The Leisurely Life of a Peasant Woman in the Tang Dynasty

The autumn wind blew across the fields, bringing waves of golden wheat, and the air was filled with the sweet fragrance of maturity. In Tang Youyou's rice fields, the golden rice ears bent down, shining with joy in the sun.

"Mom, look, our rice is growing so well!" Tang Wan pointed excitedly at the heavy ears of rice, her face filled with the joy of a good harvest.

"Yes, the harvest this year will definitely be good." Tang Youyou couldn't hide her inner joy. Her hard work over the past few months was finally rewarded.

Tang Jin and Tang Xiaoya were also running happily on the ridges of the fields, chasing the startled grasshoppers, and their crisp laughter echoed in the fields.

Over the next few days, Tang Youyou and his family worked together, sweating profusely as they harvested, threshed, and dried the rice. The golden rice piled up in the yard, like small hills, emitting an alluring rice fragrance.

"Mom, our rice this year is more than double that of last year!" Tang Jin said excitedly as he looked at the mountain of rice.

"Yes, this is all thanks to the help of you three little guys. You are all great!" Tang Youyou looked at the three children with relief, his eyes full of love.

Tang Wan smiled and said, "Mom, we can finally stop worrying about money now."

"Yes, yes, we can buy new clothes!" Tang Xiaoya clapped her hands happily.

Tang Youyou looked at the children's innocent smiling faces, her heart filled with happiness and satisfaction. She knew that all this was the result of their family's joint efforts, and was earned with their sweat and hard work.

As night fell, Tang Youyou and her family sat around the dinner table, eating fragrant rice, their faces filled with happy smiles.

"Mom, I saw a little white rabbit in the field today. It ran so fast!" Tang Jin excitedly talked about what he saw and heard in the field today while eating his meal.

"Really? Did you catch it?" Tang Xiaoya asked curiously.

"No, it ran too fast and I couldn't catch up." Tang Jin said with some regret.

"It doesn't matter. Let's go to the fields together next time. Maybe we can see it again." Tang Wan said with a smile.

"Well, let's go together next time!" Tang Jin nodded happily.

Tang Youyou looked at the innocent smiles of the three children, and her heart was filled with warmth. She knew that the future was still long, and their family would encounter various difficulties and challenges, but as long as their family united and worked together, they would be able to overcome all difficulties and create a better life...

"Mom, how much money do you think we can make from selling this rice?" Tang Jin suddenly asked, breaking the warm atmosphere. Tang Wan and Tang Xiaoya also looked at Tang Youyou curiously. Tang Youyou put down her bowl and chopsticks and said with a smile, "Let's wait until the rice is dried and take it to the city to sell..." The autumn breeze brought a refreshing coolness. Tang Youyou and her family sat together in the yard, the golden sunlight shining on them and on the golden rice in the yard.

"Mom, how much money do you think we can make from selling this rice?" Tang Jin asked expectantly, counting on his fingers. This question instantly ignited Tang Wan's interest, and she put down her needlework and joined in the calculations.

"Last year, we harvested about three dan of rice per acre. This year, that's at least double, which is six dan. We have five acres of land, so that's..." Tang Wan counted on her fingers and suddenly shouted excitedly, "Mom, that's thirty dan of rice!"

Although Tang Jin couldn't calculate the exact amount, he knew that thirty shi must be a huge number. He jumped up and down in the yard excitedly, "Wow! Our family is going to get rich!"

Seeing her brothers and sisters so happy, Tang Xiaoya clapped her hands happily and ran around in the yard, shouting happily, "I'm rich! I'm rich!"

Tang Youyou looked at the three children's innocent appearance, her eyes full of smiles. She picked up a plump rice grain, placed it in the palm of her hand and gently stroked it, her heart filled with joy and emotion.

"According to the current market price, one stone of rice can probably be sold for..." Tang Youyou paused, deliberately lengthening her voice. Looking at the expectant eyes of the three children, she smiled and said, "One hundred coins!"

"One hundred wen!" Tang Jin and Tang Wan exclaimed in unison, their eyes wide open, as if they couldn't believe their ears.

"Then thirty stones would be..." Tang Wan was so excited that she couldn't speak.

"Three thousand wen!" Tang Jin rushed to answer, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

"Three thousand coins!" Tang Wan muttered to herself, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "We can buy a lot of things, and we can also..."

