Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

With a stern face, Mrs. Tang scolded, "Xiaoqian, what nonsense are you talking about? Do you think your eldest sister's family is living a good life right now? Don't forget, whose help was it that your father was able to stay at the clinic? And you're complaining that you can only eat pork legs now. Where did those pastries come from?"

Xiaoqian was baffled by the scolding. She had only told the truth; what had she done wrong? So she retorted, "I wasn't telling the truth! My sister's family buys everything, even their grains and vegetables. What's wrong with buying an extra pound of good meat every day?"

Seeing everyone staring at her in surprise, Xiaoqian pouted and continued, "I know my sister's family didn't have a good life before. But they don't want to grow their own vegetables now, so they must have money to buy vegetables. Buying a pound of meat doesn't cost much. They always buy pig's trotters, which I find dirty."

Mrs. Tang was furious. She couldn't believe her daughter would say such things in front of so many people. She slammed her chopsticks on the table and shouted, "Xiaoqian, shut up! Is this the kind of thing you should be saying? Who taught you all this? Don't you know why your sister's family buys grain to eat? Can't you see why they don't grow vegetables?"

"Let's not even talk about your sister's family. Even our family needs to buy food this year, or we'll go hungry. We did grow some vegetables this year, but have you taken care of them for even a day? Ever since your father fell ill, your two younger sisters have been taking care of the vegetable garden, and that's how we manage to have something to eat."

"I can't control how you behave at home; your father spoils you rotten. But you're at your uncle's house now. You don't even know basic manners. Not only do you not help with chores, but you also complain about this and that. With someone like you, it's no wonder no one dares to propose marriage to us. What have I done to deserve this? Waaah~"

As Tang Shi spoke, she began to cry. Li Xiaoqian, having been scolded in front of everyone, was also very angry and aggrieved. Seeing Tang Shi cry, she yelled at her, "All you ever do is cry, you're so useless. No wonder Father beats you. I can't stand people like you."

“Father and his family have already separated. We’re guests at my sister’s house. What’s wrong with me not doing any work? Who makes guests do anything? My sister has such a good relationship with that Wei family’s young master, she goes to his house every day. Who knows how many benefits she’s gotten. What’s wrong with buying a pound or two of meat?”

After yelling, Xiaoqian covered her face and ran back to her room. Tang Shi, scolded and talked back by her daughter, was already sobbing uncontrollably. The Xiao Sha and Xiao Sha sisters comforted Tang Shi while apologizing to Li Xiaonuan and the others, saying they didn't acknowledge their older sister. The people at the table exchanged bewildered glances, all seeing disbelief in each other's eyes.

The old lady opened her mouth for a long time before she came to her senses. She slammed her hand on the table, pointed at Tang Shi, and scolded, "You, Tang Shi, how could you raise my granddaughter like this? Disrespectful to elders, selfish and lazy. She dares to talk back to adults in front of me. I think she is disobedient and unfilial. If you can't teach her well, you might as well drown her."

Upon hearing the old lady's words, Tang Shi dared not cry anymore. But when she heard that Xiaoqian would be drowned, she began to plead for her life again.

Ever since Xiaoqian spoke, Li Xiaonuan had found it unbelievable. She had never known that her cousin would have such bizarre ideas. What kind of mindset could create such a person?

Seeing that Tang was about to kneel before the old lady, Li Xiaonuan and the others couldn't stand idly by. She glanced at Su, signaling her to go and persuade Tang. Li Xiaonuan then stepped forward, helped the old lady, who had risen from her seat in agitation, and gently advised her:

"Grandma, please don't be anxious. Getting upset is bad for your health. Come, sit down and let's talk slowly. There must be a reason why Xiaoqian is like this. Let's ask her first. Besides, Auntie can't teach Xiaoqian to disobey her own mother."

Li Xiaoyang chimed in from the other side, "That's right, Grandma, sit down first, have some soup and calm yourself down. Xiaoqian isn't that kind of person; she must have heard something from others to become like that."

Li Xiaogang also said, "When I came back yesterday, I saw my second sister chatting and laughing with Aunt Zhou Rong and Grandma Jin under the banyan tree at the entrance of the village. They seemed to be having a great time."

Li Xiaonuan's previous statement was merely an excuse to exonerate Tang Shi and Xiaoqian; she hadn't expected there to be a real story behind it. So, she casually asked the Xiao Sha sisters, "Xiao Ping, Xiao Sha, you two have been staying here these past few days. Have you seen Xiaoqian chatting with anyone?"

Xiao Sha's eyes darted around, wanting to speak but not daring to. Xiao Ping, however, didn't care about that and said directly, "Yesterday, we went to the river with my sister. There, my sister struck up a conversation with a landlord's maid. I heard my sister call her Sister Yan, and I vaguely heard them mention your name."

When Xiaosha heard Xiaoping say that, she added, "They were talking right up to each other's ears, so we couldn't hear what they were saying. It seemed like they mentioned Doctor Qi, a vixen, seducing rich people and stuff."

Xiaoping continued, "Later, the maid was called away by someone else, so we came back. When we got back to the village entrance, we overheard two aunties talking badly about my eldest sister. We didn't want to hear it, so we ran back, but my sister didn't come back with us."

After listening to the sisters' words, the crowd, now quiet, felt they had gained some insights. However, only Li Xiaonuan's family understood the complexities of the situation and realized they had been set up. It was also Xiaoqian's fault for so easily believing strangers, which led to this whole mess.

After inviting everyone to continue their dinner, Li Xiaonuan briefly recounted what had happened. Although she didn't go into detail, the incident had been widely discussed for a while, so everyone knew a little about it.

The old lady slammed her chopsticks down again, pointed at Li Xiaonuan, and scolded, "You're useless too. Such a big thing happened, and you just let it go like that. If I were in charge, I would have drowned that adulterous couple in a pig cage."

Tang stopped blaming herself and chimed in, "That's right, Xiaonuan. If you had sent someone to call us, we wouldn't have had to put up with those people's nonsense."

Li Xiaonuan shrugged and said nonchalantly, "It's okay, it's all in the past. Now we should try to pull Xiaoqian back from her folly. If we can find out what Xiaoqian talked about with those people, maybe I can resolve the situation."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Gang suddenly walked to Li Xiaonuan's side and said mysteriously, "Sister, leave this to me. After the apprenticeship ceremony is over, I will tell you the whole story."

Seeing his bright, spirited eyes, so different from his usual simple and honest demeanor, Li Xiaonuan smiled and thanked him, "Okay, then I'll thank our little miracle doctor in advance. Little miracle doctor, aspire to be a detective in the future, that sounds great!"

The old lady couldn't bear to see the siblings' affection, and snorted, "Alright, since we can't control it, then let's just leave it alone. The food's getting cold, Xiao Nuan, hurry up and heat it up. We've only been here one day, and they won't even let us eat properly."

Knowing that the old lady was trying to get attention, Li Xiaonuan quickly agreed. She asked her two younger brothers to help carry the dishes that needed to be heated to the kitchen, while she was preoccupied with figuring out how to deal with Xu Yan.