Chapter 80 — Joy

Song Yan was only fifteen or sixteen, but steady beyond his years. He smiled and comforted Mr. Song: "Uncle, don't be disheartened. Just teach the young lady and be done with it—surely they can't stint us on food and clothing? At worst, we finish teaching this year and don't teach next year, and we'll still have an answer for Lord He."

Mr. Song nodded.

Song Yan and Du An's nephew together helped carry the trunks and chests.

At the evening meal, Dou Zhen, at Dou Yan's request, gave Mr. Song a welcome dinner: "The Seventh Granduncle is not at home, so please overlook any breach of courtesy, Mr. Song." Then he invited the Songs, uncle and nephew, to Jingfuchun.

In the end, Du An's own dinner was nowhere to be found, and in a rage he seized Gao Xing by the collar and was about to strike him.

Someone nearby stepped in and pulled the two apart.

But Gao Xing, in his simple-minded way, went on: "There's a fixed amount of food in the house. If you come back and don't pay your respects to the Fourth Miss, the Fourth Miss won't know, and without her orders the kitchen can't do anything. You'd better go and pay your respects to the Fourth Miss!"

The Dou household poured out so much leftover food every day—was there really not enough for one more mouth?

Du An turned purple with rage, yet could not utter a single word. Remembering the mistress's instructions before he came, he had no choice but to go and pay his respects to Dou Yan peaceably.

But the old woman at the second gate stopped him outside, smiling without a trace of warmth: "Steward Du, the young lady is grown now, not as she used to be. It's no longer proper for you to enter the inner courtyard. If you have business, we'll announce you."

And so he waited—two full hours, without even a stool to sit on. His legs had gone numb from standing before a little maid came back to report: "It's getting late. The Fourth Miss asks Steward Du to come back tomorrow morning."

Du An could not help asking, "What was the Fourth Miss doing just now?"

The little maid pursed her lips and smiled: "The Fourth Miss was pruning the flowers just now!"

Du An was left in another fit of fury.

Dou Yan could not be bothered with Du An. She had Ganlu and the others hurry to sew several sachets, then went to Zhaojue Temple and obtained a "May All Go as You Wish" talisman for each of Dou Yong, Dou Huaide, Dou Qiguang, Dou Qitai, and Wu Shan, who were sitting the prefectural children's examination that year, tucked them into the sachets, and sent them over.

Dou Yong and the others each had the maids beside them bring back a few words of thanks. Only Wu Shan sent over a box of white fan leaves from Heye Li: "When the flowers bloom in a few days, Fourth Sister will be just in time to paint a few fan faces and give them away."

Dou Yan smiled, and her heart was stirred.

When Master Song finished explaining the passage from Mencius, "Wan Zhang I," on "In taking a wife, how should one go about it? One must inform one's parents," she asked him, "I once studied bird-and-flower painting with the elders in my family. I'd like to paint a few fan faces—could you teach me, sir?"

Apart from a few discordant notes on the first day, the Dou household was peaceful, and Dou Yan was diligent in her studies. Master Song was well satisfied with all of it.

He laughed and said, "You paint a first draft, and I'll take a look at it for you."

Dou Yan gladly agreed.

Master Song was named Huai, styled Yumin. He was well versed in miscellaneous learning and somewhat easygoing by nature; perhaps because he was a southerner, he did not slight Dou Yan for being a girl. Whenever she asked him about something she did not understand, he would often cite the classics and expound at great length. Dou Yan listened with relish, and often, as he talked on, she would forget what it was she had meant to ask. These past few days, seeing the spring breeze on her face, he had even shown her how to make a kite. Now that Dou Yan took the initiative to learn something, his interest was all the greater.

When Dou Yan got home, she found some albums of fan paintings and copied from them.

Word came from the county school that Dou Yong, Dou Huaide, Dou Qiguang, Dou Qitai, and Wu Shan had all passed the county examination; by April, all of them had passed the prefectural examination; and in June, all but Dou Qitai had passed the academy examination—Wu Shan especially, who had placed first in the academy examination.

The Dou family school's reputation soared.

Old Mrs. Wu brought Wu Ya with her and hurried back from the capital.

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I think the content from here on ought to be divided into a new volume, but I tried several times and failed, so I have no choice but to keep writing it this way.

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