The Leisurely Life of a Peasant Woman in the Tang Dynasty

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the bluestone road, making Tang Youyou and Tang Wan's figures look particularly slender. After leaving the clinic, Tang Youyou's heart was overshadowed. She had thought that she would be able to find a way to save the chicken once she reached the county town, but she was unexpectedly told to find a veterinarian. The veterinary clinic was in the west of the city, and going back and forth would waste a lot of time.

"Mom, what should we do? It's almost dark." Tang Wan looked at Tang Youyou with some worry. It was her first time in the county town. Looking at the people coming and going around her, her heart was filled with uneasiness.

Tang Youyou gently patted the back of Tang Wan's hand and comforted her, "Don't worry, let's go to the west of the city first. If it doesn't work out, we can find an inn to stay in the city tonight."

As she spoke, she stopped a passing oxcart and asked the price for the trip to the west of the city. The driver, a lean man, looked them up and down, then held up two fingers and said, "Twenty cents."

Tang Youyou was secretly shocked. The price was much higher than in the village, but in order to get to the veterinary clinic as soon as possible, she didn't care about anything else and got on the ox cart with Tang Wan.

The oxcart bumped along the way as it headed westward. As the sky grew darker, the shops along the road began to light up their lanterns. The dim lights illuminated the streets, and also Tang Youyou's anxious face.

"Uu——"

Suddenly, the ox cart stopped abruptly. Tang Youyou and Tang Wan were caught off guard and their bodies leaned forward suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Tang Youyou asked anxiously, holding onto the carriage.

"The axle seems to be broken." The driver jumped out of the cart, checked it, and shook his head helplessly, "Gentlemen, this cart can't move."

Tang Youyou's heart sank immediately. It was so desolate out here, and it was getting dark. What should she do?

The driver also looked embarrassed. He looked around and pointed to a forest not far away and said, "There is a dilapidated temple not far ahead. You two can take shelter there for a while. I'll go find someone nearby to help fix the car."

Tang Youyou had no choice but to agree. She thanked the driver, took Tang Wan with her, and walked towards the woods with the bamboo basket of chickens in it, taking one step forward and one step back.

As night fell, the woods were completely dark, with only a faint moonlight filtering through the leaves, casting a patchwork of light and shadow on the ground. Claire held Tang Wan's hand tightly, groping their way forward in the faint light.

"Mom, I'm scared..." Tang Wan's voice trembled a little. She snuggled up to Tang Youyou tightly, not daring to let go.

"Don't be afraid, Wan'er, mother is here." Tang Youyou comforted softly, but in fact she was also a little scared in her heart.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, I finally saw an open space not far away. A dilapidated temple stood in the middle of the open space, looking particularly eerie in the night.

Tang Youyou dragged Tang Wan into the temple, and a musty smell hit their noses. The temple was empty, with only a broken statue, which looked particularly hideous in the dim light.

"Mom, are we really going to spend the night here?" Tang Wan's voice trembled even more. She hid behind Tang Youyou, not daring to look at the statue.

Tang Youyou suppressed the fear in her heart and comforted her, "Wan'er, don't be afraid. It's just a dilapidated temple. Nothing will happen."

She took out a tinder from her bag, blew it up, and then lit the oil lamp she had brought. The dim light dispelled some of the darkness and also made Tang Youyou feel a little more at ease.

"Mom, look!" Tang Wan suddenly exclaimed, pointing at a pile of straw in the corner.

Tang Youyou looked in the direction Tang Wan pointed, and saw a pile of straw in the corner, with some dry firewood next to the straw.

"Great!" Tang Youyou was immediately overjoyed. With dry firewood, they could make a fire, which would drive away the cold and the wild beasts.

She quickly pulled Logan to the corner and started making a fire.

crackling-

The sound of burning firewood was particularly clear in the silent dilapidated temple, and it also brought a sense of warmth and security to Tang Youyou and Tang Wan.

Tang Youyou took out the dry food and water she had brought and ate something with Tang Wan. After eating and drinking, she let Tang Wan rest in her arms while she stayed by the fire, listening vigilantly to the movements around her.

It was late at night and the woods were silent, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind and the occasional chirping of insects.

Tang Youyou looked at the sleeping Tang Wan, her heart filled with worry. She didn't know when the driver would be able to find someone to repair the car, nor did she know when they would be able to get to the veterinary clinic in the west of the city.

More importantly, she didn't know whether Tang Jin and Tang Xiaoya, who stayed in the village at this moment, were also worried about them like she was...

The night was deep and Tangjia Village was shrouded in silence.

In the empty house, only the small figures of Tang Jin and Tang Xiaoya were present. The two, always playful and joking, were now unusually quiet. They sat side by side on the doorstep, gazing towards the village entrance, eagerly awaiting the appearance of their mother and sister.

"Brother, why haven't mom and sister come back yet?" Tang Xiaoya bit her fingers, her face full of worry, "It's already so dark."

Although Tang Jin was also anxious, he pretended to be calm and comforted his sister, "It's okay. Mother has taken you to the county town. Maybe they will stay there tonight and come back tomorrow morning."

"Really?" Tang Xiaoya raised her head, a glimmer of hope in her big eyes.

