The Leisurely Life of a Peasant Woman in the Tang Dynasty

Tang Youyou thanked the old scholar, sighed, and carefully folded the piece of paper with the strange symbols and placed it back in her purse. The market was bustling with people, the cries of vendors echoed one after another, and the mixed aromas made her feel a little dizzy. She rubbed her temples and decided to find a tea stall to rest before continuing her search for clues.

After just a few steps, Tang Youyou keenly sensed that someone seemed to be following her. She quietly quickened her pace and turned into a relatively quiet alley. There were only a few scattered stalls in the alley, and the light was much dimmer. Tang Youyou slowed down her pace, pretending to select an embroidered purse from a stall, but her eyes kept glancing behind her.

Sure enough, a burly man with a face full of flesh followed in stealthily. He was wearing a coarse cloth shorts and had a butcher knife on his waist. He was no pushover. Tang Youyou recognized him as Niu Xiaoer, Shopkeeper Hua's henchman. Shopkeeper Hua and she had always been business rivals, and the two had been competing openly and covertly for market share for a long time. Tang Youyou was puzzled. What was Niu Xiaoer doing with her? Could it be that Shopkeeper Hua was also interested in this mysterious symbol?

She continued walking forward calmly, turned a corner, and came to an even more secluded corner. As expected, Niu Xiaoer followed. He looked around and saw that there was no one around, so he quickened his pace and stopped in front of Tang Youyou.

"Mrs. Tang, what a coincidence, I meet you here." Niu Xiaoer said with a wry smile, a hint of ill intention in his tone.

Tang Youyou sneered in her heart, but pretended to be surprised on the surface: "Hey, isn't this Brother Niu Er? What a coincidence, you are here to visit the market too?"

"That's right," Niu Xiaoer rubbed his hands, his eyes twinkling. "Madam Tang, I see you've been asking about something all morning, and you even have a piece of paper in your hand. Do you have any treasure? Why don't you take it out and let me take a look?"

Tang Youyou's heart was filled with alarm. She knew that Niu Xiaoer's presence was not a good intention. She calmly put her hand into her pocket, tightly holding the purse containing the paper, but she still kept a smile on her face: "Brother Niu, you are joking. There is no such thing as a treasure. It's just an ordinary piece of paper."

"Really?" Niu Xiaoer obviously didn't believe it. He took a step closer, his tone becoming fierce, "Madam Tang, if you know what's good for you, hand over the things right away, otherwise..."

Tang Youyou thought to herself, this is not good. It seems that there really is a connection between this shopkeeper Hua and this mysterious symbol. She clenched her purse tightly in her hand and stared at Niu Xiaoer with cold eyes. A chill rose from the bottom of her heart. She knew that today's matter would not end well.

When Niu Xiaoer saw that Tang Youyou refused to cooperate, a fierce light flashed in his eyes, and he reached out to snatch the purse from her hand.

"Stop!" A loud shout came from the alley.

Tang Youyou and Niu Xiaoer turned their heads at the same time and saw a thin man wearing a satin robe and a mustache standing at the entrance of the alley, looking at them with displeasure. It was Shopkeeper Hua.

When Niu Xiaoer saw Shopkeeper Hua, he immediately put on a flattering smile: "Shopkeeper, what brings you here?"

Shopkeeper Hua walked up to Tang Youyou and bowed hypocritically, "Madam Tang, I'm so sorry. I'm an ignorant subordinate and I offended you. Please forgive me."

Tang Youyou sneered in her heart. This Shopkeeper Hua was clearly putting on an act for her. She calmly took a step back, distanced herself from Niu Xiaoer, and asked coldly, "Shopkeeper Hua, what exactly do you mean by sending someone to follow me?"

A flash of embarrassment crossed Shopkeeper Hua's face, but he quickly regained his smile. "Madam Tang, you misunderstood. I just asked Niu Er to go see if you needed any help. After all, there are so many people in the market, and it's not safe for a woman to be alone."

"Really?" Tang Youyou's eyes were like torches, staring directly at Shopkeeper Hua, "Then why did he steal my things?"

Shopkeeper Hua's eyes fell on Tang Youyou's tightly clenched purse. A hint of greed flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it. He coughed lightly and scolded Niu Xiaoer, "Niu Er, why don't you apologize to Madam Tang? Who told you to do that?"

