Song Yuzhang: Chapter 89 - At the Funeral 01
Chapter 89: At the Funeral 01
“Eldest Brother, I have a headache—can I not go?”
Nie Qingyun was already dressed in a black Western-style outfit. “What if Song Yekang gets too emotional when he sees me and follows Old Master Meng into the afterlife?”
Nie Xueping, adjusting his tie with one hand, glanced at her distractedly. Nie Qingyun immediately put on a well-behaved expression and cheerfully retreated. “I’ll go see if Bonian is ready.”
The youngest sister had always been carefree, and Nie Xueping never tried to correct her—perhaps because he felt that this was just right. As a young lady of the Nie family, she should live free of worries. Otherwise, what was the point of having an elder brother like him?
After tying his tie and pinning on a silk scarf, Nie Xueping's thoughts drifted for a moment. He mused, “...Even younger than Qingyun.”
By the time the Nie family arrived, the Meng household was already crowded with people. Aside from being a notorious philanderer in Haizhou, Old Master Meng had also been regarded as a distinguished scholar. Naturally, mourners came in an endless stream, and even the banquet tables were lined out into the streets.
Under the direction of the Meng family’s servants, the Nie family's car entered the inner courtyard and parked in a quiet, spacious spot. As soon as she got out of the car, Nie Qingyun spotted the Song family’s car next door. She glanced innocently at Nie Xueping and made a face, but Nie Xueping ignored her. He first carried Nie Bonian out of the car, then turned to his younger sister and said, “At an occasion like this, mind your manners.”
Nie Qingyun tapped her forehead and gave a cheeky scout salute. “Yes, sir.”
Nestled in his father’s arms, Nie Bonian also saluted his little aunt. But then Nie Xueping caught his hand. Nie Bonian looked up at him, stuck out his tongue, and said sweetly, “Daddy, I miss Brother Yuzhang so much. Will Brother Yuzhang be here today?”
Song Yuzhang was having second thoughts.
He had thought that, with Meng Tingjing’s father having just passed away, Meng Tingjing would be in a fragile and sorrowful state. Whether for Meng Sushan’s sake or from the stance of a magnanimous ‘victor,’ he felt he ought to express some sympathy.
That’s called grace.
But clearly, Meng Tingjing had no clue how to spell ‘grace.’
“Tingjing,” Song Yuzhang said through gritted teeth, “you're hugging me too tightly.”
The arms around him loosened slightly—only for Meng Tingjing to pull him fully into his embrace and press their faces together. Song Yuzhang turned his face away to dodge the kiss, whispering, “Are you really going to lose your mind at a time like this?”
He didn't mind kissing Meng Tingjing—under normal circumstances. But just ahead was the mourning hall. And when Meng Tingjing lost control, he really lost control. More importantly, Song Yuzhang had just spent a night of intense passion with Nie Xueping two days ago. Nie Xueping, being considerate, hadn’t left any visible marks—but under the clothes? A mess. His chest was still sore...
He hadn’t forgotten how Meng Tingjing had once beaten Song Mingzhao into a pulp and nearly tore the Song household apart. If a scene broke out today, he’d become famous all across Haizhou—for all the wrong reasons.
Cursing Meng Tingjing to himself, Song Yuzhang made a snap decision: rather than wait for Meng Tingjing to go berserk, he would take the initiative. He turned his face and went in for a kiss.
At the front of the house, Meng Sushan and Song Jincheng were greeting guests when they saw the Nie family arrive and quickly stepped forward.
“Mr. Nie, Miss Nie.”
Nie Qingyun stood slightly behind Nie Xueping, her lashes lowered, trying not to look at the Song family cluster.
“Miss Meng,” said Nie Xueping, “we were sorry to hear the news. Please accept our condolences.”
Meng Sushan nodded, her eyes slightly red. “Thank you. Please, come in and have a seat.”
Holding Nie Bonian, Nie Xueping entered, with Nie Qingyun following closely behind. Only a few people were allowed into the inner hall—aside from some of the Meng family’s uncles, it was mainly the Nie and Song families.
Song Yekang stared fixedly at Nie Qingyun. The moment he made a move, Song Qiyuan grabbed his sleeve and shook his head.
Song Yekang hesitated, then stepped back—but his gaze never left the half-visible figure of Nie Qingyun.
