Chapter 64 — Piercing the Veil
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 1 of 4
In that instant, Wu Shan's intentions could no longer be concealed, and Dou Chi was compelled to face them squarely.
Since her rebirth, she had occasionally thought about her own future.
Should she begin anew? Or continue on to marry Wei Fan?
To marry Wei Fan and live through everything all over again—there would be no surprises, but neither would there be anything to worry about.
To start fresh—no matter how dazzling a match might appear, it would come with its own share of disappointments and frictions. Marrying someone else would not necessarily turn out better than being with Wei Fan.
The more she thought, the more tangled it all became.
Then one day, half of the Western Dou family's property was transferred into her name, and her uncle came to an agreement with the Dou family that after she turned thirty, she could dispose of that half of the estate however she wished.
Something suddenly stirred in her heart.
In her previous life, if she did not marry, she had no way out. In this life, she had her uncle to rely on, silver to sustain her, and the conflicts within the Dou family to turn to her advantage—so why must she marry?
Would it not be better to live her own modest life, free and unburdened, and occasionally mend the regrets left over from her previous life?
In that flash, she seemed to glimpse a whole new world. Her spirits soared, and her future seemed suddenly clear and visible before her.
She was grateful for Wu Shan's goodwill, but she would not accept it.
Now, however, was not the time to refuse.
First, Wu Shan had never spoken his intentions plainly, so she had no grounds to refuse; second, the Wu family's rules were strict, and Wu Shan's elders might not be willing to let him marry a woman like her. Whether Wu Shan would give up or persist remained uncertain. If she jumped out to refuse so early, she might seem presumptuous, and people would find it laughable.
Since Wu Shan had brought up that revolving lantern Pang Jixiu had given her, she might as well seize the chance to have Wu Shan convey a message to Pang Jixiu, so that the man would stop buzzing around her like a mosquito at every opportunity, insufferably annoying.
"Who says I like revolving lanterns?" Dou Xin said.
"But I heard them say," Wu Shan replied, looking into Dou Yan's eyes—clear and exceptionally bright in their candor—and began to feel uncertain, "that you were given a revolving lantern, and when Shu-jie asked for it, you would not part with it..."
Dou Xin rose. "Speaking of which, all of this is your fault."
Wu Shan was taken aback.
Dou Yan said, "Because of that swimming incident last time, Pang Jixiu keeps sending gifts every few days to thank me. This revolving lantern was his gift. Our two families may be connected by marriage, but those who follow different paths cannot work together. How could I accept his things? I wanted to return them, but there was nowhere to send them back to. So I had no choice but to put away everything he sent, and one day find a chance to return it all to him—for if I gave his gifts away to someone else, what would I have left to return to him then?"
Hearing this, Wu Shan could not help but grin broadly. "Fourth Sister speaks sense." Then he said eagerly, "Why not let me return them to Pang Jixiu for you?"
"How could I trouble you!" Dou Yan hinted to him, "I would rather ask Boyan to return them to Pang Jixiu for me!"
She did not want Wu Shan to mistake her refusal of Pang Jixiu as being connected to him, nor did she want Wu Shan to botch the matter and drag her reputation down with it—and if it stirred up any scandal, it would be even more troublesome. Boyan, at least, had a fine reputation; he had already reached the age of capping this year, and she also had the impression of his capability from her previous life. He would handle things more reliably than thirteen-year-old Wu Shan.