Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

Li Xiaonuan was stunned by the sudden turn of events. The man waited for a long time without receiving a response. He turned his gaze away from the flock of ewes, frowned at the clearly distracted Li Xiaonuan, and shook her, asking again.

Li Xiaonuan was forced to snap out of her reverie about the peacock-like man. She tried her best to suppress a laugh and replied, "Milk crisp is a kind of shortbread made primarily from milk and flour. However, the production process is quite complicated, mainly because the raw materials for making milk crisp need to be refined. You shouldn't worry about milk crisp; you might as well just drink goat milk, which is also nutritious. Adding almonds or dried jasmine to boil milk is to remove the fishy smell."

The man was clearly not satisfied with Li Xiaonuan's answer. Even though Li Xiaonuan tried to pull her arm away, he held on tightly. He looked at the sheep in the pen, thought for a moment, and then said to Li Xiaonuan, "Just tell me how to make the milk crisp and what the ingredients are. As for whether it's complicated or not, that's my problem."

Li Xiaonuan was taken aback. She asked somewhat strangely, "Why should I? That's a secret recipe. How can I just give it to you because you want it?"

The man froze, clearly not having considered this possibility. He lowered Li Xiaonuan's arm, giving her a scrutinizing look, full of criticism. He took out a handkerchief matching his clothes and vigorously wiped Li Xiaonuan's hand inside and out before casually discarding it.

Li Xiaonuan shrugged, unconcerned. All peacock men are like that—narcissistic and fastidious. She bent down to pick up the handkerchief and, under the man's extremely disapproving gaze, stuffed it into her sleeve. The handkerchief was made of fine fabric and exquisitely crafted; it could fetch a good price at an embroidery shop.

Seeing the peacock man's disgusted look, Li Xiaonuan turned and left. People who associate with this kind of person are either incredibly patient or just as twisted. To avoid disgusting herself, Li Xiaonuan decided not to say another word to the peacock man.

By the back door, the Xiao Yang brothers were already waiting. Both brothers looked excited, and Xiao Gang even symbolically weighed the small basket on his back. Li Xiaonuan smiled knowingly and strode towards the brothers.

"Hey, you country bumpkin, I'll pay for your secret recipe."

A discordant voice sounded behind her, and Li Xiaonuan's smile froze. But not wanting to cause trouble for herself, she simply ignored it and continued walking.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, you rude country bumpkin."

As she began to speak, Li Xiaonuan's arm was grabbed from behind again. Forced to turn around, she glared angrily at the culprit. The peacock-like man, not expecting Li Xiaonuan to glare at him so fiercely, was somewhat taken aback. He gripped her arm tighter, stammering:

"You glared at me! How dare you be so rude to me? Do you even know who I am? How dare you glare at me like that?"

Well, a peacock plus a brainless idiot, that's something else. With that androgynous face, if his tone were any more effeminate, he could probably hook up a whole basket of straight men. If Li Xiaonuan remembers correctly, the main topic of their conversation was the secret recipe for milk crisps. Now, the peacock man has managed to steer the conversation so off-topic that Li Xiaonuan suddenly feels like worshipping him.

Why? Because I admire them!

"Let go of my sister!" The Xiao Yang brothers rushed forward to stop Li Xiaonuan when they saw her being grabbed by a strange man. Xiao Gang didn't say anything, but directly used his hands to pry her off.

Xiao Gang's hands weren't clean, having just touched mushrooms. The peacock-like man couldn't bear being touched by those dirty hands, so he quickly withdrew his. He then took out a handkerchief, wiped his hands, and discarded it. Li Xiaonuan picked up the handkerchief again and urged the two brothers to leave quickly.

When the peacock-like man saw that the village girl actually had helpers, he lost his composure. He shouted towards the door, "Stop that audacious village girl for me, and I will reward you!"

Upon hearing his call, Li Xiaonuan knew that if she didn't deal with the peacock-like man, she wouldn't be able to return home today. Seeing that it was getting late, she felt anxious. So, she turned back to the peacock-like man and asked, "At what price will you buy my formula, sir?"

The peacock-like man opened his mouth but couldn't speak for a long time, clearly unable to react quickly to Li Xiaonuan's unconventional behavior. Just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted.

"Young Master, Second Young Master, you're here! Quickly, come upstairs with me, the Eldest Young Master has been looking for you for ages."

Along with the shout came a young servant in blue robes with a round face and small eyes. The servant ran all the way to the peacock man, so excited that he was almost crying.

Seeing the peacock-like man get stuck, Li Xiaonuan signaled to her brothers, Xiaoyang and Xiaoyang, to slip away. Unfortunately, the guards at the gate remembered the peacock-like man's instructions, and Li Xiaonuan and her brother were stopped. Li Xiaonuan was deflated and turned back dejectedly.

"Hey, young master, are you still going to buy the formula? If not, hurry up and have your men let us out."

Upon being reminded, the peacock-like man immediately slapped his forehead. He waved aside the servant who was in his way and pointed at Li Xiaonuan, saying, "That country girl, come with me, let's talk in the study."

Li Xiaonuan remained unmoved. She put her hands on her hips, slightly raised her chin, and parted her lips: "Five hundred taels. If you're willing to buy, we can talk. If not, let us go."

The peacock-like man lowered his head in thought. As a wealthy young master, five hundred taels was only enough for a pair of leather boots. But as a merchant, he felt that spending five hundred taels on a pastry recipe was too expensive. Just as the peacock-like man was hesitating, the servant offered a suggestion: "Young master, let her talk to the eldest young master."

