ATLAS TRANSLATES

Zhao Biru held Dou Zhao’s hand as they walked back slowly.

Dou Zhao asked Zhao Biru, “What’s my favorite food?”

Zhao Biru was startled but still answered gently, “You love anything sweet and crispy!”

Dou Zhao asked again, “When was the last time you came to our house?”

Zhao Biru looked at Dou Zhao with even more surprise: “The day before the start of winter. Father asked me and my sister to ask Aunt if Uncle had returned. We brought Aunt a Nine Winter painting, and Aunt gave us each a pearl hairpin. My sister played jump rope with you for quite a while. Did something happen?”

Dou Zhao shook her head.

The two families were so close, so why would she bite her aunt when she invited her to play with her cousins?

Back at the main courtyard, the serving maids were standing under the corridor. Seeing Dou Zhao and Zhao Biru, they smiled respectfully and bowed to Zhao Biru, saying, “Young Miss, please wait in the side room first. The Madam is speaking with your mother!”

Zhao Biru confusedly glanced at the window of the main room before obediently following the maid to the side room. Meanwhile, Dou Zhao darted into the inner chamber, just in time to hear her aunt saying angrily: “…This is absolutely absurd! If the Wang family dares to send anyone, don’t say anything to avoid lowering yourself. I’ll handle that Madam Gao myself!”

Her mother’s voice still carried traces of choking emotion: “Sister-in-law, there’s no need! Making a big fuss will only give the Wang family something to talk about. No matter what, Wan Yuan is in the wrong.”

Her aunt let out a long sigh, and after a while said: “Sister, you’re just too soft-hearted!”

Mother laughed and said, “Husband and wife are one body. If he loses face, I look bad too. I appreciate your concern, sister-in-law, but please don’t tell brother about this — it’s just taking a concubine, do we really need to trouble my family’s brother to save face for the Dou family?”

“I understand,” Aunt said, “I’ll just come by myself quietly when the time comes.”

“Thank you, sister-in-law,” Mother said, “I think the quieter we keep this matter, the better.”

Aunt nodded. On the twenty-second day of the twelfth lunar month, she indeed came alone. When First Aunt asked about it, Aunt simply said Uncle needed to focus on his studies. First Aunt didn’t ask further and took Aunt’s hand to the flower hall to meet with Third Aunt, Fourth Aunt, Sixth Aunt, and other in-laws. They played mahjong and gambled for money. Some of the Dou family women joined the tables, some watched the games, and the atmosphere was lively with cheerful voices and laughter.

Outside, only Father’s elder brothers were invited. They chatted and drank tea.

The Wang family didn’t send anyone.

Wang Yingxue’s sedan chair stopped directly at the flower hall. Wearing a pink dress embroidered with monthly roses, Wang Yingxue was helped down by a maid. She paid her respects to Mother in the flower hall by serving tea, completing the ceremony.

Nanny Yu led Wang Yingxue to Qixia Court. In the flower hall, people continued playing cards and chatting cheerfully until the third watch of the night before gradually dispersing.

Wang Yingxue breathed a sigh of relief.

The maid who had helped Wang Yingxue pouted high with dissatisfaction, saying, “Miss shouldn’t have persuaded the First Madam. Look at this — does this look like a celebration?”

“Stop talking nonsense,” Wang Yingxue frowned and scolded the maid. “I’m becoming someone’s concubine — is that something to be proud of? If the First Madam had come, she would only have been humiliated. Be more careful with your words in the future. If I hear such presumptuous talk again, I’ll send you back to Nanwa immediately.”

Hearing this, the maid’s eyes immediately turned red as she knelt and said, “This servant won’t dare again.”

Wang Yingxue was still worried and repeatedly warned the maid: “When living under someone’s roof, one must bow their head. Stay quiet and behave yourself, and don’t cause any trouble.”

The little maid repeatedly agreed.

Someone announced: “Seventh Master is here!”

Wang Yingxue’s eyes brightened.

