My mother is a proud person. Since she had already promised to let Wang Yingxue in, she would not make things difficult for Wang Yingxue over such a trivial matter as the time of admission.
When Dou Zhao's "illness" got better, she invited her eldest aunt and third aunt to come and discuss Wang Yingxue's marriage. Dou Zhao was sent to the yard to play jump rope with the little maids.
The four maids were named Hemerocallis, Jasmine, Okra, and Begonia. My mother liked Tuoniang's honesty and gave her the name Suxin, which was a perfect match for Yuzhan, who used to work for my mother and was now assigned to Dou Zhao's room. She was the head maid in Dou Zhao's room.
Tuoniang liked this name very much, but the name "Tuoniang" had a special meaning to Dou Zhao, so Dou Zhao still liked to call her "Tuoniang", so much so that the maids in Dou Zhao's room called her Suxin for a while and Tuoniang for a while, which caused a lot of jokes. Fortunately, Tuoniang didn't care. No matter who called her which name, she was happy.
Dou Zhao was not really a two-year-old kid, so he naturally had no interest in playing games like Bai Suo.
She thought of looking for a few books about supernatural things in her grandfather's study - there are all kinds of strange things in the world, and she suddenly returned to her childhood, as if she was reborn. There must be people like her, and she was eager to find some clues from those miscellaneous histories.
Dou Zhao asked Tuoniang to carry her to her grandfather's study.
Tuoniang immediately dropped the rope in her hand and carried her to Heshoutang.
When she passed the lotus pond, she saw Nanny Yu standing beside the Taihu stone rockery and talking to a middle-aged man in an official green Lu silk robe.
The two of them were hiding something and looked suspicious.
Dou Zhao pondered for a moment, pointed at the lotus pond and said to Tuoniang, "Let's go there!"
Tuoniang did not suspect anything and walked across the nine-curve stone bridge to the Taihu stone rockery.
Nanny Yu and the man were nowhere to be seen.
Dou Zhao left the lotus pond with doubts in his heart, but ran into his eldest aunt and third aunt head-on.
She got down on the ground and bowed respectfully to her eldest aunt and third aunt.
The eldest aunt hugged Dou Zhao and said, "Shou Gu is becoming more and more popular!"
"Who says it isn't?" Third Aunt smiled and touched Dou Zhao's head, "She looks exactly like Seventh Brother's wife when she was a child."
As they talked, the smiles on their faces gradually faded.
"Alas!" The eldest aunt sighed regretfully, "Given Wang Yingxue's background, if she gave birth to a boy, even if Seventh Brother's wife was virtuous, she would have to stay away from him!"
It turned out that they all knew that Wang Yingxue was pregnant.
Dou Zhao's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"This is fate!" Third aunt's expression also seemed a little dejected.
Perhaps she felt that it was inappropriate for two elders to sigh in front of the children, so the eldest aunt forced a smile and said, "We are crying while listening to the story, and we are worried about the ancients. Seventh brother's wife usually doesn't encounter any problems, but when she encounters problems, she will naturally become more sensible. Look at her now, isn't she handling it well?"
The third aunt nodded and asked Tuoniang a few questions kindly. Knowing that Dou Zhao was going to see his grandfather, she told Tuoniang to be careful of the slippery ground and not to fall, and then went out the second door with the eldest aunt.
Dou Zhao suddenly lost interest in going to Heshoutang. She told Tuoniang, "Let's go back to the main house."
Tuoniang did as she was told without saying a word, and the two of them quickly returned to the main courtyard.
Dou Zhao ran into the inner room.
My mother was sitting on the warm kang by the window, talking to Nanny Yu: "... Aunt Cui is the biological mother of the Seventh Master, and a betrothal gift of two hundred taels of silver is not an insult to her. As for whether the Wang family wants it or not, that is their business, but whether to give it or not is our business. Whether you have money or not, you can marry a daughter-in-law to celebrate the New Year. Although she is a concubine, she is still a new person after all. She will enter the family on the 22nd of February, just in time for the Little New Year. When it comes to the Spring Festival, it will be a good time to visit each room and get to know the relatives." As she spoke, my mother picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, and continued, "The new house should be set up in Qixia Courtyard..."
"Seventh Madam!" Nanny Yu was shocked. Before her mother could finish her words, she cried out, "How can this be possible! Qixia Courtyard is right behind Seventh Master's study..."
Mother made a stop gesture and said, "They can get involved with each other even if they are from the north and south of the country. Do you think they can be cleared of all charges under my watch?"
Nanny Yu was speechless.
"Besides, I am too lazy to watch their affectionate behavior." Mother murmured, "I will let Wang Yingxue go, and I will also let myself go."
Dou Zhao almost applauded his mother.
That's right.
No matter how big the world is, it is not bigger than yourself.
If you don't feel sorry for yourself, why should others feel sorry for you?
Since you don't like Wang Yingxue, why bother yourself to pretend to be virtuous!
It was not until she was over 30 that she understood this truth.
Dou Zhao whispered to Tuoniang, "Follow Nanny Yu later and see where she went and who she met."
Tuoniang nodded.
Dou Zhao happily threw himself into his mother's arms: "Mom, the plum blossoms in the backyard are in bloom. Let's go and enjoy them."
Mother laughed and kissed Dou Zhao's little face: "Mom has something to do, let Tu Niang accompany you to play!"
Dou Zhao just wanted to be with his mother.
Her mother didn't mind her being a bother. She took care of the household chores while entertaining her.
