Sudden joy (revision)
From then on, Lin Xu's gaze towards the Bai family became more cautious.
By using the concept of mutual restraint to create momentum and eliminate formidable enemies, she then subtly and quietly eliminated both the enemy and their child, thereby solidifying her long-held position as the matriarch.
The entanglements and hatred between the Dou family in their early years, as well as the scheming plots secretly plotted by the Bai family, cannot be summarized in just a few words.
With such a meticulous and thoughtful advisor by Dou Huaisheng's side, it's no wonder that the Dou family rose to prominence in the capital in just a few years.
As she thought this to herself, she made a point of looking at Dou Yanxun carefully when he came to her side.
For the festival, Granny Qin specially styled her hair into an exquisite double-heart bun, and inserted several luxurious gold hairpins inlaid with turquoise. Now that she was married, she wore a married woman's hairstyle, which added a touch of gentleness to her every move.
Now, when those dark eyes looked at Dou Yanxun with a bright light, the flickering candlelight in the ancestral hall reflected the girl's charm and brightness, shining even more dazzlingly than usual.
Dou Yanxun met her gaze, and the next moment, Lin Xu, dressed in a formal dress, gracefully stepped to his side and firmly took his hand.
Dou Yanzhou, having spent half the day socializing, was also slightly flushed from drinking, the effects of the alcohol still lingering. Seeing the two men behaving intimately, he couldn't help but tease Lin Xu:
"Hey, sister-in-law, don't be nice to him today. Second brother just lost everything. Don't give him a good look when you lock the door tonight."
Dou Yanxun smiled and shook his head helplessly: "Brother's skills are superb, and I am ashamed to admit defeat."
Dou Yanzhou strode ahead, while Feng Daizhu held Lang Ge'er and coaxed him while turning back to scold him, "With you as the older brother, bullying your younger brother all day long, no wonder your second brother doesn't like to come home."
Dou Yanxun is rarely at home, and even after marriage, he often comes home late. Today, Bai Shi first gave him a hint, and although the others are joking, Feng Daizhu still subtly pointed it out to her. Lin Xu understands this perfectly well.
The laughter and chatter gradually subsided. Dou Yanzhou turned his head to look at her expression and coughed lightly.
"There's a lot going on at the end of the year at the government office, and my second brother has gotten thinner from all the work. He's really lost a lot of weight compared to before."
Lin Xu smiled slightly, her eyes half-closed, and simply responded with a soft "Yes."
As night deepened, the entire household had prepared a banquet, and the main hall was filled with various dishes. Glutinous rice cakes, red bean porridge, and other essential Lantern Festival treats were neatly arranged on the table, making one's mouth water.
Everyone took their seats in turn. Lin Xu sat quietly to one side, watching the servants move about, constantly bringing out steaming hot dishes. The hall was brightly lit, reflecting the smiles on the faces of the people inside.
After a busy day, everyone was exhausted. After Dou Huaisheng, who was seated at the head of the table, finished his congratulatory speech, the banquet officially began.
This was the first time Lang Ge'er had ever seen such a lively scene, and he was unusually clingy all day. He would cry and fuss as soon as he was out of Feng Daizhu's arms, and no matter how the wet nurses tried to coax him, they couldn't do anything about it, so Feng Daizhu simply kept holding him in her arms.
She scooped up a spoonful of steaming red bean porridge and brought it to her lips, carefully blowing on it to cool it down. Lang Ge'er thought the porridge was prepared by his mother to feed him, so he reached out his little hand to grab it, his dark eyes unblinking, looking incredibly cute.
Bai laughed and said, "Eldest daughter-in-law, bring Lang'er to me, so you won't have to eat properly."
Feng Daizhu hurriedly said, "How can that be? If Lang Ge'er plays around and spoils Mother's mood, that would be a real sin. I would feel guilty and even more restless."
Bai said, "Don't talk nonsense. This child is so adorable, I love him too much to ask."
Seeing this, Granny Zhao took Langge'er, still in his swaddling clothes, into Madam Bai's arms. Sure enough, Langge'er immediately stopped crying and started babbling, which made Madam Bai and Dou Huaisheng smile.
Feng Daizhu quickly smiled and said, "The first thing the child saw after he was born was his mother. No wonder Lang Ge'er has always been closest to you."
Lin Xu's seat was next to Dou Yanxun. During the banquet, everyone was chatting and laughing, but Dou Yanxun remained expressionless. He ignored everyone's laughter and conversation, only scooping up a few spoonfuls of Dongpo tofu in front of him, taking a few bites, and then stopping.
The playful banter between Dou Yanzhou and his wife earlier flashed through her mind, so she reached out and placed more fried pickled fish on Dou Yanxun's plate, saying softly:
"My husband, eat more meat, or you'll wear yourself out."
Dou Yanxun turned his head to look at her, his eyes suddenly brightening slightly, revealing a smile even brighter than the candlelight in the hall. However, for a moment, his expression remained indifferent, and he did not speak.
Lin Xu continued to eat the fish in her bowl. Suddenly, she saw the person beside her lean forward and scoop a small bowl of steaming ginseng and pigeon soup with a spoon, placing it in front of her.
He followed suit and said, "Madam, it is most important to drink more old pigeon soup and take good care of your health."
Lin Xu almost choked on a fish bone in her mouth. Qing Mo quickly came forward and brought her tea, patting her back considerately.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Dou Yanxun's lips, which had been calm since he entered the hall, now showed a hint of a smile.
