Final answer:
Peasants and serfs in feudal times could sometimes find alternative employment as artisans, shepherds, or wage laborers, particularly after the Plague when labor was in demand and opportunities for improved pay and conditions arose.
Step-by-step explanation:
During feudal times, peasants and serfs had primary obligations to their lords, which included agricultural work and other duties that bound them to the land they lived on. However, outside of their regular obligations, there were alternative jobs that serfs and peasants could engage in, depending on the lord's permission. Given their skill sets, they could take up work as artisans, producing specialized goods like leather or crafts, or as shepherds, managing livestock. Moreover, during times of labor shortages, especially after events like the Plague, peasants had the opportunity to demand better wages and working conditions, sometimes leaving their feudal obligations to take up wage labor in cities or on other lands offering more favorable terms. Women could also partake in work closer to home, like tending to vegetable gardens and smaller livestock. However, their choices were constrained by the need for lord's permission and by their legal status, which often tied them to the land.