Snowball (Revised)

The young maid was so frightened by her mistress's stern rebuke that she trembled like a leaf and could not bear it any longer. She hurriedly knelt down and admitted her mistake.

Feng Daizhu, unhurried, gracefully sat down, supporting her waist.

"Mother, please don't blame me. It was me who couldn't stand the loneliness and eagerly wanted to come and pay my respects to you. If you want to blame someone, then blame me."

How could Bai really blame Feng Daizhu?

Lin Xu saw this and, as expected, Bai Shi didn't seem offended. She only gave Feng Daizhu a disapproving look, saying, "You sharp-tongued girl." Then she sat down, holding onto the armrest of the octagonal chair.

"Did the doctor say that the pregnancy is stable recently?"

Feng Daizhu chuckled softly, stroking her pregnant belly. The shrimp-whisker bracelet on her wrist slid down to her fair and smooth forearm, gleaming faintly.

"It's nothing serious. Zhou Lang even specially invited Physician Xu. This isn't my first pregnancy, so why should I be treated so delicately? The physician only prescribed a few herbs to help with the pregnancy and told me to just rest. I'm sorry to have troubled you, Mother."

A sudden gust of wind swept past the window, carrying a few fallen rose petals toward the gilded candlestick.

Upon hearing this, Bai nodded slowly, gently shielding the dying candle on the table, and said leisurely:

"My eldest son is always thinking of you and your son, so naturally he cares for you in every way. And Lang-ge'er? Is he still behaving himself?"

"Thanks to Mother's concern, Lang Ge'er has always been a sensible child. But since I became pregnant, he has not been as mischievous as before. He finally learned to babble a few words, but he keeps calling out 'little brother' all day long. 'Little brother'! I'm so annoyed by his questions."

Feng Daizhu took a sip of tea and then smiled:

“If Mother has some free time these days, I will have Lang’er come to keep you company. He can talk now, so he will surely make you happy.”

Bai Shi clutched the agate beads in her hand, her face beaming with amusement at Feng Daizhu's antics. Finally, she said:

"The past is past, but from today onwards, you no longer need to pay your respects to me every day. The most important thing now is the second child in your belly."

Feng Daizhu bowed her head and agreed. Only then did Madam Bai turn to look at Lin Xu. With just one glance, her previous smile vanished, replaced by a faint indifference in her eyes and brows.

"The eldest son's wife is pregnant, and Consort Guo has been ill for the past few days and hasn't gotten better, so she naturally needs to rest. But I just heard from Fu Lian that a puppy has been added to your courtyard?"

Lin Xu sat up straight and gently parted her lips.

"To be honest, Mother, this little dog, Fulin, was brought back from Donglai by Erlang not long ago. He traveled with several close friends and acquaintances, and not only this dog, but also brought back many local specialties for Mother and Elder Brother. The ginseng alone is of excellent quality and is very nourishing. After sorting them out, Zhuoyan instructed people to send them to each courtyard immediately."

Madam Bai twirled the string of beads in her hand: "I'll leave it to myself. What do I need these things for at my age? The eldest son's wife is pregnant. If you have any useful tonics, please send some to the eldest son's wife."

Feng Daizhu naturally declined as well. She adjusted the hairpin on her forehead, but her smile was tinged with weariness.

"Everyone says that the ginseng from Donglai is excellent, even comparable to the ginseng from Fushan in Beidu. It is certainly remarkable. However, since my second brother has gone out of town so often, my sister-in-law can keep it for herself and there is no need for her to send it to us."

Lin Xu then said:

"Brother, your career is bright, and sister-in-law comes from a prestigious family. You certainly don't lack good things. But I hope you will accept this token of my appreciation. Also, I think that little dog is very timid. I will take good care of it in the other courtyard and will not dare to disturb your pregnancy or the peace of our parents. If the dog causes any trouble, I will be the first to deal with it and will not tolerate it. Please rest assured, sister-in-law."

These words were perfectly worded. Even though Bai was initially unhappy about the fact that there was a dog in the villa, seeing Lin Xu's respectful expression, she didn't press the matter further.

