The boys who had come swimming last time came in groups to thank Dou Zhao, including Pang Jixiu, but the Dou family elders didn’t appear. Dou Zhao knew they feared being scolded by their elders.
Dou Zhao thought this was for the best.
The incident happened at Grandmother’s estate, and the Dou family was already prejudiced against Grandmother – they might blame her for what happened.
She instructed her maid: “If anyone else comes to swim, find some villagers to watch by the river as I told you. Better safe than sorry!”
She repeatedly agreed.
After checking on Tuo Niang, Dou Zhao asked Grandmother to help find some maids to take back with her: “…I don’t have any capable people on my side.”
Grandmother thought for a moment and called four or five girls of suitable age.
Dou Zhao recognized Gan Lu and Su Juan.
At this time, one was called Er Ya and the other Zhao Di.
Dou Zhao kept these two, changed their names, and personally taught them proper etiquette.
Just like in her previous life, Gan Lu was clever and learned everything very quickly. Su Juan was steady and thorough in everything she did. In her previous life, Su Juan had managed her belongings while Gan Lu had served as her personal attendant.
Dou Zhao nodded quietly to herself.
When the eighth month came, the West Residence sent people to fetch Dou Zhao.
Dou Zhao urged Grandmother: “Won’t you come back with me? The Mid-Autumn Festival is in a few days.”
“I’m not used to living there.” Dou Zhao had lost count of how many times Grandmother had refused her. “Don’t make me uncomfortable.”
Dou Zhao could only instruct Honggu again not to let Grandmother be alone, not to let her water the vegetable garden so early, not to let her inspect the fields at noon… After rambling on about many things, she finally set out.
Honggu said to Grandmother: “Fourth Miss truly wants to care for you. You’ll make her sad like this.”
“What do you know?” Madam Cui said unhappily. “Shou girl is still living in the main room. If I went, where would I stay?”
Honggu fell silent.
When Dou Zhao returned home, she washed up and went to pay respects to her father.
Dou Shengying lived in the study, while Dou Ming stayed with Wang Yingxue in Qixia Court.
When she arrived, Dou Shengying was bent over tending to chrysanthemums in the courtyard. Wang Yingxue held a tray with scissors and other tools beside him, while Dou Ming lay on Dou Shengying’s bamboo lounge chair under the veranda, eating osmanthus cakes.
Seeing Dou Zhao, she turned her face away, pretending not to see her.
Dou Shengying smiled broadly and waved to her: “You’re back! How is Concubine Cui? Have you eaten?”
“Yes,” Dou Zhao said while nodding to Wang Yingxue.
She called out “Madam,” then glanced at the chrysanthemums her father carefully tended and smiled, “I didn’t expect your chrysanthemums would all have buds. They should bloom by Mid-Autumn Festival?”
She bent down to touch one of them, “Is this an ink chrysanthemum, the kind that blooms black flowers?”
“How did you recognize it?” Father asked with surprise.
Dou Zhao couldn’t help smiling, pointing at the flower pot: “You’re growing it in a Xianyang porcelain pot painted with magnolias.”
Father also smiled, reaching for a handkerchief from Wang Yingxue’s tray to wipe his hands. He walked inside with Dou Zhao: “Are there really only ginkgo trees planted in the east wing courtyard?”
When Dou Zhao’s great-grandfather built this residence, Dou Huancheng and Dou Yaocheng had just established their households.
Hoping for family prosperity and numerous descendants, he built more than ten courtyards of various sizes.
By the time the residence passed to Dou Tuo’s hands, besides the central halls and main rooms, only the western Heshou Hall and the front study, Qixia Court and other courtyards were still occupied.
The east wing courtyards were all empty, and after decades, even with good maintenance, they had a musty smell.
Dou Shengying, idle at home with nothing to do, thought about demolishing and rebuilding the east wing courtyards after the mourning period.
However, Dou Zhao felt that when Father returned to the capital to await his post, this task would either be left to Wang Yingxue who stayed at home, or possibly to herself if Wang Yingxue went to the capital with him.
If left to herself, she had no interest; if left to Wang Yingxue, given her taste, who knew how it would turn out. Better to keep things as they were, so she suggested Father just renovate the east wing courtyards and plant some flowers, plants and trees.
Dou Shengying, hearing Dou Zhao’s ideas, felt his daughter seemed to have a talent for design. He often drew Dou Zhao into discussions about renovating the east wing courtyards, drawing and planning for almost a year with no sign of actual work beginning. This made Dou Zhao even more certain that her decision to stop Father from rebuilding the east wing courtyards was absolutely correct.
Passing the veranda, Dou Shengying stopped and called to Dou Ming who was pretending to sleep: “Your sister is back!”
Dou Ming had to open her eyes, and afraid Dou Zhao would see through her act, she made a show of rubbing her eyes, feigning drowsiness as she mumbled “Sister.”
Dou Zhao acted as if she hadn’t noticed and smiled: “I brought you some fresh dates. Hai Tang will send them to your room later.”
Dou Ming reluctantly stood up, curtsied, and thanked Dou Zhao.
Dou Shengying looked very satisfied and made an approving sound before entering the study with Dou Zhao.
