Blossom

Tiny ants marched in neat rows, methodically hauling food back to their nest.

Zhao Zhangru waved excitedly at Dou Zhao, urging, "Hurry, hurry!" as she crouched to crumble the white steamed bun in her hand and scatter the pieces on the ground.

The ants immediately swarmed over the crumbs, working together to carry them toward the old locust tree.

Dou Zhao walked over slowly and squatted beside Zhao Zhangru, gazing at her innocent little face as her thoughts momentarily drifted.

She thought of her daughter, Yin Jie'er.

After her first miscarriage, both her mother-in-law and Wei Tingyu had been critical of her. Wei Tingzhen had been particularly blunt, saying, "Your Dou family has been an official household for generations—how could you not know the proper customs?" She even insisted on sending a knowledgeable matron from the Jingguo Duke's household to attend to Dou Zhao during her confinement period after the miscarriage.

Wouldn’t that just humiliate her in front of the entire Jingguo Duke's household?

Yet Dou Zhao had no choice but to swallow her pride, forcing a smile as she told Wei Tingzhen it had been her own carelessness. Her eyes darted to Wei Tingyu, hoping he would step in and stop his sister. But that heartless man had simply nodded in agreement, saying, "Sister is only doing this for your own good!"

At the time, she had been so furious she couldn’t speak.

Still, it had been early in their marriage, and she knew she was at fault. After two days of anger, she let it go.

To make up for her mother-in-law’s disappointment, she soon became pregnant again, giving birth to her eldest son, Wei Ge'er, the following January. Thirteen months later, she bore her second son, Rui Ge'er. But when Rui Ge'er was just three months old, she suffered another miscarriage... From then on, her health deteriorated, and she became so fearful of Wei Tingyu that she eventually allowed Hu-shi to be elevated to concubine.

Later, after she had firmly established herself in the Wei household, both her sons remained distant, as if separated from her by an invisible veil. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t bridge the gap. The loneliness became unbearable, and in desperation, she took the risk of giving birth to Yin Jie'er.

Perhaps having learned from her mistakes with her sons, she personally nursed and raised Yin Jie'er, which made the child exceptionally close to her. If Yin Jie'er didn’t see her for even a moment, she would call out loudly for "Mother," melting Dou Zhao’s heart. Whenever she came across something delicious, fun, or beautiful, she would immediately think of getting it for Yin Jie'er.

Without her protection now, how was her daughter faring?

The thought flashed through her mind, and her eyes stung with tears.

Then Dou Zhao froze.

She had returned to the past—there was no Wei Ge'er, Rui Ge'er, or Yin Jie'er here!

Her heart suddenly felt hollow, as if a piece had been carved out.

She lifted her head and peered through the half-open window lattice, where her uncle and Third Uncle were engaged in a heated argument.

The Dou family was powerful—what good would it do even if her uncle won the argument?

Back then, when Song Mo had killed his father and younger brother, the entire court had impeached him. But with the Emperor’s protection, he had emerged unscathed!

Song Mo had an uncle and two cousins who, by law, could have inherited the title of Duke of Yingguo. Yet with a single memorial, Song Mo had persuaded the Emperor to strip the title from them. His uncle and cousins had been furious, even vowing to kill him—but when they actually faced Song Mo, they didn’t dare utter a word.

Perhaps it was for the best that her uncle sought an official post in the northwest.

The south was prosperous, but competition was fierce, and only those with powerful connections could secure positions there. The political landscape was treacherous, and one misstep could lead to disaster. Though the northwest was barren, its people were simple and honest, making it a less complicated place to serve. It might not be a bad thing after all.

With these thoughts, Dou Zhao sighed softly.

※※※※※Two days later, Uncle and Aunt returned to Anxiang with their three daughters. Apart from coming to offer incense to Mother every seventh day, they had no further contact with the Dou family. After the fifth seventh-day memorial service was performed, Mother’s coffin was sent to the ancestral graveyard for burial.

Her memorial tablet would be enshrined in the Western Dou’s small Buddhist hall for three years before being moved to the ancestral hall in the Dou family’s northern building.

