Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

The principle of judging a case is based on evidence, and the county magistrate quickly sent people to investigate.

The Li family members were all very nervous from the moment Father Li gave his reply. But when they remembered that they were in the right, they relaxed.

Although people have been sent out to investigate, the case still needs to be heard. The magistrate signaled to the head constable to control the situation before speaking again: "Li Liu, tell me in detail when you found a matchmaker, which matchmaker you found, and what your requirements for a daughter-in-law were at the time."

The old woman listened blankly to the magistrate's question, remaining silent for a long time. Her daughter-in-law, however, quietly tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Mother, the magistrate is asking you a question."

The old woman then came to her senses and dramatically threw herself to the ground, crying, "Your Excellency, we were looking for Granny Liang from Baishan Village in Niushan County, on the third day of last month. At the time, we wanted Granny Liang to go into the mountains to find a well-behaved and sensible girl. That's all."

The master asked again, "Since you all agreed to go up the mountain to find someone, why did you come all the way to the prefectural city to arrange the marriage?"

The old woman replied with some pride, "That's because our eldest daughter-in-law said that our family has a good foundation. We have shops and land, so we have a good family background. It would be better to find a good girl from the prefectural city. That way, we can have someone to take care of us if we open a shop in the prefectural city."

"That old woman Liang searched for a month but couldn't find anyone satisfactory. Luckily, we have a distant relative whose daughter is married in the prefectural city. So, I asked my cousin to inquire and see if his daughter could find a girl from the prefectural city for her."

“Oh my, that grandniece is so kind. I only sent her the message two days ago, and she came to my door in person to mediate. She said that the girl is her husband’s niece, and that the engagement was broken off.”

As the old woman finished speaking, she glanced at Li Xiaonuan with a lingering look. Seeing Li Xiaonuan kneeling there without flinching, she gritted her teeth and said, "We found a time to come to the prefectural city to meet that girl."

"At that time, the girl was sitting on a big rock by the roadside, smiling and playing with a group of children. She looked so virtuous and kind. My fourth son immediately said he wanted to marry her. My grandniece then arranged for a matchmaker to find her, and the marriage was arranged at her house that very day."

"Do you know who the matchmaker is? Where does he live? Were the girl's parents present on the day of the engagement?" the magistrate asked.

The old woman wiped away her tears and replied, "The matchmaker was from Zuo Village in Fucheng. The people of Laren Village called her Lotus Mother. On the day of the engagement, the girl's grandmother said that the girl's father was ill and her mother had to take care of the sick, so she entrusted the girl's marriage to her and my grandniece."

On the right side of the main hall, the clerk diligently copied down every word the old woman uttered. Each time he finished, he would look at the clerk, who would then remind the magistrate to continue the questioning:

"So, on the day of the engagement, not a single member of the Li family kneeling to your right was present? Then why didn't you visit the sick person and discuss the matter in front of the girl's parents before the engagement?"

The more questions she asked, the softer the magistrate's voice became, even his official airs seemed to have softened considerably. The old woman began to have a misconception, and for a moment she stopped wiping away her tears, her slanted eyes narrowing as she said resentfully:

“My grandniece said that it was inconvenient for their family to receive guests at that time. The girl had been involved in a lawsuit, which made her parents unwilling to go out or receive guests. In addition, my grandniece took out the girl’s and her brother’s birth charts.”

"The old lady from that family was also speaking up for us, so we believed our niece's words. We figured that with her grandmother, uncle, and aunt present, the marriage was definitely on track. So we didn't ask any more questions and just had the matchmaker write the marriage certificate, with the village head of Nararen Village and his wife as witnesses."

"Two days later, when we had prepared the betrothal gifts and were happily going to their house to present the betrothal gifts, the family suddenly refused to acknowledge the marriage. At the time, we were puzzled as to why. Just that day, someone from a clinic came to our door saying that the girl was dying in the clinic. I realized that I had been tricked, so I went to my grandniece's house to demand an explanation."

Upon hearing this, the county magistrate coughed a few times, interrupting the old woman. Li Xiaonuan looked up and saw the magistrate turning his gaze away from the doorway. Following the magistrate's gaze, Li Xiaonuan only caught a glimpse of the hem of a magenta brocade robe.

Li Xiaonuan looked at the county magistrate with suspicion, hoping to glean some clue from his expression. Unfortunately, the old man had already recovered and was speaking seriously to the bewildered old woman, "It's nothing, I just choked on my saliva. Please, Li Liu, continue."

Just as Li Xiaonuan was racking her brains, Xiao Gang turned around and mouthed something to her. Li Xiaonuan instantly understood and was somewhat taken aback. What were those two people doing here? Anyway, the old woman over there continued to complain.

"Oh dear, I never expected this. The Li family is such a scoundrel. My grandniece has supposedly been back at her parents' home for a long time and hasn't come back yet. Also, that old lady insists that my grandniece was the one who caused that incident and tells me to go find her."

"There was nothing we could do. I told her directly that I wanted to break off the engagement and asked the old lady to find someone to handle it. But the old lady didn't say a word. She called her youngest son and his wife and kicked us all out. We had no other choice but to come to the master to complain."

After listening to the old woman's words and seeing that she would not continue, the magistrate in the courtroom spoke up: "Very well, I am aware of the contents of the Li family's complaint. Now, I ask your Li family, are you aware of this matter?"

Upon hearing the magistrate's question, Father Li put aside his grief and indignation and replied seriously, "Your Excellency, our family knew nothing about this matter. Just ten days ago, my mother and fifth sister-in-law came to our house. At that time, they said they wanted to arrange a marriage for my daughter, but our whole family disagreed."

"Also, we have kept the children's birth certificates safe and sound, and have never given them to anyone. We just don't know how they ended up in their hands. I would appreciate it if you could help us investigate this matter, sir."

After listening to Li's father's frank reply, the county magistrate thought for a moment before saying, "I will have someone investigate the matter of the betrothal gifts. Does the Li family have anything else to say?"

After entering the court, Xiao Yang, who was behaving very abnormally, said, "Sir, I have a request, and I hope you can understand."

The county magistrate, displaying the benevolence of a local official, asked gently, "What is your request?"

Xiao Yang kowtowed and replied, "Your Excellency, my sister injured her kneecap and has not yet fully recovered. She cannot kneel for long. Therefore, I humbly request that Your Excellency exempt my sister from the kneeling ceremony. I am willing to accept ten strokes of the cane to kneel in her place."

The magistrate stroked his short beard, nodded in satisfaction, and said with a smile, "Alright, I grant your request. Seeing how much you value family ties, I am deeply moved, and the caning will be waived."

Li Xiaonuan had been on tenterhooks ever since Xiaoyang made his request. Only after the county magistrate finished speaking did she finally relax. She noticed that her father and Madam Su also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Excellency." The whole family of five kowtowed in gratitude. Li Xiaonuan was deeply moved, for Xiaoyang and for the county magistrate.