The Leisurely Life of a Peasant Woman in the Tang Dynasty

The golden sunlight filled the fields, and the air was filled with the sweet aroma of ripe rice. Tang Youyou led the three children through the golden rice fields, her face filled with the joy of the harvest.

"Mom, look at this rice ear, it's so full!" Tang Wan said excitedly to Tang Youyou, holding a heavy rice ear in her hand.

"Yes, the harvest this year will definitely be good." Tang Youyou looked at the golden ocean in front of her with satisfaction. Her hard work over the past few months had finally paid off.

"Mom, I'm hungry." Tang Xiaoya, who was playing nearby, ran over and pulled Tang Youyou's clothes and said coquettishly.

"Okay, let's go home now and have delicious white rice today!" Tang Youyou smiled and touched Tang Xiaoya's head, calling the children to go home together.

After returning home, Tang Youyou spread the newly harvested rice in the yard to dry. The golden grains sparkled in the sun, like grains of gold, illuminating Tang Youyou's heart.

"Youyou, congratulations!" Shopkeeper Zhao arrived as promised. Seeing the yard full of rice, a look of surprise appeared on his face. "Your rice is growing really well. The grains are plump and golden in color. It's obviously top-quality rice!"

"Manager Zhao, you're too kind. This year's good weather and good harvests are all thanks to God." Tang Youyou smiled modestly.

"This isn't a gift from heaven; it's your own hard work that's responsible for such a good harvest," Shopkeeper Zhao said with emotion. "When you first arrived, these fields were in such a state of disarray. In just a few months, you've managed them so perfectly. I'm truly impressed!"

"Shopkeeper Zhao, please don't laugh at me. I'm a newcomer too, and there are still many things I don't understand. I'll need to ask you for advice in the future." Tang Youyou said as she welcomed Shopkeeper Zhao into the house.

After carefully examining Tang Youyou's rice, Shopkeeper Zhao offered a price that satisfied her greatly. "Youyou, your rice is of excellent quality. I've decided to buy it at a high price. What do you think?"

"Thank you so much, Manager Zhao!" Tang Youyou was overjoyed. With this income, she could...

"Thank you so much, Manager Zhao!" Tang Youyou was overjoyed. With this income, she could start to improve her family's living conditions. She had long wanted to repair the leaking roof and buy some new clothes and school supplies for the children.

After seeing off Shopkeeper Zhao, Tang Youyou began to get busy. She first went to the town to invite craftsmen to replace all the thatch on the roof with new ones, and repaired the damaged walls. Looking at the brand new house, Tang Youyou and the children smiled happily.

Afterwards, Tang Youyou took the children to the cloth shop and bought a few feet of cloth for each of them, preparing to sew new clothes for them personally. Tang Wan wanted an elegant blue skirt, Tang Jin wanted a black shorts, and Tang Xiaoya clamored for a pink embroidered skirt, and Tang Youyou agreed to all of them.

In the evening, Aunt Wang passed by Tang Youyou's house and was surprised to see that her yard was full of newly bought bricks and wood. She walked into the yard and saw Tang Youyou washing clothes by the well, so she walked up to her and asked, "Youyou, are you going to build a new house?"

Tang Youyou smiled and shook her head, saying, "It's not about building a new house, it's just about repairing the roof and walls, and buying some furniture."

Aunt Wang looked at the brand new house with a flicker of envy in her eyes, but she said, "You're renovating the house and buying furniture. That must have cost a lot of money, right? Don't let these things make your life too tight."

Tang Youyou naturally understood what Aunt Wang meant, but she didn't want to explain too much. She just replied calmly, "Thank you for the reminder, Aunt Wang. I know what's going on."

Seeing that Tang Youyou didn't want to say more, Aunt Wang stopped asking questions and left after a few pleasantries.

The next day, Aunt Wang unexpectedly came to Tang Youyou's door with her little son and a basket of fresh vegetables.

Aunt Wang's arrival surprised Tang Youyou. She quickly put down her needlework and warmly invited Aunt Wang in. Aunt Wang placed the vegetable basket on the table and said with a simple smile, "Youyou, I said something wrong a few days ago. Don't take it to heart. Consider this basket of vegetables my apology to you."

Tang Youyou smiled and took Aunt Wang's hand, saying, "Aunt Wang, I've long forgotten what you were talking about. Please don't be polite, come in and sit down."

After Aunt Wang entered the house, she looked at the clean and tidy room and the half-new cloth dress on Tang Youyou, and she felt a mixture of emotions. She had originally thought that Tang Youyou would be like other widows in the village, gloomy all day, worrying about her livelihood. But now it seemed that Tang Youyou not only lived a prosperous life, but also taught her children to be self-reliant. This made her look at Tang Youyou with new eyes.

The two were chatting when a hearty laugh came from outside the door: "Youyou, are you home?"

Tang Youyou looked over and saw Uncle Li from the village standing at the door, holding a pot of wine. Uncle Li was the old head of the village, highly respected, and usually took good care of Tang Youyou's family.

"Uncle Li, why are you here?" Tang Youyou quickly stood up to greet him.

