The Leisurely Life of a Peasant Woman in the Tang Dynasty

As dusk deepened, the clouds on the horizon were dyed orange by the setting sun, illuminating Tang Youyou's anxious face. She took a deep breath, suppressed her uneasiness, and explained her purpose to the rugged hunter in front of her.

After hearing this, Hunter Zhang knitted his thick eyebrows together and remained silent. His sharp eyes swept over Tang Youyou and the three children behind her, as if he was thinking about something. After a while, he said in a rough voice, "I know a thing or two about Master Zhou. You want me to help you deal with him, but it won't be easy."

Tang Youyou understood that it would not be easy to convince this lone hunter. She gathered herself and said firmly, "Hunter Zhang, I know you hate evil and hate to be associated with Master Zhou. I came here today not to have a direct confrontation with him, but to ask you to do me a favor and find my carriage and cargo. As for Master Zhou, I will find a way to deal with him myself."

Hunter Zhang looked deeply at Tang Youyou, seemingly moved by the determination and wisdom in her eyes. He pondered for a moment, then turned around and took out a rough wooden bowl from inside the house. He filled it halfway with water and handed it to Tang Youyou, saying, "Have a drink first. You must be tired after all this travel. As for your matter, I can't guarantee that I can help you, but I can take you to see a few people who might be able to provide some clues."

Tang Youyou took the bowl of water, thanked him, and drank it all in one gulp. She knew that Zhang the Hunter had agreed to help. A glimmer of hope ignited in her heart. Perhaps things were not as bad as she had imagined.

Led by Hunter Zhang, Tang Youyou and the children came to a dilapidated courtyard deep in the village. In the courtyard, several ragged villagers were sitting together, talking about something with sad faces.

"Old Li, when will this end? Mr. Zhou relies on his power and influence to force us poor people into a desperate situation. If this continues, we will all starve to death!" A thin man said indignantly.

"Yes, Mr. Zhou is simply a vampire. He buys away the crops that we have worked so hard to grow at a low price. We can't even fill our stomachs, so how can we survive?" another old farmer sighed.

Hunter Zhang brought Tang Youyou to them, cleared his throat, and said, "Stop complaining. I brought someone here today. Maybe she can help us solve the dilemma we are facing."

Everyone looked up, their eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of anticipation. Tang Youyou knew this was her chance to win their trust, and it was also her first step in striking back at Master Zhou. She took a deep breath and slowly began, "Fellow villagers, my name is Tang Youyou, and I'm from Tangjia Village..." Her voice was steady and powerful, echoing through the dilapidated courtyard like a ray of hope, illuminating everyone's lost eyes.

"I've heard of you. You're the Madam Tang who's great at raising chickens, right?" A middle-aged woman in the crowd recognized Tang Youyou and said excitedly.

Tang Youyou smiled slightly, nodded and said, "That's right. My fellow villagers, I came here this time to..."

Everyone looked up, their eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of anticipation. Tang Youyou knew this was her chance to win their trust, and it was also her first step in striking back at Master Zhou. She took a deep breath and slowly began, "Fellow villagers, my name is Tang Youyou, and I'm from Tang Village... I've heard about your story, and I think I can help with the problems you're facing."

"You? How can you help us?" the thin man asked suspiciously.

"I know a little bit about breeding techniques," Tang Youyou smiled slightly, "Maybe I can help you increase the production of poultry and increase your income."

The villagers looked at each other, obviously not believing what Tang Youyou said.

"I know everyone doesn't believe me," Tang Youyou continued, "but I'm willing to show off my skills first to prove my ability."

Over the next few days, Tang Youyou proved herself through her actions. She patiently taught the villagers farming techniques, helping them improve their poultry's living environment and enhance their disease resistance. With her help, the villagers' poultry grew well and their egg production increased significantly.

The villagers were very grateful to Tang Youyou and trusted her more and more.

"Madam Tang, you are truly our benefactor!" Old Li shook Tang Youyou's hand and said excitedly, "If it weren't for you, we wouldn't know how we would have gotten through this winter!"

"Yes, Madam Tang, you not only helped us solve the current predicament, but also taught us a lot. You are such a good person!"

Tang Youyou looked at the simple faces in front of her, and a warm feeling surged in her heart. She knew that it was time to implement her plan.

"Fellow villagers, this time I came here, not only to help you, but also to ask you to do me a favor." Tang Youyou's voice was steady and firm, "I want to ask everyone to help me expose Mr. Zhou's true face!"

The villagers were stunned at first, then nodded in agreement. They had long hated Master Zhou, but had never dared to speak out. Now, Tang Youyou's appearance gave them hope.

