Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Chapter 494: Chapter 258: Betrothal (2)

When she got to the Zhang family’s kitchen, she saw that Zhang Huai and Zhang Yang had indeed finished preparing the rabbits. To her delight, there was also a small, exquisite stone mill, about half a foot across, that could be turned by hand. The base of the bottom millstone had a circular trough and a flat stone spout for the ground food to flow out.

Seeing her arrive, Zhang Huai dragged a chair padded with old cotton pants over to the brazier. He asked with a broad smile, ”Are you cold? Come sit over here. It’s closer to the fire, and you won’t be in the way.”

But Juhua didn’t sit down right away. Instead, she fiddled with the small stone mill, examining it, then smiled at Zhang Huai. ”Did you buy this?”

’She had mentioned once how convenient and fast it would be to use a small stone mill. For example, they could grind carrots, squeeze out the juice for people to drink, and feed the pulp to the pigs. Wouldn’t that be more economical than feeding them whole ones? And the juice would be so sweet. Who knew he would actually go and buy one.’

Qingmu smiled. ”We had it custom-made in Xiatang Market. We originally wanted to buy one, but we couldn’t find any as small as you described, and the style was different. Will this one work?”

Zhang Yang said cheerfully, ”Of course it’ll work! We just tried it, and it works great.”

Juhua had already noticed the reddish stains on the millstone and laughed. ”I was just wondering why the stone looked red. You used it and didn’t even wash it clean.”

Zhang Huai quickly lifted the upper millstone. ”It is clean. I scrubbed it with a brush, but it left a bit of a stain.”

So, while Qingmu and Yangzi roasted the rabbits, Juhua and Huai Zi started making carrot juice. They first roughly chopped the carrots to make them easier to feed into the mill. As Zhang Huai turned the millstone, a red pulp flowed down its sides and into the trough. Juhua then used a clean white cloth to strain the pulp.

Huai Zi smiled and said to her softly, ”This will be a little cold. Maybe you should boil it before you drink it?”

Juhua shook her head. ”It’s fine. It won’t feel so cold when we drink it while eating the rabbit. The craftsman who made this is very skilled; this mill is so exquisitely made.”

”He’s a stonemason who specializes in these,” Huai Zi said. ”I explained what we wanted in detail, so of course he could make it.” He thought for a moment, then added with a smile, ”It would probably be delicious to grind sesame seeds and roasted rice into a powder and mix it with boiling water. When I was in Qinghui, sometimes I’d be too busy to eat and get hungry. Changyu would have someone make a flour paste for me, and it smelled wonderful. He called it *mian cha*, made from roasted flour. I was thinking, if we ground sesame and roasted rice into a fine powder and made it like that, it would surely be delicious too.”

Juhua laughed. ”Oh! That’s just called sesame paste.”

She stood beside him, the two of them talking as they worked. Every so often their eyes would meet, their gazes shimmering with affection as they shared a knowing smile. It wasn’t just their bodies that were close; their hearts seemed to be as well, with an intimacy that felt as if they had lived together for decades, forgetting all restraint and shyness. If Huai Zi lowered his head, he could practically touch Juhua’s forehead. Juhua tilted her head back to look at his slightly rough, sun-tanned cheeks, and even had the idle thought, ’Why hasn’t he grown a beard yet? I should make him a scarf. Look, the cold wind has chapped his face.’

Seeing her studying his face, Huai Zi freed one hand to touch his cheek. He deliberately leaned close to her ear and whispered, ”Have I gotten thinner?”

Juhua ignored him, simply smiling as she visually measured the height difference between them. She even stood on her tiptoes and stretched, but she only reached his chin.

Seeing her little action, Huai Zi couldn’t help but smile reassuringly. ”You’re still growing. You’re already a lot taller than last year. You just need to fill out a bit more. If you put on some weight, you wouldn’t be so afraid of the cold. Anyway, just eat as much as you can, and you’re bound to gain some.”

His words suddenly reminded Juhua of the critical way his fourth maternal aunt had looked at her earlier. ”Is your fourth aunt very strict?” she asked hurriedly.

”She’s alright,” Huai Zi replied, puzzled. ”Did she say something to you?” ’That shouldn’t have happened,’ he thought. ’Today is a happy occasion, and everyone here is close family. Who would be so tactless as to stir up trouble?’

Juhua pouted. ”She was looking at me in a really dissatisfied way. I think she thinks I’m too skinny.” ’She knew people preferred fuller-figured girls—ones with big hips, good for childbearing,’ she thought. ’That aunt had been staring at her backside for quite a while earlier; she must have been displeased.’

Huai Zi felt a bit awkward. It would have been a miracle if his fourth maternal aunt *had* been satisfied with Juhua. Even if Juhua were perfect, his aunt would find fault with her. It was all because he had refused to marry his cousin, Yu Qin.

”She didn’t say anything, did she?” he asked, a little worried.

Juhua shook her head. ”No, she didn’t say anything. She just looked me up and down, staring at my... Do you also think I’m too skinny?” She couldn’t bring herself to mention that his aunt had been staring at her backside, so she pivoted to asking if he found her too thin.

Huai Zi shook his head and chuckled softly. ”You’re still growing.”

He suddenly remembered how tiny she was as a child, no bigger than a kitten. Whenever he carried her on his back or picked her up, she would cling tightly to his neck, afraid. He and Qingmu hadn’t been very big themselves back then, but carrying the small, light-as-a-feather Juhua had been effortless. The memory brought a pang to his heart, and he told her gently, ”You were skinny as a child, too. You’re much healthier now. You’ll be just fine in another couple of years.”

In a trance, Juhua pictured two young boys by Jing Lake, one carrying Little Juhua on his back and the other carrying Yangzi, searching for thorny plants to eat. She said nothing more, listening to the low WHIRR of the stone mill and breathing in the simple, fresh, and wholesome scent of the young man beside her. His clothes smelled of sunshine and wood ash.

’Wood ash wasn’t sticky or greasy; it was used for washing clothes, bowls, and pots. After a thorough rinse, it left behind a faint, clean scent. Others might disagree—how could wood ash smell clean?—but she found its subtle fragrance refreshing, different from the smell of clothes washed with soapbeans.’

”Changyu is engaged now, too,” Huai Zi said softly to Juhua. He had finished grinding all the carrots. Letting Juhua rest, he took over her task of cleaning the stone mill and squeezing the juice into a bowl.

Juhua smiled. ”Really? That guy. We’ll have to make him treat us. Which family’s daughter is she?” She had been about to tease him more, but then she remembered that she was engaged too, so she simply asked who the girl was.

Huai Zi shot her a glance and said flatly, ”I don’t know. I only know that she’s the daughter of a wealthy family.”(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to qidian.com to vote with recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)