The Leisurely Life of a Peasant Woman in the Tang Dynasty

Dust flew, horses' hooves clattered, and the procession drew closer. Tang Youyou held the children's hands tightly, feeling uneasy. Finally, the leader, a middle-aged man in official uniform with a serious face, reined in his horse and dismounted. It was County Magistrate Liu.

"Sir, thank you for your hard work!" Village chief Wang hurried forward to salute, and other villagers also bowed their heads to greet him.

County Magistrate Liu nodded slightly, his eyes sweeping across the crowd, finally landing on Tang Youyou and the children. "Are you the villagers who rented this wasteland?"

Tang Youyou took a deep breath, stepped forward, and replied respectfully: "Your Excellency, I am you."

"I heard that this piece of land was originally government farmland, and now it is going to be taken back?" County Magistrate Liu's tone was calm, but with an aura of majesty without even being angry.

Tang Youyou's heart trembled, but she replied calmly, "Your Excellency, I only learned about this not long ago. When we rented this wasteland, it had been barren for many years. In order to ensure that the children had enough to eat, our family worked hard from dawn to dusk, cultivating and sowing seeds. Now, we are finally seeing some improvement..."

Tang Youyou's voice was choked with sobs as she pointed to the field behind her where new shoots had already sprouted, and continued, "Please look, sir. We cultivated this bit by bit. If we take it back now, all our previous efforts will be in vain, and the children's hopes will also be..."

Following Tang Youyou's gaze, County Magistrate Liu saw that the once barren fields were now thriving with life. The lush green wheat seedlings swayed in the wind, as if telling of the sweat and hard work this family had put in. A hint of admiration flashed in his eyes, and he glanced at the three sensible children beside Tang Youyou, and his heart couldn't help but be moved.

He pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you know why the official land was wrongly demarcated?"

Tang Youyou shook her head, and Village Chief Wang quickly explained, "Sir, we don't know anything about this either. Please investigate!"

County Magistrate Liu nodded and asked some more details about land leasing and farming. Tang Youyou answered them one by one. Although her tone was respectful, it was clear and logical, neither humble nor overbearing, which left a deep impression on County Magistrate Liu.

Finally, County Magistrate Liu walked to the edge of the field, bent down and carefully observed the growth of the wheat seedlings, then pinched the soil with his hands, and a gratified smile appeared on his face.

"You've done a great job." He stood up and said firmly, "Since you have already leased this land and invested so much effort in it, I will definitely handle this matter properly and push for the signing of the lease contract as soon as possible. I will also provide you with certain policy support so that you can farm it with peace of mind."

Tang Youyou's heart finally settled down. She looked at County Magistrate Liu with gratitude. Just as she was about to express her gratitude, she saw County Magistrate Liu's gaze pass over her and look at Village Chief Wang and Widow Chen standing in the crowd. A meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth...

County Magistrate Liu's gaze, sharp as a knife, swept over Village Chief Wang and Widow Chen, causing their hearts to tighten and cold sweats to break out. They dodged County Magistrate Liu's gaze, but they couldn't ignore the invisible pressure.

Silence stretched in the air for a long time before County Magistrate Liu slowly spoke: "Village Chief Wang, tell me, why was this land wrongly designated in the first place?"

Village Chief Wang hesitated, his eyes wandering, not daring to look County Magistrate Liu in the eye. He stammered, "Your Excellency, this matter...this matter is that I was confused for a moment and misremembered the contents of the land deed, which is why..."

"Oh? Really?" County Magistrate Liu's tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable authority. "What about Widow Chen? Did you remember it wrong too?"

Widow Chen was so frightened that her legs gave way, and she nearly fell to her knees. Trembling, she said, "Please spare my life, sir. I... I just believed what Village Chief Wang said and didn't know anything!"

County Magistrate Liu snorted coldly and said, "As village officials, you two have no intention of working for the benefit of the people. Instead, you deceive your superiors and subordinates and seek personal gain. Your crimes are simply unforgivable!"

Village Chief Wang and Widow Chen turned pale, knowing that today's incident would not end peacefully. They fell to their knees and kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy.

County Magistrate Liu ignored the two people's pleas. He turned around, looked at Tang Youyou, and said gently, "Madam Tang, don't worry, I will definitely seek justice for you. Since you worked so hard to reclaim this land, it should belong to you. As for Village Chief Wang and Widow Chen, I will deal with them according to the law!"

Tang Youyou was filled with gratitude. She knelt and saluted, choking with sobs as she said, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

County Magistrate Liu helped Tang Youyou up, looked at the three children beside her, and said lovingly: "Good children, follow your mother well, and your life will definitely get better and better."

The children nodded sensibly, their eyes filled with hope.