Niu Xiaoer quickly nodded and bowed to apologize to Tang Youyou: "Madam Tang, I'm sorry, I was reckless. I just saw that you were holding a purse in your hand and thought it was something valuable, so..."

"Something valuable?" Tang Youyou sneered, "It's just a piece of paper, is it worth making such a fuss?"

"A piece of paper?" Shopkeeper Hua feigned surprise. "What kind of paper? Madam Tang, could you please broaden my horizons?"

Tang Youyou became even more alert. She knew that Shopkeeper Hua was planning to take the piece of paper with the mysterious symbol. She tightly protected her purse and said coldly, "Shopkeeper Hua, this is my personal belongings. It has nothing to do with you."

Seeing that he couldn't force the paper, Shopkeeper Hua changed his expression and said sarcastically, "Madam Tang, why are you so nervous? I'm just taking a look. Is there any shameful secret on that piece of paper?"

Tang Youyou ignored his provocation and just stared at him coldly without saying a word. The atmosphere was tense for a moment.

The alley was dimly lit, with only a thin ray of light coming in from the entrance, shining on the three people, stretching their shadows outward. A tense atmosphere hung in the air.

Suddenly, Shopkeeper Hua reached out to grab Tang Youyou's purse. Tang Youyou was prepared and dodged his attack by moving sideways.

"Shopkeeper Hua, what are you doing?" Tang Youyou shouted sternly.

Shopkeeper Hua no longer pretended, and a ferocious smile appeared on his face: "Tang Youyou, I advise you to hand over the things obediently, so as to avoid physical pain!"

Niu Xiaoer was also eager to try: "Boss, let me do it!"

Tang Youyou stuffed her purse into her lapel, and with a cold glance she swept over Shopkeeper Hua and Niu Xiaoer, saying in a deep voice, "Don't even think about it!"

Shopkeeper Hua sneered, "If you don't accept my toast, you'll have to drink the wine! Niu Er, come on!"

Niu Xiaoer pounced on Tang Youyou with a fierce smile... The sound of clothes tearing came from the alley.

Niu Xiaoer, grinning, lunged at Tang Youyou like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey. Although Tang Youyou didn't practice martial arts, her modern reflexes allowed her to nimbly sidestep. Niu Xiaoer's attack missed, narrowly avoiding a collision with the wall. Furious, he swung his fist again. Tang Youyou dodged, then kicked him in the calf. Niu Xiaoer stumbled back in pain.

Seeing this, Shopkeeper Hua's face darkened and he shouted, "Waste!" He personally took the field, attacking ruthlessly, each move going straight to Tang Youyou's vital points. Tang Youyou was caught between two opposing sides, gradually feeling powerless. She knew that if she continued to fight, she would definitely not be the opponent.

"Tang Youyou, I advise you to hand over the things obediently, so as to avoid physical pain!" Shopkeeper Hua said sinisterly while attacking, "You think you can complete this task? You are overestimating your own abilities!"

Tang Youyou gritted her teeth and dodged Shopkeeper Hua's attacks. She knew that the secret on this piece of paper was extremely important and must not fall into Shopkeeper Hua's hands. She held her purse tightly to her chest, her eyes determined, without the slightest intention of retreating.

"This thing is very important to me, I will never give it to you!" Tang Youyou said breathlessly.

Shopkeeper Hua sneered: "If you don't accept my toast, you'll have to drink for it!" His attack became more fierce, and Tang Youyou was in danger. Her sleeve was cut and her arm was scratched, leaving a bloody mark.

Tang Youyou was anxious, she had to find a way to get out of this predicament. She saw an opening, pushed the shopkeeper away, and then turned and ran.

"Chase!" Shopkeeper Hua roared, and Niu Xiaoer hurriedly followed.

Tang Youyou tried her best to navigate the narrow alleys. She knew that this was not the way to go and she had to find a safe place. She remembered hearing someone say that the inns near the market often had merchants and travelers from all over the place. Perhaps there she could find someone knowledgeable and able to help her decipher the secret on the paper.