Dou Zhen hadn't seen Lin Xu for several days, and with the festival upon them, she was naturally very happy. Across the seating arrangement, she smiled gently at her and whispered:
"Second sister-in-law, your complexion looks even more rosy now. You were already as beautiful as a lotus flower before, but now you are even more gentle and graceful. This dress really suits you."
Lin Xu smiled and raised his wine glass to Dou Zhen from afar.
Dou Yanzhou rested one hand on his knee, sipping his pine syrup while picking up a few pieces of pickled shredded vegetables. He glanced at Lin Xu and smiled at Dou Yanxun:
"I never expected my sister-in-law to have such a high alcohol tolerance. I think my second brother won't need to pour himself a drink anymore."
Songlao wine is made from aged kudzu root, millet, pine nuts, and other ingredients. It has a mild and fragrant taste, but it is nothing compared to the aged wine she usually drank at the Lin family mansion before she got married.
But now that Dou Yanzhou was praising her in front of everyone, she couldn't help but have some doubts, as if it seemed a bit too deliberate.
Before he could answer, a deep, resonant chuckle came from beside him. Dou Yanxun put down his chopsticks and said slowly:
"Brother, you've misjudged me. Xuxu doesn't usually drink. Perhaps she's in high spirits today because of the festive occasion, which is why she's raising her glass with me. It's just a friendly gathering with someone close to her. She'll probably get drunk soon."
Lin Xu lowered her eyes slightly, feeling everyone's gaze fall on her as Dou Yanxun called her "Xuxu".
The last time he called her that, it made her heart flutter. Now, in front of the entire Dou family, he was calling her so intimately with a reduplicated word. Lin Xu was still shy, and her cheeks immediately turned red.
With her burden lifted, Feng Daizhu sipped the steaming red bean porridge spoonful by spoonful, and also ate a few pieces of the extra-soft and glutinous rice cakes she had prepared.
She blew on the hot porridge in the spoon, and in an instant, her usually bright and dignified face suddenly changed for some reason. The spoon in her hand paused, and a little porridge spilled out.
Feng Daizhu immediately put down the spoon and covered her lips with her hand. This barely masked the feeling of nausea.
Granny Zhao, being more observant, noticed everything and couldn't help but hesitate before asking in a low voice:
"What's wrong, young mistress? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
This question immediately drew everyone's attention.
Feng Daizhu stared blankly at the red bean porridge in front of her, her eyes filled with confusion. After a moment, the feeling of nausea in her chest surged up again. She covered her mouth as if she wanted to vomit, but then felt it was inappropriate to be at a banquet, and her face was full of apologies.
Bai Shi, ever the perceptive one, noticed a hint of surprise in her eyes, but managed to suppress it and said calmly, "Is the eldest son unwell? Why don't you quickly go and fetch a doctor to take a look!"
Feng Daizhu was pale and was helped down by Zhao Mama to rest while waiting for the doctor to take her pulse. Seeing this, everyone lost their appetite. Dou Huaisheng drank a few sips of wine and looked at Lang Ge'er, who was stretching out his hand in his swaddling clothes. Knowing that being anxious was useless, he played with him to pass the time.
The banquet quieted down for a moment, and after a short wait, a doctor carrying a medicine chest hurried in from the back hall. He had already examined Feng Daizhu's pulse in the back hall. He stepped forward, bowed to Dou Huaisheng and Madam Bai, and said in a clear voice:
"Congratulations, Master Dou and Madam Dou! Our household is about to welcome another new member! Madam Dou is indeed pregnant, more than two months along, and there is no doubt that she is pregnant!"
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone in the hall was overjoyed. Madam Bai was beaming; she had indeed guessed correctly! She said with delight:
"It is truly the blessing of our ancestors. We have just paid our respects to our forefathers, and now we have such joyous news! Heaven blesses our Dou family, and we are about to have another son."
Then the servants standing to the side also offered their congratulations in loud voices.
Upon hearing this, Dou Yanzhou's lips curled into a slight smile, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes. Everyone stepped forward to offer their congratulations, and the servants busied themselves adding wine and dishes, making the atmosphere even more lively.
Feng Daizhu had given birth to Lang Ge'er less than a year ago, and the child hadn't even turned one year old when she suddenly became pregnant with her second child. The happy news came so quickly that even the usually composed Dou Huaisheng couldn't help but smile and drank several cups in succession.
Aunt Guo was carefully feeding her daughter red bean porridge when the Fifth Miss blinked, curious about the lively atmosphere. She looked at everyone, then at Lin Xu sitting not far away, and whispered:
"...Mother, do all women have babies after they get married?"
Hearing this, the usually low-key Aunt Guo couldn't help but feel embarrassed, and quickly lowered her voice to coax Dou Chu in her arms:
"Chu, be good, let's have some porridge."
Dissatisfied at not getting an answer, Dou Chu then asked:
"For example, my eldest sister-in-law got married and had Lang-ge'er, and now she's expecting a baby, right? My second sister-in-law also got married, so will she have a baby soon too?"
A few words from a child immediately reached the ears of everyone present, and the laughter in the air seemed to freeze for a moment. The speaker meant no harm, but the listeners took it to heart.
Aunt Guo looked extremely embarrassed and quickly looked at Lin Xu, saying apologetically:
"...Fifth Miss Achu is still young and doesn't understand things, Second Branch, please don't take it to heart."
Lin Xu put down his chopsticks.
Children speak without thinking, so she naturally didn't take it to heart.
However, now that Feng Daizhu is pregnant again, rumors are swirling in the household that she has not yet consummated her marriage with Dou Yanxun since their wedding—
At this critical juncture, every seemingly casual remark was like a warning bell ringing in her ears.
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