Chapter 41: Chapter 41 The Ancestor Has the Final Say
Song Ci said not to wait for the old man, which made Madam Songâs heart skip a beat, and she looked at Song Zhiyuan, what should we do?
Song Zhiyuan smiled at Song Ci and said, "Mother, why donât we wait a bit longer? Dad said heâd be back, he should be on his way, maybe he got delayed."
"Your fatherâs words, how much can you trust? He might agree now, and then go back on his word in the next second. I bet the peonies and birds are more important to him than having a meal with us!" Song Ci chuckled.
It was right after Song Ci woke up and ran into Lady Peony that day that the old man took her to an old friendâs estate, claiming that the friend had acquired a superb parrot that sings, and the Imperial Yellow that had been cultivated for years had bloomed, inviting him to go appreciate it.
Obviously, peonies and the bird are more important than the old wife, and off he went, joyful as can be, with Lady Peony in tow.
The old friend was surnamed Fu, and the estate was not far from the capital. When the servant went to deliver the message, the old man said he would come back, but now that the feast was about to start, he was nowhere to be seen.
Song Ci wasnât even the old manâs real wife, so she wasnât used to him, and besides, she was even freer when he wasnât around.
"Besides, how long are we supposed to wait? You adults might not be hungry, but the kids are getting hungry." Song Ci looked at the little ones.
"Grandmother, thereâs some snacks to hold us over, weâre not hungry," Song Lingzhou said, holding up a piece of Snowflake Cake.
Song Ci glared: "Well, Grandmother is hungry. No matter how good snacks are, can they compare to roast chicken? Grandmother specifically instructed the kitchen to make roast chicken and stew beef. The beef was specially marinated with spices and stewed for a whole day, tender and juicy, perfect with rice, you could eat two big bowls. And the roast chicken, crispy skinned and fragrant."
Everyone swallowed their saliva, and their stomachs growled audibly.
With those descriptions and it being mealtime, even if not hungry, one would become hungry.
Song Lingzhou silently put down the snack in his hand; the Snowflake Cake no longer seemed tasty, better to save some room for beef and roast chicken.
Song Ci, satisfied, watched everyone quiet down, stood up with Nannyâs help, and said, "Come on, letâs go eat."
...
The concept of a family banquet, in Song Ciâs view, was the whole family sitting together to share a reunion meal, but as an actress, she rarely had the chance to have a meal with her family, since she was either rushing off to a schedule or busy filming and doing various promotions.
Here, it was Song Ciâs first time attending a family banquet, the first time sitting with her âfamilyâ. Looking from the left, it was the eldest sonâs family, the second and third brotherâs families, each missing the husband, the fourth family, oh, the carefree fake âBaoyuâ, was busy lecturing the chubby kid by twisting his ear.
It was Song Ciâs request that they all sit together; originally, there were separate seating for men and women, but Song Ci said there werenât many legitimate masters in the house, just about ten people, so it was more convenient to sit at one table and talk.
As the family matriarch, her word was law, and there werenât many people, so they switched to a long table where everyone sat together.
The maids entered in single file, holding silver trays with towels, serving the masters to wipe their hands and face.
Madam Song stood up with her two sisters-in-law to personally attend to Song Ci, but she declined their offer.
"Itâs just a family banquet, no need for strict rules, letâs all be more at ease."
Madam Song had no choice but to look at Song Zhiyuan, who smiled and said, "Everyone listens to mother."
Several people sat back down, speaking softly, and also kept an eye on Song Ci, ready to follow her commands anytime.
The little ones also had their own circles, Song Lingzhou soon got along with a few cousins, including the not very old fourth uncle.
And Song Ruwei had already befriended Song Ruqi by asking for advice on how to choose a courtyard; in just a short time, they became quite friendly, after all, they were the only two girls in the family.
"The old man has arrived."