Song Yuzhang: Chapter 41 - Welcome Banquet
Chapter 41: Welcome Banquet
“Father means that you’ve been in Haizhou for so long without a proper introduction. It’s not right for things to stay so vague. This is the perfect opportunity to let everyone in Haizhou know that the Song family has gained another fine brother,”
Song Jincheng said calmly, smiling warmly.
Before he came to speak with Song Yuzhang, he had already smashed two vases to vent his anger, which allowed him to maintain an unaffected, elder-brotherly air now.
Song Yuzhang sat in his chair, looking tired and languid. He gave a bitter smile. “Father really must be getting senile. Honestly, I’ve been thinking about going back to England.”
Song Jincheng had heard this ‘going back to England’ talk many times and wasn’t particularly moved by it now. “Father probably hopes you’ll stay.”
“The way Father’s handling things...” Song Yuzhang hesitated, then glanced somewhat sheepishly at Song Jincheng. “It’s a bit too authoritarian, don’t you think?”
The way Song Yuzhang so brazenly voiced the four brothers’ grievances against Song Zhenqiao stirred something in Song Jincheng—he couldn’t help but feel a bit of agreement.
“We can talk about that later. For now, let’s follow Father’s wishes and get the welcome banquet done.”
Then Song Jincheng changed the topic, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips. “I heard from your sister-in-law that you and Fourth Brother had a spat with Tingjing a while back? And you’ve been avoiding him?”
The name Meng Tingjing slid right past Song Yuzhang’s ears like running water. He smiled. “Avoiding him? Not at all. We just haven’t happened to run into each other.”
Song Jincheng casually fiddled with a compass on the table and shook his head with a laugh. “Tingjing’s temper must be hard to deal with, huh?”
Song Yuzhang smiled again. “Not at all.”
“Meng family only has one son. He’s been spoiled into thinking the world revolves around him. It’s different from our family—so many brothers looking after one another. The dynamics just aren’t the same.”
Song Yuzhang kept up his ambiguous smile.
In his heart, he thought: fine, if we’re settling the score, let’s settle it. Whatever happened between me and Meng Tingjing—doesn’t matter anymore, I don’t remember, not important, it’s all in the past.
With his body fully healed and his mind at peace, Song Yuzhang truly let it go. Maybe it hadn’t passed without a trace, but thinking about it did no good, so why bother? The one still nursing emotional scars was Song Mingzhao, who had been sulking ever since.
Song Mingzhao had never been especially pampered growing up, but he was still a pampered noble young master. He’d never suffered like that. Getting beaten out of nowhere by Meng Tingjing gave him a newfound sense of the world’s harshness.
He was just peacefully cuddling with his sweet younger brother at home—what did he do to deserve a random beating? It felt like a disaster from the heavens. Song Mingzhao was not only sore but terribly depressed, moping around like a flower struck by frost.
But the beating did earn him an unprecedented wave of familial affection. Elder brother, sister-in-law, and younger brother all took turns fussing over him, checking in on him several times a day.
Eventually, Song Mingzhao was fine, but after being so thoroughly enveloped in care and concern, he was reluctant to let go of it. So he continued sighing and pouting, wearing a little frown, playing the pitiful beauty, and clinging to his younger brother like a vine.
Song Yuzhang could see through the act, but didn’t expose him.
The beating really had been unfair.
Besides, Song Mingzhao did give him that huge pigeon-blood ruby. Let him play coy for a few more days—it was kind of endearing, and Song Yuzhang enjoyed watching it.
He later told Song Mingzhao about the upcoming banquet.
“A banquet? That’s wonderful! Ever since Father got sick, we haven’t had one at all. Finally, we can have a proper lively time again!”
Song Mingzhao had always craved attention, probably because he hadn’t gotten enough growing up, so he lit up immediately. The joy spread across his face, and he hadn’t even finished smiling before he noticed Song Yuzhang looking at him with a half-smile. “Looks like Fourth Brother’s finally recovered.”
Song Mingzhao’s face turned red at once. He was sitting behind Song Yuzhang’s desk with an English novel in hand. He claimed to be reading, but really, he just didn’t want to leave the room. He gave a little cough, touched his neck, and said, “Still hurts a bit.”
Leaning against the desk, Song Yuzhang smiled at him. Song Mingzhao flushed even deeper under his gaze. He set the book down and reached out to grab Song Yuzhang’s hand. Without saying anything, he played with his fingers, then suddenly brought Song Yuzhang’s palm to his nose and sniffed. “So fragrant.”
Song Yuzhang saw him as a kind of replacement and lightly rubbed his face with his palm. “What’s a grown man doing smelling good?”
Song Mingzhao laughed and lowered Song Yuzhang’s hand, planting a gentlemanly kiss on the back of it. “Why can’t a man smell good? In this family, every man smells good!”
“Come on, let’s dance.”
Song Mingzhao pulled Song Yuzhang into a silly little waltz, the two of them alternating between leading and following steps. It was pure nonsense, wild and joyful. Their dress shoes clattered noisily on the floor. After spinning for a few rounds, they collapsed onto the bed together.
Breathless from the dancing, the two lay side by side. Song Mingzhao watched Song Yuzhang and smiled. As he smiled, his gaze softened. He was a spoiled and selfish young master, but when he truly found someone he liked, he could love them with a wild and reckless devotion.
He’d never felt this way about anyone before.
Except for Song Yuzhang.
Song Mingzhao pulled him into an embrace, the two of them curling up like a pair of swans. In a soft voice, he said, “Xiao Yu, don’t go back to England. Send a telegram to Oxford—ask them to transfer your enrollment back here.”
Song Yuzhang gently stroked Song Mingzhao’s back with his palm and said softly, “Fourth Brother, don’t say such childish things.”
