Chapter 463: Sail

Dou Shiying and others were unaware of what had happened in the Wang family.

Dou Shiying just felt relieved and breathed a sigh of relief.

He happily put his arm around Song Mo's shoulders and said to Dou Dechang, "Go back and call your father over later, and we'll have a couple of drinks."

After the succession, the title will be changed.

Dou Dechang had to call Dou Shiheng "Sixth Uncle".

He did remember it, but Dou Shiying was not used to it yet.

Dou Dechang smiled awkwardly.

Song Mo hurriedly came to his rescue and said, "Father-in-law said something wrong, you will be fined three cups later."

Dou Shiying then realized that he had said something wrong and said hurriedly, "Okay, okay, okay! I'll punish myself with three cups of wine later." There was inevitably some apology in his eyes when he looked at Dou Dechang.

After all, he had to be separated from his parents, and Dou Dechang originally had some resentment. But Dou Shiying's face somehow made him burst into laughter, and the depression in his chest suddenly disappeared. He felt that he was not given away by his parents, but because his adoptive father was too pitiful, he was asked to comfort and accompany this lonely elder.

"Just don't let it slip when Father is hosting the dinner party." He said with a smile, "Otherwise, Fifth Uncle will not let you go."

Dou Shiying laughed.

Song Mo was very pleased to see the two of them like this.

And Dou Dechang felt a little more admiration for Song Mo.

Although he is older than Song Mo, he is not as observant and considerate as Song Mo.

He couldn't help but look up to Song Mo.

In this way, Dou Dechang's succession was officially decided.

Dou Shiying officially sent a message inviting Dou's in-laws in Kyoto to have a drink in Jing'an Temple Hutong.

Only then did Dou Ming know that Dou Dechang had been passed on to Dou Shiying.

She was so angry that her blood boiled. She raised her hand and overturned the table. She jumped up and said, "I don't agree! Why should Dou Dechang be inherited?"

Nanny Zhou hesitated to speak, thinking: At first, the Seventh Master also wanted to keep you at home to attract bribes, but you snatched the Fourth Miss's marriage, and the Fourth Miss married into the Duke of Ying's mansion. If the Western Dou family cannot inherit the family, will it be extinct? Moreover, although the Dou family has many sons and daughters, there is really no one else who is suitable to inherit the family except the Twelfth Master.

But how could she say this in front of Dou Ming?

Dou Ming's temper has become more and more violent over the past six months. Even the Marquis would be criticized by her from time to time. The maids and old women serving in the house were all trembling with fear and dared not to make a sound. The whole main courtyard was silent most of the time, like an ice cave, which made people feel cold all over when they entered.

The more Dou Ming thought about it, the more he felt that he was right. He told Madam Zhou to prepare a car and went to Jing'an Temple Hutong.

Dou Shiying was so heartless that he refused to see her and asked Gao Sheng to pass on a message to her: "Obey your husband after marriage and obey your son after your husband's death. Since you are already a daughter-in-law of another family, you should be filial to your mother-in-law and serve your husband. If you have any problems in the future, just let the maids and old women pass on the message."

Dou Ming, however, felt that his father was still angry with him for choosing Wei Tingyu, so he kicked Gao Sheng and shouted, "They forced me like that, but not only did my father not come out to defend me, but now he is settling scores with me. Am I not your daughter, just Dou Zhao?"

Dou Shiying felt that Dou Ming was rude and disrespectful. Thinking of Ji's subtle accusation, he had to admit that he had corrupted his daughter.

Is it too late to teach her the right way now?

Dou Shiying avoided seeing Dou Ming.

Dou Ming made a fuss there for a long time but no one paid any attention to him, so he returned to the Jining Marquis' Mansion in anger.

The maids looked terrified, but came forward to greet them.

Dou Ming watched, feeling even more annoyed, but out of the corner of his eye he saw a servant quickly go around the screen wall and disappear.

She recognized the boy.

Her name is Ruyi, and she serves in Wei Tingyu's study.

He is the Wei family's servant boy, eight years old this year, thin but very smart.

Why did he run away when he saw himself?

Am I a man-eating monster?

It is said that whoever you follow will be your support. Did Wei Tingyu say anything to him?

Dou Ming immediately felt like a thorn in her heart. She sent away the maids and old women in the outer courtyard, and turned around and went to Wei Tingyu's study with Nanny Zhou and others.

Wei Tingyu is not in the study.

Ruyi stepped forward and said, "The Marquis has gone to ride his horse!"

As soon as I came back, he went riding. What does this mean?

Dou Ming was furious and looked around the study room critically.

The study was very tidy. The silk string supporting the zither had been changed to royal blue, with golden necklaces hanging from the four corners, making it look very noble. A bunch of bright red camellias were placed in the blue and white porcelain vase on the desk, making the study brighter.

I didn't expect that the maids and servants in the study were so attentive!

Dou Ming sneered and turned back to the inner room.

She brought a letter to her mother in Liuye Hutong, telling her about the adoption.

The people on the other side of Liuye Hutong simply replied, "I understand," and nothing more happened.

She found it very strange, so she asked Madam Zhou to take some things to Liuye Hutong, saying that they were for Wang Xu's filial piety, and asked Madam Zhou to find out the situation there.

Nanny Zhou came back and told her, "The old lady is fine, but she didn't see the Seventh Madam. She said she had a big fight with the Second Uncle's wife and was feeling uncomfortable, so she took a rest."

Wang Yingxue often quarreled with Pang Yulou, and Dou Ming knew about it. She did not suspect anything and asked Madam Zhou: "Does Dou Zhao know about the succession?"

