Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

"Grandma, we just ran out of tea and sugar. Please make do with this bowl of boiled water. It's freshly boiled and piping hot, so please blow on it to cool it down before drinking." After reminding the two of them, Li Xiaonuan sat back down on the high stool.

Chen was already thirsty, and as soon as the water was on the table, she picked it up and drank it. Because she was preoccupied with how to borrow money from Li Xiaonuan, she didn't hear Li Xiaonuan's reminder and drank it down in big gulps.

"Ugh~ Ptooey... Ugh~ Li Xiaonuan, you're trying to kill me! Ugh~ I'm going to report you to the authorities for murdering an elder! Ugh~ It's burning me!"

Chen spat out the scalding water, jumping up and down and screaming while cursing Li Xiaonuan. Li Xiaonuan watched with a sense of satisfaction, feeling lucky today. Seeing the old lady about to have an outburst, Li Xiaonuan quickly said:

"Fifth Aunt, I just reminded her that the water was too hot and to blow on it to cool it down before drinking. Grandma heard me, you can ask her if you don't believe me."

Caught off guard, the old lady had no choice but to stammer an agreement. With the old lady's agreement, Chen was left speechless. Filled with resentment, she thought of taking more money later to vent her anger.

Seeing that it was getting late and her father was about to wake up, Li Xiaonuan asked, "Grandma, did you and my aunt come here today just to take over the compensation money that the Wei family gave me?"

The old lady's gaze shifted slightly, a rare occurrence for her, and she said stiffly, "That was just a side thing. I came here for your marriage. Your fourth aunt has found a good match for you, and I thought it was a good one, so I came to tell you about it first. The family will come to present the betrothal gifts in a few days, and you just need to accept them."

Li Xiaonuan asked with interest, "Oh, your fourth aunt recommended them? I wonder what kind of family they are?" Kindness? Probably just a way to get revenge.

Seeing that Li Xiaonuan's face showed no abnormality, the old lady thought: She must be very nervous because she is worried that she will not be able to get married.

Thinking this, the old lady said smugly, "Hmph, with your reputation and character, you should be burning incense if you can even get married. The family your fourth aunt mentioned has a good family background; they're business people in Niushan County. One of their wives died in childbirth, and now they're raising two young children on their own, so they want to find someone who knows how to manage a household."

Li Xiaonuan nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "Oh, they're in business. What kind of business do they run?"

Chen interjected, "The general store, that shop has been passed down for three generations."

The old lady glared at Chen and added, "Besides the shop, that family also owns quite a lot of land, including thirty mu of farmland. As for the cultivated land, there are over fifty mu."

Li Xiaonuan was even more satisfied and then asked, "Have the brothers in their family separated yet?"

The old lady replied with dissatisfaction, "Why ask so many questions? Why don't you go and see for yourself? They're a large family; they can't split up. There are six brothers in that family; the one I told you about is the fourth. He also has three married nephews."

Li Xiaonuan exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, what a wonderful marriage! Fourth Aunt is so generous. Why didn't you arrange it for Xiaoyan? Xiaoyan is twelve now, thirteen by the traditional Chinese age reckoning, and old enough to be married."

Caught off guard by Li Xiaonuan's words, the old lady immediately scolded, "You wretched, spendthrift woman! What kind of fate do you have compared to your cousin's? What kind of family is that? How can they let your cousin marry into such a miserable family? Besides, that man has already caused the deaths of two wives. Not long ago..."

"Mother, what are you saying? How could that family be like that? Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Seeing that the old lady was about to reveal the family's secrets, Chen ignored her burning lips and winked at the old lady while trying to salvage the situation.

The old lady quickly came to her senses and followed up on Chen's words, saying, "Oh dear, it seems I'm really getting old, I actually got it wrong. That family wasn't the one I was talking about for you, they don't have that many problems."

Li Xiaonuan, however, had no intention of playing along with their act any longer. She said, "Grandma, don't worry, I'll handle my own marriage. Now that I have a generous dowry, there must be many men who want to marry me. Since you're here, why don't you come and see my father, have lunch, and then you can leave?"

As she spoke, Li Xiaonuan stood up, leaning on her cane, intending to go check if her father had woken up. Before leaving, she solemnly reminded the two of them, "My father has had a knife wound. If he gets too excited, the wound might reopen. I hope you will watch your words later; I don't want anything to happen to my father again."

The old lady got angry again after Li Xiaonuan said that. She scolded, "That's my son. I can treat him however I want. It's not your place to tell me what to do."

Li Xiaonuan sneered and said casually, "If something happens to my father, I might do something bad. Anyway, my reputation is ruined, so what's there to be afraid of?"

After saying that, Li Xiaonuan slowly walked out. The old lady and Madam Chen watched her retreating figure, feeling a chill run down their spines. They had to reconsider what to say when Li's father came out later.

When Li Xiaonuan arrived at her father's room, he had already finished washing up and was about to go to the outhouse. Seeing this, Li Xiaonuan instructed, "Dad, remember to squat down while holding onto the wall, and don't strain your back too much."

Father Li looked at Li Xiaonuan with amusement and said, "I know, you little busybody. You're not even married yet, and you still have so many things to worry about."

Li Xiaonuan glared at him and said with dissatisfaction, "Dad, I'm doing this for your own good, why are you complaining that I'm nagging? Humph, I'm never talking to you again."

Father Li chuckled and said as he walked out, "Alright, how old are you? Still acting like a child with your father. Aren't you ashamed?"

Li Xiaonuan followed him out, smiling as she replied, "No matter how old I am, I'm still Dad's daughter. If I don't act cute with Dad, who else can I act cute with? Dad only ever clings to Xiaogang. Xiaoyang and I were adopted."

Father Li smiled and shook his head, slowly walking towards the outhouse. It had been so many years since he'd been able to step outside and breathe fresh air; it felt wonderful.

After finishing the nutritious breakfast prepared by Li Xiaonuan, Li's father finally breathed a long sigh of relief and said, "I'm finally alive. I never realized before how good it is to be healthy."

Li Xiaonuan smiled as she watched her father sigh. His face, which had gained some weight, was beginning to show the features of a middle-aged man. After her father finished speaking, Li Xiaonuan said, "Dad, Grandma and Fifth Aunt came. They said they were trying to arrange a marriage for me, but I refused. They also wanted to help us manage our money, but I refused that too, saying it was my dowry money."

After Li Xiaonuan finished speaking, her father looked apologetic. He said, "Xiaonuan, you've worked so hard. Your grandmother wasn't always like this. It's all my fault. If I hadn't made mistakes back then, your grandmother wouldn't be like this now."

This was the first time Li's father had mentioned that incident from back then, so Li Xiaonuan asked curiously, "Dad, what happened back then?"

Instead of answering Li Xiaonuan, Li's father stood up and said as he walked out, "I'll talk to you about that later. I'm going to see your grandmother first."