The Leisurely Life of a Peasant Woman in the Tang Dynasty

"Youyou, are you really going into the mountains? It's too dangerous! What if..." Zhang Qiang gathered several strong villagers and saw Tang Youyou following behind him. He immediately became anxious. In this deep forest, if something happened, how would he explain it to the villagers?

"Brother Zhang, don't worry, I know what's going on." Tang Youyou patted the hatchet at his waist and said firmly, "Sister-in-law Li's life or death is uncertain. We can't just sit and wait. If we go into the mountains sooner, we might be able to find some clues."

Seeing that his persuasion was fruitless, Zhang Qiang had no choice but to give up and lead everyone towards the back mountain. Tang Youyou walked in the middle of the team, scanning the surroundings with sharp eyes, hoping to find any trace of Widow Li.

After walking for about half an hour, they arrived at a valley. The entrance to the valley was narrow, with steep cliffs on both sides. There was only a narrow path leading into the valley.

"Youyou, look here..." Zhang Qiang pointed at the messy footprints on the ground, his face solemn, "They look like the claw marks of a wild animal. Could it be that Sister-in-law Li was dragged in?"

Tang Youyou squatted down and carefully observed the marks on the ground. They did look like the claw marks of some large animal, and there were quite a few of them. "Brother Zhang, you take everyone to search nearby. I'll go to the valley to take a look."

"No! It's too dangerous!" Zhang Qiang grabbed Tang Youyou and refused to let her take any risks.

"Brother Zhang, listen to me," Tang Youyou lowered his voice, his expression serious, "The beasts are cunning, and if we go in in large numbers, it will be easier to alert them. If I go in alone, I will be less conspicuous and it will be easier to find clues."

Seeing Tang Youyou's firm attitude, Zhang Qiang had no choice but to agree. He repeatedly told her to be careful and to call for help if anything happened.

Tang Youyou nodded, took a deep breath, gripped the hatchet tightly, and crouched down as he entered the valley. The valley was dimly lit, the trees were dense, and the air was filled with a rotten smell. Tang Youyou walked forward cautiously, paying close attention to the movements around him with every step.

"Roar--"

Suddenly, a deafening roar of an animal came from the front. Tang Youyou's hair stood on end and her heart beat wildly. She gripped the hatchet tightly, held her breath, and slowly walked towards the direction of the sound.

"Brother Zhang, do you think mother can find Aunt Li?" At the foot of the mountain, Tang Wan looked worriedly at the direction where Tang Youyou disappeared and asked anxiously.

"Don't worry, your mother is a lucky person." Zhang Qiang comforted her, but his eyes never left the direction of the valley.

"Sister, do you think mother will kill the big tiger and bring it back?" Tang Jin waved his little fist excitedly, his eyes full of anticipation.

Tang Wan shook her head helplessly. This kid only knew how to fight and kill.

"Okay, stop arguing, both of you," Tang Wan took out some herbs from the medicine box, "help me crush these herbs and apply them to the rabbit later."

"Oh." Tang Jin and Tang Xiaoya took the herbs obediently and began to tinker with them seriously.

While pounding the medicine, Tang Wan was thinking about her mother going into the mountains, and her heart was filled with worry.

At the same time, deep in the valley, Tang Youyou and Zhang Hunter were setting a trap together.

"Youyou, are you sure you want to do this? This is very dangerous." Hunter Zhang watched Tang Youyou skillfully digging holes and arranging vines, his heart filled with worry.

"Don't worry, Brother Zhang, I know what's going on." Tang Youyou smiled confidently, "Although these beasts are ferocious, as long as we are careful and cautious, we will definitely be able to catch them!"

In the evening, the trap was set, and Tang Youyou and Zhang Hunter quietly left the valley.

"Xiao Ya, how are you? Is there any movement?" After returning home, Tang You You immediately asked Tang Xiao Ya who stayed at home.

"Mom, look!" Tang Xiaoya pointed in the direction of the back mountain and said excitedly, "What is that?"

