"Third Young Madam, please wake up..."
"What should we do?"
"Where's the doctor? Why hasn't he arrived yet?"
"..."
Bai Suihe's head felt like it was splitting, and there were people constantly shouting around her. They say three women make a play; the voices of these seven or eight women were nothing short of torture.
In her groggy state, it seemed someone took her pulse and fed her medicine, after which she hazily fell asleep again.
When she awoke again, she immediately sensed something was off. The bed beneath her wasn't the expensive latex mattress she had bought from Thailand but somewhat dizzying instead.
Opening her eyes, she saw a dim candlelight, light gauze curtains fluttering, tassels swaying, and an antique-style bed canopy that made her blink in shock.
Close and open, close and open...
She pinched herself hard, almost crying out in shock, but at the critical moment, she clamped her mouth shut with her hand.
This was definitely not her apartment. She could remember closing all the doors and windows before going to sleep. It wasn't possible for someone to have the ability to silently move her to another place. There was only one possibility left: she had traveled through time.
Quietly sitting up without making a sound, suddenly a head rose, "Third Young Madam, you're awake."
Bai Suihe gasped heavily, biting her tongue as she said, "You almost scared me to death. What time is it now?"
"This servant is guilty; please punish me, Third Young Madam." Dongmei said this while already kneeling on the ground, feeling particularly regretful that her sudden outburst scared her mistress just when she had woken up.
"It's fine, get up," Bai Suihe asked gently once more, "What time is it?"
"Replying to Third Young Madam, it's already the hour of the Rat." Dongmei glanced at the moonlight outside and answered respectfully.
Between eleven at night to one in the morning, translating it in her head, Bai Suihe lay back down on the bed.
She massaged her head as waves of memories rushed in, but these memories suffocated her.
She was a bit envious of those who traveled through time to become peasant girls. Even though the road was impoverished, there was at least hope.
Unlike her, although she had traveled to a wealthy family, they were on the brink of being exiled, and she was pregnant.
"Third Young Madam, is your head hurting?" The commotion inside quickly drew a maid who was on night duty outside, and another big maid, Chunxiang, also came in by lifting the curtain.
"The doctor is waiting outside. Should we have him come in and take a look?"
Bai Suihe waved her hand. Dongmei and Chunxiang were her original dowry maids and her confidantes in the estate. She needed to organize things well and couldn't reveal any flaws in front of them.
"What did the doctor say earlier?"
Dongmei and Chunxiang hurriedly knelt down to offer congratulations, "Third Young Madam, the doctor said you fainted from exhaustion.
But rest assured, the little master in your belly is fine."
Bai Suihe touched her belly, indeed feeling a small life inside. The fetus seemed to have a telepathic connection with her, giving a kick at that moment, "Let me take a breath first, bring me a glass of water."
Dongmei got up, quickly left, and returned with a glass of warm water, "Third Young Madam, the water is here."
Bai Suihe sipped a couple of mouthfuls and then waved them away, "You may all leave. Let me have some peace and quiet."
Dongmei and Chunxiang exchanged worried glances but respectfully withdrew.
Left alone in the room, she finally had the leisure to sort through the original owner's memories.
She had traveled into historical mystery fiction, becoming the early-deceased cannon fodder wife of a villain.
In the book, the protagonist was the legitimate daughter of her husband's elder brother. She would suffer from the protagonist's actions during the exile, resulting in the death of both mother and child.
Because relatives were implicated due to her actions, her husband turns vengeful and begins to oppose both the female and male protagonists. Ultimately, the protagonists' house's strategy outmatches them, conclusively ending them.
The reason she fainted today was due to standing rigidly in front of her mother-in-law.
From the time she married in, these formalities were seldom missed. Even though her mother-in-law came from a humble family, she adopted the rules of aristocracy, suffocatingly strict and numerous.
Bai Suihe rubbed her head. Thinking of her opportunistic husband only worsened her headache.
A single woman for 30 years, suddenly becoming married. Even though she fainted, what about her opportunistic husband?
Right, he seemed to have been sent out to supervise some properties; each time was ten days to half a month. It should be three to five days before he returns.
Thinking about facing the unknown life starting tomorrow, Bai Suihe secretly motivated herself to settle down, as she must. Now she needed to consider any other means of survival when facing the female lead.
As for seeking reliance and favor with the female lead, Bai Suihe didn't even think about it. Most people around the female lead turned out to be cannon fodder, and she didn't want to seek her death.
Besides, the villain was quite good. In "Struggle and Self-Encouragement," the aphorism "Fighting with heaven brings endless joy; fighting with earth brings endless joy; fighting with people brings endless joy" has always been her guiding principle.
Even if she couldn't do much to the female lead, she needed to find a way to pave her path in this world.
As she pondered, her eyelids grew heavy, and she fell into a deep sleep, disregarding everything.
When she awoke again, it was still dark outside. Even though there were attempts to walk quietly, she could hear footsteps.
Bai Suihe accepted her circumstances and adjusted. After all, she had gotten younger by over ten years in this situation, which counted as a gain.
She instantly widened her eyes. This body's actual age was only 18, and there was already a baby...
She had never been in a relationship, not an ignorant little girl, but this body was still underage. Even if she wasn't harmed by the female lead, she still had to endure the dangers of childbirth in ancient times.
And exiled while pregnant, it was akin to seeking a path of nine deaths and one life.
She immediately became tense. This matter needed careful long-term planning. Ideally, she needed to leave this quagmire as soon as possible.
Divorce, simply impossible. In this era, divorces weren't even heard of, except being discarded.
Moreover, those discarded women would be pinned with charges, leaving them only with a dead-end.
Besides, according to the original owner's memories, her opportunistic husband seemed decent.
"Third Young Madam, are you awake?" Chunxiang asked quietly from outside, "It's time to pay respects to the main house."
Bai Suihe said, "Come in."
As soon as she spoke, Chunxiang entered, leading several maids carrying toiletries, clothes, and jewelry.
Bai Suihe followed the memories in her mind and sat up, letting them serve her.
Cursing countless times internally, this was just the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War, yet they wanted to follow rules rivaling royalty and nobility.
"What did the old madam say after I fainted yesterday?" Bai Suihe felt it was too inhumane. Even pregnancy couldn't excuse her from paying respects, not to mention she had fainted just the day before.
Looking in the copper mirror, this was high school-aged her...
"The old madam sent Nanny Zhou with some supplements," Dongmei also looked indignant, "but no other message came, not even excusing you, Third Young Madam, from the morning and evening visits."
All three young masters were born to the old madam, even if there were seniority differences, it was excessively biased.
All daughters-in-law were the same, yet the eldest and second young madams didn't have to follow these daily rituals.