Chapter 16 Homecoming Banquet
Old Madam Song looked at Song Qingci with a smile on her face. She said slowly, "Grandmother recently got a new statue of Guanyin, and Ah Ci will take it back with him when he goes back. Keep it as a good offering. This statue of Guanyin was blessed by chance. It was blessed by a high monk. It will definitely bless Ah Ci to have a son and give birth to a child for the general's mansion."
Song Qingci maintained superficial harmony with a smile on his face that did not reach his eyes.
She did not comment on the old lady's words. In the original owner's memory, this grandmother did not treat her well. Because her mother Zheng had never given birth to a legitimate son, this grandmother also treated her, the eldest legitimate daughter, indifferently.
And because the original owner had to learn a lot of poetry, books and etiquette, she had very little time to spend with her. As far as I can remember, this grandmother never gave anything to the original owner. How come after getting married, she is actually closer to him than before? Who would believe it if I told others?
People all say that the old lady of the Song Mansion is kind-hearted and devoted to Buddhism, but Song Qingci thinks that is not necessarily the case. Seeing her completely different faces before and after marriage, Song Qingci does not believe what people say.
Song Qingci didn't say anything, and everyone thought she was shy. It was natural for a newlywed couple to be shy when talking about having children, and no one made things difficult for her.
Just at this moment, the butler came to report that the banquet could begin.
Because it was a family banquet, there was no deliberate separation of tables for men and women. Unmarried ladies and young masters were simply given a separate table in the small hall next door. Song Qingci and Shan Li, as the protagonists of this family banquet, sat together at the main table.
The dishes at the banquet were all very exquisite, but Song Qingci felt that they were not as delicious as the dishes at the General's Mansion. The dishes here were too light. She didn't like to eat too light dishes. The dishes at the General's Mansion were more in line with her taste.
There was no drinking or chatting during the banquet, which surprised Song Qingci. She thought that at a banquet, even if there were no five-handed or six-six-six, there would always be something to chat about.
Unexpectedly, the scene was quite quiet. Occasionally, people would whisper to each other, but there was no chatting across the table.
Song Qingci didn't understand whether this was the rule in Dachen or only in the Song Mansion.
Just as he was thinking about it, suddenly, a maid who was pouring wine spilled the wine on the hem of Shan Li's clothes. In an instant, Shan Li's clothes near the thighs were wet.
The maid was so frightened that she immediately knelt on the ground and began to apologize, knocking her head loudly.
Shan Li looked at Song Qingci helplessly, and Song Qingci's eyes flashed with a look of hope that there was something interesting to watch.
Here it comes, she said, how can a return visit be so peaceful. How can a banquet be so peaceful. Look, look, someone is here to cause trouble.
She just looked at the position of the maid. If she accidentally spilled the wine, the wine stains would only wet the lower part of Shan Li's hem and the upper part of her shoes. But now Shan Li's wet part was near the base of her thighs. If she said it was not intentional, she would never believe it even if she was beaten to death.
If other parts of your body are wet, you can change your clothes or not. Men, sometimes, don't care so much. This is also considered home, so there is no need to be too taboo. But Dan Li's wet parts, I have to say, the splashing is very skillful, a little embarrassing. You can't change your clothes even if you want to. It belongs to the category of "don't look at what is indecent".
Since someone wanted to perform, how could Song Qingci not give them face and watch the show? She immediately said, "Husband, go change your clothes quickly."
The little maid who spilled the wine was scolded and sent away. This time, a servant took Shan Li away from the table to the courtyard where Song Qingci used to live to change clothes.
Shan Li had no choice but to follow the servant.
At this time, Zheng, who was beside Song Qingci, turned her head and whispered to Song Qingci, "Ah Ci, you should go with us. The young general has changed his clothes, and it's almost time for you to go back. It's better to go back early, so that you don't go back too late and worry about the old lady and the lady in the general's mansion."
Song Qingci looked at Zheng. Was her mother reminding her?
She looked towards the small hall and saw that half of the people were gone, including several of her brothers and sisters. She didn't know when they left.
"Okay, mother." Song Qingci accepted Zheng's kindness. She also wanted to see what kind of plays there were.
The stage has been set up, so there is no reason for the audience to leave.
Yin Qiu followed Song Qingci and left the table. As soon as they reached the corridor in the backyard, a maid with an unfamiliar face was waiting there, blocking Song Qingci's way.
"Madam, the general asked you to go to the Huajian Courtyard and wait for him," the maid said respectfully.
Huajianyuan is the courtyard closest to the garden. Normally, no one lives there and it is used as a guest house by the Song family.
Song Qingci glanced at the little maid and asked, "Are you sure that the young general wants me to wait for him in Huajianyuan?!"
The little maid bowed her head even more and said calmly, "Yes."
"Okay, you lead the way."
Yin Qiu followed closely beside Song Qingci. Along the way, Song Qingci seemed to be looking around carelessly, but in fact, she was seriously surveying the terrain. In the original owner's memory, there was only the approximate location of this courtyard. After all, it was a guest house. She rarely came here.
Yin Qiu followed Song Qingci closely without saying a word.
Soon, they arrived at the Flower Courtyard. The little maid apologized at the door and hurried down. When she left, she seemed to be afraid that someone would chase her away. She ran very fast and disappeared in an instant.
Song Qingci stood at the door of the Flower Courtyard. She tilted her head slightly and asked Yin Qiu beside her, "Tell me, should I go in?"
Yin Qiu shivered unexpectedly. Although it was slight, Song Qingci still felt it. It was the trembling of the prey before being killed. She was very familiar with it.
"Madam, isn't the young general waiting for you inside?" Yin Qiu took a deep breath and said.
"Okay, then let's go in and see what this young general is doing~~" After saying that, Song Qingci was the first to push the door and enter the Huajianyuan.
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On the other side, Shan Li followed the servant to Song Qingci's original courtyard. The servant prepared a set of new clothes for him. When he was about to go forward to help him undress, Shan Li refused the servant's help.
He was used to dressing and washing himself because of the habits he developed in the military camp. The touch of strangers would make him wary. Feng Yi and Feng Er could not get close to him to change his clothes.
After being rejected, the servant did not leave, but waited outside the screen, respectfully and without saying a word.
Shan Li also felt that there was something strange about the wine spilling today, so he didn't dare to delay. He changed his clothes as quickly as possible and walked quickly to the main hall in the front yard~~~