Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Chapter 418: Chapter 220: Path (Part 2)

Mrs. Yang said hurriedly, "We can go gather them tomorrow. We don’t have any free time right now, so we’ll have to make some. We’ll gather the mushrooms first, then we’ll weed and harvest the wheat."

As they spoke, they finished transplanting another two rows of seedlings, and then it was time to stop for lunch.

Mrs. Yang and Zhang Huai climbed onto the ridge first. Qingmu, who was lagging behind, felt something slippery dart past his feet. On instinct, his hand shot down into the water, and he pulled out a large yellow eel.

When Zhang Huai saw it, he chuckled. "You could give Sanshun a run for his money now! Catching an eel just like that—you’ve really improved."

He then pulled up a few long, whisker-thin blades of grass from the edge of the ridge, threaded them through the eel’s gills, and carried it over to Juhua.

Juhua saw the big eel and thought, ’We should probably keep it for breeding.’ So she said, "It’s just one, too much trouble to cook. Why don’t we put it in our fishpond?"

Qingmu and Zhang Huai both laughed when they heard this—they knew she was more diligent about putting fish into the pond than taking them out.

While slipping on his straw sandals, Zhang Huai said, "Alright, let’s take a quick detour and release it then. You’re always putting fish and shrimp in the pond. It must be getting crowded. They’re probably fighting with each other down there."

Juhua laughed. "Later this year, we can net some of the bigger fish. That’ll give the others more room."

While Qingmu was coming up from the paddy, washing his feet, and putting on his shoes, Zhang Huai stood nearby. He saw Juhua holding a large handful of wild onions and asked, puzzled, "What are you going to do with all those wild onions?"

Juhua replied, "They’re delicious fried with eggs."

Zhang Huai was even more confused. "But don’t we have scallions in the garden? They taste better than these wild ones."

Juhua didn’t know how to answer him. ’Should I tell him it’s just a habit? Or that I’m from a place where the vegetables look beautiful but have no flavor, so everyone prefers to forage for wild ones?’

She saw him watching her, his eyes shining as he waited for an answer. After a moment’s thought, she picked out a wild onion and handed it to him. "These are very fragrant too. Here, smell." She continued, "In this world, the sun and rain nourish everything. Sometimes, things that grow wild are even better than what we plant in our gardens."

Zhang Huai took the fresh, tender wild onion, broke off a tiny piece, and held it under his nose. He nodded with a smile. "It is fragrant. No wonder you love growing vegetables but also enjoy foraging for wild ones."

Juhua smiled. "It’s not that we’re short on vegetables at home, but it’s fun to find good things in the mountains and fields. It feels like the whole wide world is my personal vegetable garden. Besides, there are other benefits to gathering wild plants. You learn what they taste like and how to prepare them. If there’s ever a famine, we’ll need this knowledge to fill our bellies."

Zhang Huai stood before Juhua, gazing down at her and listening with a smile as she spoke. He loved this earnest expression of hers. Just like when they were gathering mushrooms, she was filled with a strange sense of relaxed joy that was infectious, making him feel the same enthusiasm he had felt as a boy when picking peaches or raiding birds’ nests.

Qingmu chimed in, "Juhua makes these wild vegetables taste amazing. I love the wild water celery best. It’s so fragrant."

The three of them chatted as they walked home.

Mrs. Yang watched from the side, seeing how well her two children got along with Huai Zi, and her heart filled with an indescribable joy.

’Qingmu and Huai Zi are young, honest, and hardworking. They’re even sturdily built and healthy. Two such outstanding young men—one her son, the other soon to be her son-in-law. What more could she possibly be unhappy about?’

’For so many years, her daughter’s future had been a heavy weight on her heart, and she had never been able to truly relax. Now, seeing Huai Zi and Juhua growing closer little by little, that weight had vanished. She felt as light as a feather.’

As she walked along the ridge, the world seemed exceptionally vast and open. Her spirits were as high and free as the birds circling over the paddy fields.

Perhaps because the main work of transplanting the seedlings was done, this last bit of work wasn’t stressful. Qingmu and Zhang Huai first took a detour to the fishpond to release the eel, then headed home, chatting leisurely along the way.

As they neared the gate, Zhang Huai pointed to the front of Qingmu’s yard and said, "Qingmu, you should gather some gravel and pave a path from your front door all the way to the river. Then plant willows and fruit trees on both sides. Won’t it look as beautiful as the riverbank? Plus, with a gravel path, it won’t get muddy when it rains, so you won’t get your shoes dirty. I’m planning to do the same thing at my place—build a stone path to the river and plant trees."

Qingmu’s eyes lit up. "Hey, that’s a great idea! Juhua would definitely love that. It’s not even hard; we can just haul some pebbles up from the riverbank. And planting trees is even easier. We can just plant willow cuttings like we did before. How about this: let’s not waste time. We’ll work faster this afternoon, finish early, and come back to lay the path."

Seeing how impulsive he was, Zhang Huai laughed. "That’s easy enough, but you have to help pave the path at my place, too. And come over tomorrow evening to help plant the willows."

Qingmu shot him a look. "Your house isn’t even built yet. What’s the rush?"

Zhang Huai said, "That’s exactly why I’m in a hurry! By the time my house is built and I start planting, your place will already be lush with shady trees. It’ll make my plot look ugly and bare in comparison. Paving the path now won’t cause any problems. It’s not like the foundation site, which I don’t dare mess with. Otherwise, I would’ve planted trees all around it long ago."

Qingmu glared at him. "You’ve got some nerve. Then why did you plant that cherry tree already? Juhua was even complaining that you didn’t give one to her."

Zhang Huai was taken aback, then he blushed and said awkwardly, "That wasn’t... I mean... I’ll get a couple more to give her later."

’But I planted it for her!’ he thought to himself.

Qingmu saw right through him but didn’t call him out on it, simply heading into the courtyard to eat.