Master Dou has made up his mind. Dou Akou is just quiet, so he'll find someone equally honest and reserved. The two of them can be together quietly, and neither of them will mind the other. That would be just fine.
That day, the Dou family had dinner, and the six of them sat around the round table. Dou Akou did not stick close to Fu Jiuxin as she used to, calling out in a soft, sweet voice, "Sir, I want to eat that," or "Sir, please pick out the scallions for me." Instead, she sat far away from Fu Jiuxin, her eyes darting around, refusing to look at him.
Several of the concubines noticed the awkwardness between them, but Dou Jincai was slow to react and was still excitedly making arrangements for Dou Akou's future.
They now live in a rented farmhouse in Longfeng Town, where they are self-sufficient in food and clothing. The aunts all come from poor families, and although they have enjoyed a good life with Dou Jincai for a few years, they have not forgotten their roots and have quickly adapted to this drastically different lifestyle.
Dou Jincai was initially a little depressed, but later he came to his senses and happily opened up a vegetable garden in the backyard, where he planted some cabbages and radishes.
While they were in the Heavenly Prison of Ziwei Qingdu, they never imagined they would regain their freedom and live such a simple and down-to-earth life again. So even though they had been staying in Longfeng Town for several days, Dou Jincai still felt like he was dreaming.
He sighed with emotion and said, "We owe this all to Jiu Xin. If it weren't for him, we would probably be on our way to the underworld by now."
Several concubines also sighed repeatedly. Dou Akou secretly glanced at Fu Jiuxin, then quickly lowered her head again like a thief.
“Jiuxin, I knew I hadn’t misjudged you. It’s just a pity that I don’t have anything to give you right now, and I’m sure you wouldn’t care about that money. Otherwise—well, how about this, Jiuxin, after I find a good husband for Akou, I’ll have your aunts find you some good girls too. That would be our way of doing our part. What do you think?”
Dou Akou felt a mouthful of food stuck in her throat, and her chest felt tight and uncomfortable.
Fu Jiuxin said calmly, "If I may be so bold, I would like to ask you for one thing, sir."
"Oh?" Dou Jincai became interested. He was penniless and empty-handed, and wondered what valuable things Fu Jiuxin could possibly ask for.
“Akou”.
"Huh?" Dou Jincai was dumbfounded.
“I want Akko.”
Old Master Dou's worldview was instantly overturned, his old heart clenched several times, and he almost couldn't catch his breath.
Before he could say anything, Dou Akou panicked, smashed the bowl, and fled in a disheveled state once again.
This time, Fu Jiuxin didn't let her off the hook.
"Akou, your appearance."
Dou Akou was running wildly when she suddenly heard this admonition she had heard since childhood. For a moment, she forgot about their current relationship and reflexively stopped. However, in that moment of distraction, Fu Jiuxin caught up with her—his lightness skill was always better than hers.
"S-Sir." Dou Akou took a step back timidly, staring down at Fu Jiuxin's shoes.
Fu Jiuxin looked at the small whorl of hair on Dou Akou's lowered head and was speechless for a moment.
After a long while, he reached out his hand to Dou Akou. On his fair and slender palm were two bright red pom-poms, which were Dou Akou's earrings that had been torn off.
Dou Akou was startled and looked at the two fur balls.
One was pulled away by Pi Xiaoli during the disciple trial, and the other was pulled away by Uncle Chen that day. Now, Fu Jiuxin has found them both, washed off the bloodstains, and placed them back in his palm as if they were brand new.
But can they pretend that none of those things ever happened?
They seem to have settled down now, but the Siyou Kingdom, Chen Bo, Qingdai, the Shizhi Mine, the Chu Shi Sword... these are not non-existent!
Dou Akou didn't know whether she should accept the call.
She hesitated.
Fu Jiuxin didn't urge her, but just held his arm up without moving, waiting for her to take it or not, like a death row inmate waiting for his sentence, his life and death hanging in the balance.
This was the longest period of time Fu Jiuxin had ever endured in his life.
Time passed swiftly, and Fu Jiuxin's heart sank deeper and deeper. He felt the pain of his heart gradually growing cold and shrinking into a tiny piece. The last glimmer of hope struggled to flicker a few times before being extinguished—
With a slight movement of his hand, a gentle touch, like a kiss, landed on his palm as Dou Akou gently picked up the two earrings.
Fu Jiuxin felt a sharp pain in his heart, a spasm from the sudden relaxation after being tense and numb for too long. He breathed a sigh of relief without showing any emotion; no one knew his unease.
Dou Akou accepted the offer, but she didn't know what to do with it. Her courageous confession had led to such a result, and now, asking her to utter those words again felt like a thousand pounds weighing heavily on her chest, impossible to put into words.
He was once her brother and her husband. She confessed her feelings to the wrong person at the wrong time and in the wrong place. Now he has broken through the barrier, and the person and the timing are right, but he has missed the most important person in her heart.
While Dou Akou was struggling with her dilemma, Dou Jincai was also in complete chaos.
Master Dou felt his ethical principles were being challenged like never before. He paced anxiously in circles, muttering to himself in disbelief, "Jiuxin likes Akou? He's my son, that makes him Akou's brother!"
Third Aunt couldn't stand it anymore. She picked at her nails, rolled her eyes, and said, "What brother? From beginning to end, only you, Master, think this way. One is surnamed Fu, and the other is surnamed Dou. Tell me, what kind of siblings are they? I think Jiu Xin has always been opinionated. Maybe he's already had feelings for A Kou. As for A Kou, I don't think she's heartless. Have you forgotten how affectionate she was when she saw Jiu Xin before?"
Dou Jincai slapped his forehead and sighed, "I was careless. I should have seen through their shady dealings earlier. I always thought that someone like Jiu Xin would look down on our A Kou. Who knew... If I had known this would happen, I should have arranged it between them back in Ziwei Qingdu. Otherwise, things would have turned out like this."
Now that Fu Jiuxin has become the young master of Siyou Kingdom, his whole family is relying on him to see the light of day again. Besides, they don't know what happened to them a few days ago, how Akou was injured like this and left outside, and what about that cicada shell that was sent over...
Dou Jincai frowned. He knew his daughter's temperament. If Fu Jiuxin were still the same Fu Jiuxin as before, that would be fine. But now Fu Jiuxin's background was so complicated. Rather than following him, it would be better for Akou to find a simple, ordinary family and live a peaceful life.
As he was thinking, there was a knock on the door. It was Fu Jiuxin's voice outside, saying calmly, "Master, I have something to say."
Author's Note: It's strange, I always feel like I need to go to the bathroom after finishing a new chapter...
31. Parting the clouds and mist...
Master Dou and his concubine exchanged a glance and coughed a few times: "Come in."
"Jiuxin, what do you want to say?" Dou Jincai looked at Fu Jiuxin with a particularly kind expression. He had figured it out. Fu Jiuxin was either a son or half a son, and in the end, he was inextricably linked to the Dou family.
Fu Jiuxin stood straight in front of Dou Jincai: "I will tell you everything that Akou encountered in my Siyou Kingdom."
Dou Jincai was taken aback. Although he had long had doubts, he hadn't dared to ask because Fu Jiuxin had gone to such lengths to get them back from Xu Liren. Now, hearing Fu Jiuxin's words, he couldn't help but ask in return, "What happened to Akou with you?"