Before Dou Akou could finish speaking, she rushed towards the path the maid pointed out. Sure enough, at the end of the path, she saw a courtyard filled with brightly colored mimosa flowers.
"Xu Li!" She burst through the door, and because she was running so fast and crashed into it with her whole body, she almost lost her balance and fell to the ground.
Xu Li was startled and turned around. A man in black who had been whispering with him outside the window quickly disappeared.
Dou Akou grabbed him tightly: "Xu Li, are you...are you alright?"
Xu Liren was stunned for a moment, then realized what was going on and asked sarcastically, "What did you think would happen?"
"Xu Li, let's go back. I'll take you back, and I'll make sure no one else sends you away again!"
Dou Akou was so afraid he wouldn't believe her that she almost swore an oath.
Xu Liren curled his lip. He didn't really care; whether it was the Shui family or the Dou family, as long as they were beneficial to him, it didn't matter which one he belonged to. However… it seemed that this fool from the Dou family was interested in him.
He gave Dou Akou a smile: "Dou Akou, do you... like me?"
He pulled Dou Akou into his arms, resting his head on the crest of her hair, his voice slightly intoxicated, carrying a lazy, deliberate seduction. But if Dou Akou were to look up, she would find that the man speaking tender words had a coldness in his eyes.
Dou Akou certainly didn't have such romantic thoughts. She was struggling in Xu Liren's arms, feeling very uncomfortable.
From childhood to adulthood, she had only ever been held by her husband. He had a scent that was hard to describe, not grass or wood, nor musk or anything like that, but it just smelled very nice.
However, Xu Liren had a strong, alluring fragrance about him, which she disliked, and she also disliked Xu Liren's embrace.
Dou Akou was struggling when the door was suddenly kicked open. Outside, Master Shui glared angrily at the two people huddled together, exclaiming in shock, "You! Miss Dou, you!"
Behind him was Master Dou, who had come to pick up the man after receiving a message from the Shui family's servants.
Dou Jincai's veins bulged as he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Dou Akou, you come here right now!"
...
Tonight was a sleepless night for the Dou family. The servants only saw the master dragging the young lady and storming into the house, followed by Xu Liren, who seemed completely indifferent.
Dou Jincai dragged Dou Akou to the hall, threw her to the ground, and pointed at her, speechless with anger. Several concubines tried to go up and persuade her, but Dou Jincai scolded them away. They looked at each other and exchanged glances, then told a servant to go and call Fu Jiuxin over.
Dou Jincai was furious today. Dou Akou had made him lose face in front of his old friends by breaking into a private residence late at night to meet a man. That would have been bad enough, but the worst part was that the man was a musician he had bought with money!
He felt furious when he thought about the strange expression on Master Shui's face and the sarcastic words of comfort he received when he returned.
He paced back and forth, stopping beside Dou Akou and launching into a tirade: "Dou Akou, you did a wonderful job! After tonight, stand on Ziwei Qingdu Street and listen to the news tomorrow. Your glorious deeds of saving the down-on-his-luck young musician will surely be known far and wide! Do you think you're one of those ladies in The Peony Pavilion or The Peach Blossom Fan? You don't care about your parents' reputation or face after seeing a handsome man! Don't you have any shame? Your marriage to the eldest son of the Shui family is off! Let's see how you ever get married!"
Dou Akou knelt on the ground and said blankly, "Father, it's better if it doesn't work out. Uncle Shui is that kind of person, I don't want to marry him."
Dou Jincai was taken aback. He wasn't unaware of Master Shui's quirks, but everyone was a respectable person, and such private anecdotes were sometimes just topics of conversation at the dinner table; he had no right to inquire. However, what Akou said did seem to make sense. With a father like that, who knew if the son might also be attracted to men? Wouldn't Akou be living a life of widowhood if she married him…?
Master Dou had been thinking too far ahead. Just as he was about to nod in agreement with Dou Akou's statement, he suddenly realized the situation. So he straightened his face and continued to lecture her: "You still talk back! I ask you, why did you choose Xu Liren out of all the young men your father introduced to you? What does he have besides his face?"
"He can play the piano." Dou Akou thought for a moment and earnestly added another advantage for Xu Liren.
Dou Jincai almost fainted. He took a few steps and suddenly grabbed Dou Akou: "By the way! Dou Akou, did...did he take advantage of you?"
"ah?"
"You... sigh! It's you... you know..." Dou Jincai didn't know what to say, but the aunts, sensing his intentions, immediately whispered something in Dou Akou's ear.
Dou Akou's face turned bright red. She was no longer an ignorant child. She was both angry and upset, and she lowered her head without saying a word.
