Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

He, Zhang Huai, and Zhang Yang all laughed at his words.

Seeing Huai Zi smile, Zhang Dashuan nodded to himself. He had also been trying to cheer his son up.

Zhang Huai looked at Zhang Yang and smiled. "Then you just focus on becoming a Champion Scholar. And don’t do it for me—by then, I’ll already be married to Juhua, so who cares what people say? Do it for yourself."

Zhang Yang grinned and nodded. "You got it! When that time comes, our two families will have money and a government official. That’ll really show them."

Zhang Dashuan and He beamed at their two sons. "Don’t pay those people any mind. Making them mad doesn’t do us any good. We should just focus on living our own lives. Huai Zi, the engagement is set for the tenth of the twelfth month. Juhua will be our Zhang family’s daughter-in-law-to-be. Just thinking about it makes me happy, and I don’t feel so angry anymore."

The family was once again filled with cheer.

At Juhua’s home, the woman from the Yang family said to Zheng Changhe and her two children, "Forget what people are saying. We chose a good son-in-law, so we should be happy. That wife of Xiaonian is stirring up so much trouble just because she’s jealous we found such a good match, isn’t she? And never mind that Juhua’s face has healed—even if it hadn’t, getting Huai Zi to pick her is a feat in itself. As for her own sister, there’s nothing wrong with her face, but still, no one wants to marry her. Hmph, jealousy won’t get her anywhere!"

Zheng Changhe laughed. "Exactly! That little shrew, you can tell she’s bad news just by looking at her. Zhou Baozhu is in for a real headache. This time, Dashuan and I only wanted him to discipline that young woman, but Big Mouth Zhao went and cursed her son, saying he wouldn’t live past the end of the year. Can you imagine how furious Baozhu was when he heard that? If she keeps stirring up trouble like this, next time people will be cursing his entire family line to end."

Juhua and Qingmu saw their parents’ triumphant expressions and exchanged a quiet smile.

In the early morning, Zhang Huai walked across the cold, hard ground to the Zheng family’s home. Qingmu was carrying a bucket of well water to the cowshed to water the ox. Seeing Zhang Huai, he stopped and smiled. "Heading out?" He knew Huai Zi was going to Qinghui to deliver goods today. Li Changyu had sent a message saying he was too busy to come back and wanted Huai Zi to bring him some sausages, cured meat, and various pickles.

Zhang Huai nodded, glanced hesitantly toward the kitchen, and asked, "Is Juhua up yet?"

Qingmu gave a slight smile. "She’s up. In the kitchen! So you didn’t come here to talk to me, huh?"

Zhang Huai ignored his teasing tone and went straight into the kitchen to find Juhua.

Juhua had just finished washing up. Seeing her mother was cooking breakfast, she brought out some chicken feed for the chickens. She was startled for a moment when she saw Zhang Huai walk over, but she quickly smiled and asked, "Huai Zi, you’re here so early?"

Huai Zi nodded with a smile, his breath forming a small white cloud in the air. "I’m heading to Qinghui to make a delivery, so I came to let you know. Is there anything you want me to buy?"

Looking at his bright, open smile, Juhua was struck by how different things felt now that their engagement was settled. ’Seeing him now, there’s a sense of calm, as if the dust has finally settled. There’s the sweetness of a future together, a new reliance on the one I’ll spend my life with, and in the smiles we exchange, the unspoken understanding of two connected hearts!’

’No more of those confusing thoughts, because our destinies are now tightly bound together!’

So she smiled and said, "I can’t think of anything I need right now, so just use your own judgment. The things you bought last time were wonderful, I loved them! Mmm, but if you don’t see anything suitable, just forget it. Don’t go spending money recklessly!"

Suddenly, she was taken aback by the sound of her own voice and cringed. ’Why am I chattering on like a little housewife? And if that wasn’t enough, I even said, "Don’t go spending money recklessly." Are those words really coming from my mouth?’

But Zhang Huai only grew happier the more he listened. Her earnest, concerned tone was both reassuring and sweet. Seeing her suddenly fall silent, he gazed at her and said softly, "I should get going, then. You... it’s cold, so don’t be running around outside all the time. Just stay home and do your needlework."

Juhua nodded without a word, simply smiling as she watched him turn, stride away, and disappear down the village path outside the courtyard.

She turned back to feeding the chickens, scattering the feed as she thought, ’Why hasn’t Liu Xiaomei come by these last couple of days? With all these rumors flying around the village, her personality dictates she should be here comforting me and cursing out Xiaonian’s wife. So why haven’t I seen hide nor hair of her?’

Liu Xiaomei did, in fact, want to come. But she didn’t know how to face Juhua, because her Third Brother was throwing a stubborn fit, and she had no idea what to do.

When the news of Juhua’s engagement to Zhang Huai spread, no one was more incredulous than Liu Sanshun. He had been working his hardest to build up his family’s assets so he could propose to the Zheng family. Who would have thought she would suddenly be getting engaged to Huai Zi?

He thought blankly, ’Why isn’t Juhua even a little mad at Zhang Huai? He once said he didn’t want to marry her. And why were Uncle Zheng and Aunt Zheng in such a rush to get her engaged? She’s still so young.’

He questioned his sister in detail about what had happened at the Zheng family’s home that day. Finally, he asked, "Do you think Huai Zi likes Juhua?" Before Liu Xiaomei could answer, he rephrased the question. "Do you think Juhua likes Huai Zi?" ’Of course Huai Zi likes Juhua,’ he thought. ’That’s not even a question.’

Liu Xiaomei looked at her Third Brother, who was silent and no longer wore his usual smile. Her heart ached for him. She knew her Third Brother liked Juhua, but... it seemed Juhua liked Huai Zi.

She said softly, "Third Brother, what does it matter what I think? If Juhua didn’t like Brother Huai Zi, Uncle Zheng and Aunt Zheng couldn’t force her to get engaged to him."

Liu Sanshun found her words grating. He looked up and said resentfully, "Not necessarily! She doesn’t know that other people like her. She probably thinks no one besides Huai Zi is willing to marry her, so she just agreed, didn’t she? If she knew that I like her too, would she still agree to be with Huai Zi? He said he didn’t want to marry her before! I refuse to believe she’s not angry about that!"

The more he spoke, the more sense it made to him. ’That’s it,’ he thought. ’It must be because Juhua thinks she’s ugly and won’t be able to find a good husband. She’s probably afraid she’ll end up having to marry some old man, so she agreed to Huai Zi.’

"I’m going to have Mom and Dad go to the Zheng family and ask for her hand. They’re not officially engaged yet!" Liu Sanshun said to Liu Xiaomei with determination. Then, ignoring his sister’s stunned expression, he got up to find Fatty Liu. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to visit qidian.com to vote with recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)