Dou Shiying walked in quickly.

Wang Yingxue hurried to meet him, kneeling in greeting: “Does… does Seventh Madam know?”

“Yes!” Dou Shiying smiled, “She’s the one who urged me to come over.”

Hearing this, Wang Yingxue became excited: “Thank Seventh Madam for preserving my dignity. I will respect her like my own elder sister from now on.”

“Haven’t you always treated Guqiu like your own sister?” Dou Shiying joked, “I told you before, Guqiu is a very virtuous person.”

Wang Yingxue’s smile faltered as she said, “In this matter, I’ve been unfair. I owe Sister Guqiu a great deal. I’m afraid of bothering her — even though I think of her as my own sister in my heart, I don’t know if she thinks of me as her own younger sister… Now it seems I was overthinking. I’m not as broad-minded as sister after all.”

Dou Shiying chuckled, looking quite proud.

Wang Yingxue’s gaze darkened briefly, but she quickly resumed smiling.

After sending off the Kitchen God and sweeping away the dust, it was New Year’s Eve.

The eastern and western Dou families returned to North Tower Village together for ancestral worship.

Wang Yingxue followed submissively behind Zhao Guqiu. Whenever someone’s gaze fell on Wang Yingxue, Dou Zhao, holding her mother’s skirt, would sweetly call out “Aunt Wang.” People would suddenly understand and praise Wang Yingxue’s good looks. Nanny Yu would explain from the side: “She’s from the Wang family in Nanwa.” This made Wang Yingxue’s face turn purple with embarrassment.

Mother then scolded Nanny Yu a few times. When relatives asked about Wang Yingxue again, Nanny Yu no longer said anything more.

Dou Zhao only regretted being so young.

Wang Yingxue gave Mother a grateful look.

Mother ignored it and continued chatting and laughing with the clan relatives.

But Wang Yingxue’s identity still spread.

During Spring Festival, Wang Yingxue hid at home, unwilling to go pay New Year visits to relatives: “They’re all proper madams, it’s not appropriate for me to go along.”

Nanny Yu tried to persuade her with a smile: “What’s appropriate or inappropriate about it? Having Wang Concubine by Madam’s side gives her company and someone to serve tea.”

Wang Yingxue was very embarrassed. Father frowned and looked at Mother: “Is this your idea?”

Mother took a sip of tea and said flatly: “If that’s the case, let Wang Concubine stay at home. Also to avoid affecting the baby!”

Father wanted to say something but stopped.

Mother carried Dou Zhao out.

Father immediately followed, saying in a low voice: “You’re just making relatives laugh at us this way.”

“I understand,” Mother said expressionlessly. “When the child is born, should I tell the relatives it was premature?”

“You!” Father glared angrily.

Mother had already quickly gotten into the carriage.

Father stamped his foot and reluctantly got into the carriage after a long while.

Dou Zhao buried herself among the large cushions in the carriage and sighed deeply.

Mother’s worries were reasonable.

Though such matters were trivial, they were annoying.

Like a flea landing on your body — if you ignore it, it bites and makes you itch all over; if you make it an issue, you can’t really speak about it.

Didn’t Father say he would send Wang Yingxue to the manor?

After the New Year, she should remind Father about this!

While Dou Zhao was pondering this, her third birthday arrived.

Father, Mother, Wang Yingxue, Grandfather, Grandmother, Aunt Din, Aunt, and several other aunts all gave her birthday gifts. Mother returned the gesture with longevity noodles. The household servants kowtowed to wish her long life in the courtyard, and Mother rewarded each of them with five taels of silver. They were overjoyed, even more excited than during New Year’s.

After the Lantern Festival ended, the wind on their faces no longer carried a chill.

It was time for spring plowing.

Dou Zhao thought to herself as she pestered Mother to visit Grandmother.

Mother was very surprised: “Didn’t we see her during New Year’s?”

