Blossom

Dou Zhao, of course, had no idea what Wang Yingxue and her sister-in-law had discussed in the room. She was pulled away by her father, Dou Shiying, to go fishing.

In Zhen Ding during the sixth month, the weather was still quite hot. But as the carriage moved, the breeze slipping through the bamboo curtains made the ride rather pleasant.

This time, her father’s attendant, Gaosheng, acted as the coachman. While driving, he chatted with her father:

"...It’s been two years since I last went fishing with you. The wild kudzu on the mountain was so tender and sweet—I’ve never tasted anything like it since. But this isn’t the season for it now, so we probably won’t get to enjoy it this time."

"Still, there’s a slope covered with wild mugwort," her father said with a smile. "We can pick some to make mugwort tea or cook mugwort porridge. It’s good for clearing heat and reducing inflammation—not bad at all!"

Dou Zhao looked around the carriage, which held only the three of them, and asked curiously, "Father, why didn’t you bring any pages or maids? They could have helped with things later."

Gaosheng chuckled but kept his focus on driving.

Her father merely patted her head without answering.

It was as if she had said something wrong.

Dou Zhao felt a little puzzled. Then, as she glanced outside, the scenery along the road looked strangely familiar.

She leaned against the carriage window to peer out.

Dense fields of sorghum stretched endlessly, dotted with a few small farmhouses. In the distance, rolling green hills rose and fell, and occasionally, the road was flanked by lush poplar trees.

This… wasn’t this the road to her mother’s farmstead?

Dou Zhao turned back to her father in surprise.

Mistaking her reaction for awe at the scenery, her father pointed at the sorghum fields and said cheerfully, "See those yellow tassels? That’s sorghum. Later, I’ll have Gaosheng check if they’re ripe. If they are, we’ll pick a few to roast on the mountain."

Gaosheng chuckled again.

Dou Zhao said nothing.

Soon, the carriage turned onto another path, cutting through the sorghum fields and heading toward a small hill.

For some reason, Dou Zhao let out a quiet sigh of relief.

These sorghum fields belonged to the Lang family. Her grandmother’s farmstead was next to theirs, marked by a boundary stone—a tall bluish rock engraved with a large "Dou" character.

Before long, the carriage stopped. They got out, and Gaosheng tied up the horse before following behind them, carrying the fishing gear on his back and in his hands.

As they rounded an old pine tree, Dou Zhao heard the sound of babbling water.

Her expression turned peculiar.

She knew this place all too well.

This was a small river that ran along the boundary between the Lang and Dou families. The water was clear and shallow, its pebbled bed plainly visible. Every June, tiny silver fish, shaped like shuttles, would gather by the banks to nibble on the grass. She used to roll up her trousers and wade into the river with the children from the farmstead to catch them.

On the opposite bank was a slope where three wild peach trees grew in a triangular formation. In spring, their blossoms bloomed in delicate pink, a breathtaking sight. By summer, the trees bore small green peaches—bitter and astringent, completely inedible. At that time, they would instead scour the nearby hollow for wild vegetables—pearl greens, yellow okra, creeping woodsorrel, southern clover... In spring, they picked tender leaves for cooking, and in summer, they gathered the fruits to sell at Zhen Ding’s herbal shops, earning a few coins to help their families. Their efforts always earned them praise from the adults, who might even reward them with a couple of extra coins to buy snacks.She certainly didn’t need to do these things just for snacks, but wherever she went, she was always followed by two little maids like tails. The maids would either pick wild vegetables or gather wild fruits, which she would then share with her companions. Over time, everyone grew to enjoy playing with her more and more.

How did Father know about this place?

Dou Zhao’s mind was in a tangle. By the time she snapped out of it, she was already standing with her father under the large locust tree by the stream.

Gaosheng set up folding stools under the tree and laid out some chilled tea.

Father sat Dou Zhao down on one of the stools beneath the locust tree.

Gaosheng, meanwhile, chose a spot lush with water plants, took out his fishing rod, baited the hook, and began fishing.

So this was what Father called "golden fishing"?

Dou Zhao was left speechless.

Father, however, sipped his tea leisurely and even reminded her, “Don’t run out into the sun—you might burn your skin.”

Bored, Dou Zhao stared at the green peaches on the opposite bank.

The wind rustled through the branches, making the green peaches sway.

Father chuckled. “Those peaches are bitter and astringent—inedible. When spring comes next year, I’ll have someone buy you Capital honey peaches from Zhen Ding Prefecture.”

He even knew about that!

Dou Zhao’s eyes widened in surprise.

Over by the stream, Gaosheng had already caught a small fish.

He tossed it into a bucket and laughed. “If things keep up like this today, Seventh Master and Fourth Miss will have fish for dinner!”

Father smiled. “Today, we’ll go to Baoshan’s place for a meal!”

Gaosheng let out a puzzled “Oh?” but didn’t press further.

Dou Zhao, however, had no reservations. “Why are we going to the Feng family for dinner?”

Father hesitated for a moment before replying with a smile, “Wang Yiniang’s sisters-in-law have come. Their family is no longer what it used to be, and they have some ties with Fifth Brother. By rights, I should host them properly, but since Wang Yiniang is, after all, a concubine, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to receive them directly. By the time we finish dinner at your Uncle Feng’s place and return, they should have already gone back to Nanwa.”

No wonder they were out fishing in this heat!

Dou Zhao suddenly understood.

Father grinned. “Come, let’s go take a look at the hillside!” With that, he picked her up and carried her to the top of the slope.

