Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Chapter 474: Chapter 248: A Serious Courtship (Part 2)

He recalled how his mother-in-law had hinted to the Liu Family that the Zheng Family hoped Yunlan would marry in by the end of next year. The Lius hadn’t seemed to find this difficult, and although Yunlan was typically poised, she had blushed shyly at the words. The thought warmed his heart.

After their meal, the father and son returned home, urging the oxcart through the heavy snow. That evening, just as he’d hoped, Zheng Changhe ate the acorn tofu and vegetable stew Juhua had prepared.

The biting wind died down by evening, leaving only a vast curtain of snow to drift magnificently down from the sky. It was a spectacular sight, and if one listened closely, one could even hear the faint, whispering rustle of the falling flakes.

On snowy days like this in the past, as long as there was nothing pressing, Juhua’s family would have simply stayed cooped up at home. They would warm themselves by the fire, make a bit of small talk, and then go to bed. But now that the Zhang family had moved in, they had more neighbors next door, and the snowy weather no longer felt so solitary.

After an early dinner, Mother He roasted a batch of melon seeds. She placed them in a bamboo basket and carried the warm bundle over to the Zheng family’s home to chat and do needlework with Mother Yang. After all, if they didn’t get more sewing done during the winter, they’d have little free time during the spring, summer, and autumn.

Everyone naturally split into two groups. Zheng Changhe went over to the Zhang family’s home to chat with Zhang Dashuan. Mother He and Mother Yang sat by the warming bucket sewing shoe soles, with Juhua helping her mother sew a padded cotton jacket. Qingmu and Zhang Huai first swung by the workshop to ensure the night watch was properly arranged before returning to join the conversation, laughing and cracking melon seeds.

Even Zhang Yang put down his books and ran over to join the fun.

Seeing how warmly everyone was chatting, he felt a restless urge to do something fun. "Juhua," he suggested, "why don’t we roast some Shanyu to eat?"

Before Juhua could reply, Qingmu overheard and grinned. "Hey, now I want some too! We can just bury them in the brazier. It’s no effort, and we can dig them out later. Do you want one, Juhua? If you do, I’ll roast an extra one for you."

Seeing their enthusiasm, Juhua felt a playful spark too. She didn’t really want any Shanyu, though. ’Eating that stuff late at night can make you feel bloated.’ With her brother, Zhang Huai, and Zhang Yang all gathered together—a rare occasion—she had a better idea: a barbecue.

Hadn’t they caught a lot of fish yesterday? The big ones were sold, of course, but she hadn’t thrown back the small, miscellaneous fish that would never get any bigger. ’What’s the use of putting them back if they won’t grow?’ Juhua felt these little fish were delicious when roasted, much better to keep for themselves than to sell.

So, she shared her idea with them.

The three boys unanimously agreed. Zhang Yang was a given, but a youthful, playful spirit also took hold of Qingmu and Zhang Huai. It had been a long time since they’d had a chance to fool around like this, and they were ready to jump into action at Juhua’s suggestion.

But why was Juhua so enthusiastic about this?

For one, she really did want to try having a barbecue and had never found the right opportunity. Today was perfect. For another, it was because of Zhang Huai.

The two of them had seen each other almost every day since the Zhang family moved in. A moment ago, she had caught Huai Zi watching her with a gentle, smiling gaze, and a thought suddenly struck her. ’Huai Zi and I are falling in love. Or to be more precise, we’re dating!’

What a luxurious thing to be able to do!

Not every girl had such a wonderful opportunity.

In this Different Space-Time, even in a rural area so far from any city, a girl’s marriage was decided by her parents. Once they approved of a match, they would pick an auspicious day for the wedding. More open-minded parents might let their daughter meet the potential groom beforehand, but authoritarian parents would make the decision for her outright.

Even after an engagement was set, the man and woman were not supposed to meet often before the wedding. Take Lanzi, for example. After her parents approved the match, she didn’t see the man again until their wedding day. Or Meizi; before she married Li Changming, they rarely saw each other, even though they lived in the same village. Jinxiang was now engaged, too, and as a result, she hardly ever left her house. Even her own brother, Qingmu, who was genuinely fond of Liu Yunlan, had only seen her twice in the entire year since their engagement was formalized in the first lunar month!

But her? The number of times she saw Huai Zi was clearly far more than was typical. To this day, there was still no formal marriage contract binding her. In other words, Zhang Huai was giving her the chance to truly get to know him, to wait until she understood him completely before deciding whether or not she wanted to marry him.

And neither of their families objected to this arrangement.

As this realization sank in, a wave of gratitude washed over her. ’I really should cherish this chance,’ she thought. ’I should do my best to understand him on a deeper level. If he proves to be someone I can entrust my life to, then I’ll treat him with all my heart and use this time to nurture our feelings for each other. But if I find that we’re not a good match, it’s better to decide quickly so he can move on and find someone else. I can’t keep him waiting for too long.’

’In other words, I have to take this relationship seriously!’

That was why she had suggested the barbecue. By keeping busy with a shared activity, they could talk and laugh together and learn more about one another. It was just like picking mushrooms on the mountain in the spring, or laying the pebble path in front of her door on an early summer evening. Spending time together like that wasn’t a breach of propriety, and it helped them grow closer. It was perfect.

She saw that her suggestion had piqued the interest of her brother and Zhang Huai, while Zhang Yang’s eyes were practically glowing with excitement. As he spoke, Qingmu was already heading to the kitchen to get charcoal, asking Mother Yang where she had put the small fish from yesterday.

Juhua glanced around the clean main hall, then shot a slightly guilty look at Mother Yang. Seeing her mother smiling back without any sign of disapproval, she still felt a bit sheepish as she said to Qingmu, "Brother, let’s do this in the kitchen. We shouldn’t fill this room with smoke. It’ll bother Mom and Aunt Zhang."

Qingmu nodded. "Ah, you’re right. We can’t do it in here. Come on, let’s go to the kitchen."

Zhang Yang thoughtfully added to Mother Yang and Mother He, "Mom, Aunt Zheng, I’ll bring some over for you two when it’s ready."

Mother He shot him a look. "You’re the one who started all this."

Mother Yang chuckled. "Let the kids have their fun. It makes things lively. Juhua, you should go with them, or who knows what they’ll turn those fish into." (To be continued. If you enjoy this story, please consider supporting it with your votes on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)