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

Tang Chengyu knew perfectly well that it was only natural for him to teach his elder brother Tang Lifu, his third brother Tang Liqiang, and his two cousins ​​Yang Gousheng and Yang Xiaobao, based on his own knowledge. It would be perfectly reasonable for him to teach them without charging them a penny.

However, he owed Tang Susu a debt of sixty taels of silver, and he had to treat this teaching job as a proper job and accept a monthly salary of five taels in order to pay off the debt with a clear conscience.

He stood quietly in place, his lips tightly pressed together, tacitly accepting the arrangement.

Yang Gousheng had never liked Tang Chengyu from the beginning. Now that he heard that his mother wanted to hire him as the tutor for himself, his younger brother, and his cousin, a strong sense of resistance welled up in his heart. His brows furrowed tightly and his face darkened.

Just as Yang Gousheng was filled with disappointment and unwilling to accept this outcome, a gentle voice suddenly came from behind him: "Are you Gousheng?"

He turned his head sharply and saw a slightly plump, well-dressed middle-aged man standing not far away. Although he was not wearing official robes, he exuded an air of authority and stood out in the crowd.

Yang Gousheng recognized him at a glance; this was the county magistrate he had met when searching for water sources.

Tang Susu, Tang Lifu, and the others recognized the newcomers, quickly straightened their clothes, bowed respectfully, and shouted in unison, "Greetings, Your Excellency!"

The magistrate raised his hand to signal everyone to drop the formalities, a smile on his face: "Rise, all of you. We've known each other for a long time, so there's no need for such formalities when we meet again."

His gaze returned to Yang Gousheng, and he invited him in a friendly tone, "Gousheng, if you're not too busy these days, you can come to the county office as a guest. My son is about your age, so I'm sure you'll have a lot in common to talk about."

Yang Gousheng instantly recalled the county magistrate's son he had met while searching for water. Although the boy was the same age as him, he acted childishly, was arrogant, and always bossed him around. A sense of resentment rose in his heart, and he didn't want to go at all.

He suppressed his reluctance and humbly declined, saying, "Your Honor, thank you for your kindness. However, the busy farming season is approaching, and I need to take care of the crops at home. I really cannot spare the time to go to the county office. I hope Your Honor will forgive me."

Upon hearing this, the county magistrate was not displeased. Instead, he nodded in understanding: "It's alright, the busy farming season is the priority. We'll discuss this matter again after the busy farming season."

After saying that, he turned to Tang Susu and praised her, "You've raised a fine lad! This child is clever and steady. If he had some knowledge, he could have been my naughty son's page. Although it's a pity, it's fine for them to play and get along together. Let's leave it at that for now."

Then, he flicked his sleeve and turned to leave with his entourage.

After the magistrate left, Yang Gousheng immediately tugged at Tang Susu's sleeve, eagerly expressing his feelings: "Mother, I don't want to go to the county office, nor do I want to play with the magistrate's son! It's all because I behaved too well last time when we were looking for water that the magistrate remembered me. I don't want to become someone else's servant!"

Tang Susu was slightly taken aback. She knew that Yang Gousheng was exceptionally witty and composed except when it came to matters of the heart. She never expected that the county magistrate would value him so highly.

She thought to herself that if being a page could help her learn something and broaden her horizons, that would be fine, but simply playing with her would be absolutely not acceptable.

Tang Chengyu, who had been silent and seemingly invisible, suddenly spoke up: "This county magistrate is a renowned official of integrity and incorruptibility. If Gousheng is unwilling, he should simply refuse honestly; he will not force him."

Then, he explained to everyone the temperaments of the county magistrates in various regions: "We students often discuss the affairs of the court together, and we are quite familiar with the character of the county magistrates in various regions."

"The county magistrate of Jiangtou Town has outstanding achievements. Taking advantage of the docking of ships, he has vigorously developed commerce and trade, making Jiangtou Town the most prosperous town in the vicinity."

"The county magistrate of Qianjiang Town was the worst. Every year he exploited the people like a greedy glutton, making the local people miserable and suffering.

"The county magistrate of Dongtai Town was very considerate of the people and had a broad mind. He often went deep into the streets and alleys and formed a deep friendship with the shopkeepers in the town. It was just a pity that Dongtai Town had limited land and scarce resources. Although he was wholeheartedly for the people during his seven years in office, he was unable to achieve any significant political achievements."

After hearing Tang Chengyu's explanation, Tang Susu stopped worrying about the county magistrate's invitation and turned to Tang Chengyu to explain the arrangements: "Go back to Xihe Village tonight to get some clothes to change into and move into my house. Starting tomorrow, focus on being a teacher here and teach the children well. Once you've paid off the sixty taels of debt, you can stay or leave as you see fit."

She paused, then added a condition: "But I have one request: from now on, the Tang family is not allowed to cause trouble at my Yang family's place again. If they do, this agreement to hire a tutor will be null and void."

Tang Chengyu quickly agreed, "Don't worry, elder sister, I understand what you mean. I will definitely keep my family in check and prevent them from bothering you again."

The oxcart drove back to Yangqu Village. When it reached the crossroads, Tang Susu told Tang Chengyu to get off and walk towards Xihe Village to retrieve something.

It was nearly noon, and the Tang family was busy preparing lunch.

