Mother hadn’t slept all night, and neither had Dou Zhao. While Dou Zhao didn’t know what her mother was thinking about, she had spent the entire night thinking about Wei Tingyu.
As the saying goes, what occupies the mind during the day appears in dreams at night.
It made sense that she dreamed of her mother-in-law, who had always treated her kindly. But why had she dreamed of Wei Tingyu?
Where was he?
Dou Zhao recalled the faint sound of Wei Tingyu’s crying and Madam Guo’s assurances that she had heard in her hazy state. She shuddered involuntarily and snuggled closer to her mother’s embrace.
The next morning, Mother acted as if nothing had happened. She dressed up and went to the main hall.
Dou Zhao followed her mother closely, her lips pressed tightly together.
Mother-in-law Tian Shi was dressed elegantly, her attire simple yet refined. Her smile was gentle, and her demeanor graceful, reminiscent of a magnolia blooming in spring – serene with a touch of radiance.
Dou Zhao’s heart sank.
Her mother-in-law looked thirty years younger.
But that wasn’t the main issue.
The crux of the matter was that Dou Zhao knew her mother-in-law’s temperament all too well.
When her father-in-law was alive, he cherished his wife like a precious gem. Her mother-in-law’s greatest regret had been that spring came too late, and the peonies she had planted by the pavilion had barely formed buds by April.
So when her father-in-law passed away, she had lost her direction. Like those flowers, she had withered rapidly, losing her vitality… How could she now appear so composed and radiant?
Dou Zhao glanced behind her mother-in-law.
She saw Wei Tingyu, who appeared to be only five or six years old.
His fair face still retained some baby fat, and his eyes, like dark jade, were wide open, pure, and innocent, curiously observing the people and things around him.
Feeling someone’s gaze upon him, he turned to look. Seeing Dou Zhao staring at him, he lifted his small face, let out a soft “hmph” through his nose, and turned away.
Mother-in-law had already embraced Dou Zhao: “Is this your little girl? She’s truly beautiful!” Her smile was warm and kind as she presented Dou Zhao with a red gold necklace set with precious stones and a pair of small red gold bracelets as welcome gifts. “However, your little girl doesn’t look like you at all. She must take after my brother-in-law!” she added, her eyes twinkling with a hint of teasing as she smiled at Mother.
Mother smiled demurely, her expression charming and proud, as if she were particularly pleased that her daughter resembled her husband. There was no trace of the fierce arguments she had once had with Father.
Mother-in-law beckoned Wei Tingyu to come and pay his respects to Mother.
He greeted Mother properly, his manners impeccable, clearly the result of careful instruction.
Mother was delighted and gifted Wei Tingyu two rare books from the previous dynasty and two inkstones. She then engaged him in conversation, asking about his age, his education, and his daily activities.
Wei Tingyu answered each question clearly and systematically.
Mother expressed her admiration: “Our Shou guy still doesn’t speak very well.”
“Girls are different from boys,” Mother-in-law gently consoled Mother. “Girls are meant to be married off eventually, so they should be raised delicately. Boys need to inherit the family business, so we must be stricter with them. Moreover, our Yuger is the eldest son and will inherit the title in the future, so we can’t be careless with his upbringing.” Her gaze towards Wei Tingyu held a hint of pain.
Mother nodded and asked curiously, “Why didn’t you bring Zhen’er back?”
“Our young miss and the young miss of the Jing Guo Gong family are close friends,” Mother-in-law explained with a smile. “She acted as a matchmaker, and Zhen’er is now engaged to the eldest grandson of the Jing Guo Gong family. I’m keeping her at home to learn needlework!” She continued, “Originally, we hadn’t planned to bring Yuger either. But his grandfather repeatedly expressed his desire to see him, so I brought him along.”
This time, Tian Shi had returned to her hometown because her grandfather, who was over eighty years old, was critically ill.
“When people get older, they think more about their descendants,” Mother said with a smile. “Fortunately, the old man has deep blessings and has pulled through.” She then added, “Now that Zhen’er is engaged, sister, you’ve accomplished one of your tasks. Congratulations! Don’t forget to send me an invitation when Zhen’er gets married. Otherwise, I’ll have to blame you.”
“Of course,” Mother-in-law replied with a smile. “Our two families have been close for generations, unlike others.”
Mother’s eyes twinkled as she asked, “Has Yuger been betrothed yet?”
“He’s still young,” Mother-in-law’s eyes softened as she spoke of her son. “The Marquis and I have been focusing on Zhen’er, we haven’t considered his matters yet.”
Mother smiled and said, “Our Shou gu isn’t betrothed either! I wonder when Yuger’s birthday is?”
My mother-in-law was taken aback.
Dou Zhao’s face suddenly flushed red.
Wei Tingyu often said: “As the noble Marquis of Jining, what kind of distinguished young lady from Beijing couldn’t I marry? If it weren’t for the generations of friendship between our families, why would I have married you?”
While saying this, he would shamelessly pull her to bed.
She had always thought Wei Tingyu was just trying to save face, wanting her to be more accommodating…
Dou Zhao didn’t think much of it.
She hadn’t expected to remember it in her dream, which showed how much this matter still bothered her.
Mother giggled and said, “While we adults are talking, they’re standing there like wooden posts. Why don’t we let them play in the study next door? The floor heating is on there too, so it’s warm.”
Mother-in-law nodded and called Wei Tingyu over, giving him a few instructions.
Wei Tingyu obediently nodded and docilely followed Dou Zhao and Nanny Yu to the study.
