Chapter 85 Reunion

Chapter 85: Reunion

Even if Meng Wan didn't mind, Song Tingzhou felt he still smelled. He first went to tell Chang Jinhua that he had returned safely. Bi Yun, perceptive, boiled two pots of hot water for the two weary travelers to wash up and change clothes before the family finally sat down to talk.

"This time, thanks to Brother Zhu's family background, everything went smoothly. After attending the Luming Banquet, I stayed on in Fengtian for a few extra days to participate in two poetry gatherings before heading back."

Actually, Zhu Zening wanted to stay a few more days, but Song Tingzhou, homesick, urged him daily, so they set off early and returned to Changping.

"It's fine to stay a bit longer, as long as you come back safely."

Chang Jinhua was overjoyed to see her son home safely. Ignoring the heavy rain outside, she insisted on taking Bi Yun out to buy groceries.

Meng Wan stopped her. "It's still early, and they must be hungry. Why not just roll out some noodles and cook them?"

Hearing this, Chang Jinhua went to the kitchen to prepare noodles, and Bi Yun, uneasy at meeting the master of the house for the first time, followed to help.

The young couple returned to their room. With the rain outside blocking any disturbance, as soon as Meng Wan entered, Song Tingzhou pressed him onto the couch and kissed him thoroughly.

After a while, Meng Wan pushed him away. They still had to go out for a meal later, and if they kept kissing, he would lose control too.

Song Tingzhou held him in his arms to steady his breathing. "You ordered a soft couch? Not bad."

The bedroom was large, so it felt empty, so a screen separated the kang from the soft couch, and the screen could also serve as a clothes rack.

Meng Wan closed his eyes and panted lightly, his lips glistening. "I ordered it from the carpenter. I told him our family members are tall, so I asked him to make it bigger."

Feeling his hot hand roam over him again, Meng Wan opened his eyes and sat up quickly. "Noodles cook fast. I'll go check first."

Song Tingzhou reached out but didn't even catch a corner of his sleeve.

Meng Wan washed his face to refresh himself. The rain outside was still heavy. Fortunately, Song Tingzhou had made it back today, or the roads tomorrow would have been difficult.

He grabbed an umbrella and headed to the kitchen. Chang Jinhua was putting noodles into the pot. "Why did you come in? I'm almost done here. Go and keep Da Lang company for a while."

Meng Wan thought: There's a big wolf in the room; if I go in, I'll get eaten.

"I was worried you might need help. Since the noodles are done, I'll go sort out the luggage from the cart."

Chang Jinhua laughed at him. "By the time you thought of it, we'd already finished. Xue Sheng unloaded everything in the west wing, and Bi Yun is organizing it inside."

"Then I'll go take a look too."

Meng Wan went to the east wing to help Bi Yun sort through the luggage. Traveling made it inconvenient to wash clothes, so most items were dirty, separated by type and placed in the side room to be washed and dried when the weather improved.

"What's this bundle?" Meng Wan picked up a rather heavy package.

Bi Yun said, "It seems to be the master's things. I glanced at it but didn't dare open it."

Like Chang Jinhua, Song Tingzhou had a stern expression. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, giving off an imposing aura. Ordinary people dared not approach him easily, so Bi Yun had been a bit afraid of him since their first meeting.

Meng Wan carried the bundle back to their room. Song Tingzhou followed him out, carrying a box of books from the luggage into the study.

Chang Jinhua called them to come eat. Meng Wan and Bi Yun went out to wash their hands. Bi Yun brought a large pot of noodles to the eight-immortal table in the main hall. Meng Wan followed with bowls, chopsticks, and side dishes, while Chang Jinhua gave her son a small separate bowl.

A small half-pot of noodles was left in the kitchen. Bi Yun and Xue Sheng said they would eat in the kitchen. Meng Wan agreed; he could see Bi Yun felt uncomfortable, and in the future, they might buy more servants, so it was good to establish some rules.

