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

Yang Xiaobao was grabbed by Old Lady Yang and pulled close, whereupon she pressed him for details: "Xiaobao, tell me the truth. Yesterday, that old woman from the Tang family came to cause trouble, and then your brother Chengyu went to your house. What exactly happened? Did your mother give them any money?"

Yang Xiaobao scratched his head. He had been so busy yesterday that he hadn't heard the adults' conversation at all, so he couldn't answer. He just impatiently said, "Grandma, if you're curious, go ask my mother yourself!" After saying that, he quickly broke free from her grasp and ran off to the village head's house to find Mr. Yang Zhimao.

Old Mrs. Yang was so angry she almost fell over. She stood there stamping her feet and cursing, "That little brat, just like his mother, he's getting more and more uncontrollable!"

She knew perfectly well that she couldn't control Tang Susu at all—when they used to live under the same roof, Tang Susu secretly helped the Tang family. When she confronted her about it, Tang Susu left her speechless.

Now that Tang Susu has made money running a cold noodle shop, she's become more assertive and capable, making her even harder to control.

Old Mrs. Yang returned to the courtyard with a heavy heart. She sat on the threshold and sighed, fearing that Tang Susu would not be able to resist the Tang family's pleas for mercy and would start using the family's silver and grain to subsidize the Tang family again.

Grandpa Yang squatted to the side, smoking his pipe. Amidst the swirling smoke, he slowly offered words of comfort: "Alright, stop overthinking. Let bygones be bygones, and don't worry about things that haven't happened yet. It's just creating trouble for yourself."

Old Mrs. Yang sighed heavily, her eyes dimming. "You're right. I'm practically half-buried, why worry so much? Everyone has their own fate, let her be."

Meanwhile, Yang Xiaobao led Yang Zhimao back to the Tang family in a flurry of activity.

As the sun set, its orange-red afterglow painted half the sky red. In the backyard, water was still boiling on the stove, steam rising gently. In the main room, an oil lamp flickered, casting a warm, orange-red glow everywhere.

As soon as Yang Zhimao entered, he was immersed in the sense of accomplishment of being a teacher. He cleared his throat and led everyone in reciting aloud: "The way of teaching values ​​focus!"

Yang Xiaobao listened attentively and asked curiously, "Sir, what does '苟不教' mean?"

Yang Zhimao stroked his beard and solemnly misinterpreted the situation: "'Gou bu jiao' means 'a dog won't bark'! Think about it, a dog has to obey its owner, and children naturally have to obey their parents—it's the same principle!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the dog in the corner of the yard seemed to understand and barked twice at the right time, as if echoing his words.

Tang Susu sat to the side, speechless, and subconsciously glanced at Tang Chengyu, who was standing at the gate of the courtyard admiring the sunset.

Tang Chengyu was admiring the afterglow when he heard this absurd interpretation. He staggered a few steps and almost fell.

He could not tolerate the classics being misinterpreted in this way, and immediately strode into the main room.

At this moment, everyone in the main room was sitting around a low table. Tang Susu, Tang Lifu, Tang Liqiang, Yang Gousheng, Yang Xiaobao, and Yang Zhimao sat in a circle, and even Miao Yulan, who was recuperating from her injuries, leaned against the bedpost and listened attentively.

Tang Chengyu cleared his throat lightly, interrupting Yang Zhimao: "Sir, you have misinterpreted it."

He paused, then explained, "'苟' doesn't refer to a dog, but rather to 'if.' '苟不教，性乃迁' means that a child's innocent nature, if lacking proper education and guidance, will gradually lose its kind essence."

As he spoke, he walked to the table, dipped his finger in the water in the bowl, and wrote the words "If not taught, nature will change. The way to teach is to focus on one thing" on the smooth surface.

Yang Xiaobao stared in disbelief, exclaiming, "Brother Chengyu, your handwriting is so beautiful! It's exactly the same as the handwriting in that book at home!"

As he spoke, he rushed into the inner room, brought out the book that Tang Susu had bought, and showed it to everyone.

Tang Chengyu looked down and was slightly taken aback. He recognized the book as the one he had copied for Renningtang before.

Tang Susu explained with a smile, "This was recommended to me by the manager of Renningtang. I hope the children can learn more and broaden their horizons."

