A Beautiful Duchess with a Dark Heart – Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Value of Worth

Early in the morning, Hong Dou woke up.

She got out of bed swiftly and tidied up her small bed quietly.

Wen Yu also woke up, watching the quietly busy figure.

Tsk, the girl was wearing her undergarments, her chest slightly exposed.

Her figure was curvy and delicate.

Then she touched her own flat, unassuming chest…

Then she touched her originally flat and unassuming backside…

Eh?

It seemed to have become rounder. Could it be from eating meat recently?!

Since she was a child, she had always preferred vegetarian food.

While Hong Dou loved pig elbows, pig ears, pig trotters, chicken feet, duck necks, fish… her whole being seemed to glow with a radiant sheen…

After her rebirth, thinking about her weak and fragile body from her past life, she decided to start changing from her diet. Following Hong Dou’s eating habits, she surprisingly developed a taste for it.

And look! It worked! She couldn’t help but feel deeply satisfied.

I’m so happy today, my girl!

She smiled and stretched.

“Are you awake, Miss?” Hong Dou came closer.

She had noticed it during the day. Hong Dou’s smooth little face was actually covered in black, yellow, and gray… as if she had liver disease. That was because she had boiled medicinal herbs and forced her to apply it on her face.

Otherwise, her fair and rosy, glowing skin would have been visible from afar!

Her current self couldn’t protect her…

Hong Dou carefully looked at her Miss, her long eyebrows, her clear and large eyes, her pitch-black pupils, her fluffy eyelashes, and her thick black hair on the pillow.

“Miss, you’re so beautiful!” Hong Dou blinked her eyes.

“Don’t flatter me! Even if you flatter me, I won’t let you wear that peach-red dress today.”

It was made a few days ago when the family was making clothes.

In her past life, although Wen Yu ate a simple vegetarian diet, she loved to wear bright colors.

She always wanted to wear festive clothes to please Old Madam and make a deeper impression on her father.

But her taste was indeed lacking guidance, and her wardrobe was filled with bright red and purple clothes, quite vulgar.

As for Hong Dou, this girl, besides their different opinions on food, she had blind adoration for everything about her Miss. Even in the way she dressed, she always wore clothes like a peacock.

The two of them always dressed in an eye-catching way, swaggering around the garden.

But because they were both naturally beautiful, they somehow managed to make those clothes look different.

Now, she had changed, but Hong Dou remained the same.

Seeing that the peach-red dress was disliked by her Miss, she had persistently pestered her for it.

And then, she always wanted to wear it.

When she wasn’t allowed, Hong Dou would wear it in the room before going to bed and admire herself in the mirror.

Hehe, in this life, I’ll wear whatever I want, and I won’t do it to please others.

She pulled Hong Dou closer and whispered in her ear, “Aren’t you scared of what happened last night? My Second Uncle has no boundaries. Any woman in the family with a bit of beauty can’t escape him. I’m not favored at home, so no one pays attention to you. If Second Uncle saw you, he would definitely want you… and my current self can’t stop him. What should we do then?”

“Oh…” Hong Dou pouted, unhappy. She thought about it for a while, then said seriously, “If only he had burned to death last night.”

…Then she could wear that beautiful peach-red dress.

“Haha…” Wen Yu laughed.

Hong Dou’s personality was so endearing!

Both of us are quite twisted!

There were sounds coming from the outer room, it seemed like Hong Xing was directing the little maids to bring water.

Judging from her tone, she wasn’t very happy.

It was originally a task that Hong Dou and Hong Xing took turns doing. Now, with only Hong Dou by her Miss’s side, Hong Xing had to do everything outside.

A moment later, there were sounds coming from the courtyard gate.

After a while, a little maid entered the main hall, “Is Miss awake?” It was the second-class maid, Xiao Hong Mei.

“What is it?!” Hong Xing asked.

“Someone from Old Madam’s courtyard is here, asking Miss to go over later.”

“Understood.”

Hong Dou looked at Wen Yu, worried that what happened last night might be exposed, and felt a bit nervous.

Wen Yu smiled calmly and started to dress herself.

After experiencing the pain of her past life, she really didn’t know what “fear” was anymore.

After washing up, she pointed at Hong Xing, “You come with me!”

