The Leisurely Life of a Peasant Woman in the Tang Dynasty

A crisp knock on the door spread through the quiet morning air. After a moment, the door creaked open, revealing the honest face of Village Chief Wang. "Hey, it's Youyou. What's up so early?"

"Brother Wang, excuse me for disturbing you." Tang Youyou greeted him with a smile and walked into the yard. "It's like this, I heard that there's some wasteland for rent in the village recently, so I wanted to come and ask about the situation."

Village Chief Wang frowned slightly upon hearing this. He pondered for a moment before saying, "That's true, but..." He looked troubled. "You know, there are many people in the village but little land. Although these wastelands have been idle for a long time, they are still the village's resources. If I rent them out to outsiders, I'm afraid..."

Tang Youyou immediately understood his concerns and said with a smile, "Brother Wang, don't worry, I'm not someone who takes advantage of others for nothing. As for the rent, we can follow the market price and will definitely not let the village suffer any loss."

"That's not what I meant," Village Chief Wang quickly waved his hand. "I trust your character, but..." He sighed. "You know, some people in the village are quite stubborn and always reject outsiders. I'm afraid..."

"Brother Wang, I understand your concerns." Tang Youyou said sincerely, "How about this, when it's convenient for you, I'll go to the village and explain it to everyone. We can also discuss the rent. As long as it satisfies everyone, I can accept it."

Seeing her sincerity, Village Chief Wang's concerns dissipated a lot. He nodded and said, "Okay, I'll call a meeting of the villagers tomorrow. You can come back then and we can talk things over in person."

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

The next day, Tang Youyou arrived at the neighboring village as promised. As soon as she reached the entrance of the village, she saw a group of people gathered under the old locust tree at the entrance, talking and making a lot of noise.

"I heard someone wants to rent the wasteland in our village?"

"That's right, I don't know where it came from..."

Tang Youyou's heart tightened, and a bad premonition came over her. She quickened her pace and walked forward. A sarcastic voice in the crowd reached her ears:

"Head of the Village, Wang, why should we rent our village's land to outsiders? She's just an outsider..." The one who spoke was the village widow Chen, who had her hands on her hips and a look of arrogance and unreasonableness on her face...

Widow Chen's words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing a thousand waves. The crowd suddenly exploded, and everyone spoke one after another, most of them expressing their opposition.

Village Chief Wang tried hard to maintain order, raising his voice and shouting, "Everyone, be quiet and listen to me! Youyou..."

"Village Chief Wang, you're in cahoots with her, aren't you?" Widow Chen interrupted him sharply. "Have you forgotten that you promised us villagers that the wasteland would be distributed? Why are you breaking your promise now?"

"That's right, that's right!" The crowd echoed, and Village Chief Wang's face turned ugly.

Seeing this, Tang Youyou knew she couldn't remain silent any longer. She walked to the center of the crowd and said calmly, "Hello, uncles and aunts. I'm Tang Youyou from the village next door. I came here today to..."

"Who is your aunt? Don't try to claim to be related to me!" Widow Chen interrupted her rudely, "We don't welcome outsiders here!"

Facing the hostility of the crowd, Tang Youyou took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in her heart, and said calmly: "I know that everyone has a lot of misunderstandings about me, but I can assure you that I rented this wasteland not for myself, but to create greater value for it and bring more income to the village!"

"Benefits? What benefits?" someone in the crowd questioned.

"It's like this," Tang Youyou explained patiently, "I plan to grow herbs on this wasteland. Not only will it boost the village's economic development, but it will also provide employment opportunities for the villagers, allowing them to earn money right at their doorstep!"

There was a murmur among the crowd. Obviously, Tang Youyou's words touched some people.

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Tang Youyou continued, "Also, I will give priority to hiring people from the village, and I will definitely not treat anyone unfairly in terms of wages. I promise..."

"Who would believe your nonsense!" Widow Chen jumped out again, pointing at Tang Youyou's nose and scolding, "You outsider, stop using sweet words here to fool us honest villagers..."

The crowd became agitated again, and Tang Youyou's words were drowned out by the noise. Village Chief Wang anxiously tried to control the situation, but to no avail.

