Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Yun Ying placed one of Juhua’s hands on the table and carefully took her pulse. After a long moment, she said to Huai Zi and Juhua, "She’s alright. But you need to be careful for the next few days. Huai Zi, you should be a light sleeper at night and keep an eye on her. If she feels uncomfortable at all, you must come get me and my senior brother."

Zhang Huai nodded quickly, asked Juhua a few more questions, and only then went to sit with little Heipi to husk ears of corn.

Yun Ying then smiled at Juhua and said, "Those two are still young. You might feel that calling you ’Sister Juhua’ is more intimate than ’Young Madam,’ but what will the tenants, long-term laborers, and servants call you? ’Lady’? That sounds even worse. ’Young Madam’ is better. It’s just a title, after all. It doesn’t mean much."

Juhua thought about it and agreed. She really couldn’t think of a more suitable title. She smiled at the two children and said, "Then you can call me what you like. Heiya, come, tell me, what can you do?"

Heiya nervously wrung the hem of her clothes with her hands. She looked at Juhua and stammered, "Young Madam, I... I can cook, and... and wash clothes. I can also reap rice and wheat. Young Madam, just tell me if you need anything. I can do any kind of work!"

Juhua looked at the girl before her, so desperate to prove her worth for fear of being rejected, and felt a pang of sadness. The little girl wore her hair in simple buns, her hair was a bit dry, and her skin was a bit rough. Other than her bright, dark eyes—most children’s eyes are bright—she looked like a malnourished child.

She sighed. ’Being a master isn’t as easy as it seems,’ she thought. ’Why do I feel a sense of guilt making this little girl work? Never mind. I’ll just treat her like I do Zhao Qing. She can start with some simple chores.’

She smiled, took Heiya’s hand, and said, "You’re still young, so you can’t do that kind of work in the fields yet. You can just help with chores around the house. And don’t be afraid. Our family doesn’t have many rules. As long as you’re honest and do your work dutifully, no one will scold you, and we would certainly never hit you."

Heiya nodded, lowered her head, and said in a small voice, "I’ll listen to the Young Madam."

Although Juhua couldn’t stand seeing her so timid and frightened, she didn’t give her any more instructions. ’I’ll just guide her gradually over time,’ she thought. ’If I give her a whole list of rules today, it might just make her even more constrained. It’s better to let her natural disposition show.’

Yun Ying was also soft-hearted. Seeing that the girl was now with Juhua, she was genuinely happy for her and said with a smile, "Heiya, don’t you worry. Your Young Madam is the kindest person. In the future, you’ll find that life here is even better than it was at home."

Juhua glanced at her. ’That’s going too far,’ she thought. ’"East or west, home is best." She’s been sold into servitude. No matter how good it is here, it can’t be better than that.’ But she didn’t say this out loud. This was also why she had Huai Zi only buy Heipi and Heiya, while Liu Heizi and his wife were hired as tenants and workers for the Zhang family. This way, she avoided turning their entire family into servants.

Heiya, however, seemed to agree completely with Yun Ying’s words. Seeing that Juhua didn’t dislike her, she was overjoyed. Her eyes darted around, looking for some work to do. Not knowing what to do for a moment, she obediently went over to Heipi, squatted down, and started helping him husk the corn.

Yun Ying quietly told Juhua that for the time being, Liu Heizi would still have to return to Qingbei Village at night. His elderly mother was watching the house, and they still had some grain that hadn’t been harvested yet. He could only move over after the harvest was done. Aunt Liu and the siblings, Heipi and Heiya, would stay here for now.

Juhua nodded. Huai Zi had already made arrangements. When they had some free time, they would build a few simple rooms for the family to move into. After all, their situation was different from that of ordinary tenants, and having them live close by would be more convenient.

Just then, He came out with a large, steaming bowl of noodles and placed it on the table in front of Juhua. She chuckled and said, "This is the chicken noodle soup Doctor Yun just made for Aunt Liu. She specially saved some of the shredded chicken and wood ear mushrooms, so I used them to make a bowl of noodles for you."

Juhua glanced at Yun Ying gratefully and said with sincere admiration, "After my confinement month is over, I’ll cook you a proper meal. Otherwise, I feel like it’s such a waste to have a doctor like you cooking. How about this? I’ll train Heiya for a while, and once she can help out with things, I’ll have her go help you with chores. That way, you won’t have to spend so much time on housework."

Yun Ying quickly waved her hands. "Don’t go to all that trouble. Aren’t I about to take on an apprentice? And what are apprentices for? ’When there is work to be done, the disciple does it.’ Of course they have to help their master with chores. So don’t you worry, I’ll have plenty of help in the future."

Juhua smiled and shook her head, focusing on eating her noodles.

After she finished eating and had just let out a sigh of relief, she saw Heiya hurry over. The girl cleared away the bowl and chopsticks, took them to the kitchen, and then brought back a cup of warm water for Juhua.

Juhua took it and smiled gently. "Thank you for your trouble, Heiya."

Heiya shook her head vigorously and shyly ran back to continue husking corn.

Juhua rinsed her mouth, then looked up at the clear blue sky with its faint, drifting clouds. A heavy rain after a long drought had washed the dust and oppressive heat from the air, leaving the world feeling clean and cool.

Even though autumn was setting in, the plants that had survived the drought and been blessed by the rain looked especially vibrant, desperately putting forth their last burst of life. As for the wild chrysanthemums at the base of the wall, they were in their prime, so lush they looked as if they had never experienced a drought at all. They would be blooming in a few more days—which was, of course, because Juhua watered them often.

She watched Huai Zi and the Heipi siblings bustling in the courtyard. They pulled the corn husks back to the end of the cob, then tied several ears together into a bunch. These bunches were draped over bamboo poles in a neat row, creating a rather lovely sight!

A few chickens milled around them, pecking here and scratching there, letting out a few leisurely "CLUCK CLUCK"s. It was a picture of contentment!

She wrapped her hands around her heavy belly and was suddenly filled with anticipation, envisioning the new life and laughter that would fill this farmhouse courtyard after their little one was born! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian.com to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)