The room was very dark, so dark that one had to tread carefully to avoid stumbling.

  Xue Lian followed Shen Ma cautiously, her eyes fixed firmly on the ground. Her body was stiff as she walked forward, deeply afraid that one wrong move might break the rules.

  "Old Madam, the young madam has arrived."

  Xue Lian thought for a moment that her ears were pying tricks on her. The voice sounded so humble, so obsequious, as if coming from a servant. She couldn’t believe it had come from Shen Ma, but indeed, it had.

  "Mm, let her present the tea now." The same ancient, oppressive voice that Xue Lian had heard on her first day here echoed through the room.

  "Why are you in a daze? Hurry up and present the tea!" Shen Ma urged in a low, anxious voice, handing the tea to Xue Lian.

  "Yes, yes." Xue Lian took the tea and cautiously moved forward, step by careful step. She couldn′t be sure of Old Madam Gong′s exact location, so she had to rely on the voice to guide her direction.

  "Alright, you can stand there." Old Madam Gong's voice sounded again.

  Xue Lian stopped in her tracks, but she couldn′t shake the feeling that Old Madam Gong′s voice still seemed distant, as though she hadn′t moved any closer. Slowly, she knelt down, raised the teacup above her head, and respectfully said, "Old dy, please drink the tea."

  From start to finish, Xue Lian never saw Old Madam Gong's face. Perhaps it was because the room was too dark, or perhaps she was simply too timid to raise her head and look. In any case, she saw nothing before Shen Ma led her out of the "dark room."

  As she was leaving the courtyard, she gnced back at the "dark room." The walls were white, the tiles were bck, and everything appeared normal, no different from any other courtyard. However, there was one distinctive detail: two rge white nterns stood at the entrance.

  The white nterns made Xue Lian furrow her brows. White always carried an unsettling feeling, especially in the residence of an elderly person.

  "Young Madam, it's time to go!" Shen Ma's voice seemed to remind Xue Lian of her momentary pse.

  "Yes," Xue Lian quickly snapped back to attention and followed Shen Ma.

  Sitting with her needle and thread, Xue Lian expertly worked on an embroidered pouch. Xiao Dun’er, standing beside her, curiously leaned in and said, "Oh, it's a pair of mandarin ducks! Young Madam, you're really good at this!"

  Xue Lian smiled faintly and asked, "Really?"

  "Young Madam, of course it's true! Besides the old dy, you're the best at embroidery in the Gong family," Xiao Dun'er said happily, holding up the pouch with a smile.

  "Old Madam..." Xiao Dun′er′s words reminded Xue Lian of something. She was still puzzled about what had happened earlier in the day, so she took the opportunity to ask, "How old is the old dy this year?" Xue Lian asked carefully, afraid she would get no answer, like st time.

  "I don't know either. By the time I arrived, the old dy was already quite old. Now, she must be even older!" Xiao Dun′er said, stretching out her arms to demonstrate how much older she meant.

  Xue Lian couldn’t help but ugh at Xiao Dun’er’s innocent and pyful gesture. Xiao Dun′er, feeling a bit shy, also broke into a smile.

  "Xiao Dun’er, how old were you when you came here?" Xue Lian asked next.

  "How old?" Xiao Dun′er scratched her head, counting on her fingers. "I think it's five years... no, no, it should be seven years... actually, maybe it's ten years."

  Xue Lian was a bit confused. "How is it that you don’t even remember how long you’ve been here?"

  Xiao Dun′er chuckled foolishly. "Young Madam, I really don’t remember. I′ve always been a bit slow-witted since I was little."

  Xue Lian reached out and gently tucked the stray hair from Xiao Dun'er's forehead, feeling a surge of sympathy and pity. She then pulled Xiao Dun′er to sit beside her and said softly, "Xiao Dun′er, when it′s just the two of us, you can call me Sister Lian from now on."

  "Ah?" Xiao Dun′er was taken aback, quickly jumping to her feet, her hands waving as she said, "Young Madam is still Young Madam; I can't dare to do that."

  Xue Lian was a bit surprised. "Xiao Dun′er, why are you reacting so strongly?"

  Xiao Dun′er gnced towards the door, as though worried someone might be eavesdropping. Only when she was sure no one was around did she approach Xue Lian and whisper, "Young Madam, the Gong family has many rules. You have to be careful with everything you say. If anyone hears you and reports it to the old dy, it'll be a big problem."

  "What do you mean by 'a big problem'?" Xue Lian couldn’t quite understand what kind of consequences she might be facing.

  Xiao Dun′er gnced cautiously at the door again before continuing, "I can't really expin it clearly, but... anyone who does something wrong ends up going to the old dy, and then... they just disappear. No one has ever seen the old dy's face, but everyone is terrified of her!"

  Disappear? Terrified?

  Xue Lian's heart skipped a beat, and she thought back to the events of the day. A deep sense of unease began to take root within her. Could it be that Old Madam Gong used cruel punishment? That was the only expnation Xue Lian could think of. Suddenly, she realized that Old Madam Gong might be the most terrifying person in the entire household!

  That night, she y awake in bed, unable to sleep. There were too many things she couldn′t understand. Why had the Gong family allowed her to go straight to the bridal chamber without any ceremony? Why, after two days, had she still not seen her husband? And why did no one mention him? There were so many questions in her mind, but Xiao Dun'er had already fallen asleep. Maybe she didn′t want to talk about it anymore.

  Xue Lian slowly walked to the window, pushed it open, and gazed at the moonlit night outside. Her mind churned with thoughts. What kind of person was Old Madam Gong? Why did she refuse to show her face? Had she never left that "dark room"? And where did all the people who had "disappeared" go?