C2

Lying in a strange bed, breathing in the strange air, I felt very bad.

Even though it looked like a big family and the room was hundreds of times better than my old cabin, I didn't want to be here at all.

I would rather live with my grandmother than marry a rich man I don't know.

Moreover, I have never met that young master, so he would not treat me well. Thinking about my future life, I feel that life is hopeless.

I looked around. In this bedroom, there were many new female products, cosmetics, clothes, shoes … Everything, it should have been left behind by that woman from before the young master, right?

It seems that my future mistress is just an empty title.

Sigh!

After leaving for a while, I went downstairs. I didn't dare to keep him waiting. After all, I still didn't understand him at all. If I provoked him, the one who would suffer would be me.

He was already waiting for me at the foot of the stairs. As I came down, he gestured for me to come down. I saw that the table had already been set up, and that he had already prepared the food.

"Are you the only one in the house?" I asked him curiously.

"Yes, our young master doesn't like the noise in our house, so I'm the only one attending to him." he replied.

All the rich young masters I saw on television were always talking about food and clothing, and I couldn't wait to have a bunch of servants serve them. But this one, he only had an old man by his side.

During dinner, Uncle Chen told me a lot of the rules of living in this house:

The only places I could move were the first floor, the second floor, and the courtyard. The third floor and above are young master's private areas. I can't take a single step inside.

Normally, when you go out, you are not allowed to talk to anyone in the neighborhood, including the security guards at the gate.

On the fifteenth night of every month, I stayed in my bedroom and couldn't go anywhere.

Nothing in this house can be told to anyone, including my grandmother.

I was particularly nervous about these rules. He ate the entire meal without eating anything. However, when I saw the serious expression on Uncle Chen's face, I could only nod my head seriously.

After dinner, I went back to my bedroom and thought about my grandmother. I cook for her every day. I wonder if she will be hungry by herself today? As I thought about it, my heart ached and I began to cry.

After an unknown period of time, I fell asleep.

The next day, I got up early and cleaned myself up.

At that moment, the door to my bedroom rang. I quickly organized my clothes and went to open the door. It was Uncle Ming outside.

His expression was as cold as when I first saw him yesterday. Did I do something wrong to make him unhappy?

"Good morning, Uncle Chen!" I greeted him politely.

Surprisingly, he didn't act as indifferent as he did yesterday. Instead, he quickly replied, "Good morning, Young Madam. Quickly go down to eat breakfast!"

Even so, I felt depressed. Every time I looked into Uncle Chen's eyes, I felt an invisible force enveloping me, making me feel uncomfortable all over.

Sigh, when would such a day be the end?

During dinner, he also looked at me coldly. I can't eat, but I can't eat either.

"Uncle Chen, is something the matter?" I couldn't help but ask him.

"I just found out that today's the fifteenth. If I had thought of you yesterday, I wouldn't have picked you up, aiya!" He sighed and shook his head.

"Alright, then I'll obediently stay in my room at night. I won't go anywhere." I said seriously.

Only then did his expression soften a bit. He said, "I'm really sorry, it's my fault. It's really hard for you to act like this right after you've arrived."

So it turns out that he was afraid of me being wronged so he had a straight face. It seems that this Uncle Chen isn't so heartless, it's just that in my opinion, his expression is too single, seemingly cold and serious.

"It doesn't matter, Uncle Chen. I've just arrived, so I'm not familiar with this place. I had no intention of going out anyway." I comforted him.

"Young madam, you're really too sensible. Let's quickly eat. After dinner, come with me to the ancestral hall. Our family has to attend the worship ceremony every fifteenth day of the month." As he spoke, he picked up the bowl of porridge and began to drink.

I quickly finished my food and followed him.

At first, I thought that the ancestral hall would be outside, or at least a separate building. But I didn't expect that the ancestral hall would be in the basement of the first floor. If Uncle Chen hadn't taken me with him, I might never have discovered that there was a floor in the kitchen that was alive, and a hidden staircase that led down to the basement.

Even though I was full of questions, I was clear on my position in this family, so I didn't ask too much and just carefully followed Uncle Chen downstairs.

The basement was very large, but there were no memorial tablets in the huge space. There was only a simple mahogany table.

In the middle of the table, there was a spirit tablet. The words on the spirit tablet were very vague. The smoke lingered, and the smell filled my nose, making me feel familiar.

Uncle Chen looked at me and said, "Young Madam, give me some incense."

I lit the candle, but Uncle Chen didn't let me stick it in. Instead, he took it and offered it to me.

I don't know what he means. It's probably a family tradition or rule.

We then left the ancestral hall together. Just as I was about to go upstairs, he called out to me, "Young Mistress, I'm going on a long trip. This is Mrs Liu and Snowy. I'll wait on them for a while."

I quickly refused and waved my hands. "I don't need anyone else to serve me."

Uncle Chen's tone suddenly became stern: "You are the young mistress of our family, don't tell me you want to do everything by yourself?"

I awkwardly replied, "Then I'll listen to you, Uncle Chen."

Mrs Liu looked to be in her fifties or sixties. She smiled at me in a very amiable manner. She looked at me as if I were her own child.

Uncle Chen introduced them at the side, "Mrs Liu is an old man serving the young master. She knows her limits. If you need any help, you can ask her for help."

On the contrary, Snowy looked very obedient, but she didn't have any expression on her face. Seeing that I was staring at her, Snowy forced a smile. "Greetings, Young Madam."

Seeing this, I stopped staring at her. I don't know if it was the light in the house or my imagination. I always felt that Snowy's appearance was very familiar. Her face, on the other hand, was a bit too pale. After the introductions were finished, Uncle Chen took up a black umbrella and walked out of the villa. He then sat in the car and slowly left.

The umbrella gave off a simple and unadorned feeling of solemnity. It was different from ordinary umbrellas, more like the oil-paper umbrellas of the Republic of China era. Thinking about what happened last night, I quickly went back to my room to take a bath.