Dou Jincai misunderstood, thinking that Dou Akou had done something she shouldn't have done with Xu Liren. He immediately flew into a rage and ordered his servants to bring whips and sticks to punish her.
The concubines couldn't stop them; they could only signal to the servants not to take the tools.
Dou Jincai looked around, took off his suede boots, and used the soles to whip Dou Akou. Before the soles even landed on Dou Akou's back, someone suddenly rushed in and clung to Dou Akou's back. The blow landed squarely on that person.
With a "smack," Fu Jiuxin didn't move, leaning on Dou Akou, and said calmly, "It's my fault. I failed to teach Miss properly. Miss's behavior is out of line, and I should be punished."
Dou Jincai was at a loss for words. Dou Akou's dissolute behavior was naturally due to his failure as her father. However, most people are unwilling to admit their mistakes, and Dou Jincai was no exception. Moreover, he was reluctant to seriously beat Dou Akou. Therefore, Fu Jiuxin's intervention not only gave him a way out but also a place to vent his anger.
"Jiuxin, look at the good sister you raised! I was busy back then, traveling all over the country to earn money to support the family. I entrusted Akou to you because I believed you could take good care of her, but she did something like this. Did you teach her all the manners and shame you were supposed to teach her?"
Fu Jiuxin remained silent.
Dou Akou huddled beneath him, trembling as she looked up at him.
It felt like going back to their childhood, when they went out to play and were bullied by a group of thugs in a dead end. Her husband protected her like this, letting those people's fists and feet rain down on him.
At that time, they were both too young. Although the gentleman was five years older than Dou Akou, he was still a frail man. He gritted his teeth and kept quiet, using his frail body to support her.
"Ah Xin..." Dou Akou cried beneath Fu Jiuxin, her tears falling in large drops onto the floor. Between sobs, she called out to Fu Jiuxin, "Ah Xin, I was wrong, I'll never do it again, Ah Xin, I didn't do that with Xu Li..."
Fu Jiuxin's expression shifted; how long had it been since he'd heard Dou Akou call him that?
Dou Jincai had a strange feeling that Fu Jiuxin and Dou Akou were the couple he had separated, while Xu Liren was the one who was being forced to break up the relationship.
Old Master Dou was completely baffled, and suddenly felt old and out of touch with the younger generation's ideas. He mumbled as he put on his boots, feeling quite embarrassed.
Seeing that Dou Jincai's anger had subsided, Fu Jiuxin stood up and calmly said, "Miss, you are to be punished by reciting the Precepts for Women five times."
Dou Akou, tears still glistening on her face, looked at him and asked, "And what about the gentleman?"
“I went to the ancestral hall to ask for punishment. I failed in my duty to educate the young lady properly.”
Dou Akou panicked: "Sir, sir, this has nothing to do with you. It's my fault. If anyone should kneel, it should be me..."
Fu Jiuxin ignored her completely, got up, and left.
Dou Akou stared blankly as he walked away. Her third aunt quickly came over to help her up: "Get up, get up. Why are you still kneeling on the ground? The floor is cold. Be careful not to catch a chill."
Then she advised Dou Jincai, "Master, Akou knows what she's doing and how to handle things. Besides, nothing serious has happened."
Dou Jincai snorted, "This is the last time," and was then ushered out the door by several concubines, who were all giggling.
Watching Dou Jincai walk away, Dou Akou scrambled to her feet, wiped her face, and slipped into the ancestral hall.
Inside the ancestral hall, Fu Jiuxin was indeed kneeling. His eyes were closed, his expression calm, and he made no reaction to Dou Akou's arrival.
Dou Akou cautiously tugged at his sleeve: "Sir, I was wrong."
Fu Jiuxin remained unmoved.
Dou Akou gritted her teeth and pulled out a ruler from her bosom: "Sir, you may punish me."
That was the ruler Fu Jiuxin used to punish Dou Akou when they were children. Although Fu Jiuxin usually doted on Dou Akou, he was never lenient when it came to punishment, and Dou Akou was often beaten to tears.
Fu Jiuxin opened his eyes, glanced at the ruler, and then closed them again.
Dou Akou was terrified. She wasn't afraid of an angry man, but she was afraid of a silent one.
She simply plopped down next to Fu Jiuxin: "Sir, I'll stay with you. I'll stay with you for as long as you kneel."
Fu Jiuxin still ignored her.
Dou Akou knelt for less than a quarter of an hour before she couldn't sit still anymore. She kept fidgeting, picking at her nails, pleading, and then her stomach started growling.
