Chapter 45 — Agreement

Granny Liu was the Second Madam's own old serving woman, the one who attended her personally—even Dou Bingheng had to give her some face. On any ordinary day she would have asked a few concerned questions and let the matter drop; she would never have taken it upon herself. But thinking of all that had happened in the flower hall a moment before, and knowing as she did the Fifth Master of the Dou family, she reflected that whatever Dou the Fifth set his mind to do, he did. In her estimation the Fourth Miss of the West Residence had shot up abruptly in importance—to a height no one could afford to ignore.

She could not help smiling. "I am under the Dowager's orders and was just about to ask Steward Dou to make a trip to the West Residence. Why not have Steward Dou escort you over, and you can leave a message for the Sixth Madam? Flesh and blood are flesh and blood—who would not long for them? No wonder the Fourth Miss raised such a fuss insisting on going back."

With Granny Liu's words to hearten her, Caishu grew bolder. She gave a few instructions to the little maids at her side, and together with Tuoniang she accompanied Dou Yan back to the West Residence.

Gaosheng was directing the young servants as they moved Dou Huaiying's trunks and boxes.

Seeing Dou Yan return, he hurried forward to salute her.

Dou Yan asked him, "Where is my father?"

Gaoxing answered with a smile, "The Seventh Master has gone to Qixia Court."

Dou Yan turned to go, then thought better of it: she told Haitang to stay with Caishu, and took Tuoniang with her to Qixia Court.

From a distance she saw Madame Pang standing in the courtyard, imperious and cock-a-hoop, ordering the maids and old serving women about as they brought tea and water.

Dou Yan went around by another path to Dou Huaiying's study.

The side gate of Qixia Court's rear courtyard faced diagonally across to Dou Huaiying's study.

The side gate stood ajar, with no one guarding it.

She passed through without hindrance into Qixia Court.

In the rear courtyard of Qixia Court grew several magnolias; when they bloomed they shone like rosy brocade, and so the courtyard had been named Qixia—"Resting on the Rosy Clouds."

In the warm chamber behind the inner room, Dou Yan listened to her father and Wang Shuying talking.

"...I am only an ordinary, common man, selfishly wanting to live a little more happily, wanting to forget everything that came before." It was her father speaking. "But whenever I look at you, I think of how Guqiu died, and it is like a knife twisting in my heart... Yingxue, let us both begin anew!"

Wang Shuying was struck dumb. "You—what do you mean?"

"Yingxue, do you still not understand?" Dou Huaiying gazed at Wang Shuying with a complicated expression and murmured, "If we are together, apart from a name, a proper place, there is nothing else I can give you..."

In the warm chamber Dou Yan ground her teeth in fury.

What did he mean, begin anew?

What did he mean, apart from a name, a proper place, there was nothing else he could give her?

A woman—if you are willing to give her a proper name and place, what could possibly matter more than that!

She could bear to listen no longer. Furious, she came out of the warm chamber and went straight to the courtyard of Qixia Court.

Madame Pang was lying flat against the window lattice like a gecko, eavesdropping, while her maid kept watch at her side.

The serving women of the Dou household stood far off beneath the side corridor, their expressions tinged with contempt.

Dou Yan stood quietly where she was, looking at Madame Pang with something between a smile and a smirk.

Madame Pang's maid suddenly caught sight of Dou Yan.

Her face flushed scarlet, and she kept plucking at the corner of Madame Pang's jacket. "Second Madam, Second Madam..."

"Be quiet!" Madame Pang said impatiently. "If you keep talking, I shall not be able to hear a thing!"

"No—" Under Dou Zhiwei's gaze the maid was nearly weeping. "It is the Fourth Miss—the Fourth Miss of the Dou family has come..."

"Who?" Madame Pang turned her head, and in one glance saw Dou Yan not far off.

"Oh, so it is the Fourth Miss!" Unruffled, she patted down her jacket, tidied the hair at her temples, and smiled. "Fourth Miss, whatever brings you here? Who came with you?"

In this life and the last, Dou Yan had always marvelled at the way she carried on talking to herself.

But the people inside had heard the commotion and came rushing out.

"Shouyuan?" Dou Huaiying stared at his daughter, tongue-tied. "What are you doing here? Weren't you at your Sixth Aunt's? Who brought you over?" As he spoke he looked all about; catching sight of Tuoniang, his face darkened and he was about to scold her, when Dou Yan said, "Caishu brought me." And with that she turned and walked out. "I am to ride back later in Steward Dou's carriage!"

This place—she did not want to stay in it another quarter of an hour.

"Slow down!" Dou Huaiying chased after his daughter. "I shall go with you to pay my respects to your grandfather..."

Wang Shuying, who had followed them out, stood on the steps and watched the figures of the Dou father and daughter grow ever more distant, slowly vanishing from her sight.