Chapter 64 — Piercing the Veil

In that instant, Wu Shan's intentions could no longer be concealed, and Dou Chi was compelled to face them squarely.

Since her rebirth, she had occasionally thought about her own future.

Should she begin anew? Or continue on to marry Wei Fan?

To marry Wei Fan and live through everything all over again—there would be no surprises, but neither would there be anything to worry about.

To start fresh—no matter how dazzling a match might appear, it would come with its own share of disappointments and frictions. Marrying someone else would not necessarily turn out better than being with Wei Fan.

The more she thought, the more tangled it all became.

Then one day, half of the Western Dou family's property was transferred into her name, and her uncle came to an agreement with the Dou family that after she turned thirty, she could dispose of that half of the estate however she wished.

Something suddenly stirred in her heart.

In her previous life, if she did not marry, she had no way out. In this life, she had her uncle to rely on, silver to sustain her, and the conflicts within the Dou family to turn to her advantage—so why must she marry?

Would it not be better to live her own modest life, free and unburdened, and occasionally mend the regrets left over from her previous life?

In that flash, she seemed to glimpse a whole new world. Her spirits soared, and her future seemed suddenly clear and visible before her.

She was grateful for Wu Shan's goodwill, but she would not accept it.

Now, however, was not the time to refuse.

First, Wu Shan had never spoken his intentions plainly, so she had no grounds to refuse; second, the Wu family's rules were strict, and Wu Shan's elders might not be willing to let him marry a woman like her. Whether Wu Shan would give up or persist remained uncertain. If she jumped out to refuse so early, she might seem presumptuous, and people would find it laughable.

Since Wu Shan had brought up that revolving lantern Pang Jixiu had given her, she might as well seize the chance to have Wu Shan convey a message to Pang Jixiu, so that the man would stop buzzing around her like a mosquito at every opportunity, insufferably annoying.

"Who says I like revolving lanterns?" Dou Xin said.

"But I heard them say," Wu Shan replied, looking into Dou Yan's eyes—clear and exceptionally bright in their candor—and began to feel uncertain, "that you were given a revolving lantern, and when Shu-jie asked for it, you would not part with it..."

Dou Xin rose. "Speaking of which, all of this is your fault."

Wu Shan was taken aback.

Dou Yan said, "Because of that swimming incident last time, Pang Jixiu keeps sending gifts every few days to thank me. This revolving lantern was his gift. Our two families may be connected by marriage, but those who follow different paths cannot work together. How could I accept his things? I wanted to return them, but there was nowhere to send them back to. So I had no choice but to put away everything he sent, and one day find a chance to return it all to him—for if I gave his gifts away to someone else, what would I have left to return to him then?"

Hearing this, Wu Shan could not help but grin broadly. "Fourth Sister speaks sense." Then he said eagerly, "Why not let me return them to Pang Jixiu for you?"

"How could I trouble you!" Dou Yan hinted to him, "I would rather ask Boyan to return them to Pang Jixiu for me!"

She did not want Wu Shan to mistake her refusal of Pang Jixiu as being connected to him, nor did she want Wu Shan to botch the matter and drag her reputation down with it—and if it stirred up any scandal, it would be even more troublesome. Boyan, at least, had a fine reputation; he had already reached the age of capping this year, and she also had the impression of his capability from her previous life. He would handle things more reliably than thirteen-year-old Wu Shan.

But Wu Shan seemed not to understand at all. He rushed to say, "No trouble at all, no trouble at all! Let me return them for you!"

Dou Yan simply smiled at him and said nothing.

Wu Shan's face flushed crimson at once, and his voice was as faint as a mosquito's: "Then—then I'll go tell Boyan." He looked utterly impatient to be off.

He had completely failed to grasp her refusal, and Dou Yan was all the more unwilling to let him get involved. Just as she was about to say something sharp to discourage him for good, Dou Huaide and Dou Yan came out side by side.

"I was wondering why you had vanished and never come back," Dou Huaide said with a laugh. "So you ran into Fourth Sister."

Dou Yan was older, and had only recently been betrothed. He had already grown suspicious earlier when he could not find the book he was looking for after searching for so long; now, seeing Wu Shan's flushed face, he vaguely understood, and could not help glancing toward Dou Yan.

Dou Yan's face was calm as still water, without the slightest abnormality.

For a moment, he began to doubt his own perception.

Wu Shan was already uneasy at heart, and Dou Huaide's remark only made him more flustered. As if to clear himself, he hurriedly said, "Fourth Sister has something to ask of us... That Pang Jixiu often uses the swimming incident as an excuse to send Fourth Sister gifts, saying they are tokens of thanks..." He was beginning to speak carelessly.

Dou Yong and Dou Yan's expressions changed at once.

Dou Yan especially, knowing full well that a single careless word could ruin Dou Chu's entire life, said quickly, "Fourth Uncle Wu, stop right there—some things must not be spoken of carelessly."

Wu Shan gave a start and immediately came to his senses, regretting that he had spoken without thinking. He did not dare look Dou Chu in the eye.

Dou Yan had no time to pay attention to such things. He said urgently, "Twelfth Uncle, please keep watch at the door." Then he asked Dou Yan in a low voice, "What exactly happened? Besides gifts, did he send anything else? Who brought the things in? Are these people reliable?"

Seeing that he had gone straight to the heart of the matter, Dou Yan could not help but breathe a long sigh of relief. She told Dou Yan everything that had happened, and finally said, "I did not accept them directly. Apart from some small items, there was nothing else. It is just that I could not very well speak of this to others..."

"I know." Dou Yan's mind worked quickly. His face dark, he said, "That Pang Jixiu is connected by marriage to your stepmother. Leave this matter alone—just pretend you know nothing, and I will deal with it."

Dou Yan, of course, had not been indulging Pang Jixiu for that reason.

She had simply not understood Pang Jixiu's intentions for a time.

It was Wu Shan's appearance that had reminded her.

Some things required not only the memories of her previous life, but also faith in the intuition of this one.

Dou Yan nodded again and again.

Dou Yan told Dou Huaide and Wu Shan to go back first, and went to see Dou Huaiying himself.

About half an hour later, Dou Huaiying, his face ashen, went with Dou Yan to the main hall and asked Dou Yan, "Where are the things?"

Dou Yan had Sujuan open the trunk.

Dou Huaiying glanced at it once, then called two servants in, and had them carry the trunk away after Dou Yan.

Only Dou Yan and two maids were left in the room, staring at one another.

Dou Huaiying paced about the room in a fury, and only after a long while did he demand of her, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Dou Yan said, "I didn't want a loud quarrel that would make a spectacle of us all."

Dou Huaiying's eyes reddened slightly; he flung his sleeve and strode toward the door.

Dou Yan called out, "Father," and said, "You mean to go talk to Mother about this, don't you? If it's Mother who speaks, she will say the thing is done, so I may as well be married to Pang Jixiu..."

"He has eaten a bear's heart and a leopard's gall!" Dou Huaiying roared, stamping with rage.