As soon as the Third Aunt left, Mother glared at Father, her gaze as cold as a blade’s edge. Father glared back, his demeanor as agitated as a cornered beast.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense.
Dou Zhao’s small figure huddled behind the curtains, listening to her parents’ mutual accusations.
“Zhao Guqiu, what exactly are you trying to do? Haven’t you embarrassed me enough?”
“What am I trying to do? I should be asking you that! Taking a criminal official’s daughter as a concubine, where have all your Confucian teachings gone? Are you trying to destroy the Dou family’s century-old reputation and generations of hard work? You might not care about losing face, but I do!”
Father’s face reddened with anger. “We grew up together. Don’t you know what kind of person I am? At a time like this, instead of helping me, you’re holding me back and inviting my Second Aunt to watch me make a fool of myself. What kind of wife are you? If my reputation is ruined, do you think yours will fare any better? Don’t forget, we’re one flesh as husband and wife! Some virtuous wife you are! It’s a good thing your mother passed away early. If she saw you like this today, who knows how heartbroken she’d be?”
“Dou Shiying, you can criticize me, but why bring up my mother?” Mother burst into tears. “You remember we grew up together, but do you remember how my mother treated you? Do you remember what you said to me before we married? You shameless man! If you want me to help you cover this up, forget it!”
Father deflated like a frost-bitten eggplant, a flicker of discomfort crossing his face. “I… I didn’t mean to bring up your mother. Why are you being so unforgiving? I’m like this because you’ve driven me to it.” As he spoke, memories of the past reignited his anger. “Baoshan merely took me out for a drink with some courtesans, and you glared at him. When he came to our house, you wouldn’t even serve him a decent cup of tea, making me the laughingstock of my classmates…” His irritation grew as he continued, “You only know how to blame me. Why don’t you think about yourself? If your temper was better, would I have needed to consult Third Brother?”
Mother trembled with rage, wiping her tears haphazardly. “You did something wrong, and you have the nerve to blame me! What kind of decent person is Feng Baoshan? What can he do besides eating, drinking, gambling, and visiting brothels? If it weren’t for Elder Uncle’s influence, the Education Inspector would have revoked his scholarly title at the year-end examination. Only you spend every day with him. You’re no better!”
Father was left speechless for a moment before mumbling, “But… but you shouldn’t be like this either!”
“What do you want me to do?” Mother demanded fiercely. “Throw open the doors and welcome Wang Yingxue? Even if I had such magnanimity, does Wang Yingxue deserve such fortune?” Mother sneered, “Dou Shiying, let me make this clear: you can take any woman in the world as a concubine, but Wang Yingxue will only enter this house over my dead body!”
“You… I…” Father pointed at Mother, his arm shaking, unable to form a complete sentence.
Mother laughed disdainfully, straightening her back even more.
So this was how couples argued!
Was this the same father who always put on such a righteous facade?
He was acting like a child!
Dou Zhao watched in astonishment.
She had never argued with Wei Tingyu.
At first, she didn’t dare; later, she found it beneath her.
Father lowered his head and said softly, “Guqiu, can we stop arguing?” His tone was sorrowful. “This whole thing is my fault. Yingxue is also a victim of my actions. Otherwise, why would a girl from a respectable family suffer such humiliation? Besides, Yingxue and I have already agreed that she’ll live on the farm in the future.” He raised his head, his eyes filled with hope. “Can we go back to the way we were before? I’ll listen to you from now on. I won’t go out with Baoshan anymore…”
Good!
Dou Zhao almost couldn’t resist jumping out from behind the curtain to answer on behalf of her mother.
In a marital argument, what could better demonstrate a wife’s position in her husband’s heart than the husband taking the initiative to apologize?
Since Wang Yingxue was pregnant, given Father’s character, he was undoubtedly determined to bring her into the household. Why not take this opportunity to give Father a way out? It would showcase Mother’s generosity and virtue in front of the Dou family elders, win over Father’s heart, and even provide leverage in future marital disagreements.
This was killing three birds with one stone!
Moreover, a mended mirror, even with cracks, was still a mirror in others’ eyes.
Wang Yingxue would likely be heartbroken at the sight of it.
They could make Wang Yingxue sign a contract of servitude and send her to live on the farm.
Whether Father’s words were sincere or not, he couldn’t go back on his promise, could he?
As long as Father didn’t change his mind, Wang Yingxue would have to endure life on the farm. It would show everyone Wang Yingxue’s true status in the Dou family!
Even if Father wanted to renege, there was nothing to fear.
They could take Wang Yingxue to visit other households.
Wasn’t Wang Yingxue from a family of scholars? Willingly degrading herself to become a concubine—how could the Wang family face others then?
What could be more satisfying than that?
Even if Wang Yingxue could eventually persuade Father, Mother would have her contract of servitude in hand. With the difference in status between wife and concubine, and the support of the Dou family elders, how could she possibly turn the tables?
Dou Zhao almost laughed out loud.