Recently, she hadn’t been taking Hong Dou with her when she went out.

Hong Dou stood at the courtyard gate, watching longingly as her Miss left.

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Wen Yu deliberately turned at a corner to take a look at the commotion at Hibiscus Pavilion.

As soon as she got close, she smelled something burnt.

Walking further, the black water on the ground hadn’t been cleaned up yet.

The main gate of Hibiscus Pavilion was closed, but there were sounds coming from inside.

She looked on curiously. Wen Feng and Liu Si’s reaction wasn’t slow! They didn’t burn to death, and they weren’t even badly burnt?! This didn’t make sense!

Hehe, if you survive a disaster, there’s bound to be another one!

Walking in the garden, she recalled her tragic past life.

From a young age, she wasn’t loved by her grandmother or father. Despite her title as the legitimate eldest daughter, her life wasn’t as comfortable as the maids by Old Madam’s side.

However, Old Madam didn’t mistreat her too much. She wasn’t starved or frozen, she was given clothes, and there were people to serve her.

She was lucky, she didn’t get sick or die.

She was also optimistic, not sad, just foolishly maintaining her “family” relationships in her own way.

Then, everything started to change when she turned fifteen and had her coming-of-age ceremony.

Standing in the meticulously maintained garden of the Wen family, recalling the past, it was still so painful.

That kind of pain, even if she had gotten a chance at rebirth, couldn’t be dispelled.

In her mind, she would always see that red, fleshy lump, and she could still hear that faint, almost inaudible cry.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but tremble slightly…

Until Hong Xing asked with confusion, “Miss?”

Wen Yu opened her eyes, composed herself, and continued walking forward.

She entered Old Madam’s courtyard and went to the largest main hall in the front.

Usually, the women of the Wen family would pay their respects to Old Madam, receive guests, and gather here.

Before she even reached the steps, she could hear the soft murmur of conversations from inside.

In the past, she had longed to be a part of them. She would remember everyone’s birthdays and try to learn about their preferences.

For example, her grandmother, being older, didn’t like sweets and preferred girls who were well-behaved and proper.

Second Aunt loved crunchy snacks.

Third Sister would pass off the osmanthus cake she made as her own, using it to entertain friends she wanted to please…

Fourth Sister admired her flower designs and Hong Dou’s embroidery skills. Whenever she made a new dress, she would bring it to them for alterations and additions, but she never expressed gratitude and would constantly complain and criticize…

Fourth Aunt, Liu Shi… childless, loved to be complimented on her figure and youthful appearance.

All these years, she would inquire about their well-being when they were unwell or when the weather changed. On their birthdays and during happy occasions, she would rack her brains to give them appropriate blessings.

She would even make sacrifices, saving on various materials just to make presentable gifts…

Hong Dou never reminded her or advised her against it, wholeheartedly accompanying her in these pointless endeavors!

Hehe, it was a pity that her efforts and sincerity didn’t receive any response.

When she fell ill, it was amidst Hong Dou’s tears that she endured and recovered on her own…

Although she held the title of legitimate eldest daughter, she was invisible, transparent. And perhaps, even annoying. Because, her grandmother probably hoped that she would be sensible enough to fade away on her own…

And she… perhaps her life was truly resilient, she just wouldn’t die!

In her past life, desperate and with nowhere else to turn, she became Song Shang’s concubine.

Song Shang… wealthy, well-connected, and capable. Although he only held a minor official position for convenience, he was highly influential.

Not to mention her grandmother and aunts, even after her sisters got married, they often needed his help.

To save face, Song Shang deliberately made them seek her out.

It was then that she was surprised to discover that even her grandmother could be a kind and loving grandmother.

And her sisters, when they faced her, could also smile and speak to her with gentle words.

They would even affectionately link arms with her and call her “Eldest Sister” in a coquettish manner.

They easily learned about her preferences and were generous towards her.

It was only at that moment that she understood: in this world, how people treat each other is not based on how good you are to them, but on your worth.

The unfavored legitimate eldest daughter was no match for the concubine of a powerful and influential man.

She gently lifted her skirt and stepped into the main hall…

“So, in this world, how people treat each other is not based on how good you are to them, but on your worth.”

That, although hard to accept, was quite true.