“No, no!” Wei Tingyu said awkwardly. Seeing his sister’s disbelieving look, he hurriedly added, “Really, we didn’t! Why would I lie to you?”
Seeing her brother still protecting Dou Ming even now, Wei Tingzhen exploded in anger, shouting, “I knew she was no good! Now it’s all been proven true! You’ve only been married a few days, and already you’re having small quarrels every three days and big fights every five! Father and Mother have gone their whole lives without raising their voices at each other, but you two haven’t learned anything good from them!
You don’t need to lie to me, I know very well that this wife you married is just a pauper! Her heart is smaller than a needle’s eye, and her eyelids are thinner than those street vendors selling bean jelly. She even begrudges the water I drink when I visit my maiden home! You’ve forgotten your mother since getting married, siding with her against me.
Of course, you find me disagreeable now. You have to guard against me and hide everything from me. Don’t worry, I know I’m not welcome by your wife. I came back just to see Mother. I won’t drink a sip of tea in your home, let alone take any small advantages. By the way, do you want to catalog how many pastries Mother has here? So that when I come back once, your wife won’t suspect the pastries have decreased and worry herself to death!”
Madam Tian had long been dissatisfied with how Dou Ming would cry to her son over every little thing, and how her son would always soften at the sight of her tears and agree to everything. This made her feel like her son was being manipulated by his wife. She both resented her son for being weak and pitied him for being bullied by his wife.
Hearing this, she didn’t think her daughter was making a fuss but rather felt her words were reasonable. Her son had always been honest, and it must be his wife who was corrupting him. His wife arguing with him like this was disrupting the peace of their home. Her eyes welled up with tears as she pulled out a handkerchief to dab at the corners of her eyes: “Tingyu, your sister has always been so good to you.
Now that you’re married, how can you treat your sister this way? Don’t forget, who sat with you to study when you couldn’t memorize your lessons as a child? When our family was struggling to make ends meet, who pawned her jewelry to support you? You must have a conscience! Mother only has you two siblings. If there’s a rift between you, I won’t be able to go on living!” With that, she took Wei Tingzhen’s hand and began to cry.
Wei Tingzhen glared fiercely at Wei Tingyu before quickly lowering her voice to comfort her mother.
Outside the door, Dou Ming was so angry she had twisted the handkerchief in her hands out of shape.
This Wei Tingzhen wasn’t her sister-in-law, but her enemy, right?
As a married sister-in-law, how dare she meddle in her brother’s household affairs? Wasn’t she afraid of being laughed at?
Dou Ming instinctively raised her hand to lift the curtain, about to burst in. But just as her fingers touched the curtain, she changed her mind.
She had already upset Wei Tingyu earlier. If she had gone in now and started arguing with Wei Tingzhen, Wei Tingyu would surely have been even more displeased. Her ability to stand firm in the Jining Marquis Manor depended entirely on Wei Tingyu’s affection for her. Without Wei Tingyu’s support, this sister-in-law would probably want to eat her alive, especially after she had firmly refused to go back and ask her father for additional dowry. Since then, her sister-in-law had looked at her with nothing but disdain!
Even so, she had no intention of going back to ask her father for more dowry.
The Jining Marquis Manor not only had few people but also lacked influence. If anything happened, there was no one to lend a hand. There would be many times in the future when they would need to rely on the Dou family. If she went back now to ask her father for more dowry, wouldn’t she be looked down upon by the Dou family? In this world, things depend on rising tides lifting all boats and people elevating each other. If she had to ask for help again in the future, how would the Dou family help her if they saw her as just an empty shell?
After some thought, she gritted her teeth and quietly retreated, instructing a nearby maid on duty: “Go and announce my arrival.”
The maid lowered her eyes and responded obediently, but a flash of contempt passed through her sidelong glance.
Knowing Dou Ming had arrived, Wei Tingzhen not only didn’t stop talking but raised her voice even louder: “If I had stopped her, would she not have come in?”
Wei Tingyu felt his sister’s words were going too far and called out “Sister” loudly, giving her a pleading look.
Wei Tingzhen snorted and turned her face away, finally falling silent.
Dou Ming, her face pale, bowed to Madam Tian and Wei Tingzhen.
Madam Tian said, “It’s getting late. You should set off for Jingan Temple Alley now. Don’t keep your in-laws waiting.”
Dou Ming didn’t want to stay here a moment longer. She murmured “Yes” and left for Jingan Temple Alley with Wei Tingyu.
Dou Shiying wasn’t home. They were received by Dou Wenchang and his wife.
Under the persuasion of Dou Shixu and others, although Dou Shiying hadn’t written a letter of divorce, he insisted on having Wang Yingxue move out of Jingan Temple Alley, stating clearly: “She is not to see Dou Ming again.” The Wang family had no choice but to take Wang Yingxue back to Liuye Lane Alley. With no one to manage the household, Dou Shiying wanted to invite Madam Ji to help entertain Dou Ming during her monthly visit home. However, Madam Ji declined outright, citing Madam Han’s pregnancy. Left with no other option, Dou Shiying had to ask his eldest nephew and his wife to come help.
“Seventh Uncle had some business at the office, but he said he’d be back early,” Dou Wenchang smiled as he led Wei Tingyu and Dou Ming to sit in the flower hall. “Have some tea first. Judging by the time, Seventh Uncle should be back soon.” Then he asked curiously, “Why did you arrive so late? If you had come any later, I was about to send someone to fetch you.”