“Where’s Brother Yuzhang?” Nie Bonian asked brightly.
Nie Xueping looked toward the three Song brothers gathered together.
“Your Brother Yuzhang went inside to visit his good friend, Brother Meng,” Song Qiyuan replied.
Nie Bonian looked a little disappointed but quickly smiled again. “Thank you, Uncle Qiyuan.”
Uncle? Song Qiyuan thought. Why is Yuzhang ‘Brother’ and I ‘Uncle’?
“Eldest Brother, I want to go inside and have a look too,” Nie Qingyun suddenly said. She truly couldn’t stand the way Song Yekang was looking at her.
Nie Xueping tried to stop her with a glance, but she ignored it. Turning to Nie Bonian, she said, “Bonian, let me take you to see Brother Yuzhang and Brother Meng, okay?”
“Okay!”
Nie Xueping now looked at Nie Qingyun with subtle pressure in his eyes. “Don’t cause trouble.”
“I’m not,” she said, reaching for Nie Bonian. “Just showing some concern.”
“You don’t have to avoid me,” Song Yekang suddenly burst out. “Don’t worry—I won’t cling to you.”
“Second Brother!” Song Qiyuan grabbed his sleeve immediately.
“What?” Song Yekang was visibly upset. “What did I say that was wrong?”
Meng Sushan and Song Jincheng, who heard the noise in front, hurried back. Seeing Song Yekang’s head raised, Song Jincheng immediately realized his mind and shouted, “Second brother, what are you doing!”
“What am I doing?”
Song Yekang’s years of studying Buddhism were all in vain—he exclaimed emotionally, “What did I do? Why is it that all of you either pull me around or avoid me?” He turned to look at Nie Qingyun. “If you want to break up with me, I’ll accept it. But why do you have to act like I’m some kind of monster every time you see me?”
Nie Qingyun was angry too, but she knew a scene here would only bring shame. So she turned and walked away.
The moment she left, Song Yekang tried to follow. Song Qiyuan pulled him back, and Song Jincheng stepped in to help. Together, they wrestled him into the inner hall.
Meng Sushan, startled, quickly turned to Nie Xueping to apologize. He responded with equal grace, “A family matter. Sorry for the disturbance.”
Meng Sushan replied, “We didn’t plan well enough.”
She then called out, “Wan Lan, go and fetch Tingjing. Ask him to come out quickly.”
“Yes.”
“I'll go too.”
The usually quiet Song Mingzhao suddenly spoke.
Meng Sushan agreed right away. But once Song Mingzhao left with Wan Lan, she belatedly remembered that he and Meng Tingjing had once had a fight. Though no one ever figured out what the fight had been about, Song Yuzhang had definitely been involved.
Meng Sushan felt a dull ache forming at her temples. She couldn’t walk away now, so she braced herself and returned to Nie Xueping and his son. Having someone from outside—especially someone like Nie Xueping—around might keep Meng Tingjing in check. “Mr. Nie, since Bonian wants to see Yuzhang, why don't you take him along?”
Nie Bonian, watching the adults argue, had placed both hands on his father’s shoulders and stayed quiet. When he heard this, he turned to Nie Xueping. “Daddy, can I?”
It was Nie Qingyun’s first time at the Meng residence, and she quickly got lost. To her, all the pavilions and courtyards looked more or less the same. With so many guests today, most of the household staff had been dispatched elsewhere, and the inner courtyard was completely deserted. She couldn’t even find someone to ask for directions.
As she wandered, she grumbled internally: Song Yekang is a grown man already, how is he still so clingy and unable to let go?
Corridor after corridor twisted and turned. Nie Qingyun had no idea which courtyard she had ended up in. She heard movement inside, hurried in, and had just taken a few steps toward a round archway when she stopped— That sound… something’s not quite right?
Behind the wall were several diamond-shaped cutouts. Pressing her back against the wall, Nie Qingyun listened intently. From the breathing and the soft smacking sounds, she quickly deduced that two people were kissing.
They were likely right against the wall, and the passionate sounds filtered out clearly through the cutouts. Nie Qingyun couldn’t help but smirk inwardly. Which of the Meng family’s servants or maids was bold enough to sneak around like this at a funeral?
