"It hurts."
The faint sound was drowned out by the pouring rain outside the window. Xiao Bi reached out to support her head, struggling to recall what had happened after the class reunion last night.
What was going on? What was this hard layer on her forehead? She shook her head, and fragmented memories flashed through her mind. It seemed she and a few classmates had just stepped out of the restaurant entrance when a car came speeding toward them. Even though she was slightly tipsy, she could estimate that the car was definitely going over 140 miles per hour. Speeding like that in front of a restaurant wasn't just courting death; it was murder.
Then, she seemed to have pushed her classmate aside with all her might, and after that, well... there was no after that.
So, am I dead? Xiao Bi's heart was bleeding. Wuwuwu, no, I can't be! The hospital's development is at its most critical stage; I promised to go home for Grandfather's eightieth birthday; and there's Luo Xiaoqian, I promised to accompany her to the provincial hospital for her bone marrow transplant... She still had so many things left unfinished. She didn't want to die young; she hadn't even gotten married yet. Heaven couldn't be this cruel to her.
Clearly, Heaven did not hear Xiao Bi's plea. A flurry of footsteps echoed in her ears, and even the torrential rain outside couldn't drown them out, which meant there were quite a few people coming. Oh no, they wouldn't be coming to wheel her to the morgue, would they? Given her heroic act of saving her classmate last night, Xiao Bi felt that if she could survive, she would be qualified to apply for the ninth wonder of the world—after all, four car tires had run over her body.
But, it seemed she really wasn't dead, was she? Thinking of this, a glimmer of hope suddenly rose in Xiao Bi's heart. She raised a hand and called out weakly, "I'm not dead yet. I think I can still be saved."
"I told you long ago, with such a cruel-hearted person, how could she die so easily? Why are you all making such a fuss as if the world is ending? Do you want to be buried with her?"
A sharp voice rang out, accompanied by a chilling sneer that made one's heart tremble. Then came two thumping sounds, followed by a frightened, trembling voice pleading for mercy.
Xiao Bi opened her eyes abruptly, and she was stunned by the scene before her.
The bed curtains hung low. Standing before her were women dressed in ancient attire, their sneering faces looking eerie and terrifying in the dim candlelight.
She... she had transmigrated? Damn it, this kind of fresh event that only happens in novels actually happened to her? But which dynasty is this? Oh Heaven, my history is not good, could you at least give me a hint?
"Auntie, please, I beg you to speak to Madam. Grandmother didn't mean it, she really didn't mean it..."
The crying continued. Xiao Bi stared blankly at the middle-aged woman called Auntie, whose lips curled into a sneer as she said indifferently, "Didn't mean it? The path was so wide, yet she bumped into Concubine Zhen. Now you say she didn't mean it? Do you take the Old Madam, the Master, the Madam, and the Young Master for fools?"
Before the words had even faded, a flurry of footsteps was heard outside the door. Everyone except Xiao Bi turned to look toward the entrance. Then, they saw the women who had just been acting so condescending immediately bow their heads and respectfully call out, "Young Master."
Young Master? By the sound of it, is he the husband of the body I've transmigrated into?
Xiao Bi looked up in astonishment, her gaze meeting a pair of eyes as deep as a pool.
With eyebrows slanted toward his temples and bright, clear eyes, his luxurious clothing combined with his cold and noble temperament made the man standing before Xiao Bi undoubtedly possess an outstanding and dazzling appearance. Compared to this man, the male celebrities who used to make Xiao Bi—a member of the "looks association"—swoon all turned into mere background foliage.
However, Xiao Bi had no heart for infatuation at this moment. The man's presence was simply too overwhelming. Being stared at by those unfathomable eyes felt like being prey targeted by a wolf king of the Grasslands. Xiao Bi did not doubt that this man could tear her to pieces in an instant.
"For the sake of our time as husband and wife, I will not pursue this to annihilation."
His thin lips parted, but the words that spilled out were as if they had been fished out of ice. The man looked at Xiao Bi indifferently and said in a deep, measured voice, "A Letter of Divorce. From now on, our ties are severed. You shall leave the Lu Family now."
As soon as he finished speaking, the man turned and left. A servant boy behind him threw a piece of paper on the ground and followed his Master. As for those old women and stewardesses, they all looked at the bewildered Xiao Bi on the bed and the two maidservants slumped on the floor with gloating eyes.
"Wait..."
Xiao Bi didn't know how she managed to shout that out. She saw the man pause at the doorway, then leave without looking back.
Damn it, what kind of situation is this? To be divorced the moment I transmigrate. What exactly did the owner of this body do? As expected, ancient times are truly a graveyard for women. The key is... Oh Heaven, you didn't leave me any of the original owner's memories at all. Is this really okay?
The stewardesses left in an instant. Xiao Bi heard them instructing the two old women at the door as they walked out, seemingly telling them to watch her and ensure she moved out before dawn.
✦✦✦
"So, Concubine Zhen had a miscarriage, I became the culprit, and because I was domineering and unpopular in the past, there was no one in the manor to speak for me except you two. Then, I was kicked out by the proud Young Master with a Letter of Divorce. Is that it?"
"No, Grandmother, it's not like that. You weren't domineering; it's just that your heart was bitter..." The two maidservants cried out, competing to speak. Xiao Bi waved her hand, thinking, *No need to comfort me. Your Master's previous behavior was more than just domineering; she possessed every flaw—unreasonable, foolish, and cruel-hearted—which is why she gave others the opportunity to frame her to this extent.* Sigh! Come to think of it, she was just a pitiful woman suffering for love. Whether it was jealousy or being domineering, wasn't it all for a heartless scumbag husband?
