It had been raining since early morning. Although the rain wasn't heavy, it stirred an irritable feeling in the air. Seven days had passed, and Xue Lian had stayed in her courtyard the entire time, not venturing out at all. She hadn′t even gone back to the "dark room" where Old Madam Gong lived. Xiao Dun′er wasn′t around either, as she had been called away by Shen Ma, leaving Xue Lian alone.

  Xue Lian stood alone in the courtyard, holding an umbrel and looking around at the surroundings. The white walls and bck tiles cked any color, and she couldn′t understand how the people living here could endure such an environment for so long. After only seven days, she was already at her breaking point. She still didn′t know how big the Gong family was or how many people lived here. So far, she had only seen three people—two, to be precise, since she had never even seen Old Madam Gong's face. Where were the others? Where had they gone?

  Slowly, she walked to the front gate of the courtyard. This gate was usually locked, only opened the day she went to see Old Madam Gong. She didn′t know why Shen Ma had locked her and Xiao Dun′er in the courtyard.

  Xue Lian gently pushed the door, not expecting much, but to her surprise, it opened. The door wasn't locked. She felt a bit of surprise, followed by a slight sense of excitement. Perhaps Shen Ma had forgotten to lock it when she called Xiao Dun'er away. With that thought, Xue Lian stepped out of the courtyard and gently closed the door behind her.

  Beyond the courtyard was a hall yard, with two long corridors on either side. Xue Lian had already walked through the left one when she went to see Old Madam Gong, but the right one... she had decided to walk down that path. She was curious to find out where the corridor led.

  There was no one around, so no one stopped her. The journey was peaceful, but as Xue Lian walked, she began to feel increasingly strange. The houses on either side of the corridor were identical—white walls, bck tiles, no flowers or pnts, and almost identical to the path leading to Old Madam Gong's residence. Just as she started to feel confused, she arrived in front of a courtyard. This courtyard looked exactly like the one where Old Madam Gong lived, except it didn′t have a namepte.

  Xue Lian felt confused. Why did this courtyard not have a name? She gently pushed the door, and to her surprise, it opened. Cautiously, she stepped inside. The courtyard was very clean, just like Old Madam Gong's, or rather, exactly like it. The decorations and yout inside were identical; even the two rge white nterns hanging above the entrance were the same.

  White nterns again. Every time she saw them, Xue Lian felt an indescribable unease. She hesitated at the entrance, unsure whether she should continue walking in. But her curiosity got the better of her. She desperately wanted to know if there were people inside, if the interior was as pitch bck as Old Madam Gong's courtyard. So, she made up her mind to go further in.

  "Is anyone here?" Her voice trembled slightly.

  There was no response. Xue Lian let out a sigh of relief, set her umbrel down, and slowly walked up to the door. She gently pushed it open.

  Inside, the room was pitch bck, just like the room of the matriarch. Xue Lian couldn't understand why the Gong family would build two identical houses. The st time she had visited the matriarch's room, she had been guided by Shen Ma, so she hadn't had to search for it herself. But this time, she was alone, and she had to cautiously step forward.

  After walking a few steps, Xue Lian felt something underfoot. She bent down to feel it—wood, a standing piece of wood. She traced her hand along it and felt something like a mound behind it, a lump about the size of an open umbrel. There was dirt on top of it. Xue Lian realized it was a small mound of dirt. But why would anyone pile dirt inside a room?

  Her curiosity grew, and she continued to feel around, only to find another piece of wood. Behind it was another mound of dirt.

  Xue Lian took a deep breath. Maybe it was because the "bck room" had been so stuffy, or perhaps the air outside was so refreshing, but suddenly, she felt the air fill her lungs with ease. She steadied herself, looking down at the five pieces of wood in her hands. There were words carved into them, and they were retively new.

  "Yue Family Daughter-in-Law—Xue Lian's Grave." The same words were carved on each of the five pieces of wood.