Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

’Whether Juhua has forgotten the past or not, I have to win her over from the start,’ Zhang Huai thought. ’What’s the point of dwelling on that? I already made her sad today.’

’Oh, no! Was she just thinking, ’You used to be so good to me, so why would you say that? Granny Hua even overheard and spread it around, and now I’m heartbroken’?’

At this thought, he was filled with regret. He shouldn’t have asked Juhua about those things. ’From now on, I’d better not bring them up around her. I need to focus on what’s important.’

During dinner, Zhang Huai said to his parents, "Dad, Mom, we need to get ready. I’m sure other people are thinking the same thing we are—to build a house over on Little Qing Mountain. It’s wide open there, perfect for raising pigs and chickens. Without the acorns, no one would have even considered it. But now that we know acorns can be used as pig feed, wouldn’t it be great to live close by? It’s way more convenient than living in the village."

Zhang Dashuan said thoughtfully, "There’s nothing to be done. We don’t have enough money right now. To buy a plot of barren land for a homestead, we’d need at least three mu. It wouldn’t be worth it if we couldn’t set aside space for a front and back yard. Look around—doesn’t every family have a front and back yard? It’s good for planting things, and it’s just more convenient."

Zhang Huai thought for a moment. "Let’s just buy two mu for now," he said. "We can claim the spot first. Other people wanting to buy land probably won’t choose a plot right next to ours. Once we have a bit more money, we can buy land for a backyard. Qingmu’s family doesn’t have a backyard, right?"

Zhang Dashuan quickly polished off two bowls of rice and set down his chopsticks. He then asked He, "If we were to buy two mu, how much money are we short?"

He replied, "We only have a little over four taels of silver at home. Why don’t I go to my parents’ house and borrow a few taels? We’re just buying the land to claim our spot, after all. We can pay it back at the end of the year after we butcher the pigs. If we collect enough acorns this year, we can even raise an extra pig next year."

Zhang Huai said decisively, "Let’s borrow it. We need to get a head start. Qingmu bought some kind of red carrot in Qinghui County that’s grown over there. He said you plant it in the fall and harvest in the winter. Isn’t that perfect? We can plant those red carrots right after we harvest the sweet potatoes and corn. People can eat the carrots, and the tops are good for feeding the pigs. We can buy the land, plant a crop of red carrots first, and then plant sweet potatoes next year. It’s not like we have the money to build a house right now anyway."

Zhang Dashuan and He were overjoyed and eagerly asked for more details about the red carrots.

Zhang Huai said, "I’ve already asked Changfeng and Changyu. You plant them in the fall and harvest in the winter. Qingmu and I asked Changfeng to bring some seeds back for us on his next trip, and to ask around for detailed instructions on how to grow them."

Zhang Dashuan watched his son with pride, thinking how much the boy had matured in the last six months. ’He’s getting much better at planning things out, and his arrangements are well-considered.’

He smiled. "I’ll go to my parents’ home to borrow the money right away. We should buy the land soon, clear it, and cut some fresh grass to compost for fertilizer."

As Zhang Yang listened to his older brother discussing these matters with their parents, he found he couldn’t get a word in edgewise. He simply resolved to himself that he would study hard with his tutor and was determined to earn a scholarly rank for the family.

But to actually take the examination to become a Scholar, he’d need money for ink, brushes, and paper, not to mention travel and lodging expenses. His tutor had already told him as much.

’If the family doesn’t start earning more money, it won’t be easy for me to pass the exams,’ he thought.

He silently shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth, chewing without tasting a thing. For the first time, he too began to worry about their livelihood.

Zhang Huai moved quickly, buying two mu of land near Juhua’s house. The plot was just to the northwest, only a short distance away. If he built a house there, they’d be close enough to hear each other if they shouted.

He stood on the barren plot, gazing at Juhua’s house, a bittersweet feeling welling up inside him. ’At last, I’m one step closer to her.’

You had to admit, even country folk could be sharp.

Zhang Huai’s prediction was spot on. Before he had even received the deed to his land, Shorty Zhou had already asked Village Chief Li Gengtian to help him buy a homestead plot as well—he also wanted to move to Little Qing Mountain.

After that, more and more villagers began buying homestead plots on Little Qing Mountain, which left Juhua baffled. ’Where is everyone suddenly getting the money?’

Qingmu shook his head and told her, "Everyone wants to be closer to the mountain. It’ll be more convenient for feeding pigs and chickens and for gathering acorns. The ones who don’t have enough money are just borrowing it. They all want to claim a good spot before they’re gone."

Juhua suddenly realized that Little Qing Mountain was becoming a hot commodity, drawing villagers to move there. ’If you wait too long,’ she thought, ’the prices might really go up.’

’Let them buy, then.’ Even if it meant things would no longer be so quiet, Juhua could only watch, unable to stop people from moving in.

But even the most idyllic village has its share of difficult and eccentric people. As long as your interests didn’t clash with theirs, there was no trouble. But the moment a conflict arose, it would become an impossible tangle.