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

Under the banyan tree, Yang Houcai curled up on the ground, sometimes unconscious, sometimes convulsing, his mouth repeating incoherently, begging Yang Fujun for forgiveness, his voice hoarse like a broken gong rubbed with sandpaper.

His mother sat on the earthen slope outside the banyan tree, her eyes swollen and red like ripe walnuts. Her cries were mournful and desperate as she repeatedly lamented to the villagers who had gathered around, "It's all my fault, all my fault! This child has been naughty and mischievous since he was little, and he's done plenty of petty theft. I always thought he was still young and couldn't bear to discipline him strictly, so I spoiled and indulged him, which led to his lawless nature and caused this disaster today..."

As dawn broke and the sky gradually brightened, a dense crowd of villagers had already gathered under the banyan tree.

The people gathered in the safe area, whispering and discussing amongst themselves, their expressions varied.

"This must be Yang Fujun's spirit appearing! Yang Houcai has committed so many evil deeds, bullying a widow and her child, and even pushing down the pregnant Miao Yulan. He's probably going to die here!"

"Serves him right! Good and evil will be rewarded in the end; he should have been punished long ago!"

"It's kind of scary, really. The spirits of the deceased protecting the home—I'd only ever heard of such things in plays before, I never imagined it would actually happen in our village..."

Amid the discussions, there was a mix of pleasure, fear, and an inexplicable chill that sent shivers down many people's spines, causing them to instinctively take a step back.

Tang Susu pushed through the crowd and went closer to check on Yang Houcai's condition.

She could tell at a glance that Yang Houcai's face was pale with an abnormal flush, and his breathing was rapid, which was probably caused by excessive fear leading to a high fever.

She softened her tone and said to everyone, "I have already spoken with Dog-Sheng's father. Considering our past relationship, we can allow someone to enter the banyan tree area to take care of him."

Upon hearing this, Yang Houcai's mother immediately struggled to her feet, crying as she rushed forward to volunteer, "I'll go! I'll go take care of my son!"

Tang Susu shook her head and calmly refused, "You're too old, your body can't take the strain. If something unexpected happens, it won't be good. Let's find someone else."

She knew perfectly well that if the old man accidentally got electrocuted, it would not only be impossible to clean up the mess, but it would also ruin Yang Fujun's reputation for "miraculous intervention," which would be a huge loss.

In the back row of the crowd, Lan secretly squeezed in, peeking around to check the situation.

She secretly hoped that Yang Houcai would get better—after all, Yang Houcai had given her the most copper coins, and if something happened to him, no one in the village would dare to approach her in the future.

But her little actions didn't escape the villagers' eyes, and someone immediately started commotion: "Widow Lan, aren't you and Yang Houcai getting along really well? Why aren't you going up to take care of him?"

Madam Lan turned pale with fright and waved her hands repeatedly in denial: "Don't talk nonsense! I have absolutely nothing to do with him!"

After she finished speaking, she turned her head and ran away without looking back, afraid of being implicated.

Just then, Houcai's wife squeezed out from the crowd.

Her complexion was still terrible, her whole body shrouded in a grayish-blue gloom, and the dark circles under her eyes were so heavy they looked like ink smears, clearly indicating that she hadn't rested well for days.

But her eyes were firm, and without the slightest hesitation, she walked straight toward the banyan tree.

Seeing this, Tang Susu felt slightly disappointed—she had thought that Houcai's wife would completely give up on Yang Houcai after experiencing the affair and framing, but she didn't expect that she still had hope for this man.

Although she didn't agree, she also understood that in this era, most women depended on men for their livelihood, and it was indeed not easy to completely break free.

She quietly pressed the switch hidden in her sleeve, cutting off the power. After Hou Cai's wife safely entered the banyan tree area, she quietly turned the power back on.

Yang Houcai, though in a coma, was still somewhat conscious.

He squinted his heavy eyelids, and after recognizing his wife as the one standing before him, he managed to squeeze out a few words in a hoarse voice: "Wife... if Yang Fujun is willing to let me go... I promise I'll live a good life with you from now on... and never do anything reckless again..."

Hou Cai's wife's lips twitched slightly, but she didn't respond. Instead, she turned to Yang Hou Cai's mother, who was standing outside, and instructed her, "Go to Doctor Zhang's house and buy some antipyretic medicine. Once it's brewed, bring it over as soon as possible."

The villagers who had been watching the commotion gradually dispersed when they saw that there was nothing new going on.

However, everyone was filled with unease, and their belief in the "spirit of their deceased husband" grew stronger.

Just as the rising sun peeked over the horizon, a horse-drawn carriage sped to the village entrance and came to a steady stop.

The villagers immediately recognized that the driver was the county magistrate's coachman, and the people who got out of the car were the village head, Yang Yongchen, Liu Yingcai, Yang Youpeng, Yang Gousheng, and the other five who had gone to find a water source earlier.

"The village head has returned!"

"The water seekers have returned!"

The villagers gasped and crowded around.

Everyone noticed that the five men had set off in tattered, patched clothes, but when they returned, they had all changed into brand-new blue shirts made of sturdy material.

