Chapter 17 — The Autumn Fan
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 1 of 4
Mother was a proud woman. Having already agreed to let Wang Shuying into the household, she would not make things difficult for her over a trifle like the timing of her entry.
Once Dou Zhiwei's "illness" had improved somewhat, she invited the First Madam and the Third Madam over to discuss the matter of Wang Shuying's entry, and Dou Yan was packed off to the courtyard to play jump-rope with the little maids.
The four little maids were named Xuan Cao, Mo Li, Qiu Kui, and Hai Tang. Mother, admiring Tuoniang's honesty and steadiness, gave her the name Su Xin, which paired nicely with Yu Zan—who had once served at Mother's side and was now assigned to Dou Yan's rooms—and the two became the senior maids of Dou Yan's household.
Tuoniang was very fond of the name, but "Tuoniang" held a special meaning for Dou Yan, and Dou Yan still preferred to call her Tuoniang—so much so that the maids in Dou Yan's rooms would call her Su Xin one moment and Tuoniang the next, giving rise to no end of laughter. Fortunately Tuoniang did not mind; whoever called her by whichever name, she answered cheerfully every time.
Dou Yan was not really a two-year-old child, so naturally she had little interest in a game like jump-rope.
She thought of going to Grandfather's study to look for a few books about ghosts and spirits and strange happenings—there was nothing in this world that did not exist somewhere. She had abruptly returned to her childhood, as if reborn, and surely there were others like her. She was eager to find some scrap or trace of it in those miscellaneous annals and old tales.
Dou Yan had Tuoniang carry her to Grandfather's study.
Tuoniang promptly dropped the rope in her hands and carried her off toward the Hall of Crane's Longevity.
As they rounded the lotus pond, she saw Granny Yu standing beside the Taihu-stone rockery, talking with a middle-aged man in a robe of official-green Lu silk.
The two were furtive and secretive, their conduct highly suspect.
Dou Yan pondered a moment, then pointed toward the lotus pond and said to Tuoniang, "Let's go over there!"
Tuoniang suspected nothing and, crossing the zigzag stone bridge, arrived at the edge of the Taihu rockery.
Granny Yu and the man had vanished without a trace.
Dou Yan left the lotus pond concealing her doubts, and ran headlong into the First Madam and the Third Madam.
She got down from Tuoniang's arms and respectfully paid her respects to the First Madam and the Third Madam.
The First Madam scooped Dou Yan up in one arm. "Shouyuan grows more lovable by the day!"
"Who would say otherwise?" The Third Madam smiled and stroked Dou Zhiwei's head. "Exactly the same as the Seventh Madam when she was small."
As they spoke, the smiles on their faces gradually faded.
"Ah!" The First Madam sighed with regret. "Wang Shuying's origins are what they are. If this child she's carrying turns out to be a boy, then no matter how virtuous the Seventh Madam is, I'm afraid she'll have no choice but to step aside!"
So they both knew about Wang Shuying's pregnancy.
Dou Yan's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
"Such is fate!" The Third Madam's expression too turned somewhat melancholy.
Perhaps feeling it inappropriate for two elders to sigh so before a child, the First Madam forced a smile. "Here we are shedding tears over a storyteller's tale, worrying ourselves sick over people long dead. The Seventh Madam has simply never had to face anything difficult; now that something has come up, she'll naturally learn to handle it as she goes. Look at her now—isn't she managing quite well?"
The Third Madam nodded, then kindly asked Tuoniang a few questions. Learning that Dou Zhiwei was on her way to see Grandfather, she instructed Tuoniang to be careful of the slippery ground and not to let the child fall, and then she and the First Madam passed out through the second gate.