Tang Chengyu nodded in agreement, his eyes filled with emotion: "Reading is like sowing seeds of wisdom. Even if you end up farming, knowing more words and understanding more principles will be of endless benefit."

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhimao quickly pressed on, "Then what does 'the way of teaching is like wearing clothes in the closet' mean? I've been pondering it for a long time but still don't understand."

It turns out he misread "贵以专" as "柜里穿".

He was the most literate person in Yangqu Village, and since he rarely met a proper student like Tang Chengyu, he naturally seized the opportunity to ask him for advice.

Tang Chengyu swayed again, then helplessly corrected him once more: "Sir, it's 'valuing focus,' not 'wearing clothes in the closet.' 'Valuing focus' means that the key to educating children lies in being single-minded and persistent."

As he was explaining, he couldn't help but recall the scene from his childhood when the old man in Xihe Village held him and taught him to read, and a wave of sadness washed over him.

He could recite the entire Three Character Classic when he was three and a half years old. Back then, many people predicted that he would have a bright future. But now, he doesn't even qualify to take the imperial examination for the title of Xiucai.

Next, Yang Zhimao raised several more questions, which Tang Chengyu patiently answered one by one.

The four boys at the table were completely bewildered, as their limited knowledge prevented them from grasping these principles.

Yang Xiaobao had previously disliked the Tang family because of their affairs, but now he completely idolized Tang Chengyu, his eyes filled with adoration.

Because explaining the classic texts took too long, the arithmetic class scheduled for that evening had to be canceled.

Tang Susu took an egg from the kitchen and handed it to Yang Zhimao as payment for the lesson.

Yang Zhimao scratched his head, his face flushed—only now did he realize that he had made a lot of mistakes in what he had learned before, and he was too embarrassed to ask for payment.

He respectfully handed the eggs to Tang Chengyu, saying, "This is what you deserve," and then turned and ran away.

Tang Chengyu stared blankly at the egg in his hand.

Yang Xiaobao swallowed hard, muttering to himself, "Eggs taste delicious fried, boiled, or stir-fried..."

He even offered, "Brother Chengyu, let me do it for you! I only need a small bite!" As he spoke, he was practically drooling.

Tang Susu was exasperated, wondering why her child was still so greedy when the family had been eating eggs so often lately.

She walked over and took the eggs, saying, "I'll save these eggs to make poached eggs for your brother Chengyu tomorrow morning. Stop fooling around, go take a shower and go to bed. We have to get up early to deliver goods tomorrow."

Yang Xiaobao, however, held onto Tang Chengyu's hand tightly, refusing to let go, and said excitedly, "Brother Chengyu, let me sleep with you! I still have so many questions about my studies to ask you!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Susu nearly slipped and fell—Tang Chengyu was already sixteen years old. In this era, someone that age could be a father, so how could he sleep with a half-grown child?

She quickly made arrangements: "Your brother Chengyu will sleep in the storage room with your uncle Liqiang. Xiaobao, go and get some straw and a wide plank to make the bed. Also, have your uncle Lifu bring out any extra old blankets from the house for your brother Chengyu to use."

Although Yang Xiaobao was somewhat disappointed, he still obediently did as he was told.

He specially laid a thick layer of straw on the ground, then placed a wide plank on top, and finally laid a thin blanket on top. After laying it out, he rolled on it himself to test it out. Only after finding it comfortable did he invite Tang Chengyu to come and sleep there.

Tang Chengyu had never slept in such a simple bed in his entire life.

At the Tang family home, he always used clean and tidy bedding. But now, lying on the straw-covered bed, even with a blanket in between, he still felt the straw prickling his skin and was uncomfortable all over.

That night, Yang Xiaobao pestered Tang Chengyu, asking him many questions about reading and the school.

Tang Chengyu was in low spirits and only gave a few perfunctory replies.

Not long after, he heard the snoring of Xiao Bao next to him, as well as Tang Liqiang and Yang Gousheng in the next bed.

He tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, until the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon, at which point he managed to doze off for a short while.

The next day at dawn, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Tang Chengyu got out of bed with dark circles under his eyes.

Hearing the noise, Tang Susu woke up as well. She put on her shoes, got out of bed, went to the yard, and whispered to Tang Chengyu, "Didn't you sleep well?"