Uncle Li walked into the house with a smile, placed the wine jug on the table, and said, "Didn't I hear that your family had a good harvest? I came here specially to congratulate you."

Tang Youyou quickly poured a cup of tea and handed it to Uncle Li, saying, "Uncle Li, you are so polite. This is all thanks to you."

Uncle Li waved his hand and said, "This is not my credit. It's your own hard work, and God will naturally bless you." He paused, then continued, "I came here today for another reason, which is to invite you to the village celebration the day after tomorrow."

Tang Youyou asked with some confusion: "Celebration? Celebrating what?"

Uncle Li explained with a smile, "It's to celebrate the good weather and good harvest this year! Every autumn after the harvest, the village holds an event like this. Everyone gets together to eat, drink, chat, and have a great time."

Tang Youyou finally understood and agreed with a smile: "Okay, I will definitely participate."

On the day of the celebration, Tang Youyou brought the children to the village threshing ground early. Many villagers had already gathered at the threshing ground, and everyone's faces were filled with the joy of a good harvest.

When Uncle Li saw Tang Youyou and his family coming, he quickly asked them to sit down and enthusiastically introduced them to the other villagers. Tang Youyou also greeted the villagers generously and quickly became one with everyone.

After three rounds of drinks, Uncle Li stood up, raised his glass, and said, "Today we gather together to celebrate this year's harvest. I believe that with everyone's joint efforts, our village will surely get better and better!"

The villagers raised their glasses in response, and for a moment, laughter and cheers resounded through the sky.

Uncle Li continued, "Today we have to especially thank someone, that is Tang Youyou. Although she has not been in our village for long, she is diligent and hardworking. Not only has she lived a prosperous life, but she has also selflessly shared her planting experience with everyone, which has benefited us greatly."

The villagers all turned their gazes towards Tang Youyou, their eyes filled with admiration and gratitude. Tang Youyou stood up a little embarrassedly and said, "Uncle Li, you're too kind. I just did what I should do."

Uncle Li smiled and waved his hand, motioning Tang Youyou to sit down, then continued, "Tang Youyou, share your experience with everyone, and let everyone learn from you."

Seeing that she couldn't refuse, Tang Youyou told the villagers about her experience and feelings in growing vegetables. The villagers listened with great interest and nodded in praise from time to time.

Tang Youyou's words inspired the villagers' enthusiasm to get rich together. They all expressed that they would learn from Tang Youyou, work hard to improve their planting techniques, and strive for a bigger harvest next year.

The celebration ended with laughter and joy. Claire led the children on their way home, her heart filled with joy and hope.

However, not far away, Landlord Liu was watching all this coldly...

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the fields, gilding the golden ears of rice with a warm glow. Tang Youyou looked at the children's cheerful figures, and a satisfied smile appeared on her lips. Today was the village celebration, and the children were having a particularly good time. Tang Youyou's mood was as joyful as this harvest season.

"Mom, look, Uncle Zhao gave me a bag of candies!" Tang Jin ran over excitedly and spread out his hands like he was presenting a treasure. A few crystal clear candies sparkled in the sunset.

"Uncle Zhao is so nice!" Tang Xiaoya also clapped her hands happily, her round little face filled with a happy smile.

Tang Youyou smiled and patted the children's heads, looking not far away, but happened to meet a pair of sinister eyes.

That was Landlord Liu, standing on the ridge of the field, looking at the family from afar. Beside him was his lackey, Zhang San, who was nodding and bowing as he spoke, occasionally pointing in Tang Youyou's direction.

Although they were a bit far away, Tang Youyou could still clearly see the jealousy and calculation that flashed across Landlord Liu's eyes. Ever since she came to the village, Landlord Liu had been resentful of her. Tang Youyou knew that Landlord Liu was jealous of her joy at harvesting, and even more jealous of the prestige she was gradually building up among the villagers.

"Mom, let's go home." Tang Wan pulled at the corner of Tang Youyou's clothes, sensitively sensing something was wrong.

Tang Youyou withdrew her gaze, said "hmm" softly, took the children's hands, and walked towards home.

After returning home, Tang Youyou settled the children and began to pick up the vegetables she had harvested today. Looking at the fruits and vegetables filling the yard, Tang Youyou felt a sense of accomplishment. These were the fruits of her hard work, and they also carried her hope for a better life in the future.

It was late at night, and the children were all asleep, but Tang Youyou had no desire to sleep. She walked to the window, looking at the dark night sky outside, her mind full of thoughts.

Landlord Liu's look made her feel uneasy. She knew this was just the beginning, and there would be more challenges ahead. But she wasn't afraid. She had golden fingers, hardworking hands, and three lovely children. She believed that as long as she worked hard, she would be able to overcome all difficulties and create a better life for herself and her children.

Thinking of this, Tang Youyou's eyes gradually became firm. She turned back to her room and took out an exquisite wooden box from the box under the bed. She opened the box and found a crystal clear green seed lying quietly inside.

Moonlight shone through the window, illuminating the seeds, emitting a faint fluorescence. Tang Youyou took a deep breath, held the seeds tightly in her palm, and muttered to herself, "It's time..."