She followed the woman to the woodshed, added fuel to the fire to boil water, and took a hot bath in a simple basin.

The hot water stung Qingyin's wounds, causing her to wince in pain. But the woman beside her was still watching her intently. Qingyin forced herself to endure the pain, finished washing, and changed her clothes.

After she was washed clean, she was taken to a familiar room, the room where she had stolen things, the room called the matchmaker's room.

A fragrant scent of perfume wafted over, and Qingyin saw the woman lying languidly on the couch, her eyes glancing at her.

Her hand, which was resting on her chin, was painted with bright red rouge, creating a striking contrast with her smooth, fair skin.

With just one glance, Qingyin felt the charm of this courtesan from the Red Chamber—her eyes were alluring and seductive.

Even the courtesan Qingyin encountered in the vast world possessed a unique charm that made her captivating.

But the woman's words next are not so beautiful.

"You seem to be in good spirits. I'll keep you as a maid and have you do my laundry."

Qingyin lowered her head and knelt on the ground. Her throat was terribly dry, and the pain in her body hadn't been completely eliminated by the Body Strengthening Pill. She endured the pain and said hoarsely:

I'm very hungry.

"Please, miss, give me some food."

Qingyin noticed that the woman's gaze had changed from a chilling indifference to one of surprise. She stepped off the soft couch, and the woman's perfume scent slowly approached. A sharp hairpin lifted her chin, forcing her to raise her head.

"Ha, you're quite pragmatic. But what do you take this place for, a temple or a government office?"

The woman's tone wasn't sarcastic; on the contrary, her gentle words made the situation even more extremely awkward.

But the beatings she had endured over the past two days had left her body burning, causing her thin frame to swell. Her throat was parched from not eating for two days, and her eyes were dry as well. Hunger and pain had caused her pupils to dilate, making it difficult for her to even see the woman in front of her clearly.

It's so painful.

Qingyin thought that once she recovered, she would definitely eat more.

From the memories of the previous generation in her mind, Qingyin knew the look that Hongniang admired most.

Her eyes were open, revealing an endless will to survive.

With a sharp pain in his throat, he forced out the words:

"I don't want to die."

"Please... miss, give me something to eat."

Tears fell unconsciously from those bright eyes, dripping onto the clean ground.

Then, a short while later, Qingyin's consciousness sank into a hazy, endless darkness.

The child fell to the ground with a "thud".

The matchmaker paused for a moment.

Yet he still kept reminiscing about the girl's incredibly bright eyes.

It looks so familiar.

In her last moments of consciousness, Qingyin heard the woman say something complaining.

"What do you mean, 'girl'? I'm not a girl."

When Qingyin woke up again and opened her eyes, she was in a warm place.

"Come on, drink your medicine, skinny monkey."

A square-faced girl dressed in coarse cloth held the medicine to her lips.

Qingyin blinked her dry eyes, and tears, brought on by her long-closed eyes, streamed down her face.

The square-faced girl was a little surprised. She pouted in disgust, turned her head awkwardly, and said, "Why are you crying? I didn't bully you!"

Qingyin wanted to say something to explain, but her throat, which had not eaten for several days, was so swollen that she could not utter a single word.

The square-faced girl seemed to understand Qingyin's emotions, and poked her face with the medicine in her hand, "Alright, skinny monkey, drink your medicine now."

Despite the strong, pungent bitter smell emanating from her nose, Qingyin suppressed her nausea and calmly downed the entire bowl of scalding hot medicine.

"I really don't understand why Madam would want a little thief like you to be a lowly maid. You're ugly and skinny, and you steal things. Madam even spends money on such expensive medicine for you. It's really not worth it. If we take you in, what if you're not honest and steal things again? Won't all the girls in the brothel come looking for Madam..."

The square-faced girl was still complaining, spewing out a rapid-fire string of words that, while sounding mature and sarcastic beyond her years, revealed a childlike innocence in her voice.

Qingyin hadn't seen such a typical girl who grew up in an apartment building in a long time.

The complex relationships within a brothel are enough to make a naive girl mature and cynical.

This is also a survival skill for the people living in the building.

By the time Qingyin's body had recovered to about 70-80%, she had been washing her clothes in the cold ice water for almost three months.

Three months passed, winter turned to spring, and the ice and snow slowly melted away.

During this time, Qingyin also learned about the background of the square-faced girl who brought her medicine.

Her name is Hongdou (Red Bean).

It is said that the matchmaker had a fondness for red beans for a period of time, and gave her this name.

Hongdou was sold into the Red Mansion because her family was poor.

The matchmaker took her in and made her a lowly maid.

At first, Hongdou remembered the way home, but as time went by, she forgot it and dutifully followed Hongniang as a lowly maid.

Hongdou has a good memory, is quick and nimble, and while she may not be the smartest, she's not stupid either. She's quite used to being a maid.

Before Qingyin came, she did all the laundry work, but now that Qingyin is here, she has less to do.

She and Qingyin both slept in the woodshed, which was convenient for starting a fire, but it had one drawback: the smoke was thick and choking, so they often had to open the bed to let the smoke out after the fire had been burning for a while.

The winter sun was bright but not warm, and it shone on the girl washing clothes, giving her an indescribable beauty.

Although Qingyin was still skinny, Hongdou thought the skinny monkey was quite good-looking, with particularly bright eyes.

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