Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

Upon hearing this, the old lady immediately flew into a rage. Her already pent-up resentment was on full display as she demanded, "You say you're in charge? By what right? Your parents aren't dead yet. Even if they were, I'd still be alive. Isn't Xiaoyang human? What right do you have to be in charge?"

Li Xiaonuan chuckled upon hearing this and replied coolly, "Just because I can ensure they have enough to eat and sleep, and because I can find ways to cure their illnesses, what reason do I have not to be in charge?"

The old lady was furious, while Madam Chen chimed in, "Oh, you think you can get away with this? It's just that the Wei family lost some money. Aren't you part of the Li family? Does that money belong to you alone?"

So that's what they came for—the money. I knew it! But since they'd already gone so far as to be ruthless, Li Xiaonuan wasn't about to let them take advantage of her. She deliberately scratched her hair, revealing her bald scalp; the scabs on it gave her goosebumps.

The old lady's eyelids twitched, somewhat annoyed. She wouldn't admit it was her fault; it was all Li Xiaonuan's fault. Chen, watching from the side, gloated, thinking how much more she should have caught.

Seeing this out of the corner of her eye, Li Xiaonuan hissed as she pressed her legs. As she pressed, she said, "The doctor said that my legs are going to be chronic. In the future, whenever there is thunder or rain, it will probably hurt so much that I won't be able to walk. I won't be able to do any heavy work, let alone stand for long periods of time, let alone run."

Looking at Li Xiaonuan's legs and then at the crutch she was draped over, Chen felt a little guilty. But then she remembered that it was Li who had kicked Li Xiaonuan down, and she felt justified again.

"It's not like you can't walk anymore, what's the big deal? Besides, don't you know that renowned surgeon? Let him treat you."

Li Xiaonuan gave a mocking smile and said, "Yes, that's what I think too. Before, the silver we brought back from the Wei family was all used to pay for Father and Second Uncle's medical expenses. That was a total of two thousand six hundred taels of silver. Now we only have a few hundred taels left at home, and we don't know if that's enough to treat my leg."

"what?"

"Two thousand six hundred taels of silver? My goodness, you're quite the spendthrift."

When the old ladies heard that so much silver had been spent, they were all shocked and exclaimed in unison. The fourth son, Li Dagong, had only earned a little over two thousand taels of silver in the past three years, and he dared not spend it extravagantly.

Li Xiaonuan actually gave over two thousand taels of silver in one go, which shows that the Wei family's compensation was quite substantial. Madam Chen, who couldn't stand seeing others receive so much money, quickly asked, "Xiaonuan, how much silver did the Wei family compensate you?"

Li Xiaonuan replied calmly, "Not much, just enough to cover medical expenses and to save up for a decent dowry."

The old lady, however, was thinking about something else. She said directly, "You good-for-nothing spendthrift who can't manage a household, hurry up and take out the rest of the money. I'll take care of it for you. What dowry? That's the Li family's money."

The fourth son recently spent several hundred taels of silver dealing with the government, but the matter remained unresolved. The old lady thought that if she could get some money from Li Xiaonuan and have the fourth son try to influence the government again, perhaps he could get in touch with the steward.

Faced with the old lady's shameless request, Li Xiaonuan ignored her and said, "Grandma, are you thirsty? I'll go boil some water for you." After saying that, she stood up with her cane and slowly walked towards the kitchen.

Behind her, Chen said to the old lady, "Mother, look, there's no way Xiao Nuan will hand over the money."

The old lady snorted and said, "She wouldn't dare. I'm her grandmother. If she doesn't listen to me, that's disobedience. If I take her to court, she'll be beaten and imprisoned."

Upon hearing this, Madam Chen was overjoyed and said, "Oh, that's good. Once she hands over the money, we'll split it. Our house really can't be lived in anymore; it needs to be rebuilt with bricks and tiles. Xiao Zheng will also be going to school in a couple of years, and the expenses will be quite high."

The old lady was displeased upon hearing her words and said, "What division? That's all the eldest son's money; none of you can take it. Don't you have your own money to build a house? The twenty-odd taels you got back from your parents' home last time—wasn't that money?"

The old lady felt that the money was spent on her fourth son, and she could pay it back to him later. But her fifth son's family always squeezed money out of her and would never give her a single penny.

As long as she has money, even if the fourth son's family refuses to support her in the future, she can still go to the fifth son's family to live out her days in comfort. Therefore, no one can touch this money now.

Seeing the old lady's unpredictable expression, Chen felt a deep bitterness in her heart. She knew all too well what kind of people her own family was; once something entered her family, there was no way it could be thrown away.

The twenty-odd taels she brought back represented Li Dali's savings over the past few years. Her family would have loved to squeeze another twenty-odd taels out of her; they certainly wouldn't have given her any money to take back to her husband's family. It was only because Li Dali couldn't stand by and watch that she took her own money and tricked the old lady into letting her come back.

If it weren't for hearing that Li Xiaoyang was recently inquiring about buying land, Chen wouldn't have gone to Li Dagong's house to urge the old lady to come and ask for money. It was only just at the village entrance that she learned from the matchmaker, Jin, that this money was compensation from the Wei family.

No matter what, we must get a hundred or so taels of silver from Li Xiaonuan. She's so good at making money; we can always go and earn more. Thinking this, Chen Shi smiled and said, "Mother, let me borrow a few dozen taels from Xiaonuan first. You can collect the rest later, okay?"

The old lady gave Chen a disapproving look. After all, she was the fifth son's wife, so she decided to turn a blind eye. Besides, if she didn't let Chen get a little benefit, who knew what trouble she would cause her later?

"Fine, as long as you can borrow it, I'll go with whatever you want."

Upon hearing this, Madam Chen was overjoyed and said repeatedly, "Oh dear, I knew Mother loved me the most. I will definitely be more filial to Mother in the future. When Xiao Zheng becomes the top scholar in the imperial examination, I will make him earn an imperial title for you."

The old lady was very satisfied with Chen's performance and jokingly said with a smile, "Xiao Zheng has just been weaned. By the time he becomes the top scholar in the imperial examination, I won't even know where I'll be. You always know how to make me happy."

Chen thought to herself: If anyone is to earn an imperial title, it should be for me. You're too old to live to see that day.

But on her face she was all smiles: “Look at what I’m saying, Mother is in good health. Even if Xiaozheng gets married and has children, you can still help him take care of his great-grandchildren.”

Upon hearing this, the old lady laughed heartily, feeling as if that day was just yesterday. She sat regally in the courtyard of her mansion, waiting for her children and grandchildren to come and pay their respects. She would talk more to those she liked, and ignore those she disliked, leaving them to be ostracized.

Li Xiaonuan carried two bowls of boiling water into the room and saw her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law enjoying a harmonious moment. She placed the bowls in front of them and breathed a sigh of relief. She never wanted to do that again, carrying water while leaning on a cane.