Blossom

As soon as Third Aunt left, Mother glared at Father with eyes as cold as blades, while Father glared back unyieldingly, his expression as agitated as a cornered beast.

The atmosphere in the room instantly became tense and hostile.

Dou Zhao’s small figure shrank behind the curtains, listening to her parents’ mutual accusations.

“Zhao Guqiu, what exactly do you want? Do you think I haven’t been humiliated enough?”

“What do I want? I should be asking you that! Taking the daughter of a disgraced official as your concubine—where did all your Confucian teachings go? Do you want to ruin the Dou family’s century-old reputation and the legacy of generations with your own hands? If you don’t care about shame, I still do!”

Father’s face flushed red with anger. “We grew up together—don’t you know what kind of person I am? Instead of helping me now, you’re dragging me down, even inviting Second Aunt to mock me. Is this how a wife should behave? If my reputation is ruined, do you think yours will fare any better? Don’t forget, husband and wife are one! And you call yourself a virtuous wife! Thank goodness my mother-in-law passed early—if she saw you like this, she’d be heartbroken!”

“Dou Shiying, if you want to criticize me, then do so, but why bring my mother into this?” Mother burst into tears. “You remember we grew up together, but do you remember how my mother treated you? Do you remember what you promised me before we married? Shameless! Expecting me to cover for you? Not a chance!”

Father suddenly wilted like a frostbitten eggplant, a flicker of discomfort crossing his face. “I—I didn’t mean to bring her up. Must you be so relentless? I wouldn’t be like this if you hadn’t pushed me!” As he spoke, memories of the past reignited his anger. “Feng Baoshan just took me out for a drink, and you scowled at him like he was filth. When he visited, you wouldn’t even serve him decent tea, making me the laughingstock of my peers…” His fury grew with every word. “You only blame me—why don’t you look at yourself? If you had a better temper, would I have needed to discuss this with Third Brother?”

Mother trembled with rage, wiping her tears haphazardly. “You’re the one who did wrong, yet you dare criticize me! What kind of good-for-nothing is Feng Baoshan? Aside from drinking, gambling, and whoring, what else does he know? If it weren’t for Eldest Uncle’s influence, the examiner would’ve stripped him of his scholarly rank long ago. And you—spending every day with him—you’re no better!”

Father was left speechless, muttering after a long pause, “Well… you still shouldn’t have done this!”

“What did you expect me to do?” Mother demanded sharply. “Throw open the gates and welcome Wang Yingxue in? Even if I had the magnanimity, does she have the fortune to deserve it?” She sneered. “Dou Shiying, mark my words—you can take any woman in the world as your concubine, but Wang Yingxue will only enter this house over my dead body!”

“You—I—” Father pointed at Mother, his arm shaking, but no coherent words came out.

Mother scoffed disdainfully, standing even straighter.

So this was how married couples argued?

Was this the same Father who always acted so dignified?

He was acting like a child!

Dou Zhao stared in astonishment.

She had never quarreled with Wei Tingyu.

At first, she didn’t dare. Later, she couldn’t be bothered.Father lowered his head and said softly, "Gu Qiu, let's stop fighting, alright?" His tone was sorrowful. "This is entirely my fault. Yingxue has also suffered because of me. Otherwise, why would a decent girl from a respectable family have to endure such humiliation? Besides, Yingxue and I have already agreed—she will live at the farmstead from now on." He raised his head, his eyes filled with hope. "Let’s go back to how things were before, alright? I’ll listen to you from now on, and I’ll never go out with Baoshan again..."

Yes!

Dou Zhao nearly jumped out from behind the curtains to answer for her mother.

In a marital quarrel, nothing speaks more to a wife’s place in her husband’s heart than his willingness to yield first.

Since Wang Yingxue was already pregnant, given Father’s character, he was undoubtedly determined to take her in as a concubine. Why not seize this opportunity to give him a way out? Not only would it demonstrate her mother’s generosity and virtue in front of the Dou family elders, but it would also win Father’s favor. And if any disagreements arose between them in the future, this incident could be used to hold Father accountable.

This was a chance to kill three birds with one stone!

Moreover, a broken mirror mended—whether the cracks remained or not—would still appear whole to outsiders.

Wang Yingxue would surely feel her heart twist in agony at the sight.

Then, they could make Wang Yingxue sign a contract of servitude and banish her to the farmstead.

Whether Father’s words now were sincere or not, he couldn’t possibly go back on his own promise, could he?

As long as Father didn’t retract his words, Wang Yingxue would have to endure life at the farmstead. It would be the perfect way to show everyone exactly what kind of person Wang Yingxue was in the Dou family!

Even if Father tried to renege, it wouldn’t matter.

They could simply take Wang Yingxue around to visit every household.

Wasn’t Wang Yingxue the descendant of a renowned scholar? Let her wallow in disgrace as someone else’s concubine—see how the Wang family would face society then!

Could there be anything more satisfying?

