Chapter 497: The 8 Gossips That Are Inevitable at Banquets
Song Ci had been the patriarch of the Song Family for over a year and had witnessed two weddings in the mansion: one for the youngest, Baoyu, and now for his granddaughter, Song Ruqi.
To marry and to be married are two different things.
To marry is to joyfully welcome the new bride home, but to be married is to reluctantly watch her leave, back turned to you, gradually moving farther away.
No wonder some people cry like dogs when their daughters get married; they truly can’t bear to part with them. The darling they’ve painstakingly raised is being taken away by another household, and when she visits the family later, she’ll be but a cherished guest.
How could one not be reluctant?
When Song Ci saw Madam Song crying on the shoulder of Nanny Fang, he felt a complex emotion in his heart.
Indeed, it was reluctance. In the future, he feared that he’d only see that stubborn and proud young girl visiting him during the holidays to pay her respects.
"Grand Madam," Nanny Gong handed her a handkerchief.
Song Ci looked at her, puzzled, with an expression that said, "Why are you giving me a handkerchief?"
Nanny Gong said, "Aren’t you going to wipe your tears?"
Song Ci touched her face: "..."
Sadness is evidently contagious; she had also started shedding tears!
"My Yuanyuan, in the future, I’ll have to find her a match, boo hoo..."
Song Ci turned her head and, lo and behold, saw Jiang Shi crying with reddened eyes, even more than her eldest daughter-in-law.
Her little Yuan had been born barely a month ago, and she was already imagining her daughter’s marriage?
She was more engrossed in it than she was.
"Mother, it’s time to start the banquet!" Niu Pan’er supported Song Ci as she spoke.
Song Ci responded with an "Oh," looking at the ladies around her, and said with a smile, "Then let’s go take our seats. A light drink for everyone, enjoy to your heart’s content."
Madam Wei smiled and said, "I heard the Prime Minister’s Mansion invited the head chef of Taixianglou today. Is that still called a light drink? I must eat my fill before I leave."
Taixianglou is a century-old brand, its offerings renowned in the capital, and highly praised.
Song Ci spat lightly, saying, "You think you won’t get a bite to eat? But just so it’s clear, even if you eat to your heart’s content, you should know your limits. If you end up stuffed, don’t blame me for needing digestive pills later on!"
Madam Wei chuckled, "I won’t blame you; I’ll just blame my own gluttony, how’s that?"
Everyone laughed.
The Prime Minister’s Mansion hosted sixty banquet tables for the wedding, not as grand as the hundred tables for Song Zhiyu and Niu Pan’er’s wedding, but still quite remarkable.
Song Ci sat at the main table, surrounded by a group of old friends chatting. As for her daughters-in-law, where could they find the time to accompany her for the feast?
At the banquets of large households, whether joyous or mourning, everyone was busy attending to guests. Those who truly sat and dined would be called uncivil.
Therefore, even Niu Pan’er, who was nobly a Commandery Princess, was busy entertaining guests along with her sisters-in-law.
"Old sister, has the Commandery Princess received any news?" Madam Wei asked quietly.
Song Ci paused, put down her chopsticks, dabbed the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief, and said, "What’s the rush? The young couple has been married for just over half a year. They’re still young, no need to hurry."
"But you can’t say it like that; the Commandery Princess is already twenty years old in virtual age, right? She should hurry a bit. I know a particularly skilled fertility mage; would you like me to introduce her to you, Madam Song?" Lady Fan asked with a smile.
Members from Prime Minister Fan’s Mansion also attended, though it was Lady Fan’s daughter-in-law who came, not the Grand Madam.
As soon as she spoke, others chimed in, saying children are important, and Prince Dingbei’s Mansion has a great need for them. If they aren’t keen on Lady Fan’s recommended mage, they also knew some particularly skilled folk Divine Doctors to introduce to the Prime Minister’s Mansion.
Madam Wei felt a bit remorseful; she just asked casually and didn’t expect it to attract so much attention. Song Ci wouldn’t be upset with her, would she?
Song Ci was indeed somewhat annoyed; why couldn’t they just enjoy the feast and drink merrily? Why were they fixated on the matter of having children?
Even with food, it couldn’t stop their mouths!
"I truly thank you all!"