Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Li Gengtian and Li Gongniu mumbled their agreement, but neither dared to step forward. If they actually tried to drag Li Mingtang away, he might get so furious he’d pass out. At his age, it could be fatal.

Hearing this, Li Mingtang stared at his older brother in disbelief. "You’d hit me? You’d hit me for a mere child?" he demanded, jabbing a finger toward his own nose as he spoke.

Li Mingrui retorted angrily, "So what if I hit you? The older you get, the more childish you become! Don’t I have the right to discipline you? Let’s go. We’re going home—family business should be handled at home. Don’t air our dirty laundry in public. Besides, Jinling acted foolishly, the workshop has already fined her, and her father will punish her when she gets home. The matter is over."

Seeing his older brother shame him in front of so many people, Li Mingtang trembled with rage. His mustache bristled as he shouted, "I have grown-up grandchildren, and you still treat me this way? Scolding me is one thing, but siding with an outsider against me? Can you even call yourself my older brother?"

Li Gengtian stepped forward to steady his Third Uncle, rubbing his back to calm him and murmuring reassurances, but Li Mingtang wouldn’t hear any of it.

Li Mingrui caught his breath and scoffed, "Siding with an outsider against you? You think you’re that important! I don’t have time for that. I’ve got better things to do, like enjoy my retirement—just yesterday, Changyu sent a message inviting me to visit him in Qinghui. If I didn’t bother with you, I’d be afraid you’d disgrace the Old Li Family. If your name wasn’t Li, I wouldn’t care if you raised hell!"

Li Mingtang was truly like a stone in an outhouse—foul and stubborn. He bellowed, "How have I shamed the Old Li Family? Your own grandniece was bullied, and instead of helping demand justice, you want to hit me! I’m starting to wonder if you’re even a member of the Li Family. So what if the Zheng Family helped set up this workshop? Without help from the villagers, they couldn’t have built it. And for that little bit of help, they act all high and mighty, like a bunch of fools who look down on everyone." His rambling grew more and more incoherent, leaving those who heard it unsure whether to laugh or cry.

Earlier, Jinling had been called outside by her older cousin, Jinxiang. Juhua, Liu Xiaomei, and Jinxiang had then coached her on what to say to handle this exact awkward situation. These girls often gathered to discuss household matters and business; each had a mind of her own and they were long past the days of being obedient daughters who only listened to their parents.

She had been holding it in, but hearing Li Mingtang claim she had been bullied, she could finally bear it no longer. She stepped forward and said in an anguished voice, "Grandpa, your granddaughter has a clear conscience and nothing to fear from what people say. I’m an innocent girl, what is there for anyone to give an account for? If Steward Zheng were to give me ’justice’ today, it would only be tarnishing my name!"

Seeing that even his granddaughter was now talking back to him, Li Mingtang snapped irritably, "What do you know? You’re just adding to the noise."

But Jinling was Li Mingtang’s granddaughter, and at fifteen, she was just as stubborn as he was. After being scolded, she burst into tears. "I don’t understand! I didn’t do anything wrong, so why are you humiliating me like this? It’s like you don’t want me to be able to live with myself!"

Li Changliang had long since run out of patience with his third grand-uncle. He scowled and said angrily, "Qingmu called for someone yesterday. Dun and I didn’t hear at first, but we rushed over to open the door a moment later. What’s the big deal? Jinling is just a young girl who doesn’t know any better, and everyone here knows what kind of person Qingmu is. Third Grand-uncle, aren’t you just trying to stir up trouble for no reason?" He was a grandson from the second branch of the Li Family, which was why he called Li Mingtang "Third Grand-uncle."

Guizhi and the other wives chimed in that no one would gossip about such a thing; it was just a coincidence.

When Qingmu heard Li Mingtang accuse him of bullying Jinling, he was about to lose his temper as well. But he saw Juhua at his side shake her head and glance toward Jinling. Immediately after, Jinling stood up and made her tearful plea, so he held his tongue.

Li Gengtian was exceptionally frustrated. All he could do was watch his Old Li Family bicker endlessly while the onlookers took it in like a grand opera—some even had seats—savoring the drama. Unable to bear it any longer, he shot a look at Li Gongniu. The two of them stepped forward, each taking one of Li Mingtang’s arms. "Let’s go, we can talk at home," they said. "We can’t hold up the work here. We have shares in this workshop, you know."

Li Mingtang was still struggling, but Li Gengtian refused to let go. Leaning close to his ear, he hissed, "Third Uncle, do you really feel no shame? Look at them all, watching this opera—an opera starring the Li Family. As the village chief, I’ve never been this humiliated in my life! I’m begging you, please, can we just go home and sort this out?"

Li Mingtang was jolted back to his senses. He turned his head to see the women staring at him, mouths agape, and was suddenly overcome with shame. He wasn’t truly muddle-headed, but more like a stubborn gambler who refused to admit defeat, unable to swallow his pride. He stopped struggling and allowed his son and nephew to half-pull and half-drag him out.

Li Mingrui also stormed out, dragging Jinling along by the hand.

Zhou Xiaonian and his wife, on the other hand, were overjoyed. With the Li Family causing such a scene, it seemed everyone had forgotten the earlier farce about the Zhou family’s divorce. At least all the attention wouldn’t be on Xiaonian’s wife anymore. Taking advantage of the distraction, the two quietly slipped out of the workshop. Once outside, they looked at each other and smiled, sharing a look of two people who had just survived a disaster.

Zhou Xiaonian took his wife’s arm, looking at her with a mixture of exasperation and affection. "Do you dare pull a stunt like that again?" he asked.

Hearing his question, Xiaonian’s wife burst into tears again. In that short span of time, she had gone through panic, fear, despair, and then hope. It was as if her spine had been removed, leaving her completely drained of strength. She leaned against Zhou Xiaonian and sobbed, "I know I was wrong. I’ll never do it again. Xiaonian, I’m too scared to go home... what should I do? Your father is going to punish me."

Zhou Xiaonian said glumly, "If he punishes you, you should be relieved. The real worry is if he doesn’t punish you at all, and just politely sends you back to your parents. *That* would be a disaster."