Chapter 7: 007 Awakening

"Ah, a rat!" Cui'er, by the bedside, let out a scream and sprinted toward the door at a hundred-meter dash speed. She grabbed a broom and prepared to strike at the bed, intending to beat that golden-furred rat to death.

"Cui'er, this is a pet I raised," Feng Qingzhuang said indifferently, scooping up Little Gold and stroking its glossy golden fur.

"But I have always been by Miss's side. When did Miss raise a rat? How come I didn't know?" Cui'er was utterly puzzled, though she had already lowered the broom in her hands.

"During the few days I was unconscious, I went to the Underworld, and Lord Yama gave it to me," Feng Qingzhuang lied casually.

"Really? Miss, what does Lord Yama look like? Is it like what the books say, with eyes as large as bronze gongs and a beard that reaches all the way to the ground?" Cui'er was instantly interested, asking like a curious baby.

"It's exactly as you described." Feng Qingzhuang didn't want to dwell on such boring questions, so she turned and asked, "Cui'er, how many days have I been unconscious?"

"Today is the third day. Fortunately, Miss woke up today; otherwise, Cui'er wouldn't have known what to do," Cui'er replied.

The third day—wasn't that the day that was originally supposed to be the grand wedding day, except for the engagement being broken? Feng Qingzhuang's eyes darted around. Her cold gaze swept over the dilapidated furniture in the room. Thinking of the Feng Qingzhuang in her memories, who had eaten nothing but leftovers since childhood—sometimes even sour ones—she felt the little maid beside her was truly pitiful for suffering alongside her.

She couldn't endure such bitter days. Suddenly, a plan came to mind; she decided to earn some gold and silver first to reward herself and the maid by her side.

"Cui'er, comb my hair. I want to leave the manor," Feng Qingzhuang climbed out of bed, cradling Little Gold as she walked to the dressing table, giving her command in a calm, cold voice.

"But... Miss, you have only just woken up and your body is weak. It would be better to stay lying down," Cui'er said concernedly.

"I've been lying down for three days; I should get up and loosen my muscles and bones. Stop nagging, hurry up." Feng Qingzhuang raised a cold eyebrow and cast a sharp glance, feigning anger. If it weren't for this waist-length jet-black hair that she couldn't manage herself, she wouldn't have to listen to this little girl's incessant chatter.

Cui'er was indeed intimidated by such a young mistress. She shuffled forward with small steps, eyes lowered submissively, to comb Feng Qingzhuang's hair at the dressing table.

"Miss, three days ago, the Second Madam brought people to search the room. The jewelry the Madam left for you was all taken by those servants while they had the chance. Now, only these few hair ribbons are left," Cui'er said regretfully. Those pieces of jewelry were top-tier and worth a fortune.

"Don't worry. I will find a way to make them obediently return the jewelry they took." A frost-like chill instantly condensed in Feng Qingzhuang's cold eyes. How could things belonging to her, Feng Qingzhuang, be so easily taken? If they had the guts to take them, they had to have the fate to enjoy them.

A moment later, Cui'er's skillful hands helped Feng Qingzhuang style a simple and elegant bun. There were no decorations in the bun, only a single white hair ribbon woven through it. Paired with the light green shirt she wore, it added a touch of elegant, immortal grace.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she had bright eyes and white teeth, a clarity like water, eyebrows like the distant mountains, and lips like peach blossoms in March. She truly possessed a jade-like countenance and immortal grace, capable of toppling cities; she truly lived up to her reputation as the number one beauty of Xingyao.

When those clear, water-like black eyes saw the light green shirt on her body, her dark eyebrows furrowed slightly, and a look of displeasure appeared on her face. She turned to look at Cui'er and commanded, "Go get me a long black dress."