The Leisurely Life of a Peasant Woman in the Tang Dynasty

Tang Youyou suddenly sat up in bed, the scenes from her dream replaying in her mind like a revolving lantern. The ancient banyan tree, the old voice, and that meaningful sentence: "Child, think carefully, what on this land has the most tenacious vitality?"

"Life force..." Tang Youyou murmured to herself. She thought of the lush banyan tree in her dream, the weeds waving in the wind on the hillside, and the nameless little flowers that stubbornly grew by the ridges of the fields...

"That's right!" Tang Youyou suddenly had a flash of inspiration in her mind, and she suddenly remembered an ancient herbal formula. She had heard about it from the elders in the village when she was a child. It was said that it could cure some difficult and complicated diseases.

She didn't have time to wash or think too much, and immediately rushed out the door and headed straight for the back mountain. In the early morning in the mountains, the air was fresh, the birds were singing, and the flowers were fragrant, but Tang Youyou had no intention of appreciating them. She followed her memory from the dream, carefully identifying each plant, and finally found what she wanted.

Those were some common herbs that could be found everywhere in the mountains, but few people knew of their medicinal value. Tang Youyou carefully gathered them and placed them in the bamboo basket she carried with her.

After returning home, Tang Youyou immediately started to act. She washed and chopped the herbs, then put them into the pot to boil. As time passed, a faint herbal aroma filled the yard, and Tang Wan, Tang Jin, and Tang Xiaoya were all attracted by the fragrance.

"Mom, what delicious food are you making?" Tang Xiaoya asked curiously, her big eyes full of anticipation.

"Mom is making medicine," Tang Youyou said gently as she stirred the herbs in the pot, "These medicines can cure our chickens, ducks, and geese."

Although the children didn't quite understand, they still stood aside obediently, watching their mother busy. Tang Youyou poured the boiled medicine into a bowl, then carried the bowl to the chicken coop.

She gently stroked a sick hen and whispered, "Don't be afraid, you will get better after drinking this medicine."

Tang Youyou fed the medicine juice to the hens little by little, and then went to take care of the other poultry and livestock. After doing all this, she looked up at the sky and saw that it was already noon.

"I don't know if it will work..." Tang Youyou was uneasy, but she still chose to trust her intuition and the revelation in her dream.

She went into the kitchen to prepare lunch, with the children gathered around her, chattering and talking. Suddenly, a rooster crowed in the yard, followed by more and more chickens, ducks and geese.

Tang Youyou's heart was shaken, and she immediately put down her work and rushed out the door...

In the yard, the originally sickly poultry miraculously regained some vitality. A few chickens and ducks staggered to their feet, shook their feathers, and began pecking at the grains on the ground. The hen that Tang Youyou had taken special care of was even more energetic. She ran around the yard with a group of chicks, clucking non-stop, as if celebrating her rebirth.

"Mom, look!" Tang Wan pointed at the hen and shouted in surprise, "It's healed, it's really healed!"

"Really?" Tang Jin also shouted excitedly, ran to the chicken coop, and imitated the hen, opening his arms and jumping on the ground, "Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck..."

Tang Xiaoya also clapped her hands happily, and her crisp laughter echoed in the yard: "Chuck, cluck, cluck, chick, chick..."

Tang Youyou watched this scene, her heart filled with relief and excitement. She knew that this was not just the recovery of a few chickens, ducks and geese, but also the hope given to her by the dream, and the result of her hard work.

"Wan'er, Jin'er, go get some millet and some clean water to feed and water the chickens and ducks." Tang Youyou ordered, a joyful smile on her face.

"Okay!" Tang Wan and Tang Jin agreed in unison. They rushed into the kitchen, took millet and a basin of water, and then ran excitedly to the chicken coop and began to take care of the poultry seriously.

Tang Youyou looked at the busy figures of the children, and the smile on her lips became even more intense. She bent down, gently stroked a little duck that was drinking water, and said softly: "Drink slowly, don't rush..."

However, her attention was soon drawn to several still sick animals in the corner. They lay listlessly on the ground, their eyes dim and their breathing weak, showing no signs of improvement.

A shadow fell over Tang Youyou's heart. She walked over to the animals, carefully observing their conditions, her brows gradually furrowed.

"Mother..." Tang Wan noticed the change in her mother's expression and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Tang Youyou was silent for a moment, then raised her head, looked at the children, and said with a firm look in her eyes: "It's okay, mother was just thinking..."

Tang Youyou looked at the innocent faces of the children and wondered in her heart: Is it because the dosage is not enough? After all, the condition of these animals seems to be much more serious than the previous ones. Thinking of this, she decided to adjust the prescription and increase the dosage of the herbs to see if it can achieve better results.

"Wan'er, take your brothers and sisters out to play for a while. Mother wants to study these herbs some more." Tang Youyou touched Tang Wan's head and said softly.

"Okay, Mom." Tang Wan agreed obediently, took her brother and sister's hands, and walked to the other side of the yard to play.

Tang Youyou watched the children leave, then returned to the house and began to concentrate on her herbs. Following the instructions of the old man in her dream, she mixed several herbs in the right proportions, ground them into powder, and then added water to boil. A faint herbal aroma spread, filling the entire room.

Just as Tang Youyou was about to take the boiled medicine out, there was a sudden and urgent knock on the door outside the courtyard. "Knock, knock, knock!" The knocks continued one after another, as if filled with a bit of anxiety and uneasiness.

"Who is it?" Tang Youyou was puzzled. She put down the medicine bowl in her hand, walked quickly to the door and opened it.

"Youyou, something happened! Something big happened!" Standing at the door was the village hunter Zhang Qiang. He was sweating profusely, looked panicked, and spoke in a hurried tone.

"Brother Zhang, what happened? Tell me slowly." Seeing this, Tang Youyou suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart.

"Widow Li from the east end of the village went up the mountain to chop firewood this morning and hasn't come back yet. I think..." Zhang Qiang paused, a look of fear on his face, "I think she was taken away by a wolf!"

"What?!" Tang Youyou was shocked when she heard this. She knew that in this era, wild beasts roamed the mountains and forests, and villagers often encountered danger when they went up the mountain to chop wood and collect herbs. Widow Li's family was poor, her husband died young, and she was raising two young children alone. If something really happened to her, what would happen to her two children?

"Brother Zhang, quickly gather the young and strong men in the village, bring your weapons, and go up the mountain with me to search and rescue!" Tang Youyou made a prompt decision and said in a firm tone.

"Okay!" Zhang Qiang knew that there was no time to lose, so he turned around and ran towards the village.

Tang Youyou returned to the house and quickly poured the boiled medicine into the bamboo tube. Then she picked up the hatchet from the corner, put it on her waist, and walked out of the house quickly. She looked up at the towering mountains in the distance, her eyes firm and resolute, as if she had made an important decision.