Transmigrated Leftover Woman in Rural Style

Back in the front yard, as expected, Madam Su pulled a bag out of the room. Li Xiaonuan took it and saw that it was the same bag of peanuts from that day. She untied the bag and looked inside, finding the peanuts damp. She then took a wicker basket and emptied the peanuts out. The small bag of raw peanuts was then placed separately on a drying rack to dry.

Worried that the peanuts would rot, Li Xiaonuan peeled one open and tasted it, only to breathe a sigh of relief when she didn't find it bitter. She then tasted a cooked one and felt that it had become too damp and tasted a bit off.

Looking at the peanuts on the drying rack, Li Xiaonuan suddenly felt energized. Just wait, she'd make peanuts an indispensable crop in Qisong. After thinking for a moment, she started shelling roasted peanuts. Just as she was getting into it, a voice suddenly appeared beside her.

"What is this? It looks so strange."

Li Xiaonuan was startled and looked up toward the source of the sound.

Zhou Liufeng was staring curiously at the peanuts on the drying rack, wanting to reach out and pick them up to see what they were like. Perhaps not hearing Li Xiaonuan's reply, he withdrew his hand and looked at Li Xiaonuan awkwardly.

Li Xiaonuan found it somewhat amusing, thinking the man was really cute. However, she didn't dare to laugh out loud, afraid of scaring him. To hide her upturned lips, Li Xiaonuan peeled open a large, plump peanut and handed it to Zhou Liufeng.

"Brother Liu Fei, this is called peanut, and it's edible. Besides, Brother Zhao brought it back from a very far place; we don't have any in Qisong. Try some."

Zhou Liufeng shyly took the peanut, chewed it, and replied, "It's a bit salty, so it must have been boiled. The taste is not bad, similar to roasted walnuts."

Li Xiaonuan smiled and didn't continue discussing peanuts. Instead, she asked, "Brother Liu Fei, weren't you repairing your house? Why did you come to my house? Is something missing?"

Zhou Liufei scratched his head awkwardly, then nodded with a sheepish grin: "Yes, two purlins are missing. Let me look for them."

Li Xiaonuan frowned and thought for a moment, then pointed to the wooden beams on the right side of the house, which were covered with a thick layer of straw, and said, "The purlins are over there. Go find them yourself. Take a couple more back with you, so you don't have to make another trip later."

Zhou Liufeng nodded, glanced quickly at Li Xiaonuan, and said with reddened ears, "Okay, I'll go look for it." After saying that, he strode towards the pile of wooden strips.

Su poked her head out of the kitchen and asked, "Xiao Nuan, who are you talking to?"

Without looking up, Li Xiaonuan continued peeling peanuts and replied, "It's Brother Liu Fei, he's here to find the rafters."

Over there, Zhou Liufeng stopped and greeted her, "Auntie, are you busy?"

Su walked out of the kitchen, smiled at Zhou Liufeng, and replied, "There's nothing much to do, just tidying up the kitchen. Liufeng, how's the house renovation going?"

Zhou Liufeng continued searching and replied, "It'll be done soon. After we finish putting the roof on in the next couple of days, we'll buy a bed the day after tomorrow, and then I can move in."

Upon hearing the sound, Father Li came out of the house and walked to the pile of timber to help select purlins: "Liu Fei, these two are good, and here are these two too. Take them back, and bring them back when there are any left."

Zhou Liufeng smiled sheepishly and replied, "Oh, thank you, Uncle. I'll head back now; they're waiting for me there."

Both Mrs. Su and Mr. Li urged him, "Go, go, the important thing is to get the house repaired as soon as possible."

As soon as Zhou Liufei left, Madam Su sidled up to Li Xiaonuan and asked her curiously, "Xiaonuan, what did Liufei say to you just now?"

Li Xiaonuan looked at Su Shi with a puzzled expression and asked, "He just asked me what this is. What's wrong?"

Seeing Li Xiaonuan's clueless expression, Su gave her a reproachful look, then smiled and said, "It's nothing, I just think Liu Fei is a really nice young man." After saying that, she went back into the kitchen.

Father Li walked over, looked at the peanuts that had been mostly peeled, picked one up and asked, "Xiao Nuan, are these things really that useful?"

Li Xiaonuan replied cheerfully, "Of course it will be very useful. You'll see once I grow it."

While studying the peanuts, Li's father casually asked, "How are peanuts grown? Are they grown like soybeans or like rice?"

Li's father's words reminded Li Xiaonuan: "Dad, Xiaoyang asked a middleman to keep an eye on the land before, I wonder how it went. We only have two acres of land, and after paying taxes, we can't even afford to eat porridge."

Father Li put down the peanuts and said sadly, "Yes, we need to buy some land. If it weren't for my incompetence these past few years, our family wouldn't be struggling to even afford rice."

"Dad, what are you thinking about now? Look, you're healthier and can work again. You're not worried about our family going hungry. Besides, once we buy the land, you can't farm it all by yourself. I was thinking of hiring a couple of day laborers." Seeing that her father was about to reminisce about the past, Li Xiaonuan quickly comforted him.

Upon hearing that he needed to hire temporary workers, Li's father asked, "How much land are you planning to buy? Why do you need to hire temporary workers?"

Li Xiaonuan smiled smugly and said, "We should at least buy thirty acres of fertile land, twenty acres of good land. You definitely can't farm it all by yourself, so of course we'll need to hire day laborers."

Father Li disagreed: "It's only a small plot of land, why would we need to hire day laborers? We can just have your uncles come and help out."

Li Xiaonuan didn't refute, but pointed out one by one: "Dad, Second Uncle's health has deteriorated, and he can't do heavy work anymore. Third Uncle prefers hunting now, and his family has quite a lot of land. Fourth Uncle's family only has a dozen acres of land, and they are also hiring day laborers. As for Fifth Uncle, he works as a shop assistant in the city now. During the busy farming season, he always asks Xiaoyang and me to help out."

Father Li had nothing to say, so he could only agree: "Alright then, if we really buy the land, we'll hire a couple of day laborers. Otherwise, you'll have to work even harder."

Li Xiaonuan's smile widened, and she said to her father with a big laugh, "Hey, I knew Dad loved us the most."

The old lady came out of the house and, seeing this scene, scolded, "She's such a big girl now, how can she still be so disrespectful? Eldest son, you're still injured, let Xiaonuan and her brother handle those things. Raising children isn't about them becoming burdens."

Seeing that the old lady was dressed neatly, Li's father nodded in agreement and asked, "Yes, Mother. Mother, where are you going?"

"I'm going for a walk in the village, I'll be back by lunchtime," the old lady said, and walked out of the yard.

Li Xiaonuan followed them to the outside of the courtyard, then turned back to her father and said, "Dad, my grandma went to Granny Zhou's house."

Father Li nodded and continued strolling around the yard. These past few days, his health had improved considerably; his once thin frame had become much fuller, and his hunched back had straightened. Seeing Father Li's renewed vitality, Li Xiaonuan felt that her previous recklessness and ignorance weren't so laughable after all.

In the afternoon, the whole family was taking a nap. Cicadas chirped tirelessly in the branches, making Xinzhou Village seem even more tranquil under the blazing sun. A blue cloth carriage drove into Xinzhou Village, heading towards the Zhao family's house.