"Of course it's true." Tang Jin touched his sister's head, "Mom promised us that she would bring back delicious cakes and she wouldn't lie to us."

However, his words couldn't mask the uneasiness in his heart. The anxious look on his mother's face as she hurriedly took his sister out that day, and her repeated instructions to take good care of her before they left, replayed in his mind like a movie, leaving him with a vague sense of unease.

How he wished he could see his mother and sister returning safely now!

At the same time, in the dilapidated temple outside the city, Tang Youyou was carefully wiping the tears from Tang Wan's face.

"Mom, your hand..." Tang Wan looked at the blood oozing from Tang Youyou's hand, and tears of heartache fell again.

It turned out that when Tang Youyou and the driver were moving the broken axle, she accidentally scratched her palm on a sharp piece of wood. Fortunately, the wound was not deep and only bled a little, but Tang Wan was heartbroken when she saw it.

"Mom is fine, it's just a minor injury." Tang Youyou smiled and comforted her daughter, but she became more and more anxious. There was no village in front and no shop behind, and she didn't know when the driver would be able to find someone to help.

The night deepened, and the cold wind howled outside the dilapidated temple, like the roar of a wild beast, adding a touch of terror to the atmosphere. Tang Youyou hugged Tang Wan tightly in her arms, her heart filled with helplessness and despair...

Suddenly, footsteps were heard outside the dilapidated temple, coming closer and closer, becoming clearer and clearer. Tang Youyou and Tang Wan's hearts were in their throats, and they looked nervously towards the temple gate.

Who is it? Is it the driver who has returned? Or...

The door of the dilapidated temple was pushed open. In the dim moonlight, Tang Youyou could see who was coming. He was a middle-aged man wearing coarse linen clothes and had a simple and honest face. Behind him was a tired-looking driver.

"Sister, I'm so sorry for leaving you and your daughter in this desolate temple so late at night." The middle-aged man explained apologetically as he entered the room. "I'm from a nearby village. The driver said your car broke down, so I hurried over to see if I could help."

Tang Youyou quickly stood up to thank them and briefly explained the situation. The middle-aged man was named Zhang San, and he was a warm-hearted person. After hearing about their experience, he rolled up his sleeves and started to help repair the car without saying a word.

Zhang San was quick and experienced, and he quickly fixed the broken axle. For safety reasons, he also reinforced the car body.

"It's getting late, and it's not safe for you two to be alone outside. How about this, I'll drive you to the county town." Zhang San saw that Tang Youyou looked troubled, thinking that she was worried, and added, "Don't worry, I live outside the county town and won't delay your business."

Seeing his sincerity, Tang Youyou no longer refused and gratefully accepted his kindness. Along the way, Zhang San chatted with them from time to time. When he learned that they had rushed to the county town overnight to save a sick chicken, he was amazed at their kindness and love.

When they arrived at the county town, it was already dawn. Tang Youyou followed Zhang San's instructions and successfully found a veterinary clinic. The veterinarian carefully examined the chick's condition, prescribed some medicine, and told Tang Youyou that the chick just caught a cold and would recover soon if she took the medicine on time.

Tang Youyou's heart finally settled down. She looked at Zhang San with gratitude, "Brother Zhang, thank you so much today. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't know what to do."

"Big sister, you're so polite. It's just a small favor." Zhang San smiled naively. "It's getting late. I have to hurry home. Take care."

After saying goodbye to Zhang San, Tang Youyou held Tang Wan's hand and walked on the bustling street. Looking at the dazzling array of goods, Tang Youyou's heart moved, "Wan'er, let's go buy some things before going back."

Tang Wan nodded obediently, and hand in hand, mother and daughter walked through the crowd. The street was bustling with people coming and going, and the sounds of hawking and bargaining echoed one after another, making it very lively.

Tang Youyou first went to the grain and oil shop to buy some rice, flour, oil, and salt, and then went to the cloth shop to buy some cloth, intending to make some new clothes for the children. When passing by a candied haws shop, Tang Wan couldn't help but stop, her eyes fixed on the bright red candied haws.

Seeing this, Tang Youyou smiled and asked, "Wan'er, do you want to eat candied haws?"

Tang Wan nodded a little embarrassedly, then quickly shook her head, "Mom, I don't want to eat. Please save the money to buy food for my younger brothers and sisters."

Tang Youyou felt warm in her heart, touched her head and said, "Silly child, Mom has money, buy whatever you want to eat." As she said that, she bought two strings of candied haws, handed one to Tang Wan, and took the other and started eating.

Tang Wan happily took the candied haws, ate it in small bites, and a happy smile appeared on her face.

After shopping, Tang Youyou took Tang Wan back to the oxcart parked at the city gate. Tang Jin and Tang Xiaoya were sleeping soundly in the carriage. Tang Youyou gently woke them up and showed the children the things she had bought one by one.

"Wow, Mom, you bought new clothes!" Tang Jin saw the brightly colored cloths at a glance and shouted excitedly.

"There are also candied haws!" Tang Xiaoya also clapped her hands happily.

Tang Youyou smiled and nodded, "Yes, today we went to the county town for a walk and took the chicken to see a doctor. Now we are going home."

The children cheered happily when they heard this. Tang Youyou drove the ox cart slowly out of the county town and headed towards the village.

As the sun sets, their shadows appear particularly long.