ATLAS TRANSLATES

“Of course she should stay in the Dou family!” Wang Zhibing and Dou Duo said in unison.

“No, no!” Wang Yingxue shook her head, her expression panicked. “She’s still so young, I can’t leave her with the Dou family…”

Could she possibly take her back to the Wang family?

Even if the Wang family agreed, the Dou family would never allow it!

Wang Zhibing looked at his sister, who appeared like a mother hen protecting her chick, and felt quite troubled.

After what happened in their family, the neighbors were already gossiping behind their backs. Now that their father had been reinstated, more people knew about their family situation.

Soon it wouldn’t just be their small Nanwa village — the entire Zhending Prefecture would be pointing fingers at them. Not only would it bring shame to their father, but the children would also find it difficult to hold their heads high in Nanwa village.

That’s why before coming here, his father had discussed with him about quietly taking his sister back. Once their father was settled, the whole family would follow him to his new post, never to return to Nanwa.

He had been thinking about finding a good marriage match for his sister in a few years when things had settled down.

What would it mean to keep this child with them?

Would his sister ever marry?

Even if the Dou family agreed to let his sister take the child, and their father agreed to raise her, how would they explain the child’s background when relatives and friends asked?

They were leaving Nanwa to escape the rumors in the first place. If they said the child was his sister’s, her past would be exposed, and their move would have been pointless.

To distance themselves, they would have to claim the child was either his or his brother Wang Zhishao’s.

But the timing was all wrong.

If they said the child was his, he hadn’t been home for years. If they said it was his brother’s, his brother’s wife had just given birth to a healthy boy a month ago… Should they claim they found the child?

These thoughts flashed through his mind, but since this was a family matter, it wasn’t appropriate to discuss it in front of Dou Duo.

Wang Zhibing could only say quietly to Wang Yingxue, “Let’s discuss some things when we get home.”

Wang Yingxue was afraid to return home with her brother.

In her situation, she would either be sent to a temple or married off to a distant place, likely never to see her daughter again.

While Dou Zhao still had her uncle and the household manager her mother left behind to look after her, her daughter would be completely alone. She couldn’t entrust her daughter’s future to the Fifth Miss Zhu whom she had never met or dealt with.

Where was Dou Shengying?

Wang Yingxue looked around.

He had always been soft-hearted and wouldn’t stand by watching mother and daughter being separated.

“No!” She stepped back from her brother, creating distance between them. Her eyes showed wariness as she looked at him. “I won’t go home with you until we settle Ming’er’s situation!”

She glanced at Qiongfang standing at the hall entrance, then tearfully pleaded with Dou Duo: “Old Master, Ming’er has been weak since birth, barely having the strength to nurse. The doctors and experienced nannies all said Ming’er might not live long. I raised her carefully, feeding and cleaning her myself. How can I just hand her over to someone else? Please, for Ming’er’s sake, let me take her with me?”

“I even gave Ming’er her name!” Dou Duo said with a gentle smile.

“We all understand how children are like flesh cut from their mother’s body, and your concern for Ming’er. But Ming’er is a Dou family child — how can she just follow you to the Wang family without proper arrangements? You haven’t been with our family long, but you know our situation. When you first arrived, we assigned you an experienced nanny, two maids, and several servants. After Ming’er was born, besides her wet nurse and attendants, we gave you two more maids… You needn’t worry. The Fifth Miss Zhu was well-educated from a young age, gentle in nature, and virtuous. She will take good care of Ming’er…”

“No matter how good others are, how can they compare to a birth mother?” Wang Yingxue saw Qiongfang quickly leaving the Heshou Hall and felt slightly relieved, but continued pleading with Dou Duo, “Please, Old Master, grant this wish for us mother and daughter?”

Dou Duo smiled and said, “Wanyuan also grew up with his stepmother, so you needn’t worry about Ming’er!”

Neither side was willing to compromise.

Dou Zhao quickly received news of this.

She thought for a moment and said to Tuo Niang, “Let’s go see Father.”

Dou Zhao wanted to know what her father thought and what plans he had for this situation.

Tuo Niang responded with a sound of agreement, set aside her needlework, and went with Dou Zhao to Dou Shengying’s study.

Dou Shengying wasn’t in his study.

After thinking for a moment, Dou Zhao went to the flower hall behind the main hall.

Her grandfather and Wang Zhibing were drinking tea in the flower hall, while her father and Wang Yingxue were talking near the bamboo grove behind it.

Dou Zhao gestured for Tuo Niang to stop, then took advantage of her small size to circle around the flower hall and hide behind the bamboo to eavesdrop.

“…No matter what, I wronged you,” her father’s voice carried a hint of sadness. “I’m older than you and had been married before. Even if you had feelings for me, I should have firmly refused, not gone along with it and done something to shame you. Afterward, I even blamed Gu Qiu for not helping me cover it up, and spoke harshly to her about it, causing her to lose face and hang herself.”

