ATLAS TRANSLATES

Dou Zhao naturally didn’t know what Wang Yingxue and her sisters-in-law were discussing inside. She had been taken fishing by her father, Dou Shiying.

In June, Zhending was still very hot, but when the carriage was moving, the breeze coming through the bamboo blinds made it quite comfortable.

Father’s attendant Gaosheng was acting as the driver this time. While driving, he chatted with Father: “…It was two years ago when I went fishing with you, the wild kudzu on the mountain was so powdery and sweet. I’ve never had such delicious wild kudzu since. But it’s not the season for it now, so we probably won’t get to eat any.”

“But there’s wild artemisia growing halfway up the mountain,” Father smiled, “We can pick some to make artemisia tea or porridge. It’s good for clearing heat and reducing fire.”

Dou Zhao looked at the carriage with only three people and asked curiously: “Father, why didn’t you bring some servants and maids? They could help with things!”

Gaosheng chuckled and focused on driving.

Father just patted her head without saying anything.

It seemed like she had said something wrong.

Dou Zhao felt somewhat puzzled, and then noticed how familiar the scenery along the road looked!

She peered out the carriage window.

Dense fields of sorghum stretched as far as the eye could see, dotted with small farmhouses. In the distance, oil-green hills rose and fell, and occasionally both sides of the road were lined with lush poplars.

Wait, isn’t this the road to Mother’s family estate?

Dou Zhao turned back to look at Father in surprise.

Father thought she was just amazed by the scenery and pointed to the sorghum fields with a smile: “See those yellow tassels? That’s sorghum. Later I’ll have Gaosheng check if they’re ripe. If they are, we can pick some to roast on the mountain.”

Gaosheng chuckled again.

Dou Zhao remained noncommittal.

The carriage soon turned onto another path, passing through a sorghum field toward a small hill.

For some reason, Dou Zhao felt relieved.

This sorghum field belonged to the Lang family. Grandmother’s estate was next to the Lang family’s, separated by a man-high bluestone boundary marker carved with the large character “Dou.”

Soon the carriage stopped, and they got out. Gaosheng tied up the horse and followed behind them carrying the fishing equipment.

As they rounded an old pine tree, Dou Zhao heard the sound of flowing water.

Her expression became somewhat strange.

She knew this place too well.

This was a small river at the boundary between the Lang and Dou properties. The water was crystal clear and shallow, with visible pebbles on the riverbed. Every June, small silver fish like shuttles would come to the riverbank to eat the green grass. She used to roll up her pants and wade into the river with the children from the farm to catch fish with nets.

Across the river was a slope with three wild peach trees arranged in a triangle. When spring came and flowers bloomed, the peach blossoms were delicately pink and very beautiful. In summer, the wild peach trees would bear small green peaches, bitter and astringent, completely inedible. At that time, they would run to the hollow by the peach trees to pick wild vegetables. Pearl grass, okra, wood sorrel, alfalfa… They would pick tender leaves for dishes in spring, and gather fruits to sell to Zhending’s medicine shops in summer, earning a few coppers to help their families. This would always earn praise from the adults and two coins to buy snacks.

She naturally didn’t need to do these things for snacks, but wherever she went, she had two maids following her like little tails. The maids would pick wild vegetables or gather wild fruits, which she would share with her companions. Over time, everyone grew to enjoy playing with her more and more.

How did Father know about this place?

Dou Zhao’s mind was a bit tangled. When she came back to her senses, she was already standing with Father under the big locust tree by the stream.

Gaosheng set up folding stools under the locust tree and laid out cold tea.

Father sat down with Dou Zhao on the stools under the locust tree.

Gaosheng chose a spot rich with water plants, took out the fishing rod, baited it, and began fishing.

So this was Father’s idea of going fishing?

Dou Zhao was somewhat speechless.

Father leisurely drank his tea and reminded her: “Don’t run out into the sun, be careful not to get sunburned.”

Dou Zhao looked boredly at the green peaches across the river.

The wind blew, making the branches rustle and the green peaches sway.

Father smiled, “Those peaches are bitter and astringent, not good for eating. Next spring, I’ll have someone buy you honey peaches from the capital in Zhending.”

He even knew about this!

Dou Zhao’s eyes widened.

Over there, Gaosheng had already caught a small fish.

He threw the small fish into the bucket and smiled, “At this rate, Seventh Master and Fourth Miss will have fish to eat tonight!”

Father laughed, “Today we’ll go to the Bao family’s house to mooch a meal!”

Gaosheng made a somewhat puzzled “Oh” but didn’t ask further.

Dou Zhao had no such reservations and asked, “Why are we going to the Feng family to mooch a meal?”

Father hesitated for a moment before smiling, “Wang Concubine’s sisters-in-law have come. Their family is different from before, and they have some connection with Fifth Brother. By rights, I should entertain them properly, but since Wang Concubine is only a concubine, it wouldn’t be proper for me to host them directly. By the time we return from dinner at your Uncle Feng’s house, they should have returned to Nanwa.”

So that’s why they came out fishing in such hot weather!

Dou Zhao suddenly understood.

Father smiled, “Come, let’s go look at the hillside!” Saying this, he carried Dou Zhao up to the top of the slope.

Looking out, Grandmother’s house was clearly visible. Dou Zhao could even see Grandmother standing in the front courtyard talking to the servant women.

