Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

Just as the situation in Yongzhou Prefecture was about to change drastically, a frail and aged old man emerged from an inconspicuous inn. Beside him was a slender woman, though her face was veiled, making her features impossible to discern.

"They've finally made their move," the old man said.

"Grandpa, should we step in and remind them?" the woman asked.

"No need. If they can't even handle this little thing, how will they shoulder the responsibilities in the future?" The old man sighed as he said this. "If you ask me, that kid shouldn't have gotten involved in this mess. Look at all the trouble he's caused. He would have been better off just living a peaceful life at sea."

"Grandpa, Young Master Zhao had no choice. You've only been back a short time, and people have already come knocking on our door? It's clear that those who see him as a thorn in their side are keeping an eye on him. If Young Master wants to live a peaceful life, he must get rid of those people." The woman's gentle and soft voice revealed a resolute determination.

The old man nodded in agreement: "We must get rid of those people, otherwise they will bribe people to destroy the boats again. I want to go out to sea a few more times before I pass away, to find Penglai Island. I also want to look for the corn and sweet potatoes that girl mentioned, those are good things to benefit the people."

"Grandpa, Miss Li and her family have already been taken away. If they are truly accused of treason, I'm afraid they won't be able to come back alive." The woman's worry was undisguised.

The old man waved his hand and said, "It's alright, that girl is very lucky, this little setback won't defeat her."

The woman walked silently behind the old man, and the two entered a restaurant next door. It was the Yingkelai Restaurant, a place that Li Xiaonuan's family had always loved to frequent.

Upon seeing the old man, the shopkeeper cheerfully went forward to greet him personally.

"Sir, the private room upstairs is ready and waiting for you," the innkeeper said with a smile.

"However, the wet nurse of Young Mistress Wei is also in a private room on the second floor," the innkeeper said to the old man after a moment's hesitation.

"Hmph, they really are persistent. They think their methods are so clever." As he spoke, the old man went upstairs. "I just wanted them to teach my foolish disciple a lesson, so he would be more careful in the future. Otherwise, I would have taken care of them long ago."

The woman behind him was stunned, thinking that the old man truly loved his disciple dearly. This absurd method of discipline looked more like a cruel punishment than anything else.

They walked in silence, their footsteps echoing through the corridor. On the second floor, in the first private room by the corridor, the door was slightly ajar, and a slightly plump woman was listening intently to the sounds outside.

As they passed through that door, the old Taoist priest let out a heavy snort: "Some people, if you give them a break, they'll go to extremes to cause trouble. Tell me, what should we do with people like that?"

The woman smiled and shook her head, saying, "Let them do whatever they want. We just need to see them ruin themselves without even realizing it. That would be very interesting, even more interesting than watching a play."

The shopkeeper secretly wiped his brow, feeling a pang of sympathy for the woman who had been eavesdropping. Although the old man was supposedly a recluse, he had a penchant for playing pranks on others, especially those who offended him.

As they passed the second private room, the old man ignored the innkeeper who was leading the way and pushed the door open to go inside.

The woman gently called out to the bewildered innkeeper, "Innkeeper, we'll have our meal here today."

The shopkeeper was in a real bind, genuinely hoping to avoid any trouble at this critical juncture. A while ago, some government officials came and ordered them to hand over all the chilies. They were also strictly forbidden from accepting any more chilies and from making those dishes again.

They initially thought it was a scheme by their competitors. Little did they know it was a power struggle among the higher-ups, and they, the innocent mortals, were caught in the crossfire. If the old man were to make trouble now, their business might have to close tomorrow.

As a responsible employee, the shopkeeper racked his brains, trying to figure out how to persuade the old man not to cause any trouble.

"Shopkeeper, put away that sour face. I may be unreliable, but I know I can't ruin my own shop's business. Tell me, what new dishes do you have today?" The old man plopped down in a window seat, looking like a nice guy.

The shopkeeper wiped his sweat with his sleeve and steadied himself before replying, "Sir, we haven't had any new dishes in the shop these past few days. Even the spicy dishes we introduced a while ago can't be made anymore. All those chilies were confiscated a few days ago. And the chilies delivered from Zhoucun these past two days were also intercepted at the back door."

The old Taoist priest had only returned to the prefectural city yesterday. He didn't go to the Zhao family; instead, he found an inn to stay at. Therefore, he was still unaware of the matter concerning the chili peppers.

"You mean, a few days ago, someone came and took all the chilies away. Do you know who came to take the chilies?" The old Taoist priest was no longer nonchalant and began to take it seriously.

The shopkeeper said aggrievedly, "The first group to come and collect the chilies were a few soldiers. After that, I don't know who they were. When our men went with them, they were all inexplicably drugged and lost consciousness when they woke up."

The old Taoist priest glanced at the neighbor with a deep look in his eyes, sneered, and instructed, "Bring me a few dishes first, I'm hungry. Also, send someone with me to Zhoucun to buy chili peppers later."

Although the shopkeeper didn't know what the old Taoist was planning, he never took on responsibilities himself. So he didn't ask any questions and quietly went to make the arrangements.

Inside the cubicle, the short, plump woman gestured with her eyes to the little girl standing to one side. The little girl nodded cleverly, opened the door, and ran downstairs.

The old Taoist priest listened intently, and only nodded in satisfaction after hearing footsteps coming downstairs. He gestured for the woman who had been standing to sit down, and then remained silent.

In the next private room, the short, plump woman listened intently against the wall for a long time, but still heard nothing. Tired of listening in one position, she sat back down at the table to drink tea and massage her shoulders and legs. She muttered to herself, "Really, this old Taoist priest is in a room with a young girl, and there's not a sound. I wonder what they're doing."

Meanwhile, Li Xiaonuan and her family were also taken to the military camp. The entire family was kept tightly confined in the carriage the whole way. Li Xiaonuan, who had absolutely no sense of direction, had no idea which remote corner they had been taken to.

When they got off the bus, Xiao Gang, who had been brought on board first, whispered to Li Xiaonuan, "Sister, this is in the mountains behind our house. I can feel it."

Li Xiaonuan looked at Xiaogang in disbelief, not understanding how he could sense it. Was this behind their mountain? It was unbelievable.

"Sister, I'm serious. I know exactly how far they travel in the carriage and where they turn. It's just that this place is quite far from our home. We definitely couldn't get here without walking for a whole day in the mountains," Xiao Gang explained when he saw that Li Xiaonuan didn't believe him.