Dou Zhao left Wei Tingyu behind and peeked through a gap in the warm curtain.
Mother smiled and raised her teacup, gesturing for Mother-in-law to drink.
“I admire Yuger’s good manners at such a young age, and I like him very much. If sister doesn’t agree, just pretend I never mentioned it,” she said, her expression inevitably showing some disappointment.
“No, no!” Mother-in-law apologized, “Yuger is the eldest son, so we need to discuss this matter with the Marquis first…”
“Sister, please don’t say anymore!” Mother blushed, her smile awkward. “I spoke without thinking.” She then offered Mother-in-law some fruit from the table, “Here, try these dried persimmons. We made them at home. They’re sweet and chewy. See if you like them?”
Mother’s abrupt change of subject made Mother-in-law uncomfortable.
“Guqiu,” she hesitated, “how about I discuss it with the Marquis when I return home?”
Mother smiled sheepishly, “Sister, please don’t mention it again! You know my personality, always rushing into things. I was just talking…”
Mother-in-law smiled.
Perhaps remembering past events, her eyes grew even gentler: “Oh, you! How will you manage? You’re a mother now, yet still so impulsive!” Her expression became slightly serious as she continued, “If you’re willing, how could I object? It’s just not appropriate for us two women to discuss such matters here. You should also consult your husband and father-in-law!”
“Sister!” Mother’s eyes lit up, “I’m just worried about disadvantaging Yuger!”
Mother’s undisguised joy also pleased Mother-in-law, who smiled and said, “The Dou family has a tradition of scholarly pursuits. I’m more concerned about disadvantaging Shou gu.”
“Not at all, not at all!” Mother said, turning to retrieve a jade pendant from her room. She handed it to Mother-in-law, saying, “Sister, this is a family heirloom from our Zhao family. You’ll recognize it. I’m giving it to Yuger.”
“This…” My mother-in-law was unsure whether to accept it or not.
Mother smiled and said, “If the children are destined to be together, we’ll both be delighted. If not, I’m still Yuger’s aunt!”
Mother-in-law smiled gently. After some thought, she removed a white jade bracelet from her wrist and said, “This was given to me by my father when I got married. I’m giving it to Shou gu.” She then accepted the jade pendant.
Mother was overjoyed and carefully placed the jade bracelet in her bosom.
Dou Zhao felt a lump in her throat as she watched this scene. She then felt someone tugging at her clothes.
“What are they doing?” Wei Tingyu’s voice came from behind her.
Dou Zhao snatched her clothes back from Wei Tingyu’s hand and said, “I don’t know!” She left him and headed towards the heated kang bed.
Wei Tingyu’s mouth gaped open. It took him a moment to react before he ran over, beating Dou Zhao to the kang.
Dou Zhao glanced at him and leaned against the large pillow, absentmindedly nibbling on a candied winter melon strip.
Has it been four days and three nights?
Every detail was vivid and lifelike…
Was this a dream?
If not a dream, where was she?
Dou Zhao disliked this feeling of losing control. It was frustrating, yet she didn’t want to leave this dream world.
Regardless, even if it was a dream, helping her mother defeat Wang Yingxue could provide some solace.
Wei Tingyu kept staring at Dou Zhao.
Dou Zhao didn’t even glance at him.
His face turned red as he asked, “Is this your home?”
Dou Zhao merely grunted in response, continuing to ponder her thoughts.
At the Jining Marquis’s mansion, Wei Tingyu was always the center of attention. Being ignored for the first time, he felt indignant and loudly declared, “Your family’s tea tastes awful!”
Nanny Yu looked embarrassed and uncomfortable.
Dou Zhao raised her eyes slightly, giving him a brief look, and said, “You don’t have to drink it!”
“You…” Wei Tingyu’s small face alternated between red and white with anger. He shouted, “The food in your house tastes bad too!”
Dou Zhao couldn’t be bothered to respond to him. She called out, “Tuo Niang, carry me to the writing desk!”
If she were to go out now, given her mother’s high regard for Wei Tingyu, she would surely think that Dou Zhao wasn’t getting along with him and that she had neglected Wei Tingyu. But Dou Zhao was unwilling to endure Wei Tingyu’s unreasonable behavior. It was better to separate themselves and wait for the adults to finish their discussion. They would naturally come looking for them.
Besides, it was almost lunchtime. Even if Wei Tingyu threw a tantrum, it wouldn’t last long.
Sure enough, before even a cup of tea could be finished, just as Wei Tingyu was glaring at her like an angry rooster, Hanxiao came in smiling to invite them to the flower hall for lunch.
Dou Zhao quickly slipped away with Hanxiao.
It seemed that her grandfather and father had already received the news, as Wei Tingyu was carried to the main hall by a servant.
Dou Zhao ate her lunch at ease.
Her well-cultivated habits made her movements as natural and graceful as flowing water.
Mother-in-law nodded approvingly and said, “Truly worthy of being a daughter of the Dou family.”
Mother seemed somewhat puzzled but was in high spirits after hearing this praise, pushing her uncertainties to the back of her mind.
After the meal, Wei Tingyu was carried back by a servant, having received a large collection of writing materials.
Dou Zhao, however, was lost in thought.
Why haven’t they left yet?
No matter what, she needed to find a way to make Wang Yingxue sign the contract of indenture!
If Father hardened his heart and kept Wang Yingxue as a concubine outside the family, it would be even more troublesome when Wang Xingyi was reinstated after three years.
But how could she convince Mother?
She frowned, pondering back and forth, unable to find a good solution.