Chapter 351 — Little New Year

He stepped forward with a smile and called out, "Brother." Then he said, "What are you and Sister-in-law talking about, to be so merry? Do tell me, so I can be merry too!"

The ringing voice echoed through the open hall, freezing the smile on Song Cen's face. In an instant he lost all appetite for teasing his nieces and nephews, and sulkily fell to discussing the state of the court with Song Maochun and the others, trading a few anecdotes of the capital, until the time was about right. Men at one table, women at another, they all sat down amid a warm hum of talk and began the Little New Year reunion dinner.

After the meal, since it was still early, the Third Madam proposed a game of madiao: "Me, Elder Sister-in-law, Fourth Sister-in-law, and Tianci's wife. That makes exactly four."

Since she was going to war with the Song family, keeping a low profile would only let her opponents walk all over her.

Dou Xin said, "I had better not. For one thing, my condition makes it hard for me to sit for long; for another, you all play for such small stakes that it is no fun at all. Let Elder Sister-in-law keep Aunt and our two aunts company."

The smile froze on the Third Madam's face.

Dou Yan pretended not to see, and simply instructed her personal maid Ruotong: "Peel me a pear. This wretched weather — with a brazier my throat goes dry and sore, without one it is too cold. Since we eat the reunion dinner in the open hall every year, why is there no underfloor heating laid in the open hall as well?"

Her tone was thick with disdain and contempt.

The atmosphere in the room congealed.

Song Jin harbored a bellyful of resentment over Song Yan's failure to give her a gift, but she dared not resent Song Yan himself, so she set it down to Dou Zhiwei's account, believing that because her third cousin had taken a wife, he no longer remembered her affairs. And if her third cousin's wife were truly a virtuous woman, she ought to have reminded him. Besides, everyone said that this third cousin's wife was a woman who had been jilted — that she had married her third cousin only because she could not find a husband, and that given her third cousin's character, her family must have resorted to some scheme. She despised this third cousin's wife from the bottom of her heart, and now that her mother had been humiliated as well, how could she hold herself back? She taunted Dou Yan: "We all know Third Cousin's wife is rolling in wealth. Why don't you pay to have underfloor heating laid in the open hall?"

Dou Yan gave a sneering laugh and said nothing.

Song Jin leapt up in fury. "What is Third Cousin's wife supposed to mean by that?"

Dou Yan paid her no heed, sipping her tea with an air of leisure.

But Ruotong, standing behind her, said, "What a strange thing for the eldest young miss to say. Not one of the elders in this family has spoken, yet you presume to order your sister-in-law about. Do you fancy yourself capable of running the Yingzhen Duke's household?"

"You insolent slave!" Song Jin raised her hand to slap Ruotong. "What right have you to speak here?"

Ruotong was startled — she had not expected Song Jin to actually strike. She stumbled back several steps, dodging Song Jin's hand, yet she gave no ground: "Before our masters, I have no right to speak. I speak only to those of my own station."

Sulan had already crossed the room in a few quick strides and seized Song Jin by the arm.

Song Jin seized the chance to drop down onto the ground and wail: "Second Uncle! The slave of Third Cousin and Third Cousin's wife is bullying me! Quick, send for the broker and sell them all off!"

The Third Madam was so furious her heart kept lurching. She went to pull her daughter up: "There, there, don't cry. Mother will settle these two insolent slaves for you."

The Third Madam's personal matron even stepped forward to strike Sulan, but Sulan kicked her sprawling beside the floor screen, drawing cries of alarm from the First Madam and the others. The scene was utter chaos.

The veins stood out at Song Cen's temples. He bellowed, "Everyone stop this at once!" — but his gaze shot like an arrow at Dou Yan. "Is this how a daughter-in-law behaves? Disrespecting your elders and striking your sister-in-law — get out!"

Song Yan's face was dark as water. He stepped forward to say something, but saw Dou Yan shoot him a look that said, "Stay calm."

So he stood where he was, fists clenched.

Dou Yan let out a breath of relief.

She knew, of course, that when trouble came her way Song Yan would step up for her — but this was a matter she had to handle herself. If Song Yan fought her battles for her, then even if she obtained the tally tokens that put her in charge of the Yingzhen Duke's household, people would only say her man had won them for her, and she would still have to spend effort putting the inner quarters in order. Better to have it out with Song Cen openly today, blade against blade, so that those people would learn what she was made of and not dare to go through the motions before her.

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Today I am going to Shuoyang...

o∩_∩)o~

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