“No, no!” Wang Yingxue hurriedly said, “How can this be Seventh Master’s fault? It was Sister Gu Qiu who was too harsh with everyone, including herself…”

“I used to think that way too,” her father smiled and interrupted Wang Yingxue’s words. “But when I remember Gu Qiu’s last words to me…” her father paused, “I realize she was right. I was the one with impure thoughts who did wrong, yet I only knew how to blame others, expecting them to clean up my mess…”

“Seventh Master!” Wang Yingxue looked as if she couldn’t bear to hear him blame himself, “Please don’t say such things. It makes my heart ache even more…”

“Alright, alright, let’s not speak of it anymore!” her father smiled when he heard this and said, “No matter what we say, Gu Qiu won’t come back.”

He then pulled out a sapphire blue purse embroidered with magnolia flowers from his sleeve, “There are three thousand taels in bank notes inside. Take this and go home with your brother. If you need my help in the future, just send word. I won’t refuse anything within my power. I will take good care of Ming’er, and won’t treat her differently from Shou Gu. Go home with peace of mind! Don’t be like those bitter women who go to temples to become nuns. If you meet a good family, get married! Whenever you miss Ming’er, quietly send someone to tell me, and I’ll have Shou Gu take her to the temple to burn incense or visit Fifth Brother’s family. You can look at her from afar — that will fulfill the destiny between mother and daughter. When Ming’er grows up, if you still want to acknowledge her, I’ll tell her about her background…”

So father was trying to persuade Wang Yingxue to return home!

Dou Zhao smiled as she watched them, then saw Wang Yingxue throw herself into her father’s arms with tears streaming down her face, tightly holding his waist: “I won’t go anywhere, I just want to stay by your side, even if I have to be a servant…”

“Don’t be like this!” her father gently pried away the arms around him and said softly, “What would Lord Wang think?”

He stepped back several paces and looked at Wang Yingxue with sincere eyes, “Your father and brother treat you well, you should cherish that. Don’t make them sad again…”

Wang Yingxue looked at the distance between them, bitterness appearing in her eyes, and asked her father, “Is it because of the Fifth Miss Zhu?”

Her father was startled: “What?”

“Is it because of the Fifth Miss Zhu?” Wang Yingxue asked again, tears suddenly flowing like rain, “Have you fallen for the Fifth Miss Zhu? I heard people say she’s very beautiful…”

“What are you thinking?” her father laughed, “I’ve never even met the Fifth Miss Zhu.”

“Then why did you send Gaosheng to deliver a message to the Zhu family?” Wang Yingxue’s gaze was intense.

It seemed she wasn’t the only one concerned about the marriage between the Dou and Zhu families!

Dou Zhao listened carefully.

“You know I sent Gaosheng to deliver a message to the Zhu family?” her father was very surprised.

Seeing that she had let something slip, Wang Yingxue nervously said, “That night Ming’er was crying non-stop, and I was up with her until dawn. Just as I was about to go to bed, I heard the maids say Gaosheng was following your orders to deliver a message to the Zhu family…”

Complete nonsense!

Dou Zhao pursed her lips.

Gaosheng was her father’s confidant — if he couldn’t keep his mouth shut, her father would have replaced him long ago.

She must have found ways to get this information!

Her father didn’t dwell on this point and frankly said, “I sent a letter to Scholar Zhu, telling him about some of our family matters and asking him to wait until I’ve sorted out our family affairs before discussing marriage…”

“Why?” Wang Yingxue stared at her father intensely, “Why would you do this?”

Did she think father did this for her?

Dou Zhao smirked.

Her father remained silent for a long while, then said quietly, “Yingxue, I have my responsibilities! The West Dou needs an heir, and Father is waiting for a legitimate grandson. I don’t want to drag the Fifth Miss Zhu into this — she has no responsibility to bear the mistakes I’ve made, no obligation to face these conflicts as soon as she enters the family…”

“Am I a mistake to you?” Wang Yingxue’s face suddenly turned as white as snow as she asked sharply.

“Don’t misunderstand,” her father said gently, “I just hope not to hurt anyone else because of me!”

“What about me? What am I to you?” Wang Yingxue demanded, “You don’t want to hurt the Fifth Miss Zhu, but you’re willing to separate me and Ming’er forever? Willing to let Ming’er grow up without a mother?”

“Yingxue, it’s not that I’m being heartless,” her father heaved a long sigh and said, “Ming’er’s status would be unclear in the Wang family, but in the Dou family, she’s at least the Fifth Miss of the Dou family. She’s still young now and won’t remember anything — whoever raises her, she’ll become close to them, and won’t have so much heartache…”

“She is my daughter, my daughter!” Wang Yingxue cried out in a low voice, angrily throwing the purse at her father, “I don’t want your money, I want my daughter.” With that, she held her head high and turned to enter the flower hall.

Her father smiled bitterly, shaking his head as he followed her into the flower hall.

Dou Zhao looked at the purse on the ground, wondering if she took these three thousand taels for herself, would it cause trouble for the maids and servants working in the flower hall.