Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

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After the Wang Tu incident, some people brought up that old story again. But Xu Yan knew how to handle people; she became Wang Tu's confidante. Faced with rumors and gossip, she simply dealt with it all with a tearful expression.

Later, a young woman came to Jiuzhou Village. Upon seeing Xu Yan, she praised her highly. Hearing the gossip, she retorted that Xu Yan was a proper young woman.

Amidst the skepticism, Xu Yan's sister-in-law brought in a midwife to examine Xu Yan. The result, of course, showed that Xu Yan was a virgin. This unexpected turn of events silenced the gossip. Thus, Xu Yan was successfully exonerated and was now waiting for Wang Tu to marry her.

To their surprise, Wang Tu made no move despite their waiting. Previously, they could use the excuse of Wang's mother recovering from her injuries. But now that Wang's mother was able to run and jump again, the Xu family grew anxious. Having no other option, they had to find another way. They planned to start with Li Xiaonuan, forcing Wang Tu's family to accept the marriage.

The reason the Xu family targeted Li Xiaonuan was because of Li Xiaonuan herself. Rumors had been circulating that she still harbored feelings for Wang Tu and longed to reconcile with him. Wang Tu himself was also regretting his past actions and had spoken highly of Li Xiaonuan.

Li Xiaonuan, on the other hand, remained completely silent in the face of the rumors, letting others say whatever they wanted. Coupled with Wang Tu's occasional comments, Xu Yan definitely grew to hate Li Xiaonuan, believing that Li Xiaonuan's silence was an admission of guilt.

Later, Li's father moved into Zangbaicao Clinic, and Li Xiaonuan went there every few days. Several times, she saw Qi Ji outside the clinic and went up to greet him. After they became familiar with each other, Qi Ji was also very friendly and always smiled and said a few words to her.

Yesterday, Li Xiaonuan went to Wei Yu's house to hand in the drawings. Upon learning that the renowned surgeon was about to arrive in Yongzhou Prefecture, she went wild with joy. When she encountered Qi Ji outside the clinic, she rushed over to him like a madwoman. In her excitement, she even grabbed Qi Ji's sleeve and shook it.

Qi Ji, too, let her run wild the whole time without reminding her to be mindful of her distance. Even more surprisingly, he even reached out to brush a stray hair from Li Xiaonuan's forehead. Throughout, he maintained a warm smile; most people who witnessed it would have suspected a connection between them.

And that grave just happened to be seen by Xu Yan's sister-in-law who was passing by. Well, such a good topic, she naturally couldn't let it go. She went home and whispered about it with Xu Yan all night, which led to the scene this morning.

Li Xiaonuan invited Zhou Jingjing to stay for lunch and also asked Li Xiaoyang to deliver a bowl of pickled fish to Granny Yu. During the meal, Zhou Jingjing couldn't help but ask curiously, "Brother Xiaoyang, you just helped them deliver the message like that. Won't they come after you if something goes wrong?"

Xiao Yang smiled mysteriously and lowered his voice, saying, "Do you think I'm stupid? I first went to the Xu family and made a scene, attracting a lot of attention. After that, I came back after being persuaded by others."

Zhou Jingjing was even more puzzled and asked again, "Then how did you help Old Master Zhou deliver the letter?"

Li Xiaonuan and Su Shi were also curious, so they listened intently. Li Xiaoyang's smile became even more sinister. He gestured for everyone to come closer before whispering, "I know when they meet in secret and how they communicate. So, when I returned to the village, I went back to that place and secretly left signals for them."

Zhou Jingjing's eyes widened in disbelief as she asked, "How did you know the location and time of their secret meeting?"

Li Xiaoyang replied, "Before the New Year, a traveling doctor came to the village. He said that if I cooked more turtle for my father, it would cure him. I know there is a river in Jiuzhou Village, and there are many small forks in a grove of trees at the corner. There are turtles there. One evening, I went there and happened to see them having a secret meeting. They even arranged a time to meet each month and a code word."

