Blossom

Mother was very worried about the financial situation of her maiden family, but Dou Zhao nonchalantly nibbled on sugar-roasted chestnuts.

In her previous life, even after Mother's suicide by hanging, her uncle had managed to pass the imperial examinations and become a Presented Scholar. This time, with everything kept from him and him traveling light, how could he possibly fail?

As long as her uncle became a Presented Scholar, all the previous expenses would naturally be recouped!

These chestnuts must have been stored in the cellar through winter—they had lost their moisture and, being sugar-roasted, were dry and tough. But something was better than nothing—she was just a three-year-old child now. What could a three-year-old do? She had plenty of free time.

Dou Zhao nibbled on the chestnuts bit by bit, scattering crumbs all over the floor.

Aunt spoke to Mother about her marriage: "After all, it was just a verbal agreement. I think you should discuss it with your father-in-law and ask him to find a respectable person to formalize the arrangement with the Wei Family."

Dou Zhao paused mid-bite, then slowly resumed chewing after a moment.

Aunt’s concerns were not without reason.

In her previous life, after Mother’s sudden death, Father had married Wang Yingxue within the hundred-day mourning period, while her uncle’s family had hurriedly left for his official post. Father had devoted himself to his studies, and once the mourning period for Mother ended, he immediately took the Provincial Examination, becoming a Recommended Man. The following year, he passed the Spring Examination, earning the title of Presented Scholar and being selected as a Bachelor of the Imperial Academy, serving in the Ministry of Personnel. By then, the Wang Family had already moved to the Capital. Madam Xu, Wang Yingxue’s mother, concerned about her daughter, granddaughter, and grandson, had begged Father to bring them to the Capital for a reunion. With Grandfather’s consent, Father had taken Wang Yingxue, Dou Ming, and Dou Xiao to the Capital… Who had remembered her betrothal to the Wei Family?

It wasn’t until Grandfather and Grandmother passed away one after another, and she was sent to the Capital, that Father suddenly realized she was already a young woman of marriageable age. He recalled the arrangement with the Wei Family and sent someone to discuss it with them. But the Wei Family hemmed and hawed, never giving a clear answer.

Dou Zhao still remembered the fear and unease she had felt back then.

With Father alive, the uncles from the Dong Dou branch wouldn’t take her in. Her uncle was far away in the northwest. Her stepmother had never deprived her of food, clothing, or necessities, but whenever her gaze inadvertently fell on her, there was always a hint of malice—like a wolf ready to devour her in one gulp. Yet when you looked again, she had already regained her usual composure, appearing as dignified and graceful as ever.

As the saying goes: "What is abnormal must be sinister."

She had no idea what Wang Yingxue was plotting.

Every day was filled with dread, fearing that a single moment of carelessness would bring disaster upon her.

To make matters worse, Grandmother had warned her on her deathbed that a woman without the support of her maiden family could never stand firm in her husband’s household, so she must at least maintain a facade of respect toward her stepmother. Though she hated Wang Yingxue for driving Mother to her death—as Tuo Niang had told her—the rumors among the servants about Mother being "jealous" and "childless" made her feel she had no right to hate Wang Yingxue. Moreover, Wang Yingxue’s surface-level kindness was so convincing that even if she spoke out, no one would believe her stepmother harbored ill intentions. She felt wronged, miserable, hesitant, and conflicted—her days were like being fried in a pan, leaving her with the sense that "though the world is vast, there is no place for me."

So when she suddenly learned that Mother had arranged a marriage for her while alive, she had felt an overwhelming joy, as if she had escaped certain doom, and couldn’t wait to be married off.This was also why, when she learned that Dou Ming's marriage had fallen through, that Dou Ming had vowed to marry into a prestigious family in the capital to wash away the shame, and that Wang Yingxue had set her sights on Wei Tingyu, old grudges and new hatred intertwined, becoming the main reason she became irreconcilable with Wang Yingxue from then on.

Back then, if she hadn’t found a way to track down her mother-in-law’s whereabouts and arranged a "chance encounter," whether the Wei family would have acknowledged this marriage was still uncertain.

