The Leisurely Life of a Peasant Woman in the Tang Dynasty

The moonlight shone on Tang Youyou's face, reflecting the determination in her eyes. She gently stroked the green seed in her hand. This corn seed from the modern era carried her hope for the future.

The next morning, Tang Youyou got up early. While the children were still asleep, she took a hoe and some seeds to the wasteland behind the house. She had just rented this land a few days ago, and in order to avoid arousing the villagers' suspicion, she had deliberately chosen a place far away from home.

Standing on the desolate land, Tang Youyou took a deep breath and carefully sowed the seeds. Then, she mobilized the power of her golden finger, accelerating the germination and growth of the seeds. At a speed visible to the naked eye, the wasteland was quickly covered in greenery, and tender shoots broke through the soil, stretching their bodies towards the rising sun.

"Mom, what are you doing?"

Tang Wan's clear voice broke the morning tranquility. Tang Youyou turned around and saw three children standing on the edge of the field, looking at her curiously.

"Mom is farming," Tang Youyou said with a smile, "When these crops are ripe, we will have more than enough food to eat."

"Wow, so many dishes!" Tang Xiaoya clapped her hands excitedly.

Tang Jinze asked with a puzzled look on his face: "Mom, how come these vegetables are growing so fast?"

Tang Youyou was well prepared. She pretended to be mysterious and said, "Because mother has magic!"

After hearing this, the children opened their eyes wide and looked at her with admiration. Tang Youyou took the opportunity to encourage her, "Wan'er, Jin'er, Xiaoya, you must study hard too, so that you can be as powerful as your mother in the future!"

"Yes!" The children answered in unison, their eyes full of longing for the future.

Looking at the innocent smiling faces of the children, Tang Youyou's heart was filled with happiness. She decided to work harder to manage their lives and let them live a prosperous and stable life.

"Mom, I want to learn how to raise chickens!" Tang Wan suddenly said, "I saw Aunt Wang in town raise chickens. They lay a lot of eggs every day. We can also raise chickens so that we can have eggs to eat."

Tang Youyou looked at her sensible daughter with satisfaction, patted her head and said, "Okay, Wan'er is so good, mother will teach you how to raise chickens!"

"I want to learn too!" Tang Jin and Tang Xiaoya also rushed to say.

Tang Youyou agreed with a smile, and the family of four held hands and walked towards home.

In the evening, Tang Jin ran down the mountain excitedly, holding a furry thing in his hands.

"Mom, look what I caught?"

"Mom, look what I caught?" Tang Jin's excited voice echoed in the yard. He handed the thing in his arms to Tang Youyou like he was presenting a treasure. It was a fluffy ball, chirping. It was a few newly hatched chicks.

"Jin'er is amazing!" Tang Youyou praised with a smile, took the chick, checked it carefully, and confirmed that it was very healthy.

"Mom, where are we going to keep them?" Tang Jin asked impatiently, with anticipation glittering in his eyes.

Tang Youyou looked around and pointed at the tall jujube tree in the corner of the yard and said, "Let's build a chicken coop there. It can provide shade and shelter from the rain."

"Alright!" Tang Jin cheered and ran to get the tools. Tang Wan and Tang Xiaoya also followed with great enthusiasm, helping their brother build the chicken coop.

Tang Youyou looked at the busy figures of the children and couldn't help but smile. Although raising chickens was hard work, looking at the expectant eyes of the children, she felt that everything was worth it.

At this time, Aunt Wang passed by the door with a basket. Seeing Tang Youyou's family busy in the yard, she stopped and asked curiously, "Youyou, what are you doing?"

"Aunt Wang, we're building a chicken coop. Jin'er caught a few chicks in the mountains, and we want to try raising them." Tang Youyou explained with a smile.

"Raising chickens?" Aunt Wang laughed as if she had heard a joke. "Hey, Youyou, you're a city girl, how can you raise chickens? Don't let the chickens fail and the food go to waste."

The smile on Tang Youyou's face froze slightly, but soon returned to normal. She said lightly: "Aunt Wang, raising chickens is not difficult. I'll give it a try, maybe I can succeed."

"Oh, you're such a stubborn kid," Aunt Wang shook her head, looking disappointed. "I've been raising chickens for so many years, there's nothing I don't know. If you really want to raise chickens, you should learn from me first, otherwise..."

