Wang Yingxue was pondering how to best phrase her question when Second Madame smiled warmly and beckoned to Dou Zhao, “Come here to your great-grandmother!”
Dou Zhao grinned mischievously and hid behind Ji shi.
Ji shi gently nudged Dou Zhao forward.
Dou Zhao remained unmoved.
Ji shi could only smile and say to Second Madame, “This child, I don’t know who she takes after. When buying things, she wants everything, but when giving gifts, she becomes shy.”
“That’s good, that’s good! It shows sincerity,” Second Madame didn’t mind. She turned and retrieved a red paper box decorated with five bats from under the kang table, handing it to Dou Zhao. “These are bone-in abalone snails your Fifth Uncle had brought back from the capital. Take them and enjoy!”
Wang Yingxue was shocked.
Bone-in abalone snails were a famous delicacy from Jiangnan, reportedly made from dairy products. They were said to be as smooth as jade and as delicate as frost, without any trace of dairy odor, hailed as the ultimate flavor in the world.
She had heard the children of noble families in the capital boast about them, but had never seen them, let alone tasted them.
Ji shi was also surprised.
Bone-in abalone snails were complex to make, and few in Jiangnan could produce them. Perhaps because of their rarity, Madame was particularly fond of them. Dou Shizu would procure some for Second Madame whenever he had the chance. This New Year, Dou Shizu had only brought back two boxes, yet unexpectedly, Madame had awarded one to Dou Zhao.
She quickly smiled at Dou Zhao and said, “Shou gu, this is what your Fifth Uncle brought to pay respects to your great-grandmother. There are only two boxes in total. Quickly thank your great-grandmother.”
Dou Zhao was quite surprised.
In her previous life, she had tasted bone-in abalone snails at a family banquet at the Yan’an Marquis Wang Qinghuai’s house. At that time, the subtle pride in Madame Wang’s casual mention of them had been privately mocked by Wei Tingzhen.
She had merely accompanied Sixth Aunt to pick up some items from the Ji family shop. Seeing people on the streets preparing for the New Year, she felt she should buy something for Sixth Uncle’s family too. Worried about showing favoritism and causing unnecessary trouble, she had bought a large assortment of small gifts for everyone.
For Second Madame, it was the small cloisonné box with passion flower patterns she held in her hand.
Unexpectedly, Second Madame had rewarded her with a box of bone-in abalone snails.
Although she didn’t like Second Madame, she wouldn’t misinterpret her goodwill.
Dou Zhao stepped forward with a smile to thank Second Madame and cheerfully accepted the box.
Second Madame nodded with a smile.
A young maid entered and reported, “Second Madame, Second Mistress Yu has brought the young master and miss from the Wu family to pay their respects. Ming’er and Yi’er have come along as well.”
“Quickly, invite them in, invite them in,” Second Madame said repeatedly.
The Wu family was from Xinle, while the Dou family was from Zhending. Both served as officials in the same court and could be considered fellow townsmen. However, Wu Songnian was rather aloof, and with one in the Hanlin Academy and the other in the Ministry of Personnel, despite being in-laws, the two families weren’t particularly close. Later, when Dou Shizu fell out of favor, Wu Songnian often invited him over for drinks, and the two grew closer. As a result, the Second Madame particularly valued Wu Songnian’s two children, which was why Wu Shan and Wu Ya often visited.
In her previous life, Dou Zhao had only heard of Wu Shan’s name.
He was skilled in calligraphy and painting, and was a close friend of Dou Dechang. After Dou Dechang eloped with the Ji family’s cousin, it was Wu Shan who accompanied him in shuttling between the Ji and Dou families, playing good cop and bad cop. They not only persuaded both families to acknowledge the marriage but also turned a scandal into a momentary romantic tale.
Dou Zhao had a deep impression of this.
She always felt that people who could twist words and turn black into white were not simple characters.
So when a group of people entered, escorting several children, she took a good look at Wu Shan, the only boy among them.
Wu Shan sensed someone watching him and turned his head.
Dou Zhao smiled at him politely.
Wu Shan returned her smile. Like all well-educated seven-year-old boys, his smile was clean and sincere.
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
In ten years, who knew what these children would become?
Three-year-old Dou Ming, upon entering, immediately spotted her mother standing quietly to the side.
Surprised and delighted, she struggled out of her wet nurse’s arms, loudly calling “Mother!” as she ran to embrace Wang Yingxue.
Wang Yingxue’s face changed slightly, and she whispered urgently, “What did I tell you?”
Dou Ming stuck out her tongue and coyly called out “Aunt.”
The Second Madame, Ji shi, and the Second Mistress Yu were all experienced women. They immediately understood that Wang Yingxue had taught Dou Ming to call her “Aunt” in public but “Mother” in private. Their brows furrowed in unison.
In the past, Second Madame would have reprimanded her immediately. Now, with Dou Tuo angry at Dou Shizu for forcing him to split half his property with Dou Zhao, the East Mansion couldn’t interfere as much. However, this didn’t mean she would tolerate such behavior under her own nose.
“Ming’er,” Second Madame called out sternly, “What has Nanny Liu taught you?”
Dou Ming quickly let go of her mother and ran to Second Madame, respectfully curtsying to both her and Ji shi.
Second Madame gave an approving “Mm” and said to Wang Yingxue, “Hasn’t Ming’er become much more well-behaved?”
