nodding vigorously, her eyes regaining their light: "I'm willing! Thank you, elder sister!"

He knew in his heart that at least half of the money he had spent on his schooling over the years had been given to him by Tang Susu.

This debt settlement was not only reasonable, but also gave him an opportunity to repay the kindness shown to him.