AVRL 43

Whether on the other end of the phone or beside Meng Chi, everything was quiet, so Meng Chi did not miss that unfamiliar voice calling out “Tingzhi,” nor did he miss the name Yu Tingzhi uttered in confusion.

Song Chen.

This unfamiliar given name paired with the familiar surname—in the flash of a thought, Meng Chi recalled Song Min’s older brother who was abroad.

Holding the phone, Meng Chi lifted his eyes and saw Yang Youran, who had just finished her call, standing with her arms crossed and sizing him up.

“I’m going to eat, so I’ll stop talking for now.”

Hearing Yu Tingzhi’s affirmative response, Meng Chi hung up the phone.

Yang Youran walked over and sat opposite him: “Are you dating someone?”

Meng Chi’s hand holding the chopsticks paused as he denied: “No.”

Yang Youran: “Then you like him but haven’t caught him yet?”

“…Not exactly that either.” Meng Chi thought about it—his relationship with Yu Tingzhi really was hard to define.

“Hmm?” Hearing this, Yang Youran lifted her eyes. Her round almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of danger. “Then you’re just sleeping with him? Are you toying with him?!”

Although Yang Youran had a baby face and looked sweet and cute, Meng Chi, who had known this older sister for seven years, knew just how fiery her temper was—a complete runaway loli.

Hearing that tone, Meng Chi tensed up almost subconsciously: “I’m not, I didn’t, you’re overthinking it.”

Yang Youran looked at him quietly, then grinned: “If you dare to be a scumbag, I don’t mind eliminating a public menace for the people.”

Meng Chi: “…”

Didn’t you just hear me say I’d take responsibility?

“Sister Ran, am I that kind of person?” Meng Chi asked helplessly in return.

Yang Youran gave a cold snort, stuffed a big mouthful of rice, then started gossiping again: “What does he look like? Is he handsome?”

Hearing that last “is he handsome,” the rice Meng Chi had just put in his mouth nearly stuck in his throat. He stared blankly at Yang Youran.

“Aren’t you gay?” Yang Youran asked calmly.

Meng Chi swallowed the rice in his mouth, glanced in the direction of the hospital bed, and cleared his throat: “How did you know?”

Yang Youran: “Oh, my manager just said so.”

“Ah?”

“He’s also gay. He said the moment he saw you he was attracted to you, so he concluded you must be too.” Yang Youran bit her spoon and clicked her tongue. “Old Zhu doesn’t look reliable, but he’s pretty accurate at reading people.”

“…”

Meng Chi thought to himself, Am I that obviously gay?

Yang Youran glanced at Meng Chi and added: “If Old Zhu comes looking for you, don’t pay him any attention. He’s always flirting around—not a good person.”

Meng Chi: “…”

“No, Sister Ran, he’s your manager after all. Isn’t it bad for you to say that about him?” Meng Chi said, half laughing and half crying.

Yang Youran gave a cold laugh: “What’s bad about it? I’m a marginal, second-tier celebrity; he’s a bottom-rung wage slave. Neither of us should look down on the other.”

“…”

Meng Chi shook his head with a rueful smile and said: “The rap circle isn’t that easy to survive in, is it?”

“It’s okay. At least I still get invitations to a few music festivals—won’t starve to death.” Having eaten her fill, Yang Youran stretched. “Alright, I’m going back to the hotel to change clothes before coming again, otherwise the old man will start nagging me once he wakes up.”

Meng Chi nodded. When he saw her to the door he still couldn’t help asking one more question: “Are you really staying at a hotel? Not going back home? Your room has always been kept clean by Master’s wife.”

Yang Youran’s footsteps paused. After a moment of silence she turned back to Meng Chi and said: “No. Back then I already threw out those harsh words. If I go back now without having made anything of myself, how embarrassing would that be?”

Meng Chi said nothing more. He watched her walk away, then turned and returned to the ward only to see Yang Zhengfeng lying on the bed with his eyes open, staring at the ceiling.

“Master, you’re awake,” Meng Chi quickly walked over.

Yang Zhengfeng turned his head and glanced at him, asking coolly: “Everyone’s gone?”