As soon as Tang Chengyu stepped through the courtyard gate, his wife rushed up to him, grabbed his hand, and anxiously asked, "Yu'er, you're finally home! What did your eldest sister say? Did she give you money? Did she agree to support your continued studies?"

Tang Chengyu did not answer her question. Instead, he withdrew his hand, walked straight to his room, picked up the two wooden boxes he had brought back from Chongwen Hall the day before, and turned to leave.

When he reached the courtyard gate, he calmly said, "I'm not going to study anymore. I've already found a job as a teacher, so Grandma doesn't need to worry about me anymore."

Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Tang chased after him anxiously, grabbing his arm and retorting, "What kind of teacher are you! What future can a teacher have? How can you pass the imperial examinations? You must continue your studies!"

She hurriedly added, "I've already asked your father to inquire; the school in Qianjiang Town is enrolling students. I'll have him accompany you to register later! You can't be foolish; passing the imperial examinations is your only way out!"

Tang Chengyu forcefully pulled his hand away from hers and said resolutely, "Grandma, I will not go to Qianjiang Town to study, nor will I continue to take the imperial examinations."

He knew in his heart that among those who framed him for cheating was the eldest son of the county magistrate of Qianjiang Town. Going there to study would be like a lamb entering a tiger's den, and would only lead to his own death.

For now, this is the only way he can deal with it, and he'll slowly figure out a way to prove his innocence.

Looking at his anxious wife, Tang Chengyu earnestly advised, "Grandma, don't worry about me anymore. I'm sixteen now, almost seventeen, and it's time for me to face and resolve these things myself. Don't worry, no matter how many difficulties and obstacles lie ahead, I can overcome them."

After saying that, he didn't hesitate any longer. He picked up the two wooden boxes, turned around and strode away without looking back.

Old Mrs. Tang was extremely anxious and wanted to chase after him to persuade him again, but the fire in the stove was still burning brightly, and the wild vegetable porridge cooking in the pot needed to be kept under constant watch, otherwise it would burn.

She was all alone at home and couldn't leave. She could only watch helplessly as her beloved child gradually disappeared at the end of the village, stamping her feet in frustration, tears welling up in her eyes.

Just as Tang Susu and the others parked their oxcart in front of their house, before they could even unload the cold noodles and groceries, a commotion suddenly arose from the village, growing louder as it approached.

"Oh no! The locusts have arrived!"

"Good heavens, why have so many calamities come again! I can't live like this anymore!"

Some relatively calm villagers shouted, "Everyone, calm down! Look, the number of locusts is less than a tenth of last year's. Don't panic!"

"Yes! Let's hurry home and get our gear, and together we'll drive these menaces away!"

Yang Defu, the oxcart driver, was so frightened that he tumbled off the cart. He got up and ran home to get tools to drive away the locusts.

Tang Susu and Yang Gousheng quickly jumped out of the car, grabbed two wooden sticks from the corner of the wall, and joined the team to drive away the locusts.

The villagers grabbed pots, pans, wooden sticks, and bamboo poles, making loud noises as they ran and shouted along the field ridges, hoping to drive away the locusts.

Looking up, a small swarm of black locusts was flying towards the village. Although their numbers were not as large as a tide, they were by no means few.

Once these locusts land in the fields, they will surely cause significant damage to the upcoming harvest.

The villagers of Yangqu Village almost lost their minds, frantically banging and shouting in the fields, doing everything they could to drive away the locusts.

It is unknown how long this continued, but the originally dense swarm of locusts gradually dispersed and disappeared into the horizon.

The villagers were exhausted and slumped on the edge of the field, panting heavily, their faces still covered in sweat, their eyes filled with fear and unease.

Locusts eat extremely fast and can devour crops far exceeding their own weight in a short period of time.

In a short period of time, many families in the village had suffered, with at least five-tenths of an acre of land being completely devoured of grain.

Although the losses this time were much smaller than last year's—last year, when locusts swept through, all the grain in the village's fields was devoured in less than half a day, becoming a nightmare for everyone—the village head still solemnly inquired about the extent of the damage from house to house.

After some questioning, he discovered that almost every household's fields had been attacked by locusts to some extent, except for Tang Susu's and her neighbor Aunt Liu's fields, which remained unharmed, with the rice ears still full and showing no signs of being eaten.

Aunt Liu stood on the edge of her field, her face beaming with a smile, yet also tinged with confusion: "It's really strange! So many insects flew over just now, but it was as if they were at odds with my rice, they just wouldn't touch it. I tried to chase them away, but I didn't really pay any attention to this area, the insects just kept avoiding my field."

Tang Susu looked at the flock of ducks in her field. They were all plump and swimming leisurely in the paddy field, clearly having eaten their fill.

She explained with a smile, "What's so strange about that? Ducks eat locusts. We have flocks of ducks swimming around in the fields of my family and Aunt Liu's. The locusts are either eaten by the ducks or they don't dare to come near, so naturally they won't eat our grains."

The villagers were skeptical: "How can ducks, swimming in the fields, catch flying locusts? Even we humans have a hard time catching these insects, how could ducks be so capable?"

Just as everyone was discussing and full of doubts, several ducks that hadn't eaten their fill suddenly stretched out their necks, their slender beaks flashing like lightning, and accurately caught a few locusts that had managed to survive, swallowing them whole.

Their movements were clean, swift, and seamless. Afterward, they continued to look around the rice paddies, searching for their next prey.