A Maid's Survival Story in a Noble Family Mansion? Rich Landlords Are More Appealing.

That night, perhaps because she suddenly understood something and her long-tense heartstrings relaxed, or perhaps because of the unprecedented sense of security brought by this small room, Amber slept very soundly.

Even the faint sounds of everyday life rising outside the window became a vague yet reassuring background noise.

She was awakened by the sunlight shining through the window onto her eyelids.

She opened her eyes and looked at the unfamiliar yet clean green gauze canopy above her head. She was momentarily dazed, and then all the memories of yesterday came flooding back.

She actually slept until the afternoon, which was unimaginable before, whether in the strictly regulated Marquis's mansion or the Zhou family.

The room was quiet. She sat up and found a clean, plain-colored dress on the bedside table, with the fresh scent of soap. There was also a glass of water on the desk next to it.

She had just changed her clothes and gotten up when there was a gentle knock on the door, and Li Mama's voice came from inside: "Is Miss Amber awake?"

"She's awake, please come in, Granny."

"Did you sleep well, young lady? I came in twice this morning and saw that you were sleeping well. Our young lady said not to disturb you and to let you get a good night's sleep."

It's almost late afternoon, are you hungry? There's been some porridge and side dishes keeping warm on the stove, I'll go get them for you right away."

After Amber finished washing up, a steaming bowl of porridge and side dishes was brought over. She sat at the small table by the window, eating slowly and carefully. The porridge was soft and sticky, and the side dishes were refreshing.

"Have you had enough sleep?" Chen Wanxing waited until she had eaten and drunk her fill before leisurely appearing, leaning against the door frame, and asking casually.

Amber looked up at the sound, her lips curving upwards slightly—a barely perceptible smile, yet more touching than yesterday's tears.

"Mmm," she responded softly, her gaze falling on the sunset outside the window. "I've been in a daze since I left the capital, and it's been a very long time since I've slept this well."

Chen Wanxing nodded and didn't ask any more questions, only saying, "Once you've recovered your strength, there's still a long road ahead."

In the days that followed, Amber settled completely in the courtyard of Baishi Lane, where she stayed indoors for a full seven days.

For the next seven days, she ate the nourishing and easily digestible meals carefully prepared by Granny Li whenever she was hungry, and fell asleep as soon as she was tired.

When the weather is fine, I would move a stool to sit on the porch, wrap myself in a thick cloak, and quietly bask in the sun for most of the afternoon.

She hardly spoke, and her eyes were often vacant, as if she was slowly digesting the fatigue that had accumulated over the past few months.

Fortunately, she was raised in the luxurious environment of the Marquis's mansion and had a good foundation. Although she was exhausted in body and mind in the past few months and looked haggard, her foundation was still intact.

If it were someone with a weaker constitution, they would probably have fallen seriously ill after going through such an ordeal.

Even so, compared to the bright and lively Amber with a touch of arrogance she had in the Marquis's mansion in the capital, she had lost a lot of weight.

Her cheeks were slightly sunken, her chin was much sharper, and the pampered air she had developed seemed to have been mostly gone, leaving only a calm after a storm, as if everything had been washed clean.

The best medicine is to let go of your worries. After a few days, the dark circles under her eyes finally faded, and some color gradually returned to her pale cheeks.

Although she remained silent most of the time.

That morning, after she got up, she actually asked Yunzhu for needles, thread and fabric. She sat by the window and quietly did her needlework in the bright sunlight.

The sunlight outlined her focused profile; though still thin, she had already radiated new vitality.

Chen Wanxing was passing by the window when she caught a glimpse of this scene. She paused slightly but did not go in to disturb them. Her eyes softened a little.

Amber has finally made it through this ordeal.

Seeing that Amber's complexion and spirits had recovered, Chen Wanxing brewed a pot of tea that afternoon and had Yunzhu call her to the main room. She spoke calmly:

Now that you're fully recovered, what are your plans for the future? Do you have a clear idea in mind?

Amber held the warm teacup, her eyes revealing genuine confusion.

She shook her head, her voice somewhat weak: "I don't know. When I was in the manor, everything was governed by rules, and I just had to follow orders. But now the world is so vast, and I don't know where to go or what I can do."

She has never truly faced the world alone.

Chen Wanxing wasn't surprised and asked again, "Do you still want to stay in Kaifeng?"

Amber gave a wry smile upon hearing this, "I made a mistake and was exiled to Kaifeng. I'm afraid I can't go anywhere else."

Upon hearing this, Chen Wanxing raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Make a mistake?"

She still doesn't know why the madam suddenly made them leave the capital, and the madam even blamed her for it.

For the sake of their reputation, even though they knew that Amber wouldn't say anything given her personality, they still didn't want her to be the one who knew the truth.

As for her, if she hadn't happened to be on duty at the door that day and knew that it was her aunt who had come, and hadn't vaguely heard some of it, would the madam have told her?

She sighed and calmly and clearly explained to her the cold reality that the princess had taken a liking to the young master and that the Marquis's family had to purge their old servants in order to climb the social ladder.

"So it's not that we did anything wrong, it's just that we're in other people's eyes."

Chen Wanxing concluded, "As long as we behave ourselves and don't go to the capital to offend the powerful, in a few years, hardly anyone should remember us. Returning to the capital might not be easy, but leaving Kaifeng and settling down elsewhere should be fine."

Amber listened blankly, the color draining from her face little by little. She still harbored a sense of incomprehension and grievance at being abandoned, and even secretly reflected on what she had done wrong to offend the madam.

Only now do I realize that from beginning to end, my feelings of liking and anticipation were so insignificant, worth less than dust in the face of the balance of interests between the madam and the young master.

She had imagined the young master to be a paragon of virtue and indifferent to power and wealth, but it turned out he was nothing special, making all her previous insistence seem so ridiculous.

Chen Wanxing looked at her face, which had turned ashen in an instant, and offered no words of comfort, but simply waited quietly.

After a long silence, Amber took a deep breath, her voice hoarse but unusually calm: "I understand, thank you for informing me, sister."

She paused for a moment, then made a decision, "I'll stay in Kaifeng. I'm all alone elsewhere anyway, but here, at least I have my sister."

"And with the title of that young master's mistress hanging over her, even though it sounds unpleasant, ordinary people might still have some reservations." She gave a self-deprecating smile.

Chen Wanxing nodded, not surprised by this choice: "Alright, think it over carefully again, there's no rush."