Outwardly, everything was calm, and no slander about Mother was heard. Instead, it was Uncle’s actions—selling land to raise silver for seeking an official post in the Capital—that even Dou Zhao heard about.

She couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

Living close by had this disadvantage—any minor disturbance would become known.

No wonder Uncle had failed in her previous life!

The Dou family sent over two thousand taels of silver, but Uncle returned every penny untouched.

Third Uncle expressed concern: “Ruifu has come to resent our family. A friendship spanning generations has ended just like that.” His tone was filled with regret.

Grandfather, however, was indifferent: “The general trend of the world is that long periods of unity will be followed by division, and long periods of division will be followed by unity. There’s no need to sigh over it.”

Still, Third Uncle wanted to make amends. He sent someone to buy the hundred acres of mountain forest from Aunt’s dowry at a price two taels higher than the market rate, but Aunt refused.

Dou Zhao privately remarked to Tuo Niang, “Uncle and Aunt are too honest. If it were me, I’d sell the land and still hold a grudge.”

Tuo Niang, sewing socks for Dou Zhao under the lamplight, widened her eyes. “Wouldn’t that make you a scoundrel?”

Dou Zhao was taken aback, then laughed. “It seems I’m a Dou at heart after all!”

Tuo Niang didn’t understand.

Dou Zhao didn’t explain further and instead asked, “What has Wang Yiniang been up to these days?”

Through Tuo Niang, she was making good use of the people Mother had left behind.

“Same as before,” Tuo Niang replied. “She stays shut in her room every day, retiring early. Everything she eats or drinks is tasted first by her maid, Qiongfang.”

Dou Zhao gave an “Oh.”

Xuan Cao rushed in. “Suxin-jie, Suxin-jie, something’s happened at Qi Xia Courtyard!”

Dou Zhao was still a child, so the maids never avoided speaking in front of her.

Tuo Niang, uninterested, replied perfunctorily, “What happened?”

“Someone placed a piece of musk in the flower vase in Wang Yiniang’s inner chamber. If Hu Momo hadn’t discovered it early, something terrible could have happened.”

Tuo Niang glanced at Dou Zhao.

Dou Zhao listened with wide-eyed interest.

Tuo Niang had no choice but to ask, “What terrible thing could happen? I’ve heard musk is the finest incense.”

“Hu Momo said musk can cause miscarriages,” Xuan Cao whispered. “Wang Yiniang didn’t want anyone to talk about it, but Hu Momo was so loud we all heard.”

“Oh.” Tuo Niang, already sparing with words, said nothing more.

Xuan Cao leaned against the heated kang, eager to continue. “Suxin-jie, do you think someone really wants to harm Wang Yiniang? A while ago, Hu Momo also claimed someone was poisoning Wang Yiniang’s food, but after Da Taitai and Third Madam personally investigated, it turned out to be just scutellaria powder. Now there’s musk… Who would want to harm Wang Yiniang? And why?”

“How should I know?” Tuo Niang said disinterestedly.

Xuan Cao, disappointed, chatted a bit more before running off to gossip with Qiukui and the others.

Tuo Niang looked at Dou Zhao.

Dou Zhao said, “There’s too much trouble around Wang Yiniang. You should tell Dingxiang’s mother that since Dingxiang is getting older and already betrothed, it’s better to take her home sooner.”Tuo Niang responded, her gaze at Dou Zhao betraying a hint of suspicion.

"Ah!" Dou Zhao sighed inwardly.

Being young had its advantages and disadvantages.

Fortunately, the person by her side was Tuo Niang. If it had been anyone else, they might have already fled in terror!

Still, Wang Yingxue was remarkably composed—even under such circumstances, she managed to hold on.

Should she scare her a little more?

As Dou Zhao pondered this, the next morning brought news that Wang Yingxue had given birth to a daughter.

Gazing at the vibrant pomegranate blossoms outside the window, Dou Zhao nodded in satisfaction and asked Tuo Niang, "What's the date today?"

"The twelfth of May."

In her past life, Dou Ming's birthday had been the third day of the seventh month.

It seemed that in this life, Dou Ming would celebrate her birthday on the twelfth of May.

In her past life, Dou Ming had been born prematurely.

How would Wang Yingxue explain Dou Ming's birth this time?

