Chapter 242 — Seeing Through

Suxin lowered her voice. "From what the servants attending the mistress say, early this morning the master went to visit the mistress, and in the master's presence she complained that the Fifth Miss had been married into the Jining Marquis's household less than a month, and already the marquis's married daughter had urged the marquis's dowager to have the Fifth Miss take charge of the household accounts, yet there was no silver in the coffers. She said the Fifth Miss's lot was hard now, and begged the master to think of some way, and not let the Fifth Miss dip into her own dowry to subsidize the Wei family. The master said nothing and went out to entertain the guests. Just now the Seventh Madam was crying that her heart pained her, and would have the doctor sent for, and would have the master summoned to hear her last words. Granny Hu dared not be negligent and fetched the master, and then the mistress brought the matter up again. The master grew angry. He said today was your day of great joy, could she not keep still for once. He said a married-out daughter is like water poured out, how could she teach her daughter to be unfilial to her mother-in-law... Hearing that, the mistress kicked up an even greater fuss, and the Fifth Madam and the others, hearing the commotion, have already hurried over."

Dou Yan gave a cold laugh.

Her father had been raised on the books of the sages. The Dou family had daughters married out and wives married in, and whatever treatment was owed another family's daughter was owed a married-out daughter as well—how could he tolerate a married-out daughter doing something so contrary to filial piety and sisterly duty?

In her past life or this one, Wang Shuying seemed always restless and flighty. She had schemed and plotted to marry Father, yet had never once taken the measure of his temper, and her life had not gone as she wished.

That, however, was no concern of hers.

Wang Shuying's affairs were for her own daughter, Dou Ming, to fret over.

She instructed Suxin: "Tell all our people not to go poking their heads into the back courtyard. Careful Father doesn't catch them and make me go settle the matter." There was a touch of mockery in her tone on that last line.

Suxin, however, thought it not at all impossible.

She answered "Yes" again and again, and withdrew.

But the two of them had whispered together at such length—how could her aunt not have noticed?

Once Suxin had gone, she asked what had happened.

Dou Yan did not hide it from her aunt, and told her all she had heard.

Her aunt could not help saying with scorn, "She can't even manage her own affairs—how could she raise a daughter properly?" Then she put the matter aside and asked about the Sixth Madam: "Has she gone over there to make peace too? Why hasn't she come by yet at this hour?"

Dou Yan thought of the conversation she had overheard the night before, and wondered whether the Sixth Uncle's family, to avoid any appearance of impropriety, had decided not to attend her wedding.

Hardly had the thought crossed her mind when Sulai came running in: "Fourth Miss, Fourth Miss, the Sixth Madam is here—the Twelfth Young Master has sprained his ankle and can't carry you to the sedan!" She looked thoroughly dismayed.

Her aunt and Zhao Zhangru were greatly startled, and cried as one voice, "Sprained his ankle? How badly? Is it serious?"

"I don't know," Sulai said, flushing. The moment she heard Dou Huaide could not carry Dou Yan to the sedan she had panicked and run over without asking any details. "The Twelfth Young Master is on crutches!"

Dou Qu stood up and said, "I'll go and see!"

Her aunt and Zhao Zhangru each answered, "Let's all go and see!"

The party went to the flower hall.

Dou Juan's relatives and friends were gathered around the Sixth Madam and Dou Huaide, asking about the injury.

Seeing Dou Yan, the Sixth Madam's eyes dimmed, and she took Dou Yan's hand with a look of apology and sighed.

Dou Huaide, for his part, turned his face away somewhat uneasily.

Seeing that Dou Huaide had no splint or the like on his foot, Dou Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

Her aunt then asked how Dou Huaide had hurt himself.

The Sixth Madam said vaguely only that he had slipped and hurt himself while bathing.

Dou Yan, without a word, aimed a kick at Dou Huaide's injured foot.

"What are you doing?" Dou Huaide leapt up and retreated several steps in quick succession, light on his feet.

Dou Yan looked at Dou Huaide with a half-smile, then glanced at his injured foot.

Only then did Dou Huaide realize that in his alarm he had retreated several steps without his crutches.

His face flushed crimson at once.

"You child!" The Sixth Madam, having witnessed this, looked at Dou Yan and sighed, her heart full of mixed feelings, not knowing what to say.

Dou Yan took the Sixth Madam's arm and said with a beaming smile, "I don't care about all that muddled business. You are like a mother to me, and the Eleventh and Twelfth Brothers treat me like their own sister—whatever there is to eat or use, they always give me first. Now that I'm to be married, the Eleventh Brother must look after my sister-in-law, so I won't press him; but the Twelfth Brother simply must carry me out the door himself!" These words brought tears to the eyes of the Sixth Madam, her aunt, and the rest.

Dou Huaide flung away his crutches all the more and said with spirit, "I said I didn't need this confounded thing—it only made a fool of me before Fourth Sister." Then he squared his shoulders and said to Dou Yan, "Rest easy, Sister—I promise to deliver you safely into the bridal sedan!"

At these words Dou Yan's eyes stung with tears.

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Sisters, brothers, I beg you for pink votes!

o(n_n)o~

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