Song Mingzhao held Song Yuzhang tightly, letting out a deep sigh. His cheek brushed against Song Yuzhang’s, and he said with a hint of longing, “When I’m with you, I really feel like I’m the younger brother.”
Song Yuzhang chuckled. “If that makes you happy, then so be it.”
Song Mingzhao turned his face and looked into Song Yuzhang’s eyes.
There was a gentle smile in Song Yuzhang’s gaze, and it was that very tenderness that always sent a tremor through Song Mingzhao, making him feel like he was being cherished and held close to the heart.
Staring at him, Song Mingzhao once again felt the urge to bite him.
This newfound biting habit was entirely Song Yuzhang’s fault.
There was a fire burning in his chest and belly, making him feel like he had to constantly exhale hot breath and chew up the sugar-sculpture-like Song Yuzhang with a crunch, swallowing him whole.
Song Yuzhang could clearly see through all of the Fourth Young Master’s thoughts, but he didn’t mind one bit. After all, the fourth was handsome, clingy, and exactly the sort of pretty boy Song Yuzhang was used to. He was happy to indulge Song Mingzhao—it made him feel powerful.
Song Mingzhao also felt the indulgence in Song Yuzhang’s treatment of him, and he took that indulgence as a form of favoritism. He delighted in being Song Yuzhang’s favorite and truly started to enjoy playing the carefree younger brother.
“Want to sleep together tonight?” Song Yuzhang asked.
“Yes!” Song Mingzhao answered without hesitation, rubbing his cheek against Song Yuzhang’s. “That’ll piss off Meng Tingjing!”
Song Yuzhang laughed, his tone a bit cooler. “Don’t bring him up. I’ve already stopped speaking to him, haven’t I?”
At the mention of that, Song Mingzhao felt vindicated.
Meng Tingjing had come to the house to apologize the very next day. Song Mingzhao couldn’t ignore Meng Sushan’s face, so he reluctantly accepted the gifts and apology. Not long after sitting down, Meng Tingjing asked, “Where’s Song Yuzhang?”
Meng Sushan looked a bit awkward. “Yuzhang went out.”
Meng Tingjing replied with an “Oh,” then handed an envelope to Wa Lan and asked her to give it to Song Yuzhang when he returned. Song Mingzhao was quite curious about what was in the envelope. When Wan Lan gave it to Song Yuzhang, he waited to see him open it—but Song Yuzhang didn’t even look at it and just tossed it casually into a drawer
Song Mingzhao asked, “Aren’t you going to see what’s written inside?”
Song Yuzhang replied, “What’s there to see? It’s just going to be more apologies and asking to make up.”
From his attitude, it really looked like he was cutting off Meng Tingjing for good. Song Mingzhao, half-convinced, asked, “Are you really going to stop associating with him? Why?”
After a moment, Song Yuzhang gently pinched his face and said with a soft smile, “What do you think? He beat you up like that.”
Song Mingzhao hadn’t expected Song Yuzhang to go that far for him. Shocked, he was also swept up in a euphoric sense of being deeply loved.
Organizing the banquet was a bit of a hassle, but luckily, the Fourth Young Master of the Song family was a party enthusiast. He practically arranged the entire thing himself. Song Yuzhang had thought he was just a clueless young lord, but it turned out he had a specialty—he got things done in an orderly, professional way and quickly pulled together a guest list that would gather almost all the most prominent figures in Haizhou.
At first, Song Mingzhao hesitated a little over the guest list, but in the end, he still added Meng Tingjing. After all, they were family, and completely snubbing him would be over the line. In any case, he and Song Yuzhang could just ignore him during the event.
To make sure the banquet was absolutely perfect, Song Mingzhao even went around to the gambling dens, dance halls, and theaters of Haizhou to drag home the long-missing Song Qiyuan.
The perfume smell inside those places was unbearable for him, so he yanked the lazy Song Qiyuan into his car first before saying anything. Song Qiyuan laughed as they walked, “Fourth Brother, you’re getting bolder and bolder.”
“What’s there to be afraid of?” Song Mingzhao said nonchalantly. “Are you going to eat me?”
Shoved into the car, Song Qiyuan curled up bonelessly in the backseat, eyes half-closed with a lazy smile. “True, you’ve even fought the Second Young Master Meng now. You’ve definitely changed—you’re no longer the greenhorn from Wu.”
Song Mingzhao felt slightly annoyed at his teasing, but for the sake of his pride, he held it in. “Let’s not bring that up. The family is holding a welcome banquet for Fifth Brother, tomorrow evening. This is on Father’s orders, so you must be home. No running off anywhere.”
When Song Qiyuan heard him bring up Song Zhenqiao’s name, he gave a mocking little smile. But after the laugh, his gaze sharpened slightly as he looked at Song Mingzhao and slowly said, “Fourth Brother, you really are head over heels for Fifth Brother.”
Song Mingzhao didn’t feel the slightest discomfort from those words anymore. He answered openly, “I do like him. He’s sweet and kind—why shouldn’t I like him? Third Brother, I think we should let go of our prejudice. Fifth Brother hasn’t actually done anything wrong. Being illegitimate or not—he didn’t choose that for himself.”
Song Qiyuan listened quietly and calmly to everything he said, then replied with a faint, “Never thought I’d hear something like that come from you.”
“Whatever you say—just be sure you’re at home tomorrow,” Song Mingzhao said.
“Got it,” Song Qiyuan replied lazily. “I’ll be there.”
Song Mingzhao had thought it’d be hard to convince him, but was surprised at how easily he agreed.
Seeing the joy on Song Mingzhao’s face, Song Qiyuan nudged his shoulder, shaking his head. “Idiot.”
Song Mingzhao wasn’t the least bit offended. Grinning ear to ear, he nudged back, “You’re the idiot!”
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