After Juhua said this, she saw tears instantly well up in her mother’s eyes. Choking back sobs, her mother pulled Juhua close. "My good girl! I will never be ashad of you, not in my entire life. Your father and your brother won’t be ashad of you either. I’ll listen to you. I won’t worry about this anymore. We’ll just shut our door and live our own lives. Who cares what anyone else thinks!"
Zheng Changhe wiped away his own tears. ’See? Who could possibly compare to my daughter?’
Qingmu secretly swore an oath to protect his little sister for the rest of his life.
Qin Feng’s eyes flashed with a brilliant light. He studied Juhua for a long mont before chuckling lightly. "Juhua is right. You all shouldn’t dwell on this matter. If you don’t dwell on it, who knows, maybe one day I’ll give you all a surprise!"
Zheng Changhe quickly chid in, "That would be even better!"
That night, Juhua lay on her stiff bed, her eyes wide open in the darkness. She stared at the pitch-black thatched roof, her thoughts drifting to the new cotton batting she didn’t know where to find, while also mulling over the day’s events.
So many things had happened one after another these past few days. Before she could even process one event, the next one was already happening.
’I really don’t get it. Why is it that I, the "ugly girl," seem to be the main character, always at the center of every incident? Even if I always show up as the tragic figure, it’s still baffling! There are so many other families with daughters in the village. So are older than , so are prettier than . So why am I always the one who gets hurt?’
’That ti Matchmaker Wang ca, my heart was pounding in my chest. Later, when I realized how much my father, mother, and brother doted on , I cald down a bit. I’m only twelve. There’s still ti to slowly change things.’
’But who could have expected Father to break his leg? It’s true what they say: it never rains but it pours.’
’Today’s incident didn’t really scare , but it made furious!’
’Don’t these people have anything better to do than ddle in an ugly girl’s marriage prospects? Since when did ugly girls beco so interesting? I’m only twelve! Why aren’t those fifteen- and sixteen-year-old girls getting married?’
’My own parents aren’t worried, so why are these people in such a hurry?’
’They’re all damned bastards! To use my mother’s words from today, "Do they think I’m so kind of pushover?"’
’Earlier today, when Liu’er’s mother brought up that marriage proposal, it felt so good to hear Father curse out Sun Jinshan! I have no doubt that if his leg wasn’t broken, he would have stord over to Sun Jinshan’s house to confront him. And my mother gave Liu’er’s mother a good thrashing, which was a huge relief!’
’But my family’s protection is only temporary. If I don’t work hard, things like this will probably happen again in the future. For instance, when it’s ti to find a wife for Qingmu, the girl’s family might object to , the "unmarriageable" little sister-in-law. So, I can’t just be content with this pastoral life. I have to work hard and make money!’
’Thinking back to my past life, I ran away to the countryside to escape the clamor of the city. It seems so ridiculous now!’
’Where in this world can you find true peace?’
’Nowhere.’
’Being poor is no good—it brings the troubles of poverty, which is my life right now. But being rich isn’t the answer either. In my past life, after I fought my way to a certain level of success, I ca to despise that heartless, competitive existence. So what about being neither rich nor poor? Is that any better? No. Those people are either craning their necks to envy the wealthy and powerful officials above them, or looking down their noses at everyone else, smug and insufferable. They don’t have a mont of peace either!’
’Tranquility exists within one’s heart. It’s a feeling that doesn’t change regardless of your circumstances—be it poverty or wealth. It’s like the wild chrysanthemums in autumn, which bloom with abandon, facing the cold wind and dew!’
As she drifted into a hazy sleep, Juhua thought, ’I must live like those wild chrysanthemums—serene and unrestrained!’
Ugly Chrysanthemum takes a bow to thank all you dear readers for your support! But I have to ask: with so many views, why so few ratings? I’m begging you all to show so love! I promise I’ll do a great job helping everyone manage that plot of land on Little Qing Mountain!!!
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