Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Chapter 565: Chapter 294: The Dao in Excrement and Urine

Qingmu, however, looked at his wife with encouragement and whispered in her ear, ”I’m not much of a talker myself, so you should be a bit more fiery. That way, we won’t be taken advantage of so easily.”

Liu Yunlan looked at him, half-amused and half-blushing, and nodded.

Zhang Huai gave Juhua a strange look, trying his best to imagine her stomping her feet and cursing someone out, but he just couldn’t picture it. ’Nah, forget it,’ he thought. ’Juhua doesn’t know how to curse. Even if she tried, she could never match the ferocity of Yunlan!’

Juhua understood what he meant but paid him no mind, instead turning to talk playfully with Zhao Qing, who was in her arms.

Zhao Qing blinked her dark eyes and asked innocently, ”Sister Juhua, do you know how to curse at people? Why don’t you teach me to curse like a shrew tomorrow? That way, I won’t be taken advantage of either.” She had actually overheard Qingmu’s words.

The whole group roared with laughter. Aunt Zhao was also grinning at her little girl. Juhua then said to the child, ”You don’t need to be taught that. Haven’t you heard your mom and my mom say it? The moment a woman gets angry, she naturally turns into a shrew.”

After a bit of laughter, Zhang Huai turned serious and said to Juhua and Liu Yunlan, ”These are just minor tactics. What’s important is that from now on, you two shouldn’t go out so readily, and you definitely shouldn’t be going to Xiatang Market. Aunt Zhao, you need to watch Zhao Qing more closely in the future. Don’t just let her run wild. Times are dangerous right now. We can’t be too careful.”

Juhua nodded. ”He’s right. Aunt Zhao, there are people out there who specifically kidnap and sell little girls. You have to watch her more closely from now on. When you’re too busy, just bring her over to my place. I can keep an eye on her while I do my housework; it’s all the same to me.”

The color drained from the faces of Zhao San and his wife. Aunt Zhao said hurriedly, ”I understand. Shitou, do you hear me? From now on, don’t take your little sister running all over the place. And stay far away from strangers.” She was pregnant again and couldn’t easily look after both of her children, so she had to let Shitou take his little sister out to play.

Juhua watched her and sighed. ’They just keep having them, one after another, like laying eggs,’ she thought. ’If you don’t build up a family nest egg first, you’ll go broke just from raising kids. Third Uncle Zhao’s family is actually one of the better-off ones; there are a few years between their two kids, so the older can watch the younger. Some families have them so close together, it’s just a whole brood of little ones to drag around.’

Zhao Qing’s eyes darted about before she suddenly piped up, ”Mom, I won’t run around anymore! I’ll stay home and help you sweep and do chores. You just focus on having a baby brother. And if I have any free time, I’ll go to Sister Juhua’s house to play and learn sewing and cooking from her.”

Seeing her completely serious expression, everyone couldn’t help but laugh.

Zhao San chuckled and said, ”My daughter is so good. She’s no trouble at all.” He then shot a glance at Little Shitou, thinking, ’Your little sister is so much better behaved than you are.’

Seeing the little girl acting like such a grown-up, Zhang Yang said sullenly, ”Are you really that busy? What’s this about ’if I have any free time’? You can’t even lift a broom. How are you supposed to sweep the floor?”

Zhao Qing didn’t get angry at his words. Instead, she smiled sweetly at him and said, ”My dad made me a little broom, so I *can* lift it. I’m the one who sweeps our house and the yard! Yangzi, I can do lots of chores. You shouldn’t grow up so fast. Wait for me to grow up, and I’ll marry you. I’ve thought about it for several days, and it’s better if I marry you. You’re not my brother, and you can read and write...”

Before she could finish, everyone was doubled over with laughter. Zhang Yang’s face turned beet red, and he spun around to ignore her.

He laughed heartily. ”Oh my goodness! What’s all this? Where did you even get that idea? I’d love to have a daughter-in-law like you, I’m just afraid your big brother Yangzi won’t be able to wait that long.”

Zhao San praised his daughter for her excellent taste, adding that asking Yangzi to grow up slower probably wasn’t an option. ”By the time you’re a grown woman, he’ll be an old man!” But jokes were just jokes, and no one took a child’s words seriously.

The child’s innocent chatter made everyone temporarily forget the unpleasantness. But once the group broke up and everyone headed to their own homes, the thought of Yan being taken away settled over their hearts like a dark cloud, and their moods remained heavy.

No one in Qingnan Village got much work done that day. A sense of unease disturbed them all, and no one could settle their minds.

When the Zhang family returned home, Zhang Dashuan saw it was still early, so he shouldered his hoe and headed to the fields to check on the water. Juhua and Zhang Huai went to the backyard to get busy. They were still newlyweds, after all. So while their chores were the same—farming the land, feeding the pigs, tending the chickens and ducks—their busy work was now filled with a newfound sweetness and joy.

In the full flush of summer, the vegetable garden was a world unto itself—a tapestry of varying heights and densities, a riot of intermingling colors.

Long, purplish-red eggplants hung beneath the green leaves, gleaming with the dark luster of fired glaze. The pepper patch was far more colorful, a mix of red, green, and the purplish-brown of peppers caught halfway between, all set against their pointed leaves—a lovely sight. The cowpea trellis was draped in long beans that looked like green ribbons. The cucumber trellises were just as bountiful, though one had to search carefully through the lush vines to discover the cucumbers hidden within. Some were straight and others curved, their bodies covered in fine, sharp spines, their tips still crowned by the blossom’s calyx.