Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Chapter 594: Chapter 309: Fighting the Calf for Milk

Juhua finally had a moment to look over the cow that had just given birth. It was peacefully eating fodder and seemed to be in good shape. She made a point to look under its belly, and her heart filled with joy when she saw its teats were swollen and full, not at all shriveled like they usually were.

With so many people around, she had been holding it in. She waited until the commotion died down and the crowd had dispersed, leaving only her own family. Once they returned to the front room together, she said to Zheng Changhe, "Father, once the calf gets a bit stronger in a few days, I’d like to milk the cow every day and boil the milk to drink."

Zheng Changhe had heard Juhua mention this before, so he quickly nodded. "Alright. We’ll probably know by tomorrow if she has a lot of milk. Don’t you worry. I’ll feed her well, so there will definitely be plenty."

Qingmu chuckled. "Even if there isn’t enough milk, we’ll make sure you get to drink it, even if the calf has to go without. If the calf is hungry, we’ll just feed it rice water."

Huai Zi and Juhua both laughed.

Juhua said, "Listen to my brother! Am I really that greedy? Father waited so long for this calf, how could I fight it for milk? But if it can’t drink it all, then it’s fine for me to have the rest."

The matriarch complained, "No matter how good cow’s milk is, can it really be better than a person’s? Your sister-in-law has too much milk; little Hulu can’t possibly drink it all. I suggested you drink what she expresses, but you just refused. If you drank human milk for half a year, wouldn’t that be better than eating anything else? I guarantee you’d get better. And now you’re making a fuss about cow’s milk. It’s such a pain to milk the cow and then boil it."

Juhua said awkwardly, "Mother, cow’s milk has to be good, too. Otherwise, how could a big calf grow strong on it? But asking me to drink Sister Yunlan’s milk... it’s just so embarrassing!"

The matriarch chided, "What’s there to be embarrassed about? Sometimes a mother-in-law and her daughter-in-law give birth around the same time. If the mother-in-law is too old to produce milk, her children—the younger sister-in-law and brother-in-law—are raised on their older sister-in-law’s milk, aren’t they?"

Juhua said shyly, "That’s different, Mother. They’re tiny babies. I’m already a grown woman. If I drink human milk, even Hulu will laugh at me later on."

Qingmu laughed. "Is our Hulu that kind of person? If Hulu could laugh at you, he wouldn’t be so quiet all the time. Just drink it; no one will laugh at you. Your sister-in-law even mentioned it to me. She expressed some milk, but you just wouldn’t drink it."

Zheng Changhe agreed as well.

The matriarch said, "That’s odd. You’re usually so unconcerned with these things. Why so shy all of a sudden? Look, your sister-in-law has too much milk and it’s making her uncomfortably engorged. Little Hulu can’t drink it all, and if she stays this full without expressing the milk, her supply might dry up. What a waste that would be."

Juhua quickly said, "Then have her express it and let Brother drink it! It’s best if he’s the one who drinks it." ’If her own husband drinks it, no one can say a thing.’

Huai Zi let out a muffled laugh at her words, while Qingmu shot his younger sister a fierce glare, his face flushing bright red.

The matriarch and Zheng Changhe found it amusing as well. The matriarch gave her daughter a look and thought, ’Even if your brother were to drink it, that’s not something you should say out loud.’

After some more lighthearted bickering, Huai Zi and Juhua finally headed home.

The two of them boiled more hot water to soak their feet. They used small wooden buckets, over a foot deep, made especially for that purpose in the winter. Juhua was always particular about having the right tools for the job. ’They don’t cost much, so why not have a complete set?’ It was impossible to bathe every night during winter, and on the nights they couldn’t, going to bed with warm, freshly soaked feet was incredibly comfortable.

They sat on stools with their feet soaking in the small wooden buckets. Huai Zi took Juhua’s hand and said, "Juhua, I think your mother is right. If your sister-in-law has extra milk, there’s no harm in you drinking some. It’s definitely better for you than cow’s milk. An opportunity like this is rare, so what’s there to be embarrassed about? Isn’t getting your health back the most important thing?"

He had wholeheartedly agreed when he heard the matriarch say it back at the Zheng family home, but since it involved Liu Yunlan, he hadn’t felt it was his place to chime in.

Juhua pursed her lips in a smile. "I know it’s good for you... it just feels strange."

Huai Zi laughed. "Don’t overthink it so much. When they bring you a bowl, just pretend it’s chicken soup, gulp it down, and that’s that. Remember those books we read? Don’t the rich and noble maintain their health by drinking human milk?"

Juhua nodded. "We’ll see. If there isn’t enough cow’s milk, then I’ll drink the human milk." ’Though cow’s milk isn’t any worse than human milk,’ she thought.

Only then did Huai Zi relax. He bent down to scrub the soles of his feet and then took the opportunity to knead and massage Juhua’s as well.

First soaked in the hot water and now being massaged by Huai Zi, Juhua’s feet sent waves of relaxation through her. Her mind grew groggy and her eyelids began to droop as her consciousness faded. She couldn’t help but mumble, "I can’t take it anymore, I’m exhausted. Brother Huai Zi, I need to sleep."