The Leisurely Life of a Peasant Woman in the Tang Dynasty

Entering the city, Tang Youyou discovered that the streets here were wider than those in Qinghe Town. There were many shops, people coming and going, and all kinds of hawking sounds were heard everywhere, which was full of exotic customs.

The leader of the Ma Gang found an inn to settle down, while Tang Youyou took the children to stroll around the streets, feeling the charm of this strange city.

"Mom, look, what is that?" Tang Jin pointed at a stall selling candy figures on the street and shouted excitedly.

Tang Youyou looked at the children's curious eyes and said with a smile: "Let's go and take a look."

At this moment, a middle-aged man in a long gown and a square scarf on his head walked out of the crowd. He had sharp eyes and steady steps. He walked straight to Tang Youyou and bowed, "Excuse me, are you Tang Youyou, Miss Tang?"

"It's me, may I know who you are?" Tang Youyou bowed slightly and responded politely.

"My name is Chen, and I'm sent by Boss Hai to pick you up," said Chen the translator, handing over a wooden plaque engraved with a wave pattern. "Boss Hai said you'll know once you see this plaque."

Tang Youyou took the wooden sign and examined it carefully. This was the token she and Boss Hai had agreed on. She nodded and gestured for Translator Chen to lead the way.

Translator Chen brought Tang Youyou and his group to a teahouse where Boss Hai had been waiting for a long time. After exchanging pleasantries, they got down to business.

"Miss Tang, I've already looked at the goods you brought. They're of excellent quality, and I'm very satisfied." Boss Hai took a sip of tea and said slowly, "It's just the price..."

Tang Youyou understood what Boss Hai meant. Although the goods she brought were of good quality, they were imported after all. The locals were not familiar with them, so the price naturally could not be compared with local goods.

"Boss Hai, I'm new here and don't know much about the market conditions here. Since you're an expert in this area, why don't you give me some advice?" Tang Youyou said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Seeing Tang Youyou's understanding, Boss Hai admired her even more and explained the local market and some business rules in detail. Tang Youyou listened carefully and raised her questions as appropriate. Translator Chen assisted with the translation to ensure smooth communication between the two parties.

During the conversation, Tang Youyou discovered that the culture and customs here were very different from those in her hometown, and the language barrier was also a big obstacle. She realized that if she wanted to gain a foothold here, she must quickly adapt to the local environment and understand the local culture and customs in order to better conduct business.

Just as Tang Youyou and Boss Hai were having a pleasant conversation, a sudden noise came from the street.

"Mom, they are bullying us!" Tang Wan pulled Tang Jin into the teahouse and said breathlessly.

It turned out that when Tang Wan and Tang Jin were playing on the street, they had a misunderstanding with several local children because of language barriers and an argument broke out between the two sides.

Seeing this, Tang Youyou quickly stood up and walked towards the children.

Tang Youyou walked out of the teahouse and saw Tang Wan and Tang Jin confronting several local children. Both sides were glaring at each other, neither willing to give in. Tang Xiaoya hid behind Tang Wan, poking her head out and looking around curiously.

"What's going on?" Tang Youyou asked softly, trying to understand the situation.

Tang Wan pointed at a boy across from her and said angrily, "Mom, he said our speech sounded like birdsong and that our clothes were weird!"

Tang Jin also added: "They also laughed at Xiaoya's hair and said she was a doll!"

Tang Youyou followed Tang Jin's gaze and saw Tang Xiaoya's shiny black hair tied into two cute pigtails, sparkling in the sun. In the eyes of the locals, this hairstyle and clothing were indeed out of tune with them.

"Children, everyone has their own characteristics, and we should respect each other's differences." Tang Youyou patiently explained to the children, "Just like we find their language and clothing novel and interesting, they are also curious about us."

As he spoke, Tang Youyou took out a few pieces of exquisite cakes from the cloth bag he carried with him and handed them to the children opposite him. "This is a specialty cake from our hometown. Please try it."

The children couldn't help but swallow their saliva as they looked at the fragrant cakes. Tang Youyou's kind attitude and delicious cakes gradually dissolved the barriers between them. The children took the cakes and smiled a little embarrassedly.

"Thank you, sister!" An older girl spoke first, using a less fluent language.

Seeing that the children were no longer angry, Tang Xiaoya ran out from behind Tang Wan. She pointed at her pigtails and said in a baby voice, "Sister, look, does my hair look like goat horns?"

The children were amused by Tang Xiaoya's innocence and nodded in agreement. Tang Xiaoya smiled happily and mingled with the children.

Seeing the children getting along harmoniously, Tang Youyou smiled with relief. She knew that friendship between children was the best bridge to eliminate cultural barriers.

In the evening, with the help of Chen the Translator, Tang Youyou rented a stall in the busiest market in the city and began to display the handicrafts she brought. These handicrafts were all carefully made by Tang Youyou, with exquisite workmanship and unique designs, and soon attracted many customers to come and watch.

"What is this? Why have I never seen it before?"

"How beautiful! How was this pattern embroidered?"

"How much is this? I want to buy one!"

Customers were full of curiosity and love for Tang Youyou's handicrafts. However, just when Tang Youyou was about to show off her skills, she found a strong competitor across from her stall.

