Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Hearing this made Gou Dan’s mother even more upset. She sobbed, thumping Meizi’s back over and over.

Suddenly, she gritted her teeth. "What am I so afraid of? If Aunt Zheng could give Liu’er’s mother a beating, you think I can’t handle that woman who’s as skinny as a hanged ghost? I never bothered with her before since our paths didn’t cross. But if he marries my daughter and she dares to stir up trouble, I’ll skin her alive!"

In that moment, she stopped blaming Li Changming and cursing Li Laoda. For Meizi’s sake, an infinite fighting spirit welled up from the bottom of her heart.

She looked like a shrew incarnate, her broad face grim as she glared into the darkness outside the window. It was as if Granny Hua were standing right there, and she was ready to beat her to a pulp, just as the Yang family had done to Liu’er’s mother.

Qin quickly added, "That’s right! Who should we be afraid of? If Li Laoda can’t handle his wife, I’ll handle her for him. I don’t give a damn that she’s a woman. If she pisses me off, we’ll march right over there together and tear the roof off his house!"

The old grandmother shot her son and daughter-in-law a sharp look. "What is all this nonsense? Why are you two so fired up? Instead of wasting energy on this, you should be thinking about the future. So Meizi marries him. Why does she have to live with that woman and eat from the same pot? We won’t ask for a single penny of the bride price. We’ll just ask their family to agree to one condition—let the two of them move out on their own. If they’re on their own, it doesn’t matter if they’re poor. They can work hard for a couple of years, and even if they don’t get rich, life will surely get better. You two can pitch in and help them. Gou Dan is still young and doesn’t need to get married yet. In a few years, won’t her situation improve?"

Gou Dan’s mother nodded again and again. "You’re right, I wasn’t thinking straight. You’d want to be a mile away from that woman even when she’s taking a crap, so why argue with her? But what about the Zheng family? We have to call off the engagement. How on earth do we tell them?"

Meizi felt as if she were in a dream. Listening to her parents and grandmother, she couldn’t understand how they had suddenly agreed to let her marry Changming.

With red-rimmed eyes, she asked in disbelief, "Mom, why did you change your mind?"

Gou Dan’s mother looked at her with a helpless, exasperated expression. "I’m not a fool. I only wanted you to marry Qingmu because I hoped you’d have a good life. If you’re not happy about it, you won’t have a good life even if you do marry him, so what’s the point? It must be some debt you owe that boy from a past life."

’Isn’t that the truth? It must be a debt from a past life. That snake was just here to help him collect it.’

’I told Meizi to go hang out with Juhua, but did Meizi fall for the handsome, young, scholarly Qingmu? No. Did she fall for Zhang Huai, or Li Changxing? No. She saw Liu Xiaomei’s brother, Liu Sanshun, all the time and didn’t fall for him either. But she gets bitten by a snake once, and suddenly she’s tied to Li Changming. If that’s not fate collecting a debt, what is?’

’It’s all destiny!’

Gou Dan’s mother suddenly believed in fate more than she ever had before.

She had never been one to believe in it.

She was a strong-willed woman who had always believed she could earn a good life through hard work. But now, she finally understood. Some things were simply useless to fight against. What was meant to be, would be.

Hearing her mother’s words, Meizi broke down, weeping softly. ’My mother really is different from Liu’er’s mother,’ she thought. ’She actually listened to me!’

Gou Dan’s mother saw Meizi crying again, but the deep sorrow on her face was gone. Her daughter was holding her hand, weeping endearingly—the very picture of a devoted daughter. Gou Dan’s mother couldn’t help but feel a mix of sorrow and relief. ’At least I didn’t lose my head and force her to marry Qingmu out of anger,’ she thought. ’The thought of Li Changming still rankles, but isn’t my daughter’s happiness more important than anything else?’

The old grandmother reminded her daughter-in-law, "I think you should go speak to Aunt Zheng directly tomorrow. She and her husband are both reasonable people. If you go to her properly and offer a sincere apology, this whole thing might just blow over. If you try to hide it from her, you might just make things worse. No one’s a fool; who proposes marriage one day and calls it off the next? Explain the situation to her carefully and plead with her a little. She dotes on her children, so she won’t hold it against you. Besides, our families have only just discussed the engagement. We haven’t even hired a matchmaker yet, so no one in the village knows."

Gou Dan’s mother nodded. "I’ll go have a good talk with her. Her son Qingmu is a real catch; he’ll have no trouble finding a wife." She sighed. "Oh, you silly girl, how could you have such poor fortune!"

Meizi was overcome with shame. She knew her mother had only gone to the Zheng family to propose marriage because she had mistakenly believed Meizi liked Qingmu. Her mother had swallowed her pride and gone to their door for her—she had been worrying about her this whole time.

She couldn’t help but cry out, "Mom, I’ve embarrassed you! I... I..."

Her mother quickly stopped her. "That’s enough. You didn’t do anything wrong, so how is this embarrassing? Don’t say such things. It was just an honest mistake. Your Aunt Zheng won’t go around gossiping about it."

Qin also comforted her. "Daughter, don’t you worry your head about any of this. Your mother and I will take care of everything from here. Now, go wash up and get some sleep. We’ve been up for half the night. Gou Dan, what are you still doing sitting here? Go to bed."

Gou Dan’s mother shot Gou Dan a glare. "Don’t you dare breathe a word of this to anyone outside," she warned him. "Or I’ll tan your hide."

Gou Dan nodded emphatically. "I won’t say anything."

And with that, the family finally went to bed.

Gou Dan’s mother, however, did not sleep soundly. She had a huge fight with Granny Hua in her dreams, and when she woke up at dawn, her chest was still puffed out with anger.

Seeing her grim expression, Qin asked if she hadn’t slept well.

"I slept, alright," Gou Dan’s mother said huffily. "But I dreamed that hag Hua was bullying our Meizi, and I got into a fight with her. And let me tell you, that woman can really fight."

Qin was stunned for a moment, then found it amusing. "That was a dream," he told her. "I don’t believe for a second you couldn’t beat her in a real fight. Hmph! If it really came down to it, I’d jump in and help you. I don’t care that she’s a woman."

Hearing this, Gou Dan’s mother let out a "PFFT" of laughter. She felt a great deal of her anger dissipate and began to consider how she would apologize to the Zheng family.

After breakfast, she first went to find Grandma Huang, and then the two of them headed toward the Zheng family’s home. On the way, she told Grandma Huang all about Meizi’s feelings and begged Grandma Huang to help her put in a good word. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)