Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Li Changming hurried outside with the boy in his arms, cooing, "Let’s go, we’ll go home and have some yummy eggies. That lotus root isn’t good, it’ll give you a tummy ache..." Meizi followed close behind, basket in hand, readily agreeing with what Li Changming said.

The couple’s voices slowly faded, and Li Jingwen’s babbling stopped. It seemed that once they were out of the courtyard, the lotus root’s allure had magically vanished with the increasing distance.

Juhua was still amused thinking about what had just happened. She laughed and said to Zhao Qing, "That little one is getting too clever. He already knows to go ask his dad when his mom says no."

Zhao Qing sat down beside Juhua and said with a mature air, "What’s so strange about that? Dads are easier to talk to. When I’m at home, if my mom forbids me from doing something, my dad always secretly lets me do it. Li Jingwen is just good at reading people; he knew to ask his father."

Seeing the big one and the little one start to chatter about this and that again, Zhang Huai sat down beside Juhua with a smile. He began to help her snap the water bamboo shoot greens as he listened to them talk.

Juhua asked curiously, "Like what? What wouldn’t your mom let you do?"

Zhao Qing said, a bit shyly, "I wanted to watch a chicken lay an egg, but my mom said no. Later, my dad took me to see. It wasn’t a big deal. It’s kind of like pooping—they have to strain just the same."

Juhua burst out laughing with a PFFT. "Anymore?" she continued, fishing for gossip.

Zhao Qing thought for a moment. "Lots," she said. "I wanted to sweep the floor, but my mom said I was too small to lift the broom, so my dad made a tiny one for me. I wanted to pick vegetables in the garden, so my dad wove a little basket for me. I’ve even mended clothes. After sitting for half the day, my back gets so sore."

Juhua saw she was playing the adult again—’how could a child’s back get sore? She probably doesn’t even know where her waist is!’—and asked with concern, stifling a laugh, "You didn’t prick your hand, did you?"

Zhao Qing said, "You have to mend even if you prick your hand. Mom says if you can’t mend clothes, you can’t make new ones, and you can’t make shoes either—" Suddenly, her face lit up as she looked outside. "Dad, what are you doing here? I know the way home myself. You’re just wasting your time coming all this way. Why aren’t you busy in the fields?"

Juhua and Zhang Huai exchanged a smile. ’Now she’s even managing the farm work.’

Just then, Zhao San strode in. "I’ll go to the fields after I eat," he said. "Qing’er, did you pick a lot of water bamboo shoot greens? Wow! My daughter is so capable! We’ll have delicious water bamboo shoot greens for lunch. Your mom is probably waiting for them to toss in the wok. Come on, let’s go home, wash them, and cook them up."

His stream of praise made Zhao Qing beam, and she eagerly pointed out which ones she had picked herself.

Juhua helped her pack the greens into the basket, adding a handful of the ones she had picked. She said it was a little something from Meizi and her for the trouble of looking after Li Jingwen.

Zhao Qing was even happier when she heard it was a reward. Every time Juhua had her help with a chore, there was a reward, which always made her work with extra enthusiasm.

Zhao San gave Juhua a knowing nod and a smile, then said deliberately, "Our Qing’er is so capable. When her little brother is born, we won’t have to worry about who will look after him. I was counting on your older brother, but he’s always studying and is rarely free. Now that you can take care of little ones, I can rest easy."

Zhao Qing said happily, "We don’t need to bother my brother. He needs to study so he can teach me my characters when he’s home. I really know how to take care of a baby!"

Hearing this, Zhao San feigned a look of profound relief. "With Qing’er here, I can just sit back and enjoy life!" he laughed. He took Zhao Qing by the hand, picked up the vegetable basket with his other, and left after saying goodbye to Huai Zi and Juhua.

Zhao Qing skipped along beside her father, not forgetting to turn and call back to Juhua, "Juhua, I’ll come hang out with you again tomorrow!"

Juhua called back playfully, "Thanks a lot! I feel so bad always troubling you to come over and keep me company, taking up all your time."

Hearing this, the girl stopped in her tracks and shouted back, "It’s no problem! I’m not doing anything anyway, and I get to learn how to do housework with you."

Zhao San and Zhang Huai watched the two characters, amused.

Once the father and daughter were out of earshot, Juhua slowly let out a breath and smacked her lips. Her cheeks were sore from smiling. ’It’s like this every time Zhao Qing visits.’

After composing her expression, she turned to Huai Zi. "Is it settled?" she asked, referring to the transfer of the workshop.

Huai Zi nodded, his tone mild. "It’s all settled. There wasn’t much to discuss, really. If the Li Family won’t take it, what choice is there but to sell to the Fang family? Did they expect to just wait until someone came to snatch it? It was the obvious move. All that arguing was just everyone being afraid they’d get the short end of the stick."

Juhua said, "It’s only natural they’re reluctant to let it go. They were hoping to make their fortune with that workshop."

Huai Zi’s voice was serious. "That’s because they haven’t run the numbers properly. The workshop makes money, sure, but once you factor in the time and all the different costs, the profit isn’t that great. If we transfer it to the Fang family and focus our energy on raising pigs and farming the land, what we harvest will also increase our income. It’s not like past years when it was hard to sell our produce."

Juhua nodded. Just as she was about to speak, she heard Huai Zi laugh. "Well, we can’t meddle in other families’ affairs. Let them negotiate terms with the Fang family tomorrow. Juhua... you like children so much. How many do you think we should have?"

Juhua was taken aback. Seeing him gazing at her with a gentle smile, his eyes full of tenderness and expectation, she asked deliberately, "How many do you want?"

Seeing Juhua ask him so seriously, Huai Zi broke into a wide grin. "I’d want a lot, of course, but only if you’re willing. Juhua, I love watching you play with Zhao Qing. Qing’er is so delightful. I’d really love to have a daughter just like her."

Juhua’s heart softened at his words. Seeing the look of pure longing on his face, she smiled. "Alright, then. I’ll give you a daughter just like Qing’er. And I promise to raise her to be even cleverer and more delightful than she is." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to support it with your votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)