Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

Ten days after returning from the clinic, Li's father was already able to get out of bed and take a few steps. However, fearing that he might reopen his hard-won wound, Li Xiaonuan still advised him to stay in bed and rest for a while longer.

Knowing that her father was getting restless from lying down for too long, Li Xiaonuan found the Tao Te Ching and began discussing Taoist literature with him. At first, her father would fall asleep after listening to only a few sentences. Later, however, he became interested and happily began to read it on his own.

If they encountered unfamiliar characters, they would ask Li Xiaonuan or Li Xiaoyang. If they couldn't understand, the whole family would start to get anxious. Later, it was only when Xiaogang went to the clinic with his questions and returned with answers in the evening that the family would gather together again with great interest to discuss them.

Life should be lived peacefully like this. Every morning, Li Xiaonuan would get up early, take a walk in the village, and chat with the villagers. After returning home, she would have breakfast, and then write and draw until noon. After that, she would take a nap, and then discuss a few lines of the Tao Te Ching with her father.

Before dinner, she would either go to Grandma Fish's to check on the fish or go to Aunt Zhou's house to do needlework with Jingjing. After dinner, she would write and draw for a while as usual before going to sleep contentedly.

Perhaps seeing how well they were doing, Heaven became a little jealous and started causing them trouble again. Sure enough, all morning, Li Xiaonuan's right eyelid kept twitching.

She leaned on the cane that Li Xiaoyang had sharpened for her, walking slowly along the village road. At this time of year, everyone was fertilizing the rice seedlings. So, it was early morning, and there were no adults on the road.

A group of children chased each other from under the banyan tree at the village entrance. They didn't slow down or try to avoid Li Xiaonuan when they saw her in the distance. Li Xiaonuan consciously stood behind a stone by the roadside, intending to wait for the children to pass before continuing on her way.

The children ran to where Li Xiaonuan had been standing, but instead of going directly to her, they surrounded her and started discussing.

"She's Li Xiaogang's older sister. I heard she was crippled by her grandmother and will have to walk like this from now on," said a chubby-faced boy who looked to be about five years old.

Hearing this, a girl of about seven years old tugged at the boy's topknot and scolded, "You idiot, how can you talk bad about people in front of them? If you don't behave, Grandma will beat you like this too."

A little girl of about three years old raised a soft foxtail grass in her hand and lashed it at Li Xiaonuan, saying, "You're disobedient, I'll hit you."

The boy, who was about six years old and was protecting her from behind, quickly grabbed her hand and said, "Yangyang, don't hit her. It's not her fault. It's her grandma who hit people randomly."

"That's right, don't listen to that old woman Jin's nonsense, you can't believe anything she says. Little Nuan is so obedient, she used to give us candy, have you all forgotten?" The one who said this was a very sturdy, dark-skinned boy of about six years old.

The seven-year-old girl said to Li Xiaonuan, "Sister Xiaonuan, Granny Jin is at the village entrance, talking badly about you to your grandma and your fifth aunt."

The dark-skinned boy said again, "That old woman is really annoying. She was beaten not long ago, and she's already starting to gossip again."

Li Xiaonuan was initially stunned by the children's innocent and childlike words, but then she found it amusing as they chatted back and forth. Especially their soft, sweet voices.

When she saw the little boy acting like a grown-up, blaming the matchmaker, she couldn't help but laugh. Seeing the children staring at her dumbfounded, Li Xiaonuan asked, "Would you like to come to my house for some sweet candies? The sweet candies I made are ready, they're so sweet!"

Upon hearing the word "sweet," three-year-old Yangyang swallowed hard and said, "Sister, Yangyang loves sweet fruits."

The chubby-faced boy said, "Let's hurry up, lest her grandma comes and chases us all away, and then we won't get to eat any fruit."

Li Xiaonuan's smile widened as she turned around and said, "Yes, let's hurry back, or we won't be able to eat anymore."

The boy rushed forward a few steps, then, as if remembering something, ran up to Li Xiaonuan and asked, "Sister Xiaonuan, can I go home and call my sister along?"

Comforted by the children's innocence, Li Xiaonuan felt a surge of tenderness in her heart and naturally wouldn't refuse. So she said, "Your little sister is still small and probably can't walk fast. I'll give you a jar; take it home and eat it slowly with your sister. But don't eat too much, or you'll get a stomachache."

Upon hearing this, the dark-skinned boy revealed his pearly white teeth. His crescent-shaped eyes crinkled with delight as he replied, "Okay, I know." Then, he dashed off into the distance.

Having just seen off a few noisy children, the old lady appeared in front of Li Xiaonuan's house with her fifth aunt, Chen. Seeing the two menacing figures, Li Xiaonuan cursed inwardly: They're such a handful.

"I heard your father is back. Where is he? Tell him to come see me quickly. I have something to discuss with him." The old lady began issuing orders as soon as she sat down.

The arrival of these two people sent chills down Li Xiaonuan's spine. Even now, the scabs are still forming where her hair was pulled out. She wondered how beautiful she would look if her hair never grew back.

Deliberately walking past the two people with her cane, Li Xiaonuan found a high stool to sit on before slowly saying, "My father is still not well and can't get out of bed."

Seeing Li Xiaonuan's cold attitude and the fact that she didn't serve tea to the two of them, coupled with her stiff legs, made Chen feel quite guilty. Seeing that the old lady was about to get angry, Chen smiled and said, "Oh dear, I haven't even been able to visit her uncle yet. Xiaonuan, why don't you take me to see him?"

Li Xiaonuan snorted coldly, refusing without even glancing at his fake smile, "I advise you not to visit my father. Men and women shouldn't touch each other. People who don't know the situation might think you have feelings for my father."

Rebuked by Li Xiaonuan's retort, Chen Shi's eyes rolled back in anger. But remembering the purpose of her trip, she gritted her teeth and suppressed the urge to curse. After taking a few deep breaths, she forced a smile and said:

"Xiao Nuan, you can't say things like that. Your grandma has something to discuss with your dad. Why don't you try to get your dad involved?"

You have quite the nerve, looking down on my dad like that. Then don't come to him for advice.

"No, my father is too weak and needs to rest in bed for a long time. Besides, he's had a knife wound to his kidney; he can't be moved around easily. What if he gets upset and the wound reopens? Would he even want to live?"

Before Chen could say a few more words, the old lady spoke up. "Alright, since your father can't come out, it's the same if you bring your mother."

Heartbroken by her family, Li Xiaonuan spoke bluntly: "Grandma, I'm in charge of this family now. Going to my parents won't help. If there's anything you need, you might as well tell me. Maybe I'll agree."