Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

Li Xiaonuan's mouth dropped open in disbelief. She hadn't expected the well-behaved and sensible Li Xiaogang to utter such a surprising statement. However, the idea didn't seem too bad. Should she agree and conspire together?

However, these kinds of things require a skilled person to do them so that they can be done discreetly. Otherwise, even if one succeeds, they will only bring trouble upon themselves, making it a losing proposition. It seems that this path is not feasible.

In a flash, Li Xiaonuan analyzed the situation thoroughly, and a look of disappointment appeared on her face. Seeing this, Li Xiaogang knew that Li Xiaonuan would definitely not agree, so he hurriedly asked, "Sister, what are you worried about?"

While beating her clothes, Li Xiaonuan replied, "Even if you get that kind of medicine, we still can't do it. If they catch us, the situation will be even worse."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaogang also looked troubled. But he was still unwilling to give up and said resentfully, "Never mind, I'll get the medicine first and think of something later. Sister, I'm going to the clinic now, you have to come quickly."

Li Xiaonuan stopped massaging, washed her hands, tidied Li Xiaogang's slightly messy hair, and then said to him, "Okay, go ahead. Remember, don't always go to the operating room, so as not to bother Old Man Jing."

Li Xiaogang stuck out his tongue, gave a mischievous smile, and said, "I was just missing my dad. Besides, I don't think that old man was annoyed with me; he was just looking for an excuse to make things difficult for you. I'm leaving."

Watching Li Xiaogang run off into the distance, Li Xiaonuan called out helplessly from behind, "Xiaogang, slow down, don't fall into the ditch."

"Oh, these two siblings seem to have a good relationship. Xiao Nuan, I heard your grandma is back?"

Hearing the voice, Li Xiaonuan turned around and saw it was Granny Zhou from the village. She took the wooden basin from Granny Zhou's hand and replied, "Granny Zhou, are you here to wash clothes? My grandma is back; she came back last night. If you have time, please chat with my grandma."

Grandma Zhou smiled and replied, "Yes, I'm going to go and have a chat with her. It's been almost four years since we last saw each other."

Li Xiaonuan smiled and echoed what Granny Zhou said: "My grandma will be very happy to see you. Granny, please sit down for a while. I'll help you wash your clothes, it'll be quick."

Grandma Zhou found a stone stool to sit on and watched Li Xiaonuan pour the basin of clothes she had already washed into the stone trough to rinse them. She didn't stop her, knowing that Li Xiaonuan was just doing it on a whim. She also liked children like Li Xiaonuan, who were down-to-earth and hardworking.

After rinsing twice, the basin of clothes was clean. Li Xiaonuan wrung out the water from each piece, put them in the basin, and handed them to Granny Zhou. She said, "Granny, the clothes are washed. You can go back now. The sun is out and it's a bit hot."

Grandma Zhou nodded in satisfaction, stood up and took the basin, not bothering to be polite with Li Xiaonuan. Before turning around, she said to Li Xiaonuan, "Xiaonuan, don't pay attention to what those people are saying. Everyone in Xinzhou Village knows your character. Listen to your grandma, let's do what we need to do and ignore those busybodies. Okay?"

Li Xiaonuan nodded repeatedly and replied, "Yes, Xiaonuan knows, Xiaonuan doesn't care about those gossips. Grandma, watch your step."

Watching Granny Zhou's retreating figure, Li Xiaonuan looked completely bewildered. If Granny Zhou had just been comforting her about the rumors surrounding the annulment of the engagement, that matter had clearly faded away. If she was referring to other rumors, how come she hadn't heard a thing about them?

Since there was no answer, Li Xiaonuan stopped worrying about it. She quickly washed the clothes so she could go to the clinic to set up the venue as soon as possible. After setting up the venue, she still needed to come back and make some snacks. Sigh, time is always so tight.

Unbeknownst to Li Xiaonuan, rumors were already spreading like wildfire. This time, the storm came suddenly and violently. So much so that when Li Xiaonuan's family found out, they were utterly devastated.

Because the rumor was accompanied by various pieces of evidence, even detailing the time, place, and people involved, and because informed sources would occasionally leak information, many people who initially didn't believe it unconsciously came to believe it. At the same time, the rumor was spread wildly by uninformed people in several different versions.

However, Li Xiaonuan's family currently knows nothing about this. Everyone is busy with Li Xiaogang's apprenticeship ceremony and has no time to gather information. Even if they did have time, they would only be concerned about the illnesses of Li's father and his brother.

Of course, there was one exception: Li Xiaoqian. In fact, she played a part in making these rumors spread so convincingly and so quickly. When her jealousy took hold, she didn't consider the damage to her own reputation.

Xiaoqian felt incredibly smug. She had merely revealed some untrue information, and Li Xiaonuan was now mired in a quagmire. However, her triumph was short-lived, as she discovered she had also been dragged into the mire. But that's a story for another time.

Meanwhile, amidst the rampant rumors, Li Xiaonuan stood excitedly before the statue of the Medicine King Bodhisattva in the clinic, watching Li Xiaogang undergo the apprenticeship ceremony. This was a sacred and traditional ritual, its cultural significance beyond the comprehension of modern people.

Li Xiaonuan watched with rapt attention, carefully imprinting every detail into her mind.

This is tradition, this is culture, this is the piety that modern people yearn for but cannot attain. Li Xiaogang's apprenticeship address, his oath and promise, Qi Ji's reading of the Medicine King's rules, the eulogy led by Li Xiaogang in mourning, and so on—all these are a cultural shock.

The entire apprenticeship ceremony lasted for more than two hours. During this time, Li Xiaogang followed Qi Ji and performed various bows. First, he bowed to the Medicine King, then to the sect leader, then to the ancestors of the Qi family, and finally to Qi Ji and his son.

By the time the apprenticeship ceremony was over, Li Xiaogang was exhausted. His relatives and friends waiting there were also very tired and hungry. Because the auspicious time was 3:45 AM, they had essentially been waiting there since midnight.

Upon hearing Qi Ji announce that the apprenticeship ceremony was complete and the ceremony was over, Fifth Aunt Chen couldn't help but complain, "This is exhausting! What kind of time was this? Look how worn out I am!"

Fifth Uncle held his sleeping cousin, Xiao Zheng, his face dark. He didn't say anything, probably agreeing with what Chen Shi said. Fourth Uncle's expression wasn't much better, but he wasn't upset about the timing; he was just worried about the old lady.

She gestured for everyone to sit down and served fresh tea and snacks. Only then did Li Xiaonuan manage to ask the old lady, "Grandma, you must be exhausted. Have some snacks first, and we'll be going to the banquet at Binzhirugui soon. After we finish eating, Xiaoyang will take you home to rest."

Although the old lady was not in good spirits, she was in a good mood. This was because the elders from the Qi family who had been invited were very kind and approachable to her. She could chat with them and did not feel particularly tired.

Therefore, when Li Xiaonuan said this to her, she replied with a smile, "Okay, Grandma's health can still handle it. We'll go back after the banquet."

Li Xiaonuan laughed upon hearing this. Chen, who was waiting to criticize her, glared at Li Xiaonuan angrily.

After a short while, Qi Ji and his son finished arranging things at the clinic and invited everyone to come together, making them feel right at home.