Ling'er slowly inched her way forward on her hands and knees, furtively looking left and right for the scary Qiu Yue.
It had already been a full two weeks that she was confined to her room, not even able to step outside to use the bathroom.
All her "business" had to be done via an ancient chamber pot and urine receptacle, soooooo unladylike *shudders*. How she missed modern indoor plumbing!
However, Matriarch Fang gave strict orders that Ling'er was to recover quietly in her room indefinitely and Qiu Yue took that to literally mean not even one step out of the room. Ling'er was going crazy staying in bed 24/7.
It's not like she had television or Internet to alleviate her boredom. What she wouldn't give to have her Netflix back and finish that last season of Terrace House! Or to browse Instagram for the latest fashions!
There was only so many times she can count the cobwebs in the right corner of the ceiling before she went crazy.
Not only that, she didn't even have any nice things or pretty clothes to alleviate her boredom.
Every single outfit in the armoire was bland: blue, black, gray. Straight lines, practical, not form-fitting at all. Perfect for a practical noble's son but not for her!
She was a fashionista, ok?! How can she dress like a storm cloud, so dark and gloomy? Give her some colors to work with, for Pete's sake!
She was always rocking in-your-face colors, even when she had to dress "professionally" for events, her excessive jewelry always made a color POP somewhere on her. One needed to have color in order to be the center of attention!
In fact, the entire household dressed like it was a perpetual funeral somewhere and she was tired of all the dull colors and lack of pretty things. Poor Ling'er didn't even have a pretty accessory or any type of jewelry to admire.
The Fang's really took this "be a man" thing very seriously. It wasn't like she was going off to war to take her father's place!¹
And it wasn't even like she could talk with the other members of the household to ease her boredom.
Usually, protagonists that transmigrated receive the memories of the person they replaced, however she was not so lucky.
She had no inkling of who anybody was and it only made other people cry in front of her, pitying her.
Butler Du, who watched her father grow up, was the worst of the bunch. He was very emotional when she didn't recognize him.
Falling to his knees and wailing at the top of his lungs, lamenting that he had dishonored his master's memory and that he was being punished by having his young master Ling'er forget who he was. What a drama queen! No thank you!
She'd rather rip off her ears than listen to Butler Du screech as snot mucus flew out of his mouth onto her face.
Although she didn't know anything or anybody, fortunately her fall allowed "temporary amnesia" as an excuse to give her a chance to learn everybody's name.
However, everybody was too formal with her and always "Yes, young master, no, young master, I do not know, young master." Even gossip was forbidden because Qiu Yue always chased everybody out within a few minutes, claiming she needed to "rest."
Qiu Yue, however, was perfectly happy to attend Ling'er in complete silence. The only time she spoke was, "It's time for your medicine, Young Master!"
When Ling'er attempted to chat with her, she only said that it was not proper and kept herself in the outer room.
Little did Ling'er know that Qiu Yue was actually spending all her time flirting with the kitchen's cook Xiao Deng and that was why she had to "set a boundary" between her and the young master to keep her virtue for her future husband.
Poor Ling'er had to drink extra doses of the bitter medicine so Qiu Yue can see Xiao Deng more often, which would cause major issues for her down the road...
Seeing Butler Du sweeping the gardens near the back entrance, her only chance for escape had to be the front door.
Making sure Qiu Yue was not around, Ling'er stood upright and brushed the dirt off her front.
She smiled becomingly at the hardworking maids and nodded at the manservants who greeted her and boldly walked right out of the front door.
If she only knew then what would happen that day, even if you hung her upside down and beat her a hundred times, she would not step one toe out that door...
¹ Mulan - famous legendary woman who dressed as a man to replace her aged father to fight as a soldier in war, shows filial piety, courage, etc.