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Lin Xu was surrounded by Aunt Guo, Dou Chu, and Aunt Zhen.
Dou Chu was at the age where she was growing, and in just a few months, she had grown much taller. Not only had she grown taller, but her face had also lost some of its childishness, gaining more of a girl's charm and naivety.
She had clearly dressed up nicely today and looked very energetic. She wore a pomegranate red embroidered beaded vest with a moon-white silk blouse underneath, which made her skin appear even whiter.
Dou Chu just celebrated her eleventh birthday last month, and now she speaks softly and gently. She followed Lin Xu beside her, asking her in a low voice with a face full of curiosity about the local customs and culture of Laining.
Looking at that beautiful face, Lin Xu vaguely recalled that just a few months ago, Dou Chu had a similarly cautious expression, yet she and Aunt Guo were subtly mocking him in order to win Bai Shi's favor. Naturally, Lin Xu was not as affectionate towards Dou Chu as before.
She gave a simple answer, and then instructed Zhuling to deliver the gifts she had brought back to each of the rooms in turn. She then subtly changed the subject and brought up Dou Zhen.
Aunt Guo covered her lips with her handkerchief and smiled kindly:
"Now that the Third Miss is about to come of age, she has been extremely busy these past few days. She has been learning etiquette from the hired nanny before dawn, and I reckon she will be almost done by now."
Dou Zhen's coming-of-age ceremony is set for the day after tomorrow. Lin Xu was also thinking about her coming-of-age ceremony, which is why she rushed back from Laining to pack her things. Before leaving, she promised to come back on time. For this reason, she specially ordered a set of red coral nine-linked rings, which is extremely rare to find on the market, from a famous antique shop in the southern part of Laining as a congratulatory gift.
The Bai family had been preparing for Dou Zhen's coming-of-age ceremony for months. It was said that they had invited many prominent and powerful families in the capital, and were determined to make Dou Zhen shine on her birthday so that she could find a good husband.
As a concubine's daughter, Dou Chu's usual birthday celebrations consisted of just a few family members gathering together to prepare an evening meal. When Aunt Guo mentioned Dou Zhen, she couldn't hide her envy.
Lin Xu didn't respond; everyone has their own destiny. Besides, with Aunt Guo's shrewd and calculating nature, she might have already planned a way out for Dou Chu long ago, so she just smiled faintly.
The group chatted and laughed as they walked, and soon arrived at the backyard flower hall where dinner had already been prepared.
The Dou family father and sons hadn't had a proper reunion in a long time, so they asked the steward to set up a separate table for wine, and they drank and talked about politics in the inner room.
The remaining women gradually took their seats in the flower hall. Feng Daizhu, who was in poor health and bedridden after her injury, naturally did not attend. In addition to familiar faces like Madam Bai and the concubines, the two newly brought-in members of the eldest son's family also came.
Unlike her previous cautious demeanor by Bai Shi's side, An Chan is now a concubine of Dou Yanzhou, the eldest son's wife. It is said that she was promoted from a maidservant to a concubine in less than a month, so she must be quite intelligent.
Lin Xu hadn't paid much attention to this girl before. Compared to Fu Lian's cunning and Fu Zhen's loyalty, An Chan was indeed a well-behaved and charming girl. Today, she was wearing a light peach-colored jacket and standing obediently in the hall. When she smiled, her cheeks were filled with shallow dimples. It was only natural that she could win a man's heart.
In contrast, Mu Shi was very composed. Although her appearance was not particularly outstanding, she wore a light apricot-colored silk skirt and held her hair up with a simple white jade hairpin. Her every move exuded a scholarly air.
The Mu family was from Wuzhou. Although they were not of particularly high social standing and the Mu family was just a concubine's daughter who could be easily manipulated, they were still daughters raised by officials. It is likely that Bai Shi had some intentions in scheming for Dou Yanzhou.
However, Yu Shinian is now in dire straits himself, so how could a mere prefect of Wuzhou possibly save Dou Yanzhou? Perhaps Bai is too anxious and has lost his composure.
Lin Xu quietly sipped her tea, listening to Bai Shi's concern and care. For a moment, she could only smile and purse her lips. But after a while, she heard footsteps outside the hall, which sounded somewhat urgent.
Looking back, it was Dou Zhen, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, walking towards me with her little maid, Yin'er.
Dou Zhen glanced at Lin Xu at the table, a happy smile blooming in her eyes, before stepping forward to greet Bai Shi.
"Mother, I have finished learning today's etiquette and practiced some embroidery. I have already handed it to the nanny for inspection."
Upon hearing this, Bai's tense expression relaxed considerably. She gestured for Dou Zhen to come forward, patted her hand with satisfaction, and gave her a few words of advice, such as taking care of her health and avoiding overexertion. Only then did she have Fu Zhen arrange for more people to come up with seats.
Dou Zhen naturally sat next to Lin Xu. After a long time, her appearance was the same as before, but her figure had become even thinner. Perhaps it was because Bai Shi had arranged for her to learn too many things during this period, as there were dark circles under her eyes due to lack of rest.
The two hadn't seen each other for a long time, so they naturally had a lot to say to each other. However, with other people present, they only exchanged a few polite words before starting their meal.
The food in Laining is spicy. When Lin Xu first arrived, he couldn't get used to it. But after a few months, he can now handle the usual level of spiciness with ease. Now, when he tastes the bland food in Mujing, he suddenly misses the local spiciness of Laining.