Furthermore—Bai's narrow eyes quietly swept over Feng Daizhu's nearly full-term belly—the eldest son's belly was quite capable, giving birth to two sons in less than three months. From now on, even without her guidance as the mistress, the other courtyard would not be able to surpass the eldest son's family.

Thinking of this, Madam Bai's smile softened slightly:

"In a little over two weeks, it will be Master Hui'an's annual Buddhist teaching day at Guangfo Temple. I will go up the mountain to offer incense and also pray for a peace charm for you younger ones. May you be blessed with both wisdom and good fortune this year, and have auspiciousness at all times."

.

As dusk fell, the thin window curtains were tinged with an ambiguous crimson hue, and the entire courtyard became unusually quiet.

Inside the west wing, the setting sun slanted through the window frame, scattering golden fragments across the floor.

Lin Xu followed the sound, and as soon as he got closer, he heard the breathing become more and more obvious—

She caught the culprit red-handed. Snowball was chewing on the handle of a wolf-hair brush, making a crunching sound. Its fluffy tail tip kept wagging, but it was also shaking off a few mottled ink stains, clearly indicating that it had just caused trouble in the study.

Good heavens!

Seeing Lin Xu's expression change, Zhu Ling hurriedly stepped forward and pretended to hit Xue Tuan. Xue Tuan thought Zhu Ling was playing with it and immediately ran around happily. One chased and the other fled, making quite a scene.

Lin Xu shook his head helplessly and could only smile:

"That's enough, it was just to scare it. Let's not chase it anymore."

The wolf-hair brush that Xue Tuan was holding in her mouth was the one she used when she first entered Zhiqiong Hall, and it was also the one she used to be most comfortable with. This wolf-hair brush was quite old, and although it had been with her for a long time, it was obviously now unusable.

Lin Xu watched the snowball rushing towards her, bent down, and gently tapped its wet but cool nose with her finger, letting the half-broken pen roll off her skirt.

"Rongwei and I made a lot of fluffy balls for Xuetuan to play with, but it was naughty and only took your wolf hair brush. It's all my fault for not keeping a close eye on it."

Zhu Ling felt a pang of self-reproach. She looked up and saw Lin Xu with a smile on his lips and a rare, relaxed expression on his face, a happy look that she hadn't seen in a long time.

Since having Xue Tuan as her companion, the lady has been happy every day, as if her former loneliness and coldness have disappeared.

Even if the lady didn't say it, everyone could see the tenderness flowing in her eyes.

"It's not your fault. Snowball is a lively creature, and it gets even more unruly when it gets pampered. There's nothing valuable in the study, so just go get a few more pom-poms for it to play with."

Zhu Ling followed Lin Xu to the front of the study, pushed open the door, and saw a shadow cast by the octagonal cabinet filled with books.

There was no one around, and it was completely silent.

A wisp of smoke drifted from the bronze incense burner with its lotus scroll design on the desk, its light and shadow occasionally outlining the silhouette of the tall rosewood display shelf behind it.

Both Zhu Ling and Rong Wei were extremely skilled at needlework. Rong Wei, in particular, had loved puppies since childhood, and was naturally delighted to see Xue Tuan. She spent the whole night making several small yarn balls. After playing with Xue Tuan last time, Zhu Ling had put all those little items away in the study.

Sure enough, she squatted down and pulled out a small bamboo basket from the bottom of the shelf. It was filled with several colorful balls of yarn and a bell collar that Rongwei had made for Xue Tuan.

Just as she was feeling happy, Zhu Ling noticed that Lin Xu had been unusually calm ever since he walked in—

She stood with her head slightly raised before an antique shelf filled with rare and precious artifacts. Sunlight shone on her cheeks, highlighting her high nose and full forehead—a strikingly beautiful profile, made even more sculpted and refined by the light. Yet, for some reason, her beautiful eyebrows were furrowed together.

Lin Xu's gaze swept over the exotic treasure box inlaid with gold and silver, the Ru kiln flower vase with its clear blue glaze after rain, and the crystal-clear jade brush holder... but then lingered on the east side of the second shelf.

On the lotus pedestal carved from Xiangfei bamboo root, there should have been a small gourd made of Hetian jade.

The gourd is crystal clear, with a faint glow. It is small, exquisite, and uniquely shaped, making it a rare and precious item in Jiangnan.

