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Chapter 1: The Fifth Young Miss Fainted!\n“The Fifth Young Miss of the Li family fainted!”\n
“What happened? Today is supposed to be a day of great celebration, the Wuming Village had two people pass the county level imperial exam, is she trying to invite in bad luck?” A woman loudly muttered and grumbled to her fellow villagers.\n
“I heard the Li family’s Fifth Young Miss ran towards Xie Zhuyou and tried to snuggle into his embrace, but then he dodged her and her head hit the edge of the table!”\n
“How disgraceful! Scholar Zhang is a peerless top talent, why is he still engaged to such a shameless, wanton girl? And on top of that, the other village talent is actually the Fifth Young Miss’s uncle!”\n
“Shh! Watch your words and don’t offend them! They are, after all, still a family of top scholars!”\n
…….\n
Today, due to the village suddenly reaping two scholarly top talents in one go, was the most joyous day in the history of the Wuming Village, so a lavish banquet was arranged for.\n
*Throb*\n
Bailian felt that her head was on the verge of exploding. \n
Her day had passed relatively normally. She had quickly finished her errands at work and was preparing to go home, relax a bit and then buy some vegetables to make dinner as a nice treat for herself.\n
However, she suddenly witnessed a girl about to be hit from an incoming car on the road and rushed out into the street to save the girl. With her exceptional skills and abilities, it should have been a piece of cake…but her leg suddenly cramped in the middle of her rescue attempt. \n
The only thing that she remembered was that right before the impact, she had ended up using all of her strength to heave the girl out of harm’s way right before quickly losing consciousness. \n
The right side of her face, particularly the area around her right eyebrow, throbbed painfully and felt incredibly heavy upon her light touch. That area must have been hit by that neglectful driver, who had run through the traffic light!\n
A few moments ago, Bailian had clearly felt like her skull had been crushed into smithereens, but she was somehow still alive and kicking with only her right eyebrow faintly aching with dull pain. Hadn’t she been killed on impact? \n
“Fifth Girl! Open your eyes….look at your mother ah!” An anxious voice sobbed next to her ear.\n
“Child, don’t scare your father!” A similarly distressed, yet much deeper voice cried out with a faint tremble.\n
A vicious and cold voice cursed towards Bailian’s direction, “Why are you trash still loitering around here?! Hurry up and drag this lowly girl out of here! She’s already disgraced and humiliated herself in front of all these people, actually trying to seduce a man who could almost be her grandfather at that age! How flagrant and shameless! Bah!” (T/N: it is a verbal expression that literally means to spit in contempt)! \n
A man with distinct tear trails on his cheeks and an obviously distraught expression looked up and aggreviously said, “Old Madam, how could you say that about Lian’ er! She slipped unintentionally!“ He was already worried enough for his daughter, but hearing the Matriarch of the Li family so harshly curse his precious daughter, his heart felt very heavy and uncomfortable. \n
In this era, a young girl’s reputation is of the utmost importance. He couldn’t believe that the Matriarch would willingly slander and denounce that his daughter was a temptress in public! This was simply forcing his daughter towards a path of no survival and downfall, ah!\n
Matriarch Wang ruthlessly reprimanded the man, “Hmph, are you saying your mother was in the wrong? This damn girl of yours is simply unbelievable!” “\n
As Matriarch Wang was resentfully and bad-naturedly scolding Li Bailian, a clever-looking, twelve-year girl discreetly stood behind the Old Madam, her sly expression that if one looked at, could only be described as purely concerned for Bailian. \n
“Take a look, this is either the Li Family’s Eldest Young Miss or the Second Young Miss, her bearing is extraordinary and elegant!”\n
“I can’t tell them apart, they are twins after all, both are blossoming into refined beauties resembling that of beautiful flowers in spring”\n
The onlookers, with gazes full of admiration and praise, unabashedly observed the beauty standing behind the Matriarch Wang. Anyone could tell that the Young Miss’ clothes were newly-made, the goose-yellow color of the fabric showing off the girl’s fair complexion and tender white skin.\n
By comparison, the pitiful sight of Bailian, who was currently lying on the floor in Madam Zhao’s and a young farmer’s embrace felt quite incompatible and disharmonious with the scene of the beauty one just saw a few seconds ago. \n
The family of three all wore dull, shabby clothes that had been obviously mended and patched several times. Although the fabric was very clean and had been washed to the point that all the color had faded out of the fabric, to onlookers, it still gave off a disheveled and slovenly feeling. \n
Thirty handsome wooden tables had been set up for the village banquet and almost everyone in the Wuming village had gathered to celebrate. After all, two scholars had passed the county-level imperial examination and one couldn’t treat them shabbily as to not offend the esteemed guests of honor.\n
Although each table only had a few meat dishes, compared to the usual vegetarian and coarse food the villagers ate, the dishes were still considered a rare delicacy that one only saw once or twice a year.\n
Despite knowing that her daughter-in-law was heavily pregnant with a child, the Old Madam still ordered Madam Zhao to help with setting up the banquet. Madam Zhao obediently followed Old Madam’s order even though she was predicted to give birth just a few weeks later. Both mother and daughter had meticulously helped with setting up the lavish banquet.\n
If the Li Family hadn’t sent a few people to help out at the banquet, it would have looked bad on their part and would have stained their reputation amongst the other families in the village. Similarly, although the Zhang Family only had Scholar Zhang Youen and his mother, they still spent some silver taels to hire help for the banquet. However, Matriarch Wang was petty and stingy, instead deciding to send people from the Li Family’s Third Branch to help out with the banquet.\n
