The Leisurely Life of a Peasant Woman in the Tang Dynasty

Tang Youyou followed Ayi Na, using the faint moonlight to shuttle between the scattered tents. Not far away, the suppressed coughing became clearer and clearer, accompanied by a few painful groans.

They stopped in front of a spacious tent. Ayi Na whispered a few words to the woman guarding the door, then lifted the heavy curtain and led Tang Youyou inside.

The tent was dimly lit and filled with a strong aroma of herbs. A tall man lay on a bed covered in animal skins, his face flushed, his breathing rapid, and his coughs punctuated by pain. Beside him, an elderly woman wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel, her face filled with worry and anxiety.

"Chief, I'll bring Madam Tang over to take a look." Aina walked to the bedside and said softly.

The man lying on the bed was the leader of the Tuoba tribe. Hearing Ayi Na's words, he struggled to open his heavy eyelids and looked at Tang You You, his eyes filled with confusion and vigilance.

Tang Youyou ignored Chief Tuoba's scrutinizing gaze and walked straight to the bedside, carefully observing his symptoms. His skin was covered with red rashes, and his breathing was rapid, accompanied by a noticeable wheezing sound.

"He has a contagious disease," Tang Youyou turned to look at Chief Tuoba and said in a deep voice, "If he is not treated in time, it is very likely to be life-threatening."

"What?!" the old woman exclaimed, her face full of horror. "What should I do? The witch doctor has already given him some herbs, but they haven't worked at all!"

Chief Tuoba's breathing became more rapid. He stared at Tang Youyou intently, his eyes filled with suspicion and vigilance. "You said you can cure it? How can you cure it?"

Tang Youyou took a deep breath and said firmly: "I can cure him with my method, and I can also cure all the sick people in the tribe."

"Your method?" Chief Tuoba sneered, "Who do you think you are? Why should we trust you?"

"I didn't ask you to believe me," Tang Youyou looked directly into Chief Tuoba's eyes and said word by word, "I'm just giving you a chance, a chance to live."

The tent fell into a deathly silence. Everyone's eyes were focused on Tang Youyou, and the atmosphere was suffocatingly oppressive.

"I can guarantee with my life that Madam Tang means no harm!" Ayina, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up with a firm tone, "She really can save the leader, and she can save everyone else!"

Chief Tuoba said nothing, but gave Ayi Na a deep look before turning to look at Tang You You, his eyes gleaming with complex emotions. He knew it was time to make a decision, a decision that would determine the fate of the entire tribe...

"What do you want?" After a long time, Tuoba leader slowly spoke, his voice hoarse and low.

"What do I want?" Tang Youyou repeated Chief Tuoba's words in a calm and firm tone, "I want you to let down your guard and cooperate with my treatment. I need clean water, fresh herbs, and information about all the patients."

The tent fell silent again. General Hu Han stepped forward and said in a gruff voice, "Chief, this woman is full of tricks. We can't trust her! Who knows if she's a Tang spy, deliberately trying to harm us?"

"General Huhan!" Ayina turned around abruptly, her tone agitated. "Madam Tang is kind-hearted. She traveled thousands of miles to come here, risking her life to treat us. How could you slander her like this?"

"Ayina, you..." General Huhan wanted to say something else, but was stopped by Chief Tuoba.

Chief Tuoba's gaze flickered between Tang Youyou and Ayi Na, his eyes filled with struggle and hesitation. He knew General Huhan's concerns were justified, but the epidemic was spreading throughout the tribe, and the people were in panic. If they didn't find a way to control the epidemic, the entire tribe would face catastrophic consequences.

"You said you can cure this disease, so tell me, how are you going to treat it?" The tribal witch doctor who had been silent all this time suddenly asked, with a gleam of light in his turbid eyes.

Tang Youyou knew this was her only chance. She took a deep breath and explained the treatment method. From isolating the patient, to disinfecting the environment, to boiling the herbs, every step was explained clearly.

Wang Jin tried hard to translate Tang Youyou's words into a foreign language. Although he didn't quite understand some of the words, he still tried his best to express his meaning clearly.

The few foreign doctors present originally scoffed at Tang Youyou's words, but as she explained, their faces gradually revealed expressions of surprise and contemplation. They had never heard of this kind of treatment method, but after thinking about it carefully, they felt that it seemed to make some sense.

"Just tell me what herbs you need and I'll send someone to pick them." Chief Tuoba, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke, with a barely perceptible tremor in his tone.

Tang Youyou was delighted, knowing that her bet was right. She quickly named the herbs she needed, and Wang Jin quickly wrote them down.

"Master Li," Tang Youyou turned to look at Li Huaiyong, his tone sincere, "I need your help to collect some supplies needed for treatment."

Li Huaiyong nodded and was about to agree, but was interrupted by a sudden noise outside the tent...

"What's going on?" Leader Tuoba frowned and asked sternly.

A blood-soaked foreign soldier stumbled into the tent, knelt on one knee, and said in a panic, "Report, report to the leader, the Tang people are coming with... with weapons! They also stole our sheep!"

"What?!" General Hu Han stood up suddenly and pointed at Tang Youyou angrily, "I said these Tang people are spies! They must want to attack us while we are sick!"

Li Huaiyong's face changed, and he quickly explained: "It's a misunderstanding! This is a misunderstanding! We are only here to assist Madam Tang in treating illnesses and saving lives. We have absolutely no ill intentions!"

