Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

It was no big deal, and it wouldn’t cost much anyway. Besides, she really liked that Juhua was so clean and refined, yet not fussy in the slightest—she never shied away from dirty work. That’s why she planned to prepare a separate set of toiletries just for her. For now, though, she could just use Huai Zi’s.

Juhua smiled at her gratefully and said, "Thank you."

He felt very gratified to hear this, her smile so wide her eyes crinkled into slits.

By the time Juhua finished washing up, Huai Zi had already mixed a bucket of pig feed. "Come on," he said to her, "let’s go watch me feed the pigs. Our pigs are growing so strong and lively." With that, he picked up the bucket and headed for the backyard, Juhua following behind him.

The pigsty in the backyard was a thatched shed, divided into three small pens. The first two each contained two large, fat pigs weighing around a hundred jin. The third pen held three, which were smaller.

When they saw Huai Zi approach, the pigs started grunting and squealing, nudging the wooden fence with their snouts. They must have been hungry after a long night.

Huai Zi fed the pigs in the front pens first. The ones in the back two pens immediately began to squeal up a storm, ramming the wooden fences until they shook. They were certainly lively.

Huai Zi scowled and shouted, "What’s the rush? You’ll all get your turn!"

Juhua let out a snort of laughter.

Holding the empty bucket, Huai Zi turned to her with a smile. "Why don’t you go check on the vegetables? I’ll bring two more buckets to feed these guys. The small hoe and sickle are by the nesting box on the chicken run. Feel free to grab them if you need them. If you leave them on the ground and it rains, they’ll rust."

Juhua quickly replied, "You go on. It won’t do to neglect your little pig overlords. I’ll go check on the vegetables." With that, she headed toward the garden patch.

The east side of the backyard was the vegetable garden, and the west side had fruit trees. Many fruit trees were also planted along the courtyard wall bordering the mountain—peach, plum, apricot, and mulberry trees were all there. There were also two Yingtao trees, though they hadn’t borne fruit yet. In contrast, most of the fruit trees at Juhua’s family home were already beginning to fruit.

The vegetables in the garden were much the same as those at her own family’s home; everyone planted the same crops in the same seasons. The only difference was in the tending. This garden was clearly not as neat and tidy as the one belonging to the Zheng Family, because whenever Juhua had a spare moment, she used to be in the Zheng Family’s garden, tending to it with meticulous care.

She looked at the vegetable patch and thought, ’I suppose I’ll be busy here from now on. Raising a daughter really is a raw deal. Once she’s grown, you just marry her off to work for another family for free.’

She picked up the small hoe from the chicken run, glanced down at her new shoes, and hesitated for a moment before stepping into the furrow to start weeding around the chili peppers. The chili plants were over a foot tall, with a few small, white flowers already blooming at their tops. Looking at these Hua’er, she could already imagine sharp green and red chilies hanging from the branches.

The patch seemed to have been weeded recently, as there weren’t many weeds. She quickly hoed away the slender, young shoots, then moved over to the Huang Gua trellis. Dropping the hoe, she began righting the vines that had grown crooked, guiding them to twine properly around the frame.

As she was busy, she caught a familiar scent. She turned to look, and sure enough, Huai Zi had returned. His eyes were clear and bright. He smiled, picked up the hoe Juhua had dropped, and came to her side. "You rest," he said gently. "I’ll do it." Then he asked, "Are you hungry yet?"

Juhua shook her head. "I ate so much last night, I’m still not hungry at all."

Huai Zi gave her a meaningful, sidelong glance, his eyes filled with a tender affection that made her blush. She quickly turned her head away, unable to meet his gaze.

The two chatted idly as they worked. "Juhua," Huai Zi said, "don’t just go out whenever you feel like it for the next few days. Just stay at home. We’ll close the courtyard gate when we leave, and don’t open it unless you hear us call, understand? If there are any wild vegetables you want, just tell me, and we’ll go pick them for you."

As he went on with his instructions, Juhua kept nodding in response. She reassured him not to worry, telling him she was clever and would certainly be careful.

Huai Zi put down the hoe and started pulling weeds by hand. "Juhua," he asked, "how come you like tending to vegetable gardens so much?"

Juhua smiled. "When you get up in the morning and see all the neat green rows in the garden, don’t you just feel so content? Looking at the color green is good for your eyes, too. A scholar like you should be especially careful about protecting your eyesight. Besides, all these vegetables are things we can eat. Seeing them grow so well just makes me happy deep down inside. It’s the same way my dad feels when he sees the rice and wheat turn golden. I just love seeing a bountiful harvest of gourds and greens. It makes me even happier than my dad is when he brings in the rice."

As she finished speaking, she suddenly remembered something. "Let’s pick some Nangua shoots later. On second thought, let’s wait until noon—they’re best when stir-fried fresh."

Huai Zi turned to look at her, puzzled. "Nangua shoots? But they’re about to flower and grow Nangua. What happens if we pick the shoots? Besides, those things are so fuzzy. They’re only good for pig feed. They’ll scratch your throat if you try to eat them."

Juhua said proudly, "See, that’s something you don’t know. If the Nangua vines grow too long, it’s actually not good; the Nangua they bear will be very small. But if you pinch off some of the tender tips, the ones that are left will grow much bigger. It’s because there isn’t enough fertilizer to go around! As for the tips you pick, you just have to peel off the fuzzy outer skin. The inside isn’t fuzzy at all, and it’s delicious when you stir-fry it."

Seeing how excited she was, Huai Zi’s eyes curved into a smile. "Well, I don’t do the cooking, so I’ve never thought about it that much. But I do love seeing the fruit trees laden with fruit. And, um, the willow and peach trees by the gate and the river—we planted those with our own hands, and seeing them makes me happy. I’m happy when the rice turns golden, too. But what I love most is the sight of the rice paddies about ten days after planting, once the seedlings have taken root and grown strong. That vast, lush green field... it’s just an incredibly comforting sight."

Juhua quickly looked up at him, her face breaking into a surprised, delighted smile. "Me too! And back then, the paddies were full of little fish, shrimp, and frogs. I loved going to the ditches to scoop up little fish, but my dad would never let me go alone, and he was always too busy."

Huai Zi said to her, "Next time we weed the seedlings, you can come with me."

"Okay!" Juhua replied happily.

After working for a while longer, He’s voice called out loudly from the house, telling them it was time to eat. Only then did the two of them leave the vegetable garden and head toward the main house.