Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Huai Zi didn’t press the matter and went to get cleaned up.

By the time he came out in a fresh set of dry clothes, the sun had already set. He stood at the courtyard gate, his gaze passing through the grove of young willows in front. He could see groups of people returning from the fields, carrying hoes on their shoulders and bamboo baskets on poles. Some hurried along, while others ambled at a leisurely pace.

He rarely had moments of leisure like this and felt completely relaxed. He decided to read for a bit, then find Qingmu and Juhua for a chat after dinner. Just as he was about to turn, he suddenly glimpsed a slender, purple-clad figure in the willow grove heading toward the river, a large gray dog trailing behind her.

’It’s Juhua!’ He smiled faintly and followed the cobblestone path, fringed with slender, swaying willows, down to the river.

Juhua was sitting on the grassy riverbank, leaning against a young willow tree about as thick as a bowl. She watched a flock of mallards frolicking in the water, her thoughts drifting aimlessly, or perhaps she was thinking of nothing at all.

The gray dog heard a noise from behind and turned to see Zhang Huai. It immediately trotted over to greet him, rubbing its head against his legs and licking his hand.

Huai Zi gently tugged the dog by its ears and quietly approached Juhua. "Why are you sitting under a willow tree again?" he said. "If a stinging caterpillar falls on you, it’ll leave a big welt on your neck. The sun’s down now, why not sit in the clearing over there? It’s more open!"

A cold shiver ran down Juhua’s spine, and she scrambled to get up. But in her haste, she struggled and couldn’t stand. Huai Zi chuckled, reached out a large hand, and grabbed her flailing arm to pull her to her feet. "Got stung once and you’ve already forgotten?" he teased.

The "stinging caterpillars" were green, leaf-eating pests that hid among the leaves. If one fell onto bare skin, it would instantly raise a painful welt. For Juhua, it was their soft, hairy appearance that she detested, just as she detested leeches.

She looked up at the delicate willow branches overhead and said with some lingering fear, "I was lost in thought and forgot. Why are you back so early today?" As she spoke, she tried to pull her hand free and sit on the grass nearer to the river.

But Huai Zi didn’t let go. He led her a few steps forward before sitting down. "Two merchants came to the docks today," he explained. "They bought a lot of our spicy cabbage, savory paste, and other goods. They even bought quite a bit of the savory cured fish. The shop’s storeroom is empty, so I came back early to have the workshop make a delivery."

Since the end of last year, the workshop had set up a small stall right at the Erli Village docks. This allowed people from the merchant boats passing through to see the local specialties from Xiatang Market right away and decide if they wanted to stock up.

Juhua nodded. "More and more merchants are coming to Xiatang Market." After a pause, she smiled at him. "And you’re getting busier and busier. I haven’t seen a trace of you for days."

At her words, Huai Zi’s grip tightened on her slender hand. He asked softly, "Did you miss me, then?"

Juhua froze at his gentle tone. She glanced around. Other than the ducks in the river and the dog at her side, there were only the willows and peach trees on the bank, swaying in the soft breeze. The surrounding fields were quiet, save for the distant sound of a child crying from Li Changming’s house, mingled with Meizi’s soothing words.

She thought for a moment, then chuckled softly. "Well... I missed you a little." As she spoke, she firmly pulled her hand out of his and shot him a disapproving glance.

Although Zhang Huai had promised Juhua he wasn’t in a rush to get married, he found himself thinking about her more and more. Perhaps it was the influence of Qingmu’s recent wedding, or perhaps it was the natural progression of their deep feelings. Or maybe it was because Juhua had truly blossomed. In any case, whenever they were alone together, he often found himself getting carried away.

This situation made Juhua wary. ’He’s in his early twenties,’ she thought. ’If I keep being so intimate with him, aren’t I just torturing the poor guy?’ So, she deliberately found books for him to read. Then, whenever they were together, they would be so busy pondering and discussing issues from the books that there was no time to think of anything else.

In truth, Huai Zi understood Juhua’s intentions. It was just that in the heat of the moment, he couldn’t always control himself. Fortunately, he was a busy man. Between the crops in the fields, the pigs and wood ear mushrooms at home, and the workshop that constantly needed his attention, he didn’t have much free time for romance with Juhua anyway.

Seeing Juhua glare at him, he blushed and said softly, "Juhua, I already spoke to my mother. I told her I’ll wait another two years for you, so we can marry when you’re a little older."

Juhua asked in surprise, "Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?"

Huai Zi smiled at her. "I think my mother saw that your sister-in-law is about to give birth, and it made her anxious. She originally wanted us to get married by the end of the year. I told her we should let you get a little older, otherwise, childbirth might be hard on you. And she agreed."

Juhua stared at him, dumbfounded. After a long moment, she asked in disbelief, "You talked to your mother about me having babies?"

"Well, yeah," Huai Zi said, perplexed. "If I didn’t say that, how else was I supposed to tell them I don’t want to get married right now? You have no idea. The day I told them I wanted to wait, my parents thought I’d lost my mind and was backing out of our engagement."

Even though it was a perfectly good reason, Juhua still found it hard to accept that they were so openly discussing her suitability for childbirth. That was just... so embarrassing!

Seeing her discomfort, Huai Zi gently reassured her, "We didn’t say anything bad. Just that you have a delicate build. My mother dotes on you; why would she ever speak ill of you?" He paused, then smiled. "Besides, everyone has children after they get married, don’t they?"

Juhua pouted. "Still, you shouldn’t have said that to her."

"I won’t say it again," Zhang Huai said quickly. He then unconsciously leaned a little closer, inhaling her subtle scent. It was neither sweet nor perfumed—an indescribable fragrance, but one he loved.

From this close, Juhua could see how the lines of his face had grown more resolute, shedding the last of his boyishness. In the past year or two, both he and Qingmu had changed a great deal, becoming more mature and composed. In fact, it wasn’t just them. Many of the young men in Qingnan Village had changed immensely, as had the young women.

Zhang Huai saw her gazing at him silently and gave her a brilliant smile. He opened his mouth to speak, then decided this silence was nice, too. He simply watched her gently, listening with her to the soft whisper of the wind through the grass.

Juhua saw the tender affection in his smiling eyes and sighed. ’This really is hard on him, us not getting married,’ she thought. Wanting to change the subject, she asked, "Have you found out anything about the new County Magistrate? What’s his reputation like?"