Aunt Zhen, now recovering from a serious illness, sat there as if frail as a willow swaying in the breeze. She rarely attended such large gatherings in the manor, and perhaps was not quite used to it. She sipped her tea with a gentle expression, but noticing that Lin Xu seemed to have lost his appetite, she softly asked:
"Is the Second Young Madam feeling unwell?"
Lin Xu hadn't expected her to be so observant. In front of everyone in the mansion and Madam Bai, she naturally couldn't say that she felt the food was too bland, so she smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Aunt Zhen. Perhaps I haven't rested well these days and I was traveling too fast, so I'm not feeling well. I'll be fine after a few days of rest."
Upon hearing this, Madam Bai said with concern, "I noticed you looked a little tired just now. If you're not feeling well, you can ask someone to come and take a look, so you don't delay and end up hurting yourself."
"Mother is absolutely right. However, I am only feeling slightly tired. There is no need to specially invite a doctor from outside the mansion. Thank you for your kindness, Mother."
Aunt Guo then said, "Second wife, you've been away from home for several months, so you may not know this, but Madam has specially hired the highly skilled Doctor Qi as the family physician. His monthly salary alone is quite substantial. If you feel unwell, just ask Doctor Qi to come and take a look."
When she lived in the Dou family's house before, she found it inconvenient that there was no physician in the household, and that she would have to call a doctor whenever she had a headache or fever. She never expected that the Bai family would also have a doctor in their home. Since that was the case, she couldn't refuse, so she could only agree to have the doctor take a look after she finished her meal.
The atmosphere at the table was harmonious, filled with laughter and conversation. The father and his sons drank and discussed matters in the inner room, with bursts of laughter occasionally drifting out; it seemed that Dou Huaisheng was unusually cheerful.
After a satisfying meal, two wet nurses lifted the curtain and brought Lang Ge'er and Chen Ge'er in to pay their respects.
The two children were dressed in brocade jackets, and each wore a jade necklace. Children always grow very quickly. The last time I saw Chen Ge'er, he was just a tiny little bundle in swaddling clothes, but now he has even opened his eyes and eyebrows, lying in his wet nurse's arms, giggling and biting his fingers.
Looking at the light and shadow, the child's face clearly resembled his birth mother's heroic spirit.
Now, when Lin Xu thinks of Feng Daizhu, she feels an overwhelming sense of melancholy. She still can't accept that the once flamboyant and spirited woman is now bedridden, and seeing her two young children makes her heart ache even more.
Madam Bai took the two children in her arms one after the other, her expression one of tender affection. She was especially delighted with Lang Ge'er. Lang Ge'er was very attached to Madam Bai these days, constantly calling her "Grandma," which made Madam Bai even more reluctant to let go.
Aunt Guo couldn't help but sigh, "The two boys are also pitiful. Their birth mother will not be able to raise them in the future, which will also be a hardship for the old lady."
An Chan, who had been serving Bai Shi food throughout the meal, now sighed, her lips pursed.
"The old lady herself is tired from praying to Buddha every day, and she still has to take time to take care of the two young masters. Naturally, she is kind-hearted and reluctant to part with her grandchildren. Since Madam Feng became seriously ill, the old lady has become even more distressed."
Lin Xucai realized that the manor was now avoiding the topic of why Feng Daizhu had taken poison and attempted suicide that day. Instead, they all agreed on the same story: she had suddenly fallen seriously ill and was unable to recover.
She raised her eyes and exchanged a glance with Dou Zhen, who was sitting beside her.
Now that she has been away from the manor for several months, she doesn't know what has happened to the Dou family during this time. However, looking into Dou Zhen's eyes, it's not hard to guess that Feng Daizhu's position in the manor is now precarious. These days must not have been easy for her either.
After finally finishing speaking, Bai was exhausted and let Fuzhen help her back to her room for a nap. Everyone else gradually dispersed. Lin Xu and Dou Zhen walked along the path from the backyard towards the garden. Seeing that no one was around, only the crisp autumn breeze, a hint of regret appeared in Dou Zhen's eyes, and she murmured:
"Actually, Dr. Qi from the family was invited because of my sister-in-law."
As Lin Xu listened to Dou Zhen's detailed explanation, he learned about the details that the letters from the past few months could not cover.
It turned out that after Feng Daizhu took the arsenic that Zhao Mama had hidden, the whole mansion was in an uproar. Bai Shi was furious and immediately ordered people to deal with Zhao Mama and the maid who served Feng Daizhu.
However, at that time, Feng Daizhu was determined to die and had no desire to live. The doctor who was called worked all night and then fed her an old ginseng root to keep her alive, which saved Feng Daizhu's life.
For several months, although she was saved, Feng Daizhu was no longer the same as before. She lay in bed all day, relying on famous doctors in the capital to regularly prescribe tonics and ginseng to prolong her life.
With such a scandal in the family, Bai Shi's previous fondness and favoritism towards Feng Daizhu had long since vanished. Instead, she felt that Feng Daizhu had brought shame upon the Dou family. In order to prevent the news from getting out that Feng Daizhu was willing to take poison rather than live a life of luxury in the Dou family, she had no choice but to call the family doctor.
Even Dou Zhen didn't understand why Dou Yanzhou had taken two concubines in succession. She had secretly visited Feng Daizhu, worried that she would be angry about it. Unexpectedly, Feng Daizhu just sat on the bed, staring blankly out the window, as if she hadn't heard anything.
Finally, she simply pointed softly to the bare branches outside the window and asked Dou Zhen, "Look, the swallows have flown away."
It was already the height of summer; there were hardly any swallows left.
Looking at Feng Daizhu's distraught appearance, Dou Zhen had a vague feeling that her sister-in-law could never go back to the way things were before...
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