The peacock-like man slapped his forehead loudly again and said, "Great plan, reward me." The servant bowed and thanked him with great joy. He invited the peacock-like man upstairs first, then raised his head and said to Li Xiaonuan in a serious tone, "Miss, please come with me."

Li Xiaonuan's lips twitched. What a dramatic turn of events! Someone could actually portray servility and obsequiousness so perfectly. In her heart, she silently gave the servant three hundred and twenty thumbs up. He truly deserved to be the peacock man's capable assistant.

After calling for Xiao Yang and his brother to follow, Li Xiaonuan and her two siblings, led by the servant, arrived at the door of a room on the third floor. The servant knocked on the door, and after a while, the door opened from the inside. A man who looked like a manager came out and asked expressionlessly what they wanted.

The servant reported the matter briefly, and the steward glanced at Li Xiaonuan and her brother, his expression unchanged. He left with the words "Wait" and went back to his room.

In just a few words, the door swung open. The expressionless manager, still in his monotone voice, said, "Come in." He then turned and entered the room, walking to his designated spot.

Li Xiaonuan and her brother followed the servant into the room. To be honest, Li Xiaonuan was a little nervous. She looked at her two younger brothers and noticed that Xiao Yang also seemed uneasy. Xiao Gang, on the other hand, didn't seem to be worried; his honest and simple appearance masked everything.

Directly opposite the door is a large round table. Behind the table is a display cabinet against the wall, filled with porcelain and jade artifacts that must be quite valuable. To the left is a wall with a painting hanging on it. To the right are draped curtains and beaded blinds.

At this moment, the beaded curtain was being lifted from both sides. The servant led Li Xiaonuan and her brother through the curtain. Inside, it was more like a meeting room than a study. It was spacious and grand, with antique shelves and bookshelves arranged in a well-organized manner, filled with many ancient books, account books, and precious jade artifacts.

Facing the beaded curtain, the peacock-like man and another young gentleman sat comfortably at the head of the table on either side. The peacock-like man was on the right, while the one on the left, according to the social hierarchy of the time, held a higher status.

At the two rows of chairs below them, the first seat on the left was an elderly man with a white beard. The first seat on the right was a young gentleman. Next to him was a beautiful young woman in her late teens.

Li Xiaonuan tried her best to ignore the scrutinizing gazes of those people. She and her two younger brothers nodded to the two people in the main seats as a greeting, and then sat down in the last three seats on the left. She didn't consider herself their servant or employee, and therefore she should enjoy the treatment of an ordinary person.

Seeing the three of them sit down like that, everyone present, except for the person in the main seat, showed an incredulous expression. The peacock-like man, who had absolutely no manners, said smugly, "See? I told you this country girl is very bold and has no manners at all."

The others composed themselves and expressed their agreement. The young master to the left of the head of the table remained expressionless, gesturing to a servant to serve tea to Li Xiaonuan and her brother. To be honest, Li Xiaonuan was so nervous that her hands were trembling slightly.

Rather than saying Li Xiaonuan was nervous, it would be more accurate to say she was excited. At this moment, she felt as if she were back in her past life's workplace, negotiating with business partners in a meeting. Just as Li Xiaonuan was lost in thought, the tea was served.

Completely absorbed in her own world, Li Xiaonuan gracefully served the tea, her movements precise and precise. She lifted the lid, smelled the aroma, and took a small sip. Just as she put the teacup down, she heard someone ask, "I heard that you have a secret recipe for snacks to sell, young lady. Could you tell me more about it?"

Li Xiaonuan was no longer anxious. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young man in the main seat. The man was the resolute and shrewd type, with fairly handsome features, and looked quite similar to the peacock man. But compared to the more effeminate peacock man, he had more masculinity.

The man's clothes, style, and overall appearance were all typical of a normal man. Li Xiaonuan thought to herself, "This man seems reliable; it's worth talking to him. If I can actually sell the formula, it would be an unexpected bonus."

So, adopting a negotiating demeanor, she said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "First of all, it's not that I want to sell the recipe, but that Mr. Kong... uh, the young master in blue wants to buy my recipe. Secondly, my recipe uses some rather complicated ingredients, involving other formulas. Finally, my recipe is priced at five hundred taels, with no room for negotiation. If this young master still wants to buy the recipe, we can directly write down the recipe, the materials and techniques used, and then sign a contract. You can think it over carefully; I can sit for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."

To get things done quickly, Li Xiaonuan didn't want to waste any time, not even considering her stomach was too weak to beat the drum, or her parents waiting at home.

The peacock-like man had no intention of letting Li Xiaonuan have her way. He grumbled, "Who knows what kind of lousy recipe you have? You think you can just give us five hundred taels of silver? You have to bring us the recipe or a sample first. We need to see it or taste it before we can give you an estimate. You really are a country bumpkin; you don't even know this."

Li Xiaonuan was taken aback; it seemed that was indeed the case. But it appeared they hadn't come specifically to sell their recipes, but rather had been intercepted along the way. So, Li Xiaonuan retorted without hesitation, "Young master, if you knew the rules, you wouldn't have forcibly stopped me. To be honest, I really didn't intend to sell any recipes."

After saying this, Li Xiaonuan gestured for Xiao Yang and his brother to stand up. She gave a slight bow to the person in the main seat and said, "I'm sorry, it seems there was a misunderstanding. Since the deal isn't going to happen, we'll be leaving now. I have sick parents at home, so I won't keep you company any longer. Farewell."

After saying this, ignoring the clamoring peacock-like man behind her, Li Xiaonuan led her two younger brothers downstairs and left. The people inside were once again in disarray, and even the man in the main seat frowned, a rare sight.