Chapter 60 — Observing the Mourning Period

Wu Shan said, "At the Duanwu festival I went with my mother to the capital to visit my father, and it occurred to me that I hadn't seen you all in some while." Then he added, "Sixth Uncle is now observing government in the Ministry of Justice, and at the Dragon Boat Festival we even ate zongzi together."

Dou Heng had also passed and been selected as a Hanlin bachelor.

Dou Huaide asked at once, "And how is my father?"

"Quite well," Wu Shan said with a smile. "He looked a bit plumper than when he was at home, I thought." Then his eyes darted about, and with a sly look he said, "I have another piece of good news for you..." He dragged out the last word, teasing them.

Dou Huaide paid him no mind.

But Dou Yong smiled and said, "What good news? Don't tell me you're going to the capital?"

"How is that good news!" Wu Shan said dismissively. "At home I'm living as free and easy as you please; put me under my father's watchful eye and I won't lay down my brush until I've practiced five thousand characters a day."

Pang Jixiu clicked his tongue. "So many!"

Only then did Wu Shan smile and say, "Starting tomorrow, I'm coming to study at your Dou family school too!"

Dou Yong and the others were taken aback for a moment before it sank in.

"Why would you suddenly come study at our house?" Dou Huaide asked, astonished. "Is Aunt willing to let you leave home?"

Wu Shan's mother was a second wife. Wu Songnian's first wife had died young without children, and only after he passed the metropolitan examination did Wu Songnian take Wu Shan's mother, née Bi, as his wife. Bi was also of an official family, and in her youth had vowed to marry none but a provincial graduate. She was already twenty-three when she married, and three more years passed before she gave birth to Wu Shan; thus she doted on her two children beyond measure. To let Wu Shan study under his own provincial-graduate uncle, she would sooner remain in their hometown than follow Wu Songnian to his post in the capital.

"My father has a lameness in his legs," Wu Shan said. "He's getting on in years now, and even walking is somewhat difficult. Mother is very worried and wants to go to the capital to look after him, yet she can't set her mind at ease about me. As it happened, at the Dragon Boat Festival she met Sixth Uncle at Fifth Uncle's house, and Sixth Uncle said that if Father were willing, I might study alongside you all, with Sixth Aunt to look after me. Father and Mother both thought it a fine idea, and Fifth Uncle wrote a letter to the Dowager. Mother came this time just to bring me here to study."

Only then did they realize that Old Mrs. Wu had come as well.

"Splendid, splendid," Dou Yong said, chuckling.

But Dou Huaide threw an arm around Wu Shan's neck. "You rascal, you've fallen into my territory at last!"

Wu Shan laughed heartily, clasped his hands and bowed, making a show of begging for mercy. "Great hero, spare me!"

Everyone roared with laughter.

Dou Yan and his younger brother Dou Qitai came in one after the other.

"What's all this?" the two said, laughing.

Pang Jixiu hastened to explain that Wu Shan was coming to study at the Dou family school.

Dou Yan and Dou Qitai clamored for Wu Shan to stand treat.

Wu Shan waved a hand grandly. "Everyone here today gets a share."

Pang Jixiu's family ran a teahouse; after attaching themselves to the Wang family, they had also opened a restaurant and a pawnshop. He had grown up loitering about such places, and his family kept a crowd of idle hangers-on besides; of eating, drinking, and merrymaking he was the master. At these words he said at once, "Let's go to Jingfuchun. Every summer they make iced bowls of river delicacies—lotus seeds, lotus root, water caltrop, and fresh fox nuts, all grown in their own ponds. Ordinary fox nuts are harvested only when they've grown old, then peddled from carrying poles through the streets; whatever isn't sold gets sent to the apothecary. Fox nuts that have just plumped up yield no weight, and the apothecary won't take them either, so no one has the heart to pick them. But the fox nuts in Jingfuchun's iced bowls are taken as tender as can be, cost be damned—boiled, they come out a pale yellow, and matched with fresh walnut kernels, fresh almonds, and fresh hazelnuts, all set on a bed of tender lotus leaves. Red is red, white is white, green is green; never mind eating it—just looking at it lifts the heart and refreshes the spirit..."

In the blazing summer heat, before he had even finished speaking, several of them were already drooling.

Dou Qitai said quickly, "I'll go fetch Fourth Brother."

Among the Qi generation, Dou Yan was fifth, Dou Qitai sixth, and fourth was Dou Qiguang, the second son of Dou Yuchang and Wu Shan's elder cousin.

Since Wu Shan was standing treat, how could he be left out?

Dou Yong went to report it to the Dowager.

Bi was a fair, plump woman with a round, full face, and she smiled with great kindness.

She was somewhat worried.

The Second Dowager smiled and said, "Never fear. With Zhi to accompany them, and in Zhending County besides, nothing will go amiss."

Dou Yan had passed the county examination the year before.

Bi felt somewhat reassured.

The Second Dowager had the stewards arrange for several honest, reliable servants to accompany Dou Yong and the others to Jingfuchun.

When the manager of Jingfuchun saw that it was the Dou family, he hastily yielded up the finest private room and personally stood by to introduce the menu; with Pang Jixiu adding his banter, the气氛 was lively indeed.

When the iced river-delicacy bowls were served, Wu Shan said, "Shall we go to the farmstead tomorrow to see Fourth Sister?"

The clamor in the private room ceased abruptly, and every eye fell upon him.

Wu Shan's gaze flickered, and he said hurriedly, "In such heat—I hear Aunt Cui's farmstead has everything. We'll make the excuse of visiting Fourth Sister, and go to the farmstead to fish, to swim, to eat fresh lotus-leaf rice... wouldn't that be fine! Better than being shut up at home every day like this."

Pang Jixiu's heart pounded wildly, and then he heard Dou Huaide grin and say, "What a lark! Let's go swimming at Grandaunt Cui's."

Dou Qiguang went nowhere but to his books. Had Wu Shan not been standing treat today, he certainly would not have come.

Gazing at the glare of sunlight outside, even he was tempted—let alone the others.

"Then it's settled," Dou Yan said. "Whichever of you wants to go report it to the Dowager, go ahead—I can't be the one to speak of it, that's certain. If I bring it up, the whole thing will fall through."

Everyone could not help laughing.

"I can't be the one to speak of it either," Wu Shan said. "My mother is to stay at the Dou house for several more days."

"Then I'll go and speak to her!" Dou Qiguang said hesitantly. "I'm only afraid the Dowager will not agree."

"Fourth Brother is an honest man," Dou Qitai said with a grin. "If Fourth Brother goes to ask, the Dowager is sure to say yes."

Sure enough, the Dowager agreed at once.

The whole party went off in grand procession to the country estate.

Dou Yan was bent over her desk drawing a new-style shoe pattern for Grandmother when she heard the commotion, and everyone in the room was badly startled.

Aunt Cui stopped them all. "No going down to the river. Rest here in the courtyard, and I'll have someone make you lotus-leaf rice."

But how could a pack of boys sit still? They were already kicking up a din, bent on getting down to the river.

It was plain they could not be held back. Dou Yan called in the servants who had come along. "All of you go and keep watch along the riverbank. Station one man every few paces." Then she summoned Hong Gu. "Go into the village and hire a few good swimmers to stand watch by the river. A tael of silver a day in wages. If all the young masters come to no harm, each man gets another two taels when it's over. But if anyone drowns—twenty taels for every life saved."