If she hadn’t stirred up her mother-in-law’s old sentiments, even if the Wei family had been willing to form ties with the Dou family, the one marrying over might have been Dou Ming instead of her!

Dou Zhao’s chewing of the chestnuts slowed again.

In her past life, it had been out of necessity—but did she really want to remain entangled with Wei Tingyu in this life as well?

She recalled how, shortly after marrying into the Wei family, it had been the twelfth month, with the New Year approaching. Eager to please her mother-in-law and silence Wei Tingzhen’s criticisms, she had volunteered to help manage the Wei household’s New Year preparations. Lacking experience and with the maids and servants assigned to her dowry all hastily chosen by Wang Yingxue—none of whom were truly helpful or even close to her—she hadn’t realized she was pregnant. The exhaustion led to a miscarriage.

It had been her first child.

Wang Yingxue sent Dou Ming to visit her.

Dou Ming ran into Wei Tingyu.

That day, the sunlight was bright, but the dark green bed curtains blocked the light. She lay listlessly on the nanmu-framed bed in the inner chamber, her face pale and lifeless, like a cloisonné vase left too long on a shelf, covered in dust—stiff and dull. Meanwhile, Dou Ming, standing beside the curtains, wore a lotus-colored Hangzhou silk jacket embroidered with seasonal blessings. The light in the room caught the pearls and jade flowers in her jet-black hair, casting a soft glow that accentuated her delicate features, making her as radiant as autumn chrysanthemums. Wei Tingyu couldn’t take his eyes off her.

That scene had cut Dou Zhao deeply.

Though Dou Ming was petite and graceful, she was far from gentle. On the contrary, spoiled by Madam Xu of the Wang family, she was not only haughty but also quick-tempered and reckless, wearing her emotions plainly on her face. This was precisely why Wang Yingxue had been so determined to marry her off to her own nephew.

That day, Dou Ming had come with a purpose—she had planned it all.

She simply wanted Wei Tingyu to see what kind of beauty he had missed by not insisting on marrying her.

Wei Tingyu, as expected, didn’t disappoint Dou Ming. Several times afterward, he praised Dou Ming’s gentleness and charm in front of her.

Back then, her heart would still race at the sight of Wei Tingyu—perhaps that was why she found it so unbearable?

Dou Zhao crunched noisily on the chestnuts, startling Zhao Zhangru, who exclaimed, "Spit it out! That one’s bad!"

Both her mother and aunt were alarmed.

"This child, why so greedy!" her mother fretted, quickly snatching the chestnut from Dou Zhao’s hand and offering her own tea for her to rinse her mouth. "As if she’s never eaten chestnuts before."

"Children don’t know any better," her aunt apologized. "It’s all Biru’s fault for not taking better care of Shou Gu." She then scolded her daughters a few more times.

Naturally, her mother intervened.

After much polite back-and-forth between the sisters-in-law, her mother no longer dared to let Dou Zhao play with Zhao Biru and the others. Instead, she brought both Dou Zhao and Zhao Zhangru onto the kang to play, personally peeling chestnuts for them as she resumed the earlier conversation: "Wei Tingyu is the heir to a marquis’ household. I’m worried Sister Tian might be put in a difficult position, so I plan to send someone to the capital first to make inquiries before discussing the matter with Father-in-law.""That's fine! It's more secure this way." Aunt nodded, and gradually their conversation shifted to her uncle—whether he had arrived safely in the Capital, if he was resting well, and whether he would pass the examinations with honors. They talked until late afternoon when the house guard accompanying the carriage urged, "It's getting late. If we don’t set off now, we won’t make it back in time." Only then did Mother reluctantly bid Aunt farewell.

Perhaps due to deep dissatisfaction with Father’s failure in the exams, Father spent the entire spring farming season practicing the Eight-legged Essay under Grandfather’s guidance. Neither Mother nor Wang Yingxue dared disturb him, and the planned visit to Grandmother was quietly forgotten.