Chang Jinhua ate two small bowls of noodles and then set down her chopsticks. "Tomorrow, I'll take Bi Yun out early to check the nearby market. If the prices are too high, we'll go further to the northwest morning market and also visit Chunfang."

Now that the family no longer ran a shop, Chang Jinhua was bored at home, and Meng Wan encouraged her to get out during the day. "If you want to buy a lot of things, have Xue Sheng drive the cart."

Chang Jinhua: "That's not necessary. There's no rush; we'll just stroll."

After the meal, the rain still hadn't stopped, as if it would rain all day.

Meng Wan didn't let Chang Jinhua do anything; he cleaned up the dishes himself and went to the kitchen. When he returned to the room, Song Tingzhou had already washed up and was in the study organizing the books he brought from Fengtian.

Meng Wan had gotten wet in the rain during the day. After brushing his teeth, he came in and pulled out the bath tub. Song Tingzhou heard the noise, came out of the study, and asked, "Washing now?"

Meng Wan pretended not to understand. "I got wet in the rain; I need to wash my hair."

"Then I'll go fetch the water from the kitchen." Song Tingzhou went to the kitchen, drew Meng Wan's bathwater, and hurried back to the study, busy with something.

Meng Wan undressed behind the screen and took a comfortable bath. He changed into clean undergarments and went to find Song Tingzhou. "Still busy?"

The study was lit by an oil lamp. Song Tingzhou was carefully organizing books by category. Hearing Meng Wan's voice, he opened the bundle placed aside.

"Wan'er, come here. I found something for you in Fengtian."

Meng Wan obediently walked over. Song Tingzhou embraced him from behind, his gaze fixed on Meng Wan's profile.

The cloth bundle was tied tightly. Meng Wan struggled to open it and saw an inkstone, brushes, calligraphy copybooks, a package that seemed to contain tea, and two wooden boxes of different materials.

Goodness, everyone else went to Fengtian to prepare for exams; Song Tingzhou went on a shopping spree, didn't he?

Song Tingzhou finally moved his hand from Meng Wan's waist. Still half-embracing him, he opened one wooden box first. Inside was a pure white, flawless jade, the size of a baby's fist, a common round shape, with two fish carved in relief.

"I don't know much about this. Brother Zhu helped me select the jade, and I had a craftsman carve it. Double fish symbolize marital harmony and togetherness."

Not bad.

Meng Wan pressed the jade to his chest. He liked this gift. Tomorrow he'd ask Bi Yun if she could make a silk cord; he'd wear it on his belt.

"And what is this?" Meng Wan pointed to the remaining box.

Song Tingzhou's gaze followed his fair fingers, and thinking of the box's contents, his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. He pressed his hot lips to the delicate nape of Meng Wan's neck, sucking firmly. "Pick it up."

Meng Wan shivered and instinctively picked up the box.

Song Tingzhou lifted Meng Wan and walked toward the inner room, his voice low and husky. "I'll show you later."

A wooden door blocked the pouring rain outside, but the room was not quiet. Raindrops pounded the bluestone slabs, producing a rhythmic "patter-patter" sound, sometimes gentle, sometimes abruptly forceful.

Endless rain poured from the sky, and the drainage outlet in the yard was so small, could it really drain the accumulated water smoothly?

But in the thick clouds, muffled thunder rumbled endlessly, ignoring the already torrential downpour, rolling in with such force that it made the windows hum.

The rain, accompanied by thunderclaps like drumbeats, poured down—

Continuous and unceasing.

This sudden storm began to subside only in the dead of night.

...

The first thing Meng Wan did when he woke up, before even opening his eyes, was to check if his lower body was still attached. In short, he felt nothing at all—completely numb.

"Song... cough... Song Tingzhou." He cleared his throat mid-call; his throat was on fire.

"I'm here, do you want water?"

Song Tingzhou was reading on the soft couch. Hearing the commotion, he quickly put down the book and poured a cup of tea to bring in.

