When Grandmother and Father met, they struggled to find topics of conversation. Grandmother kept pushing fruits and snacks into Father’s hands, saying, “These are from Li’s Roasted Goods Shop in town… These we grew ourselves. I fertilized them, especially in spring, so the melons are fragrant and sweet. Even if you could buy them in the city, they wouldn’t be this fresh…”
Father smiled awkwardly. He didn’t particularly enjoy any of these foods. Raised by his stepmother, he shared only blood ties with his birth mother, having no similarities in lifestyle, dietary preferences, or habits. Nevertheless, he accepted the melon seeds and slowly cracked them open.
Sensing Father’s discomfort, Grandmother’s smile betrayed a hint of embarrassment. She asked, “When will you come to take Shou Gu?” Realizing the impropriety of her question, she quickly added, “I mean, I’m uneducated and unfamiliar with the customs of noble families. It’s fine for Shou Gu to visit occasionally, but staying here long-term might hinder her progress.”
Father replied, “I’ll come for Shou Gu once I’ve made arrangements on my end.” Seizing upon this common topic, he continued, “I also think it’s not ideal for her to stay with Madam Wang. My sixth sister-in-law is a kind person who gets along well with Shou Gu. Since I’ll be in the capital for a few more years, I’m considering letting her stay with my Sixth Sister-in-law.”
Grandmother nodded, “That sounds good! I’ve heard that the Sixth Madam comes from a prestigious family in Jiangnan. Even the Second Madam consults her on uncertain matters, yet everyone praises her. The Sixth Madam is very capable. Shou Gu will gain valuable experience with her.” As she spoke, she mentioned Father’s stepmother, “…If you hadn’t been raised by her, where would you be today?”
Father lowered his head and smiled, “Mother has always treated me exceptionally well.”
“I know,” Grandmother said. “Once, I secretly went to see you. I saw Madam striking your palm with a bamboo stick, asking, ‘Will you dare to do it again?’ You were holding back tears, saying you wouldn’t. But as soon as she put down the stick, you made faces at her and asked, ‘Can I go play now?’ From that moment on, I was truly at ease.”
Dou Shiying and Dou Zhao, unaware of this incident, listened in astonishment.
Grandmother sighed, “If only Madam could have lived a few more years!”
Father’s eyes reddened.
Grandmother quickly changed the subject, smiling, “Look at me, why am I talking about such things? Since you rarely visit, why don’t you stay for lunch? I’ll have the old hen prepared…”
“No, no,” Father hastily declined. “There’s a pile of work waiting at home. I should head back soon. I’ll come to see you again in a few days.”
Grandmother considered for a moment then stopped trying to persuade him. “Then let me see you out,” she said.
Father didn’t refuse this time. Grandmother, holding Dou Zhao’s hand, walked Dou Shiying out.
The villagers, curious about Father’s identity, peered from behind doors and around corners. Some, emboldened by their good relationship with Grandmother, approached with empty baskets, feigning a chance encounter. They bowed to Grandmother, smiling, “Landlady, do you have a guest?”
The entire village depended on working Grandmother’s fields for their livelihood. In the Dou family, Grandmother held no status, but here, her word could determine these people’s fates.
Grandmother stood straight-backed and merely grunted in response, offering no further conversation.
Dou Zhao recalled what Cui Da’s wife had once told her. When Grandmother first arrived at the estate, people gossiped freely. The Cui family wanted to defend her honor, but Grandmother stopped them, saying, “We’ve all done things; let them talk.” She remained composed, neither favoring those who flattered her nor mistreating those who spoke ill of her. She judged people solely on how well they tended their crops. Over time, during poor harvests, she would reduce their rent. If a family’s child wanted to study, she would provide financial support. If someone’s child sought an apprenticeship, she would help arrange it. Gradually, Grandmother earned their respect. Later, when Cui’s family and some villagers decided to follow the uncertain future of Dou Zhao to the capital, it was entirely out of loyalty to Grandmother. In a sense, Dou Zhao benefited from Grandmother’s goodwill.
Hunting birds in the mountains and catching fish in the rivers – in the beautiful month of May, Dou Zhao relived her memories of life on the estate.
However, she was no longer that naive child. After just two or three days, her entire body ached from the unaccustomed activity.
Tuo Niang anxiously asked Grandmother, “What should we do?”
“She’ll be fine with more movement,” Grandmother smiled. “She’s just not used to it.” Then, taking Dou Zhao’s hand, she said, “Come, let’s go catch bugs on the melon vines.”
Dou Zhao didn’t want to go.
Tuo Niang, naturally, tried to protect her.
Grandmother laughed, “She’s a young lady. If she doesn’t work hard now, how will her body grow strong? How will she bear children in the future? Look at those young ladies from wealthy families – so many die in childbirth because they stop moving once they’re pregnant, fearing any mishap might harm the child. The result is that what they fear most comes to pass. Now look at our farming families – how many have difficult births? We only worry about raising the children!” At this, Grandmother sighed deeply.
Dou Zhao thought of her previous life… It was just as Grandmother said. Although her body had been damaged, she hadn’t perished because of it.
Given a second chance at life, if one doesn’t cherish it properly, the advantages of the previous life might not automatically carry over. And if you misjudge yourself because of this, it could be a terrifying thing.
