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

Lu Hao, carrying two heavy bundles, rushed breathlessly to the oxcart. Old Mrs. Yang quickly got up and helped him lift the bundles onto the cart, teasingly saying with a smile, "Hao'er, how much did you buy? You're all sweaty!"

Lu Hao wiped the sweat from his face, proudly opened the package, revealing fifty neatly arranged sets of writing implements inside, and said with a proud tone, "Auntie, I bought fifty sets of writing implements. I'll go back and give them to all the children in the village who go to school, so they can all have decent paper and pens to write with!"

Tang Susu glanced at him, a half-smile on her face, and said, "I remember you said you were only going back to the county office to change into clean clothes. How come you bought so much stuff? Did you forget your clean clothes, the food you wanted to eat, and the 520 copper coins you earned at the county office?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Hao froze for a moment, then slapped his forehead in frustration, exclaiming, "Oh dear! I was so busy buying writing materials for the children that I completely forgot about this!"

As he spoke, he looked aggrieved, wishing he could immediately go back to the county office to get it.

Tang Susu couldn't help but laugh at his childish appearance: "Alright, don't be upset. We can go back and get it next time we go to town. Let's bring these things back to the village first."

Lu Hao could only nod and get into the car with a reluctant expression.

The oxcart slowly started, bumping along the way, heading towards Yangqu Village. As agreed, it first went around to Old Lady Yang's house to unload her supplies.

Upon arriving at Old Lady Yang's house, Old Lady Yang, Yang Fuqiang, and Yang Fugui immediately stepped forward and hurriedly carried the grain, cloth, needles, thread, and other miscellaneous items from the cart into their home.

Several young children, hearing the commotion, gathered around, tiptoeing to peek into the bundle with longing in their eyes. They whispered, "Mommy, is there meat to eat? Is there something delicious?"

Grandpa Yang came out leaning on his cane. When he saw the pork in the package, his eyes lit up instantly. He smiled and said, "Great! Great! I bought pork. Tonight, I'll stew this whole pound of meat so the children can have a good meal and satisfy their cravings!"

Old Mrs. Yang scolded, "You old man, all you know is how to be extravagant! A whole pound of meat stewed like that, how are we supposed to make ends meet?"

He said that, but didn't stop them. Instead, he turned around and instructed Wen and Fangjuan: "You two, go to the kitchen and stew the meat. Add some radishes and bones, and make it fragrant. Make sure everyone in the family has soup to drink."

Wen and Fangjuan quickly responded, picked up the pork, and hurried into the kitchen to get busy.

Old Mrs. Yang then took out a bag of cheap peach shortbread from her bosom, unwrapped it, and distributed it to the children surrounding her. Each child received a small piece and ate it with relish, their faces full of joy.

Madam Shen stepped closer, her eyes falling on the fabric beside her. She whispered, "Mother, that fabric looks nice. Could I have a piece too? I want to make a new dress for the child."

Old Mrs. Yang immediately frowned, waved her hand, and refused firmly: "No! This fabric was specially bought by Su Su for your parents-in-law to make new clothes for autumn and winter as a filial gesture. I can't give it to you. If you want fabric, you can save up to buy it yourself later."

Disappointment showed on Shen's face, but she dared not say anything more and could only retreat to the side in a huff.

Old Mrs. Yang carefully put away the remaining needles and thread and coarse salt, and then carried the millet, black flour and other coarse grains she had exchanged into the granary, carefully arranged them neatly, and locked the granary door—this grain was the lifeline of the whole family for the next six months, and could not be taken lightly or wasted in the slightest.

After settling the supplies at Granny Yang's house, everyone boarded the oxcart and returned to Tang Susu's house.

Tang Susu walked into the courtyard and took out the grain and cloth she had exchanged from her basket. She smiled and announced to everyone in the courtyard, "Everyone has worked hard during this time. I bought some cloth and plan to make two sets of clothes for everyone in the family, one outer coat and one inner garment, to keep them warm and comfortable."

As she spoke, she divided the fabric into several pieces, separating out two pieces of mid-range fabric. "These two pieces are for Yu'er and Young Master Lu. Yu'er is a scholar, and Young Master Lu is a guest. Dressing more respectably will suit their status."

Then, she took out another package, opened it, and found five pounds of pork and a bunch of offal inside. She said to Tang Lifu, "Lifu, clean all this pork and offal thoroughly. I'll cook some fresh dishes tonight to improve everyone's meals."

As she spoke, she took out the tofu, bean sprouts, and various seasonings she had bought, "And these too, we'll use them tonight, let's have a good meal."

Tang Lifu quickly agreed, picked up the pork and offal, and went to the well in the corner of the yard to wash them carefully.

While everyone was distracted, Tang Susu used her basket to conceal herself and quietly opened the trading platform. She spent a small amount of silver to buy a new pot, which she hid in the basket. She planned to make braised pork that night. If it tasted good, she could develop a new business, selling braised pork to earn money and supplement her family's income.

