Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Chapter 389 - 206: Spring Rain

Gou Dan’s mother, who had been scolding with such gusto before, was now completely silent.

She was sharp and knew how to read a room, so of course she wouldn’t interrupt her son-in-law counseling his mother. But inside, her contempt for Granny Hua only grew, and she was utterly baffled. ’This woman is such a coward, how did she manage to raise a son like that?’ she wondered. ’Meanwhile, my own Gou Dan gets beaten and cursed, and he still hasn’t wised up.’

Meizi sat beside Li Changming, pleased that he had given his mother a piece of his mind. But after hearing what he said next, she hesitated. Though reluctant, she still said to Granny Hua, "Mother, if you really want those pancakes, I can fry some more tomorrow. I was just hesitant to make too many because we’re running low on flour."

Hearing this, Granny Hua frantically said, "No, there’s no need! Mother doesn’t want to eat them anymore, I don’t want them." After a pause, she added, "Mother will never steal food again." With that, she began to wipe her tears again.

Now, just hearing the word "pancake" made her shudder. She wished she could just vomit up everything she had eaten. In all her decades of life, she had never suffered such a fright and humiliation. Not even the last time Li Laoda had beaten her had she felt this awful.

She looked at the mother-daughter pair, Gou Dan’s mother and Meizi, with lingering fear. She felt they were each formidable in their own way. To her, Meizi’s tears were just as unbearable as her mother’s curses.

Then, Li Changming continued to counsel Granny Hua, and Li Changxing and Cheng also chimed in with a few words of persuasion.

Having thoroughly put Granny Hua in her place for her daughter’s sake and won back plenty of face, Gou Dan’s mother decided not to stir up any more trouble. She sat for a little while longer before leaving, completely satisfied. Soon after, Cheng and her son also took their leave.

Once everyone was gone, Granny Hua scurried off to clean the pigsty without even being told by Meizi. Li Changming, meanwhile, helped Meizi sort through the fish they had caught. They set some aside to cook for dinner and washed the rest to be sun-dried. The smaller fish didn’t even need salt; they could be dried directly without spoiling.

Meizi looked at the several sieves full of dried fish hanging under the eaves. Her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled at Li Changming. "Changming, we’ve saved up so much fish. We won’t be short on food when it’s time to plant the rice and harvest the wheat."

Li Changming smiled at her, seeing her look of blissful contentment. "If you want to eat them, just cook more," he said gently. "Don’t always feel like you have to save them. I’ll be casting the net often anyway. Changling has also set a lot of traps up on the mountain, so we might even bring back a few rabbits. You don’t have to be so frugal."

Meizi beamed and nodded.

That evening, when Li Laoda returned from the fields, he gave Granny Hua another tongue-lashing, his face dark with anger.

It turned out he had heard people on the road gossiping about how his wife had stolen food meant for her son. The other village women were discussing it with such relish that it made him angry enough to faint.

The whole village was buzzing with the news of how Gou Dan’s mother had put Granny Hua in her place. Juhua, for her part, heard about it from Liu Xiaomei.

In the third month, a fine, misty rain fell. Unlike summer downpours that came in sheets and streams, the spring rain was gentle and continuous, as fine as ox hair. It seemed to float down weightlessly, and as it accumulated, it formed a misty fog that shrouded the mountains and fields.

The fine rain soaked the tree branches, the flowers, the grass—even the people and their livestock—and everything seemed to change day by day. The plants grew lush and green, while people and animals grew more lively and spirited.

Juhua and Liu Xiaomei, holding oil-paper umbrellas, strolled through the spring drizzle, making their way slowly toward the Zheng Family’s fish pond. Amid the misty rain, the addition of two village girls with their umbrellas made the rain-swept landscape come alive like a painting.

Liu Sanshun had asked Liu Xiaomei to bring some fish fry to Juhua.

Delighted by the lovely spring rain, Juhua had invited her along to release the fish, carrying a small bucket.

As they walked, Liu Xiaomei constantly twirled the handle of her umbrella, sending a spray of raindrops flying. She found this amusing and couldn’t stop laughing.

"Juhua, my Third Brother really did lease the village fish pond! The village chief praised him for being so ambitious. He said that for the first year, my brother doesn’t have to turn over a lot of fish, just the average amount from the last three years. My Third Brother is so busy now—he has to gather fish fry, cut grass to feed the fish, and even collect tadpoles to put in Tiaozi Pond. My second and fourth brothers are constantly busy helping him too."

Juhua smiled, seeing how happy she was. "Doesn’t that mean you’ll be busy too? Once your Third Brother’s fish are ready to be harvested, you’ll be able to make dried fish to sell. Have you improved the flavor any more?"

Liu Xiaomei laughed. "Yes! I did what you said and only semi-dried them. They’re much softer now, not so tough. I made two kinds: spicy and mild."