Fu Jiuxin remained calm and composed, kneeling motionless for the entire two hours before turning to look at Dou Akou. Dou Akou, who had been dozing off, was jolted awake by the sound of Fu Jiuxin getting up: "Master!"
Fu Jiuxin looked at her calmly: "Would you dare to do it again next time?"
"I won't dare! I really won't dare!" Dou Akou waved her hands repeatedly.
She truly dared not do it again. She had done something wrong, yet it had implicated her husband and caused him to be punished. Dou Akou felt an indescribable sadness in her heart.
Fu Jiuxin nodded and tried to stand up, but because he had been kneeling for too long, he stumbled and was about to fall down again. Dou Akou rushed over to support him, and the two of them ended up in a tight embrace.
"As expected, Mr. Fu's scent is the best," Dou Akou thought happily, hugging Fu Jiuxin.
I'll carry you.
Once the Lantern Festival was over, Dou Akou packed her things and prepared to return to Qingyong City.
Dou Jincai had originally planned to find a husband for Dou Akou after the New Year and have her marry into that family. However, because of Xu Liren's incident, his desire to marry off his daughter had faded. Besides, Dou Akou was still young, and waiting another year or two wouldn't be a problem. So, he waved his hand and readily let her go.
Dou Akou carried a small, round bundle and bid farewell to the two stone lions at the entrance of the Dou residence: "Agua, Ajin, I'm leaving."
This time, Xu Liren was able to ignore it. He impatiently shook the bundle in his hand: "Are you leaving or not?"
"I'm leaving!" Dou Akou jumped over quickly, waving to Dou Jincai and his aunts, "Father, Aunts, I'm leaving!"
Then she happily moved closer to Fu Jiuxin and said, "Sir, let's go."
Xu Liren sensed Dou Akou's obvious distance from him these past few days and raised an eyebrow. This couldn't go on; Dou Akou was a crucial piece in his plan, and he worried that one wrong move could lead to total defeat.
Dou Akou didn't notice Xu Li's sinister look. She nestled close to Fu Jiuxin, excitedly recounting childhood anecdotes. It wasn't that she had started to dislike Xu Liren, but rather that she had promised her teacher in the ancestral hall that night that she wouldn't get too close to Xu Liren anymore. Moreover, she was afraid that her teacher would kneel in the ancestral hall again because of her, so she stopped pestering Xu Liren all the time.
They arrived at Qingyong City in the evening.
There were many people climbing the thousand-step stone staircase of Qingyong City. They were all returning to the city from their homes after the New Year.
Dou Akou ate too much during the Chinese New Year and gained weight. She couldn't climb any further when she was halfway up the mountain.
Xu Liren and Fu Jiuxin stopped to wait for her. Xu Liren mocked her, "Fatty Dou, I told you a long time ago that you're too fat. Look at the others, those behind us have already surpassed us."
Dou Akou watched enviously as a girl in pink, who had been walking behind them, gracefully glided across the stone steps. She stammered, "I still have the strength. Let's go."
She stood up again and climbed the stone steps, looking up at Fu Jiuxin: "Sir, you go first."
Fu Jiuxin took a step forward on the stone steps and suddenly felt a weight behind him. He turned around and saw Dou Akou holding onto his clothes, using his strength to climb the steps, and smiling at him shyly.
Holding onto Fu Jiuxin's clothes, Dou Akou climbed only a few steps before collapsing. She plopped down on the steps, panting, and said haltingly, "S-Sir, please help me..."
"Miss, your appearance." Fu Jiuxin reminded her calmly.
Dou Akou stood up unsteadily, barely managing to maintain a standing posture: "Sir, I really can't climb anymore."
She'd only climbed halfway up. Looking at the endless stone steps ahead, Dou Akou felt a wave of dizziness.
Fu Jiuxin glanced at the towering Qingyong City gate, which was only partially visible in the distance, then turned to Dou Akou and said, "Miss, climb it yourself."
Xu Liren curled her lips: "Alright, Dou Yacai, if your husband won't help you, I will. Otherwise, by the time you climb up, you won't even have any midnight snacks left."
He stretched out a hand to Dou Akou.
Dou Akou glanced at Fu Jiuxin, whose face remained expressionless; then she looked at Xu Liren, who was very impatient.
Dou Akou was struggling internally. If she got involved with Xu Li, her husband would definitely be angry again.
But if she didn't get a ride, she simply couldn't walk any further...
Dou Akou looked conflicted, caught in a moral dilemma.
She looked at Xu Liren's outstretched hand, then at her teacher, and then at the endless staircase in front of her...
"Come here," the man suddenly said.