But then she heard Mother’s shrill cry: “Yingxue, Yingxue, how affectionate you sound! Since you’ve already arranged everything behind my back, why bother coming to me? ‘A girl from a respectable family’—Dou Shiying, how dare you say such things! Would a girl from a respectable family offer herself as a concubine? Would she shamelessly seduce another woman’s husband? If she’s from a respectable family, then there must be no disreputable people left in this world! If she feels humiliated, let her find a place where she won’t be humiliated…”
Listening to this, Dou Zhao was so anxious she wished she had three heads and six arms to cover her mother’s mouth!
Arguments, like conversations, should have a focus!
What was the use of going back and forth on these issues?
They needed to quickly secure Father’s promise.
Before she could act, Father shouted angrily, “What more do you want from me? This isn’t acceptable, that isn’t acceptable! You’re just relying on the elders to back you up, aren’t you? Don’t think I wouldn’t dare to do anything to you! I’ve been considerate because we grew up together…”
“If you cared about our shared childhood, you wouldn’t have done such a despicable thing!” Mother retorted fearlessly, her expression contemptuous. “Yes, I’m relying on the family elders to support me. What can you do about it? If you have the guts, go ahead and bring Wang Yingxue into the house without my consent!”
“You, you…” Father, humiliated and enraged, blurted out, “I, I… I’ll divorce you!”
Mother was stunned.
“What did you say?” Her face turned pale. “You want to divorce me!” Mother looked at Father in disbelief. “For Wang Yingxue, you want to divorce me…”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Father was also stunned. He turned his face away, unable to look at Mother, and mumbled, “If I try to reason with you nicely, you still won’t be understanding…”
“Dou Shiying!” Mother’s eyes reddened with anger. She shouted his name, “Get out! Get as far away from me as you can! I’ll be waiting for your divorce papers! I want to see how you’ll bring that little hussy Wang Yingxue into the house!”
Father looked very flustered but tried to defend himself, “Guqiu, that’s not what I meant! Listen to me…”
“Get out! Out! Out!” Mother pushed Father towards the door. “I’ll be waiting for your divorce papers, I’ll be waiting for your divorce papers…” She muttered, slamming the door shut with a loud “bang.”
“Guqiu, Guqiu!” Father knocked on the door from outside. “I didn’t mean it, I was just talking nonsense! It was unintentional…”
Mother leaned against the door, tears streaming down her face, her voice barely audible, “Unintentional… sometimes what’s said unintentionally is the truth…”
Dou Zhao’s head throbbed. She slipped off the kang bed and tugged at her mother’s clothes. “Mother! Mother!”
Mother crouched down, grasping her daughter’s arms, and asked through her sobs, “Didn’t you say you wanted to go play at Uncle’s house? Let’s go to Uncle’s house together, okay?”
“No!” Dou Zhao shook her head, her large eyes shining like morning stars. “This is my home. I want to stay here. We’ll go to Uncle’s house during the New Year!”
Mother was taken aback, but her tears fell even more rapidly.
That night, Nanny Yu tried to persuade Mother: “…If you stay angry with the Seventh Master at a time like this, won’t it just please your enemies and pain those who care about you?”
Mother sat at her dressing table, staring blankly at the reflection of the woman in the mirror, as still as a flower reflected in calm water. She answered irrelevantly, “…When I was little, every time I came to the Dou house, my mother would tell me not to be naughty, not to upset Aunt Dou and the sisters… Once, Peici took me to pick magnolia flowers. I was very scared and didn’t dare to climb the tree, but remembering my mother’s words, I tremblingly climbed up… Peici nimbly jumped down from the tree, but I was too scared to come down…
As lunchtime approached, Peici became anxious and ran to the outer courtyard to find a servant to help… I crouched alone on the tree, with fuzzy leaves and plump insects crawling all over… I wanted to cry but didn’t dare, afraid of attracting attention and getting Peici punished… I thought about just jumping down, preferring to die or be crippled rather than be crawled on by insects… I closed my eyes, and then someone below called out, ‘Hey, why are you crouching in the tree?’ The voice was like water in a small stream, clear and melodious.
I opened my eyes and saw a young man standing under the tree, looking up at me. His hair was like the finest satin, black and glossy, his face as smooth as fine jade, his eyes gentle yet bright… I was mesmerized. He chuckled, more beautiful than any flower in the garden… I told him I was stuck in the tree and couldn’t get down. He told me to wait and quickly fetched a ladder, carefully rescuing me from the tree…
After that, every time I came to the Dou mansion, he would wait for me under that magnolia tree… He would bring me sweet pea pudding, sour plums, and black olives… Once, it was a pearl flower… I kept it in the pouch closest to my heart, never parting with it…” She turned to look at Nanny Yu with her swollen, tear-filled eyes. “Nanny, tell me, where has that person who used to wait for me under the magnolia tree gone? Why can’t I find him anymore?”
“Young Miss!” Nanny Yu covered her mouth and began to cry.
Dou Zhao’s eyes blurred, unable to see anything.