Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Qingmu smiled. "I’ve come around. Let’s call him Hulu. It would be even better if he turns out to be wise but appears foolish."

After hearing about this, Zheng Changhe also said, "Since my grandson insists on being a gourd, then Hulu it is. Hulu is a great name! Gourds are much bigger than soybeans and chestnuts, and you can even use them as water ladles. No one can ever force one underwater. In the future, our eldest grandson will surely be more unsinkable than that Liu Sanshun boy."

His explanation sent Juhua and the others into another long fit of laughter.

Surprisingly, when Liu Fugui and his wife came to see their daughter and grandson, they were delighted to hear the nickname. He laughed heartily and said, "What’s so great about people who chatter on all day? As the old saying goes, ’Empty vessels make the most sound.’ A quiet boy like my grandson, just like his father, has... has..." He couldn’t think of the right word and just chuckled foolishly.

Juhua quickly jumped in, "A profound charm!"

"Yes! A profound charm!"

Liu Fugui slapped his thigh, showing his wholehearted agreement. As for what "profound charm" actually meant, he didn’t need to figure it out. His grandson’s aunt had said it, so it couldn’t be wrong. It definitely wasn’t anything that put his grandson down.

Zheng Changhe grinned from ear to ear, finding those words incredibly satisfying. It was lunchtime, so he made a point of pulling Zhang Dashuan over to keep their guest company. The three men, connected by marriage, drank aged wine and chatted leisurely about their children and grandchildren.

Of course, he thought what Liu Fugui said was perfectly reasonable—it was an old saying, after all. But he couldn’t very well sing his own praises, could he? So he cleared his throat and said humbly, "He’s just a little baby. He’ll have to go through a lot before he amounts to anything. Being tight-lipped is good for him. Being too flashy just invites trouble."

At that moment, he felt that calling his grandson "Hulu" was the most fitting name imaginable.

Juhua looked at the two fathers-in-law, both amused and exasperated. ’Oh, Dad,’ she thought, ’you shouldn’t go overboard with your words. What if you get another grandson, or I have a son, and he’s a lively, clever little thing? How will you eat your words then?’

Sure enough, Zhang Dashuan was thinking the exact same thing as Juhua. ’A dragon has nine sons, and each is different,’ he mused. ’Who knows if my own future grandsons and granddaughters will be as bright and lively as Little Shitou and his sister? What would we say then?’

So he quickly chimed in, "It doesn’t matter what a child is like. As long as they have a good heart and are down-to-earth, they’ll be well-liked. Who knows, Qingmu’s wife might have a clever, lively one for her second."

Zheng Changhe thought about it. ’That’s right. Never mind Qingmu’s wife; Juhua herself is clever and well-behaved, and Huai Zi has a much more cheerful personality than Qingmu. If one of them gives me a smart, quick-witted grandson later, I can’t be talking like this.’

So, he hastily tried to backtrack. "That makes sense. Take Laixi, for example. What a likable boy. Even a straightforward man like Fatty Liu is incredibly pleased with his son-in-law. It just goes to show that a person’s character and temperament are what truly matter."

Even the slow-witted Liu Fugui had caught on by now and chimed in with his agreement. This sent Qingmu, Juhua, and Huai Zi into another fit of roaring laughter.

The Zheng Family’s joy over their first grandson filled their home with laughter, and the cheerful atmosphere even spread to the Zhang family. Juhua was constantly bustling back and forth between the two homes, helping Mrs. Yang with the endless washing and cooking.

But the day of Hulu’s birth was a day of misery for Huang Yan’er. After returning from the vicious beating he’d received in Qingnan Village, he went before County Magistrate Li and colorfully embellished his story. He described how the people of Qingnan Village had defied the Lord County Magistrate’s orders, how cunningly they had shirked their duties, and so on, stoking the County Magistrate’s fury.

But before he could unleash his anger, a visitor from the Fang family arrived.

Manager Song presented Fang Jingyu’s calling card and, after being granted an audience, spoke very politely to County Magistrate Li. "Ordinarily, an outsider has no right to comment on how Your Lordship governs his jurisdiction. Even if you wish to collect a fee for the use of the mountain forests, which affects the Fang family’s sausage business, we would not dare complain. After all, Your Lordship has likely never given the Fang family much thought. However, my master asked me to remind you of something: do not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Otherwise, not only will you fail to gain any new benefit, but you will likely collect even less tax than before. In the end, the only one who profits will be the scholar Li Changfeng—he will become the greatest magnate in Xiatang Market."

County Magistrate Li was stunned into silence.

He wasn’t a fool; he understood Manager Song’s meaning perfectly. If he pushed the commoners too far, they would all register their land under Li Changfeng’s name. What could he do then? Forget about collecting extra levies—he wouldn’t even be able to collect the original taxes.

Manager Song finished his speech in a slow, deliberate manner, then added softly, "During the summer tax collection, Your Lordship increased the levy by forty percent. The people grumbled, but in the end, they all paid. It’s an old truth that ’the people don’t fight the officials’; they are generally docile. However, if you push them to the brink... Heh. I don’t need to tell Your Lordship what the consequences will be. This is a time to keep your eyes wide open, Your Lordship, and not be dragged down by petty men."

County Magistrate Li’s heart skipped a beat. For a moment, he was too flustered to even offer the usual pleasantries. He could only watch, dumbfounded, as Manager Song took a sip of tea, then leisurely bid farewell and departed.

Since ancient times, officials and merchants have been intertwined. The Fang family was clearly no simple commercial enterprise. Unable to vent his frustration, the magistrate summoned Huang Yan’er and had him viciously beaten with ten strokes of the heavy plank. The punishment terrified Huang Yan’er, who cried out that he’d been wronged. He couldn’t understand what he had done to deserve this. First, he gets beaten in Qingnan Village, and now he was being punished by the Lord County Magistrate. This time, he was half-dead.

It was no wonder County Magistrate Li was in a panic. In the hundred-li radius around Xiatang Market, when had there ever been a single Scholar?

This was a poor and remote backwater. The so-called "prominent families" were merely wealthy farming households that had gradually grown their fortunes. They were nothing more than minor country gentry—a bit arrogant, perhaps, but not the type to oppress the common folk. As a result, the region had few of the two extremes: powerful local tyrants and their tenants.

But now, his own tax measures had allowed the Li Family to seize the opportunity and rise, creating a new local power.

He was filled with regret. And just like that, the new tax items were quietly dropped. In this round of conflict, the villagers had won a decisive victory. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote with recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)