Dou Zhao was very surprised.

Whether it was her imagination or not, Grandmother seemed to sense their presence and kept looking in their direction.

Dou Zhao turned back.

Father was gazing intently at Grandmother’s house with a serious expression.

Dou Zhao’s mind buzzed.

So, Father had always been expressing his longing for Grandmother in this way.

She had never known!

Father, what other secrets did he have?

As Dou Zhao pondered this, she heard Father mumbling to himself: “I was nine when I found out I wasn’t born to Mother. I just wanted to know what kind of person gave birth to me. I didn’t want to make Mother sad, but thinking about her being all alone at this estate for so many years makes my heart ache…”

She felt her heart constrict.

Was this why she had been sent to the estate in her previous life?

That day Father had told Wang Yingzhuang that he needed a legitimate son.

Was this why Dou Xiao came to be?

In her previous life, Father had only two concubines but rarely spent nights in their rooms. She had thought it was because Father favored Wang Yingxue, but now it seemed that Father was in his prime years then, yet he and Wang Yingxue only had Dou Ming and Dou Xiao…

She wanted to ask Father about these things.

But none of this had happened in this life.

Her mind was in chaos.

?????

Madam Gao’s mind was also in chaos.

She knew that Madam Pang was cunning and spoke and acted without propriety, but she never expected her to say such things, and even more unexpectedly, Sister-in-law showed interest.

She couldn’t contain her anger and scolded Pang harshly: “Don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want done to you. What you’re saying is too…” She wanted to say “shameless,” but considering they would still have to live together, she reluctantly changed it to, “too much!”

Pang Yulou was pleased to see Madam Gao’s change of expression and spoke sharply without hesitation, “Sister-in-law, I’m not like you, educated in the classics, speaking with grand principles. I only know that if people don’t look out for themselves, heaven and earth will destroy them! Why did Sister-in-law end up in such a situation? Wasn’t it all for our family? Now that the family has some status, what, you find Sister-in-law embarrassing and don’t want to acknowledge her? You can do it but I can’t? I know people should know what’s right and wrong. Back when Sister-in-law was just a girl, working in public for the family’s business, who wasn’t pointing fingers at our family behind our backs? Where were you then to talk about propriety and shame? When it comes down to it, wasn’t it because you needed to rely on Sister-in-law for food…”

Madam Gao couldn’t help but glance at Wang Yingxue, only to see her barely perceptibly nodding.

She suddenly felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, her heart filled with coldness.

“Shut your mouth!” Madam Gao shouted harshly, interrupting Pang Yulou, “Making a living through one’s own labor is honest and righteous, why fear the gossip of petty people! Master Dou Seven is already engaged, yet you want to destroy the marriage between the Dou and Zhu families for your own selfish interests. Your actions are despicable and everyone would despise them, how can you compare the two…”

Pang Yulou sneered, “What’s selfish interest? What’s public interest? Wanting to eat well, dress well, and live well is selfish? Giving everything you have to others is public-minded? Is Sister-in-law less beautiful than Fifth Miss Zhu? Or of lower birth? Besides, it was Dou Shiying who deceived Sister-in-law, saying he wasn’t married, that’s why she was careless and fell for his trap. Why can’t she be made legitimate? Why can’t she take back what should be hers? Sister-in-law, don’t forget, you’re part of the Wang family. Sister-in-law encountered Dou Shiying because she was seeking medicine for your son!”

Madam Gao’s face turned pale, her chest heaving violently, unable to speak for a long while.

“Sister-in-law, I support you in this matter,” Pang Yulou sat by the bed, immediately changing to a gentle demeanor as she comforted Wang Yingxue, “Those who haven’t eaten your food or drunk your wine, of course they’ll speak ill of you. But those who have eaten and drunk what you provided, yet still stand there self-righteously condemning you, they’re even more vicious than outsiders…”

“Second Sister-in-law!” Wang Yingxue cried, leaning on Pang Yulou’s shoulder.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry.” Pang Yulou took out a handkerchief to wipe Wang Yingxue’s tears, “Listen to me, I guarantee I’ll make the Zhu family willingly break off the engagement…”

Madam Gao closed her eyes, and when she opened them after a while, her expression was much calmer.

She called softly, “Yingxue,” and said, “About what happened back then, Sister-in-law wronged you, and I apologize. I’ve been married into the Wang family for so many years, and while they say I manage the household, without you, I couldn’t have kept this family going. You’ve always been clever, some things don’t need Sister-in-law to explain, you should understand. For a concubine to be made legitimate, you need the Zhao family’s letter of consent. With things so tense between the Dou and Zhao families, how could the Zhao family possibly write a letter of consent? Besides, you’ve seen the Dou family’s attitude – if they had intended to make you legitimate, they would have broken off the engagement when the Zhu family disagreed about the wedding date, why wait until now? Moreover, the Zhu family isn’t some small household, the Dou family won’t offend them for our sake. Father may have been reinstated, but he’s just a minor seventh-rank county magistrate. You need to think carefully about what to do next.”

Wang Yingxue, still leaning on Pang Yulou’s shoulder, said softly, “Sister-in-law, didn’t you always tell me that some things, you have to try to know?”

Madam Gao felt so stifled she could hardly breathe. Finally, she said, “Think it over carefully,” and left in a huff.