Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

First, the Li family recounted how they were scammed. The elderly woman of the Li family knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face, and choked out how filial her sons were and how obedient her daughters-in-law and grandchildren were.

Next, she began to talk about how her fourth son had a tragic fate and how good he was to his wife and children. She lamented that her first two daughters-in-law were unlucky and died young before they could enjoy any happiness.

The old woman handled this part very well, moving everyone in the audience. Seeing that she had achieved her goal, she changed the subject.

"My poor fourth son, he was just planning to spend the rest of his life with my two unfortunate grandsons. I felt sorry for him and didn't want him to grow old alone at such a young age. So I sent a matchmaker to find me a virtuous, gentle, and kind girl. Because of my fourth son's situation, I didn't care about the girl's reputation. Who would have thought...who would have thought..."

At this point, the old woman completely broke down, collapsing to the ground in tears, looking utterly desolate. The kind-hearted women watching also began to weep. Seeing this, the old woman's daughter-in-law quickly helped her up and comforted her:

“Mother, don’t be sad. Your fourth uncle is such a good man, he’ll definitely meet a good girl. Look, isn’t there a county magistrate here? If we have any grievances or have been deceived, we can just tell the magistrate and let him stand up for us.”

The daughter-in-law's words, spoken through tears, immediately resonated with the crowd. Many women, moved by the old woman's words, began to voice their support.

"That's right, sister-in-law, what are you afraid of? It's already been taken to the yamen, so tell the magistrate what your grievances are."

"That's right, the master is here, and no one can deceive you."

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Of course, the outcry wasn't entirely one-sided. Some who knew a bit about the inside story voiced their doubts.

"The Li family is suing the Li family from Xinzhou Village, right? I seem to remember that the Li family girl's rumor incident was also tried here. I admired Miss Li so much back then. How could Miss Li do something like deceiving someone into marriage?"

"That's right, I've seen that girl before. She doesn't fawn over or throw herself at talented young men like Young Master Wei and Doctor Qi, so why would she do something like this marriage scam for a man in his forties?"

"Yes, yes, the Li family isn't that great either. How could Miss Li's family do such a thing for a man whose two wives have died?"

"You know what, I used to live in Niushan County and I know about the Baixing Grocery Store. I heard that the mother-in-law there loves to torment her daughters-in-law, especially the fourth son's wife, who suffers particularly badly."

······

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, kneeling below the hall, were alarmed as public opinion turned increasingly hostile. But the older woman, true to her sharp mind, quickly devised a solution.

“Oh, my poor son, you married two women with such short lives. Now, everyone is misunderstanding that you are lucky. That’s fine, but it’s all your mother’s fault. It’s all because I’ve lived so long that those gossipy people have spread rumors and dragged my son down with them.”

Another tearful outburst followed, each cry of "Oh!" sending shivers down one's spine. The old woman's already shrill voice, coupled with her deliberately affected intonation, made her sound like a professional mourner.

Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, the magistrate impatiently slammed his gavel. The head bailiff, after the sound of the gavel, shouted, "Silence!"

The lobby fell silent again. The old woman, perhaps too immersed in her role, was still sniffling and wiping away tears. Xiao Gang rubbed the goosebumps off his body, turned around, and stuck his tongue out at Li Xiaonuan.

Li Xiaonuan chuckled, unsure how to describe her current feelings. Lost in thought, the sound of the gavel rang out once more.

The magistrate said with utmost authority, "Li Liu, your case is unrelated to this matter, so there's no need for you to say anything more. Just state what you are accusing the Li family of. Now, please state your accusations truthfully."

With the help of the enthusiastic crowd, the old woman finally understood the meaning behind the magistrate's words. Her eyes darted around, and another plan came to her:

"Your Honor, I feel sorry for Si'er, so I sent a matchmaker to find him a second wife. We did find someone, and Si'er is satisfied with her. It's just that the family is asking for an exorbitant dowry. But for Si'er's sake, we had no choice but to grit our teeth and agree."

"We never expected that family would send a daughter suffering from a serious illness to fill the marriage. Not only that, the woman's reputation is also ruined. We tolerated all of this. We originally planned to give the betrothal gifts first, and then let the in-laws help their daughter recover before the wedding."

"But this family simply doesn't acknowledge it. We happily brought the betrothal gifts to their door, not looking down on them for being unruly and from a humble background. But they wouldn't even let us in, let alone acknowledge the marriage."

"Later we thought, why not call off the engagement? We weren't really satisfied with this bride anyway. But the family insisted they didn't know us and that there was no engagement at all. They refused to return the betrothal gifts and tokens they received on the day of the engagement."

"We had no choice but to turn to the impartial county magistrate. We consulted many people before finally writing a petition to ask the magistrate to help us. That token is a family heirloom of the Li family, otherwise it wouldn't have caused such a big fuss."

At this point, the old woman broke down in tears again, collapsing in the hall. Unable to stop sobbing, she cried out, "Please, Your Honor, you must do us justice!" The man's wife kneeling beside her also pleaded.

After enduring the old woman's exaggeratedly emotional account, Li Xiaonuan instantly felt that the Great Wall could truly make one weep. Li Xiaogang occasionally turned back to make faces at Li Xiaonuan, and his little gesture of tearing the old woman to pieces only amused her more.

Compared to Xiao Gang's amusing antics, Su Shi's father was filled with worry. With each word the old woman spoke, the anger in his eyes deepened. Xiao Yang, on the other hand, remained kneeling upright, coldly watching the old woman's earnest performance.

Li Xiaonuan stared at Xiaoyang, trying to discern his thoughts from his expression or eyes. Unfortunately, Xiaoyang remained kneeling quietly, as if in a meditative state, showing no emotional fluctuation whatsoever. This worried Li Xiaonuan greatly.

This usually impulsive and hot-tempered boy was unusually quiet. Did he already have a plan, believing that whatever the other party did wouldn't affect the Li family?

Just as he was pondering this, the gavel struck again. The voice of the county magistrate, representing authority, rang out once more.

"Everyone in the Li family, have you heard the Li family's complaint? The Li family is accusing you of marriage fraud. Do you have anything to say?"

Father Li first kowtowed, then answered loudly, "Your Honor, our family truly knew nothing about the engagement. Ever since the last rumor, the villagers have been keeping a close eye on our every move. So, Your Honor only needs to ask someone to find out that what I said is true."

Even the usually calm and aloof Xiao Yang kowtowed and said, "Your Honor, please understand that no matchmakers or outsiders have come to our Xinzhou Village these days. You may send someone to investigate. As for why the Li family has my sister's birth chart and has written a marriage certificate, our whole family is very puzzled. Please help us investigate."

As soon as the father and son finished speaking, the onlookers started chattering again. Li Xiaonuan looked back and saw that there were many villagers from Xinzhou Village present, which calmed her down.