Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Zhuzi chimed in, "If that Laixi fellow bullies you, your four brothers could knock him flat with one punch each—he looks so fair-skinned, I bet he can’t take a hit."

Liu Xiaomei glared at her. "By that logic, does Changxing’s dark skin mean he *can* take a hit? Should I call my four brothers over to give him a punch and see?"

Seeing Zhuzi’s sullen expression, Juhua and Meizi collapsed with laughter.

Liu Xiaomei said, "Hmph! Don’t you all worry. I’ve already talked it over with Laixi. When the New Year comes, I’m going to stay at my parents’ place for a good while, and each of your families will have to treat me to a meal."

Everyone agreed that would be easy. They could all cook together and just take turns each day.

As they were laughing and talking, Mei’s mother showed up, calling for Liu Xiaomei to come home and eat dumplings. Everyone asked in surprise why she was eating dumplings already when it was still too early for lunch.

Mei’s mother smiled. "She’s pregnant and always hungry. She needs to eat several meals a day." Turning to Mei, she chided, "You shouldn’t have come out without a word. You should have had your third sister-in-law come with you. The first few months are the most crucial, so don’t take this lightly. If anything were to happen, how would you explain it to Laixi?"

Seeing everyone staring at her, Liu Xiaomei flushed with embarrassment and said to her mother, "Mom, listen to you! I’m not that delicate. Besides, I just ate a little while ago. I’m not that hungry."

Meizi’s eyes widened and she cried out, "Whoa! You didn’t tell us something so important, honestly! Huh? You’re pregnant but you’re not having any symptoms? And you’re eating several meals a day? With an appetite that good? I was throwing up for days before I could eat properly."

She then turned to Juhua. "See, Juhua? Didn’t I say she’d be next? And here we are, she got pregnant right after Jinxiang. Zhuzi, you two had better get to work."

Juhua and Zhuzi simultaneously turned their heads and ignored her.

Ignoring Liu Xiaomei’s awkwardness, her mother said happily, "She’s doing well, at least she can eat. That’s a blessing in itself; she’ll suffer a lot less." She then urged her daughter to come home, saying she should eat a little something to tide her over until she could have a proper meal at lunchtime.

Liu Xiaomei had no choice but to bid everyone farewell. Once she left, the group dispersed—in truth, everyone had plenty to do at home.

Zhuzi and Mei’s mother left Juhua’s in-laws’ courtyard together. As they passed the entrance to Juhua’s maiden home, they saw Yang shi returning, carrying a large load of sunflower heads on a shoulder pole. Seeing them, she quickly set down her load and called out, "Mei, when did you get back? Don’t leave for lunch, just eat at your aunt’s place. I’ll go get Juhua to keep you company."

Mei’s mother quickly stopped her, telling her not to go to the trouble, and explained the situation.

Zhuzi smiled. "Auntie, we just came from Juhua’s. Juhua was just trying to keep Mei for a meal, but with her four brothers, she won’t even have time to have one meal at each of their places. How could she have time to eat at anyone else’s home? We had to let her go."

Yang shi laughed. "You child. It’s a rare trip back home for you, so of course you need to have a heart-to-heart with your parents first. But you can’t leave your aunt’s house without at least one meal. If you stay an extra night, you’ll have time to come around, won’t you?"

Liu Xiaomei quickly said, apologetically, "Auntie, it’s such a busy season, I really shouldn’t stay away from home. I have to go back to Liujiatang tomorrow. Even if I don’t do much work, I can at least help my mother-in-law with the cooking and things. Laixi and I already arranged it. When the New Year comes, I’ll come back to my parents’ for a few days, and I’ll come to your house for a meal then."

Hearing this, Yang shi didn’t press the matter further. She exchanged a few more pleasantries with Mei’s mother, and when she learned that Mei was pregnant, her face lit up with joy. She followed up with a long list of advice, thinking to herself, ’I’ll have to catch an old hen and send it over to her later.’

Zhuzi and Mei also praised how large her family’s sunflower heads were and how plump the seeds looked. The group stood at the doorway chatting for a long time before finally parting ways.

After Juhua finished tidying up at home, she glanced at the sky. It was still a while before she needed to start making dinner, so she decided to go back to her parents’ house to check on her sister-in-law.

Entering the Zheng Family Courtyard, she saw Yang shi under the peach tree, emptying the sunflower heads. Each one looked like a small sieve, its face densely packed with grayish-black sunflower seeds.

Liu Yunlan, wearing a floral headscarf, was sitting on a small stool with her large belly sticking out. Unable to bend over, she twisted her body to the side to pick up a sunflower head. First, she rubbed the seeds off one corner of the head with her hand to create a small clearing. Once she had an open space, it was easier to apply force. Using the heel of her palm, she pushed row after row of seeds toward the gap, and the seeds broke free from the head, falling with a RUSTLE into the dustpan below.