Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Chapter 591: Chapter 307: The Thoughtful Daughter (Part 2)

Just as they were laughing and chatting, Zhao San strolled up to the courtyard gate, leading Zhao Qing by the hand. Zhao Qing dropped her father’s hand and dashed toward Juhua, holding up her right hand and yelling, "Sister Juhua, I brought the duck quills! But they aren’t thick enough. My mom said they’re too thin and that goose quills would be better."

She ran up to Juhua but saw Huai Zi sitting across from her, their knees touching. There was no way for her to squeeze in, so she had to find another small stool, place it to Juhua’s left, and sit down beside her. Then, she opened her little hand to show Juhua the few thick, stiff duck quills.

Juhua beamed at her. "I have an idea—we can sew two quills side-by-side on top. That way, we can fit enough chicken feathers."

Zhao Qing asked, delighted, "How do you sew two quills together? That sounds hard."

Juhua said confidently, "Just you watch. I’ll definitely get it sewn right."

Huai Zi glanced at the sky and urged, "Hurry up and sew. It’s getting dark, and staring at it in this light will strain your eyes."

Juhua nodded. Alternating between her scissors and her needle and thread, she quickly finished sewing the shuttlecock. She then inserted the chicken feathers she had plucked that morning. The brilliant feathers cascaded down on all sides, looking quite beautiful. She weighed it in her hand; the weight felt right, and it was well-balanced—not top-heavy, nor too flimsy from a lack of feathers.

Zhao Qing clung to Juhua’s arm and exclaimed, "It’s so pretty! Sister Juhua, let’s try kicking it."

Juhua glanced at the already dark sky. Even with the faint moonlight, it was too dark to play shuttlecock. She smiled at Zhao Qing and said, "We can’t see anymore. Let’s play tomorrow."

’She hadn’t made this just for fun, but to get some exercise. It wasn’t that she was lazy and had only just thought of it; she simply never had a moment to spare. Even when she was just chatting, her hands were busy with needlework. Otherwise, she was out working.’

When Huai Zi heard her mention it, he had encouraged her to make one quickly. He’d said that playing shuttlecock in the winter, with all the hopping and jumping, would help her stay warm. That’s what got her so excited about it.

Zhao San had been talking about the crops with Zhang Dashuan and Zheng Changhe. He turned to Juhua and said, "Juhua, it’s a good thing our Qing’er follows you around. She’s learned a lot and can help her mother quite a bit. I don’t expect her to do much work, just run errands and pass messages. With her there by her mother’s side, I feel much more at ease when I go out."

Hearing her father praise her, Qing’er shyly snuggled up to Juhua without a word.

Juhua smiled. "That’s because you and Third Aunt are blessed to have Little Shitou and Qing’er be so obedient and sensible. Third Uncle, do you want Third Aunt to have another daughter, or a son?"

Zhao San laughed heartily. "I want both a son and a daughter! It’d be best if she had twins."

Zhang Dashuan laughed. "And you say you’re not greedy? Are twins that easy to have? I’d advise you to cool it. If she really has twins, Shi Tou’s mother will have a terribly hard time, and raising two babies afterward will be exhausting."

Before Zhao San could speak, Zhao Qing piped up, "It’s okay, I can lend a hand! By the time Mom has the baby, I’ll know how to cook. I can wash diapers and stuff, too."

Everyone burst into laughter at that.

Juhua patted the little girl’s arm and praised her, "Qing’er, you’re so capable. But you still need to practice a few more times to get the hang of it; you’re not quite ready yet. It would be terrible if you burned or cut your hand. It’s good to be diligent, but you can’t overreach. Otherwise, if you get hurt, we’ll have to spend money on a doctor."

Zhao Qing listened obediently, nodding her head repeatedly.

Zhang Dashuan said, "I have to say, Zhao San, I just don’t get it. How did a carefree guy like you end up with such a considerate daughter?"

Zhao San roared with laughter and turned to Zheng Changhe. "Brother Changhe, listen to him—he’s just jealous that we have daughters. Isn’t your Juhua considerate, too?"

Zheng Changhe pouted and said sourly, "What’s there to be jealous about? No matter how considerate my daughter is, isn’t she still over at his house cooking for them now?"

At this, the group laughed even harder, and even He couldn’t stop chuckling. Zhang Huai squeezed Juhua’s hand and whispered, "Dad’s not happy!"

Juhua quickly called out, "Dad, tomorrow I’ll grind some sweet rice flour and make tangyuan with sesame filling. You, Mom, Brother, and Sister-in-law should all come over to eat tomorrow night!"

Zheng Changhe immediately replied, "Alright! I’ll definitely be there. Eating a meal at his expense will make me feel better. Otherwise, I’ll always feel like I got the short end of the stick, raising a daughter just to marry her off."

Zhang Dashuan chuckled slyly. Just as Zhao San was about to tease him, a loud call came from the neighboring Yang family’s home: "Husband, come back quick—our cow is about to give birth!"

Hearing this, Zheng Changhe immediately jumped up and rushed outside, shouting, "Don’t worry, I’m coming! Dashuan, Third Brother, come give me a hand!"

Hearing his call, the two men hurried next door as well.

Juhua grew excited too and was about to go watch. Zhao Qing’s eyes were shining with excitement as she tugged on Juhua’s sleeve without letting go—she had long wanted to see where a calf comes from.

Zhang Huai quickly stopped Juhua. "It’s chilly tonight. Go put on another layer. You can go over in a bit. I’ll go take a look first and call you when the calf is born. It’s not a sight for you, and it’s very messy."

He chimed in, "Juhua, you shouldn’t go, and Zhao Qing definitely can’t. You can see the calf just the same after it’s born. Go put on another layer and wait over at your mother’s."

Helpless, Juhua could only say to Huai Zi, "Then you have to call me the moment the calf is born—I want to see how it learns to stand up! You can’t be late, you hear?"

Huai Zi smiled and nodded, squeezing her hand. "Go on, get another layer. I’ll wait for you, and we’ll go over together."

Juhua nodded and hurried into the house. Once she was ready, she took Zhao Qing’s hand in one of hers and linked her other arm with Huai Zi’s, and they headed to her parents’ home.

Little Zhao Qing was very disappointed to hear she couldn’t watch. She asked, "Why can’t we watch? Sister Juhua, I want to see where the little calf comes from." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it with recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)