Chapter 359 — Her Family

Dou Huaiying was overjoyed to see his daughter and never once mentioned Dou Ming; he only said to her, "Your Eleventh Brother has taken his wife back to her natal home to pay New Year's respects to her elders. Your Sixth Uncle and Sixth Aunt will be bringing your Twelfth Brother over for dinner later."

Dou Yan was naturally delighted beyond measure, and let Gao Sheng's wife lead her to the inner courtyard to pay New Year's respects to her aunt-in-law and her female cousins, while Song Yan went with Dou Huaiying to the study.

A maidservant brought in the tea.

Gazing at the tea, bright of color and mellow of fragrance, Song Yan sighed inwardly on his own behalf.

In the cup was top-grade Tieguanyin.

Dou Huaiying, wholly oblivious, kept pressing Song Yan: "I had this fetched specially from Anxi in Fujian. Try it and see how it tastes. If you like it, I'll wrap some up for you to take home."

Faced with his father-in-law's expression of eager expectation for praise, what could Song Yan do but accept the undeserved favor with grateful astonishment?

Dou Huaiying smiled in satisfaction and turned to the subject of Song Yan's duties. "The Jinyiwei are the Emperor's own troops; you need only answer to the Emperor. The Five Wards Commandery is a different matter. They deal constantly with the common folk, so upholding justice and redressing grievances for the people becomes their chief duty. You must take care to grasp the difference between the two. You cannot lose the Emperor's heart, but neither can you lose the people's."

Song Yan listened earnestly, more deferential than he ever was before the Emperor, while muttering to himself: I'm not trying to be Emperor. What do I want with the people's heart? So long as things are more or less done, that's enough. Overshoot the mark and I might lose even the Emperor's heart.

How could Dou Huaiying know what Song Yan was thinking? Seeing his son-in-law's docile, receptive manner, he could not help thinking of his other son-in-law, Wei Fan.

When a daughter quarreled with her mother-in-law, a son-in-law was bound to find it a headache, and even to side with his mother was forgivable. But Wei Fan had laid all the blame on Dou Ming. He even meant to confiscate her dowry and make her study the rules under Madam Tian, never stopping to consider that the child Dou Ming carried was of the Wei family's own blood. There was not a shred of husbandly feeling in him... The very thought of it made Dou Huaiying sick at heart.

Displeasure could not help showing on Dou Huaiying's brow.

Song Yan was secretly startled, and while continuing to converse with Dou Huaiying, he reflected on what he had just said and done.

There had been nothing improper in any of his answers, surely?

Song Yan thought for a long while and could find no reason for Dou Huaiying's frown.

Dou Huaiying, however, had already put the matter behind him, which was his customary attitude toward anything that gave him a headache.

He asked Song Yan, "I hear Shouyuan is now managing the household affairs of the Yingguo Duke's residence. Can she keep up with it all? Shall I buy a few more maidservants and married women to wait on her?"

"No need!" Song Yan was not the sentimental sort. What he did not know now, he could find out later. He cast his own misgivings aside as well and said, "Shouyuan says everything in the household follows established rules and she need only follow them; it's quite easy. If we find ourselves overwhelmed, we will certainly ask for your help, Father-in-law."

Those words settled over Dou Huaiying as satisfyingly as a cup of hot tea.

He thought for a moment, then fished a palm-sized box out of a hidden compartment beneath his desk and handed it to Song Yan. "See if you like it."

Song Yan opened it. Inside was something black and dirty, like an old tree root.

His expression shifted slightly. "Surely this is not the legendary meteorite inkstone?"

"The very same!" Dou Huaiying said smugly, pleased that Song Yan recognized it. "This is the one called 'Fairy from Beyond the Heavens.' I'm giving it to you. Use it yourself when you go back, or keep it for my grandson—either way, it's a rare treasure."

Rare was an understatement; it was precious beyond measure.

An ordinary family with such an inkstone would treasure it as an heirloom.

Song Yan reflected that his father-in-law was a man of letters, and just as a famed sword belongs with a renowned scholar and rouge with a hero, so this inkstone must be worth even more in his father-in-law's eyes. He had meant to refuse outright, but out of the corner of his eye he caught the hopeful look on Dou Huaiying's face, and his heart could not help but quiver.

Father-in-law, are you lonely?

All these years he had lived inside a circle he had drawn for himself. Others could not step in, and he was unwilling to step out. Over time, others no longer knew how to enter, and he no longer knew how to leave.

He thought of his father-in-law's unguarded kindness toward him, and his eyes grew moist.

"Father-in-law!" Song Yan said with a shameless grin. "Since you've kept so many fine inkstones, you must have kept fine ink as well, surely? What use is an inkstone without ink? Why not bestow a few fine ink sticks on me too? When your grandson takes the examinations in future, how will he write fine characters without good ink?"

Dou Huaiying laughed heartily, thoroughly delighted.

He beckoned to Song Yan. "Come with me—I really do have several fine ink sticks hidden away here, from Shouyuan's grandfather's collection. I'll give them to you as well!"

Song Yan followed him to the storeroom, fairly skipping with glee.

Sixth Uncle Dou Heng and his family had arrived.

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To all my readers, brothers and sisters: the second update will still be around 11 p.m. Those who find that too late, just read it tomorrow morning!

o(n_n)o~