The Leisurely Life of a Peasant Woman in the Tang Dynasty

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the country road. Tang Youyou hummed a light tune and drove the ox cart slowly into the village. The children in the cart chattered about what they had seen and heard in the city, their excitement evident in words.

As soon as they arrived at the door, Tang Youyou saw their neighbor, Aunt Wang, standing outside the yard, seemingly waiting for them. "Youyou, you're back! How's it going? Is the county town fun?" Aunt Wang asked enthusiastically, her eyes falling on the large and small packages on the ox cart.

"Auntie, I just came back from the county town! I bought some things for the children and learned some new ways to raise chickens." Tang Youyou responded with a smile and carried the children down from the car.

When Aunt Wang heard the word "raising chickens," her eyes lit up. "What's the new idea? Tell me about it!"

Tang Youyou then told Aunt Wang everything she had learned about raising chickens in the county town, as well as the veterinarian's advice. Aunt Wang listened with great interest and raised questions from time to time, which Tang Youyou patiently answered.

The two were chatting enthusiastically when Uncle Li from the village came over with a cigarette in his hand. "Youyou, you're back just in time! The village is about to have a meeting. Why don't you come along?"

"Meeting? What kind of meeting, Uncle Li?" Tang Youyou asked curiously.

"The town leaders came to our village for an inspection a few days ago and said they would help us build a beautiful countryside. So today we gathered everyone together to discuss how to build it specifically!" Uncle Li took a puff of his pipe and said slowly.

Tang Youyou was immediately interested when she heard this. She had been in this world for a while and had long wanted to contribute to this small mountain village. So, after she settled the children, she followed Uncle Li to the village committee.

Many villagers had gathered in the courtyard of the village committee, and everyone was discussing enthusiastically. Tang Youyou's arrival attracted everyone's attention, and they all greeted her.

Uncle Li stood in an open space, cleared his throat, and said loudly: "Fellow villagers, I invited you all here today mainly to listen to your ideas and suggestions on building a beautiful countryside. Although our village is poor, we must seize this opportunity to improve our living environment."

The villagers nodded in agreement, one after another sharing their ideas. Some suggested building roads, some suggested building schools, and some suggested developing tourism.

Tang Youyou listened carefully to everyone's opinions and thought silently in her heart. She realized that building a beautiful countryside could not rely solely on government assistance, but also required the villagers to unite and work together.

"I have an idea!" Tang Youyou suddenly said, and everyone's eyes were focused on her...

"I have an idea!" Tang Youyou suddenly said, and everyone's eyes were focused on her.

"Although our village is poor, we have many resources. We can use the fruit trees on the mountain to develop orchards, grow high-quality rice and vegetables in the fields, and develop animal husbandry, such as raising chickens, ducks, and fish..." Tang Youyou combined what she learned about modern society with the actual situation in the village and put forward her own suggestions. "In this way, we can not only improve our living environment, but also increase our income. It's a two-pronged approach!"

As soon as Tang Youyou finished speaking, Aunt Wang was the first to stand up and express her support. "Youyou is right! Our village is beautiful, the scenery is clear, and the food we grow there must be delicious! I'll be the first to sign up!"

"I have a few chickens at home, but I'm worried about how to sell them! It would be great if we could develop the breeding industry!" another villager said excitedly.

Seeing everyone's enthusiasm, Tang Youyou also showed a gratified smile on her face. She continued, "Having an idea alone is not enough. We also need to make a detailed plan and divide the work and cooperate to get things done."

"Yes, yes, there must be a method!" Uncle Li nodded in agreement.

"So, let's first take stock of the village's human, material, and land resources, and then formulate a development plan based on the actual situation." Tang Youyou said clearly, "Also, I want to build a cooperative in the village to centrally purchase and sell agricultural products, so that everyone doesn't have to worry about sales issues."

"That's a great idea! Youyou, you're so smart!" Aunt Wang couldn't help but admire her. "I have a few acres of land at home, so you can arrange it accordingly. Plant whatever you want!"

"My family also has land, we will listen to you!" Other villagers also responded.

"I can help too!" Shopkeeper Zhao, who had been standing silently in the crowd, suddenly spoke up. "I can help contact restaurants and shops in the city and help everyone sell their agricultural products."

Tang Youyou looked at Shopkeeper Zhao gratefully and said with a smile, "That's great! With Shopkeeper Zhao's help, we are more confident!"

"Our village finally has hope!" Uncle Li rubbed his hands excitedly, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to have smoothed out.

As night fell, the village committee remained brightly lit. Tang Youyou, Aunt Wang, Uncle Li, and the others sat around the table, enthusiastically discussing the village development plan. Tang Jin and Tang Xiaoya played nearby, occasionally peeking in, curiously observing the busy adults.

"Mom, I want to help too!" Tang Jin ran to Tang Youyou and said with his little face tilted up...

"Mom, I want to help too!" Tang Jin ran to Tang Youyou and said with his little face tilted up. Tang Xiaoya also followed behind her brother happily, saying in a baby voice, "I want to help too, I want to be with my brother!"

Tang Youyou looked at the two children's eager eyes, smiled and patted their heads: "Okay, you are all the little masters of the village, of course you have to contribute to the construction of the village! So, how about you and your brother take your friends to clean up the garbage in the village together?"

"Great!" the two children cheered, immediately running outside to gather their friends and begin their "cleaning campaign" in a grand procession. Each child was given a bamboo basket and assigned clear tasks: some swept the floor, others collected trash, and still others sorted it. They worked enthusiastically, their laughter echoing in every corner of the village.