Tang Youyou looked at the hostile faces in front of her, feeling mixed emotions. She knew that convincing these people would be no easy task...

Tang Youyou's words became powerless amid the noise. She knew that she couldn't convince everyone with words alone. Widow Chen's incitement, coupled with the villagers' obsession with the land, formed an invisible wall that blocked her way.

An old man in the crowd slowly spoke, his voice low but powerful: "Miss Youyou, it's not that we don't trust you, but this land is too important to us. Our ancestors have lived on this land for generations, and we can't easily hand it over to an outsider."

The old man's words resonated with many people. They nodded one after another, their eyes filled with attachment to the land and worry about the future. Tang Youyou understood that this land carried the emotions and hopes of the villagers, and that it would take more effort to change their minds.

"I know how important this land is to everyone," Tang Youyou said sincerely, "I promise that after I rent this land, I will cultivate it as if it were my own and will never let everyone down."

"But..." a middle-aged woman hesitated and said, "We have been farmers for generations. We don't know how to grow the herbs you mentioned. Will we still be able to farm like we used to?"

"Of course!" Tang Youyou explained with a smile, "I will invite professional masters to teach everyone planting techniques. The income from growing herbs is much higher than growing crops. I believe everyone's life will get better and better."

Some villagers began to waver, exchanging glances as if weighing the pros and cons. However, Widow Chen refused to give in. She shouted, "Who knows if what you said is true or not? What if you're just trying to cheat us out of our land?"

"That's right, we can't trust her!" Some villagers were incited again by Widow Chen's words, and the voices of opposition rose again.

Seeing the chaotic scene before her, Tang Youyou felt helpless. She knew that it was impossible to convince all the villagers today. She took a deep breath and decided to leave temporarily to give the villagers some time to think calmly.

"Dear uncles and aunts," Tang Youyou raised her voice, drowning out the noise of the crowd, "I know everyone is still worried about me. I will go back today and come visit again after everyone calms down."

After saying this, Tang Youyou nodded slightly to Village Chief Wang, then turned and left the crowd. Village Chief Wang looked at Tang Youyou's departing figure, feeling mixed emotions. He looked at the still noisy crowd in front of him and sighed deeply...

Village Chief Wang watched Tang Youyou disappear at the end of the ridge before retracting his gaze and turning to face the villagers who were still talking. He coughed forcefully a few times, trying to suppress the noise of the crowd.

"Alright, everyone, be quiet!" Village Chief Wang raised his voice, a hint of majesty in his cloudy eyes. "Miss Youyou has left. How long are you going to make trouble?"

The crowd gradually quieted down, but questioning and dissatisfied glances remained fixed on Village Chief Wang. Widow Chen shrieked, "Village Chief, you can't be fooled by that outsider! Who knows what she's up to? We can't just rent our land to her!"

"That's right, Village Chief, this land is our lifeblood!"

"What if she doesn't keep her promise?"

The villagers chattered, each one expressing their concerns. Village Chief Wang listened with a sense of helplessness. He understood the importance of land to the villagers, but he also knew that clinging blindly to tradition would only lead the village to perpetual stagnation.

Village Chief Wang raised his wrinkled hand, signaling for silence. "I know what everyone's worried about," he said slowly. "I've met Miss Youyou a few times, and she's not the unreasonable type. Furthermore, the conditions she's proposed are indeed beneficial to our village. If it can increase everyone's income and improve their lives, it wouldn't be a bad thing."

"But……"

"I know you still have concerns," Village Chief Wang interrupted the villagers. "I won't force you on this matter. I'll think about it again and talk to Miss Youyou to see if we can find a solution that satisfies both sides."

After hearing what Village Chief Wang said, the villagers calmed down a bit. Although they were stubborn, they were not unreasonable. They were just worried about their own interests being harmed.

Village Chief Wang sighed deeply as he watched the crowd gradually dissipate. He looked up at the clear sky and prayed silently, hoping for a solution that would both reassure the villagers and allow them to seize this opportunity for development.

Evening fell, but the lights in Village Chief Wang's house were still bright. He sat at the table, brow furrowed, thinking over the events of the day. There was a gentle knock on the door, and he said in a deep voice, "Come in."

"Village Chief, it's me." Tang Youyou's voice rang out from outside the door.