Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Chapter 537: Chapter 280: Get Married Later

Ever since Qingmu got married, Zheng Changhe and Yang felt that life had a new sense of purpose. Juhua, however, found her days much more leisurely—now that she had a capable sister-in-law. When Liu Yunlan became pregnant the following spring, the entire family was even more overjoyed, and the house was never without the sound of laughter.

This simple country life was intoxicating, but at times it could feel a bit too tranquil—like a deep, secluded lake, perfectly still without a single ripple. The birth of a new life, however, could stir that surface, creating beautiful ripples that grew into waves, allowing life to continue, prosperous and thriving!

Juhua was thrilled at the thought of having a soft little one to look after; she might have been even happier than her own parents. She and Qingmu would often stare at her sister-in-law’s belly together, studying the tiny person still growing inside.

The Zheng Family was thrilled, but Zhang Dashuan and his wife were quite envious. Look at them, their grandchild was on the way, and their Huai Zi wasn’t even married yet.

That evening at dinner, He couldn’t help but say to Zhang Dashuan, ”What do you think about having Huai Zi and Juhua marry at the end of the year? They’ve been engaged for two years now, and Juhua is all grown up.”

Before Zhang Dashuan could say a word, Zhang Huai, who was sitting beside them, quickly shook his head. ”Marry at the end of the year? No, that won’t work. Let’s wait another two years!”

He and Zhang Dashuan were both startled, thinking he’d had a change of heart. He was so frightened her face lost its color. She put down her bowl and chopsticks and demanded, ”What’s that supposed to mean? Why don’t you want to get married all of a sudden? Weren’t you green with envy when Qingmu got married?”

Seeing that his parents had misunderstood, Zhang Huai quickly smiled. ”It’s not that I don’t want to get married. It’s just... I’ve seen how dangerous childbirth can be. It’s frightening. Some of the unlucky ones don’t even make it. Juhua’s constitution is a bit delicate, so I thought we should wait another two years. Let her get a little stronger before we marry. I’d have more peace of mind that way.”

He couldn’t very well admit that Juhua had specifically told him this, so he had to claim it was his own idea.

Only then did He and Zhang Dashuan let out a sigh of relief.

He thought for a moment and said, ”You have a point. I’m fond of Juhua too. Even though I want to be holding a grandchild sooner rather than later, we can’t take that kind of risk. Childbirth is like a walk through the gates of hell for a woman; you can’t get through it without a strong body.”

She sighed. If she were honest, she was satisfied with Juhua in every respect; this was the only thing that made her uneasy. But she didn’t hold it against her, figuring that with enough care, Juhua’s health could certainly be improved. With that, she said no more.

Zhang Dashuan nodded. ”There’s no rush. Look at Li Changming, he’s so much older than our boy, and didn’t he just have a son? Huai Zi is much younger than him, and Juhua is younger than Meizi, too.”

Zhang Huai breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. ”That’s exactly what I was thinking. Once she’s good and healthy, we can take our time having children.”

He found this rather amusing and rolled her eyes at him.

Although the topic of the wedding was dropped, from that day forward, He started paying even more attention to Juhua. Whenever her family made something delicious, she made sure to send a portion over for Juhua. She also frequently reminded Yang to let Juhua get plenty of rest and not to let her get overtired.

This prompted Yang to say with a chuckle, ”Now, Huai Zi’s mother, Juhua is my own daughter, not some child I picked up off the street. How could I not treat her well? It seems you’re not comfortable with me looking after her. You won’t be satisfied until you take her home to raise yourself, is that it?”

He couldn’t hold back a smile. ”I’m just worried because she’s still young and doesn’t know her own limits. You have to keep an eye on her. If she doesn’t build up her strength, she’ll suffer greatly when it’s time to have children. You know that’s what I’m worried about!”

Yang’s expression turned serious and she nodded. ”You’re right to be concerned. I’ve been keeping an eye on it too. That’s why whenever I make something for her sister-in-law, I always insist Juhua eats some as well. She’s much healthier now than she was a few years ago.”

He nodded happily. ”That’s the way to do it!”

That afternoon, Zhang Huai returned from Xiatang Market. He first stopped by the workshop to finish his duties, then went home and changed out of his clean outer clothes into some old ones. He cleaned out the pigsty, then went to the shed on the back hill to check on the wood ear mushrooms.

When he was done with his chores, He called him over. ”Hurry and take a bath, the water in the pot is already hot. Wash your hair, too. It’s hot out, and that pigsty smells awful. Just one trip in there and your hair stinks. Quick, give me those clothes so I can wash them.”

Huai Zi glanced at the sun and said to his mother, ”It’s still early. I’m going to go check on the wheat fields.”

He quickly stopped him. ”Early? The sun is about to set. You finally managed to get home a bit early today after being busy all day. Take a bath and rest for a bit. The fields can wait.” Her son was constantly run off his feet, and as his mother, her heart naturally ached for him.