"Don't miss it if you pass by! It's a century-old brand, traditional handicrafts, reasonable prices, no cheating!" A loud voice came.

Tang Youyou looked up and saw that opposite her was a stall that was much larger than her own. The stall owner was an old man over fifty years old. Behind him were all kinds of traditional handicrafts, each of which was exquisitely crafted and full of strong local characteristics.

Seeing this scene, translator Chen couldn't help but say to Tang Youyou with some concern: "Miss Tang, this is the most famous traditional handicraftsman in the city. His craftsmanship is inherited from his ancestors. Many dignitaries like to collect his works. If we compete with him, I'm afraid..."

Tang Youyou looked at the old man's skilled skills and dazzling array of works across from her and fell into deep thought. She knew that if she wanted to gain a foothold in this unfamiliar city, she had to maintain her own characteristics while integrating local cultural elements...

"It seems that I need to make some changes." Tang Youyou said in a low voice with a firm look.

Translator Chen's words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the hope that had just ignited in Tang Youyou's heart. She looked around. In the bustling crowd, few people stopped in front of her small stall. Most people were simply attracted by the loud hawking of the stall owner across the street, or by the handicrafts they were familiar with.

"Mom, when can we go home?" Tang Xiaoya asked gloomily, playing with the corner of her clothes out of boredom.

Tang Jin was also a little discouraged: "Yeah, Mom, we've been here for half a day and haven't sold a single thing."

Although Tang Wan didn't say anything, her furrowed brow and lonely eyes showed her inner uneasiness.

"Children, don't be discouraged." Tang Youyou forced herself to cheer up and comfort the children, "We just arrived, it will take some time for everyone to get to know us."

"But they seem to prefer old things." Tang Jin pointed at the antique handicrafts on the stall opposite, with a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone.

Tang Youyou knew that the children were right. Although her handicrafts were exquisite, they lacked some elements that could resonate with the locals in this place with a rich cultural heritage.

"Wan'er, Jin'er, do you still remember the stories we read in books before?" Tang Youyou suddenly asked.

"Mom, are you talking about those legends about this dynasty?" Tang Wan reacted quickly and immediately understood what Tang Youyou meant.

"That's right!" A gleam flashed in Tang Youyou's eyes, "We can try to incorporate these stories into our handicrafts to make them more local."

When the children heard Tang Youyou's ideas, their eyes lit up. They all used their brains to combine their own impressive stories and characters with Tang Youyou's handicrafts, and came up with many novel and interesting ideas.

As night fell, the crowds at the market gradually dispersed. Tang Youyou packed up her stall and returned to the inn with the children. Moonlight streamed into the room through the window, making her shadow appear particularly slender. She stared at the bright moonlight outside the window, her mind awash with thoughts...

"It seems that I need to be bolder..." Tang Youyou muttered to herself, stood up and walked to the table, picked up the pen and ink, and began to write and draw on a piece of rice paper.

It was late at night, and the sound of the children's even breathing echoed softly in the room, but Tang Youyou had no desire to sleep. She sat at the table, using the dim candlelight to carefully revise the design she had drawn during the day.

"Mom, why aren't you sleeping yet?" Tang Wan turned over and asked in a daze.

"Mom is fine, go to sleep." Tang Youyou patted her daughter's back gently, signaling her to continue resting.

After the children fell asleep again, Tang Youyou put down her paintbrush, walked to the window, looked at the bright moon in the sky, and her thoughts drifted away.

"Integrating into the local culture is certainly important, but relying solely on small stalls in the market is not a long-term solution." Tang Youyou whispered to herself, "I need a bigger stage, a platform that can contact the local dignitaries..."

Her eyes fell on the exquisite embroidery on the table. It was a new work she created based on the local legend "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix". The phoenix was lifelike and every feather was visible.

"If I could present this work in front of those dignitaries..." Tang Youyou clenched his fists, a flame ignited in his heart.

She knew very well that in this era, if one wanted to build up personal connections, one would have to resort to some "extraordinary means".

The next morning, Tang Youyou got up early, and after settling the children down, she took Chen the translator and several carefully selected embroidery pieces and went straight to the most prosperous restaurant in the city - "Zuixianju".

"Translator Chen, I heard that this 'Zuixianju' is the place most frequented by dignitaries in the city?" Tang Youyou asked in a low voice while looking around.

"Yes, ma'am. The owner of Zuixianju is said to have close ties with the government, and many dignitaries like to come here to entertain guests and discuss business." Translator Chen explained in a low voice.

Tang Youyou nodded, her eyes falling on the huge screen in the center of the hall. On the screen was embroidered a picture of "Pine and Crane Prolonging Life", the needlework was exquisite and lifelike, but compared to the "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" in Tang Youyou's hand, it lacked a bit of spiritual energy.

"Boss, please inform him that there is an embroiderer from another place who wants to meet Mr. Wu." Tang Youyou calmly took out a scroll from the package and handed it to the waiter.

The waiter looked at Tang Youyou suspiciously. Seeing that she was dressed simply and elegantly and had an extraordinary temperament, he did not dare to neglect her. He took the scroll and left in a hurry.

Not long after, a middle-aged man in a brocade robe and with a sturdy figure, led by the waiter, walked towards Tang Youyou with a smile...