Qiao Qixin did not dare to move. She endured the discomfort, held on to the wall, and moved to the door step by step.
"Is there anyone?" George's voice was hoarse, and his throat felt like it was being torn apart with every word he said.
"Are you awake?" The voice of the maid in purple came from outside the door, "We put a basket for you by the door. Just put the shells you picked off in it."
Qiao Qixin used the light coming from the crack in the door to see clearly the gray-black "shell" on her body.
She swallowed hard and said hoarsely, "Can you give me some water?"
Qiao Qixin suddenly found that the paste was also smeared on her face. No wonder her face hurt so much when she spoke.
"No, Mother Qian has given instructions. Unless you peel off all the shells, I can't give you anything, and I can't let you out." The maid in purple apologized, "I'm sorry, if I don't do what Mother Qian said.
, will be punished."
Qiao Qixin was discouraged and fell to the ground exhausted, feeling the excruciating pain in her back and buttocks again.
"Ah!" She couldn't help but let out a cry of pain.
"Girl, please do it quickly. The later it gets, the drier the shells will be and the easier it will bleed when peeled off." The maid in purple said kindly.
Hearing this, Qiao Qixin gritted her teeth and tentatively took off a small piece of shell from her arm.
Maybe it was because of the pain and numbness, but there was no strong feeling at all.
Qiao Qixin leaned against the wall, panting weakly.
She once again took off a large piece of shell from her arm, and thin drops of blood seeped out from the skin.
Worried about infection, Qiao Qixin quickly exchanged a bottle of recovery potion from the mall.
She carefully poured a little bit on her skin, and the skin with bloody beads was repairing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
This more or less gave Qiao Qixin some psychological comfort.
Then, piece after piece of gray-black shell was peeled off by Qiao Qixin.
When it was peeled off her face, Qiao Qixin hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and peeled off the entire shell like a mask.
"Ah!" Qiao Qixin couldn't help but let out a shrill cry.
Her hands were trembling as she applied the medicine to her face. The cold feeling made her face feel much less painful.
"Hoo, ho--" Qiao Qixin leaned against the wall, panting as if she was surviving a disaster.
"Are you okay?" The maid in purple waiting outside the door asked with concern.
Qiao Qixin didn't have the strength to reply, so she squeezed out a "hmm" from her throat to express her response.
After a while, Qiao Qixin had almost rested, so she staggered up and took off the shell on her back.
Take it off and apply medicine.
Qiao Qixin repeated these two steps mechanically and numbly.
I don’t know how long it took, but the basket in the room was filled with gray-black shells, and Qiao Qixin was lying naked in the corner.
It hurts, it hurts so much...
"Mom Qian! You are still alive!"
"Send her to be washed quickly and put her into clothes!"
——
Qiao Qixin opened her eyes in confusion, and heard the sound of water flowing in her ears, and her whole body was filled with energy.
"Am I in heaven?" Qiao Qixin murmured.
"Girl, what nonsense are you talking about?" The maid in purple wrung out the towel and handed it to Qiao Qixin.
Qiao Qixin took the towel and looked down blankly.
"Why are you dazed? Get up quickly, you still have to change clothes." The purple-clothed maid urged, "By the way, girl, you are in really good health. Not only did you survive the skin peeling, but you also recovered very quickly."
She stretched out her hand and poked Qiao Qixin's arm, "Look, your skin is so white and tender now, everyone is envious of it."
Only then did Qiao Qixin notice her skin.
The dark and rough skin before was completely gone, replaced by white and smooth skin, as smooth as a peeled egg.
"How's it going? You're not as depressed as before, are you? You screamed miserably when you shed your skin." The purple-clothed maid teased.
Qiao Qixin pursed her lips. If she had a choice, she would rather be black for the rest of her life than experience skin peeling.
Seeing that Qiao Qixin still looked reluctant, the maid in purple pulled her out of the tub and handed her a bronze mirror.
"Look, does it look much prettier than before?" said the maid in purple, "learn etiquette from Mother Qian. When the time comes, you will be sent out, and you will definitely be able to get a concubine."
Qiao Qixin glanced at the maid in purple but said nothing.
"What's wrong?" said the maid in purple, "I'm telling you, the palaces of those officials are very comfortable. Being a concubine is not much better than washing, cooking and raising children in the village?"
Qiao Qixin shrugged and did not answer.
She doesn't want to be a concubine, nor does she want to do laundry, cook, and take care of the children. She just wants to be the owner of her own vegetable shop happily.
After drying her body, Qiao Qixin put on the white shirt brought by the maid in purple, and was then brought to Mother Qian.
Mother Qian took a sip of tea, looked Qiao Qixin up and down several times and nodded with satisfaction.
"That's right. If you learn a few more days of manners and how to serve others, you can let my wife decide which home to send you to."
Qiao Qixin lowered her eyes, looking obedient and ready to be manipulated.
"Looking at how hard you have worked today, go back and rest. I will teach you tomorrow." Mother Qian put down the tea cup and waved her hand.