From there, Grandmother’s house was clearly visible. Dou Zhao could even see Grandmother standing in the front courtyard, talking to the servants.

Dou Zhao was astonished.

Was it her imagination, or could Grandmother sense their presence? She seemed to be staring right at them.

Dou Zhao turned back.

Father was gazing intently at Grandmother’s house, his expression solemn.

Dou Zhao’s mind buzzed.

So this was how Father had been expressing his longing for Grandmother all along.

She had never known!

Father, what other secrets do you have?

As she pondered, she heard Father murmur to himself, “I didn’t find out until I was nine that Mother wasn’t my birth mother. I just wanted to know—what kind of person was the one who gave birth to me? I didn’t want to hurt Mother’s feelings, but thinking of her living alone in this farmstead all these years… it makes my heart ache…”

She felt a tightness in her chest.

Was this the reason she had been sent to the farmstead in her past life?

That day, Father had told Wang Yingzhuang that he needed a legitimate heir.

Was this why Dou Xiao had come into existence?In her previous life, Father had only two concubines but rarely spent the night with them. She had thought it was because he favored Wang Yingxue, but now it seemed that even though Father was in his prime back then, he and Wang Yingxue had only two children—Dou Ming and Dou Xiao...

She really wanted to ask Father about it.

But none of this had happened in this lifetime.

Her mind was in turmoil.

※※※※※

Gao Shi’s mind was also in turmoil.

She knew Madam Pang was cunning and had no sense of propriety in her words and actions, but she never expected her to say such things. Even more surprising was that her sister-in-law actually seemed tempted by the idea.

Unable to contain her fury, she scolded Madam Pang sharply, "Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you. For you to say such things is too..." She wanted to say "too shameless," but considering they would still have to live under the same roof, she reluctantly changed her words, "Too outrageous!"

Pang Yulou was delighted to see Gao Shi’s expression darken and didn’t hold back her sharp retort, "Eldest Sister-in-law, I’m not like you—well-read in the classics, always preaching lofty principles. All I know is, every man for himself, or heaven and earth will destroy him! Why has our sister-in-law ended up like this? Isn’t it all for the sake of our family? Now that the family’s fortunes have slightly improved, you suddenly find her an embarrassment and turn your back on her? If you can do such a thing, why can’t I? At least I know gratitude. Back when our sister-in-law, a young maiden, had to show her face for the family’s business, who didn’t gossip behind our backs? Where were your lectures on propriety and righteousness then? In the end, wasn’t it because you all relied on her to put food on the table?"

Gao Shi couldn’t help but glance at Wang Yingxue and noticed her giving an almost imperceptible nod.

A chill ran through her, as if she had plunged into an icy abyss.

"Enough!" Gao Shi snapped, cutting Pang Yulou off. "There’s nothing wrong with earning one’s keep through honest labor. Why fear the slander of petty minds? Seventh Master Dou is already betrothed, yet you would selfishly sabotage the Dou-Zhu marriage with such despicable actions—something anyone would scorn! How can you even compare the two?"

Pang Yulou sneered, "What’s selfish? What’s selfless? Is wanting to eat well, dress well, and live well selfish? Is giving everything away selfless? Is our sister-in-law less beautiful than the Zhu family’s fifth daughter? Or of lesser birth? Besides, back then, Dou Shiying deceived her by claiming he wasn’t married—that’s how she fell into his trap. Why shouldn’t she be made his rightful wife? Why shouldn’t she reclaim what’s rightfully hers? Eldest Sister-in-law, don’t forget—you’re from the Wang Family. Our sister-in-law only crossed paths with Dou Shiying because she was seeking medicine for your son!"

Gao Shi’s face turned pale, her chest heaving violently, but she couldn’t utter a word for a long moment.

"Sister-in-law, I support you in this," Pang Yulou said, sitting by the bedside and instantly softening her tone to comfort Wang Yingxue. "Those who’ve neither eaten your food nor drunk your water have every right to criticize you. But those who’ve benefited from you, yet stand there hypocritically pointing fingers—they’re even more vicious than outsiders..."

"Second Sister-in-law!" Wang Yingxue sobbed, leaning against Pang Yulou’s shoulder."Don't cry, don't cry." Pang Yulou took out a handkerchief to wipe Wang Yingxue's tears. "Listen to me, I promise I'll make that Zhu family withdraw from the engagement willingly..."

Gao Shi closed her eyes for a long moment before opening them again, her expression much calmer.

Softly calling "Yingxue," she said, "What happened back then was my fault. I owe you an apology. I've been married into the Wang family for so many years, and though it's said that I manage the household, without you, I couldn't have held this family together. You've always been clever—some things you should understand without me having to say them. To elevate a concubine to wife status requires a consent letter from the Zhao family. With the Dou and Zhao families at such odds, how could the Zhao family possibly write one? And you've seen the Dou family's attitude—if they had any intention of making you the legal wife, they would have broken off the engagement when the Zhu family disagreed on the wedding date. Why wait until now? Besides, the Zhu family isn't some minor household either. The Dou family wouldn't offend them for our sake. Though Father has been reinstated, he's only a minor seventh-rank county magistrate. You should think carefully about what to do next."

Wang Yingxue leaned against Pang Yulou's shoulder and whispered, "Eldest sister-in-law, didn't you always tell me that some things can only be known by trying?"

Gao Shi was left speechless. Finally, she said, "Think it over carefully," and stormed off in a huff.