Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Chapter 346 - 183: Marriage Proposal (Part 2)

So they took their bundles off the ox-cart, tidied themselves up, and went to their uncle’s house.

After Mrs. Wang told him about the matchmaking meeting, Yang Defa spoke to Qingmu with great gravity. "Have you thought this through? Today’s visit is tantamount to a formal marriage proposal. The Liu family couldn’t be more eager. Once you make this trip, even though nothing is finalized, it’s as good as a verbal engagement. The only thing left will be to hire a matchmaker."

Qingmu took a deep breath and nodded. "Don’t worry, Uncle. I’ve made up my mind. As for my father and mother, they’re well aware of the situation too."

’Even Juhua has gone to meet her,’ he thought. ’In our whole family, only Dad has never met this Liu Yunlan.’

Laixi had gone to the market early this morning, but his cousin Laifu was at home and hadn’t gone out.

He was delighted when he heard the news and repeatedly urged Yang Defa, "Dad, since Qingmu has made up his mind, let’s go quickly. The sooner this is settled, the better—the Liu family’s daughter has many suitors."

Amused, Yang Defa shook his head. To hear his son talk, you’d think that if they were one step too late, the Liu family’s daughter would be marrying someone else. Only he understood that Liu Fugui wouldn’t agree to any other suitors before getting a definite answer from him.

And so, he took Qingmu and headed for the Liu family’s home.

Seeing her brother’s rather solemn expression, Juhua hurried after him into the courtyard. She straightened his clothes and whispered, "Don’t you worry. I can tell Sister Yunlan really likes you. She was so good to me that day. Even when I was lecturing her brother, she just stood by and smiled. I think she understood what I was doing, knew I meant no harm, and already considers me one of the family."

Qingmu smiled and nodded. "I’m not worried about her. It’s just that... now that I’m finally getting engaged, it feels a little strange."

Juhua let out a chuckle at his words. She looked him up and down, seeing how dashing he was. He carried himself with a new confidence he hadn’t possessed a year ago, making him look truly outstanding. Reassured, she gave him a gentle push. "Go on."

’Sigh! Once he goes, another woman will be here to share my brother’s affection.’

After the men left, Juhua’s aunt, Ms. Zhang, took her by the hand and led her under the eaves of the porch. A few small stools were set up there, and they sat down facing the sun. She chuckled and said to Mrs. Wang, "Well, your daughter can finally put one worry to rest. I thought my Laifu would be the first to get engaged, but I didn’t expect Qingmu to beat him to it."

Mrs. Wang smiled. "It seems Yunlan and Qingmu were destined for each other. This whole thing dragged on for over a year, but it’s finally being settled. There’s no rush for Laifu, though. That girl from the Ding family was quite nice, and there’s also the one from the Gao family... oh, my grandson has plenty of suitors, too!"

Seeing her grandmother’s look of smug satisfaction, Juhua exchanged a glance with her aunt, and both of them burst out laughing.

The women were basking in the sun, cracking melon seeds, and had only been chatting for a little while when Liu Fugui’s wife, Mrs. Zhang, rushed into the courtyard.

When she saw the group sunning themselves by the porch, her plump face instantly broke into a wide smile, her eyes crinkling into slits. "Oh! Aunt Wang, you’re here too! What a coincidence! This saves me a trip to Dezhi’s house."

Seeing her beaming with joy, Ms. Zhang guessed her purpose and asked teasingly, "Yunlan’s mother, what brings you here...?"

The smile on Mrs. Zhang’s face was so radiant she couldn’t have hidden it if she’d tried. With a massive grin, she told them, "We’ve asked Yang Defa and Qingmu to stay for lunch, so my Fugui sent me to invite you, Aunt Wang, and you over as well—don’t bother making lunch today! And Little Juhua—Yunlan specifically asked me to come get you."

She looked at Juhua with great fondness. ’Such a well-behaved and quiet girl. Those bastards were just spouting nonsense, painting her in such a bad light. I almost ruined my daughter’s wonderful match because of them.’

Mrs. Wang was delighted. Gaining a new set of in-laws was a joyous occasion, so she didn’t stand on ceremony. She smiled at Ms. Zhang and said, "Well then, let’s impose on them this once and go taste Yunlan’s cooking. Another day, when Cuizhi is back, we can invite Fugui and his wife over for a meal."

Ms. Zhang nodded with a wide smile, saying that Qingmu’s mother would surely be back in a few days.

And so, Mrs. Zhang called for Laifu, and the entire group from the Yang family went to the Liu residence for a meal.

As she entered the Liu family’s courtyard again, Juhua could hear constant peals of laughter from the house, even from a distance. It sounded like her uncle and Liu Fugui were in high spirits.

Mrs. Zhang led Mrs. Wang and the rest of the group inside. Liu Fugui, who had been chatting animatedly with Yang Defa, immediately shot to his feet. He greeted Mrs. Wang as an honored guest and invited her to take the seat of honor at the head of the square table.

Even though they were all from the same village and knew one another, after today, Mrs. Wang would be his daughter’s grandmother-in-law, so she naturally deserved his respect. After getting Mrs. Wang settled, he turned back to invite Ms. Zhang and the others to sit down, even giving Juhua a kind smile.

Juhua saw her brother sitting quietly to one side, so she went over to sit beside him, giving him a little smile.

Qingmu smiled back at his sister and quietly asked if she was cold.

Juhua whispered back, "Not cold. I was just sitting in the sun for a long time. Is Sister Yunlan making the meal?"

Qingmu nodded, glancing toward the kitchen. "She and her brother are both busy in there."

Juhua saw that the table was filled with adults and felt awkward sitting among them. It wouldn’t be right to keep whispering with her brother either, so she said to Qingmu, "I’m going to go see how Sister Yunlan is doing with the food."

Qingmu nodded. "Go on. You’re just a kid, you don’t have to worry about so much etiquette. It’s uncomfortable for you sitting here anyway. They won’t mind."

Although Mrs. Zhang was entertaining Juhua’s grandmother and aunt, her eyes kept darting over to Qingmu and Juhua. ’Of course I’m checking out my future son-in-law,’ she thought. ’And the more I look, the more pleased I am. Naturally, I can’t neglect my daughter’s future sister-in-law, either.’

When she saw Juhua stand up, she hurried to her side and asked quietly, "Juhua, what is it? What do you need?" She thought Juhua might need to use the latrine.

Juhua smiled. "Auntie, I was just thinking of going to see how Sister Yunlan is doing with the meal and having a chat with her."