Tang Youyou looked in the direction of her daughter's finger, and saw...

As the sun set, the sunset glow dyed half the sky red, making the originally quiet mountain village appear exceptionally peaceful and harmonious. However, in Tang Youyou's courtyard, a tense atmosphere permeated the air.

Tang Youyou put down the needlework in her hands and looked in the direction of her daughter's finger. She saw a thick smoke rising from the direction of the back mountain, circling in the air for a long time.

"Not good!" Tang Youyou's face changed. The thick smoke was the signal they had agreed upon before, indicating that the trap had been triggered.

"Little girl, be good at home and don't go anywhere. Mother will be back soon." Tang Youyou quickly instructed, then picked up the hatchet in the corner and ran quickly towards the back mountain.

"Mom, wait for me!" Tang Wan heard the noise and hurriedly followed.

"You..." Tang Xiaoya wanted to say something, but looking at the backs of her mother and sister hurriedly leaving, she could only stamp her feet helplessly, turned around and ran back into the house.

She brought a small stool, climbed to the window, stood on tiptoe, and looked hard towards the back mountain, her heart full of worry and expectation.

Time passed minute by minute, the sky gradually darkened, but Tang Xiaoya still stood by the window, motionless.

"Xiao Ya, it's time for dinner." Tang Jin walked in with a bowl of fragrant rice, but found his sister staring intently out the window. He couldn't help but feel a little strange, "What are you looking at?"

"Shh!" Tang Xiaoya made a hushed gesture and said in a low voice, "Mother and sister haven't come back yet. I promised mother that I would help her watch the trap."

"Trap? What trap?" Tang Jin asked curiously.

"Hey, why are you asking so many questions? It's not a good thing anyway!" Tang Xiaoya waved her hand impatiently and continued to stare out the window.

"Tsk, if you don't want to tell me, then don't tell me. It's no big deal!" Tang Jin curled his lips and started eating alone.

As the night deepened, bursts of insect chirping could be heard from the forest, occasionally mixed with the low growls of wild beasts, which made people shudder.

"Mom, why haven't you come back yet..." Tang Xiaoya lay on the windowsill, looking at the dark forest, her heart full of anxiety.

At this moment, footsteps suddenly came from the distance, getting closer and closer, becoming clearer and clearer.

"Mom! Sister!" Tang Xiaoya stood up excitedly and ran towards the direction where the voice came from.

"Little girl, don't be afraid, we are back!" Tang Youyou's voice came from the darkness.

In the faint moonlight, Tang Xiaoya saw her mother and sister walking towards her. Behind them was a tall figure who seemed to be holding something in his hand.

"Mom, who is he? What did you catch?" Tang Xiaoya asked curiously.

"Shh!" Tang Youyou made a silent gesture and said in a low voice, "Don't talk, follow me!"

Although Tang Xiaoya was confused, she still kept her mouth shut and followed her mother and sister into the yard.

In the yard, Hunter Zhang gently placed the object in his hand on the ground. In the dim light, he could clearly see that it was a...

In the yard, Hunter Zhang gently placed the object in his hand on the ground. In the dim light, he could see that it was a huge wild boar. Its limbs were bound with thick ropes, and it could not move, but could only make angry grunts.

"Mom, you caught a wild boar!" Tang Jin heard the noise and ran out of the house. Seeing the scene in front of him, he shouted excitedly.

"Keep your voice down!" Tang Youyou scolded in a low voice, "Don't wake up the neighbors."

"Youyou, this wild boar is incredibly powerful. If it weren't for the two of us working together, we might not be able to subdue it." Hunter Zhang wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with lingering fear, "I think there's something wrong with this beast. It looks like it's sick. You better be careful."

Tang Youyou nodded and signaled Zhang the Hunter to carry the wild boar to the corner of the yard. She carefully observed the wild boar and found that although it was huge, its fur was dull and its eyes were a little dull. It really looked like it was sick.

"Mom, this wild boar is sick. Can we still eat it?" Tang Jin asked curiously.

