Chapter 342 Asking for

Song Mo sat on the kang by the window in the inner room with a stern face, and said to Dou Zhao: "Go make gourd cakes!"

Why are you acting so awkward like a child having a temper tantrum?

Dou Zhao couldn't help but smile.

Song Mo glared at her.

Dou Zhao stepped forward and pulled his hand, saying like coaxing a child: "Is it okay if I'm wrong? I know you care about me, don't say that again next time." Then he took the hot tea from the maid and handed it to Song Mo, "I'll go make you some gourd cakes!"

Song Mo grabbed her waist and said, "The smoke from the stove is stinging, let the maid do it."

Not only did his voice soften, but there was also a hint of smile in it.

"You bastard!" Dou Zhao didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and gave Song Mo a sidelong look.

Song Mo smiled slightly, put his face against Dou Zhao's chest, and whispered, "Shou Gu, don't ever say things like that again. It makes me feel uncomfortable."

Dou Zhao's heart suddenly felt so soft that water could be squeezed out of it.

She responded tenderly.

"I'm wrong." Song Mo apologized to her, his voice sounding a little depressed: "I don't know why, I'm usually very tolerant, but as soon as I think about you not appreciating my kindness, I can't control my emotions... If I do this again in the future, you don't have to pay attention to me, just let me stay in the small study room alone for a while."

Dou Zhao was about to cry when he heard this.

Song Yichun wanted to kill Song Mo. Song Mo had questioned Song Yichun before, but Song Yichun didn't say anything, so Song Mo also kept silent from then on. He and Song Yichun became strangers, and he never explained anything to Song Yichun. This was Song Mo's character, but at this time, because he was afraid that she would misunderstand, he exposed his thoughts to her and was completely defenseless against her...

Dou Zhao kissed the top of Song Mo's head and laughed softly, "How could I bear to do that?"

Song Mo looked up, his face full of surprise.

Dou Zhao squatted down, put his face in his palm, and said again with a smile in a low but firm voice: "How can I bear to leave you alone in the small study?"

"Shou Gu!" Song Mo was surprised, but this surprise soon turned into ecstasy.

He grabbed Dou Zhao and lifted her up like a child: "Shou Gu, Shou Gu!"

Dou Zhaozhen was afraid that he would fall down, so she hugged his neck and said, "No, no, no! I'm pregnant!"

"Oh!" Song Mo smiled, carefully put Dou Zhao on the kang, looked at her affectionately, called "Shou Gu", and kissed her lips.

It seems that getting along with Song Mo is not that difficult!

Dou Zhao closed his eyes and responded to Song Mo in a tender manner.

Let’s not talk about the spring scene in the room of Song Mo and his wife. Although the Jingguo Mansion only invited close relatives, they still set up fifteen tables and built a stage across the waterside pavilion for a family performance. It was lively and festive.

Dou Ming went forward to toast the wife of Duke Jing, then stood up to say goodbye: "My mother-in-law is not feeling well and is staying at home alone. I am not at ease drinking and listening to opera here alone. I will come back to play cards with you another day."

Lady Jingguogong was a little unhappy, but she refused to let her mother-in-law go because she was being used as a scapegoat, as if she didn't care about her in-laws' health at all.

"Oh!" she said hurriedly and caringly, "Your mother-in-law is sick? Why didn't you tell me? I could go see my mother-in-law too. You go back soon and take good care of your mother-in-law. I will go see her after I am done with this busy period." Then she instructed Wei Tingzhen to send Dou Ming away.

"It's just that I have some indigestion. It will be fine after digesting the food. I have the nerve to quarrel with my relatives." Dou Ming politely exchanged a few words with the wife of Duke Jing, then followed Wei Tingzhen out of the pavilion.

Wei Tingzhen asked anxiously, "What happened to mother? Why didn't you tell her before? Go back and tell her. I will go back to take care of her tomorrow morning." Then she asked Dou Ming, "Is there anything missing at home? I will bring it all there tomorrow."

"It's nothing." Dou Ming said calmly, "It's just a pile of food."

Wei Tingzhen was not afraid that she would hide her illness. After all, she would meet Wei Tingyu later and could just ask him.

The two of them went out of the second door, and the Wei family's carriage stopped quietly under the locust tree in front of the door.

Wei Tingzhen didn't see Wei Tingyu, and asked curiously, "Why don't you see your brother?"

Dou Ming said: "He still has social engagements. As for mother, I will take care of her."

Wei Tingzhen nodded with satisfaction, feeling that Dou Ming finally started to act like the daughter-in-law of the Wei family, and her anger dissipated a lot.

She watched Dou Ming get on the carriage, then turned around and went back to the pavilion.

Dou Ming told the driver, "Go to Jing'an Temple Hutong."

Although her dowry was not as rich as Dou Zhaofeng's, it was much better than that of the girls from other officials' families. She was a smart woman, and only a few days after her marriage, she had already swayed the entire Wei family with money, and everyone tried to curry favor with her.

The driver answered "Yes" loudly, shook the reins, and the carriage turned a corner and went to Jing'an Temple Hutong.

Dou Shiying did not like socializing very much, so he went home right after finishing his job at the government office. When he entered the house, he saw his little daughter Dou Ming sitting on the armchair in the main hall with a sullen face.

He was stunned, and in a trance he thought that it was Wang Yingxue sitting there. He thought he had gone back many years ago, and every day when he came home, he would see Wang Yingxue waiting for him like this, and then they would have a quarrel.

