Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

Inside a private room on the third floor of the "Home Away From Home" restaurant, a tall, imposing man dressed in red stood by the window. His collar, cuffs, belt, and the hem of his robe were all white, adorned with a small circle of gold-embroidered lotus flowers, perfectly complementing his bright red robe.

Such a flamboyant outfit could only belong to the peacock man. But looking at the man's face, Li Xiaonuan wasn't sure for a moment. After all, she couldn't remember what the peacock man looked like yesterday.

Fortunately, not everyone is as face-blind as Li Xiaonuan. Li Xiaoyang stepped forward first, calling out "Young Master," without bowing. Firstly, he didn't know the etiquette of bowing; secondly, he didn't feel it was necessary to bow to him.

This was exactly what Li Xiaonuan was thinking, probably influenced by the egalitarian education she received in her previous life. However, the local Su family was very hierarchical. Seeing that her children hadn't bowed to the others, she became somewhat frightened, her hands trembling with nervousness.

The servant boy stepped forward excitedly, his face full of flattery, and said, "Young master, I've brought the person to you."

Wei Yu nodded, pointed his folding fan towards the door, and said, "Well done, there will be a reward. Now, tell the people to serve the dishes."

The servant, his eyes brimming with tears and overflowing with gratitude, responded and hurried out. But as he stepped across the threshold, the smile vanished, replaced by sorrow. The young master's expression was far from satisfied; he'd even bestowed a reward. He feared he'd face more trouble later. "Ah," he thought, "why didn't I follow the young master in the first place?"

Inside the private room, Li Xiaonuan helped Su Shi sit down at the table and then helped Xiao Yang and Xiao Gang to sit as well. She personally poured them tea before turning to the peacock-like man who was still standing by the window and saying, "Young master, please have someone bring me pen and ink so I can write down the prescription."

Wei Yujun raised an eyebrow, chose a seat one chair away from Li Xiaonuan, and sat down casually. He slowly straightened his clothes before saying unhurriedly, "No rush, you should eat first. I'm worried that you might forget something important if you're hungry."

Li Xiaonuan didn't care; her goal today wasn't just to sell the girl. Thinking about the deal she was about to discuss, she suddenly felt a little nervous. She didn't know if she could gamble correctly this time. But for her father's sake, she had no other choice but to take this step.

At worst, she could just find another suitable candidate. Anyway, she still had two years, which would be enough for her. Just as she was thinking this, the food was brought in one after another. Among them, the servant specially selected a few dishes and placed them in front of Madam Su.

Li Xiaonuan looked at the dishes and saw that they were all light and easy to digest. When the main course arrived, she especially served Su a bowl of thick peanut, red date, and rice porridge. Seeing this, Li Xiaonuan was sincerely grateful to the servant.

Touched, Li Xiaonuan smiled and thanked the servant: "Thank you, young man. You are very thoughtful and have a bright future ahead of you."

The servant was embarrassed by the praise, scratching his head and grinning foolishly as he left. Li Xiaonuan watched him go, thinking that the boy was quite cute when he wasn't being arrogant.

"Hurry up and eat, then write me the prescription. Stop staring at my servant all day; he's engaged." The tone was as if someone else was eyeing a toy.

Li Xiaonuan, in a playful mood, teased him while eating: "I can buy your servant, help him get rid of his slave status, and then marry him as his principal wife. As for that so-called fiancée, she can just be a concubine."

"Xiao Nuan," Su Shi said, taking a bite of porridge and looking at her in disbelief. Xiao Yang choked, covering his mouth and turning his face away, coughing violently. Xiao Gang, clearly unaware of what was happening, stuffed food into his mouth while looking at everyone with a puzzled expression.

"Xiao Nuan? That name doesn't suit you. You should be called Xiao Leng. No, you should be called Xiao Bing. Cold-hearted and aloof, ice is more suitable for you," Wei Yu said disdainfully.

Li Xiaonuan nodded in agreement, but said, "It's precisely because I'm cold-hearted and cold-hearted that my parents gave me such a warm name, so I wouldn't freeze myself to death."

Wei Yu's face darkened; he hadn't expected Li Xiaonuan to respond like that. Somewhat annoyed, he asked, "Are you full? If you are, put down your chopsticks and go write me the prescription."

"Can't you stand it already? You have such a bad temper. Who told you to pick a fight for no reason?" Li Xiaonuan continued her verbal sparring: "How could I? These dishes were specially arranged by Brother Si. It would be too unfair to him if I didn't finish them."

“If you mention him again, I’ll sell him to the saltworks and he’ll never get out.” He said this through gritted teeth.

Before she could finish speaking, an urgent plea came from outside the door: "Miss, I beg you, please just eat in peace. This meal was arranged by my young master, it has nothing to do with me."

Okay, that's the crux of the problem. Turns out, I've been expressing my feelings the wrong way all along. No wonder, given how serious and dramatic this peacock man is, of course he'd get angry. The way to deal with this kind of person is to coax them.

Li Xiaonuan put down her chopsticks, swallowed the food in her mouth, and showed what she thought was her brightest smile. She said to the peacock-like man with all her sincerity, "Young master, thank you so much. To express my gratitude, I will definitely tell you the recipes for all those milk crisps, cream, cheese, yogurt, and so on later."

Wei Yu stared at Li Xiaonuan in disbelief, then suddenly turned his head as if he had seen a ghost. He snapped open his folding fan with a snap, held it in front of his head, and muttered, "Don't laugh, it's disgusting. There's a piece of vegetable stuck in your teeth."