"Of course not!" Tang Youyou shook her head, "This wild boar may be carrying germs. We have to get rid of it first to prevent it from infecting other people in the village."

"Then what should we do?" Tang Wan asked.

"Let me take care of it," Hunter Zhang volunteered. "I've been hunting in the mountains all year round, so I know how to handle these beasts."

"Then I'll trouble you, Brother Zhang." Tang Youyou said gratefully.

Hunter Zhang nodded, picked up the hatchet beside him and prepared to start.

"Wait a minute!" Tang Youyou suddenly called out to him, "Brother Zhang, can you please leave this wild boar's fur? Perhaps we can use it to exchange for something."

"This..." Hunter Zhang hesitated for a moment, "This wild boar has thick skin and flesh, I'm afraid it's not worth much."

"It doesn't matter, it's better than throwing it away." Tang Youyou insisted, "The village is in need of money right now, so any change is good."

Seeing that Tang Youyou was so persistent, Zhang Hunter didn't know what to say and nodded in agreement.

After dealing with the wild boar, Hunter Zhang handed the skin to Tang Youyou and left.

Tang Youyou carefully examined the wild boar's corpse and found that it was indeed covered with many red parasites, which looked very disgusting.

"Mom, what are these?" Tang Wan asked with a hint of fear on her face.

"These are parasites, and they are likely the culprits of the epidemic." Tang Youyou explained, "We must be careful and not be infected by them."

"Yes!" Tang Wan and Tang Jin both nodded seriously, not daring to be careless anymore.

Tang Youyou looked at the wild boar meat and fur in front of her and fell into deep thought... She murmured to herself, "It seems that I have to find a way to make use of these things..."

Late at night, the children long asleep, Tang Youyou was still busy under the oil lamp. She carefully cleaned the wild boar meat, cut it into small pieces, sprinkled it with salt and spices, and marinated it. Although the wild boar meat might carry bacteria, the risk would be greatly reduced after high-temperature cooking. She planned to make some of the wild boar meat into jerky and take some to sell in town.

"Mom, what delicious food are you making?" Tang Wan rubbed her sleepy eyes and walked out of the room.

"Wan'er, why are you up?" Tang Youyou quickly put down the work in her hands, walked over and touched Tang Wan's forehead, "Did you catch a cold?"

"No, I'm just a little thirsty." Tang Wan shook her head and her eyes fell on the wild boar meat on the table. "Mom, is this wild boar meat? It smells so good!"

"It's wild boar meat, but it's not ready yet." Tang Youyou said with a smile, "Go back to your room and sleep first. You can eat it tomorrow morning."

"Yeah." Tang Wan nodded obediently and turned back to her room.

Looking at her daughter's departing back, Tang Youyou showed a loving smile on her face. For the sake of her children, she had to cheer up and try to overcome the difficulties before her.

The next morning, Tang Youyou came to the town with the pickled wild boar meat and the cleaned wild boar fur. She first found a butcher shop and sold some of the wild boar meat to the owner. The owner saw that the wild boar meat was fat and lean, and very fresh, so he readily gave Tang Youyou a good price.

"Madam, how much is your wild boar fur?" A passing merchant saw the wild boar fur in Tang Youyou's hand, his eyes lit up, and he hurried forward to ask.

"It's up to you what you want." Tang Youyou didn't know the value of the wild boar fur, so she didn't offer a price.

The merchant carefully examined the wild boar fur and found that the leather was thick and the fur was shiny. It was a rare and good item, so he gave a price that made Tang Youyou very satisfied.

Tang Youyou used the money from selling wild boar meat and fur to buy some medicine and feed to treat poultry and livestock, and then hurried back home.

After returning home, Tang Youyou didn't even bother to rest, and immediately began to give medicine to the poultry and livestock. She believed that as long as she persisted, she would be able to defeat the epidemic.

As the sun set, Tang Youyou looked at the lively poultry and livestock in the yard, a gratified smile on her face... "Mom, look, the chickens are laying eggs again!" Tang Xiaoya's cheerful voice rang out in the yard...