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

After listening to Tang Susu's words, the village head nodded in agreement.

He finally understood that although Yangqu Village now had a good harvest and seemed prosperous, it had actually become a "bird that sticks out its head".

Most of the surrounding villages suffer from water shortages and crop failures, so they inevitably feel envious and jealous of Yangqu Village. If they are not careful, they may bring disaster upon themselves.

At the same time, he also realized that the promotion of ditch digging for water diversion cannot be generalized and must be combined with the actual situation of each village.

Finding water sources is no easy task, and forcibly promoting them will only backfire.

The village head remembered his original plan: to have Yang Gousheng and his biological son help the county magistrate find water sources and plan the ditch digging route free of charge.

After Tang Susu pointed it out, he suddenly realized that rushing to help was completely worthless.

Only when the county magistrate is overwhelmed and at his wit's end by the promotion efforts, and Yangqu Village steps in to help, can the true value of their assistance be realized.

This would not only make the county magistrate owe a favor, but also allow the village to legitimately secure funding.

The village head also took the matter of the patrol team to heart.

He had indeed been negligent before, always thinking that once the rice was planted and the water source was stable, everything would be fine.

But they forgot that disaster years are the most prone to trouble, and the task of patrolling the villages must not be neglected.

We must treat village patrols as a serious matter and pay the team members to ensure they take it seriously.

Tang Susu proposed applying to the county magistrate for incentive funds to promote the irrigation system, specifically to support the village patrol teams.

This idea shocked the village head, who then wholeheartedly agreed with it.

I never knew there was a legitimate way to make money. I was really stuck in a rut before.

Tang Susu said goodbye to the village head and walked quickly home.

As soon as you enter the yard, you can see a large patch of tender green shoots sprouting from the vegetable garden in the front yard.

A surge of anticipation welled up inside me; once these vegetables grow well, our plates will be filled with more vegetables.

The courtyard was full of life: two hens, Big Flower and Little Flower, were foraging for food in a corner with a group of ducklings, while the rooster at the gate crowed proudly.

Tang Lifu was busy in the field behind the house, while Yang Gousheng was watering the vegetable garden with a water ladle.

Tang Liqiang squatted by the woodshed gathering firewood, while Yang Xiaobao squatted by the chicken coop, pouring wild vegetables into the feeding trough to prepare to feed the chickens and ducks.

This scene warmed Tang Susu's heart.

Inside the main room, Miao Yulan was sitting on a small stool chopping vegetables.

Hearing the noise, he looked up and saw that it was Tang Susu who had returned. He quickly put down the kitchen knife and tried to get up.

Tang Susu quickly walked over and pressed her down: "Sit down and rest. Go back to your room and continue making your clothes. I'll make dinner."

Miao Yulan said a little embarrassedly, "Big sister, I'm much better now, I can manage cooking."

"No." Tang Susu said firmly, "The most important thing for you right now is to rest well and recharge your energy."

If you don't get enough rest, and something goes wrong, you'll have to spend money to see a doctor and get medicine, which costs a lot of money.

Besides, you'll have plenty of time to cook after you give birth, so a few more days won't make a difference.

She said that, but she was actually making plans in her heart.

Miao Yulan's pregnancy has only just stabilized; she absolutely must not overexert herself.

But we can't let her do absolutely nothing, otherwise she'll inevitably feel burdened and like she's a liability.

After she recovers in a few days, we'll arrange some light work like sewing and shelling seeds.

Tang Susu rarely cooked in her previous life, but she had watched many cooking videos and had a wealth of theoretical knowledge.

After being here for more than ten days, I've learned how to cook with firewood by trial and error.

She first cooked a large pot of white rice, then took out the lotus roots she had dug up earlier to stir-fry.

The fire in the wood-fired stove was too strong, and as soon as the oil was heated, hot oil splattered and burned the back of my hand.

The pain made her gasp, but she didn't dare to delay. She quickly picked up the spatula and stir-fried the lotus root, afraid of burning it.

After a flurry of activity, four dishes were finally laid out on the table.

The dishes included stir-fried lotus root (with slightly charred edges), mushroom and egg soup, stir-fried wild vegetables (on the salty side), and a large bowl of steaming white rice.

The family sat around the table for dinner, and no one complained about the taste of the food; on the contrary, they ate it ravenously.

Before long, they finished all the food on the table.

After the meal, Miao Yulan hesitated for a long time before nervously suggesting, "Big sister, let me cook from now on. Salt is very precious and shouldn't be wasted."

She was afraid that Tang Susu would add too much salt next time.

After all, in those famine years, salt was a luxury item.