As night fell, the dim candlelight in the ancestral hall of Tangjia Village illuminated dozens of resolute faces. Tang Youyou listed the evidence she had learned about Mr. Zhou's crimes one by one, and the villagers were filled with righteous indignation, expressing their determination to fight Mr. Zhou to the end.

A counterattack against Mr. Zhou is quietly unfolding...

It had been a whole day since Tang Youyou left home. Tang Wan and Tang Jin were anxiously waiting for news from their mother at home, while Tang Xiaoya...

It had been a whole day since Tang Youyou left home. Tang Wan and Tang Jin were anxiously waiting for news from their mother. Tang Xiaoya lay on the bed, her chubby little hands tightly clutching the cloth tiger Tang Youyou had made for her, and she murmured softly, "Mother, Mother..."

Suddenly, Tang Xiaoya's eyes opened, her black grape-like pupils rolled around, and a sweet smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. She rolled out of bed, ran to Tang Wan, and said in a baby voice, "Sister, Mom said she's fine and told us not to worry."

Although Tang Wan felt strange, her anxiety dissipated a little when she saw her sister's innocent smile. She touched Tang Xiaoya's head and said softly, "Be good, little girl. Mother will be back soon."

At this time, in the market of the neighboring village, Tang Youyou stood in the middle of the crowd, holding a stack of papers in her hand, and recounted the crimes of Master Zhou in a clear and melodious voice. She exposed how Master Zhou oppressed the people, how he embezzled and accepted bribes, and how he took human lives, which aroused the righteous indignation of the onlookers, who all condemned Master Zhou's evil behavior.

"This Zhou Paopi is simply not a human being!"

"We have been deceived by him for so many years. It's really hateful!"

"Madam Tang, you did the right thing, we support you!"

Facing the public's condemnation, Tang Youyou's heart was filled with strength. She knew that justice might be late, but it would never be absent.

At this moment, there was a commotion outside the crowd, and someone shouted: "Master Zhou is here!"

The crowd parted automatically. Master Zhou, surrounded by a group of lackeys, angrily walked up to Tang Youyou. His fat face was twisted with anger. He pointed at Tang Youyou's nose and cursed, "You vicious woman! How dare you ruin my good deeds!"

Tang Youyou was not afraid at all. She met Master Zhou's gaze with a sneer on her lips: "Master Zhou, I'm just telling the truth. Do you dare to say that you haven't done these evil things?"

"You, you are slandering me!" Master Zhou was furious, but unable to refute. He could only threaten in a cowardly manner, "Just wait, I won't let you go!"

Tang Youyou smiled contemptuously, turned to look at the surrounding villagers, and said loudly: "Fellow villagers, you all saw it, Master Zhou is guilty! We can't let him bully us anymore, we must unite and resist together!"

"Yes! Resist!" The villagers were excited and responded to Tang Youyou's call.

Seeing the situation was bad, Master Zhou knew that he was going to get nowhere today, so he tried to slip away. As he retreated, he shouted to his lackeys behind him, "What are you still standing there for? Stop her!"

The lackeys looked at each other in bewilderment. They were used to relying on Master Zhou's power to bully others, so how could they have ever seen such a scene? For a moment, they didn't dare to step forward.

Tang Youyou naturally would not miss this opportunity. She took the opportunity to squeeze out of the crowd and ran out of the market in a few steps.

"Madam Tang, we will help you!" Hunter Zhang, along with several strong young men, escorted Tang Youyou out of the neighboring village.

"Thank you!" Tang Youyou nodded to them gratefully, but her heart was filled with worry. She knew that this struggle had just begun and Master Zhou would not give up.

In the evening, Tang Youyou finally returned home. The three children excitedly surrounded her when they saw her return safely.

"Mom, you're finally back!" Tang Wan hugged Tang Youyou's arm, her eyes red.

"Mom, I miss you so much!" Tang Xiaoya hugged Tang Youyou's legs and said in a baby voice.

"Mom, are you okay?" Although Tang Jin didn't say anything, his eyes were full of worry.

Tang Youyou looked at the three sensible children, her heart filled with warmth. She smiled and touched their heads, saying softly, "Mom is fine, don't worry."

Late at night, Tang Youyou lay in bed, but she couldn't fall asleep. She thought about what happened today, Master Zhou's threats, and the road ahead, and her heart was filled with confusion.

Suddenly, she heard a burst of voices coming from outside the door, as if Tang Wan and Tang Jin were talking.

"Sister, mother seems very unhappy today..."

"Shh, be quiet, mother will hear you..."

"But I want to make my mother happy..."

"I want to, too...but we..."

Tang Youyou sat up suddenly, she threw back the quilt, tiptoed to the door, held her breath, and listened carefully to the conversation outside.

"We...we use the money for the private school..."