Chapter 51 — Rules (Pink Vote 210 Bonus Update)
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 3 of 4
Her words brought spring into the whole room. The maids scurried for dishes or fetched chopsticks. In an instant the atmosphere was merry.
The Second Sister-in-law laughed outright. "Our Sixth Aunt is truly learned. After a few days with you, Shouyuan can even say things like 'borrow flowers to offer to the Buddha.'"
Mrs. Ji was greatly surprised, though her own nephew Ji Yong, only two years older than Dou Yan, had already finished the Three Character Classic, so she was not particularly astonished.
"Look at our Zhi in this house. I taught him for seven years, and I never saw such thoughtfulness in him," she said modestly. "It only goes to show that children are all different."
"None of you need stand on ceremony before me." The things were the Second Dowager's, after all, and that Dou Yan could bring them out for the Wu siblings to eat made the Second Dowager not only think her generous but feel greatly face was given her. Beaming, she said, "Our Shouyuan does not keep her treats to herself—she is a good child; and our Zhi, at such a young age, already knows to study hard—he is a good child too." With that she took Wu Ya in her arms. "And our Ya is clever and obedient—she is a good child as well."
Everyone laughed.
Yi was most displeased. Pouting, she said, "What about me? What about me?"
"Oh dear, we forgot our Yi," the Second Dowager laughed. "Our Yi is a good child too." Then, as if remembering something, she turned to Dou Ming. "Our Ming is a good child too!"
Yi covered her mouth and laughed, looking well satisfied.
Dou Ming laughed along with Yi.
Wang Shuying, left coldly to one side, felt a sour ache in her heart.
There were so many children about the Second Dowager—some of good birth, some clever, some shrewd and capable—and her own Ming was only three. The East Dou had always looked down on the West Dou; what favor could Ming hope to win at the Second Dowager's side?
She thought of nothing but how to bring the child back to her own side.
The Second Dowager meant to teach Wang Shuying a lesson: she assigned capable nurses and maids to look after Dou Ming, and went out of her way to pick several children of Dou Ming's age from among the hereditary servants to play with her.
A child is a child. Within a few days she had stopped crying for her own wet nurse.
On New Year's Eve, when the Dou kinsmen returned to the North Tower to offer sacrifice to the ancestors, Wang Shuying, following at the Third Madam's side, finally found a chance to seek out Dou Ming.
Dou Ming was standing before the stove with Yi and several other children, waiting for the newly boiled malt sugar.
Hearing someone call "Ming," the children all turned. Yi even asked, "Who is that?"
Dou Ming hesitated a moment, then said uncertainly, "She is my concubine-mother..."
Yi at once seized Dou Ming's hand. "She is only a concubine. Why bother with her? If we go off now, we won't get any malt sugar."
Dou Ming still wavered, and Yi grew cross. "Fine, then go! But once you go, don't ever play with me again." At that Dou Ming said hastily, "All right, all right, I'll grab malt sugar with you."
Yi laughed happily. "Later I'll go find Shouyuan with you. Sixth Aunt has lots of silk-thread candy."
Dou Ming's mouth watered at the thought. She turned her head and said to Wang Shuying, "Concubine-mother, I'll play with you later."
Wang Shuying could not hold back her tears.
When Mrs. Pang came to pay her New Year's calls, she could not keep from pouring out her complaints.
Mrs. Pang did not take it seriously. "What standing have you now to challenge the Dou family? If they want to raise Ming, let them raise her. Take this chance to build up your health and find a way to bear a son." Then she added, "The Seventh Master should be back by now, shouldn't he?"
Wang Shuying's face flushed slightly. "It is still early!" she said, embarrassed.
But she took Mrs. Pang's words to heart, quietly engaged a physician, and began to nurse her health.