Dou Ming jumped up and pulled at Wang Yingxue: “Mother, Mother, look at Dou Zhao’s attitude! She neither bows nor pays respects to you…”
Wang Yingxue turned her face away, her voice choked: “Who made me the second wife?” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and when she turned back, though there were no tears, her eyes were red. “Ming girl, your father likes how your sister is well-behaved and sensible. You should learn from your sister in the future…”
“Never!” Dou Ming said through gritted teeth, though it wasn’t clear if she meant she would never learn to be well-behaved and sensible like Dou Zhao, or that Dou Zhao would never win Father’s favor.
Wang Yingxue sighed quietly.
Over these years, no matter how she tried to please Dou Shengying, he remained unmoved, merely going through the motions with her, while showing great affection for both daughters. She was truly at her wit’s end and could only push Dou Ming forward, hoping Dou Shengying would treat her better for Dou Ming’s sake.
Though Dou Ming spoke harshly, when it came to actually competing with Dou Zhao, she had no way to do so.
She heard the maids discussing how her mother wanted Dou Zhao to manage the kitchen during Grandfather’s mourning period. But with one word from Dou Zhao, everyone from the kitchen manager to the vegetable-picking maids had been sent away. Now everyone in the kitchen followed Dou Zhao’s lead – if Dou Zhao took extra helpings of any dish, the whole family would be eating that dish the next day.
Dou Zhao had even gone to Third Cousin to ask for money, saying Mother’s seasonal rewards were too little.
She wanted to use her own money to reward her maids and servants, causing Second Lady Dowager to summon Father for questioning. As a result, now as soon as Mother received money from the outer court, the first thing she did was settle the monthly allowances for Dou Zhao’s maids and servants. This made Dou Zhao’s servants so arrogant they looked down on all other servants in the household. With one word from Dou Zhao, the household servants would run faster than anything, practically wagging their tails around her.
Thinking of this made her furious, and she shouted at her maid: “I want to go play with Yi girl!”
Naturally, no one in the household dared stop her.
They immediately prepared a carriage to take her to the East Residence.
Yi girl was changing clothes in her room, with several maids bustling around her, while Shu girl sat on the kang bed full of clothes, holding a wooden doll and waiting for Yi girl.
Seeing Dou Ming enter, Yi girl pulled her over and asked: “How do you like my outfit?”
A moon-white gauze summer jacket with silver stripes, and a bright green horse-face skirt with embroidered green bamboo trim. In her ears were small gold lilac flowers.
Dou Ming’s eyes widened: “Dou Zhao has clothes and accessories just like these.”
Yi girl’s face immediately turned red, and she argued: “When did she ever have clothes like these? How come I don’t know about it?”
Shu girl also said: “Fifth Aunt must be mistaken. Fourth Aunt gave her gold lilac flowers to me. Fourth Aunt’s horse-face skirt is water-blue with magnolia embroidery.”
What difference did it make? It was just a different color and pattern.
Yi girl said: “Yes, yes, how could I wear the same clothes as Fourth Aunt.”
Dou Ming was dumbfounded.
Shu girl had already said impatiently: “Second Sister, how much longer? I’ve been waiting for almost half an hour.”
“Alright, alright,” Yi girl said, taking a final look in the mirror. She turned to Dou Ming, “A Qi has come, we’re going to Sixth Aunt’s place, are you coming?”
If they were all going, of course she had to go too!
Dou Ming said glumly: “A Qi has come, what are you doing at Sixth Aunt’s place?”
“A Qi will go to the capital with Madam Wu after Mid-Autumn Festival,” Yi girl explained the whole story to Dou Ming.
Dou Ming listened with renewed spirit and said: “The capital is so fun. There are people everywhere…”
The three young girls went chattering to Ji shi’s place.
Not only was Madam Bi there, but Wu Shan and Wu Ya siblings were also present.
They respectfully greeted Madam Bi and exchanged greetings with the Wu siblings.
This was Madam Bi’s first time meeting Dou Ming, and she smiled and asked: “Who is this?”
“She’s Seventh Uncle’s second daughter,” Ji shi said. “We call her ‘Ming girl’1.”
“So it’s Ming girl.” Madam Bi smiled and nodded, having her maid give Dou Ming a jade pendant.
Yi girl and Shu girl had received similar jade pendants when they first met Madam Bi, so they didn’t think much of it.
But Dou Ming felt that Madam Bi really liked her, otherwise she wouldn’t have given her a gift. So she smiled and said to Sixth Aunt: “My sister has come back too!”
Sixth Aunt smiled gently: “I know. She just sent me some fresh eggs and vegetables.”
Dou Ming was discouraged.
It seemed like Dou Zhao never made any mistakes!
Yi girl held Wu Ya’s hand: “Grandmother Wu, I’d like to invite A Qi to play in the courtyard.”
Madam Bi looked at Dou Ming, hesitating for a moment.
Ji shi quickly said: “Ming girl used to be raised in Second Lady Dowager’s rooms. Later when Seventh Uncle came back for mourning, he took her back.”
Hearing this, Madam Bi smiled and said: “Don’t go too far, and don’t climb around everywhere. Be careful not to bump or hurt yourself.”
Yi girl and the others repeatedly agreed and ran out.
Dou Ming followed far behind, thinking about Wu Ya’s mother.
She could feel that Madam Bi was reluctant to let Wu Ya play with them because of her.
But why?
Mother said she was pitiful living under Second Lady Dowager’s roof, so why did Wu Ya’s mother agree to let Wu Ya play with them after hearing she had been raised in Second Lady Dowager’s rooms?
- Ya tou is an affectionate way to say girl, and literally translated as such. ↩︎
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