The Leisurely Life of a Peasant Woman in the Tang Dynasty

Tang Youyou's heart trembled, "Li Junxiang..." She was almost certain that this matter was related to Li Junxiang.

Besides being angry, there is more trouble.

The exhibition is coming soon, and these paintings are the core of the exhibition. Now that they are damaged, what should we do?

She carefully examined the damaged paintings. Wu Huazi's landscape painting was scratched with a long gash, almost cutting the distant mountains in half; Zheng Shizu's poetic painting was splashed with an unknown liquid, spreading the stain and obscuring the originally elegant picture.

Restoring these paintings requires a lot of money and time, and her funds are already a little tight due to the preparations for the exhibition. Time is even more urgent, with less than ten days left before the opening of the exhibition.

At this time, Wu Huazi hurried over.

His already thin figure now looked even more haggard, with sunken eye sockets and a blue stubble on his chin.

Seeing the damaged painting, his face turned pale instantly, his lips trembled, and he was speechless for a long time.

"Youyou, this... what should we do?" Wu Huazi's voice was hoarse, with a hint of despair.

He regarded these paintings as his own children, and now that they have been maliciously destroyed, one can imagine the pain he feels.

Zheng Shizu, who arrived later, saw that his work had also been attacked, and his usually carefree expression changed.

He sighed heavily and murmured, "It's really hard to guard against..."

The atmosphere in the studio suddenly became solemn, and the apprentices who were helping with the framing were so frightened that they fell silent, not daring to make a sound.

They talked in low voices, their words filled with fear of Li Junxiang.

"Li Junxiang's methods are truly cruel. What should Madam Tang do now?"

"Who said it wasn't? I heard that behind Li Junxiang is..." An apprentice stopped talking halfway and looked around vigilantly.

Tang Youyou took a deep breath and tried to keep herself calm.

She turned to look at Wu Huazi and Zheng Shizu and said firmly, "It's come to this. There's no point in being sad. We must find a way to restore these paintings as soon as possible. The exhibition cannot be cancelled!"

Wu Huazi looked at Tang Youyou's determined eyes, and a glimmer of hope ignited in his heart. He gritted his teeth, took out a cloth bag from his arms, and handed it to Tang Youyou.

"Youyou, this is all my savings. It's not much, but I hope it can help..."

Zheng Shizu followed closely behind and took out a heavy purse from his sleeve. It was obviously all his savings.

"Youyou, I don't have much, but if we add them together, it should be enough to solve the urgent problem." His usually free and easy face was now full of seriousness.

Tang Youyou looked at the purses in the two people's hands, and a warm feeling surged in her heart.

She knew what the money meant to them; it was their hard work and their dedication to art.

"Thank you," Tang Youyou's voice was a little choked, "I will make sure this exhibition goes smoothly and don't let your efforts go to waste."

The atmosphere in the studio was no longer tense, but was replaced by a sense of unity. Several apprentices also expressed their willingness to do their best to help restore the painting.

"Madam Tang, although we can't paint, we can do chores like framing and repairing!"

"Yes, Madam Tang, if we work together, we will definitely be able to restore these paintings before the exhibition!"

Tang Youyou looked at everyone's enthusiastic eyes, her heart filled with emotion. At this moment, she suddenly thought of a new idea.

"Perhaps, we can invite some folk artists to participate in the exhibition." Tang Youyou said slowly, "Although their works are not as exquisite as those of famous artists, they are full of unique charm. Moreover, their performances can also enrich the content of the exhibition."

This idea was unanimously approved by everyone.

Wu Huazi clapped his hands and smiled, "Great! The works and performances of folk artists will definitely add a lot of color to the exhibition!"

Zheng Shizu also agreed: "Yes, this way, the exhibition content will be more colorful and attract more people to come and see it."

So, everyone took action separately and began to contact folk artists from all over the country.

Tang Youyou picked up her pen and wrote a letter, informing Eunuch Wang who was far away in the capital of this new idea... After writing the last stroke on the letter, Tang Youyou gently put down the pen and looked out the window.

She seemed to have seen the unprecedented grandeur of the exhibition, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise slightly.

Suddenly, there was a rapid knock on the door, "Madam Tang, someone is coming from the palace!"