Li Xiaonuan froze, feeling like her whole life had collapsed. Who could tell her how to handle such an embarrassing situation? Li Xiaonuan looked at the Su family, mother and her two children. Xiao Yang and Xiao Gang were both gritting their teeth with their heads down, their shoulders twitching suspiciously. Su Shi was also trying to drink her porridge, but she kept glancing at Li Xiaonuan out of the corner of her eye.

Okay, Li Xiaonuan agrees with this "better to sacrifice your friends than yourself" approach. It's just a piece of vegetable stuck in my teeth, no big deal. Look at everyone, all keeping quiet. So, Li Xiaonuan got up, went to the basin stand by the wall, looked at her reflection in the water basin, and grinned.

I looked left and right, and everything—vegetable leaves, sesame seeds, peanut shells—was clearly visible. It seems the light here isn't bright enough; all I could see were white teeth. Li Xiaonuan picked up a basin of water, walked to the window, and was about to continue taking pictures when a slightly malicious laugh erupted behind her.

Even the lice on the idiot across the street could tell Li Xiaonuan that she'd been tricked by the peacock-like man. Thinking she'd have to trouble him later, Li Xiaonuan just let him laugh it off.

Li Xiaonuan casually placed the basin of water on the windowsill, sat back down at the table, and said to the peacock-like man who was laughing hysterically—oh, no, laughing with an air of elegance—"Have you laughed enough? If you're done laughing, have someone bring you dessert. I need to eat happily to remember what I'm eating."

Wei Yu immediately stopped laughing. He covered his mouth with his folding fan, cleared his throat, and called out towards the door, "Xiao Si, dessert."

A voice immediately answered from outside the door: "Yes, sir, the dessert will be here soon."

Li Xiaonuan suddenly remembered that there was su lao in this era. So she called out to the door, "Su lao, bring us osmanthus honey su lao."

There was an immediate response from outside the door: "Yes, sir, I'll get on it right away."

Wei Yu gave Li Xiaonuan a critical look and muttered to himself, "She's really picky. No wonder she's so poor."

Li Xiaonuan felt embarrassed and pretended not to hear. Seeing Su Shi take out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, she asked, "Mother, have you finished eating? Would you like to eat anything else?"

Su gave Li Xiaonuan a reproachful look and whispered, "Don't be silly, get down to business. Get it done quickly so we can go home."

Seeing the weariness in Su's eyes, Li Xiaonuan knew she was sleepy. So, she turned to the peacock man and asked, "Young master, could you please find a place for my mother and the others to rest? We can't finish our business in a short time."

Wei Yu snorted and mouthed to Li Xiaonuan, "Don't push your luck." Then, he called out to the door, "Uncle Qin, have someone clean up the side courtyard."

Someone outside responded, and the footsteps faded into the distance. Li Xiaonuan was very satisfied. She smiled and said, "Thank you, young master. Once our cooperation is finalized, I will repay you a hundredfold."

After an incense stick had burned a while, the Su family, mother and her two children, followed Uncle Qin to a side courtyard to rest. Xiao Yang initially didn't want to go, wanting to stay by Li Xiaonuan's side to protect her. However, the details of the transaction that Li Xiaonuan was about to make were somewhat unbelievable, and not wanting him to know, she persuaded him to leave.

After the person left, Wei Yu had someone bring over the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, ink stick, inkstone, and paper). Li Xiaonuan was somewhat at a loss when faced with those antique items. Helpless, she chuckled awkwardly, "I can't write. I'll dictate the prescription; you can write it down yourself."

With an expression that said, "I knew it all along," Wei Yu said to the middle-aged man standing to the side, "Uncle Qin, you can take the pen."

Uncle Qin sat down as instructed, ground the powder, and spread out the paper, completing the task in one go. Seeing that he was ready, Li Xiaonuan explained the recipe for milk custard in detail. She emphasized the important points to note when making the tangzhong premixed powder.

Next, there's the refining of milk powder and the extraction of butter. After explaining all this in detail, she kindly offered to modify the oven and provide recipes for other dairy desserts. Of all those things, Li Xiaonuan most wanted butter and cheese.

Wei Yu hadn't expected Li Xiaonuan to sell him so many dairy product and dessert recipes for five hundred taels of silver. He always felt that Li Xiaonuan had a backup plan. After Li Xiaonuan checked the recipes and added many details, the two officially signed a contract.

Once the contract was signed, Wei Yu ordered it to be immediately sent to the government office for filing. Seeing that the matter was settled, Li Xiaonuan subtly signaled to Wei Yu to dismiss the servants. Wei Yu, who had long wanted to know Li Xiaonuan's true intentions, let them leave.

Li Xiaonuan sat obediently and said to Wei Yu with unusual seriousness, "Young Master Wei, I want to make a deal with you." Li Xiaonuan only learned the peacock man's name when they signed the contract earlier.

Wei Yu leaned back in his chair, idly playing with the folding fan in his hand, and said lazily, "Oh, what kind of deal was it? Tell me about it."

Li Xiaonuan clenched her fists and said in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Navigational maps and atlases of high-yield crops."

Wei Yu sat up straight in surprise, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. He put his index finger to his lips, signaling Li Xiaonuan to be quiet. Then, he got up, went out, and whispered a few words before coming back in to tell Li Xiaonuan to follow him.

Li Xiaonuan asked him nervously, "Tell me first whether you can accept this deal."

Wei Yu nodded solemnly, gesturing for her to follow. Li Xiaonuan followed him down a hidden staircase in the main building to the moon gate leading to the back courtyard. It seemed they were going to a safe place to discuss the deal. Knowing that possessing a treasure could be a danger, Li Xiaonuan felt it was best to be cautious.