Tang Susu smiled and shook her head: "You can rest assured and take a few more days of rest after you finish the rest of your pregnancy-preserving medicine."

"I'll take care of the cooking; you don't need to worry about the salt."

She still insisted that Miao Yulan rest and recuperate.

After dinner, according to the previously arranged division of labor, Yang Gousheng was responsible for cleaning up the dishes.

Before it got completely dark, the whole family immediately got to work making the jelly.

Tomorrow we need to supply 700 servings of jelly, which is seven buckets, requiring more than three kilograms of lantern seeds. The task is truly arduous.

Miao Yulan had already accepted the nineteen catties of lantern fruit that the village children had brought her during the day, and had settled the bill on the spot.

She wasn't idle during the day either, cutting and sewing clothes while peeling lantern seeds.

Although the work is simple, it requires a great deal of patience and a long sitting time.

She was so tired that her back ached, but even so, she peeled nearly three pounds of fruit in one day.

The division of labor in making jelly was quickly clarified:

Tang Susu is responsible for boiling water to soak the lantern seeds (which requires a lot of boiled water), and also for filtering out the jelly residue to improve the appearance and taste.

Yang Gousheng was strong and was responsible for fetching water from the pool halfway up the mountain.

After the lantern seeds are soaked, Tang Lifu is responsible for rubbing out the pectin inside.

After working for a while, Tang Susu realized that she didn't have enough buckets and basins at home.

So he told Yang Xiaobao to take two copper coins to the old Yang family's ancestral home to borrow two pairs of buckets and two wooden basins.

Also, have him deliver the wages for Lanxia's help tending the chickens and ducks today—the wages must be settled immediately so that people can work with peace of mind.

Clutching two copper coins, Yang Xiaobao skipped and hopped towards Old Yang's house.

The sun had not yet completely set, and a lingering orange-red glow remained on the horizon.

The courtyard of Old Yang's house was very lively, with the whole family sitting around busy at work.

Wen was picking vegetables, Yang Fugui was chopping firewood, Shen was mending clothes, and Fangjuan was washing clothes.

Several children were playing nearby, and the adults chatted occasionally, creating a lively atmosphere.

As soon as Old Mrs. Yang saw Yang Xiaobao, she immediately put down what she was doing and greeted him warmly, "Xiaobao's here? Come over and have some water."

Yang Xiaobao obediently stepped forward and handed over two copper coins: "Grandma, this is the money Lanxia is paid for helping our family with chores today. One coin is for you, and one coin is for Lanxia."

Lanxia quickly came over, took the copper coin, and handed it to her mother, Wen.

Wen carefully stuffed the copper coin into her pocket and instructed Lanxia, ​​"Go to your third aunt's house to work tomorrow. You must work hard and help dig up lots of wild vegetables. I'll save this copper coin for you as part of your dowry later."

Lan Xia nodded, blushing.

Watching from the side, Madam Shen was filled with envy and couldn't help but make sarcastic remarks: "Third sister-in-law is really generous these days, getting paid for doing just a little work. Our Fugui works himself to the bone in the fields every day, but he doesn't even see a penny of money."

The implication was that the wages should have belonged to the second wife.

Old Mrs. Yang had reminded Mrs. Shen about this matter several times before.

Seeing her still making sarcastic remarks, he was furious, but he suppressed his anger and didn't lash out.

He then asked Yang Xiaobao, "Xiaobao, besides delivering wages, is there anything else?"

"Yes, milk," Yang Xiaobao said, tilting his little face up. "My mom asked me to borrow two pairs of buckets and two large wooden basins. We need them to make jelly at home."

Old Mrs. Yang's attitude towards Tang Susu has long since changed.

Lately, Tang Susu has been bringing food over from time to time, and she's become much more sensible and understanding in her dealings with others than before.

Old Mrs. Yang was quite pleased that he was no longer as foolish and calculating as before.

She readily nodded: "Okay, you can have it. Dafu, Erfu, you two help carry the bucket and basin to Third Aunt's house."

"Mother, no!" Madam Shen quickly stepped forward to stop him. "Fugui will need to fetch water when he comes back tonight. If we lend out the buckets, what will he use?"

Yang Fugui put down his wood-chopping knife, frowned, and retorted, "There's still a large vat of water in the house, and two buckets of water in the corner. That's enough. Don't cause trouble here."

Speechless after being rebuked, Shen pinched Yang Fugui hard in anger.

She turned around and stormed into the house.

Yang Fugui winced in pain and muttered a few curses at her retreating figure.

Then he said to Old Lady Yang, "Mother, don't pay attention to her, let her think what she wants. You'd better hurry up and weave me a pair of straw sandals. I work barefoot every day, and my feet are almost blistered."