Chapter 9 — The Maid

From within the Hall of Crane Longevity came her mother's voice, somewhat hoarse and shrill: "...It's too late for anything you say now! If you wanted to take a concubine, why didn't you tell me directly? You had to ask Third Uncle to plead your case with Father—only because you knew full well that doing this wronged me, that it was beneath the conduct of a gentleman, and yet your mind was so base, so besotted with feminine charms, that you wanted to be absolutely certain and used your elders to pressure me! Since that's how it is, let's have the elders of both families come forward and have a proper talk..."

"Seventh Sister-in-law, Seventh Sister-in-law," Third Uncle pleaded, "whether or not to take a concubine is a small matter. Since you don't agree, then let it be. Why must you stir up trouble between the elders of both families, raise a storm that lets the whole city gossip and make a spectacle of us? Wanyuan, apologize to your sister-in-law at once! Let the matter end here. Whatever the fault, it is all mine. I beg you, Sister-in-law, for my sake, to be forgiving, to be forgiving!"

Wanyuan was her father's courtesy name.

Her mother fell quiet, but her father muttered something under his breath, too low to make out.

Dou Qu said, "We—go in!"

At this point Xiangcao and Shuangzhi grew somewhat afraid, while Tuo Niang, with a resolute look on her face, carried Dou Yan into the hall.

The servants of the Hall of Crane Longevity did not dare stop Dou Yan.

"Who goes there?" As they entered the hall, Aunt Ding, standing by the door, shouted sternly, her expression so severe that Dou Yan had never seen its like on her before.

Tuo Niang shrank back, then quickly straightened up and said, her voice trembling yet respectful, "It's the Fourth Young Miss—she asked me to carry her in..."

Hearing the commotion, her mother, sitting in the grandeurs chair with a face like frost, and Third Uncle, pacing and wringing his hands, looked over in astonishment. Her father, kneeling facing the central hall, sprang to his feet and, in a fury of embarrassment, shouted at them, "What's going on?"

Grandfather was not in the hall.

Before Dou Yan could speak, her mother gave a cold laugh and rose to her feet.

"You've done wrong, so why vent your anger on a child?" she said as she came over and took Dou Yan in her arms. Then, gently, she asked, "What's the matter?" Her sharp gaze fixed on Tuo Niang.

Dou Yan spoke before Tuo Niang could: "Mama, Mama, I want, Tuo Niang, I want, Tuo Niang!"

Her mother thought of the maids shut up in the side chamber and frowned.

She did not recognize Tuo Niang.

Arranging for Tuo Niang to stay in the household as a menial maid, just to earn a meal, was a trifling matter to her, not worth remembering.

A little maid came in trembling to announce, "The Third Madam is here!"

Third Uncle perked up at this, eager to send Dou Yan and the others off quickly so they could get to the real business: "She's just a maid. If Shouyuan wants her, then give her the girl." With that, he shot her father a meaningful look.

Her father said at once, "This Tuo Niang, then—give her to Shouyuan."

Third Aunt was cheerful by nature, witty in speech, and warm to all. Though she was not the wife of the clan head, everyone in the Dou household, high and low, adored her; whenever there was a matter to settle, they always liked to ask her to mediate. Her mother had some inkling, too, of why Third Aunt had arrived so suddenly.

She was also eager for her father to abandon the idea of taking a concubine as soon as possible.

In any case, Tuo Niang was a maid of their own household—surely there was no fear of her running off? The maids and serving women about Shouyuan had all been locked up; letting this Tuo Niang look after Shouyuan for the time being, and once this business was over, she could properly look into Tuo Niang's background.

Her mother called Nurse Yu in: "Settle this Tuo Niang in Shouyuan's rooms."

Nurse Yu looked deeply puzzled, glanced at Tuo Niang twice, and assented respectfully.

With so many people about, Nurse Yu among them, even if her mother wished to die, someone would stop her.

Dou Yan was not worried. She tugged at Tuo Niang's sleeve, signaling that they should go back.

Tuo Niang was still lost in a daze, unable to grasp how she had suddenly gone from a menial in the laundry to a young miss's personal maid. Without even thanking anyone, she carried Dou Yan out of the Hall of Crane Longevity, stumbling along with unsteady steps.

Xiangcao and Shuangzhi had already gotten word.

Shuangzhi congratulated Tuo Niang, exchanging pleasantries politely: "...From now on we'll be serving together."

Xiangcao hung her head in vexation, her expression both regretful and dejected.

Dou Yan smiled faintly and, pointing at Xiangcao, said to Nurse Yu, "I want, Xiangcao."

Xiangcao was startled and delighted.

Nurse Yu now shared the Seventh Madam's thinking, and besides, Xiangcao had after all served in the Seventh Madam's rooms, so she knew her thoroughly and had no fear of any mischief from her. She instructed Xiangcao, "Since the Fourth Young Miss likes you, you shall attend on her! Remember to serve diligently and not to make the Fourth Young Miss angry..."

Xiangcao was so overjoyed she could not even close her mouth.

The serving women in the Fourth Young Miss's rooms had been locked up for their offense, and given the Seventh Madam's temper, they would certainly never be employed again. Having caught the Fourth Young Miss's favor, she might well rise to be a first-class maid in the future!

The more she thought about it, the brighter her prospects seemed. The moment Yu the nurse turned away, she hurried to thank Dou Yan: "Fourth Young Miss, I will serve you well, I promise..."

Dou Yan waved a hand at the prattling Xiangcao, then pointed toward the Hall of Crane Longevity: "Listen to me. Tell me."

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The heroine trudges onward with difficulty...

PS: To all my sisters reading this, there will be one update daily during the PK period, with extra chapters once the novel goes to VIP. This way I can build up a bit of a stockpile, so we don't end up with the kind of delayed updates that happened with Blossoms in Brocade, and I can take things a little easier too. Thank you all for understanding.

O(∩_∩)O~

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