Tang Jin rushed to say, "We can buy a cow, so that we won't have to work so hard to plow the land in the future!"

Tang Xiaoya said innocently, "I want to buy candied haws and new clothes!"

Listening to the children talking about their future plans, Tang Youyou showed a relieved smile on her face. She knew that the family's future was more secure and the children could live a better life.

Tang Youyou gently stroked Tang Xiaoya's hair and looked at the golden fields in the distance. Suddenly, a thought came to her mind: "Jin'er, Wan'er, Xiaoya, Mother has another idea..."

"Mom has another idea..." As soon as Tang Youyou finished speaking, the three children gathered around curiously, looking at her eagerly, waiting for her "great plan".

"Mother thinks we can't just focus on the joy in front of us," Tang Youyou's eyes swept across the golden fields, a glint of wisdom in her eyes, "Although the weather has been good in recent years, there is no guarantee that we won't encounter droughts and floods in the future. So, mother wants to use some money to repair the canal and dig a well, so that even if we encounter a natural disaster, we won't be completely destitute."

As the children listened to Tang Youyou's words, the excitement on their faces gradually faded, replaced by expressions of serious consideration. Although they were young, they also understood the importance of preparing for a rainy day.

Tang Wan was the first to nod in agreement, "Mom is right, we can't just focus on the present, we have to plan for the future."

Tang Jin also echoed, "With the canal built and the well dug, it will be much more convenient to water the fields in the future. We won't have to carry water back and forth, which will make our backs ache."

Although Tang Xiaoya didn't quite understand what they were saying, she nodded along with her brothers and sisters, saying in a baby voice, "Mom is right!"

Seeing that the children understood her idea, Tang Youyou smiled with relief. She continued, "In addition to repairing the water conservancy facilities, Mother also wants to..." She paused deliberately, her eyes looking into the distance, as if she saw a wider world, "We can also try to expand the scale of planting and plant more cash crops, such as cotton and soybeans. This will not only increase our income, but also improve our lives."

When Tang Jin heard this, his eyes lit up immediately. "Mom, I heard that someone in the next village grows big and sweet watermelons. Let's grow some too!"

Tang Youyou smiled and patted Tang Jin's head, "Let's talk about the watermelon later, let's do the things in front of us first." She stood up and looked at the golden fields, her eyes full of hope and longing, "Mother believes that as long as we work hard, our lives will get better and better."

Just as Tang Youyou and his family were immersed in the joy of the harvest, an unexpected news reached their ears...

The autumn breeze brought a refreshing coolness, and the golden rice fields were filled with the joy of a good harvest. The faces of Tang Youyou's family were all filled with happy smiles. But at this moment, the village chief hurried over, interrupting this warm scene.

"Youyou, great news! Great news!" The village chief's voice arrived before he even showed up, his excitement barely concealed in his tone.

Tang Youyou put down the sickle in his hand and greeted him puzzledly, "Village Chief, what happened? Why are you so happy?"

The village chief took a breath and said excitedly, "Someone from the county government has come. They said that County Magistrate Liu heard that your family had a bumper harvest this year and used novel planting methods. He sent someone to express his condolences and said he would give you more support!"

This news was like a stone dropped into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand waves. Tang Youyou's family was stunned. Tang Wan was the first to react. She excitedly tugged at Tang Youyou's sleeve, "Mom, did you hear that? The county magistrate wants to support us!"

Tang Jin and Tang Xiaoya also cheered and jumped for joy. Tang Jin even jumped up and down on the edge of the field with excitement. "Great! Great! From now on, our family will be able to live a better life!"

Tang Youyou suppressed the excitement in her heart and asked calmly, "Village Chief, where are the people from the county government?"

"He's already gone back. He said that County Magistrate Liu will come to visit us in person in a few days." The village chief said with a smile, "Youyou, you are truly a blessing to our village! Since you came, our village has been getting better and better."

Tang Youyou smiled modestly, but her heart was full of anticipation. She understood that this was not only a recognition of her as a person, but also an affirmation of the advanced agricultural technology she brought.

Over the next few days, Tang Youyou's family was immersed in joy and anticipation. Tang Wan and Tang Jin took the initiative to take on the farm work at home, and Tang Xiaoya also obediently helped with what she could. They were all looking forward to the arrival of County Magistrate Liu and a better life in the future.

Finally, on the morning of the third day, the sound of horse hooves broke the tranquility of the village...