Without a sound.
Of the fourteen, some had been assigned tasks outside the palace, some had gone to the woods outside the palace to practice martial arts in pairs, and others, unable to bear the loneliness, had secretly slipped out of the palace to go to Dragon Phoenix Town to buy wine. At this moment, not a single one of them was in the palace.
In her dazed state, Dou Akou felt herself being dragged to the ground again. She couldn't open her eyes, but she could hear a jumble of voices around her, some shouting and some crying.
She was roughly dragged out of the yard and walked a distance.
The surrounding sounds gradually faded away, until all that could be heard was the sound of myself rubbing against the ground and the wind blowing through the peach grove.
A peach petal was blown down by the wind and drifted down onto her face. It was an extremely light and warm touch, just like the tender moment when Dou Akou, awakened to love for the first time that night, stole a kiss from her sleeping husband.
28. In my youth...
When Dou Akou was five years old, she had her first playmate.
"Daddy!" A soft, childlike voice called out from inside the door, growing louder as it approached.
Although Dou Jincai hadn't seen Dou Akou yet, a smile had already appeared on his face. He said, "Akou, slow down," as he stepped over the threshold and told the little boy behind him, "Jiuxin, that's my daughter. You'll see her soon."
The ten-year-old boy possessed a composure beyond his years, and his beautiful eyes held a deep, unfathomable pool of shadows.
He didn't answer, and it was unclear whether he heard it or not.
Dou Jincai sighed. Sometimes he felt that Fu Jiuxin was far too precocious.
Dou Akou came running up, panting, dragging a knife behind her. Her elderly wet nurse, frail and trembling, followed behind, calling out, "Oh my little darling! Slow down! Be careful!"
Dou Jincai squatted down, picked up Dou Akou, and spun her around a few times. He only put her down when he heard Dou Akou's delighted giggles, and kissed her several times: "My darling daughter! Look what Daddy brought you back!"
Dou Akou frowned, dodged Dou Jincai's mouth, and said in a childish voice, "Daddy, Hu Hu, Zha Zha."
Dou Jincai stroked his beard, which he hadn't had time to shave during his long journey, chuckled, put her down, and opened a large bundle he had brought: "Daughter, come here. Look, this is beef patty from Huaibei; this is a sachet from Suzhou. Akou puts fragrant flowers in it, and she smells wonderful all autumn long; what's this? Oh, right, this is a nine-linked ring from Xuzhou..."
He talked for a while, then realized something was off.
In the past, Dou Akou would have pounced on him eagerly, rummaging through his bundle with her whole body, but today she was unusually quiet.
Dou Jincai turned around and saw Dou Akou staring intently at Fu Jiuxin for a while before reaching out her hand to him: "Little brother, hug me."
Fu Jiuxin was speechless.
He didn't want to hold this spoiled little girl. His country had fallen into decline, his mother had died early, and he had suffered greatly in his life. Why should she be so innocent and naive? It made him feel resentful.
Dou Akou stubbornly stretched out her hands: "Big brother, hug me, hug me."
Fu Jiuxin stood still, while Dou Jincai stopped rummaging through his things and stared at him.
A long time has passed.
Fu Jiuxin finally moved, stretching out his arms to hug Dou Akou.
Dou Akou happily rubbed against Fu Jiuxin's chest: "Little brother, you smell so good."
Her inexplicable fondness for Fu Jiuxin was obvious.
Fu Jiuxin hugged the warmth in his arms tightly, wondering blankly, "Such a small body, such a thin and slender neck, could it... break if I pinched it?"
This winter was more lively than usual because of Dou Jincai's return home.
Dou Akou wore a bright red cotton-padded jacket, and her two braids were tightly bound with several red threads. She ran around like a ball.
Fu Jiuxin was helping in the kitchen. He was self-aware enough to know that he was just someone who had taken him in out of kindness, living under someone else's roof. He couldn't really think of himself as someone important. Being diligent and observant was his duty.
Dou Jincai made brand-new cotton-padded coats for everyone in the Dou family. The freshly folded cotton was warm and thick, and everyone else in the Dou family wore them happily. Only Fu Jiuxin wore a thin linen shirt, which gave him a bitter look.
It wasn't that he didn't have new clothes; he simply didn't want to forget his status. Just like when he ate at the same table with the Dou family, he only ate the plate of vegetables in front of him.
The frail boy didn't know how to maintain his remaining self-esteem, so he could only stubbornly persist in this incomprehensible way.
"Ah Xin!" Dou Akou stumbled into Fu Jiuxin's arms, causing him to stumble back a few steps.
She learned Fu Jiuxin's name from the other servants in the Dou household, and began calling him that to herself. Her pronunciation was still inaccurate; she dragged out the "Xin" syllable, and then suddenly made a turn at the end of the lingering sound, like a playful splash of water.
Fu Jiuxin let her hug his waist, his expression calm.
Serving the young lady was also one of his duties.
He never took the initiative to get close to Dou Akou, but he couldn't stop Dou Akou's endless enthusiasm for him. Dou Akou's affection for Fu Jiuxin even amazed Dou Jincai.
“Miss, let me put the dishes on the table first,” he said calmly.
Dou Akou hesitated for a moment, glancing at the vegetables in Fu Jiuxin's hands. Reluctantly, she let go of his arms, but still followed him like a little tail.
The New Year's Eve dinner was lavish, and the cook was too busy to handle it all. The other servants all slipped away when they had a spare moment, but Dou Jincai didn't say anything because it was the New Year. So Fu Jiuxin naturally took it upon himself to help in the kitchen.
He had just reached the kitchen door when he heard people whispering inside.
“That Fu Jiuxin, I’ve never seen him smile, he’s not likable at all. That time I turned around and suddenly saw him standing in the corner, I don’t even know when he got there, it was so scary. It’s the New Year, who is he trying to slap with that long face, it’s really bad luck. Sigh, tell me, why did the master bring him back?”
"Tch. It doesn't matter if we don't like him, as long as Miss likes him. You haven't seen it, ever since he came, Miss has been clinging to him. In my opinion, he's just a pretty face who's fooled Miss."
Fu Jiuxin stood quietly in the corner, waiting for the gossiping people inside to leave satisfied before going into the kitchen to serve the dishes.
Not long after the New Year, Dou Jincai was about to go on another long trip. Before leaving, he called Fu Jiuxin to his study.
The ten-year-old child had become increasingly quiet lately. Dou Jincai looked at him for a while and sighed, "Jiuxin, now that I've brought you back, I consider you family. After I leave, I'll have to trouble you to take care of Akou."
Fu Jiuxin responded calmly.
“I’ve invited a tutor from the academy to teach at home. This tutor is renowned for his extensive knowledge in Ziwei Qingdu. You should study hard under him. As for Akou, if she wants to learn, you can teach her too, but don’t force her.”
He would guarantee Dou Jincai's daughter a life of comfort and security; as for the rest, he would let her do as she pleased.