Chapter 315 — Three Joys
Purple Streets of Chang'an · Page 3 of 4
Ji Yong's aunt was a woman who seldom went out to social occasions, and how should she know the twists and turns of it all? She chatted smilingly with Dou Ming, and only then did Dou Ming feel a little better.
The things lost at the third-day washing ceremony were given to the midwife and those who helped with the birth, and everyone threw silver ingots; the congratulatory gifts for the first-month and hundred-day celebrations, however, were for the newborn, and so all the more precious.
At the banquet, Lady Han brought the child out to show the assembled ladies.
Dou Ming gave Qijin a pair of wish-granting bracelets of pure gold.
Dou Yan gave Qijin a set of pure gold longevity locks weighing nineteen taels, and in addition two pieces of jade that had been consecrated by the abbot of the Great Xiangguo Monastery, two sets of clothes she had made with her own hands, and a cloak of crimson silk with carved patterns.
Neither Han-shi nor Ji-shi had expected Dou Yan to be so generous, and they said repeatedly, "This is far too extravagant."
Dou Ji kissed Qijin on the cheek and said, "What can I do? I am Qijin's auntie!"
Everyone laughed heartily.
Dou Ming was so angry that her fingers turned white where she gripped her chopsticks; she felt Dou Yan was deliberately trying to embarrass her. It did not occur to her that Dou Yan had been raised by Ji-shi, and that Qijin was Ji-shi's eldest legitimate grandson—close and distant ties being what they were, Dou Zhiwei's congratulatory gifts would naturally be more valuable than anyone else's.
Zhao Zhangru tugged at Dou Zhiwei's sleeve and said in a low voice, "Look at Dou Ming."
Dou Yan could not be bothered to look at her, nor did she wish to say much to her; she simply came and went together with Zhao Zhangru.
Song Yan noticed and asked Dou Yan with a smile, "Do you really like Third Cousin that much?"
"I have been able to play with her since I was small," Dou Yan said, and straightened his collar for him, adding softly, "How did you end up in the flower hall?"
Song Yan had been pestered by Wei Fan past all endurance, and made the excuse that he had drunk a little too much. Dou Huaiying promptly had his personal page attend Song Yan to Dou Heng's small study beside the flower hall to rest.
He wished for nothing more than that Dou Yan would forget Wei Fan's very existence from then on—why would he bring Wei Fan up in front of Dou Yan?
He said only that he felt a little dizzy from the wine.
Dou Qu said, "Then go and rest at once!"
Song Dan nodded and went with Dou Huaiying's personal page to the small study.
Dou Ji seized a free moment to go to the kitchen and instructed the women at the stove to make a bowl of sobering soup and send it to the small study.
The women at the stove did not dare delay; they set down the work in their hands and immediately helped make a bowl of sobering soup and sent it over.
Song Yan drank the sobering soup, then leaned on the moon-gate window of the small study, gazing at the flower hall where he could see only blurry silhouettes of people.
It was with great difficulty that he waited for the banquet in the flower hall to break up, and then he sought out Madame Zhao.