She struggled to get up from the kang bed, saying weakly, “I’ll go with you to catch bugs.”
Grandmother smiled with satisfaction.
Tuo Niang, Haitan, Qiuwei, Moli, Xuancao, and Grandmother’s maid – the one who had helped Grandmother down from the carriage, named Hong Gu – followed behind them like a string of dumplings.
This time, they were catching inchworms.
Haitan and the others screamed in terror, and even Tuo Niang’s face paled.
Dou Zhao giggled, found a pair of chopsticks, and began catching the worms one by one, soon filling a plate.
She teased Haitan, “We’ll fry these in oil and eat them later!”
Haitan leaned against the wall and vomited violently.
Grandmother chuckled and scolded Dou Zhao, “Don’t say such things again.”
Hong Gu, however, praised her, as “Truly worthy of being the landlady’s granddaughter.”
Grandmother’s face darkened. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that this time, but if I hear such words again, you can go back to your own home!”
Hong Gu’s face turned pale with fear.
Grandmother continued, “How can there be order without rules? Miss Four is still young. Whatever you say, she’ll believe. When she returns to the Dou family, things will be different. Who should she listen to then? It will only cause her suffering.” Her voice gradually lowered, “Besides, her grandfather has always looked down on her father’s background. If she makes any mistakes, it will only make her grandfather despise her father more.”
“Landlady, it’s all my fault,” Hong Gu said, about to kneel and beg for forgiveness.
Grandmother quickly helped her up. “I’m just a minor concubine in the Dou family, not much different from you. You don’t need to do this. Just be more careful with your words in the future.”
Hong Gu nodded repeatedly, “I understand.”
Watching this, Dou Zhao thought of Dou Ming.
The same situation, yet Grandmother and Wang Yingxue reacted so differently.
In her previous life, she had always thought Dou Ming was happier than her.
In this life, as she reassessed herself, she felt for the first time that she was more fortunate than Dou Ming.
In her previous life, Dou Ming had a mother who protected her at every turn. Whatever Dou Ming wanted, Wang Yingxue would fight for her, regardless of the cost or sacrifice. This nurtured Dou Ming’s arrogant and domineering personality. Once she lost Wang Yingxue’s protection, all Dou Ming could do was shout and throw tantrums. She knew nothing else. A perfectly good marriage prospect was ruined by her behavior, yet she couldn’t understand where the problem lay, only blaming others.
Although Dou Zhao had lost her mother, she had a grandmother who loved her dearly. Using the simplest methods, Grandmother influenced her life through words and deeds, teaching her not to despair in adversity nor be arrogant in prosperity. She learned how to protect herself and how to pursue happiness.
Dou Zhao took a deep breath.
Suddenly, all resentment vanished from her heart.
She even felt grateful to her father for sending her to the country estate.
Whatever his motives might have been in her previous life, she had benefited from it.
Suddenly, Dou Zhao felt a surge of freedom and possibility, like clouds unfurling across a vast sky.
She knelt sincerely before the small shrine of Guanyin, wholeheartedly thanking the bodhisattva for her favor.
Nearby, Haitan quietly asked Tuo Niang, “When are we going back?” Her voice trembled with tears.
Tuo Niang glared at her fiercely. “If you want to go back, I’ll tell Aunt Cui tomorrow to send you back alone.”
Haitan cowered silently beside her.
Dou Zhao couldn’t help but smile.
She had already met Cui Da, who had helped her manage the estate in her previous life. She had yet to meet the famous Cui Shisan, known as the “know-it-all” household manager of the Ji’ning Marquis Manor, or the chief steward who had helped her manage the shops – originally named Zhao Gou Sheng but later changed to Zhao Liangbi – or her personal maids Ganlu and Sujuan…
But there was no rush for all that.
Dou Zhao was thinking about Tuo Niang’s marriage.
In her previous life, Tuo Niang had been sold as a bride to a family surnamed Li. The husband was over ten years older and disabled. Tuo Niang gave birth to a son in her second year of marriage. Three years later, an epidemic swept through the village, killing both her husband and child. Her mother-in-law accused her of bringing bad luck and wanted to sell her.
She fled in the night, hoping to find refuge with the Dou family.
It took her a year to reach Zhending, where she heard nothing but malicious rumors about Dou Zhao’s mother.
It was then that she angrily sought out Dou Zhao.
Because of this, her health deteriorated severely, and she passed away at just thirty-seven years old.
In this life, Tuo Niang remained with the Dou family and was given the more elegant name “Suxin.”
But as the new year turned, she was already twenty years old.
In the Dou family, she should have been married long ago at this age. However, because she was Dou Zhao’s favorite maid, the family elders pretended not to notice, allowing her to serve quietly by Dou Zhao’s side.
Dou Zhao asked her grandmother, “Could you help find a match for Tuo Niang? Even Yuxin is married now.”
Grandmother laughed heartily, calling her “a little adult.”
This was the difference between Grandmother and the others in the Dou family.
If it were someone from the Dou family, they would likely have first asked, “Who put you up to saying this?”
Grandmother never maliciously second-guessed others’ intentions. She felt that even if it were Tuo Niang’s idea, such a request was reasonable and deserved attention.