After hearing Li Xiaoyang's words, Zhou Jingjing covered her mouth to stifle a gasp, her eyes wide with surprise, making Li Xiaoyang blush. Li Xiaonuan witnessed everything and was delighted. Su Shi, however, noticed nothing amiss and muttered to herself:

"Xu Yan used to be a good girl. When she was sold to the Zhou landlord's family, everyone cursed her brother and sister-in-law for being heartless. How did she become like this now?"

Li Xiaonuan analyzed, "Mother, people's hearts are fickle. At the Zhou landlord's house, Xu Yan saw the life of the rich, so it's normal for her to have ulterior motives. Besides, you know what kind of person her sister-in-law is. If it weren't for the fact that she could still get some benefits from Zhou Laocai, she probably would have sold her off again long ago."

Madam Su thought about it and sighed, "Alas, marriage brings no peace, and so does domestic turmoil. So why are they all so determined to marry Xu Yan into the Wang family now?"

Li Xiaoyang replied, "Isn't that all for a good reputation? The Xu family has another girl who will be getting married in a year or two. If Xu Yan can marry into a good family, maybe that girl will be able to climb the social ladder in the future."

Madam Su stopped asking questions, and the group finished their lunch with a sigh. Afterwards, everyone went about their business. Madam Su went to Granny Yu's house again, chatted with her, and helped with some chores.

Li Xiaonuan and Li Xiaoyang carried their baskets and continued digging for bamboo shoots in the mountains. When they passed Aunt Zhou's house, Zhou Jingjing also came out carrying a basket. Aunt Zhou leaned against the door frame and said, "Xiaonuan, keep an eye on Jingjing for me, don't let her run around."

Li Xiaonuan replied with a smile, "Oh, Aunt Zhou, don't worry, I promise I can bring you back a healthy and whole Jingjing."

Zhou Jingjing protested, pouting and stomping her foot, "Sister Xiaonuan, I'm not a fish, so where do I get whiskers and a tail?"

Li Xiaonuan didn't respond, only smiling as she walked forward. Jingjing stomped her feet to catch up, pestering her to rephrase her statement. Xiaoyang smiled as he brought up the rear, his eyes filled with increasing doting affection. The budding romance of this sunny young man was quietly blossoming.

The news of Xu Yan's secret meeting with Old Man Zhou spread like wildfire the next morning. Zhou Jingjing deliberately hid in Old Man Zhou's fenced yard to hear the whole story, and only came over at noon to tell Li Xiaonuan about it.

"I heard that Zhou Laocai's wife wouldn't even let them wear clothes. She just tied them up and paraded them around Old Zhou Village. Zhou's wife came and gave that woman a good scolding, and then bought Xu Yan back to be Zhou Laocai's bed warmer."

"Xu Yan's sister-in-law thought the silver was too little, so she and her husband carried Xu Yan's paralyzed mother to the front of the landlord Zhou's house and made a scene. Later, the landlord Zhou's wife sent word that if they made any more trouble, she would take back the silver and drown Xu Yan in a pig cage. Only then did the couple stop making trouble."

"Some people also said that last night Wang Tu took a pink cloth bag to confront Xu Yan. No one knows what Xu Yan said, but Wang Tu cursed himself for being blind to have fallen for such a slut. Then he even threw the cloth bag at her. Xu Yan hugged the cloth bag and cried, she cried so sadly."

"Sister Xiaonuan, that cloth bag should be the one from the day Wang Tu and the others came to break off the engagement, right? What exactly is inside it?"

Li Xiaonuan felt that Jingjing should know some things by now. So she leaned close to Jingjing's ear and said, "That's the fetus that Xu Yan miscarried, and the residue left over from the medicine she took."

Zhou Jingjing stared in shock, her mouth agape and her eyes wide with disbelief, making Li Xiaonuan chuckle repeatedly. She desperately wanted to capture her adorable expression on camera. Unfortunately, cameras didn't exist in this era.