Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

She was born in the countryside and lived a happy, simple life. She used every means she could think of to beautify herself, becoming a unique presence in the village, yet she never seemed out of place. Had nothing unexpected happened, she would have married, had children, and painstakingly crafted what she believed to be a beautiful life. She would have surely become a special kind of village wife—one who could prolong her beautiful youth. But that kind of life was cut short.

’Having lived two lives, Juhua could naturally imagine how resentful and furious Yan must have been. In her young, simple mind, did she believe that if she just worked hard enough, she could seize a brilliant future and grind those who had bullied her under her heel? This resentment was so intense that when the opportunity to return arose, she still chose to forsake it.’

Qingmu asked, "So where is she now? Was she taken to the Capital City, or is she staying at your brother’s benefactor’s home?"

Li Changyu sighed. "She’s not at Ding Xuezheng’s home. It wasn’t appropriate for him to intervene personally, so at the time, he asked the Lord Governor to request her release. Now, she’s in the Lord Governor’s residence. This whole affair was very awkward for Ding Xuezheng. The plan was to send her back to her parents as soon as she was freed, but now she’s refusing to come back. It almost looks like she intentionally sought an opportunity to get into the Lord Governor’s household. Fortunately, the Lord Governor’s daughter has taken a liking to her and kept her by her side, so it didn’t turn into a complete joke. Otherwise, my brother would have forcibly brought her back, no matter what."

Zhang Huai frowned. "She’s naive and oversimplifying things. You should have tried to talk some sense into her. What’s the point of staying there? She’s just waiting on others for nothing. What good outcome can she possibly expect?"

Li Changyu said helplessly, "You think I didn’t try? That girl is just stubborn. You can say whatever you want, but it’s useless if she won’t listen."

Qingmu, however, started to worry for Zhou Xiaoman. "Then what’s Xiaoman supposed to do? Is he considered married or not? If he wants to remarry, wouldn’t he have to issue a letter of divorce to Yan? But if he doesn’t divorce her and brings home a new bride, would she be a wife or a concubine?"

Li Changyu stomped his foot in frustration. "That’s exactly the problem. My second uncle is worried sick, and to make matters worse, my second aunt has fallen ill. He went to my father for advice, but it’s not my father’s place to make a decision for him. If they divorce her, their reputation will suffer. But if they don’t, where is she? When is she coming back? And even if she does return, will she be the same Yan we knew?"

Juhua asked, puzzled, "Don’t you have to ask Yan about this?"

Li Changyu faltered, then said angrily, "Oh, she made it sound simple enough, telling the Zhou family to just divorce her. But my second uncle won’t agree. He’s still hoping she’ll just be a maid for a few years and then come back someday."

Juhua said with a wry smile, "You expect Zhou Xiaoman to wait for her for several years? No matter what you decide, it won’t work unless Yan agrees to it. Otherwise, a few years from now, it’ll all be for nothing. How would you explain that to the Zhou family then?"

Li Changyu nodded. "You’re right. It’s not easy to find a perfect solution at this point. It looks like the only option is to have the Zhou family issue a letter of divorce. I’m afraid Yan isn’t coming back."

Juhua let out a soft sigh. ’With these kinds of life choices, it’s truly hard to judge what’s right or wrong. No one can say for sure that her choice is a mistake until the very end. Even if she comes to regret it later, that doesn’t necessarily mean the choice itself was wrong.’

’Ultimately, how you feel about your life is a personal matter. It’s like a pair of shoes—their value has nothing to do with how expensive or ornate they are. The softest, most precious leather serves the same purpose as a simple cloth shoe padded with cotton: comfort.’

After these reflections, life went on as usual. While the rice seedlings in the paddy fields were flowering and forming heads of grain, most people were busy in the corn, shanyu, and huangdou fields.

With Juhua at home managing the chores, He often went out to work in the fields, making sure to come back a little early at the end of the day to lend Juhua a hand.

"Juhua, what are these tender lotus leaves for?" This was at noon, when He brought a few tender lotus leaves back and asked Juhua why she’d wanted them.

Juhua quickly took them and scooped some water to rinse them. "They’re for lining the steamer," she explained to He. "It gives the steamed buns a lovely, fresh fragrance." As she spoke, she cut the washed leaves into squares and began placing round balls of proofed dough on top of them.

Once she was done, she set the buns aside to let them rise. Then, she turned her attention to stir-frying the other dishes and cooking the rice. The buns would finish rising and be steamed that afternoon for dinner.

Seeing Juhua bustling about, all her usual unhurried grace gone, He noted that while sweat was pouring down her face, her movements were incredibly quick and efficient. He quickly wiped her own face and hurried over to help.

By the time the meal was ready, Juhua’s clothes were soaked through with sweat. She went to her room to change into something dry, and when she came out, Zhang Huai and Zhang Dashuan were just walking through the door. Coming in from under the scorching sun, they were both completely drenched as well.

Juhua hurried over to Zhang Huai. "Huai Zi, come and change your clothes—it must be uncomfortable wearing them when they’re this sweaty. Take them off and I’ll wash them with mine. Dad, you should change too!"

Zhang Huai hesitated. "I have to go back to the fields this afternoon. A fresh set of clothes will just get sweaty again. Wouldn’t that just mean more laundry for you? We always just manage like this. Don’t go to the trouble."

Juhua pulled him into their room. She pinched the damp fabric at his chest and frowned. "Isn’t it miserable wearing wet clothes? They’re easy to wash when you take them off now—one good scrub and they’re clean. But if you let them dry on you and then get them soaked with sweat again, the fabric will turn stiff and sour. That’s much harder to wash out. Just go ahead and change. When it used to get this hot, my father and brother would change twice a day. It’s not like you don’t have other clothes. Here, wear this old one. I just mended it yesterday, so we won’t mind if it gets washed a few more times."

She pulled an old, patched linen shirt from the cabinet and urged Huai Zi to change.

Seeing her determination, Huai Zi took the shirt and smiled at her. "Alright, I’ll go wash up a bit first, then I’ll change."

They went out to the well, where he drew water to wash himself. Juhua put the clothes she and Huai Zi had changed out of into a basin and began to scrub them, then turned to ask Zhang Dashuan for his.

Zhang Dashuan chuckled. "Dad’s thick-skinned. I’ll just keep working in these and change tonight. Juhua, don’t you worry about me. Your mother will be sure to tell me what to do."