For the monthly visit home, it was customary for the new son-in-law to arrive on horseback, surrounded by an entourage, making a grand display. Wealthy families would naturally have fine clothes and horses, but even less well-off families would rent a carriage early in the morning to send the new bride back to her maiden home. Wei Tingyu and Dou Ming had arrived well past noon, and Dou Ming had married into the Jining Marquis Manor in place of Dou Zhao. How could Dou Wenchang not be concerned?
Wei Tingyu and Dou Ming responded vaguely.
Dou Wenchang could tell there was more to the story, but he didn’t want to get involved in Dou Ming’s affairs. Since Dou Ming didn’t say anything, he was content to pretend not to know and chatted idly with Wei Tingyu. Dou Ming, seeing how quiet and empty the house was, guessed that the Sixth Madam, Fifth Madam, Madam Guo, and others had probably gone to the Ying Guo Gong Manor to congratulate Dou Zhao on being conferred the title of “Madam.” The handkerchief in her hand twisted into a braid once again.
As soon as Dou Ming left, Wei Tingzhen’s face froze over like a layer of ice. She said to her mother with great dissatisfaction, “You can’t keep indulging Dou Ming like this. You should teach her proper etiquette.”
When Madam Tian was a daughter-in-law, she and her mother-in-law were like birth mother and daughter. Her mother-in-law had never given her a hard time, and she had never thought about making her daughter-in-law follow strict rules.
She blinked her eyes and said, “Is… is that appropriate?”
“If she were well-behaved and gentle, why would I need to be the bad guy and ask you to set rules for Dou Ming?” Wei Tingzhen thought of how her mother-in-law, the Jing Guo Gong Manor’s Madam, had asked her and her two sisters-in-law to go pay respects to Dou Zhao together. She felt as if she had been slapped in the face, her cheeks burning. “But you’ve seen the situation now. She’s only been married for a few days, and at the slightest discontent, she’s crying and wailing to my brother. How is this like a proper principal wife? She’s more like a concubine fighting for favor. If this continues, my brother will be corrupted by her. How can she manage the people in my brother’s household? You’ve already taken in a daughter-in-law. Do you still want to manage the household yourself?”
Listening to this, Madam Tian shuddered.
When she was young, she followed her mother-in-law’s lead in all household matters. After her mother-in-law passed away, she listened to her daughter. When her daughter married, she had been counting on her daughter-in-law!
She didn’t want to bother with the daily concerns of firewood, rice, oil, and salt.
Madam Tian thought for a moment, then nodded slightly.
Wei Tingzhen let out a long sigh, feeling her unvented anger towards Dou Zhao dissipate somewhat.
Dou Zhao and Song Mo stood at the entrance of Yizhi Hall, smiling as they saw off Old Madam Lu and Princess Ningde, who had come to attend the chrysanthemum viewing banquet.
Yizhi Hall fell quiet.
Suxin directed the maids and old women to clear away the tables, chairs, and dishes, while Ganlu and Sujuan brought hot water to help Dou Zhao and Song Mo wash up and change clothes.
Song Mo came out of the washing room and saw Dou Zhao, showing no signs of fatigue, sitting spiritedly at the mirror table applying cream to her face.
This scene made him feel as if he had returned to his childhood.
The warm memory of his mother sitting at the dressing table while he and his brother played nearby.
His mood relaxed, and he flopped onto the nanmu wood bed.
“So tired!” he said, pillowing his head on his arm. “It’s more exhausting than squatting in a horse stance for two hours. Having to entertain this person and that person, my face is about to freeze from smiling… When Mother used to handle these things, I didn’t realize it. When we were guests at other people’s homes, we were often critical. It’s only when you’re the host that you realize how difficult it is to entertain guests… In the future, don’t involve me in these things anymore. I’ll do whatever you say. You tell me what to do, and I’ll do it. I want to be a hands-off boss…”
As soon as he said this, not only Dou Zhao but even the maids serving in the room could hardly suppress their laughter.
In Dou Zhao’s heart, Song Mo was a formidable person. To be able to serve as the Emperor’s executioner and still enjoy imperial favor for twelve years was not something an ordinary person could achieve. She hadn’t expected Song Mo to dislike socializing so much.
She quite enjoyed the lively atmosphere of a house full of guests, especially when she saw the people she cared about having a good time. It would lift her spirits as well.
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but get up and sit on the edge of the bed, smiling as she said, “When I ask you to entertain guests, will you do it or not?”
Song Mo grinned sheepishly.
If he didn’t entertain, he couldn’t claim to be following all of Dou Zhao’s arrangements; if he did entertain, he couldn’t be a hands-off boss.
Dou Zhao smiled, pressing her lips together, and said, “We’ll just host fewer banquets in the future.”
The gentle tone, the smiling eyes, and the hint of accommodation in her voice made Song Mo feel as if he had become Dou Zhao’s treasure, being cradled and protected in the palm of her hand.
He wanted to be closer to Dou Zhao.
Unable to resist, he grabbed Dou Zhao’s arm.
Dou Zhao let out an “Oh!” and fell into Song Mo’s embrace.
Ganlu was startled and quickly signaled to the other servants in the room. Her face turned as red as a cloth as she quietly led the young maids out of the inner chamber, closing the latticed doors behind them.
Caught off guard, Dou Zhao hurriedly got up, the sensation of Song Mo’s firm yet soft body still lingering where her elbow had made contact. Not knowing exactly where she had bumped him, and knowing that an elbow was one of the hardest parts of the body, which would hurt for quite a while if hit, she didn’t bother to reproach him but anxiously asked, “Where did I hit you?”