That was a return gift from Feng Daizhu when she visited her last time. It had been sitting on the shelf in her study ever since, but now it had suddenly disappeared.

Perhaps the jade gourd had already disappeared before that.

She had been bedridden for a long time and couldn't recall the last time she saw the jade gourd. At this moment, a thin layer of ash had accumulated in the concave arc of the bamboo root carving, but the edges were clean and free of any trace of ash.

It looks like it was deliberately taken away by someone.

.

As dusk deepened, Dou Yanxun slowly prepared to leave work, holding a folding fan. He had overheard the other managers arguing endlessly about their respective responsibilities for managing the estates, and even though he remained an observer, he still had a terrible headache.

A light evening breeze swept by, and his light blue official robe was soon covered with scattered locust blossoms dancing in the wind.

He stopped and gently brushed the flower petals off his shoulder with the handle of his fan. Then, he glanced up and saw several clerks carrying scrolls walking towards him.

Upon seeing that it was Chief Clerk Dou, the clerks hurriedly bowed and nodded with smiles. The ever-astute clerk, however, glanced at Dou Yanxun and noticed the slightly worn mutton-fat jade pendant hanging at his waist.

The jade was thick and smooth, clearly a top-grade piece, but the colorful silk threads adorning it had lost most of their color and had long since been pulled apart.

The official couldn't help but think to himself, "Who in the Ministry of Works doesn't know that this Chief Secretary Dou is someone you can't afford to offend?"

His father, Dou Huaisheng, had just been appointed as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel a year earlier. His competitors were all outstanding in their political achievements and came from distinguished families. However, Dou Huaisheng was just an ordinary man from the northern frontier who had fallen on hard times. How could he possibly compete with the other officials?

Anyone with eyes to see could guess that the only person who could lend a helping hand and ensure Dou Huaisheng's smooth career path was the illustrious and powerful man living in Yong'anfang.

This was a secret that everyone already knew.

Dou Huaisheng had two sons. The eldest son was handsome and skilled in both literature and martial arts. At a young age, he was appointed as the Registrar of the Water Conservancy Bureau in Mujing, in charge of water conservancy. Although it was only a seventh-rank official position, he held real power over river dredging and canal transport scheduling, which everyone knew was a very lucrative post.

...Moreover, there have been frequent rumors lately that the current Director of the Waterways, Elder Zhang, is getting old and will likely retire to his hometown soon. At that time—

It is likely that the eldest son of the Dou family will only become more powerful, and the Dou family will gain even more influence.

As for this Manager Dou in front of us...

The clerk couldn't help but glance at him quickly again. Dou Yanxun looked relaxed, his black hair tied up with a simple jade hairpin, and there were some snow-white locust flower petals on his temples.

The way he slowly waved the folding fan in his hand made it seem as if he wasn't in a government office, but rather had just returned from a teahouse after having tea.

He possessed a handsome face, as refined as jade, yet his every move exuded a unique laziness. Even so, almost everyone knew that Dou Yanxun had secured a position in the Ministry of Works through connections, yet no one dared to offend him.

These days, everyone only respects the powerful and wealthy. Even if someone is dissatisfied, who would dare to risk their own misfortune for a few unpleasant words?

Regardless, the growing power of the Dou family was a fact, and they were naturally people that these few lowly clerks couldn't afford to offend. With this in mind, the clerks' gaze towards Dou Yanxun concealed some of their dissatisfaction, leaving only a friendly and respectful expression.

Dou Yanxun greeted the clerks, walked around the old locust trees under the corridor, and headed towards the main gate.

"Master Dou, you're off duty early today. Why don't you go to Pingkang Lane to listen to music?"

Old Zhang, the gatekeeper, was the longest-serving veteran of the Ministry of Works. He knew everyone and liked to chat with anyone. When his wrinkled hand handed over the bamboo-handled umbrella that Dou Yanxun had stored away, his thumb subtly rubbed against the dark grooves of the umbrella handle.

Dou Yanxun smiled, too lazy to speak, and casually tossed him two copper coins.

So he walked slowly back to his residence. The Ministry of Works was not far from his home, and sometimes when he was in a bad mood, he would stroll through the streets and alleys, watching the bustling crowds, which was a way to relieve his fatigue.