My father came over suddenly, and without paying any attention to the servants serving him in the room, he pulled out a hairpin made of pure gold and inlaid with jasper from his arms as if he were presenting a treasure.
"Does it look good?" He looked at his mother flatteringly, "I went to Zhending Prefecture specifically to have it done."
The body of the hairpin is golden and the tip is green and drop-shaped, like a tear on a beauty's cheek.
"It looks good!" Mother smiled and fiddled with the jade hairpin for a long time, then told Nanny Yu to put it away and "give it to Shougu as a dowry in the future."
My father said sheepishly: "This is for your... Shougu. I'll buy her another one later."
The mother smiled and said, "It's your intention to arrange for her to have a wedding in the future, but this is my intention."
"What's mine is not yours." The father muttered softly, hesitating to speak.
Mother smiled and said, "Are you here to ask about Wang Yingxue's marriage? I have just given the order..." Then she repeated to father what she had said to Nanny Yu.
My father said "Oh" and didn't look very interested. It seemed like he had a lot to say but didn't know how to say it.
There was silence for a moment.
After a while, my father stood up uneasily and murmured, "Since you have something to do, I'll leave first."
Mother stood up with a smile and said, "Then I won't see you off." Then she called out to Hanxiao, "Send Master Seventh off!" She sat down, lowered her head and calculated with an abacus.
The father stood there for a while, and seeing that the mother never raised her head, his eyes dimmed, and he lowered his head and walked out.
Nanny Yu called out "Seventh Grandma".
The mother didn't even move her eyes as she said, "It's almost the New Year, and I'm afraid it's going to be hard to hire someone. You'll have to take care of the furnishings in the new house, and help urge the managers in the outer courtyard."
"Yes!" Nanny Yu responded helplessly and retreated.
Mother dropped the abacus, smiled and hugged Dou Zhao: "Let's go and enjoy the plum blossoms."
Dou Zhao smiled brightly.
Time is the best medicine. No matter how painful the wound is, it will slowly scab and heal over time.
Mother, I will always be with you.
Relieve your loneliness and soothe your wounds.
Dou Zhao looked at his mother's jade-like face and swore secretly in his heart. He smiled and took his mother's hand, skipping to the backyard.
※※※※※
In the evening, Tuoniang told Dou Zhao: "Madame Yu didn't go anywhere. She only met the housekeeper and his wife."
Who is that man?
Dou Zhao bit his fingers and thought.
As a result, early the next morning, her aunt brought her older cousin Zhao Biru to the Dou family to deliver New Year gifts.
"It's freezing cold," Mother hurriedly welcomed my aunt and my eldest cousin into the inner room, personally helped my aunt sit on the kang, took the hot tea from the maid and respectfully handed it to my aunt, "Just ask the steward to run a trip, why did you come in person!"
My aunt seemed to be in her early thirties. She wore a royal blue full-sleeved jacket with gold all over it, and a pair of red gold hairpins inlaid with jade gourds. She was of medium height, slightly plump, with fair skin. When she smiled, her eyebrows were curved, and she was very kind.
She clapped her hands towards Dou Zhao in Tuoniang's arms and said, "Come, sit here with your aunt."
Mother carried Dou Zhao to the kang.
Zhao Biru knelt down and bowed to her mother.
The mother hugged Zhao Biru and said, "My eldest sister has grown a few inches taller. She is almost catching up with me."
My aunt said angrily, "It's no use if you only grow taller but not more careful!"
Zhao Biru smiled shyly.
At this time, Zhao Biru was only eleven years old, with long arms and legs, skin whiter than snow, and the graceful figure of her adulthood could already be seen.
Her mother carried her onto the kang, and they sat around the kang table, eating snacks and chatting.
"…your elder brother has failed the imperial examination twice in a row. This time he is determined to get on the list. He even ignored me when I talked to him." Auntie smiled and said, "I was bored at home, so I brought Bi Ru to visit you." Then she asked, "How have you been these days?"
The mother tried to smooth things over: "It's the same as before. I'm busy every day and I don't know what I'm busy with."
The aunt smiled but said nothing. She drank a sip of tea and said to Zhao Biru, "Since you are here, go play with your cousin over there!"
Zhao Biru responded "yes" quietly and got off the kang obediently.
The mother was slightly stunned.
My aunt said, "I have something to tell you." Her face showed a serious look.
The mother replied "yes", tears already visible in her eyes.
Dou Zhao thought of Nanny Yu beside the lotus pond and the man in the official green Lu silk robe.
After leaving the inner room, she shook off Zhao Biru's hand and ran towards the door.
Outside the gate, the man in the official green Lu silk robe was talking to a steward of the Dou family. Behind him was a flatbed carriage loaded with things, and servants were moving the things in the carriage back home in an endless stream.
It turned out that the man was the manager of the Zhao family.
Dou Zhao ran back to the second gate and met Zhao Biru, who was sweating profusely after chasing her.
"You, what are you doing?" She held her stomach and panted. "How come you run faster than a rabbit?"
Dou Zhao thought of his first meeting with her.
She held the teacup elegantly, smiling at her gently but with dignity: "After my aunt passed away, my father and mother wanted to bring you home to keep me and my sisters company, but you didn't want to. Not only did you bite my mother in front of the Dou family, but you also shouted, 'I won't go to your house.' So my mother had to come back in disappointment..."
At that time, she felt that Zhao Biru's words were like a round fan in autumn, which made her feel indescribably uncomfortable and inappropriate.
But now...she was a little uncertain.
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