Chapter 415 — Keeping a Cat

"How do you lot mind this house? You can't even manage a trifle like this — is it that none of you want to stay on?" Song Han lashed out at Qixia and the rest.

But the cat only mewed and sprang onto Song Han's foot, rubbing itself against his leg with every appearance of affection.

Dou Yan, meaning to give Song Han a way out by letting him make an example of her, smiled. "There, there, don't lose your temper. I had no idea you kept a cat in your inner rooms — no one ever mentioned it — that was why I was so startled." She pointed at the creature. "Why choose a color like that? It makes one's flesh creep. If you like keeping cats, I'll have someone pick out a few white ones or hemp-grey ones for you tomorrow. Prettier, and they won't come darting out and frightening people the way this one did today."

Song Han gave a sheepish little laugh, looking rather abashed, but bent and gathered the cat into his arms. "What did sister-in-law want with me? Every afternoon I study the qin with my tutor. If anything comes up, sister-in-law need only send someone to tell me — a short delay does no harm."

He had turned the subject with perfect ease, not a word about the cat, and there was a distinct flavor of polite refusal in it.

Dou Yan looked at the cat twice more and smiled. "The midwife tells me to walk about more. I go round and round Yizhi Hall all day until even the finest scenery grows commonplace, so I came to see what the maids in your rooms are about." Then she turned to the matter of the qin. "I hear this tutor once studied under Du Jianian of the Hanlin Academy — he must be a scholar as well, surely?"

"A juren of the renzi year, and a fellow townsman of Lord Du's." Song Han handed the cat to Qixia and sat down with Dou Yan on the heated kang by the window, smiling. "Lord Du had no time to take pupils, so he recommended this gentleman. A very mild temper — skilled not only in music but in painting and calligraphy too. I have profited a great deal from him."

"That's good, then!" Dou Yan made conversation with him, and saw Qixia carefully hand the cat over to the little maid who had knelt before her earlier, trembling like a sieve. The girl withdrew on tiptoe as though she were carrying some rare treasure of the world.

Interesting!

She shot a glance at Ruozhu, lowered her head, and took a sip of tea. With the corners of her mouth faintly lifted she chatted with Song Han a while, then rose to take her leave. "The midwife says I must walk at least an hour a day, so I dare not sit here long. I'll come see you again when I have time."

Song Han rose and respectfully escorted Dou Yan out of the upper courtyard.

Dou Yan stood on the steps watching the little maids feed the birds.

Ruozhu came hurrying over.

"My lady," she said in a low voice, "after you left, the Second Young Master had that little cat-minding maid dragged out and given twenty strokes of the plank. Qixia and the others had a month's allowance docked as well."

The little maid was only twelve or thirteen. The girl was ruined.

Dou Yan's face turned somewhat grim.

Ruozhu stood with lowered brows and hands folded at her sides.

After a long while Dou Yan said, "Keep an eye on that little maid. See whether her life can be spared and she can be sent out to the farm."

Ruozhu answered "Yes" with deference.

Dou Yan said, "Does the Second Young Master like keeping cats very much? How is it I never knew? Besides the cat, what other amusements does he have?"

Ruozhu could not help growing anxious and overawed. "Besides that cat, the Second Young Master's rooms hold four orioles, a pair of parrots, a pair of mynas, and two turtles. Ordinarily one can't tell that he favors any of them above the rest."

That being so, why protect that one cat alone?

Dou Yan felt Ruozhu was a little lazy after all, and could not help missing the merits of Suxin.

That evening she took the matter up with Song Yan. "Whose household keeps a black cat with blue-green eyes? The very thought sets my heart fluttering. If the Second Young Master isn't especially fond of it, better to give it to someone else to keep."

Song Yan said, "When my mother was alive she liked to keep Persian cats — and she liked this kind above all, black Persians with blue-green eyes." As he spoke his expression dimmed a little, and he sighed. "A pity that when the family fell into trouble, those cats had all scattered heaven knows where. I sent men to search several times and never found them. Afterward there was so much to attend to at home that I couldn't spare a thought for it."

Dou Yan leaned against Song Yan's shoulder. "Could that cat be one my mother-in-law left behind?"

"How could it be?" Song Yan fanned Dou Yan, smiling. "If that cat were my mother's, he would have told me long ago. He wouldn't be keeping it quietly like this."

Could it be a tool for winning hearts?

Brothers who had lived together for more than ten years shared too many memories. It seemed her trick of boiling the frog in warm water had been the right one.

Dou Yan smiled with pursed lips.

Song Yan said, "Don't take this to heart. Tomorrow I'll speak to Song Han and have him board the cat somewhere else. Once there are children in the house, cats and dogs are forever careless of their strength, and children adore them besides — if one scratches or bites, that will be trouble."

It's because these cats and dogs belong to Song Han, isn't it?

Dou Yan nodded brightly.

The next day Song Yan did indeed speak to Song Han about it. Song Han was exceedingly surprised, yet docilely sent the cat off to the farm. It went so smoothly that Dou Yan was rather taken aback — but what astonished her more was that Song Han, following her suggestion, caught a pair of hemp-grey house cats and kept them in his rooms.

When Gu Yu learned of it he was full of contempt for Dou Yan. "Do you know how much silver that Persian cat is worth? Even the great ladies of the palace must wait their chance to keep one, and you — you waste a treasure of heaven."

Dou Yan did not mind, and smiled. "Shall I have someone send that cat round to your house, then?"

Gu Yu said with distaste, "I don't keep such little creatures! Delicate as anything, and when they die it's still a life."

Dou Yan at once had the feeling of finding a kindred spirit.

That was the very reason she herself so rarely kept cats or dogs.

But she could not resist teasing Gu Yu. "To think our little tyrant is such a tenderhearted soul!"

Gu Yu's face flooded red in an instant. "Cats and dogs are far more loyal than people."

Hearing that, Dou Yan's heart softened despite herself; she bickered with him this way and that for the longest time, and was in excellent spirits.

When Song Yan came back and saw them getting along so well, the corners of his mouth could not help curving upward. After changing his clothes he came and sat down, and told Dou Yan to have the cooks in the kitchen prepare a few dishes Gu Yu liked — he meant to keep Gu Yu for supper.

Gu Yu then frowned and begged Song Yan, "Brother, go speak to my aunt for me. A while ago the Emperor assigned me to a post in the Standard-Bearer Guard, and my aunt turned it down. Said I was still young and not steady enough, and should stay home and learn from Grandfather for a couple more years. Brother is only a month older than me and is already a proper third-rank military officer. I'm still at home eating and drinking for nothing — even that fellow Feng Zhi has gone off to the Five Armies Camp by now. I'm ashamed to be seen idling about outside. But my uncle says the same thing as my aunt, and I can't very well go to Grandfather about it — that woman would be certain to hear of it and gloat all over the place. I've thought and thought, and the only thing left is to beg brother to put in a word for me with my aunt."