Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

For some reason, a deep fear gripped her. But no one else seemed nearly as concerned—aside from Li Changming. Everyone else just went about their business as if nothing was amiss.

The sun had set, and people were returning from the fields in twos and threes. Zhang Huai, carrying a seedling rake on his shoulder, was walking with Zhang Dashuan and He towards their courtyard gate when he spotted Juhua squatting by his family’s bamboo grove, doing who-knows-what.

He exchanged a curious glance with He, handed her the seedling rake, and walked over himself. He asked suspiciously, "Juhua, what are you doing lingering here?" ’Shouldn’t she be making dinner right now?’

When Juhua saw Zhang Huai, it was as if she’d suddenly found her support. She stood up, grabbed his arm, and said urgently, "Huai Zi, Meizi’s in labor!"

Zhang Huai smiled faintly. He glanced at the Li Family’s gate, then turned back to Juhua and said, "Yeah, I could hear her screaming from a long way off. It’s a terrifying sound. Changming is about to be a father."

Seeing his calm demeanor, Juhua couldn’t help but say, "She’s been screaming since this morning and still hasn’t given birth!"

Huai Zi paused for a moment, thinking she was probably worried about Meizi. He said, "Don’t you worry. Her mother and mother-in-law are both there, right? Nothing will go wrong..."

Juhua said, a little angrily, "Listen to how terribly she’s screaming! How can you act like it’s nothing?"

Huai Zi was dumbfounded. ’What else am I supposed to do? Meizi is having a baby, it doesn’t have much to do with me, does it? At most, I can congratulate Changming later. What else is there to do?’

He said awkwardly, "Juhua, there’s nothing I can do!"

Juhua, at the end of her rope, gave his arm a sharp twist—making him suck in a sharp breath of pain—and said angrily, "What if it were me giving birth? What if I was struggling for my life, suffering like this for a whole day without the baby coming, wouldn’t you be worried then?"

She finally understood what she was afraid of—she was afraid that when her time came, she wouldn’t make it through that brush with death.

’For women in this place, giving birth is like nature’s survival of the fittest. It’s the first round of selection. Those without strong vitality are eliminated. Only the ones with tenacious life force make it through. And she... she was one of those without strong vitality. In the future, it would be inevitable that both mother and child would perish—both eliminated.’

Zhang Huai’s expression changed drastically when he heard this. He grabbed her hand and chided, "What nonsense are you talking? This... How can you say such things!"

’When he heard Juhua bring up having children in the future, a wave of sweetness washed over him, followed by a surge of anxiety. He knew she was scared, but he had no idea how to comfort her. Could he really say, as he usually did, "Juhua, don’t you worry about it, leave it to me"?’

’He could help with anything else, but when it came to a woman giving birth, he was completely helpless. He looked at Juhua’s dainty and slender frame and began to worry too.’

At that moment, Juhua also felt her words had been a bit confusing, and even a little funny. She calmed herself down, took a breath, and said, "I didn’t mean anything else by what I said, I just feel uneasy. Huai Zi, my constitution isn’t very strong. I can’t get married and have children right now. You have to let me build up my health for a few more years. If Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang push us to get married, you have to help hold them off. Wait another two years for me, you understand?" Forgetting all about her embarrassment, she began to earnestly instruct Zhang Huai.

Zhang Huai had a sudden realization. ’So that’s what Juhua was worried about!’

’He couldn’t help with childbirth, but if he couldn’t even agree to this small request, wouldn’t that make him completely unreliable? Although a man marries a wife to have children, that wasn’t the whole story. At least, he couldn’t bear to let Juhua suffer this hardship so soon. Wouldn’t it be the same if she had a child later? Look at Changming, he’s so much older, and isn’t he just now having a son? He himself was still young.’

He held Juhua’s hand and nodded solemnly. "Don’t you worry. We’re already engaged, so waiting another two years to get married is no big deal. I’ll wait for you to build up your strength before we get married and have a baby. Juhua..."

As he spoke, his heart filled with tenderness. He felt he had a bellyful of words but didn’t know which ones to say, so he just murmured her name softly, caressing her hands with both of his. Even in summer, her hands were cool and moist, which made him even more worried.

Juhua felt Huai Zi’s gaze fall over her like a net, enveloping her completely. Her body felt light, and with the tension from worrying about Meizi finally releasing, she felt weak. She couldn’t help but lean back against the green bamboo behind her. A SWISH of rustling bamboo leaves startled them both back to their senses.

Zhang Huai quickly steadied Juhua, fighting the urge that rose in him to pull her into his arms. He barely managed to control himself. His face slightly flushed, he gave her a soft smile. After a moment, he whispered to her, "Listen, Meizi’s not screaming anymore! Do you think she’s given birth?"

Juhua cocked her ear to listen. Indeed, there was no more sound. She immediately said with delight, "She must have... No, wait. If she gave birth, how come we can’t hear the baby crying?"

Just as she finished speaking, the cry of a newborn baby rang out, clear and pleasant, echoing across the mountain village and fields. In that moment, it seemed the entire world was filled with vigorous life.

The two of them, arm in arm, looked at each other and smiled. They then turned together to look at the Li Family’s gate just as it opened. Gou Dan’s mother shouted to Li Changming, "Go get your father and the others! Tell them Meizi gave birth to a boy! Tell them all to come..." The excitement in her voice was impossible to hide.

Li Changming was grinning from ear to ear as he hurried toward the village. He suddenly saw Juhua and Huai Zi standing by the bamboo grove. Not even noticing they were holding hands, he shouted happily to Juhua, "Meizi gave birth! Juhua, Meizi had a baby boy! Hehe! Juhua, Huai Zi, come have red eggs later. I’m going to call for my dad and Meizi’s dad... who’s my dad, too."

His words were a bit jumbled, and he passed by without stopping.

Juhua smiled at his retreating figure. Huai Zi watched for a moment, then said gently to Juhua, "Go on back. Aunt Zheng will worry if she can’t find you—she doesn’t know you came out, does she?"

Juhua heard this and cried out, "Oh no! I came out halfway through making dinner—the vegetables are still on the cutting board! If my mom comes back and sees that, she’ll think something happened to me." With that, she grabbed Zhang Huai and started running.