Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Juhua said expectantly, "If you’re not busy with anything important, Dad, I want to go with you to catch fish and shrimp. The water just receded, so it must be really easy to catch them—a lot of fish from the river must have come up."

Zheng Changhe said happily, "Nothing important. I just finished draining the fields. Catching fish is proper work, too. It adds another dish to our table, doesn’t it? We can just go to the ditches in our own fields, that way we can keep an eye on the rice paddies too."

Her mother also smiled. "Go on with your father. I’ll stay home and cook."

Juhua was overjoyed. She quickly ate her breakfast and went out with Zheng Changhe, carrying a shrimp net on her shoulder and a fish basket in her hand. Thinking that some of the ditches might be narrow, she also made sure to bring a small sieve basket.

As they left, she saw Qingmu’s envious look. Juhua smiled and told him that when he came home from his studies, she would take him to catch fish nearby.

Qingmu smiled and nodded.

The water in the fields had just receded, leaving the ridges between them covered in soft, sloppy mud that was very difficult to walk on. Every step left a deep, muddy footprint.

In the fields, the father and daughter ran into Liu Sanshun and Liu Xiaomei, who were also carrying a large shrimp net to catch fish. Looking into the distance, she saw Li Changxing and Li Changming doing the same. She couldn’t help but smile. ’Looks like all us farmers are hardworking,’ she thought. ’Catching our own food to liven up our meals is better than eating vegetables every day.’

Liu Xiaomei was carrying a large fish basket and said happily to Juhua, "I was just thinking that if I caught a lot of fish and shrimp today, I’d bring some over for you. What are you doing out here too?"

Juhua said, "I figured with the water just receding, the fishing would be good, so I pestered my dad to come." Then she winked at her and whispered, "Besides, I just wanted to come out and have some fun!"

Liu Xiaomei burst out laughing with a "PFFT." She’d had the same idea and had pestered her own mother for quite a while. Not wanting to part ways with Juhua, she said to Liu Sanshun, "Third Brother, why don’t we team up with Uncle Zheng to catch fish? That way we can chat, too."

Liu Sanshun had been nursing a crush on Juhua ever since that day. He hadn’t seen her for a while, and seeing her now made his face flush and his heart race.

He didn’t want to be separated from Juhua either, so his sister’s suggestion was exactly what he’d hoped for. He smiled at Zheng Changhe and said, "I’d love that! Uncle Zheng, looks like I’ll be benefiting from your good fortune today." He then flashed an especially brilliant smile at Juhua.

Zheng Changhe laughed. "You rascal, you’re the real expert at catching fish. I’m the one who’ll be benefiting from you, yet you say it’s the other way around. You sure have a silver tongue. So, tell us, how should we do this? Your uncle will listen to you today."

Liu Sanshun smiled. "Let’s sweep through these few ditches first, then head over toward Tiaozi Pond. There are a few wild pools over there where we might catch some bigger ones."

Zheng Changhe chuckled in agreement and, rolling up his sleeves, began to work the ditch.

These ditches were channels for water that ran between the field ridges of two different households’ rice paddies. The shrimp net was wider than the ditch, so they could only block one end with it and then drive the fish and shrimp toward it from the other side.

While her father was driving the fish, Juhua used her small sieve basket to scoop directly in the ditch. The little basket was small and nimble, perfect for navigating the narrow channel. With every scoop, she would catch a few small minnows and tiny shrimp, as well as a type of thin, flat little fish called a "shiguangpi."

She wasn’t catching much, but she found picking out the little fish and shrimp incredibly fun.

Over on his side, Zheng Changhe finished a pass and called out loudly for Juhua to come and collect the fish.

Juhua hurried over to look. The big shrimp net certainly made a difference. Inside, it was a lively scene with crucian carp, small minnows, shrimp, and even a few loaches. It was a much bigger haul than what her small sieve basket could manage.

As she cheerfully picked them out and put them in the basket, she said to Zheng Changhe, "Dad, if we keep at this for half the day, aren’t we going to catch several bowls’ worth of fish and shrimp? Look how much we got in just this one net!"

Zheng Changhe was also very satisfied. He smiled and said, "That’s for sure. If we get lucky and run into a big one, it’ll be worth one or two catties of small fish."

Just as he said that, Liu Xiaomei shouted, "Juhua, we caught a big fish!"

Juhua rushed over again. In Liu Sanshun’s net was a crucian carp, probably weighing four or five taels, thrashing about nonstop.

She said with envy, "Third Brother, how are you so lucky? You caught a big one on your first try!"

’She refused to admit that Liu Sanshun’s fishing technique was better than her father’s. ’What kind of technique do you need to catch fish in a ditch, anyway?’ she thought. ’You just scoop them up randomly.’

Seeing Juhua’s envious expression, Liu Sanshun really wanted to give the fish to her, but he felt it wouldn’t be appropriate, and she surely wouldn’t accept it anyway. So he just smiled at her and said, "A fish this big probably came up from the river. Don’t worry. Just be more thorough when you drive them, and use a stick to poke around under the grass more. If there are any in the ditch, you’ll definitely catch them."