Not wanting to ruin anyone’s private moment, she tiptoed away, holding up her skirt as she retreated—only to run into Wan Lan, who was with Song Mingzhao. She was both relieved and embarrassed—relieved to see someone alive, embarrassed because one of them was Song Yekang’s brother.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Song Mingzhao said flatly. “I don’t care about you and him.”
Nie Qingyun laughed in relief. “Fourth Young Master Song, even if you wanted to care, could you?”
They had been schoolmates and often teased each other. But this time, Song Mingzhao didn’t smile. Instead, his expression was dark as he said to Wan Lan, “Let’s go.”
Wan Lan nodded. “Miss Nie, are you lost? You could come with us.”
Nie Qingyun broke into a bright smile. “Thank you, dear sister. You’re so clever—no wonder you're Miss Meng’s personal maid.”
The three of them made their way through the winding corridors. The farther they went, the more uneasy Nie Qingyun felt. Wait... isn’t this the same courtyard I just came from?
“Second Young Master.”
Wan Lan called out from a distance.
Nie Qingyun’s heart skipped a beat. Oh no… this is where Meng Tingjing lives? Then those two just now—how bold can you get? And in his courtyard, too?
Curiosity piqued, she followed Wan Lan into the courtyard, ready to find out who had been secretly making out.
Inside, Meng Tingjing was standing alone by the wall. Wan Lan said, “Second Young Master, Miss said the guests have all arrived. Please come out and greet them.”
“I know.”
“Where’s Xiao Yu?” Song Mingzhao scanned the courtyard and turned to Meng Tingjing.
Meng Tingjing’s face was calm and unreadable.
Irritation flared in Song Mingzhao’s chest. He barked, “I asked you where Xiao Yu is!”
Even Nie Qingyun flinched in surprise. She looked around, but the courtyard was empty. Not even a trace of the other kisser. Had they flown off in those few minutes?
“Fourth Brother.”
A voice came from inside. Song Yuzhang walked out, his face slightly flushed, wearing a faint smile. “I was borrowing the washroom in Brother Meng’s place. You were looking for me?”
Song Mingzhao said nothing. He strode forward, bypassed Meng Tingjing, and grabbed Song Yuzhang’s sleeve.
Still smiling, Song Yuzhang grasped his hand back. “Was it boring up front?”
Song Mingzhao’s eyes scanned Yuzhang’s face like a hawk, zeroing in on his lips.
…Nothing out of the ordinary.
“Let’s go. Second Brother’s in a bad mood,” Song Mingzhao muttered stiffly. “Go calm him down.”
As he led Yuzhang away, Nie Xueping entered with Nie Bonian in his arms.
“Brother Yuzhang—!”
Nie Bonian lit up when he saw him and reached out happily. Song Yuzhang quickly freed his hand from Song Mingzhao’s and took Nie Bonian in his arms.
His gaze met Nie Xueping’s briefly—calm and veiled with meaning.
Nie Xueping gave him a soft look with a touch of concern. Song Yuzhang returned a subtle smile.
After handing over Nie Bonian, Nie Xueping stepped up to greet Meng Tingjing. “Mr. Meng, my condolences.”
Meng Tingjing, expressionless, replied, “Thank you for your concern.”
Nie Bonian snuggled against Song Yuzhang, clearly content, then wrinkled his nose and said, “Brother Yuzhang, what’s that smell on you? It’s kinda weird.”
His clear voice shattered the tense atmosphere. Nie Qingyun walked over in her high heels, sniffed playfully near Song Yuzhang, and chimed in, “It’s incense ash.”
“Incense ash?”
“Yeah, the smell from burning incense sticks that snapped. Silly Bonian.”
She patted his head—then froze. It was still early in the day. The Song family had only just arrived, so how could Song Yuzhang already smell so strongly of incense ash? And given what she’d overheard just now…
As her mind ran wild, Song Mingzhao suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Song Yuzhang’s collar, sniffing him furiously. Startled, Nie Bonian whimpered in Song Yuzhang’s arms. Song Yuzhang immediately stepped back half a pace, shielding him. “Fourth Brother!”
Nie Xueping also turned, saw the commotion, and walked over with a frown.
“Why do you smell so much like incense ash!” Song Mingzhao suddenly roared, pointing at Song Yuzhang. His voice trembled with fury and disbelief. “I knew you were messing around with him!”
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