The Head of the Third Branch was an average farmer, long years of laborious work in the fields had left him with hardened muscles, calluses on both hands and healthy-looking tan skin. He was very masculine, yet his upright bearing indicated his honest and simple temperament.\n
A majestic and dignified elderly voice rang out, immediately stopping Matriarch Wang’s cursing, “What nonsense is this?! Stop this ruckus and go home!” barked the Patriarch of the Li Family.\n
In the end, if a Young Miss’s reputation was stained, all the other unmarried Young Misses would be affected as well. The elderly couple’s granddaughter and daughter had not yet married, so the Patriarch of the Li Family had no choice but to intervene at this moment.\n
Besides, all the people in the village had gathered here today thanks to the two scholars who had decided to hold a banquet together, which meant that the village head and village elders were all in attendance.\n
The village head and elders weren’t blind and naturally, all of them witnessed Bailian fainting, but everyone else had already spread nasty rumors and insisted that she had deliberately fainted to fall into the arms of the old bachelor, Xie Zhuyou. Thus, not wanting to speak out against the majority, they felt disinclined and hesitant to come forward with the truth.\n
If they were to speak up, it would only make a mountain out of a molehill and they could end up implicating the rest of the Li Family’s unmarried young misses. If so, the misses would then have to carry that sullied reputation for the rest of their lives.\n
The village head had simply just wanted to ignore it and carry on with the banquet, but that old shrew of the Li Family repeatedly cursed and scolded without any sense of propriety. Although the villagers and Li Family were long used to her bad manners, it was the first time that they felt that Matriarch Wang was actually in the right this time. \n
From the villager’s point of view, they had clearly seen Li Bailian fall towards the direction of Xie Zhuyou’s arms if he hadn’t avoided it, who knows….\n
Matriarch Wangi’s fierce glare at Bailian made it look like if it wasn’t for Bailian’s unconscious state, she would have eaten her up then and there, like a wolf planning to eat its prey!\n
“Quickly, send Fifth Girl home! It seems like her injuries aren’t light”. The kind-hearted elderly Madam Wang (TN: Not to be confused with Matriarch Wang, these are two different people) gently reminded the Third Branch’s married couple.\n
“Quickly, Third Master, send the girl home and call for the village physician!” \n
At this time, Madam Zhao was slow to react, but once she regained her clarity from a moment of distress, she quickly signaled her husband to help her up as she wasn’t able to get up due to her heavily pregnant state. Naturally, she wouldn’t be able to help up her own daughter in her current state. \n
‘Alright….”\n
Bailian felt that she had been moved from a very warm embrace to another steadfast embrace. All around her, she could hear the din of conversation which all came to her ears as pure cacophony. Bailian wanted to open her eyes, but her head felt excessively sore and so heavy to the point that she could not open her eyes.\n
The Master of the Third Branch closely held onto his daughter, paid his respects and said farewell to his father, Patriarch Li, and then rushed home. Madam Zhao staggered along after them haphazardly, clearly still very distressed for her daughter with a worried expression etched into her pale face.\n
“You go home too!“ ordered the Patriarch Li, who glared at his wife who was still muttering feverishly under her breath beside him.\n
Matriarch Wang didn’t dare to disobey her husband and meekly followed Madam Zhao home. The twelve-year-old girl who had been standing behind the Matriarch didn’t leave but instead stayed behind to attend the banquet with her twin sister.\n
After the Third Branch of the Li Family left the banquet, the villagers finally ceased their gossip. Ultimately, the village head and elders were still there, so the villagers didn’t dare to be too presumptuous as to come off as impudent gossipers.\n
Most importantly, the two scholars were actually Bailiian’s fiance and Bailian’s uncle. The villagers and farmers couldn’t antagonize and provoke them too much. \n
On the side where Bailian had fainted, it had caused a huge commotion, but on the other side of the banquet where the two scholars were currently sitting at a table together, there hadn’t been any reaction.\n
As if he didn’t just see his niece faint or his family make a big ruckus, Bailian’s uncle Li Yonghe continued to discuss pedantic, academic theories with fellow scholar Zhang Youen. This calm and unruffled reaction compelled the fellow elders to nod their heads and commend Scholar Li’s poise and demeanor as a top talent.\n
Wuming Village had suddenly gained two scholars, it really makes people happy!\n
“My dear Madam Zhang, this Li Bailian is truly contemptible, it’s a pity that she is Zhang Youen’s fiance ah!” An overly nosy and talkative villager commented with her mouth full of food towards Widow Zhang. Widow Zhang’s brows furrowed slightly. While receiving some ill reputation wasn’t too bad, only Widow Zhang would know what she was personally thinking in her heart.\n
<ol>For any confusion, Scholar Zhang and Zhang Yoeun are the same person!So far the Third Branch Master doesn’t have a name yet but I hope it is coming up soon!(五名村) Wuming Village was chosen to be the translation instead of the “Five Villages” as doesn’t sound very good.Back in the day, daughters who married over would usually be referred to as the Surname of Husband’s Family and then their Maiden name and the accompanying title of -shi. It was just a way of addressing other madams and so in this case, Li Bailian’s mother is Li Zhao Shi (李赵氏). Her husband’s family is Li, but her maiden name is Zhao. But for the sake of making it easy on the eyes, we will just call her Madam Zhao.This is what I assume the yellow dress looks like!</ol>\n<hr class="wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-foreground-dark-background-color has-foreground-dark-color is-style-wide">\n< TOC | Next>