Meng Wan gulped down the tea, held out the cup, and said hoarsely, "More."

Song Tingzhou couldn't help but laugh, earning a glare from the man in the bed, before he got up again to pour Meng Wan another cup of tea.

Once Meng Wan's thirst was quenched, Song Tingzhou put the cup away and asked him, "Hungry? There's food left in the kitchen."

Meng Wan flopped back onto the bed, irritated. "I don't want to eat!"

"Wan'er, you seem... thinner," Song Tingzhou said, sitting beside him, his voice laced with tenderness.

At those words, Meng Wan seemed to snap out of the haze caused by Song Tingzhou's return. He had come back? Throwing off the covers, ignoring his aching body, he crawled into Song Tingzhou's arms and said pitifully, "Song Tingzhou, I missed you so much. I don't want to be apart from you for this long again."

He had thought it wouldn't matter, but he hadn't expected to miss him so much—miss him until his heart ached.

Song Tingzhou tightened his arms around Meng Wan, lowered his head, pressed his cheek against his, and pecked his slightly swollen lips. "Alright, we won't be apart again."

When Bi Yun returned from grocery shopping with Chang Jinhua, finding the house unusually quiet, she wondered: Why hasn't the young master gotten up yet today? She glanced furtively at Chang Jinhua's expression, worried that Chang Jinhua might think her daughter-in-law was lazy and be displeased. In the old days before her family fell from grace, her father was a seventh-rank local official, and there were household rules; her mother had always been cautious in front of her grandmother.

"I'll go check on the young master. Maybe he's feeling unwell today."

Chang Jinhua took hold of Bi Yun's arm. "He's uncomfortable, let him rest. We'll make an early lunch so he won't go hungry when he gets up."

Bi Yun paused. "Ah? Oh, okay. I'll go get the kitchen ready now."

Chang Jinhua had bought two baskets of vegetables and meat, both baskets were quite full.

"Xue Sheng, come here." Xue Sheng had just come out from feeding the horse in the backyard when Chang Jinhua called him over to help.

She pulled a pork knuckle out of the basket and handed it to him. "Take this to singe off the hairs on the rind, then rinse it clean at the well."

After Xue Sheng took the knuckle, Chang Jinhua continued pulling out more items, instructing Bi Yun, "First, braise the pork knuckle on the stove. The fish can wait until later. Wash and prep the other vegetables for use."

Bi Yun had learned some cooking at home before, but it was more for show; the actual work was done by servants. After being bought into the Song family, she had to start learning everything anew. Fortunately, she wasn't stupid. For simple stir-fries, she could manage on her own, though complicated dishes still needed Meng Wan or Chang Jinhua.

But since Song Tingzhou had just returned, Chang Jinhua naturally wanted to prepare a feast for her son personally. Bi Yun only assisted on the side.

"Lucky we get to eat well today—buying so many dishes!" Meng Wan wandered into the kitchen.

Chang Jinhua shooed him away. "I'm cooking today. Just wait and eat. If you're hungry, there are pastries and snacks in the main hall. Help yourself."

Meng Wan had indeed come out looking for food. He chuckled. "Then I'll just wait to eat whatever Mother makes today."

"Wan'er?" Song Tingzhou came looking for him.

Meng Wan replied, "Coming, coming!" He ran back to Song Tingzhou.

"Mother made a lot of dishes today."

"Those steamed cakes I bought the day before yesterday—they have hawthorn filling. Want some?"

Meng Wan was unusually talkative, chattering on and on, with only occasional low responses from Song Tingzhou.

In the afternoon, the Song family's meal was prepared early. Bi Yun first set out the bowls, chopsticks, and rice, then brought the pork knuckle that had been stewing on the stove all afternoon, the skin and meat nearly falling off the bone, to the cutting board. Following Chang Jinhua's instructions, she cut it into pieces, arranged them on a plate, and carried it to the octagonal table in the main hall.