Madam Zhou said, "I heard that the Prince of England once accompanied the Twelfth Master to kowtow to the Seventh Madam."

Dou Ming was so angry that he threw the comb in his hand to the ground.

After much thought, she could not find any other way to stop Dou Dechang's succession, so she had to tell Madam Zhou: "Don't make the succession public. If they don't tell me in advance, don't expect me to bring honor to them when I go back."

The implication is that there is no need to tell the Wei family.

Nanny Zhou shook her head secretly.

Even if the couple did not go, what impact would it have on the reputation of the Dou family?

Others would only say that Dou Ming was being disrespectful because she was afraid that her adopted brother would take away the share of the family property that should have belonged to her, and that she was a very stingy and greedy person.

If this happened last year, Nanny Zhou would have advised Dou Ming even at the risk of making him angry, but now... Dou Ming no longer listens to anyone, and if she says a few more words, even the little affection they had in the early years might be gone.

Fifth Miss, how did your life become like this?

Nanny Zhou felt sorry in her heart.

Dou Zhao smiled as he sat on the big kang by the window of the banquet room, listening to the matchmaker that Chen Jia had invited bragging about Chen Jia: "...Although he had a wife in the past, she left no offspring. Not only is he stable and reliable, he is also very capable. He is already a fourth-rank military officer at a young age. If he continues like this, he will be promoted to the third rank in no more than ten years. The cousin of a noble family will become an official's wife as soon as she gets married. What could be a better marriage than this?"

She said nothing, smiled, accepted Chen Jia's engagement letter, and asked someone to reward the matchmaker with ten taels of silver.

The matchmaker was stunned for a moment, and then his eyes narrowed into slits with joy.

Chen Jia wanted to invite official matchmakers to the Duke of Ying's mansion to propose marriage. Several official matchmakers waved their hands when they heard about it. Only she, who coveted Chen Jia's five taels of silver and two pieces of silk as a thank-you gift, went to the Duke of Ying's mansion alley. Even so, before she met Dou Zhao, she was also laughing at Chen Jia for overestimating her own abilities. She didn't expect that the wife of the prince of the Duke of Ying's mansion actually accepted Chen Jia's engagement letter... This, this is really the sun rising from the west!

She happily went to Yuqiao Hutong to reply to Chen Jia.

Chen Jia just felt dizzy for a while, and it took him a while to come back to his senses. He hurriedly called Tao Erjia for a reward.

The matchmaker left happily.

Chen Jia's whole body was limp, and he sat on the armchair for a long time without standing up.

The Song family really accepted his engagement letter!

In other words, his marriage to Jiang Yan was not a joke, but could become a reality!

Chen Jia's heart was inflated like a sail that was blown up. He couldn't tell whether he was happy or relieved. It was not until Mr. and Mrs. Tao came to congratulate him that he came to his senses and remembered that this house was painted when the previous owner moved in. Now many places were covered with dirt... Although there was a small garden in the backyard, he went out early and came back late, and there was no woman in charge of the inner courtyard, so the stove-sitter had turned it into a vegetable garden. Fortunately, there was an old plum tree in the corner of the wall, so he dug up the vegetable garden and planted a few peonies, peonies, golden chrysanthemums and other plants. Well, he could barely handle it... And the furnishings in the house, when he sold the house, he sold them all separately, and the previous owner only left him a few broken-legged benches, faded wooden boxes and the like. He had just been promoted, and he had to take care of the superiors, the subordinates, and the previous interest to pay back, so he couldn't afford to add anything... The British mansion used all red sandalwood, which he couldn't compare with, but he had to buy a set of black lacquered pine furniture, right? And the colorful paintings on the corridor and the screen wall in front of the door, all had to be fixed up... There were so many things to do!

He could no longer sit still, and hurriedly called Hu Zi in and ordered: "Go to the street and find a few skilled bricklayers, and also hire a few painters... I remember the last time the Chen family got married, the new furniture was pretty good, go ask who made it, and hire them to make a set..."

Chen Jia gave instructions like a machine gun, and Hu Zi was confused. He barely repeated them and ran to Tao Er in a flash: "Hurry up and give me some paper. I want to write down what you said."

Tao Er laughed and helped him grind ink. In his heart, he thought, if this marriage really happened, they would be just like what is said in the book, "When one person succeeds, the whole family will prosper"... A guard in the Duke of Ying's mansion was released as a police chief in Jing County, so his son could at least become a clerk in the tax department in the future, right? He would laugh so hard that he would wake up in his dreams.

The Chen family was busy like windmills.

Dou Zhao was not idle either.

She was busy making jewelry, making clothes, and buying dowry.

Fortunately, with Jiang Lizhu's help, and women love shopping by nature, the busyness turned into happiness, and there was constant laughter in Yizhitang.

Jiang Yan hid in Bishuixuan, feeling somewhat happy but mostly afraid.

She really wanted to meet Chen Jia and ask him in person why he wanted to marry her. If one day he despised her for being a remarried woman, could he not lie to her? As long as he told her honestly, she would definitely not tell anyone and would quietly hide in the temple.

But looking at the happy expressions of her sister-in-law and twelfth sister, she really couldn't say that she wanted to meet Chen Jia.

Dou Zhao sensed that Jiang Yan was worried and wanted to comfort her, but Song Han was moving, and Song Maochun and others came to help, but Song Mo just ignored them, so she had to go there and say a few polite words. When Song Han finished moving, it was Qiao's happy relocation, and although Dou Zhao did not go, she had to show her courtesy. She was busy for two days, and when she went to find Jiang Yan again, she had calmed down. Dou Zhao smiled and did not ask any more questions.