Even if Wang Yingxue somehow managed to sway Father in the future, with her contract of servitude in Mother’s hands, the clear distinction between wife and concubine, and the support of the Dou family elders, how could she possibly turn the tables?

Dou Zhao almost laughed aloud.

But then, her mother’s shrill, furious voice rang in her ears: "Yingxue, Yingxue—how affectionate! Since you’ve already settled everything behind my back, why bother coming to me now? ‘A decent girl from a respectable family’—Dou Shiying, how dare you say such a thing! Would a decent girl from a respectable family seek out a man to become his concubine? Would a decent girl shamelessly seduce another woman’s husband? If she’s a decent girl, then there must be no indecent or unclean people left in this world! If she feels humiliated, then she should find a place where she won’t be humiliated..."

Dou Zhao listened, so frantic she wished she had three heads and six arms to cover her mother’s mouth.

Arguing, like speaking, required focus!

What was the point of going in circles like this?

The priority was to secure Father’s promise.

But before she could act, Father erupted in rage, shouting, "What more do you want from me? Nothing satisfies you! You’re just relying on the elders to back you up, aren’t you? Don’t think I won’t dare to do anything to you! The only reason I’m holding back is out of respect for the bond we’ve shared since childhood...""If you still cherished the bond we shared growing up, you wouldn't have done such a despicable thing!" Mother stood her ground, her expression full of disdain. "I'm relying on the elders in the family to back me up—what can you do about it? If you're so capable, why don't you just bypass me and marry Wang Yingxue outright!"

"You—you—" Father was furious and humiliated. "I—I—I'll divorce you!"

Mother froze.

"What did you say?" Her face turned deathly pale. "You want to divorce me!" She stared at Father in disbelief. "For Wang Yingxue, you'd actually divorce me..."

Once the words were out, Father also froze. He turned his face away as if unable to meet her gaze and muttered, "I tried to reason with you properly, but you wouldn't budge..."

"Dou Shiying!" Mother's eyes reddened with rage as she shouted his name. "Get out! Get as far away from me as you can! I'll be waiting for your letter of divorce! Let's see how you plan to bring that little tramp Wang Yingxue into this house!"

Father, thoroughly flustered, protested weakly, "Gu Qiu, that's not what I meant! Listen to me—"

"Get out! Out! Out!" Mother shoved him toward the door. "I'll be waiting for your letter of divorce, I'll be waiting..." she murmured, then slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

"Gu Qiu! Gu Qiu!" Father knocked on the door from outside. "I didn't mean it—I just said it without thinking! It was careless—"

Mother leaned against the door, tears streaming down her face, her voice barely a whisper. "Careless... Sometimes careless words are the truest..."

Dou Zhao's head throbbed with pain as she slipped off the kang and tugged at her mother's sleeve. "Mama! Mama!"

Mother crouched down, gripping her daughter's arms, and asked between sobs, "Didn't you say you wanted to visit your uncle's house? Let's go to your uncle's place, alright?"

"No!" Dou Zhao shook her head, her large eyes bright as morning stars. "This is my home. I want to stay here. We can go to Uncle's house during New Year's!"

Mother was stunned, but her tears only fell faster.

※※※※※

That evening, Yu Momo tried to console Mother. "...If you keep quarreling with the Seventh Master like this, won't it only bring pain to those who care for you and joy to those who wish you harm?"Mother sat before the dressing table, staring blankly at the woman in the mirror who resembled a delicate flower reflected in still water. She answered irrelevantly, "...When I was little, every time I came to the Dou family, my mother would tell me not to be naughty and not to upset Aunt Dou or the sisters... Once, Peici took me to pick magnolia flowers. I was terrified and didn't dare climb the tree, but remembering my mother's words, I tremblingly climbed up anyway... Peici nimbly jumped down, but I crouched on the branch, too scared to descend... As noon approached and it was almost time for lunch, Peici grew anxious and ran to the outer courtyard to fetch pages for help... Alone on the tree, the furry leaves and plump insects crawling around made me want to cry, but I held back, afraid of attracting attention and getting Peici punished... I thought about just jumping down—better dead or crippled than endure those insects... Closing my eyes, I heard someone below call out, 'Hey, why are you crouching up there?' The voice was like a clear, melodious stream. Opening my eyes, I saw a young man standing beneath the tree, looking up at me. His hair was like fine satin, glossy and black; his face, as smooth as jade; his eyes, gentle and bright... I was spellbound. Then he laughed, more beautiful than any flower in the garden... I told him I was stuck in the tree. He asked me to wait and quickly fetched a ladder, carefully helping me down... After that, every time I visited the Dou residence, he would wait for me under that magnolia tree... He gave me sweet pea cakes, tart plums, dark olives... Once, it was a pearl hairpin... I kept it in my scented sachet, never letting it leave my side..." She turned to Yu Momo, her eyes swollen from crying, "Momo, where has that person who waited for me under the magnolia tree gone? Why can't I find him anymore?"

"Miss!" Yu Momo covered her mouth and wept.

Dou Zhao's vision blurred, and she could no longer see clearly.