Dou Shiying shook his head, took a long breath, and walked in.

"Why are you sitting there?" He handed his official hat to his servant, "When did you come back? Where's Pei Jin? She didn't come back with you..."

Before he finished speaking, Dou Ming jumped up: "Dad, I am also your daughter, why do you only have Dou Zhao in your heart? Do you know that people outside are saying that you gave Dou Zhao another two hundred thousand taels of silver as makeup... I know that Dou Zhao deserves it, but have you ever thought about me? What will the people of the Wei family think? How should I answer when the people of the Wei family ask? Do you want me to say that because I am a concubine's son, the industries under Dou Zhao's name are hush money you bribed Dou Zhao's uncle to make my mother the legal wife? When the Dou and Song families came to pay the tribute, you did not write those industries on the gift list. Why don't you just do your best and quietly return those industries to Dou Zhao? Why do you have to make a big fuss and make it difficult for me to live?!"

As she spoke, she began to cry: "You don't know, today when I went to the Duke of Jing's mansion for a drink, everyone praised Dou Zhao, isn't it because everyone knows that she has money..."

Dou Shiying was stunned, and then felt sorry for Dou Ming.

"Okay, okay, stop crying." He comforted Dou Ming awkwardly, "Don't say that about your sister. You know, your sister's family was robbed because of that pile of banknotes. How dare we publicize the business under your sister's name? Maybe your third uncle and your third cousin settled accounts in Yizhitang a few days ago, and someone found out and spread it out."

Dou Ming gradually stopped crying and said, "Father, can you give me fifty thousand taels of silver as dowry for me?"

This way, she would have something to explain in front of the Wei family.

Dou Shiying smiled reluctantly and said, "I'm afraid I can't come up with that much money right now."

Dou Ming was furious when he heard this: "Father, how can you say such a thing? Our family earns at least 50,000 to 60,000 taels of silver a year. I am not trying to compete with Dou Zhao. I just want to give an explanation to the Wei family. You gave me the silver first, and I will return it to you later. Can the Wei family still count my dowry?"

Dou Shiying frowned slightly and said, "Does the Wei family care so much about your dowry? You should know that your dowry is already quite a lot!"

Dou Ming sneered after hearing this: "Who would complain about having too much money? If the Wei family is like this, it's just what you are used to. If you hadn't given your sister so much dowry, would the Wei family have been able to keep asking for more?"

Dou Shiying felt very uncomfortable after hearing this.

He seemed to see another Wang Yingxue.

She always blames him, saying that if it weren't for him, she wouldn't have ended up in such a situation.

Dou Shiying couldn't help but say, "The most important thing for a couple to get along is mutual understanding. Your sister is the eldest daughter, and her dowry is a little more. What is there for the Wei family to fight about?"

Dou Ming's face turned pale.

It turns out that my father has always believed this in his heart.

Dou Zhao is the legitimate eldest daughter, and she herself is the child of a concubine who cannot be seen in public. She was born to give way to her sister.

She swept the teacup on the table to the ground with her hands, and shouted with her neck straight: "Then who am I? Who are you? Why did you give birth to me? Why didn't you strangle me to death in the blood basin when I was born? You did a good thing, but now you want me to bear the consequences. Why?! Why?!"

Dou Shiying's face was as pale as death.

"You!" He pointed at Dou Ming with trembling lips. He didn't know what to say for a long time and sat down on the armchair in a paralyzed manner.

Gao Sheng, who rushed over after hearing the noise, was furious.

It was not her own fault that the Seventh Lady taught the Fifth Lady the wrong thing.

He knew that Dou Shiying had always been soft-hearted and treated his two daughters like pearls and treasures, but today was different from the past. Just last time when the fourth young lady came back to her parents' home, his family heard the fifth wife asking the fourth young lady that the fifth room wanted to take the decision to take a concubine for the seventh master. The fourth young lady refused at that time, saying that the matter of taking a concubine should be decided by the seventh master himself, but she would persuade the seventh master.

Others may not know, but he has a clear mind.

For so many years, the Seventh Master treated himself so harshly because he felt that he had let down his deceased Seventh Madam.

If the Fourth Miss had asked, the Seventh Master might have really taken in a concubine, and then the Seventh House would have an heir. How could he allow the Fifth Miss to empty the house? Would the Young Master continue to study in the future? Would he marry a wife? Would he take the imperial examination?

For the first time, he came forward with tea and advised Dou Shiying: "Seventh Master, you feel sorry for Seventh Madam, and as a result, Seventh Madam changed Fourth Miss's marriage. Now, you feel sorry for Fifth Miss... If the couple lives on money, there is always someone better. Even if you have a mountain of gold and silver, there will be a day when you will run out of money. You need to think more about this matter!"

Before Gao Sheng could finish his words, Dou Ming poured a cup of tea on his face.

Tea leaves hung from his mane and dripped from his face.

Gao Sheng, however, remained motionless, not even raising his eyebrows, staring at Dou Shiying with wide eyes.

Dou Shiying thought of Wang Yingxue.

She once spilled tea all over her head like this.

Dou Shiying stood up slowly, stared at Dou Ming, and said, "If the Wei family wants me to add makeup for you, you can let them ask me!"

Dou Ming looked at her father and suddenly felt that Dou Shiying's posture seemed particularly tall and straight, and his expression revealed a solemnity and sternness that she had never seen before.