Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

After drinking a cup of tea, Li Xiaonuan felt her throat was a little better. However, the hot tea made her feel a bit feverish. Looking around, she noticed that both Wei Yu and Qi Ji had folding fans. But Wei Yu was a germaphobe. After thinking for a moment, Li Xiaonuan hesitantly asked Qi Ji:

"Dr. Qi, could I borrow your fan?"

Qi Ji was fiddling with a fan, lost in thought. Suddenly, Li Xiaonuan's question caught him off guard, slowing his movements. As a result, by the time he came to his senses and tried to hand her the fan, it was already placed across Li Xiaonuan's face.

Li Xiaonuan glanced at the fan, then at Qi Ji. Seeing that he showed no intention of handing it over, she couldn't help but feel disappointed. Indeed, those who are high and mighty will never lower themselves.

However, she didn't dare to accept Wei Yu's fan rashly. Therefore, Li Xiaonuan declared, "Second Young Master Wei, let me make this clear first, if I take your fan, I will not compensate you."

Wei Yu tossed the fan over, scoffing, "Doesn't this young master know your penniless nature? You picked up two of my handkerchiefs earlier, tell me what you did with them?"

Hearing this, Li Xiaonuan finally felt relieved and opened her fan, fanning herself vigorously. While enjoying the coolness, she couldn't help but think back to the handkerchief incident.

In her memory, she had indeed picked up the other person's handkerchief. She seemed to have said she was going to sell it. But then she got busy and forgot about it. Those two handkerchiefs seemed to have been stuffed under the mat; she wondered if they had been damaged by insects.

"Young master's handkerchief is very precious. I took it to the Noble Embroidery Shop and exchanged it for silver. It's all gone now." Li Xiaonuan said this with a little guilt.

Wei Yu didn't believe him and asked, "Oh, then tell me how much silver you exchanged?"

Li Xiaonuan forced herself to make up a story: "Two handkerchiefs were exchanged for five hundred coins, which isn't very expensive."

Wei Yu sneered and bluntly stated, "My handkerchief is worth more than that. You're not secretly keeping it, are you, to remind yourself of her every day?"

Li Xiaonuan was embarrassed and said bluntly, "Don't be so conceited. I just stuffed it under the mat and forgot about it for a moment. When I get back, I'll definitely find it and sell it. Give me a market price so I don't get ripped off."

Wei Yu snorted coldly and said fiercely, "If you dare to sell my handkerchief, I'll make you regret it."

Li Xiaonuan retorted, "Why are you being so fierce? You already threw it away, and you still want to talk about your handkerchief. Fine, I'll just give the handkerchief away."

Wei Yu glared at Li Xiaonuan, about to retaliate, when Qi Ji spoke up.

"You two aren't children anymore, why are you still bickering like kids? Don't forget, we have important things to discuss."

Feeling somewhat ashamed after being told that, Li Xiaonuan glared at Wei Yu and sat quietly without making a sound.

Wei Yu was equally embarrassed, but stubbornly said, "It's all your fault, you made me forget about the important matter."

Fearing the two would start arguing again, Qi Ji quickly stopped them, saying, "Alright, let's talk about the rumors about Miss Li first. Since it concerns the two of us, we won't avoid it. Xiao Si, tell Miss Li what you've found out."

Xiao Si stepped forward, cleared his throat, and said nervously, "Miss Li, there are rumors circulating outside that you are having an affair with our young master and that you are also involved with Young Master Qi. They say you are making a fortune in the sex trade."

Li Xiaonuan frowned; she hadn't heard of any of these things. She asked, "Is that all? Is there anything else?"

Xiao Si glanced at Wei Yu, who was calmly sipping his tea. Xiao Si swallowed and said, "Some people who claim to be great immortals say that they see you as a fox demon reincarnated, and that you will bring disaster to men in the world."

Li Xiaonuan's heart skipped a beat, and she asked, "When did these rumors start spreading?"

Seeing that Li Xiaonuan's smile had faded and her expression turned serious, Xiao Si was also somewhat angry. He replied indignantly, "The rumors started spreading the day before yesterday afternoon. I initially thought it was just a regular rumor, but today some so-called immortals and masters have come out to denounce the burning of the fox demon."

"Burned...burned to death? Did those people incite others?" Li Xiaonuan's expression changed slightly; her worries had finally come true.

Xiao Si looked at Li Xiaonuan with sympathy and said through gritted teeth, "Quite a few women have been persuaded and are inquiring about you. Among them, the woman from your previous engagement family and a family surnamed Xu are particularly active. They are said to be insiders."

Li Xiaonuan gritted her teeth and said, "You damned scumbags, we were kind enough to let you go, but you still keep harping on me. It seems good people don't live long. We should have wiped you out back then."

Qi Ji and Wei Yu already knew about these things beforehand, so they weren't as angry or shocked as Li Xiaonuan. They just wanted to know what kind of conflict Li Xiaonuan had with those two families.

“Tell us everything that happened before, and we’ll analyze it,” Qi Ji said.

Li Xiaonuan drank a large cup of tea to calm herself down before slowly and simply recounting the whole incident.

"You mean that the guy surnamed Xu and the guy surnamed Wang pushed you into the water, and then you exposed their deeds in front of the crowd?" Wei Yu asked incredulously.

Li Xiaonuan nodded; that's exactly what she did back then. Looking back now, she realized how thoughtless she had been.

Qi Ji frowned and said, "Your plan to arrest the man surnamed Xu during his secret rendezvous is far too simplistic. You should know that people can easily connect the events of that day to your actions."

Li Xiaonuan angrily pounded her head, blaming herself for oversimplifying things. However, she had a question: "If it were just the two families causing trouble, it wouldn't be possible to stir up such a big storm. I was wondering if the Zhou landlord's family had also stepped in to help. But the Zhou landlord is just a nouveau riche; he couldn't possibly have made such a big move."

Wei Yu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you saying there's someone behind this?"

Li Xiaonuan nodded and analyzed, "The Zhou family has only been wealthy for a short time, so it's impossible for them to openly spread rumors and challenge the law. Even if Xu Yan is favored by Zhou Laocai, the Zhou family would not allow him to break the law."

Qi Ji continued, "You're right about that. Landlord Zhou certainly wouldn't dare to incite people so openly. Besides, this matter also involves Wei Yu and me. To be fair, our two families still hold a certain position in the prefectural city."

Wei Yu tapped the table with his hand and said, "There are very few families in the prefectural city that can disregard our two families. If those people are from our family, then this matter makes sense."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiaonuan slammed her hand on the table and exclaimed excitedly, "That's exactly right! I never imagined that the women in the inner quarters could be so vicious, going so far as to try and kill me. Humph, the most poisonous heart is that of a woman."

Wei Yu glared at Li Xiaonuan with displeasure and warned, "Watch your words. The matter hasn't been investigated yet, so don't jump to conclusions."

Qi Ji asked in confusion, "Who are the women in the inner quarters you are referring to?"