When the dishes were served again and the old lady sat down, Song Chaozong breathed a sigh of relief and personally handed her chopsticks. "Second Aunt, please don't take offense at the unruly behavior of the younger generation. We are all delighted that you have returned to the Song family in Jiangzhou! Everyone is happy!"
The old lady nodded to everyone. "Sit down. I've seen the situation in Jiangzhou and the Song family as I traveled. I've returned this time to have our Fourth Girl's status changed in the family registry. I don't want to interfere with other matters as long as they don't provoke us."
"Thank you for your understanding, Second Aunt!"
Song Chaozong seemed to breathe a sigh of relief upon hearing this. "Second Aunt, rest assured, what happened today will not happen again! We will prepare everything, and then we will have Second Aunt and Fourth Miss go to the ancestral hall. You don't need to worry about anything."
"That would be best."
The old lady picked up her chopsticks and began to eat. "We will be staying here for a few days. Fourth Girl is accustomed to the constraints of the capital. If there is anything interesting or fun here, please take her to see it."
Song Chaozong nodded repeatedly. "Of course. Tomorrow, I will have the sisters go out together. With spring arriving and flowers blooming, it's best to go to the Purple Bamboo Forest outside the Jiangzhou city moat."
Song Chaoyu also wanted to see and experience the capital thoroughly during this visit.
Song Chaozhong was on tenterhooks throughout the meal, and then had Ning Shi personally escort them back to their courtyard.
The Song family had practically cleared out the largest and best courtyard for them to reside in. However, even so, the First Madam could not hide the look of disdain in her eyes after entering the courtyard.
This courtyard was located in the northeast corner of the Song family, a decent location and quite spacious.
This "Cuiyun Courtyard" appeared to have been recently renovated, and there was still the smell of fresh paint in the air.
The main hall and bedrooms in the courtyard were naturally reserved for the old lady. On either side were two side rooms, one for the First Madam and the other for Song Chaoyu.
After Ning Shi escorted them, she glanced apologetically at the old lady. "Compared to the Song family in the capital, this place is naturally not worth mentioning. Second Aunt, please make do with it!"
The old lady's expression remained unchanged. "It's already very good. You must be tired after a day of busyness. Go back and rest early, and don't worry about us."
Ning Shi nodded quickly and, before leaving, instructed the maids they brought with them on the remaining matters, and then left with peace of mind.
As soon as Ning Shi left, the First Madam covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and began to complain. "Although it's a newly renovated courtyard, the smell of fresh paint is too strong! I'm afraid they haven't used good quality paint!"
As she walked, she criticized everything around her. "Look, the paper pasted on the doors doesn't let any light through! And there's a damp smell in the room, as if it hasn't been aired out for a long time! The wood for this table is too ugly! This—"
"Cough cough!"
The old lady frowned and glared at the First Madam. "Say less! You know the Jiangzhou Song family is not as good as ours, so why say so much? Just focus on eating and drinking well; they won't mistreat you. What, are you saying that staying in an inn outside would be better than staying here? Wouldn't that make you a laughingstock?"
Chastised again, the First Madam quickly lowered her head. "Mother is right. I was just hoping that Mother could stay here comfortably. If Mother thinks what I said is wrong, I won't say it again."
The old lady shook her head and waved her hand in annoyance. "Alright, go back to your rooms! We've had a long journey these past two days. Let's rest early. There will likely be many things to deal with in the coming days."
Now that the Song family in the capital had its own influence, the Jiangzhou Song family naturally wished to curry favor.
Song Chaoyu returned to her room as instructed, but she felt that the room had indeed not been exposed to sunlight for too long, and there always seemed to be a smell of dampness and mold lingering in her nostrils.
Even Pickled Ginger, upon entering, shivered. "This place feels so gloomy! Miss, before the sun sets, shall I open the windows for a while?"
"Alright."
Song Chaoyu nodded. "Later, heat up the charcoal basin a bit more."
Pickled Ginger went to open the window, but as she did, she exclaimed, "Ah! What is this—"
Startled, Song Chaoyu quickly stood up and walked over. "What's wrong?"
As she reached the windowsill, she also saw what was placed on the windowsill outside!
It was a small bird without a head, and many of its feathers seemed to have been plucked.
The small bird lay on the windowsill outside, covered in blood, but the still-wet bloodstain proved that the bird had not died long ago.
Song Chaoyu's heart skipped a beat, and the footsteps of the First Madam were heard from outside. "What's wrong? What are you all making such a fuss about?!"
However, following Song Chaoyu's gaze to the dead bird, the First Madam also shrieked, "What is this?!"
Actually, Song Chaoyu truly didn't want to cause such a commotion, but even the old lady in the main hall heard the noise and hurried over. "What's going on?"
The First Madam pointed at the dead bird on the windowsill, her expression filled with fear. "Mother, look quickly! What are the intentions of this Song family? They actually placed this dead bird here for us?! This clearly shows they don't want us to stay here! I must go and reason with them!"
Saying this, she turned to leave with a pale face.
"Come back!"
She was still stopped by the old lady. "What are you going to do?! If they truly didn't want us to stay here, they wouldn't have let us stay for dinner after the commotion in the front hall!"
Song Chaoyu also nodded and said to the First Madam, "Yes, Mother. Moreover, this bird looks like it just died. We can't confirm it was intentional. Aunt just left not long ago. If they really wanted to slight us, they wouldn't have left; they would have stayed here to watch the show."
Saying this, she waved to Pickled Ginger. "Go and clean up that bird."
As Pickled Ginger stepped forward, the old lady frowned and surveyed Song Chaoyu's room. "Fourth Girl, switch rooms with your mother."
She then looked at the First Madam. "You listen for any sounds tonight."
"Ah?"
The First Madam pointed to herself, her face full of reluctance. "You want me to stay in the room where the dead bird was?"
The old lady glared at the First Madam. "Otherwise? Should this old woman stay? Or should Fourth Girl, the junior, stay? You are the First Madam; you must shoulder responsibility!"
The First Madam could only lower her head. "Yes, Mother, I understand. I will stay here."
The old lady nodded then and said to Pickled Ginger and the others, "All of you who need to rest, go and rest now. At night, everyone will keep watch. This courtyard... I fear something is amiss."