The Leisurely Life of a Peasant Woman in the Tang Dynasty

The Li Mansion was simple and solemn. Tang Youyou walked in gracefully. The housekeeper had already informed her that Mr. Li was already waiting in the main hall.

"Mr. Li, I have long heard of your great name." Tang Youyou bowed slightly, without losing respect.

"Mrs. Tang, you are too polite. I have heard of your virtuous name for a long time. Seeing you today, I can see that you are indeed as capable as men." Mr. Li stroked his beard and smiled, welcoming Tang Youyou to the seat of honor.

After the pleasantries, Tang Youyou got straight to the point and told Mr. Li about the landslide that was hindering the transportation of goods, and proposed the idea of ​​building a new road.

"Madam, your action will benefit this generation and generations to come!" Upon hearing this, Mr. Li applauded and said, "I am willing to do my best to help you achieve this great feat."

"A kind and righteous man!" Tang Youyou said happily, "I have asked the housekeeper to draw up a plan. According to preliminary estimates, the funds and materials needed to build the road are not a small amount. I'm afraid that we are not capable of doing it alone."

"Madam, you are absolutely right." Mr. Li pondered for a moment. "How about this? Tomorrow I will gather a few respected merchants in the city to discuss this matter. With everyone's combined strength, I believe we can solve the problem of funds and supplies."

"That's great." Tang Youyou nodded in agreement.

The next day, Mr. Li held a banquet in his house and invited several wealthy businessmen in the city. When they heard about the road construction, they donated generously and expressed their willingness to contribute money and effort to support the road construction.

The problems of funds and materials were solved, and the next problem was manpower. Tang Youyou turned his attention to the idle labor force in the village.

"Mom, let's do our bit!" Tang Jin and Tang Wan volunteered. "We can organize the young people in the village to participate in the road construction."

"Good children, I'm very pleased that you have this heart." Tang Youyou looked at her two children with satisfaction, "But road construction is no joke. You must do it within your ability and pay attention to safety."

With Tang Youyou's permission, Tang Jin and Tang Wan immediately took action. They went door to door to publicize and mobilize, informing the villagers of the benefits and significance of road construction, and soon organized a young and strong team.

When the villagers heard that the road was being built to facilitate everyone's travel and that they could get paid, they responded with great enthusiasm. Some of them carried hoes, some pushed wheelbarrows, and they marched towards the foot of the mountain in a mighty procession.

In the sunshine, Tang Jin and Tang Wan led the villagers to work hard. They used their own hands to carve a road to the future and demonstrated the power of unity.

In the evening, Tang Youyou brought her maid to the construction site, ready to comfort everyone, but she found that Tang Xiaoya was missing from the crowd...

As the sun set, the sunset glowed red across half the sky, but the bustling activity on the construction site didn't diminish in the slightest. Tang Youyou, accompanied by her maid and carrying a food box, weaved through the busy crowd, searching for Tang Jin and Tang Wan.

"Mom, why are you here?" Tang Wan wiped the sweat from her forehead and walked forward.

"I came to see you and brought some snacks. Let's share them with everyone." Tang Youyou said with a smile.

"Mom, you don't have to worry about us. Xiaoya is bringing water and food to us with the children in the village. Everyone likes her!" Tang Jin pointed to a place not far away where a group of children were carrying water bottles and food, walking among the crowd, laughing and talking happily.

Tang Youyou looked in the direction of Tang Jin's finger and saw the tiny figure of Tang Xiaoya, struggling to carry a kettle bigger than her head, delivering water to the villagers working on the construction site one by one. Her young face was full of seriousness, and she reminded everyone, "Uncles, drink some water and take a break before you continue working."

Seeing her daughter's understanding, Tang Youyou felt a surge of warmth in her heart. The children were contributing to the road construction in their own way, while also conveying warmth and care.

However, accidents happen, and just when everyone was working together to build the road, an accident happened.

"Boom!" With a loud noise, the mountain suddenly shook violently, and then a mudslide mixed with gravel roared down the mountain, instantly destroying part of the road, and the scene was suddenly in chaos.

"Run! A mudslide is coming!"

Amidst the panicked shouts, Tang Youyou's heart instantly rose to her throat. She rushed towards Tang Jin and Tang Wan regardless of everything and protected them tightly behind her.

"Everyone, don't panic, be careful!" In the chaos, Tang Youyou shouted loudly, calming everyone's emotions.

After confirming the children's safety, Tang Youyou immediately organized everyone to carry out emergency repairs. She calmly directed the villagers to transfer the injured to a safe area and arranged for people to clear the mud and rocks on the road.

Under Tang Youyou's leadership, the villagers worked together to repair the road. Some of them moved stones, some cleared silt, and some reinforced the roadbed. Everyone tried their best to race against time.

Amidst the crowd, a ragged figure caught Tang Youyou's attention. His hair was disheveled, his features obscured, yet he silently carried a rock larger than himself. Sweat soaked his clothes, yet he seemed unfazed as he silently went about his business... Beggar Zhao had originally stood numbly at the edge of the crowd, watching this sudden disaster unfold. However, Tang Youyou's calm command and the villagers' spirit of solidarity and mutual assistance were like a fire, gradually igniting the long-dormant hope in his heart. He silently stepped forward, bent down, and with great effort, picked up a huge rock and joined the repair team.