Meng Wan hadn't eaten a proper meal all day and was drooling at the aroma of the knuckle. He also went to the kitchen to help bring dishes out.

Chang Jinhua's spatula flew quickly. With Meng Wan helping to bring dishes, Bi Yun started serving the fish. One by one, home-style dishes were set on the table: roasted chicken from the Changbei restaurant, braised pork belly, stir-fried potato slices, braised eggplant, cold cucumber salad, and winter melon egg soup—six dishes and two stews, filling the octagonal table in the main hall to the brim.

Except for the fish, which was left whole and not cut, every dish had portions set aside for Xue Sheng and Bi Yun.

Meng Wan first served a bowl of rice to Chang Jinhua, then one for himself and Song Tingzhou.

"Eat quickly, try the braised knuckle I made." Chang Jinhua urged them to eat. They had also prepared Song Tingzhou's special large bowl at home, since he ate a lot, and it was troublesome to refill his bowl repeatedly.

Meng Wan had a big appetite and ate three bowls of rice—rare for him. Chang Jinhua still had two small bowls.

Song Tingzhou was the one who ate the leftovers, but today there was so much food that, unusually, two dishes were left over.

After the meal, without calling Bi Yun, Meng Wan and Song Tingzhou carried the bowls, chopsticks, and plates back to the kitchen. It was fine for Meng Wan and Chang Jinhua to do the work themselves, since the household had few servants, but seeing the master of the house also working made Bi Yun both surprised and nervous.

"Master Song, Master Meng, let me clean up."

There were seven dishes on the kitchen square table. Xue Sheng had already finished eating and gone to practice martial arts—morning and evening practice had become a habit over the years. Bi Yun was eating slowly, still with half a bowl of rice left.

Meng Wan stopped her. "No need, no need. We've already gathered everything and brought it here. You can wash the dishes after you finish eating. Don't rush—take your time. There's no one else around anyway."

Bi Yun blushed, but more than embarrassment, she felt touched. She was fortunate to have ended up with a good family. She wondered how her sister and brother were doing. Once she had saved up enough of her monthly wages, she wanted to ask the young master for two days off to find them.

At night, Meng Wan lay facedown on the quilt while Song Tingzhou massaged his lower back. Suddenly, Meng Wan remembered something and pulled a small bottle from under his pillow.

"Spill it, where did this come from?"

Song Tingzhou didn't stop his movements, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "I bought it at a perfume shop in Fengtian."

"Ahem... how did you know about this stuff?"

Meng Wan turned his head suspiciously to look at him. "You didn't visit some brothel, did you?"

Song Tingzhou's expression remained calm. He admitted frankly, "Someone did invite me, but I didn't go. It was Zhu Zening who told me."

What glory it was to pass the provincial examination! Out of the hundred or so successful candidates, who could claim they weren't filled with pride and complacency? Some, keen on networking, saw this group as valuable connections, hoping one day someone would enter officialdom. They took turns hosting poetry gatherings, though few actually focused on literary study. Most used the opportunity to probe into family backgrounds and character, and some even sought matches for their sisters or daughters. After two such events, Song Tingzhou stopped attending, no matter how others urged him.

Wu Zhaoyuan had even less patience for socializing. When Song Tingzhou didn't go, he also stopped. Only Zhu Zening, young and fond of excitement, kept going.

Once, Zhu Zening returned and told them that those people, though appearing proper on the surface, were actually more debauched than anyone. The rest of what Song Tingzhou heard was too filthy for his ears, but this ointment stayed in his mind. He went to a perfume shop, asked, and sure enough, they had it, so he bought a box—two silver taels for just that one box.

Meng Wan picked up the box, looked at it, and the more he looked at it, the hotter it felt in his hands. He tossed it to Song Tingzhou. That shameless guy even had the nerve to ask him if it worked well.

Meng Wan was speechless for a long moment before saying, "Next time, check the perfume shops in our Changping to see if they sell it."