Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

So, he hardened his heart and put on a stern face, saying to Liu Sanshun, "Sit down and let’s talk this through! What’s the rush? What if I go to the Zheng Family right now, only to come back dejectedly and tell you they turned us down because they’ve already promised the Zhang family? Is that the result you want?"

Liu Sanshun pulled over a small stool and sat down sullenly. Liu Xiaomei, worried about her third brother, slipped into the room without a sound. She sat next to her mother on the foot-warming stool, staying quiet and well-behaved.

Fatty Liu coughed and said, "It’s not that your mother and I don’t want to ask for her hand. But Sanshun, think about it. If we know it’s a lost cause, why go through the trouble of asking?"

He raised a hand to stop Liu Sanshun’s rebuttal and continued, "Are Zheng Changhe and his wife the kind of people who make decisions lightly? If they hadn’t taken a liking to Huai Zi, would they have agreed to this marriage? Is Zhang Dashuan a greedy man? If he hadn’t taken a liking to Juhua, would he have gone to propose? That couple has wanted Juhua as a daughter-in-law for a long time. It only fell through because Huai Zi wasn’t willing back then."

He looked at the somewhat indignant Sanshun and said, "Do you think that just because Huai Zi once said he didn’t want to marry Juhua, the Zheng Family should hold it against him and reject him now?"

Liu Sanshun glared and said, "That’s exactly how it should be."

Fatty Liu sighed. "If this were just a normal matchmaking attempt, the Zheng Family definitely wouldn’t agree. But it’s obvious that Huai Zi, just like you, likes Juhua. And Juhua is a girl with a mind of her own. If she didn’t like Huai Zi, I doubt Changhe and his wife would force her to marry him. Your sister knows this best!"

Liu Xiaomei shrank back, not daring to speak. All her usual cleverness and wit were gone—she was afraid she’d say the wrong thing and hurt her third brother’s feelings.

Liu Sanshun calmed down as well. After a moment of silence, he shared his thoughts. "What if they aren’t actually that satisfied with Huai Zi, but they were afraid Juhua wouldn’t get a good match, so they just settled for him? If you go and propose, it’s like telling them that their Juhua is in demand, that there’s no need to rush into an engagement. Juhua is still young. Our Mei isn’t engaged yet, either, is she?"

This was what infuriated him the most. ’Why is Juhua in such a hurry to get engaged? Is Huai Zi the only boy in the world?’

Fatty Liu was stunned by his son’s wishful thinking. ’The Zheng Family isn’t satisfied with Huai Zi?’ Huai Zi was an outstanding young man; his character and looks were both top-notch. His family was also small and simple, unlike their own sprawling clan. The Zhang family only had two sons.

He reminded his son, "Sanshun, you know perfectly well what kind of person Huai Zi is. If the Zheng Family isn’t satisfied with a young man like him, then who would they be satisfied with?"

Liu Sanshun said angrily, "I don’t care what kind of person he is. What good is it if he’s so great? All I know is that ever since Juhua got involved with him, she’s known nothing but trouble. That year, people made fun of her, saying no one would marry her, and she got so upset she tried to jump into the lake. And now? They’re about to get engaged, and people are laughing again, saying he’s only with her because her family has money. You tell me, what good is he? Besides causing trouble for Juhua, what else has he ever done?"

Hearing this, Fatty Liu and the other two thought about it carefully and realized it was true.

Mei’s mother looked at Sanshun and said cautiously, "Actually, you can’t really blame Huai Zi. That business years ago was just Granny Hua being a gossip. And you certainly can’t blame him this time. I heard from Mei that Xiaonian’s wife is bad news..."

Liu Sanshun cut his mother off. "There’s no smoke without fire! If he hadn’t said those things back then, Granny Hua wouldn’t have had anything to gossip about, no matter how much of a loose tongue she has. And this time is even more inexcusable. He and Juhua grew up together. He should be completely familiar with her face and remember it clearly. So why was he so shocked when Xiaonian’s wife pulled off Juhua’s face covering? He’s not like our Mei—Mei has barely ever seen Juhua’s face. Hmph. If I were there, I wouldn’t have been startled by her face."

Seeing his son sinking deeper and deeper into his obsession, Fatty Liu couldn’t help but say, "That’s just what Xiaonian’s wife said. What was Huai Zi’s real expression when he saw Juhua’s face? Mei, you tell us!"

Liu Xiaomei felt immense pressure as her parents and brother all stared at her. With a miserable look on her face, she said, "I don’t know! I was really startled at that moment, so I wasn’t paying attention to anyone else—I was just looking at Juhua. I felt so sorry for her. She’s so pretty, but she has that blemish on her face. I got angry and cursed out Xiaonian’s wife, and Huai Zi joined me."

Fatty Liu heard this and quickly said, "See? This proves that Huai Zi was just like Mei. It was all just nonsense from that Xiaonian’s wife..."

Liu Sanshun, who was already upset after hearing his sister’s words, saw his father defending Huai Zi again. It seemed like his parents had been defending Huai Zi all day. He shot to his feet, furious, and yelled at them, "Am I your son, or is Huai Zi your son?"

Fatty Liu and his wife were terrified to see their son looking like he’d lost his mind. Mei’s mother rushed forward to grab him, saying, "Sanshun, you are my son! You’re Mom’s best boy! My Sanshun has always been the most sensible child, never giving his father and me a moment’s worry! You are Mom’s good son!" As she spoke, she began to cry.

Fatty Liu, ignoring everything else, stepped forward and said to his son, "Dad isn’t going to propose because I’m afraid it’s not a sure thing, and it would break your heart. Let’s try another way. We’ll have Mei bring Juhua here. If Juhua isn’t too keen on Huai Zi and finds out that you like her, maybe there’s still a glimmer of hope."

’If I don’t let him try,’ he thought, ’he’ll never get out of this dead end. He likes Juhua, so let Juhua be the one to untie this knot.’

No longer caring about the Zhang family, Mei’s mother said repeatedly through her tears, "That’s a good idea. Mei, go and get Juhua. It’s not convenient for your brother to go to the Zheng Family’s house to talk to her about this. If you bring her here, we can ask her and get a clear answer."(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)