No one noticed his arrival, nor did anyone care for this ragged beggar. Yet, as if he had found the meaning of life, Beggar Zhao tirelessly carried stones and cleared the mud. His frail frame seemed to harbor immense energy, and every time he bent down, every time he stood up, he was filled with strength.

Tang Youyou was busy directing the scene, arranging personnel, and allocating supplies. Suddenly, her foot slipped and she fell forward uncontrollably. "Be careful!" someone in the crowd shouted. Tang Youyou felt dizzy and then fell heavily to the ground.

"Madam!" the maid exclaimed, rushing forward to help Tang Youyou up. Beads of sweat appeared on Tang Youyou's forehead, and her face turned pale. "I'm fine." Tang Youyou endured the pain and tried to stand up, but she felt a piercing pain in her ankle.

"Madam, you are injured. You should rest for a while." The maid said anxiously.

"No, this is a critical moment, I can't rest." Tang Youyou gritted her teeth and refused the maid's help, "Come, help me bandage the wound, I still have to continue directing everyone to repair it."

Seeing Tang Youyou persist in working even though she was injured, the villagers were deeply moved. They worked even harder, as if they wanted to pour all their admiration and gratitude for Tang Youyou into the road construction project.

Beggar Zhao walked silently to Tang Youyou's side and took out a tattered cloth bag from his arms. When he opened it, he found some herbs inside. "Madam, these herbs can stop bleeding and dissolve blood stasis. Please apply them." Beggar Zhao's voice was a little hoarse, but full of sincerity.

Tang Youyou raised her head and looked at the beggar she had once ignored, with mixed feelings in her heart. She took the herbs and said softly, "Thank you."

"Madam, you don't have to thank me." Beggar Zhao shook his head. "I just did what I could. I once had a warm home, but it was natural disasters and man-made calamities that left me homeless. It was the kindness of you and the villagers that allowed me to feel the warmth of the world again..."

Night fell, and the stars twinkled. Tang Youyou looked at the bustling scene before her, a relieved smile on her tired face. Suddenly, a burst of hurried horse hooves came from the distance, and a familiar voice broke the tranquility of the night: "Madam Tang, good news, good news!"

The sound of horse hooves approached, and the person coming was none other than Mr. Li Shanren. He dismounted, and without even wiping the sweat from his forehead, he excitedly ran to Tang Youyou, "Madam Tang, the road has been repaired! The first batch of supplies has arrived!"

Upon hearing the news, the exhausted villagers erupted in deafening cheers. Tang Youyou finally breathed a sigh of relief, a gratified smile on her face. Over the past few days, she had been working day and night with the villagers to repair the road, and now they finally saw the light of hope.

Upon hearing the news, County Magistrate Wang rushed over. Looking at the newly built road, he excitedly shook Mr. Li's hand and said, "Mr. Li, we are so grateful to you for this! If it weren't for your generosity and the timely delivery of food and supplies, who knows how many more people in our county would have gone hungry!"

Mr. Li waved his hand modestly. "You're too kind, County Magistrate Wang. This is all I should do. Also, I want to thank Madam Tang this time. If she hadn't led the villagers in working together to build the road, we wouldn't be able to get all the supplies in!"

County Magistrate Wang looked at Tang Youyou approvingly, "Madam Tang, you have performed a great service for our county this time! I will report the truth to the court and request a reward for you!"

Tang Youyou smiled slightly, "County Magistrate Wang, you're overpraising me. I just did what I could."

In the crowd, Beggar Zhao looked at Tang Youyou, his eyes full of gratitude and admiration. He walked silently to Tang Youyou and bowed deeply, "Madam, thank you!"

Tang Youyou helped Beggar Zhao up and said gently, "You're welcome. Live a good life from now on."

Amid the cheers of the crowd, the first batch of food and supplies was delivered to the victims. Seeing the long-lost smiles on the faces of the victims, Tang Youyou and Mr. Li smiled at each other, their hearts filled with a sense of accomplishment.

Late at night, Tang Youyou dragged her exhausted body back home. The maid brought hot water and helped her wash up. While untying her hair, Tang Youyou asked about the distribution of supplies today.

"Madam, a total of three hundred households received rice today," the maid replied as she massaged Tang Youyou's shoulders, "each household received a bag of rice and a quilt, and..."

"Wait," Tang Youyou suddenly interrupted the maid, "Three hundred households? Are you sure it's three hundred households?"

The maid was stunned for a moment. "Yes, I remember it clearly. It's three hundred households. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Tang Youyou frowned slightly, a hint of doubt rising in her heart. Three hundred households... This number seemed to be a little different from her previous estimate.

"Go and bring me the record book of today's distribution of supplies." Tang Youyou ordered, with a barely perceptible seriousness in his tone.

Although the maid was puzzled, she still obediently went to get the record book.