Chapter 53 — The Farmstead (Pink Ticket 240 Bonus Update)

When Grandmother met Father, there was little they could say to one another. She only kept pressing melons and pastries into his hands without pause: "...I bought these from the Li family's roasted-goods shop in town... these grew in our own fields. I spread a whole round of fertilizer on them specially this spring, and the melons came out so fragrant and sweet. Even if they sell the like in town, it is never this fresh..."

Father smiled awkwardly.

He did not care for any of these things.

He had been raised by his legal mother. Aside from the blood tie born of nature, he and Grandmother shared not one habit of life or taste in food. Yet still he took the sunflower seeds and cracked them slowly in his hand.

Grandmother sensed Father's discomfort too. A trace of embarrassment flickered through her smile. "When will you come to fetch Shouyuan?" she asked, and then, feeling the question ill-judged, added, "What I mean is, I never had any schooling and I know nothing of the rules of great houses. Shouyuan may come here now and then to play, but if she were to stay with me for long, I fear she would be held back."

Father said, "Once things are settled on my side, I will come for Shouyuan." And with that, thinking they had at last found a subject in common, he went on, "I have also been thinking it is not good for her to follow the Wangs. That Sixth Sister-in-law on their side is a fine woman, and she and Shouyuan are well suited. I must stay in the capital a few more years, and I think it best to leave her with Sixth Sister-in-law."

Grandmother nodded. "That would be best! I have heard people say that Mrs. Sixth comes from a great family in Jiangnan. There are times when even the Madam is unsure of a matter and goes to ask Mrs. Sixth, and everyone sings her praises besides—so one can see Mrs. Sixth is a woman of real ability. With Shouyuan under her care, the child will learn a thing or two, more or less." And as she spoke, she came to Father's legal mother. "...If you had not been raised at her knee, where would you be today?"

Father lowered his head and smiled. "Mother has treated me exceedingly well."

"I know," Grandmother said. "Once I slipped over to peep at you, and I saw the Madam beating your palms with a bamboo switch. She was asking you, even as she struck, whether you dared do it again. With tears in your eyes you said you did not dare. But the moment she put the switch down, you pulled a face at her. And you asked her whether you might go out and play... From that day on, I was truly easy in my mind."

Dou Huaiying and Dou Yan knew nothing of this and listened dumbstruck.

Grandmother sighed with feeling. "If only the Madam could have lived a few years longer!"

Father's eyes reddened.

Grandmother hastened to laugh. "Look at me—what am I saying all this for? You so rarely come. Stay and eat here at noon, why don't you? I will have them kill that old hen and I..."

"No, no," Father said hurriedly. "There is a pile of business waiting at home. I must get back early. I will come to see you in a few days."

Grandmother thought a moment and said nothing more to press him. "Then let me see you out!"

Father could not refuse. Grandmother, leading Dou Zhiwei by the hand, saw Dou Huaiying off.

The villagers were all curious about Father's station. They hid behind doors and around corners to study him, and some, emboldened by their closeness with Grandmother, came toward them carrying empty bamboo baskets, feigning a chance encounter, and bowed to Grandmother with a smile. "Mistress, you have a guest!"

The whole village lived by tending Grandmother's fields for her. In the Dou household, Grandmother was not fit for polite company; but here...

Grandmother drew herself up straight and gave a single "Mm." Nothing more.

Dou Yan had once heard Cui Da's wife say that when Grandmother first arrived at the farmstead, there had been no end of talk. The Cui family had taken offense on Grandmother's behalf, but Grandmother stopped them, saying, "You have done it—so what if they talk?" Her manner was utterly composed. She showed no special favor to those who flattered her, nor did she make things hard for those who had spoken ill of her; good or bad turned solely on who worked the fields well. In time, when the harvest was poor, Grandmother would even forgive their rents. If a family's child wished to study, she would put up the money; if a child wished to apprentice in a shop, she would find a way to arrange it. In time, Grandmother gradually won these people's respect. Later, when the Cui family and some others on the farmstead finally resolved to follow Dou Yan to the capital, it was entirely out of regard for Grandmother. Strictly speaking, Dou Yan owed his good fortune to her reflected light.

They went up the hills to shoot birds and down to the river to catch fish.

In the bright May weather, Dou Yan relived the farmstead life he remembered.

But she was no longer that ignorant child after all. In a mere two or three days she was so worn out that lifting an arm left her whole body aching.

Tuoniang fretted and asked Grandmother outright, "What is to be done?"

"She only needs to move about more," Grandmother said with a laugh. "She has been moving too little." Then she took Dou Yan by the hand. "Come, you and I will go pick worms off the melon vines."

Dou Chi wanted to come along.

Tuoniang, naturally, shielded her.

Grandmother laughed. "She is a girl. If she does not work properly now, how will she ever grow strong? How will she bear children later? Look at the young ladies of rich families—so many die in childbirth, and it is because once they are with child they stop moving, terrified that some mishap will cost them the heir. The more they fear a thing, the more surely it comes. Look at us farming folk—how many of us die in childbirth? Only those who cannot be raised at all!" At this, Grandmother sighed with boundless feeling.

Dou Yan thought of her former life... and it was just as Grandmother said. Her body had been damaged, yet she had not perished of it.

Given a second life, if one did not cherish it well, the advantages of the first would not descend upon one for no reason. And to misjudge oneself on that account would be a truly terrible thing.

She struggled up from the kang and said in a feeble voice, "I will go with you to catch worms."

Grandmother smiled in satisfaction.

Tuoniang, Haitang, Qiukui, Moli, Xuancao, and Grandmother's own serving woman—the Red Aunt who had helped Grandmother down from the carriage—trailed behind them like a string of rice dumplings.

This time they were after the prettiest green worms.

Haitang and the others shrieked in terror, and even Tuoniang's face changed.

Dou Yan giggled, found a pair of chopsticks, and caught them one after another; in no time she had filled a whole saucer with green worms.

She teased Haitang: "We will fry these in oil and eat them in a bit!"

Haitang leaned against the wall and threw up violently.

Grandmother chuckled and scolded Dou Yan: "Never say such a thing again."

Red Aunt, however, praised her: "Truly worthy of being the Mistress's granddaughter."

Grandmother's face darkened. "I will pretend I did not hear that this time. If I hear such words again, you may go back to your own home!"

Red Aunt turned pale with fright.

Grandmother said, "Without rules, how can there be order! The Fourth Miss is still young. Whatever you say, she takes as the truth, and when she returns to the Dou household, the talk will be different again—whom is she to believe? It only makes things hard for the child." As she spoke, her voice gradually fell. "And her grandfather has always despised her father for his low birth. If she makes another misstep, it will only make her grandfather despise her father the more."

"Mistress, the fault is all mine," Red Aunt said, bending her knees to kneel and beg forgiveness.