After the knock on the door, Eunuch Wang walked in with small steps, a smile on his face.

"Madam Tang, I've come here on the orders of the Emperor to inform you that he's very pleased with your preparations for the exhibition and has awarded you a hundred taels of gold as a token of encouragement!"

Tang Youyou accepted the reward, feeling relieved.

With the emperor's support, this exhibition is more secure.

After Eunuch Wang left, Tang Youyou immediately told everyone the good news.

There was a sudden burst of joy in the studio, and everyone became more motivated.

As the news spread, folk artists from all over the country responded positively and came with their carefully prepared works and performances.

An old artist who is good at shadow puppetry brought his ancestral shadow puppets, which were lifelike; a hawker who blew sugar figures brought colorful sugar figures, which were lifelike; a girl who made dough figurines brought dough figurines of various shapes, which were vivid... For a time, the painting studio was bustling with activity and filled with the unique charm of various folk arts.

However, just when everything was going well, Li Junxiang learned that Tang Youyou's exhibition was being prepared so smoothly, and her jealousy burned again.

She sent her men to spread rumors throughout the city, saying that the works at the exhibition held by Tang Youyou were all vulgar and unsightly, in order to discredit the exhibition and attack Tang Youyou.

The rumor spread like wildfire, and many people who had originally planned to visit the exhibition began to hesitate.

After Tang Youyou learned about this, she did not panic.

She immediately organized people to dispel the rumors throughout the city and posted notices, inviting everyone to come to the exhibition to see the truth with their own eyes.

At the same time, she also arranged for some folk artists to perform in the city, using wonderful performances to attract people's attention and take the opportunity to clarify the rumors.

"Don't believe the rumors! The works for our exhibition have been carefully selected and will definitely not disappoint you!" Tang Youyou stood on the high platform, her voice clear and powerful, echoing throughout the street.

Seeing this, Li Junxiang's men immediately stepped forward to stop them, but were blocked by the guards around Tang Youyou.

"Isn't Li Junxiang's hand too long?" Tang Youyou glanced coldly at Li Junxiang's men, her eyes full of warning.

Tang Youyou returned to the painting studio and rubbed his temples tiredly.

Seeing this, Wu Huazi handed over a cup of hot tea and said, "Madam Tang, you have worked hard. Li Junxiang is such a haunting woman."

Zheng Shizu fanned himself with a look of disdain. "He's just a clown. Why bother with him? As long as the exhibition is well run, the rumors will naturally dispel themselves."

Tang Youyou took the tea and took a sip. "That being said, we can't take it lightly. The power of rumors cannot be underestimated. We have to think of other countermeasures."

Tang Wan came over and sensibly massaged Tang Youyou's shoulders, "Mom, don't worry, everything will be fine." Tang Jin and Tang Xiaoya also came over, each holding one of Tang Youyou's arms, comforting her in a baby voice.

Looking at the sensible children, Tang Youyou felt a warm current in her heart, and her original fatigue dissipated a lot.

"Wan'er, Jin'er, Xiaoya, you are so good." She smiled and touched the children's heads.

"Madam Tang, I have an idea." Wu Huazi put down his paintbrush and walked over to Tang Youyou. "We can invite some respected scholars to come to the exhibition and have them endorse it. With their approval, those rumors will naturally fall apart."

"Good idea!" Tang Youyou's eyes lit up, "Master Zheng, what do you think?"

Zheng Shizu nodded. "This is a great idea. I know several prestigious scholars who can be invited to come."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Master Zheng." Tang Youyou looked at Zheng Shizu gratefully.

In the next few days, Tang Youyou and Zheng Shizu ran around and invited many literati and scholars to visit the exhibition.

At the same time, they also stepped up publicity efforts, posted more notices in the city, and arranged for more folk artists to perform in the city.

Everything is ready and the day of the exhibition has finally arrived.

Tang Youyou stood at the door of the painting studio, watching the people coming and going, and prayed silently in her heart: I hope everything goes well.

At this moment, a figure appeared in front of her, and a low voice sounded in her ears: "Madam Tang, long time no see." Tang Youyou suddenly looked up, her face changed slightly.