Although everyone had lost weight, had dark circles under their eyes, and looked tired, their eyes were full of excitement.

The villagers surrounded them, admiring their brand-new clothes and gossiping about the rumors: "We heard you can earn a hundred copper coins a day by searching for water? That's five hundred copper coins in five days, a full five qian of silver, enough to get a wife!"

The village head was the first to alight from the carriage. He dusted himself off and loudly ordered the villagers, "All villagers, gather under the big banyan tree for a meeting! There's important news to announce!"

The villagers became even more excited upon hearing this—at the previous two village meetings, the village head had brought good news about lotus roots and water sources, and this time it was sure to be another huge boon.

The villagers, surrounding the village head, walked in a grand procession towards the big banyan tree.

He had only gone halfway when the village head's wife hurriedly came up to him, leaned close to his ear, and recounted in detail all the filth Yang Houcai had done recently, including breaking into the Tang family's house at night, harming a pregnant woman, and having an affair with Lan Shi.

The village head's face instantly turned ashen, his eyes wide with rage, and he gritted his teeth as he roared, "That shameless bastard!"

As the village chief and also the head of the Yang family, he held immense prestige. He said in a deep voice, "If he weren't a member of the Yang family and hadn't disgraced the family, I would have expelled him from the village! Even if he had survived this time, he must have been removed from the Yang family genealogy and never recorded again!"

By this time, the villagers had gradually gathered under the banyan tree.

On one side was a bustling crowd, full of anticipation; on the other side lay Yang Houcai, barely alive, with his wife feeding him medicine little by little.

The village headman, ignoring Yang Houcai's disdain, walked straight to the earthen platform beside the banyan tree. Standing on the high ground, he loudly announced the good news to the crowd: "Fellow villagers! I have great news to share! Our Yangqu Village water-finding team has lived up to expectations and found thirteen groundwater sources! These water sources will not only solve our village's irrigation problem but also benefit more than thirty villages throughout the county, saving countless crops! To commend our achievements, the county magistrate has specially awarded Yangqu Village sixty taels of silver!"

He paused, then added, "Originally, based on four taels per water source, the compensation should have been fifty-two taels. However, the county magistrate, grateful for the team members' tireless work through the night, gave them an extra eight taels!"

"Sixty taels of silver!"

The villagers instantly erupted in excitement, exclaiming in astonishment.

"My God! I've never seen so much money in my life!"

"With this money, life will be much better for our village!"

Some even joked with the village head, "Village head, you've become the richest man in our village now!"

The village head raised his hand to silence the murmurs, and solemnly emphasized, "Everyone, quiet down! This sixty taels of silver doesn't belong to me personally, nor to the water-finding team members; it's the collective property of our Yangqu Village!"

His gaze inadvertently swept over Tang Susu, and he thought to himself: This money should rightfully belong to Tang Susu's family—after all, the suggestion to find water and the preparation of tools were mostly her ideas. But he also understood that after the family separated, Tang Susu lived at the end of the village, in a remote location, and was worried about being targeted by thieves. Moreover, Yang Houcai's nighttime intrusion had exposed the previous shortcomings of the village patrol team. She wanted to use this money to build a reliable village patrol team to protect the safety of her family and the village.

After thinking it over, the village head announced loudly, "After careful consideration, I have decided to use this public fund to formally establish the Yangqu Village Patrol Team!"

He paused, then clearly stated the salary and selection criteria: "The village patrol team will have twelve team leaders. Each team leader will work three days a month and will receive eighteen copper coins per day. Each team will consist of sixteen members, patrolling the village in pairs. The team leader will be responsible for daily supervision, and each member will work for the duration of four incense sticks per day, three days a month, for a total of eight copper coins!"

The villagers were once again speechless with shock.

Previously, patrolling the village was all voluntary labor without any compensation. Now, not only is there a salary, but eight copper coins can buy several kilograms of buckwheat noodles, enough for the whole family to eat for several days. It can be considered a truly high salary!

The crowd erupted in a frenzy of discussion.

"The village head is brilliant! This treatment is too good!"

"Sigh, it's all my son's fault. He always shirked his duties during village patrols, and now look what happened, he missed his chance!"

The village has nearly 600 able-bodied young people, but the village patrol team only has 192 members. With limited spots, many people are filled with regret.

Several women squeezed forward, smiling obsequiously at the village head, hoping to get a team leader position for their sons.

The village head snorted coldly and directly rejected the woman at the front: "Your son doesn't even deserve to speak! He's only patrolled the village once, and he even snatched wild vegetables from a child on the road. His character is so wicked. Go home and discipline him properly first, and we'll talk about him later!"

The woman's face flushed red and then turned pale, and she retreated dejectedly.

Then, the village head took out a piece of paper and read out the names of the twelve team leaders one by one.

The men whose names were called were all well-known "doers" in the village—they worked silently when others slacked off, took the initiative to fill in when others skipped work, and stayed at their posts when others returned home early. They were as low-key as invisible people on weekdays, but their hard work and dedication were noticed by the village head.

At that moment, they stood there dumbfounded, unable to hide the surprise and excitement on their faces.