Chapter 28 — New Year

At this rate, Father's marriage to the Fifth Miss of the Zhu family would surely be dragged out past two years, and by then it would be too late to say or do anything.

Dou Yan felt she ought to do something to speed the two families' marriage along.

But before she could settle on a plan, the Spring Festival arrived.

As custom dictated, on the morning of New Year's Eve the entire Eastern and Western Dou households made their way to the Dou ancestral hall in Beilou Township to pay respects to the ancestors; at noon they ate the reunion feast in the hall's rear courtyard, and afterward each branch returned home for its own smaller reunion dinner and to keep watch through the night.

Concubines had no right to attend the ancestral rites, but they still had to come for the reunion feast. Dou Ming, being a premature child, had always been frail and rarely went out; Grandfather, fearing she might fall ill, had Wang Shuying and Aunt Ding stay home to look after her.

Dou Chu was dragged from her warm bedclothes bright and early by Old Nurse Yu. As she dressed Dou Yan, she instructed Yuzan and Tuo Niang, "There'll be crowds today—whatever you do, don't lose the Fourth Miss while you're gawking at the excitement."

Old Nurse Yu had to prepare the family's own reunion dinner that evening and could not attend Dou Yan to Beilou.

The two women answered in unison.

Dou Chiyou gave Tuo Niang a second glance.

Today both Yuzan and Tuo Niang had been spruced up; not only had they changed into blue-green pongee padded robes with knife-straight creases, but they had also pinned jujube-red velvet flowers at their temples, which made them look especially brisk and lively.

Yuzan had followed her mother since childhood, and her mother was herself a woman fond of dressing up; influenced by her, Yuzan always went about neat and properly made up, so changing into new clothes and dressing up a little for the New Year was nothing unusual. Tuo Niang, however, had lost both parents in childhood and been raised in her uncle's house, eating and wearing whatever barely kept body and soul together; this was the first time she had ever taken such care with her appearance.

Tuo Niang tugged uncomfortably at the hem of her robe and murmured, "Yuzan did my hair. She said today is New Year's Eve, everyone will be in red and green, and I'd be the only one in plain clothes... The Seventh Master is already betrothed to the Fifth Miss of the Zhu family, and if others saw me like this they might think it was deliberate and make trouble for the Fourth Miss..."

There was sense in that.

Her mourning dress was in observance of filial rites. But if the maids about her wore mourning too, those with a mind to could easily read other intentions into it.

Dou Xin nodded with narrowed eyes, told them they were "very pretty," and then picked two pearl flowers of plain design from her cosmetics box, bestowing one on Yuzan and one on Tuo Niang.

Both were somewhat taken aback and hesitated over whether to accept them.

Old Nurse Yu laughed from the side, "Since the Fourth Miss has bestowed them, just take them. Wearing them, if anyone asks, it's the Fourth Miss's grace."

The two made no further protest, and smiling, pinned the flowers for each other; then, after serving Dou Yan her morning meal, they carried the plump, pink-cheeked child off to the Hall of Crane Longevity.

Grandfather and Father were sitting on the kang talking.

Dou Yan stepped forward and made her greetings.

Dou Huaiying lifted Dou Yan onto his lap and asked her gently, "Cold?"

"Not cold!" Dou Yan shook her head, then asked Dou Duo, "Grandfather, Grandfather, they say Father is going to marry the Fifth Miss of the Zhu family—is it true?"

Dou Huaiying flushed slightly and stopped her in embarrassment, "Don't talk nonsense!"

"I'm not talking nonsense." Dou Yan's eyes went wide, and she glared at her father in displeasure. "They say the Zhu girl is a good person and isn't afraid of Concubine Wang bearing a son before the wife."

"Ah!" Dou Huaiying's mouth fell open.

But a flicker of sharp light passed through Dou Duo's eyes; then he took a sesame cake from the tiered box before him on the kang table and handed it to Dou Yan, asking gently, "Who told you all this?"

Dou Yan tilted her head, gnawing at the sesame cake. "Lots of people. Eldest Aunt's maid, Third Aunt's old nurse, and... Cousin Jiu's page boy..."

Grandfather did not press further, but cast Father a pointed look.

Father looked awkward.

Fortunately a servant came in to announce, "Ninth Master Huan is here."

Grandfather smiled. "Let him in at once!"

Tall and lean, Dou Huanchang strode quickly in.

He first greeted Grandfather and Father respectfully, then smiled and exchanged greetings with Dou Yan.

Grandfather nodded and rose. "Let's be off!"

Dou Huanchang answered "Yes," stepped forward to support Grandfather, and unhurriedly left the Hall of Crane Longevity.

He had come to fetch Grandfather and Father back to Beilou.

Father carried Dou Yan and followed slowly behind; once a little distance had opened between them, he gently pinched Dou Zhihui's little cheek. "You little thing—have you come to collect a debt?" His manner was affectionate, his tone helpless.

Dou Yan giggled and asked, "What does collecting a debt mean?"

Father could not keep from laughing.

The party went out the main gate.

Third Uncle and Third Aunt had gone to Beilou the day before to prepare for the ancestral rites; traveling with them, besides Eldest Aunt and Dou Huanchang, were the Second Dowager, Sixth Uncle's family, Second Cousin's family, Third Cousin's family, and Fifth Cousin's family.

Seeing Grandfather, everyone except the Second Dowager alighted from their carriages to greet him, and the lane, already narrow from the stopped carriages, grew crowded.

Grandfather caught hold of Fifth Cousin's little son, who was only three, to keep him from kneeling. "It's freezing cold and there's no one else about—no need for such ceremony. Whatever there is to say, we'll say it at the ancestral hall."

The ancestral hall had a dozen or so side rooms, each with large braziers in its four corners burning smokeless silver-frost charcoal, warm as spring.

"Only Uncle knows how to spare people's feelings!" Second Cousin laughed.

The Second Old Madam leaned out from the carriage. "Shouyuan, come to your grandaunt!"

Dou Chi liked this cold grandaunt of his; his hand tightened on his father's sleeve.

His father hesitated a moment, then carried Dou Xin over. "She's a mischievous one, and you're getting on in years—how could you withstand her antics? I think it's better to let her stay with me."

The Second Old Madam was briefly taken aback. She glanced at Dou Yan, nestled quietly in Dou Huaiying's arms, then smiled and nodded. "Very well, then! The child has no mother—the more you can keep her close, the better." With that, she let the curtain fall.

His father was somewhat surprised.

Over there, Third Cousin called out loudly to his father. "Seventh Uncle, do you have room over there? Bring two maids along for me."

Third Cousin had the most offspring—three sons and a daughter—yet the family's common funds were distributed by household, so he was always the most hard-pressed of them all.

"There's room, there's room." His father carried Dou Yan over. "If it's too crowded, send Zhi with us."

Zhi was Third Cousin's eldest son, eleven this year, whose formal name was Dou Yan. In later years this fellow would become a censor and earn great fame among the literati for impeaching the Marquis of Changxing, Shi Duanlan. After Fifth Uncle Dou Bingheng entered the Grand Secretariat, he went to Baoding Prefecture as prefect to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

But at this moment he was nothing more than a lanky, long-legged youth with a voice like a drake's.