This statement carried significant implications.
Wang Yingxue’s heart skipped a beat. She knew her daughter’s form of address had been problematic, but in front of Second Madame, even legitimate daughters-in-law had no right to speak, let alone a concubine of unclear status like herself.
Not daring to say much, she quickly smiled respectfully and said, “It’s Ming’er’s good fortune to learn proper etiquette in your presence!”
“It’s good that you think so,” Second Madame accepted Wang Yingxue’s flattery without hesitation and said, “Ming’er will stay by my side then!”
Wang Yingxue was stunned.
Second Madame had already turned to Dou Ming and said, “Don’t forget your sister!” She didn’t look at Wang Yingxue again.
Dou Ming hadn’t intentionally neglected to greet Dou Zhao. Having grown up primarily under Wang Yingxue’s care, she had little guidance beyond her mother. It was only at Second Madame’s that she began learning to greet elders properly. But at her young age, she couldn’t distinguish ranks clearly and simply bowed to older people while addressing younger ones as “sister” or “brother.”
She obediently called Dou Zhao “Sister” and curtsied to her as she had done for Second Madame.
Dou Zhao returned the greeting and instructed Tuo Niang to serve the bone-in abalone snails Second Madame had just given her on crystal plates. “I didn’t know Brother Wu and Sister Wu would be coming. Let me borrow these flowers to present Buddha, and we can all taste Great-grandmother’s delicacy together.”
Her words brought a spring-like warmth to the room. Maids busied themselves finding plates and chopsticks, and the atmosphere immediately became lively.
Second Sister-in-law laughed, “It’s our Sixth Aunt who’s educated. Shou gu has only been with you for a few days and already knows how to use phrases like ‘borrow flowers to present Buddha’.”
Ji shi was quite surprised inwardly, but her nephew Ji Yong was only two years older than Dou Zhao and had already finished learning the Three Character Classic, so she didn’t find it particularly astonishing.
“Look at our Zhi’er, I’ve taught him for seven years and haven’t seen him show such thoughtfulness,” she said modestly. “It’s clear this child has potential.”
“There’s no need for you all to be polite in front of me,” Second Madame said. The treats were hers after all, and Dou Zhao’s gesture of sharing them with the Wu siblings not only showed her generosity but also made Second Madame feel honored. She smiled broadly and continued, “Our Shou gu doesn’t eat alone, she’s a good child. Our Zhi’er studies diligently at such a young age, he’s also a good child.” She then hugged Wu Ya and said, “Our Ya’er is both obedient and well-behaved, another good child.”
Everyone laughed.
Yi’er was quite dissatisfied and pouted, “What about me? What about me?”
“Oh my, we’ve forgotten about our Yi’er,” Second Madame laughed. “Our Yi’er is also a good child.” Then, as if remembering something, she turned to Dou Ming and said, “Our Ming’er is a good child too!”
Yi’er covered her mouth and laughed, looking very satisfied.
Dou Ming laughed along with Yi’er.
Wang Yingxue, left out on the side, felt both sour and bitter.
With so many children around Second Madame – some of noble birth, some clever, some shrewd – her Ming’er was only three years old. The East Dou family had never regarded the West Dou family highly. What good could Ming’er possibly gain by staying with Second Madame?
She focused all her thoughts on how to bring her child back to her side.
Second Madame, intending to teach Wang Yingxue a lesson, arranged capable matrons and maids to look after Dou Ming. She even found several children of similar age from the family’s hereditary servants to play with her.
Children will be children. In just a few days, Dou Ming stopped calling for her wet nurse.
On New Year’s Eve, when the Dou family returned to the North Tower for ancestral worship, Wang Yingxue, following behind Third Madame, finally found an opportunity to approach Dou Ming.
Dou Ming was standing with Yi’er and others by the stove, waiting for freshly cooked malt candy.
Hearing someone call “Ming’er,” the children turned around. Yi’er asked, “Who’s that?”
Dou Ming hesitated for a moment, then said uncertainly, “She’s my aunt…”
Yi’er immediately grabbed Dou Ming’s hand and said, “She’s just a concubine, why bother with her? If we leave, we won’t get any malt candy.”
Dou Ming still hesitated, but Yi’er became upset. “Fine then, you go! But if you do, don’t play with me anymore.”
Hearing this, Dou Ming quickly said, “Alright, alright, I’ll stay and get malt candy with you.”
Yi’er smiled happily, “Later, we’ll go play with Shou gu together. Sixth Aunt has lots of nest-shaped candies.”
Dou Ming’s mouth watered at the thought. She turned her head to Wang Yingxue and said, “Aunt, I’ll play with you later.”
Wang Yingxue couldn’t hold back her tears.
When Pang shi came to wish her a happy new year, she couldn’t help but complain to her.
Pang shi was dismissive, saying, “What right do you have to challenge the Dou family now? If they want to raise Ming’er, let them. Take this opportunity to take care of yourself and find a way to have a son.” She added, “Seventh Young Master should be back soon, right?”
Wang Yingxue blushed slightly and said shyly, “It’s still early!”
However, she took Pang shi’s words to heart and quietly consulted a doctor to start improving her health.
By April, news came from the capital that Dou Shiying had placed sixteenth in the second rank of the imperial examinations and was selected as a Hanlin Academy compiler.