Dou Zhao was looking forward to it.

She instructed Tuo Niang, "Help me change into something nice—I want to go see my sister."

Tuo Niang called Yu Zan in to dress Dou Zhao in a moon-white summer gown of silver-striped gauze, then accompanied her to Wang Yingxue's quarters.

Third Aunt and Ding Yinyinai had already arrived, along with a crowd of attendants, filling the room to the brim.

Dou Shiying was holding the newborn when he spotted Dou Zhao. His usually somber expression softened into a rare smile. "Shou Gu, this is your sister!" He crouched down to let her see the baby in his arms.

Wrinkled and monkey-like—what was there to admire?

Dou Zhao silently scoffed, but she leaned in with a bright smile. "She's so tiny!"

As she spoke, she glanced at Wang Yingxue.

Wang Yingxue reclined weakly against the large bolster, her face pale from childbirth, yet exuding a fragile beauty.

When Dou Zhao's gaze met hers, she instinctively clutched the corner of the quilt.

Ever since their conversation that day, Wang Yingxue had been avoiding Dou Zhao.

With a faint smile, Dou Zhao turned to her father. "Can I hold my sister?"

"Of course!" Dou Shiying patted his eldest daughter's head affectionately.

"No!" Wang Yingxue interjected anxiously, sitting up abruptly.

All eyes turned to her.

"I mean, Shou Gu is still too young," Wang Yingxue hurriedly explained. "She might not hold her steady—"

"Then can I come see my sister every day?" Dou Zhao cut her off, tilting her head and blinking innocently at Wang Yingxue.

"Shou Gu, don’t you want to play jump rope with Xuancao and the others?" Wang Yingxue forced a smile. "If you come to see your sister, you won’t have time to play!"

"My sister is much more fun than jump rope!" Dou Zhao replied without hesitation, then looked up at her father. "Daddy, can I come see her?"

"Yes! Of course! You can visit your sister whenever you like!" Dou Shiying, moved by his daughter's apparent sweetness and kindness, handed the baby to the wet nurse and picked up Dou Zhao. "You're a big sister now. You must take good care of her, understand?"

"Understood!" Dou Zhao declared loudly, her eyes crinkling into a radiant smile.

Dou Shiying couldn’t help but praise her. "Shou Gu is such a good girl!"

Dou Zhao beamed at Wang Yingxue.

Wang Yingxue stared at Dou Zhao’s seemingly innocent smile, her heart sinking deeper.

That day, the look in Dou Zhao’s eyes and her demeanor had been anything but that of a three-year-old. And now, just as predicted, she had given birth to a daughter.

It was all too horrifying, too unnatural.Dou Zhao seemed like... some kind of monster wearing a child's skin... peel away that layer, and there was something devouring beneath... yet no one else noticed at all.

Wang Yingxue's fingertips turned cold as she watched Dou Zhao wriggle out of Dou Shiying's arms and dart over to the wet nurse, grabbing a handful of her younger sister's fine baby hair. While tugging, she chirped, "Father, look! Sister doesn't have as much hair as me!"

Caught off guard, the wet nurse grew frantic and pleaded softly with Dou Zhao, "Fourth Miss, please let go!"

Ignoring her, Dou Zhao beamed at her father.

Dou Shiying walked over, carefully examining his younger daughter before turning back to Dou Zhao. With earnestness, he remarked, "Hmm, indeed not as much as yours!"

Dou Zhao grinned happily.

The wet nurse could only turn to Wang Yingxue for help.

Wang Yingxue had long been frozen in fright, forcing a smile after a long pause. Gently, she coaxed Dou Zhao, "Little sister is still small; you mustn't pull her hair."

Dou Zhao sneered inwardly.

Of course she knew you shouldn't pull a child's hair.

At this stage, Dou Ming wasn't even a challenge—winning against her wouldn't prove anything. She had no intention of harming Dou Ming.

She was merely putting on a show to intimidate Wang Yingxue.

Back then, Wang Yingxue had made her suffer in silence. Now, it was her turn to let Wang Yingxue taste that bitterness.

※

It's the weekend again—wishing everyone a happy weekend!

O(∩_∩)O~

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