Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

They were busy until it was time to light the lamps. Juhua had woken from her sleep, so the Yang Family and everyone else went in to see her. They were all relieved to find her in good spirits. Huai Zi was left to keep her company, while the rest gathered cheerfully in the kitchen for dinner, the sound of their happy chatter and laughter traveling a long way.

The kitchen didn’t have a big table, just a small one with stools of various sizes scattered around it. Only Qin Feng, Zhang Dashuan, and Zheng Changhe sat at the table. The others sat casually wherever they could find a spot. The table couldn’t hold all the dishes, so the rest were placed on the cutting board and the stovetop, and everyone just helped themselves.

Zheng Changhe said to Qin Feng admiringly, "Doctor Qin, your master is truly a living immortal! If he hadn’t taught you this exclusive secret technique, my Juhua would have been in serious trouble this time."

Everyone knew what he meant by "serious trouble," but no one spelled it out.

Zhang Dashuan and the others also chimed in with praise, making Yun Ying and Qin Feng quite embarrassed, though inwardly they were delighted.

The Yang Family said, "I pray to the Bodhisattva every day. The Bodhisattva is kind, but she’s busy and sometimes can’t tend to everything. It’s people like Doctor Qin and Doctor Yun who are out there saving lives all day long. In less than a month, you’ve saved the girl from the Liu Family and our Juhua, not to mention all the others you’ve cured. Heipi, from now on, we must remember this kindness."

She directed this last sentence at Heipi, who was sitting on the threshold eating his meal.

Heipi first grunted in agreement, then said, "My dad said that from now on, our lives are in the hands of Doctor Qin and Sister Yun Ying."

Qin Feng laughed. "What would I want with your life? It’d be more practical to call on you to help me till my herb garden someday."

Heipi said eagerly, "You got it! Just call me when the time comes, Doctor Qin. I’m really strong!"

Seeing his eagerness, everyone started laughing.

He suddenly remembered something and said with a smile, "I’ll go check if your mother has finished eating and bring her some more soup."

Before she could leave, Heiya stepped past Heipi and came inside carrying a basket. It was filled with used bowls and chopsticks. She said to He, "Grandma Zhang, my mom’s finished eating. You don’t need to bring her anything else. The babies are still asleep, too."

He quickly replied, "Then I’ll save this chicken soup. I can heat it up for her to have another bowl later on. I’ll stay with her tonight. She’s still recovering, so we can’t have her getting up in the middle of the night if the babies start crying."

The Yang Family also offered to stay, but He declined, giving her reasons.

By now, everyone in the kitchen was gathered in groups, murmuring amongst themselves. Little Hulu noticed no one was paying him much mind. His mother was whispering with "Auntie" Yun Ying and wasn’t holding him in her lap, feeding him and teaching him to speak like she usually did. His eyes darted about, and then he suddenly yelled at Qingmu, "Dad!"

The clear, childish voice drowned out the chatter. Everyone looked up at him. Qingmu, mouth still full of food, stared blankly at his son. ’Why is he suddenly calling me Dad?’

Hulu could now stand quite steadily and even take several steps on his own. He leaned against Liu Yunlan, grinning as he scanned the crowd, seemingly proud that he had successfully captured their attention. Then, he looked at Zheng Changhe and called out, "Grandpa!"

Before he could answer, Hulu turned to The Yang Family and shouted, "Grandma!"

Then he tugged on Liu Yunlan’s sleeve, "Mamaaa—"

He drew the sound out, and Liu Yunlan’s heart melted into a puddle. Holding her bowl and chopsticks in one hand, she wrapped her other arm around him and gave him a huge kiss. "Our Hulu is talking! Oh, my goodness, he’s really talking!"

"Hahaha... Hulu called me Grandpa!" Zheng Changhe was grinning from ear to ear, so overjoyed he could hardly think straight.

Everyone else burst into laughter as well. Qin Feng watched the little boy, utterly fascinated. "Most children learn step-by-step," he said. "How did he suddenly call out to everyone in a circle like that? You don’t suppose he already knew how and was just too lazy to talk?"

Yun Ying, who had spent more time with little Hulu and knew his personality better, pouted and said, "You don’t understand, Senior Brother. Don’t be fooled by his silence; he’s very clever. I think he’s known how to talk and call people for a while, he just didn’t feel like it. He probably saw that no one was paying attention to him just now, so he pulled this stunt to get noticed. Just look at that smug expression on his face..."

She then launched into a rapid-fire list of little Hulu’s habits, from his eating and drinking to his bathroom needs. For instance, he would kick his legs furiously when he had to go, or he would persistently pull you toward something he wanted to eat, or he would get fussy when he was too hot. She actually seemed to know little Hulu even better than his own mother, Liu Yunlan, leaving everyone dumbfounded as they listened. Liu Yunlan knew some of her son’s quirks, of course, but not as many as Yun Ying did. There were still many of Hulu’s gestures she couldn’t decipher, and she couldn’t help but look at Yun Ying with complete admiration.