When Village Chief Wang and Widow Chen saw this scene, they knew that the situation was hopeless. They looked ashen and collapsed to the ground.

Magistrate Liu ignored the two men and mounted his horse, saying to his followers, "Let's go!"

The sound of horse hooves rang out again, and the team gradually moved away, leaving only Village Chief Wang and Widow Chen trembling in place.

Tang Youyou watched County Magistrate Liu leave, her heart filled with gratitude and hope. She knew that her persistence and hard work had finally paid off, and their future would be even better.

She turned around and looked at the three children with a relieved smile on her face.

"Kids, let's go home!"

Tang Wan and Tang Jin hugged each other excitedly. They knew that the future of their family...

Tang Wan and Tang Jin hugged each other excitedly, knowing that their family's future would be even better. Tang Xiaoya danced happily beside them, waving the flowers in her hand to celebrate this hard-earned victory.

The sun shone on Tang Youyou's face, reflecting her relieved smile. She gently stroked the children's heads, her heart filled with hope and strength. This piece of land was cultivated by her with great effort, pouring countless efforts into it. Now, it was finally recognized. How could she not be excited?

The arrival of County Magistrate Liu not only brought her justice, but more importantly, gave her great encouragement and support. She knew that this was not just a simple land dispute, but also the protection of the rights of vulnerable groups and the protection of fairness and justice.

"Mom, can we own this land forever in the future?" Tang Wan raised her childish face, her eyes gleaming with desire.

"Yes, Wan'er, this piece of land will belong to us forever from now on." Tang Youyou smiled gently, but secretly made up her mind in her heart that she would work harder to let the children live a better life.

Tang Jin also said excitedly: "That's great! In the future I can help my mother farm and grow lots of food!"

Although Tang Xiaoya was young, she understood what this meant. She waved the small flower in her hand and said in a baby voice, "The ground! Good! The flowers! Beautiful!"

Tang Youyou looked at the children's innocent smiles, her heart filled with warmth. She knew that everything she had done was worth it.

In the distance, the golden waves of wheat in the fields rolled in the wind, as if cheering for them. Tang Youyou took a deep breath, feeling the fresh air, and infinite hope and longing surged in her heart.

"Kids, let's go home!" Tang Youyou took the children's hands and turned to walk towards home.

As the sun sets, their silhouettes become elongated and gradually disappear at the end of the field...

"Mother," Tang Wan suddenly stopped, raised her head, and looked at Tang Youyou, "When can we give the land..."

"Wan'er, mother understands what you mean." Tang Youyou lowered her head and looked at her daughter tenderly. The afterglow of the setting sun cast a golden edge on them. "Let's go back and make a plan. Tomorrow we'll go talk to Village Chief Wang and Widow Chen about leasing the land, okay?"

Tang Wan's eyes lit up and she nodded heavily, "Yes! I'll help mother convince them!"

Back home, Tang Youyou got busy. She took out a wooden board and carefully drew a plan for the farmland in the moonlight. Tang Wan helped her polish it and offered suggestions from time to time.

"Mom, we can plant some fruit trees beside the fields, so that we can have fresh fruits to eat in the fall!"

"Good idea, Wan'er is so smart!" Tang Youyou smiled and touched her daughter's head, "We can also raise some chickens and ducks, so we don't have to go to town to buy chicken and duck eggs."

Tang Jin and Tang Xiaoya also came over, looking at the plan drawn by Tang Youyou, and excitedly chattering about it.

Tang Youyou patiently answered the children's questions while silently calculating in her mind. The family's savings were limited, so if they wanted to expand their planting scale, they had to be frugal.

She plans to start by leasing farmland and gradually expand the cultivated area. At the same time, she will also seek ways to improve the soil and increase crop yields. She also plans to leverage the space to cultivate new varieties of vegetables and fruits to increase her income.

Late at night, the children had fallen asleep, but Tang Youyou was still busy under the dim oil lamp. She carefully sorted out the plan and lease agreement, and counted the family savings again, her heart filled with anticipation and hope.

The next morning, Tang Youyou got up early and prepared a hearty breakfast for the children. After breakfast, she changed into a clean and neat coarse cloth dress, brought the carefully prepared plan and lease agreement, and led the three children to the home of Village Chief Wang.

"Mom, do you think Village Chief Wang and Widow Chen will agree to rent the land to us?" Tang Wan asked worriedly as they walked on the country road.

"Yes." Tang Youyou said firmly, "Mother will try her best to convince them."

She believed that as long as she showed enough sincerity and detailed planning, she would be able to impress them.

In the distance, smoke rose from Village Chief Wang's house. Tang Youyou quickened her pace and secretly made up her mind: For the children and for this family, she must succeed!