As a concubine, Wang Yingxue had no visiting relatives, no friends calling, and no sisters-in-law to socialize with, making life in the rear courtyard quite lonely. After paying her respects to Mother, she often found excuses to linger in Mother’s room a little longer.

Mother remained indifferent toward her, often dismissing her with just a few words.

Dou Zhao sensed that Mother still harbored some resentment toward Wang Yingxue.

If it were her, she would keep the concubine around to tell jokes and amuse her—otherwise, wouldn’t it be a waste to keep someone idle?

But some things had to be taken slowly.

For now, Dou Zhao’s thoughts were entirely consumed by her marriage to Wei Tingyu.

Just as her presence had saved Mother’s life, turning Wang Yingxue—originally destined to be the second wife—into a concubine, would her engagement to Wei Tingyu also change as a result? If she didn’t marry Wei Tingyu, who would she marry instead?

Dou Zhao missed her three children dearly.

As the spring breeze rustled through the lush greenery, good news arrived from the Capital.

Her uncle, Zhao Si, had ranked fifth in the second tier of the Metropolitan Examination and was granted the title of Presented Scholar.

Both Grandfather and Father were delighted, but Mother was overjoyed. When the Dou family sent congratulatory gifts to the Zhao family, she took Dou Zhao back to her maiden home once more.

This visit was different from the last. The Zhao household was adorned with red decorations, as if celebrating a festival, and everyone’s faces glowed with happiness.

Zhao Zhangru pulled Dou Zhao into her room and retrieved a rose-flavored pastry wrapped in oiled paper from behind the bed plank. "This is from the Chen family, Recommended Men in town. It’s for you—so sweet! Peng Momo said I can have as many as I want now. If you ever crave some, just come to our house."

Dou Zhao stared at the half-crumbled pastry in her hand, warmth flooding her chest. Her nose tingled, and tears welled up.

In her past life, she hadn’t even known Zhao Zhangru’s name.

If for nothing else, she resolved to cherish her relationship with her uncle’s family—just for this pastry.

Mother had a little wine that evening, so they stayed overnight at her uncle’s house and didn’t set off for home until early the next morning.

"Now everything’s settled," Mother murmured with a smile all the way home. "Our Shou Gu has an uncle who’s a Presented Scholar too."

Her expression was serene, radiating contentment.

Dou Zhao was happy for her. She asked, "When will Uncle return?"

"He still has to take the Imperial Academy examination," Mother replied cheerfully. "At the earliest, it won’t be before May."

"Will we visit Uncle’s family again then?"

"Of course!"

"I like Cousin."

Mother, overjoyed, cupped her face and kissed her, whispering, "The bond between aunt and uncle is unbreakable—even if bones are broken, the ties remain. You and your cousins are the closest, understand?"

Dou Zhao nodded. "Closer than Third Elder Sister."

Mother nodded repeatedly, praising her cleverness, and even carried her through the second gate when they arrived home.

In the courtyard, the lilacs, magnolias, peonies, passionflowers, and orchids were all in full bloom—a riot of colors, vibrant and dazzling. Walking among them, bees and butterflies flitted about, and a delicate fragrance lingered in the air.Mother paused in her steps and took a deep breath. "This year's flowers are blooming more brilliantly than ever before."

"Indeed!" Yu Momo replied with a restrained smile.

Yet Mother's expression turned cold.

Dou Zhao instinctively followed her mother's gaze.

In the pavilion by the lotus pond sat a man and a woman.

The woman wore a pale yellow spring dress, her radiant smile as bright as flowers. She lazily reclined against the pavilion's leaning rail, her delicate beauty exuding a captivating charm.

The man, handsome and refined, sat cheerfully at the stone table in the center of the pavilion, which was covered with a thin mat. He was painting the beauty before him, his brows filled with unmistakable joy... and contentment.

Dou Zhao's heart tightened.

Mother, her face stern, walked straight ahead without a sideways glance.

Yu Momo hurriedly followed.

Behind them, a burst of silvery laughter rang out.