Using the excuse of a head injury and temporary amnesia, Xiao Bi pried out the background of the original owner: Xia Qingyu, the only daughter of the former Director of the Imperial Hospital, Xia Bansheng. Her mother died early, and five years ago, she married Lu Yunxiao, who was then just the legitimate son of the Shouning Earl's Estate. Two years after entering the manor, she had no children, but the Shouning Earl became the Marquis Shouning. Lu Yunxiao's sister, Lu Mingzhu, rose from a female official to an Imperial Consort, favored above all others, and the Prince she gave birth to was named Crown Prince, even threatening the Empress's position. A previously unknown noble family suddenly became the talk of the town. And as the Heir, Lu Yunxiao, because his legitimate wife had no children, his issue of succession suddenly became a concern for all the officials and nobles in the Capital City.
Under such circumstances, one could imagine how difficult Xia Qingyu's life was. Yet, she had a competitive temperament and was deeply in love with Lu Yunxiao, so there was never a peaceful day between her and Lu Yunxiao's concubines.
As for Lu Yunxiao, he was a typical man of ancient times—noble family background, good-looking, and most commendably, skilled in both civil and military affairs, deeply trusted by the Emperor. How could such a guy care about the squabbles of the women in his inner chambers? Listening to the stories of the past three years, Xiao Bi couldn't help but feel sympathy for these women fighting until they were covered in blood: *How pitiful and tragic. Scheming against each other, honey-mouthed but sword-hearted, using every possible means—can all that really earn that man's deep love? Is it worth it? Wouldn't it be better to worship him like an idol? You could even get a salary from the idol, have dinner with the idol every few days—though this idol is a bit of a scumbag.*
To make matters worse, a few months ago, because the Retired Emperor was critically ill, a prescription written by the Director of the Imperial Hospital used the wrong herb, resulting in his execution. Her maternal home was already weak, and this loss stripped away all her protection. In her grief and fear, Xia Qingyu's temper grew even worse. Then, this morning, Concubine Zhen, who had finally become pregnant, ran into her. After a few words, they started arguing, then Concubine Zhen bumped into her, and well, there was no after that.
After Xia Qingyu returned, she heard that Concubine Zhen had a miscarriage. In her fear and hatred, she probably knew the in-laws wouldn't tolerate her, so she sent the two maidservants away and slammed her head against the wall. The thick layer Xiao Bi felt when she woke up was the result of the clumsy handiwork of the two maidservants, Bai Kou and Bai Wei. Looking in the mirror, the level of bandaging was something Xiao Bi couldn't bear to look at again.
After being Xiao Bi for twenty-eight years, she transmigrated and would now become Xia Qingyu? You tell me, what the hell is this?
Xiao Bi sat on the bed, silently mourning the first half of her life that had just passed away. From now on, she was Xia Qingyu, a woman like duckweed in this harsh ancient society. She didn't know what the future held, but fortunately, her medical skills were quite good, so she shouldn't starve to death.
Xiao Bi was born into a Traditional Chinese Medicine family. It was said that her ancestors had been practicing medicine since the Ming Dynasty. It was passed down to the present day, but her father didn't like Traditional Chinese Medicine and became an engineer, and he only had one daughter. Just when her grandfather was despairing about the family legacy, he didn't expect this granddaughter to have a real talent for Traditional Chinese Medicine. Since she was a child, she loved listening to the cases her grandfather told. While other girls were playing with dolls, she always had medicinal herbs and silver needles in her hands.
Traditional Chinese Medicine is by no means a quick trade. Fortunately, Xiao Bi received an education from a young age. Influenced by her surroundings, by her teenage years, she began to treat patients under her grandfather's supervision. At first, people were a bit skeptical of this little girl, but the old man insisted. After a while, people felt that "like father, like daughter" (or in this case, grandfather and granddaughter), and this little girl's acupuncture, massage, and prescriptions were quite decent. Old Doctor Xiao always said that his granddaughter would surely surpass him in the future. Thus, gradually, Xiao Bi's reputation spread.
Who would have thought that when applying for university, Xiao Bi chose a major in Western Medicine surgery, which almost made the old man die of anger. But Xiao Bi had her own considerations. They all say "combine Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine," so her family background and choice could be considered a true combination of the two.
It could be said that in these twenty-eight years, Xiao Bi had devoted all her energy to the noble cause of medicine. After graduation, she turned down invitations from big hospitals and left home alone to come to a county hospital in a remote area of Guizhou. She would never forget her feelings when she first arrived there. For hundreds of miles around, there was only this one small hospital with poor conditions; they didn't even have a decent ultrasound machine.
Xiao Bi didn't complain about the harsh conditions. In her view, this was her opportunity to train. She actively contacted charities and medical institutions for the hospital, purchasing second-hand machines from them at low prices; she opened a medicinal herb garden in the hospital's spacious back courtyard, teaching everyone to grow medicinal materials; and she took turns using Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine to treat the common people who came for help. Often, she would write prescriptions in the Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic in the morning and change into surgical scrubs in the afternoon to perform some basic surgeries in that simple operating room.
Under such circumstances, she was busy every single day, not even having time to date. Life was busy, but fulfilling. Even if Xiao Bi was modest, she was confident that she could become an absolute elite in the medical industry in the future.
It's just a pity that the hero died before achieving her goal, leaving the heroine to soak her clothes with tears. She hadn't even won a Nobel Prize yet, so why did she transmigrate? Xiao Bi really couldn't close her eyes in peace.
✦✦✦
Phew, the new story is out. Nothing else to say, just asking for clicks and Recommendation Tickets for support, Ao wu!
✦✦✦