Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Chapter 603: Chapter 314: Withered Mountain Flower

When Juhua saw him arrive, she said joyfully, ”Not at all. I just had four or five. The cilantro-filled dumplings are delicious, you should try some later. Is this carrot juice?”

Huai Zi sat down beside her and smiled gently. ”Yes! I just squeezed it. I warmed the carrots in hot water, so the juice isn’t cold at all.” After speaking, he poured some into a bowl for Zhao Qing, then passed the bamboo tube to Juhua. ”Have a few sips,” he said. ”You like this so much. Mother said she’s going to soak some wood ear mushrooms and stir-fry them with carrots later.”

Juhua took it, had a couple of sips, and smiled. ”Stir-fried carrots with wood ear mushrooms are delicious. If you add a chopped green garlic shoot, it’s even more fragrant. Qing’er, you don’t like this?”

She asked upon seeing Zhao Qing frown as she drank the carrot juice.

Zhao Qing thought for a moment and said, ”It tastes sweet, but the smell is a bit... it has a certain scent.” She couldn’t quite describe the raw smell of the carrot, so she trailed off.

Juhua laughed. ”That’s the natural smell of carrots. It’s a bit earthy. Just hold your breath and drink it down; it’s very good for you. You ate a lot earlier, so you should drink some carrot juice to cleanse your system.” She then went on to explain it to her with an analogy, talking for quite some time.

Zhao Qing obediently drank the rest of the juice, rinsed her mouth, and then said to Juhua, ”My mother can eat three bowls of rice in one meal. My brother and I together don’t eat as much as she does. My dad jokes that he can’t afford to feed her anymore.”

Zhang Huai chuckled. ”No wonder your dad went up the mountain to hunt wild rabbits.”

Juhua quickly asked, ”Is Uncle Zhao San not home? Then we should send Qing’er home right away. Qing’er, you can come over and play with me when your dad’s home. But if he’s not, you should stay with your mother. That way, if anything happens, you can run and get help. Your mother’s belly is so big now; she shouldn’t be left alone. You must be careful.”

’Even though Zhao Qing is so little, she can be a big help. It’s not right for me to keep their daughter all to myself.’

Hearing this, Zhao Qing nodded eagerly. She scrambled off the foot warmer, called out a goodbye to Juhua, and ran outside. ’She suddenly realized how important she was—she had to keep Sister Juhua company and look after her own mother. She was so busy!’

Zhang Huai quickly followed, walking her all the way home before turning back.

He was delighted that Juhua hadn’t thrown up the dumplings and juice she’d just had, and he started discussing what other new dishes they could come up with for her to eat.

The days slipped by in a busy haze of planning meals and drinks. Because of Juhua’s morning sickness, they hadn’t even celebrated the New Year properly; the entire family was focused on catering to her sensitive palate.

Not until the third month of spring did the peach trees they had planted suddenly burst into fragrant bloom. Interspersed with the pale green of tender willows, the sight was so captivating one could hardly look away. Moreover, since they had two varieties of peach trees, they bloomed one after another, extending the flowering season. Peach blossoms still covered the land well into the fourth month.

At both Juhua’s family home and her in-laws’, the front and back yards were a fragrant spectacle of peach and plum blossoms. The vegetable garden was a swath of vibrant green, where little grass shoots and tender chrysanthemums were breaking through the soil. That touch of new life melted people’s hearts and brightened the whole world.

In such a season, amidst such beautiful scenery, Juhua’s spirits soared. Though she still felt nauseous, it was much better than before. It wasn’t yet the time for spring plowing, so Huai Zi often made time to be with her. The loving couple lingered together, luxuriously savoring this springtime of their lives.

This blissful life was temporarily interrupted by Zhang Yang’s upcoming examination. The tenth day of the third month was the date of the county examination, and Huai Zi had to personally escort him to Qinghui, meaning he and Juhua would be apart for a few days.

Taking the exam at the same time as Zhang Yang were Little Shitou and Liu Sixun. No one knew what Mr. Zhou was thinking, but at the last minute, he had Little Shitou take the exam as well. At only eleven years old, he was likely the youngest candidate to sit for the examination.

「On the morning of the eighth day of the third month.」

The Zhang family, the Zheng Family, the Zhao family, and the Liu Family all gathered at the village schoolhouse. Everyone, including the village chief Li Gengtian, offered lengthy words of encouragement and advice. Mr. Zhou, in contrast, said nothing. He simply nodded at the boys—he had already gone over all the necessary instructions with them in detail the day before.

Many other villagers also came to see them off. This examination felt completely different from when the Li Changfeng brothers had tested to become Scholars. The county school seemed a distant, foreign place, but these boys had studied right here in the village schoolhouse. If they could succeed and become Scholars, it would be a tremendous encouragement for everyone.

Seeing everyone chattering on excitedly, one after another, Mr. Zhou frowned. He interrupted them and urged the boys to get on their way.

And so, with the entire village watching on with hopeful eyes, Zhang Yang and the others departed. Qingmu drove them in the horse cart toward Xiatang Market. Huai Zi and Liu Sanshun went along to escort them. Zhao San, feeling it would be useless for an illiterate man like him to go, solemnly entrusted Little Shitou to Zhang Huai’s care.