Chapter 50 — Lending a Hand

It all came too suddenly; Yu Daqing had to pawn some of his wife's jewelry just to make the accounts balance.

Dou Xiuchang arranged for the Dou household's accounting office to audit the books. Seeing that the accounts matched the goods, he had Yu Daqing sign his name. His aunt sent him two hundred taels of silver as a farewell gift, along with other presents such as porcelain and screens; a propitious day was chosen, and a banquet was laid out to see off Yu Ao and her family.

Word went around Dingzhen County that the Seventh Master of the Dou family was taking a widow to wife, and that the Seventh Master's personal nurse, having grown old in service, had been retired with a generous sum of silver from the Dou family for her upkeep.

When Yu Ao's carriage rolled out of the city gate, someone quietly measured the tracks its wheels left behind.

Later, word reached the Dou household that Yu Ao's family had met with bandits on their way home; not only were their goods and money stripped clean, but Yu Ao, badly frightened, passed away within a few days. Yu Daqing was cut down and wounded; though he kept his life, he was left a cripple and could never look after himself again...

And the aunt, seeing that matters had been more or less settled, took her leave of the women of the Dou household: "...Shouyuan's uncle is still waiting for me to come home for the New Year. I leave Shouyuan in your care."

Whether it was the Second Dowager or the several madams, all agreed with pleasure.

Once the aunt had been seen off, the Dou family began to prepare for the New Year.

Since Zhao Guqiu's death, the New Year affairs of the West Residence had all been handled by Dou Zhen and his wife. This year, because the matter of Dou Zhiwei stood between them, when they invited Dou Duo over for dumplings at the Winter Solstice, Dou Duo declined, pleading the bitter cold and his own poor health. Dou Zhen was somewhat unsure and made a point of asking the Second Dowager for her instructions.

The Second Dowager went to the West Residence: "...Though we have the letter of consent in hand, no ceremony has been held, and after all, the woman Wang has no proper standing. I say, why not let her help the Third Madam's wife this year? It will be a chance to learn how to manage the household. Next year, our two households can keep the New Year separately."

Dou Duo assented indifferently.

Wang Shuying was called to the Third Madam's side to help.

She was overjoyed, naturally, and thought that since this was her first time handling such affairs, she must be neither too shabby nor too splendid. She coiled her hair into a neat round bun, put on a half-new madder-red padded jacket of brocade with the Yutangchun pattern, and wore only a pair of pure-gold earrings with a touch of oil, dressed clean and crisp, modest and proper, and went to the East Residence.

The Third Madam was checking accounts with the managing mothers. Seeing her come in, she only raised her head and said, "You're here," then had a maid bring over an embroidered stool. "Sit and watch for now. If there's anything you don't understand, ask me." Even as she spoke, managing mothers and well-placed senior maids came and went, went and came; the little side room was a constant stream of traffic.

Wang Shuying had lived in the capital for a time as a child and had once accompanied her mother on visits to great households. She took no offense, said gently, "Third Madam, go on with your work; don't mind me," and sat down on the stool, watching with eyes and ears as the Third Madam gave her instructions.

One managing mother's accounts did not tally, and she argued with the Third Madam: "When the aunt from the Zhao family of the West Residence came, the house was giving banquets one after another, and the cost of tea and wine rose higher than usual..."

At the words "West Residence," Wang Shuying pricked up her ears at once.

"It's normal for it to be higher than usual," said the Third Madam. "But thirty percent higher than usual—isn't that a bit much?" As she spoke she leafed through the accounts. "Look here, this is what the household spent when the Sixth Master passed the provincial examination. Now look at what it spent when the Zhao aunt came..."

"The Sixth Master's time was still mid-autumn, but the Zhao aunt did not leave until after the Winter Solstice, and once the Solstice passes, the price of chicken and duck and fish all goes up..."

"Before the Winter Solstice, don't the various estates send their goods in?" The Third Madam was unmoved. "Why are you still buying from outside?"

"The Zhao aunt stayed from mid-autumn all the way to Light Snow." The managing mother was so agitated that blisters rose at the corners of her mouth. Seeing Wang Shuying in her half-new clothes and finding her face unfamiliar, she took her for some steward's wife, and while still talking to the Third Madam, she pointed at Wang Shuying: "Go, pour me a cup of tea!"

"Me?" Wang Shuying was taken aback and looked toward the Third Madam.

But the Third Madam and the managing mother were glaring at each other like two fighting cocks.

Wang Shuying looked again at the Third Madam's maids and serving women; not one of them made a sound, so she had no choice but to rise slowly and pour the managing mother a cup of tea.

Yet resentment still churned in her heart, and she quietly asked a young maid: "What does this managing mother do?"

"You mean Mother Dou?" The young maid followed her gesture and smiled. "She's the wife of our Steward Dou. There's no one more upright. She used to be a personal maid to the Dowager, and even the masters of our household give her a measure of respect." Then she asked curiously, "Which branch are you from? I've never seen you before. Are you a newly promoted steward's wife?"

Wang Shuying regretted dressing so plainly. The next day she did her hair in a falling-horse chignon, wore a large jadeite flower, and put on a leek-green brocade jacket, radiant and striking.

All who came in to report matters smiled and nodded to her, asking the Third Madam who she was.

"She is the concubine Wang of the East Residence."

Then those people looked at her again with a little more curiosity, a little probing, and even a faint hint of disdain. At mealtime the maids and serving women glanced at her in twos and threes, and the moment she turned her back they let out ambiguous titters.

Wang Shuying was both ashamed and angry, regretting that she had dressed so conspicuously, and the whole day passed as though she sat on a bed of needles.

Back at Qixia Court, Nurse Hu told her: "The Second Dowager sent Mother Liu to fetch Miss Ming. She said the New Year is near and you must learn household management from the Third Madam, so there is no one to look after Miss Ming; it was just as well to bring her over to keep the Fourth Miss company."

Dou Ming had never in all her life been parted from Wang Shuying. Wang Shuying felt as though a piece of flesh had been cut from her. At this hour it was hardly proper to go back to the East Residence to fetch the child, so she scolded Nurse Hu: "Why didn't you send someone to tell me? I could have brought Ming back with me when I came home."

Nurse Hu said to herself, Who knew no one in the East Residence would inform you!

But she dared not say it aloud and could only acknowledge the fault in fear and trembling.

Wang Shuying worried first that Dou Ming, parted from her, would be unsettled and cry all night; then that the people in the Second Dowager's rooms would put on airs and look after Dou Ming poorly; then that Dou Yan would bully Dou Ming. Tossing and turning, she did not sleep a wink all night, and after washing and dressing she went to Dou Duo.