Chapter 351 — Little New Year

Northerners keep Little New Year on the twenty-third of the twelfth month; southerners keep it on the twenty-fourth.

On the day after Suxin's wedding, the Ying Ducal Manor offered sacrifice to the Kitchen God, swept down the dust and pasted up charms, and everywhere was a scene of bustle.

Dou Yan and Song Yan changed into new clothes and went to the open hall of the upper courtyard — where the Song family's annual feast was always laid.

Both the households of Song Maochun and Song Tongchun had already arrived and were gathered together chatting and laughing.

At the sight of Song Yan and his wife entering, the laughter broke off short, and only after a few breaths did it rise again — but no longer as the household of Song Maochun and the household of Song Tongchun exchanging pleasantries; instead they all surged toward Song Yan and Dou Yan.

Song Maochun said with a smile, "Tianci is truly formidable — in barely a year you have risen to Vice Commissioner of the Jinwu Guard, and hold a post in the Xuan Shuo City Commandant's Office as well. Your second brother is idle at home these days; if any good post comes up, don't forget your second brother."

Song Yan smiled faintly. "I will keep an eye out."

Song Duo's face flushed crimson.

The First Madam, meanwhile, bent her knee to Dou Yan in salute, saying "congratulations" again and again: "Your time is next summer, is it not? If you need a wet nurse or a midwife, just tell me. When your mother-in-law bore Tianci, it was I who helped find the midwife."

Dou Yan thanked her.

The Fourth Madam drew Dou Yan aside to talk: "I hear your Dou clan school is very formidable — it has produced several jinshi and juren. Our Yue'er is about to begin his schooling; find a good tutor for him, would you?"

When Song Cen had wanted to drive Song Yan out of the ancestral hall, not one of them had spoken a word in his defense; and now they need not expect her to bother herself with such squalid little affairs.

Dou Yan smiled warmly. "Some people can study well themselves, yet may not make good teachers. Others cannot study well themselves, yet are exceedingly good at transmitting the way and resolving doubts. Whether a tutor is good or bad is truly hard to judge — and all the harder for me to recommend one to you lightly."

The Fourth Madam was quite taken aback.

The First Madam had been entrusted by Song Cen to manage the household affairs of the Ying Ducal Manor while Song Cen was away from the capital, yet within a day of entering the gate she had been forced to hand over the manor's tally tokens and had slunk home with her daughter-in-law, Madam Tan. Though the First Madam tried hard to cover it up, what had happened that day still came to light. The Fourth Madam had been turning it over at home: it was precisely because the senior branch had clung to Song Cen's coattails that these years had gone so smoothly for them and they had amassed such a great estate. Now that the Duke of Ying had a rift with Song Yan yet could do nothing about him, if her own branch could cling to Song Yan's coattails, in a few years it would be their branch that shone. That was why she had proposed that Dou Yan help find a tutor for her son — tutors were plentiful in the capital. She had said it only to flatter Dou Yan on her scholarly lineage, yet she had run into a soft rebuff: Dou Yan played tai chi and would not take the bait at all.

She bit her lip.

Then she would have to find another way!

The thought had barely passed when the household of Song Fengchun arrived.

But before Song Fengchun and his wife could greet anyone, Song Jin had already wrenched free of her nurse's hand and pattered over to Song Yan, tugging piteously at his sleeve: "Third Cousin, you haven't given me anything at all this year."

Since of the Song family's generation of Song Yan's age Song Jin was the only girl, Song Yan had always been lenient with her. Though he disliked his fourth uncle's attitude when his father meant to drive him out of the Song family, he had not visited it upon his cousin, and had gone on as in years past: every New Year he would give Song Jin a pair or two of gold and silver trinkets, as though laying by her dowry. But ever since the day of his wedding, when Song Jin had run off to make trouble for Dou Yan — even though Song Yan knew that Song Jin had merely been used by others — Song Jin had never afterward offered Dou Yan so much as an apology, and he could no longer bring himself to like her. This New Year he gave Song Jin nothing at all.

Now, seeing her run into the open hall and demand things of him, ignoring the elders and the brothers and sisters-in-law of the house, behaving like a child with no upbringing, his displeasure deepened. "Why have you not greeted your elders?" he said.

"I forgot!" She stuck out her tongue, all artless innocence.

Song Yan's face darkened.

At once it was as though a cold wind swept through the room, and the air turned chill.

The Third Madam hurriedly laughed it off: "Jin'er, you must not speak to your Third Cousin that way. Hurry and salute your Third Cousin and Third Cousin-in-law."

Song Jin pouted and, with great reluctance, saluted Song Yan and Dou Yan.

Song Yan nodded, and taking Dou Yan's arm, said, "Father likely will not come for a while yet. Sit for a bit; don't keep standing."

Dou Yan paid Song Jin no heed.

Song Jin was twelve this year — not two or three.

She smiled brightly and answered softly that she would, letting Song Yan help her to a seat on one of the armchairs to the side.

Watching this, Song Jin's eyes at once brimmed with tears.

The Third Madam shot a swift glance at Song Yan, saw that he did not so much as look at Song Jin out of the corner of his eye, and hurried forward to take her daughter in her arms, coaxing her softly: "Don't cry, don't cry. It's Little New Year today; your Third Cousin is busy, he isn't ignoring you."

Seeing that her mother was not angry, Song Jin grew bolder and said resentfully, "Third Cousin just circles around Third Cousin-in-law..."

The Fourth Madam gave a splutter of laughter. "If your Third Cousin doesn't circle around your Third Cousin-in-law, who should he circle around?"

At that Song Jin's little face went taut, and she glared fiercely at the Fourth Madam.

The Third Madam's face too showed anger.

The First Madam hurried to smooth things over: "There, there. It's rare for us all to be gathered together today; sit down and talk, everyone."

The Third Madam and the Fourth Madam each snorted coldly at the other, and each took her own children to find a seat.

Madam Tan silently poured tea for her mother-in-law, yet the corner of her eye could not help drifting toward Dou Yan.

She herself had been married into the Song family more than four years with never a sign, while this one had conceived within two months of marrying in...

What good fortune she had! How enviable!

She wondered whether she had some secret recipe for bearing sons.

As she was pondering, Song Cen came in with Song Han.

Everyone rose to salute Song Cen.

Song Cen, beaming, returned their salutes, chatting warmly with Song Qin and the other nephews and nieces who clustered around him, patting Song Jin's head affectionately, even taking the six-year-old Song Yue in his arms — yet his gaze never rested for a moment on Song Yan and Dou Yan, and imperceptibly he shut the two of them out of the circle.

Dou Chiyou squeezed Song's hand.

Song Yan smiled at her, his expression perfectly calm.

Dou Ji whispered, "How about we slip out early later on?"

"No need!" Song Yan whispered back to Dou Yan. "Even if I find it hard to look at him, I reckon he finds it just as hard to look at me!"

Dou Yan could not help pursing her lips and smiling.

That smile sent a sharp sting through the eyes of Song Han, who stood behind Song Cen.

Whatever Father does, it cannot hurt my brother, can it?