Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

When the conversation turned back to her recovery, Juhua quickly said, "Then let Mother take care of them. The babies are quite well-behaved and don’t cry much at night."

Speaking of which, He said to her cheerfully, "He’s certainly no match for Hulu, but he’s still a good baby—much better than the Zhao family’s third boy. When our grandson gets fussy, you can’t just ignore him. You have to go check if he’s wet or hungry, change his diaper, and feed him. Otherwise, he’ll really start wailing. Once you make him comfortable, he’ll quiet right down. Our granddaughter is a bit better-behaved than her brother—just like you were as a child."

Juhua smiled and praised her, "Mother, you could rival Doctor Yun. It’s only been a few days, and you’ve already figured out the babies’ temperaments."

Hearing this, He’s smile was so wide her eyes crinkled into a thin line. She replied unabashedly, "Of course! I specifically asked Doctor Yun. The more I take care of them, the closer they’ll be to their grandma." She then quickly added, "When you’ve recovered, you should take care of them more. You’ll be the one teaching them most as they grow up, so they’ll be close to you, too."

Seeing her mother-in-law’s rush to explain, Juhua pursed her lips into a smile. "They should be close to you, Mother. Of course grandchildren should be close to their grandma."

The mother and daughter-in-law chatted and laughed for a while before He went to make dinner.

When Huai Zi returned from the fields, he washed up, changed his clothes, and eagerly entered the room. Juhua was nursing one of the babies, her hand gently stroking its hair. Heiya sat on the footstool by the bed, folding the sun-dried clothes and diapers. As she finished, she placed them in neat stacks inside the appropriate cabinets, just as Juhua had shown her.

The room was a little dim, so Huai Zi lit the oil lamp. He smiled and said, "Is he done eating? Let me hold him. Your arms must be tired from holding him all the time. Juhua, have you thought of any names yet? I think our daughter is so fair and tender, so delicate and clever. Let’s call her Cong, what do you think? I haven’t thought of one for our son yet. This little guy isn’t mischievous, but he’s not exactly quiet either. He’s not fat, not skinny... it’s really not easy to find a fitting name for him."

Heiya found the Young Master’s words amusing and couldn’t help but lower her head and smile.

Juhua looked down at the son nursing in her arms. Compared to when he was first born, he was starting to fill out, and his features really did resemble Huai Zi’s. She smiled gently. "Then let’s call him Shanyu. It means he’ll be sturdy and tough."

Huai Zi, wearing straw flip-flops, stepped onto the footstool and took his son, holding him upright against his chest. "That doesn’t quite fit. How about Banli?"

Juhua picked up her little daughter beside her and began to nurse her. She thought about the name Cong and was very pleased with it. ’Let’s decide on that, then. Her nickname will be Cong.’ She smiled. "Let’s go with what you said for our daughter and call her Cong. As for our son, Banli is fine, and so is Peanut. But whatever we call him, we should probably let Father decide. If you don’t ask him, he’ll get upset."

"I’ll go ask him in a bit," Huai Zi said quickly. He watched his son’s little mouth open in a yawn and found it delightful. He chuckled, "He’s about to fall asleep. Sigh! All he does is eat and sleep. He doesn’t even know to smile at his dad."

With that, he placed his son in the small wooden cradle by the bed and carefully covered him with a small blanket. Turning his head, he saw Juhua watching him with a smile and asked, "What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing," Juhua said. "Your hair isn’t completely dry yet. You should find a towel and dry it, or you’ll catch a cold. If you get sick, you won’t be able to come see me and our son and daughter."

The moment Huai Zi heard this, he hastily rummaged through a cabinet, pulled out a dry towel, and started rubbing his hair vigorously.

Juhua smiled at Heiya. "Heiya—"

Heiya looked up at her. Seeing her lost in thought, she asked curiously, "Young Madam, what is it?"

Juhua had called out Heiya’s name, but as she did, she thought, ’It’s a simple name, but it isn’t very pleasant to hear. Heiya isn’t a little girl anymore; she probably wants a prettier name.’ Juhua looked at the girl’s slightly dark face, which had filled out quite a bit these past few days. After a moment of thought, she asked, "How about I give you a new name?"

Heiya’s eyes widened in surprise and delight. She nodded vigorously. "Yes! Young Madam, I... Please give me a new name. My dad never gave me a proper name. My grandma saw that I was dark-skinned, so since my brother is Heipi, she just casually started calling me Heiya."

She clearly disliked the name, too, but just didn’t know what else she could be called.

Seeing her eager expression, Juhua comforted her, "You might be a little dark-skinned, but you’re very pretty. Your eyes are as dark and bright as grapes. Have you ever seen wild grapes? When they’re ripe, they’re so plump and lovely. Why don’t we call you Pu Pao?"

Heiya beamed with joy. "Yes! I’ve seen them, and I’ve even eaten them before. Young Madam, I love that name!"

’The young miss is called Cong, isn’t she? What’s wrong with being called Pu Pao? Those fruits are just as the Young Madam said—so fresh and bright.’

Now with her new name, Pu Pao happily said to Juhua, "Young Madam, I’ll go help Grandma Zhang with the fire." She had meant to leave when Huai Zi came in so she wouldn’t disturb him and the Young Madam, but had only been delayed by Juhua giving her a new name.

Juhua smiled. "Go on, then. Come back later. I’ll find some fabric for you so you can learn needlework from your mother and make a couple of new outfits for your brother and yourself."

Pu Pao quickly shook her head. "I have clothes. Grandma Zhang found a lot for me. They were all things the Young Madam used to wear. My mother altered them, and they fit me very well."

Juhua smiled. "You should still have a couple of new ones made. It’s not any fine material; our family all wears cotton and linen, so you can just have some made from the same."

Pu Pao was very conflicted. She didn’t want to accept, but she didn’t dare refuse either. ’The Young Master already gave my family twenty-four taels of silver for my brother and me—twelve taels each. My father said we’d never get that price at the market, ten taels at most. My brother and I can’t even do much work, yet besides eating the same food as the Zhang family, we get a monthly wage of two hundred cents. The Young Madam even said it would increase when we get older, and my parents get paid for working for the Zhang family, too. If I take fabric from the Young Madam, my mother will scold me for sure!’

But she didn’t know how to refuse, so she could only leave for now.