Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

Li Shi was already furious from being held back by the officials the whole way. The old woman and her daughter-in-law's outburst finally caused the usually gentle Li Shi to explode. She dodged the officials on both sides and went straight up to the daughter-in-law, slapping her twice.

The daughter-in-law, naturally, wouldn't stand for being beaten and immediately fought back. Li was always a competitive and strong-willed person, she was just pretending. Now, without any regard for consequences, she actually managed to knock the daughter-in-law down. Seeing this, the old woman quickly stepped forward to help her daughter-in-law.

The constables saw the two parties start fighting right outside the yamen (government office) but didn't intervene. The three men from the Li family, seeing their woman gaining the upper hand, also just watched. The old lady, seeing her favorite daughter-in-law being bullied, jumped up and rushed to help.

Li Xiaonuan and the others were stunned, not knowing why the two families had started fighting. The old lady, having been pampered for so long, was immediately captured by the old woman and powerless to resist.

Seeing that things were not going well, Li Xiaonuan shouted to Xiaoyang, "Xiaoyang, that person is going to hit Grandma, go and pull them apart quickly. Mom, go and pull Fourth Aunt away. Stop fighting, whatever it is, go to the court and tell the master."

Xiao Yang had already gone ahead and rescued the old lady from the woman's clutches. Enraged, the old lady seized the opportunity to scratch the other old woman's face, leaving three red marks on her left cheek. Taking advantage of his small size, Xiao Gang headbutted the old woman, knocking her over.

As the old woman fell, she landed right on top of Li and the other woman who were tearing at each other. Su narrowly avoided the old woman's crushing blow because Li had thrown her away.

Seeing their mother being taken advantage of, the old woman's three sons all rolled up their sleeves and stepped forward, their eyes red with anger, ready to attack Xiao Yang and Xiao Gang. Xiao Nuan held onto Li's father, watching nervously as the situation escalated in an unpredictable direction.

Coincidentally, her fourth uncle, Li Dagong, and fifth uncle, Li Dali, arrived at that moment and stopped the three men. However, tensions were high, and a brawl seemed imminent. Li Xiaonuan was extremely anxious and didn't know what to do.

The old woman over there scrambled to her feet, sat on the ground, and wailed, kicking her legs and slapping her thighs. Between sobs, she ordered her three sons to deal with the Li family to the death. The three sons were all blindly obedient to their mother, obeying her every command.

And so, while Li Xiaonuan was anxiously trying to come up with a solution, the two sides actually started fighting. Those who had gone back for lunch gradually arrived and witnessed this dramatic scene.

Among those people, many were nosy and joined in the commotion. Some even went so far as to set up a betting pool around the corner, wagering on which side would win. Li Xiaonuan held tightly to her enraged father, who wanted to join the fray, and looked towards the yamen entrance, hoping someone would come out and stop them.

It was precisely because of this that Li Xiaonuan was able to see the small figure running into the door, the boy with a slap mark on his cheek and disheveled hair. This time, Li Xiaonuan had to admit that Li Xiaogang was truly a child with inner beauty.

Soon, a group of yamen runners rushed out of the yamen, brandishing their stern warning sticks and pretending to swing them at the fighting couple. The two families who were fighting quickly stopped and stood facing each other, still shaken.

The clerk led Xiao Gang out slowly from inside the door, snorted coldly, and said, "You don't even know where you're going to fight? Do you think this is your own backyard? Look at the trouble you've caused the yamen!"

Following the direction the clerk pointed, the two families looked up. A large, dark mass of people lined both sides of the street, pointing and commenting on the entrance to the yamen (government office). Vendors weaved through the crowd, hawking their wares; the scene was quite lively.

Li Xiaonuan sighed, marveling at how such a large crowd had gathered in such a short time. It was clear that public opinion, regardless of the era, was the most powerful force of public opinion.

Both families involved in the fight lowered their heads, though their shame and anger were impossible to hide. The clerk shook his head and said sternly, "You two should quickly tidy yourselves up and go inside to await trial. It's just a ridiculous engagement misunderstanding; why make such a big fuss? I don't know what good it will do you."

After speaking, the clerk turned and walked into the yamen with his hands behind his back. The yamen runners remained on guard, wary of any further conflict between the two families. Xiao Gang jumped down the steps, pulled Su Shi, and headed towards Li Xiaonuan. Xiao Yang also helped the old lady, whose hair was all messed up, back to their position.

Li Xiaonuan stepped forward and carefully examined Su Shi and the old lady, finding that they had no injuries, at most some minor scratches. Seeing that the old lady could still shout and curse with great vigor, Li Xiaonuan felt much more at ease.

Fourth Uncle Li Dagong helped Li Shi walk over, stumbling along. Xiao Gang glanced at them with dissatisfaction, then pulled Su Shi and Li Xiaonuan aside, saying in a spoiled tone, "Mom, Sister, look, this is what my Fourth Aunt hit me with. It was really hard, it hurt so much."

Four bright finger marks were imprinted on Xiao Gang's delicate, rosy left cheek, with a scratch near his eye. Having experienced Li's underhanded tactics before, Li Xiaonuan was extremely disgusted by it.

Su pulled Xiaogang aside with a pained expression and scolded, "Now you know what pain is? It was so chaotic just now, what were you doing there, a child like you? Your fourth aunt must not have seen clearly before she hit you, so don't tell on her."

Li stood aside with a sneer, not even glancing at Li Xiaonuan and the others. Fourth Uncle Li Dagong, maintaining his airs, helped the old lady to a chair and gently asked her if she was injured.

Finally, Uncle Li Dali and Aunt Chen arrived. Of course, the matchmaker, Lianhua Niang, also came over to Li Xiaonuan's side. Chen was holding Xiao Zheng, looking like she wanted to laugh but dared not.

The little boy was nestled in her arms, his round, bright eyes gazing curiously at everyone. His long eyelashes fluttered like tiny brushes with each blink. Combined with his delicate features and rosy, round face, he looked absolutely adorable.

Xiao Gang adored children younger than him, especially his own brothers. Therefore, when Xiao Zheng was brought to him, Xiao Gang was immediately drawn to him. He took out two medicinal candies wrapped in glutinous rice paper from his pocket and began to guide Xiao Zheng in learning to speak.

Seeing this scene, Li Xiaonuan deeply hoped that one day, her whole family could sit together so warmly and happily, chatting and laughing together.

However, this is an ideal, and the chances of it being realized are slim.

"Sister-in-law, let Xiaogang hold Xiaozheng. You help me straighten my clothes and hair. I can't see by myself." Li said to Chen with dissatisfaction when she saw Xiaozheng and Xiaogang playing happily together.

Chen looked at Li and, seeing that she did indeed need a proper makeover, handed Xiao Zheng to Xiao Gang. Xiao Gang happily held Xiao Zheng and sat on the empty stool next to him, trying his best to coax the eleven-month-old Xiao Zheng to call him "brother".

Li Xiaonuan enjoyed this rare moment of peace, thinking that she absolutely had to resolve the mess at home. Just then, things got lively again at the yamen (government office). This time, the commotion wasn't the two old people arguing; it was the Li family making a scene on their own.