Looking at the busy figures of the children, Tang Youyou showed a gratified smile on her face. She believed that with everyone's joint efforts, the village would become better and better.

Meanwhile, Landlord Liu, who had been observing from the shadows, felt a surge of anxiety in his heart. He had originally thought that Tang Youyou was just an outsider, with no real skills, and that a little bit of trickery would be enough to make her give up. But now it seemed that he had clearly underestimated this woman's ability and determination.

Seeing the villagers united and working hard towards a common goal, Landlord Liu's heart was shaken for the first time. He remembered his own youth, when he and the villagers had worked together to reclaim wasteland and grow crops. Back then, everyone was equal and helped each other. Although life was hard, it was fulfilling and happy.

However, everything changed after he became a landlord. He began to become greedy and selfish. For his own benefit, he did not hesitate to oppress his neighbors and even resorted to any means necessary. Now, watching the villagers, under Tang Youyou's leadership, regain their former unity and enthusiasm, the cold heart in his heart seemed to begin to melt.

"Am I really wrong?" Landlord Liu muttered to himself, his eyes filled with confusion and struggle. He slowly turned around and walked towards his own courtyard, his back looking particularly lonely.

Tang Youyou was unaware of Landlord Liu's inner struggles. She was busy discussing the cooperative's charter with the villagers. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she said to Aunt Wang, "Aunt Wang, go to town tomorrow and buy some vegetable seeds. Let's hurry up and plant the vegetable fields."

"Okay!" Aunt Wang agreed readily and turned to leave.

"Wait," Tang Youyou called Aunt Wang and took out a piece of silver from her pocket and handed it to her, "Take this money first, and tell me if it's not enough."

Aunt Wang declined, "How can that be? You've already helped us so much..."

"Take it, Aunt Wang," Tang Youyou smiled and stuffed the silver into her hand, "consider it my advance payment to you."

Aunt Wang wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Tang Youyou: "Okay, it's settled. Go and come back quickly."

Aunt Wang had no choice but to accept the silver and turn away. As soon as she walked out of the village committee gate, she saw Liu Fu, the steward of the landlord Liu, hurriedly walking towards her. Liu Fu saw Aunt Wang and immediately stepped forward and asked, "Aunt Wang, have you seen my master?"

Aunt Wang shook her head: "No, what's wrong?"

Liu Fu's face showed a trace of anxiety: "My master went out early in the morning and hasn't come back yet. I'm worried about him..."

Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Tang Youyou's voice: "Butler Liu, don't worry, Master Liu may just be out to relax and will be back soon."

Liu Fu turned around and saw Tang Youyou, a complicated look flashed in his eyes. He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing. He just bowed to Tang Youyou and turned to leave.

Tang Youyou looked at Liu Fu's departing back, a meaningful smile on her lips. She had a premonition that when Landlord Liu returned this time, there would probably be a big change...

After seeing Liu Fu off, Tang Youyou continued to discuss village development with the villagers. Everyone was enthusiastic, and they all contributed their ideas. From repairing the village roads to dredging the canals to irrigating the fields, every detail was carefully considered. Tang Youyou wrote down everyone's suggestions one by one, her heart filled with hope.

In the evening, Tang Youyou took the children home. As they passed a small forest, they suddenly heard a faint cry. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a ragged old man hiding under a tree and sobbing softly.

Tang Youyou walked forward and asked with concern: "Old man, what's wrong with you? Did anyone bully you?"

The old man raised his head, his cloudy eyes filled with fear and despair. He said in a trembling voice, "I... I saw something I shouldn't have seen. They... They want to kill me to silence me!"

Tang Youyou was shocked and asked quickly: "What did you see? Who wants to kill you?"

The old man hesitated for a moment, then, as if he had made up his mind, he lowered his voice and said, "I saw Landlord Liu... he... he was secretly storing weapons and colluding with bandits, preparing..."

When the old man said this, he suddenly stopped and looked around in horror, as if those terrible people were nearby.

Tang Youyou's heart was in turmoil. She had long suspected that Landlord Liu was no simple person, but she didn't expect him to be so bold as to secretly store weapons and collude with bandits!

She comforted the old man, asked him about the details of the incident, and promised to keep it a secret. The old man told her that he accidentally saw the scene of the transaction between the landlord Liu and the bandits, and was discovered by the landlord Liu's men, who chased him all the way and finally escaped.

After seeing the old man off, Tang Youyou fell into deep thought. Landlord Liu was secretly hoarding weapons and colluding with bandits. If he succeeded, the consequences would be disastrous. She had to find a way to stop him as soon as possible, but without alerting the enemy.

After returning home, Tang Youyou settled the children and began to think about countermeasures. She decided to start by collecting evidence, find hard evidence of Liu the Landlord's crime, and then unite the villagers to bring him to justice.

The next morning, Tang Youyou used the excuse of going to town to buy something and sneaked into Landlord Liu's house. Relying on her memory, she found the room the old man mentioned and carefully opened the door.

The room was filled with clutter, the light was dim, and the air was filled with a musty smell. Tang Youyou searched carefully in the weak light, hoping to find some clues.

Suddenly, her eyes fell on a wooden box in the corner. The wooden box was locked and looked very heavy. Tang Youyou's heart moved. Could this be...

She took a deep breath and opened the wooden box with force.