"No ill intentions?" General Hu Han sneered, "Then why did you steal our sheep?"

Li Huaiyong was speechless for a moment, not knowing what was happening outside. At this moment, Wang Jin hurried in, sweating profusely, explaining, "Master Li, Madam Tang, something bad has happened! Those soldiers said they were going to collect some medical supplies, but ended up having a conflict with the herders..."

It turned out that Li Huaiyong was ordered to collect supplies, so he sent several soldiers to the nearby pastures to look for the goat milk and wool that Tang Youyou needed. However, the soldiers did not understand the foreign language, and after gesturing for a long time, the herders did not understand what they meant and thought they were here to rob them, so a conflict broke out between the two sides.

"Ridiculous!" Tuoba leader shouted angrily, but he also knew that now was not the time to assign blame. The most urgent task was to control the epidemic and stabilize people's hearts. He suppressed his anger and said to General Hu Han, "Take your men to deal with it. Remember, don't harm the Tang people!"

"Chief!" General Huhan wanted to say something else, but was stopped by Chief Tuoba's sharp look.

While the foreign leaders were dealing with their dispute, Tang Youyou and Ayi Na began to try to treat some patients with milder symptoms. Tang Youyou used the alcohol and herbs she brought with her to clean the patients' wounds, apply medicine, and bandage them, meticulously and carefully completing each step. Ayi Na assisted and patiently explained Tang Youyou's treatment methods to the tribe members.

At first, the patients were somewhat resistant, but after seeing Tang Youyou and Ayi Na's sincere eyes and skillful movements, they gradually let down their guard. What surprised them even more was that Tang Youyou's treatment method seemed to be really effective. After applying the herbs to the wounds that were originally painful, the bleeding miraculously stopped and the pain was greatly relieved.

"Amazing! Madam Tang's medical skills are truly amazing!" A patient couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Yes, I feel much better!" another patient echoed.

Seeing this scene, the Tuoba leader, who was originally skeptical, had a glimmer of hope in his eyes. And General Hu Han, who had been standing by and watching coldly, could not help but frown.

"Chief, look..." A foreign doctor leaned close to Chief Tuoba's ear and whispered, "Madam Tang's medical skills seem to be quite impressive..."

Chief Tuoba didn't say anything, but just stared at Tang Youyou closely with a complicated look in his eyes. He knew that this was a turning point, but to completely change the outsiders' views of them, there was still a lot of work to be done, and...

"Report—" Another soldier covered in blood staggered in from outside the tent. "Oh no! General Hu Han...he..."

"What happened to General Huhan?!" Chief Tuoba's heart sank suddenly, and an ominous premonition came to his mind.

"General Hu Han...he's infected with the plague!" The soldier's words resounded like thunder in the tent. Tuoba's face suddenly changed, and he grabbed the soldier by the collar, "What did you say?!"

Ayi Na screamed, covering her mouth, her eyes filled with fear. Tang You You's heart sank. As expected, General Hu Han was impulsive and irritable, and had been preventing treatment. Perhaps the protective work was not done well, which gave the plague an opportunity to take advantage.

"General Hu Han...he was originally going to teach those Tang people who stole sheep a lesson, but..." The soldier was so frightened that he was incoherent. "But before he even got there, he suddenly fainted, and those horrible red spots appeared on his body..."

Tuoba leader suddenly felt dizzy. General Huhan was his most valiant general and his most trusted brother, but now... He helplessly let go of the soldier, slumped into a chair, and muttered to himself, "How could this happen..."

The tent was completely silent, a pin drop audible. Tang Youyou knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but also a formidable challenge. If she could cure General Hu Han, she could completely reverse the foreigners' perception of the Tang Dynasty and even resolve the crisis. But if the treatment failed, the consequences would be disastrous.

"Madam Tang..." Ayi Na walked to Tang You You's side, her voice trembling, "Please, save General Hu Han, save my people..."

Tang Youyou took a deep breath, suppressed the uneasiness in her heart, and looked at Ayi Na with a firm gaze, "Don't worry, I will do my best."

She turned to look at Chief Tuoba, her tone calm and powerful, "Chief, please believe me, I will do my best to cure General Hu Han and all the sick people in the tribe!"

Chief Tuoba raised his head, a glimmer of hope flashing in his cloudy eyes. He knew that now he had no choice but to trust Tang Youyou. He nodded with difficulty, "Madam Tang, please!"

Tang Youyou no longer hesitated and immediately began to prepare the herbs and tools needed for treatment. Li Huaiyong and Wang Jin also hurried forward to help, moving things and organizing items, and were very busy.

Time was running out, and every minute and every second seemed extremely precious. While directing everyone, Tang Youyou carefully recalled the knowledge about plague treatment in his mind, hoping to find the most effective treatment plan.

She knew that this was a race against time, and if she wasn't careful, she would lose everything. She had to go all out and leave no room for compromise.

It was late at night, and the lights in the tent were still bright. Tang Youyou sat beside General Hu Han's bed, her brows furrowed, silver needles flying in her hands as she treated him with acupuncture.

Outside the tent, Chief Tuoba paced anxiously, peeking inside from time to time, hoping for good news. Ayi Na and several foreign doctors knelt beside them, clasping their hands together and praying silently... Suddenly, Tang You You seemed to remember something. She put down the silver needle in her hand, stood up, walked to the corner where the luggage was stored, opened the box, and began to search.