As soon as he finished tidying up, Lu Hao carried the stationery he had bought to the center of the courtyard and proudly showed it off: "Yu'er, Sister Su Su, look, I bought fifty sets of stationery. They're all made of inexpensive but durable Kaihua paper, so they won't easily break when the children use them."

Tang Chengyu stepped forward, picked up a set of writing implements, examined them carefully, and a look of surprise appeared on his face: "You actually bought so many? This must have cost a lot of money!"

"Not much, not much," Lu Hao waved his hand and said seriously, "I think it's unfair that only two people can get the exam rewards you mentioned before. The other children can only watch enviously, which must be upsetting for them. I was thinking, why not distribute these writing materials to all the children in class, so that everyone can have paper and pens to write and study?"

Tang Chengyu frowned, looking troubled—he knew Lu Hao meant well, but if everyone received it, the previously established reward mechanism would lose its meaning, and the children probably wouldn't study hard or strive for rankings anymore.

But he couldn't directly refuse Lu Hao's kindness, after all, Lu Hao genuinely cared about the children.

As the two were locked in a stalemate, Tang Susu walked over, smiling, and began to speak slowly, using the rotten egg as an example: "Young Master Lu, your intentions are good, but have you ever considered that the easier something is to obtain, the less children will cherish it? Like that rotten egg you had before, it was a reward you earned through your own hard work, so you treasured it and kept it close to your heart, reluctant to eat it; but if I had given it to you directly, you probably wouldn't have cared about it so much."

She paused, her tone becoming serious: "Giving things away directly may seem like a kind gesture, but it's actually a low-level form of charity. It not only fails to encourage children to learn, but it also fosters a habit of getting something for nothing, which is detrimental to their future development."

As she spoke, she offered a suggestion: "I think it would be better to keep all these writing implements as prizes for the exams. After the exams are over in three days, whether it's Class A or Class B, as long as they do well, they can receive the corresponding writing implements. Moreover, the same prize cannot be received repeatedly. This way, we can encourage the children to study hard and strive for good rankings, and also let them understand that only by putting in the effort can they get what they want."

Yang Xiaobao and Yang Gousheng, who were playfully fighting around the writing implements, stopped what they were doing when they heard Tang Susu's words. They agreed and said, "Sister Susu is right! We should rely on our own exams to win the writing implements!"

Lu Hao thought about it carefully and realized that Tang Susu's words made a lot of sense. He hadn't considered things thoroughly before, only thinking of the good intentions but overlooking the drawbacks. He nodded and said with a smile, "Okay, let's do as Sister Susu says! Later, I'll go and tell all the children in the village who are in class to study hard and strive for good grades so they can receive the Four Treasures of the Study!"

After agreeing on the terms, Tang Susu carried the pork, offal, and seasonings into the kitchen.

By this time, Tang Lifu had already cleaned the pig offal thoroughly—including large intestine, pig head, pig liver, pig heart, and pig lungs—and arranged them neatly.

Looking at the cleaned ingredients, Tang Susu smiled and said, "Perfect! These offal are perfect for making braised pork. If it tastes good, we can sell braised pork and earn extra income."

She took out the new pot she had just bought from the trading platform from her basket, placed it on the stove, and started a fire while busily preparing braised meat, stir-fried vegetables, and cooked rice. Her hands and feet moved quickly and methodically.

Miao Yulan wanted to help, but Tang Susu quickly stopped her, saying gently, "Yulan, you're pregnant and it's not convenient for you to do much work. Just sit here and help me pass things. Don't tire yourself out."

Hearing this, Miao Yulan felt a warmth in her heart, nodded, and obediently sat to the side, helping Tang Susu pass on the seasonings and tend the fire.

While braising the meat, Tang Susu explained to Miao Yulan, "Look, these are star anise, bay leaves, and cinnamon. They make the braised meat especially fragrant, but these spices are hard to find and expensive. Since we don't have chili peppers, we'll use dogwood instead. The taste is just as good. Next spring, we'll plant some dogwood and spices in the yard. It will be convenient to use them later and we can save some money."

Miao Yulan listened attentively and memorized everything.

Then, Tang Susu verbally explained the steps, and Miao Yulan helped with the operation. Before long, several fragrant dishes were prepared one after another—half of the pork was used to marinate, and the other half was used to make stir-fried twice-cooked pork, as well as pork blood tofu soup, stir-fried bean sprouts, and egg and lean pork soup. Each dish was so fragrant that it made one's mouth water.

Before we knew it, dinner was all prepared.

Tang Lifu and Tang Chengyu quickly moved the table into the yard, while Tang Susu brought out the prepared dishes one by one, filling the entire table and filling the yard with their aroma.

The children, already impatient, gathered around the table, savoring the snacks Tang Susu had given them. Their faces were beaming with satisfaction as they ate, exclaiming, "It smells so good! I'm sure I can eat two big bowls of rice tonight!"

Lu Hao and Tang Chengyu also came over, looking at the dishes on the table with expectant expressions on their faces. They sat down and waited for the meal to start.