Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

When Prince Jing heard that Aunt Zhao's face had been burned, he appeared quite shocked, but he quickly concealed it. Later, upon learning that she was the widow of a landlord in Niushan County and had been burned during a famine after being framed by her clan, he became somewhat disappointed.

But he still wouldn't give up: "Describe to me what your Aunt Zhao and her son look like."

Li Xiaonuan was puzzled, but she still obediently described the mother and child to him. After she finished, Prince Jing was already in a state of both joy and sorrow. Li Xiaonuan was even more confused.

Could they know each other?

Prince Jing asked Li Xiaonuan to tell him in detail the exact time the Zhao family mother and son appeared, and what they did afterward. Li Xiaonuan touched her stomach, which was already so hungry it was practically sticking to her back, and began to speak in a muffled voice.

"That's all I know. When they came back then, they only brought those two old servants with them. Also, Aunt Zhao is skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and the Four Books and Five Classics. She taught Brother Zhao his early education herself. She said that the schools in the prefectural city were misleading students, so she didn't let Brother Zhao go to school."

Prince Jing clenched his fists, recalling that day when they looked at each other in front of the clinic, and the sorrow in her eyes. Why hadn't he thought of that then? Only the same person would look at him with the same eyes.

But it's not too late now. He wants to go and ask her himself how she's been all these years, how she's fared, and why she hasn't come to see him.

After Li Xiaonuan finished speaking, she looked at the dazed Prince Jing, unsure whether she should add anything. However, judging from his expression, he probably wouldn't recover for a while. She touched her stomach, which had rebelled for the nth time, and mourned for her internal organs.

After a long while, Prince Jing finally snapped out of his thoughts. He looked at Li Xiaonuan, who was rubbing her stomach with a pained expression, and smiled. Yes, it's been almost twenty years; what's the point of dwelling on the past?

"Girl, are you hungry?" Prince Jing regained his usual refined demeanor, casual yet domineering. "Come on, I'll treat you to a meal. Let's go to Wei Yu's restaurant and have a free meal."

Upon hearing Wei Yu's name, Li Xiaonuan subconsciously resisted: "Thank you, Your Highness. Xiaonuan should go home for dinner. I've been out for so long; my family must be worried."

Prince Jing wouldn't allow Li Xiaonuan to escape, and directly ordered: "I said I'd treat you to dinner, so just come along and don't waste any more time talking nonsense."

After saying this, Prince Jing took the lead and walked out the door. Li Xiaonuan followed behind with her mouth half open, feeling helpless and aggrieved.

As they passed the pharmacy, Prince Jing called Xiao Gang along, saying, "Xiao Gang, come on, let's go have dinner with the old man. Where's your master?"

Xiao Gang placed the selfheal on the small cleaver and carefully chopped it into small pieces as he replied, "Old Jing, I've already eaten. My master went to the front hall; he's incurred another romantic entanglement, and the woman has come looking for him."

Seeing Xiao Gang's serious expression, Prince Jing said nonchalantly, "I was going to invite you to the main room of the 'Guests' Inn' restaurant for some cheese, but since you don't like it, this old man will go by myself." With that, he walked out.

Li Xiaonuan looked at Xiaogang, who remained unmoved, and felt gratified. She had never known that Xiaogang was so diligent in learning and working at the clinic. Just as she was about to praise him, Xiaogang poured the chopped selfheal into the medicine vat and shouted into the inner room:

"Senior Brother Fu, I've chopped the Prunella vulgaris. Come and get it. I need to go out with my sister. Could you please tell Master for me later?"

After calling out, Xiao Gang grabbed Li Xiaonuan and hurriedly ran outside. Li Xiaonuan was flustered, wondering whether she should teach Xiao Gang a lesson. However, Li Xiaonuan didn't have a chance to speak.

"Old Man Jing, Old Man Jing, wait for us!" Li Xiaonuan was already embarrassed by being dragged along by Xiao Gang. Hearing him call out like that, she suddenly felt an urge to punch him.

"Xiaogang, is this how you've always learned things?" Li Xiaonuan asked him with a stern face, shaking off Xiaogang's hand.

Xiao Gang pouted, startled by Li Xiaonuan's sudden change. But seeing Prince Jing about to leave the clinic, he forgot all about it and hurriedly pulled Li Xiaonuan to follow. Li Xiaonuan was completely defeated and felt she needed to get to know this adorable little brother all over again.

Prince Jing ultimately failed to leave the clinic because Wei Yu arrived in a hurry. When he saw Li Xiaonuan, he seemed momentarily awkward. Li Xiaonuan, however, didn't want to see Wei Yu and therefore didn't notice his unusual behavior.

Watching the interaction between the two, Prince Jing teased them with a mischievous grin, "What's wrong? Did you two have a fight?"

Li Xiaonuan rolled her eyes and said irritably, "Doctor Dianjing, do you think I have the right to argue with someone like Young Master Wei?"

Wei Yu said awkwardly, "Doctor Jing, I have something important to discuss with you. It's urgent."

Prince Jing shrugged and said to the siblings waiting at the door, "It seems I can't treat you to dinner today. I'll owe you one."

After saying that, he went back to the backyard first. Wei Yu looked at the siblings, wanting to say something, but in the end he sighed and followed Prince Jing.

Li Xiaonuan really wanted to lecture Xiaogang first, but seeing that the place wasn't right, she let him off the hook for now and decided to talk to him when he got home that night.

Once Prince Jing and Wei Yu returned to the courtyard, they got straight to the point.

“Your Highness, I think I’ve found the person I’m looking for. I saw that person when I came back from the last hunt; he looks just like His Majesty.” Wei Yu went straight to the point.

Prince Jing was not surprised, because the information he had just received from Li Xiaonuan also pointed directly to the person in Xinzhou Village.

“I’ve also found out a bit. No wonder the woman’s eyes seemed so familiar that day. Alright, let’s go and investigate in person tomorrow.”

Wei Yu asked, puzzled, "Your Highness, why do you think that mother and son are hiding so well? Is it because they don't want His Majesty to find them at all?"

Prince Jing toyed with the teacup in his hand and casually said, "I heard that your aunt was burned beyond recognition. That's probably why they've been hiding and refusing to show their faces."

Wei Yu looked surprised and asked incredulously, "My aunt was burned? How is that possible? Didn't they escape? How could she be injured?"

Prince Jing remained noncommittal, but Li Xiaonuan said that she had seen the scar with her own eyes; it stretched from her left cheek all the way down her back and was shocking.

"I don't know about that. Why don't you ask her yourself tomorrow? Your aunt loves you the most. When you were little, she always sent people to bring you to the palace to keep her and your cousin company. Have you forgotten?"

Wei Yu was lost in memories and said sadly, "How could I forget? If I had forgotten, I wouldn't have led people to search for their whereabouts."

Prince Jing sighed, "Yes, no one has forgotten her; it is she who has forgotten us. From the moment that fire started, she forgot us all. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone to find us first, but instead hid with Chen'er."