“We didn’t get to talk,” Dou Zhao said. “During the ancestral worship, Grandmother stood far away. During New Year’s Eve dinner, she didn’t say a word, and Father wanted me to keep Grandfather company… When I went to give New Year greetings to Grandmother on New Year’s Day, she had already returned to the manor.”

“Didn’t she leave you New Year’s money?” Mother smiled as she took a peach blossom from the crystal plate and put it in Dou Zhao’s hair bun. “What are you plotting now?”

“I’m not plotting anything,” Dou Zhao pouted, but thought to herself that after Grandmother’s death, she had left the manor to her. She had arranged capable people to manage it and put in a lot of effort to ensure good harvests regardless of drought or flood — it was one of the few things she was quite proud of.

Although in this life she hadn’t been sent to the manor, she still had very deep feelings for Grandmother and the manor.

“I’ll take you in a few days,” Mother said, seeing Dou Zhao’s unhappiness. “After spring plowing is finished at the various manors, your father will go inspect them with the manager. We can go with your father then.”

Grandfather’s dislike for Grandmother wasn’t a secret in the Dou family. To avoid offending Grandfather, Mother, like others in the Dou family, chose to ignore Grandmother.

Dou Zhao thought of that kind woman and felt very sad.

Mother smiled and said, “Shall I take you to your uncle’s house? We haven’t been back to Anxiang for some time.”

Dou Zhao noticed that whenever Mother spoke of her maiden home, she liked to use the word “back,” as if the Dou household wasn’t her home. This seemed to be a common issue among many women. However, this didn’t include Dou Zhao.

After marrying into the Wei family, she had felt relieved and more energetic, with a sense of being able to hold her head high.

Perhaps it was because she had never considered the Dou family her maiden home?

As Dou Zhao pondered this, she went with Mother to Anxiang.

In the countryside, there weren’t so many rules.

Having received the message, Aunt led her two older cousins to wait at the main gate.

Dou Zhao already knew her eldest cousin Zhao Biru. Second cousin Zhao Xiuru was nine years old this year, and third cousin Zhao Zhangru was five. The sisters all looked very similar, though Zhao Xiuru was shy while Zhao Zhangru was lively. As soon as she saw Dou Zhao, she pulled her toward the house: “Nanny Peng made candied chestnuts, and Mother said to wait for you to eat them together!”

Dou Zhao stumbled as she was pulled along, having to follow her.

Nanny Tuo quickly followed after them.

Everyone laughed heartily as they entered the main gate.

The Zhao family lived at the edge of the village. Through the black lacquered copper-ringed door, there was a horse pen on the left and a shed on the right storing carts and furniture. Several long-term workers lived in the wing rooms on both sides. Past the second gate was a five-room grey brick house facing forward, with three-room wings on either side. The window lattices were covered with white Korean paper, and there was an old locust tree as thick as an embrace beside the steps. Everything was clean, tidy, and spacious.

Just as Mother and Aunt had entered the room, Zhao Zhangru burst in pulling at the clothes of Nanny Peng, who was carrying the candied chestnuts. She turned back to urge Dou Zhao: “Hurry up! The chestnuts won’t taste good when they’re cold.”

This caused another round of laughter from everyone.

After finally settling down, Zhao Biru and Zhao Xiuru showed their big sister manner by peeling chestnuts for Dou Zhao and Zhao Zhangru.

Mother and Aunt sat on the heated kang talking: “By my calculations, Big Brother should have entered the examination hall by now, right?”

“Yes!” Aunt seemed worried, “If he doesn’t pass this time, we’ll have to wait another three years.”

Mother heard this and pondered before saying: “I heard from Yu Daqing that sister-in-law sold ten mu of good farmland a while ago…”

Aunt’s face reddened as she said quietly: “We borrowed money before the New Year, and I didn’t dare tell your brother. After he left for the capital, I sold the land to cover the previous deficit…” She quickly added, “Sister, don’t worry. I still have my dowry, but it’s all registered, and I’m afraid your brother would be unhappy if he knew, so I didn’t dare touch it.”