Thinking of this, Tang Youyou quickened his pace and ran towards the inn. Shopkeeper Hua and Niu Xiaoer chased after him, their shouts and curses echoing in the alley.

Finally, Tang Youyou saw the inn's sign. Delighted, she quickened her pace and rushed into the inn. The inn was bustling with activity. Without even taking a breath, Tang Youyou quickly scanned the inn's lobby, hoping to find someone who could help her.

Shopkeeper Hua and Niu Xiaoer also chased into the inn. Their ferocious appearance made the surrounding guests give way. Tang Youyou hid behind a table, nervously observing their movements.

"Search! You must find her!" Shopkeeper Hua roared.

Niu Xiaoer responded and started searching the inn with a few thugs for Tang Youyou's whereabouts. Tang Youyou's heart was in her throat. She knew that she had to find clues as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

She noticed an old man sitting in the corner of the inn. He was dressed simply, but his eyes were full of wisdom. Tang Youyou's heart moved. Perhaps this person could help her.

She took a deep breath and was about to walk towards the old man...

"Boss, look..." Niu Xiaoer pointed in a direction, his voice filled with excitement.

Shopkeeper Hua followed the direction of Niu Xiaoer's finger and saw Tang Youyou hiding behind the table. A sinister smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. "I found you," he whispered, a fierce look in his eyes.

Niu Xiaoer rubbed his hands excitedly, "Boss, I'll go get her!"

Shopkeeper Hua raised his hand to stop him. "Don't alert the enemy yet. Let her roam around for a while. This inn is full of mixed people, and too much noise won't be good for us. Keep following her and see what she comes up with."

Although Niu Xiaoer was puzzled, he still obeyed the instructions of Shopkeeper Hua and followed Tang Youyou quietly.

Tang Youyou felt like there was a gaze fixed on her from behind, like a thorn in her back, making her feel uneasy. She calmly observed her surroundings. The cacophony of noises and the comings and goings in the inn made it even harder for her to discern the source of that gaze. The feeling of unease in her heart grew stronger and stronger. She didn't know if her every move was under the control of the other party, nor did she know if she could really find any useful clues in this mixed crowd of people in the inn.

She took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. Now that she had come this far, she couldn't give up easily. She stood up and walked to the counter. The shopkeeper was a shrewd middle-aged man, fiddling with an abacus. The clacking of the beads was particularly clear in the noisy inn.

"Shopkeeper, I want to ask something." Tang Youyou said in a calm tone.

The shopkeeper raised his head and looked at her. "What do you want to know, sir?"

Tang Youyou carefully took out a folded piece of paper from her bosom and showed the strange symbol written on it to the shopkeeper, "Have you seen this symbol? Or, have you seen any guests with similar symbols recently?"

The shopkeeper narrowed his eyes, looked at the symbol carefully, and shook his head. "I've never seen it before. This symbol is very strange, like some kind of totem or code."

Tang Youyou's heart sank. Could it be that this clue was going to be broken again?

At this moment, an old voice came from the side, "I seem to have seen similar symbols somewhere..."

Tang Youyou looked in the direction of the voice and saw an old man sitting in the corner. He was wearing a simple gray robe and his hair was gray, but he was in good spirits and his eyes were deep and wise.

The old man walked over slowly and carefully examined the paper in Tang Youyou's hand. "This symbol... let me think... I seem to have seen it in an ancient book..." He stroked his beard and fell into deep thought.

A glimmer of hope ignited in Tang Youyou's heart. Perhaps this old man really knew something. Seeing this, Niu Xiaoer, who was hiding in the dark, hurried outside the inn to report the situation to Shopkeeper Hua.

"Shopkeeper, that woman started talking to an old man and seemed to be asking something..."

Shopkeeper Hua frowned, "Old man? What old man?"

Niu Xiaoer scratched his head. "He looks like a wandering Taoist priest or a scholar..."

A gleam of light flashed in Shopkeeper Hua's eyes. "Scholar? Interesting..." He raised a meaningful smile and said, "Let's go and take a look."

Inside the inn, the old man was still trying to recall, "That ancient book... is very old... I remember... it says..." He suddenly stopped, his eyes fell on the paper in Tang Youyou's hand, his eyes became a little complicated, "This symbol... could it be..."