Before Aunt Wang finished speaking, she saw Tang Youyou turned and walked into the house, leaving her with only her back.

Aunt Wang looked at Tang Youyou's back, sighed helplessly, shook her head, and left with the basket.

Tang Youyou returned to the house, not taking Aunt Wang's words to heart. She believed that as long as she put her heart into it, she would be able to raise chickens well. She dug out some chicken farming information she had read online and studied it carefully. From the construction of the chicken coop, to the proportion of chicken feed, to the prevention and treatment of diseases, she studied it carefully, striving to be foolproof.

As time went by, under the careful care of Tang Youyou and the children, the chicks grew rapidly, shedding their tender down and replacing it with sleek feathers. Tang Jin would go to the chicken coop every morning to pick up eggs. Seeing the basket filled with more and more eggs of various colors, the family was filled with joy.

However, the good times didn't last. That morning, Tang Jin went to the chicken coop to pick up eggs as usual, but found several chickens huddled in a corner listlessly, their feathers disheveled and refusing to eat. He quickly called Tang Youyou over.

Tang Youyou carefully examined the sick chickens and found that they were listless, had lost their appetite, and their combs had lost their former bright red color and turned dull. Her heart skipped a beat, realizing that the situation was not good.

"Mom, what's wrong with them?" Tang Jin asked anxiously, looking at the sick chickens with worry in his eyes.

Tang Youyou suppressed her inner uneasiness and pretended to be calm and said, "Don't worry, they might have caught a cold. I'll make them some ginger soup and they'll be fine."

She isolated the sick chickens and fed them separately, hoping ginger soup would alleviate their symptoms. However, after two days, the condition of several chickens worsened. They developed diarrhea, their feathers fell out more, and one chicken couldn't even stand.

Tang Youyou was extremely anxious, but she was helpless. She realized that the problem she encountered was beyond her ability.

"Looks like I need to find a veterinarian," Tang Youyou muttered to herself, her brow furrowed. She asked several elders in the village, but the answers she received made her heart sink... Most of the elders in the village only relied on their experience to judge common diseases in chickens and ducks, and they were at a loss for what to do with such a severe disease. Some people advised Tang Youyou to give up, saying it was just a few chickens, not worth the effort. But Tang Youyou refused to give up. How could she give up so easily on the chickens she had raised with so much effort?

"I must find a veterinarian!" Tang Youyou made up her mind. She asked the villagers and learned that the nearest veterinarian was in the county town, so she decided to go there herself.

"Mom, I want to go too!" Tang Jin jumped up excitedly when he heard that they were going to the county town. He had never been to the county town before!

"No, you have to stay home and take care of your sister and the chicken." Tang Youyou decisively rejected Tang Jin's request, "Wan'er, please go with your mother."

Tang Wan nodded obediently and helped Tang Youyou pack her things. Tang Xiaoya wanted to go with them, but Tang Youyou kept her back on the pretext of staying home to look after the house.

Tang Youyou carefully placed the sick chicken into a bamboo basket, took some dry food and water, and set off with Tang Wan. It took half a day to walk from the village to the county town. Tang Youyou and Tang Wan stopped and walked along the way, and finally arrived at the county town at sunset.

Looking at the bustling crowd and the dazzling array of goods in front of her, Tang Wan couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. Tang Youyou held her hand and warned her, "Follow mother closely, don't get lost."

After asking around, they arrived at a clinic in the east of the city. The clinic wasn't big, but it was clean and tidy. Tang Youyou explained her purpose. An old man looked up from behind the counter, glanced at them, and asked, "What illness do you want to see?"

"Doctor, our chickens are sick. Can you take a look?" Tang Youyou said as he placed the bamboo basket in front of the old man.

The old man looked down at the chicken in the basket, frowned slightly, and said, "Chicken disease? I don't treat chicken diseases. I need to go to the vet."

"Veterinarian? Where is the veterinarian?" Tang Youyou asked anxiously.

The old man pointed in the direction of the west of the city and said, "Go out of the city gate and walk three miles west. There is a clinic that specializes in treating livestock. Go look for it."

Tang Youyou thanked the old man and walked out of the clinic with Tang Wan. As the sun set and the sky darkened, mother and daughter set out on their journey to the west of the city...