Chapter 248 — Claiming Kin
Purple Streets of Chang'an Page 1 of 2
Right or wrong, straight or crooked, .
She curtsied respectfully to Gu Yu and gestured for Su Xin to present that spare set of scholar's tools as a gift of greeting.
Gu Yu was taken aback.
Since Dou Yan had married Song Yan, she was Song Yan's wife. However displeased he might be with Dou Yan, he would not trip her up in front of a crowd—that would not be shaming Dou Yan, it would be slapping Song Yan's face. That much he understood. But he simply could not abide the sight of Dou Yan, a country girl through and through, standing before the Song family with such composed and dignified bearing, like some great lady.
He had stepped forward only because he wanted to exchange greetings with Dou Yan and be gone as quickly as possible.
He had never expected Dou Yan to receive him with such courtesy.
Nothing good ever came of unlooked-for attentions!
Gu Yu muttered inwardly. Seeing everyone watching them, he had no choice but to abandon the notion of leaving at once. He returned Dou Yan's greeting with impeccable manners, accepted Dou Zhiwei's gift of greeting with a smile, called out "Sister-in-law" in high good spirits, and retreated to one side.
Dou Yan was utterly baffled.
When Gu Yu had stepped forward he had looked ready to bite her head off—how had he turned so mild and courteous in the space of a moment?
In her past life, Gu Yu, the Earl of Huichang, had been a man who, when his temper was up, would not spare even the Emperor's dignity. She was not so conceited as to think that one respectful curtsy would make Gu Yu change his opinion of her!
But this had neither warning nor cause, and even if Dou Yan racked her brains she doubted she could make sense of it. So she simply stopped trying, smiled, and exchanged greetings with Song Yan's several cousins.
According to the information Chen Yanzhou had given her, Song Yan's eldest cousin Song Qin and second cousin Song Duo were both sons of Song Yan's eldest paternal uncle, Song Mao.
Song Qin was seven years older than Song Yan. His wife was of the Tan family, and her father was deputy commander of the Five Cities Garrison at Huiyuan City. That April he had passed the prefectural examination, but in June he had failed the provincial academy examination. He was now shut up at home studying hard, preparing for next June's examination.
Song Duo was four years older than Song Yan and was presently studying under his elder brother Song Qin.
Song Yan ranked third, Song Han fourth. Song Jun, fifth in rank, was the son of Song Yan's third paternal uncle, Song Fengchun, and was seven years younger than Song Yan. Sixth in rank was Song Yue, son of Song Yan's fourth paternal uncle, Song Tongchun.
Song Jun and Song Yue were both still in their childhood years.
The gifts of greeting Dou Yan gave them were coin purses, each containing two bank drafts of ten taels.
The two little ones were overjoyed, shouting "Third Sister-in-law" at the top of their lungs, which set the ladies seated in the west hall craning their necks this way more than once.
Wang Yu came bounding out of a corner.
Song Yan could not hide his astonishment at the sight of him—clearly he had never expected Wang Yu to turn up here—and Song Mao was even more at a loss as to how to make the introductions. Fortunately Wang Yu had come prepared. Feigning a troubled air, he scratched his head and said, "Yantang, I had meant to bring my wife along to add to the merrymaking, but I never imagined your family would have so many relatives . . ."
He gave a few dry laughs, .
Yet a flicker of gratitude crossed Song Yan's face. He smiled and said, "I am flattered by your regard, brother. Do stay and have a cup of thin wine by and by."
"Of course, of course," Wang Yu said with an awkward smile, though inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief.
Dou Yan's eyes showed a strange light.
In her past life Wang Yu had been praised as "humble and courteous"; in this life he had come uninvited. Could a person's nature change so drastically?
Without betraying a thing, she offered Wang Yu tea, then followed the Elder Madam Lu to the west hall.
Because the Dingzhen Ducal Residence had met with disaster, Song Yan's maternal family had sent no one to attend their wedding, and since Song Cen had no sisters, Song Cen's maternal family became the guests of honor.
Led by the Elder Madam Lu, Dou Yan first paid her respects to Princess Ninghuai and the Old Madam Lu.
Both old ladies were kindly of countenance and gentle in speech, plainly the sort who had read widely and were placid of temper and broad of mind. Dou Yan liked them very much.
Afterward she paid her respects to the various relatives of the Lu family.
Lu Fuli had two sons, one of whom had died in infancy. The other was Lu Zhan's father, Lu Chen, and Lu Chen had also gotten only this one son, Lu Zhan. And so although Lu Zhan was only twenty-five this year, his son Lu Gui was already ten, and his daughter Lu Qi eight.
Princess Ninghuai's branch was only a little better off than Lu Fuli's.
Princess Ninghuai had a son and a daughter. Her son Lu Shi had two sons of his own, one named Lu Han and one Lu Qin, both already married with children. Her daughter had married the nephew of the Earl of Yong'en, and had borne a son and a daughter: the son Feng Shao, the daughter none other than the Third Madam Zhang, wife of Zhang Xuming.
This time the whole Lu family had come, including Feng Hui's parents and his elder brother and sister-in-law.
When she had offered tea to Lu Shi and the others a moment before, Lu Han, Lu Qin, and Feng Shao had all teased Song Yan a little, and it was plain to see that Song Yan's ties with the Lu family were warm.
To the elders she offered tea, received red packets, and presented gifts of greeting; to the young she made her bows, gave red packets, and presented gifts of greeting.
The Third Madam Zhang was not only generous—she gave Dou Yan a gold buyao hairpin—but also took Dou Zhiwei by the hand and urged her to visit the Jingzhen Ducal Residence when she had the leisure, adding, " . . . My father-in-law loves to grow chrysanthemums, and our residence's chrysanthemums enjoy a modest reputation in the capital. The season of autumn osmanthus is past, but the winter chrysanthemums are in full bloom just now."
Dou Yan smiled with pursed lips.
But her heart was full of sighs.
In her past life, it was from attending the chrysanthemum feast at the Jingzhen Ducal Residence to show support for Wei Fan that she had caught a chill and died of illness. Who would have thought that in this life she should receive the invitation again!
And in her past life she had had no small dealings with this Third Madam of the Jingzhen Ducal Residence. This Third Madam Zhang had always carried her nose in the air; whenever she saw Dou Yan she would give a lofty "Hm" through her nostrils, and that passed for a greeting.
Yet here, in her second life, the woman was all warmth toward her.
Was this what they called the wheel of fortune turning?
On the Song family's side, apart from Song Yan's paternal aunt and his two aunts by marriage, there were only Song Qin's wife, Madam Tan, and a twelve-year-old girl at Madam Tan's side.
Song Cen's aunt-by-marriage was a plump, round woman of about forty, with a look about her of great honesty and simplicity. The third aunt was of middling height and quite beautiful, though her cheekbones were a little high, giving her a somewhat harsh and ungenerous air. The fourth aunt was dressed in all her finery, looking no more than a girl of twenty or so, her gaze falling now on the golden phoenix-steppin atop Dou Yan's head, now on the jadeite toggle at her waist.