“Mm.” Meng Chi nodded. “Master’s wife didn’t sleep well last night, so I told her to go back and rest first. Yang Zile also went back to class. Sister Ran just left—she’ll be back in a bit.”

Yang Zhengfeng gave a cool “oh.” Seeing the layer of exhaustion floating in Meng Chi’s eyes as well: “Why don’t you leave?”

Meng Chi heard a bit of displeasure in his tone. He poured a cup of warm water and handed it over: “I’m not leaving. I have to take this opportunity to properly fulfill my filial duties and make you stop being angry.”

Yang Zhengfeng shot him a sideways glance, took the cup, drank a sip of water, and when he spoke again his tone had softened a lot: “Have you been to see your grandmaster?”

Meng Chi relaxed and laughed: “I have. Grandmaster has recently become obsessed with playing chess and has also taken up calligraphy. He said we shouldn’t buy couplets for next year’s New Year—he’ll write them.”

Yang Zhengfeng’s mouth corners lifted slightly as he nodded.

“Grandmaster also gave me two canisters of tea he made to bring back, but I forgot to take them,” Meng Chi said with a dry laugh, rubbing his nose.

Yang Zhengfeng: “As long as you didn’t forget yourself, it’s fine.”

Meng Chi immediately broke into a smile. Hearing this joke, he knew his master was no longer angry.

Yang Zhengfeng couldn’t stand staying in the hospital for even two days and clamored to be discharged. With a pair of rebellious children like Yang Zile and Yang Youran, it was clear that Yang Zhengfeng’s own temperament was also stubborn. Meng Chi and Master’s wife tried to persuade him together but couldn’t move him. In the end it was Yang Youran who waved her hand grandly and paid another three days’ hospitalization fees, telling him the money couldn’t be refunded—either continue staying or waste the money. This so enraged Old Yang that he cursed her as a spendthrift while pinching his nose and continuing to stay.

Yang Youran’s schedule had been quite empty recently. She hadn’t returned to Zewu for a long time, so she wasn’t in a hurry to leave. Every day she and Meng Chi took turns reporting to the hospital. If Yang Youran was responsible for angering Old Yang, then Meng Chi was responsible for coaxing him. He even brought a set of tea utensils so Yang Zhengfeng could satisfy his craving in the ward, and in the end managed to max out the favorability meter.

The kiss marks on Meng Chi’s neck were a bit hard to fade. With the temperature rising higher and higher, wearing a scarf every day was inappropriate, so he covered them with band-aids. When Yang Zhengfeng noticed, he even expressed some concern. Meng Chi could only say he had been bitten by insects.

There were many mosquitoes in the countryside, so Yang Zhengfeng didn’t suspect anything. But Chen Yan saw through it at a glance.

Meng Chi had just finished replacing a peeling band-aid in the bathroom when he ran into Chen Yan coming out of a stall.

“What are you doing here? Weren’t you in Xichi?” Chen Yan asked in surprise.

Meng Chi explained about his master’s car accident, then asked what Chen Yan was doing there.

“A friend had acute appendicitis. I came to visit,” Chen Yan said.

Meng Chi nodded. Chen Yan didn’t say who it was, and he didn’t ask further.

“Looks like the taste of Teacher Yu, that heavenly dish, is really not bad,” seeing the marks on Meng Chi’s neck, Chen Yan laughed lewdly and murmured in a low voice, “Enough to make our wild top bottom again and again.”

Meng Chi: “…”

“How many times in one night? How long each time?” Chen Yan asked again.

Meng Chi looked at him speechlessly: “How come I never noticed you were this gossipy before?”

Chen Yan clicked his tongue and said: “Depends on the person. After all, it’s a heavenly dish. I can’t eat it myself—can’t I at least listen to the fun?”

Meng Chi tugged at the corners of his mouth in a smile that didn’t reach his eyes: “No.”

Chen Yan cursed “damn”: “You’re already guarding your food?”

Meng Chi neither confirmed nor denied. He washed his hands and walked out: “This is private, okay?”

Chen Yan stroked his chin, narrowed his eyes as he sized up Meng Chi. After a moment he suddenly draped an arm around Meng Chi’s neck and lowered his voice to ask: “You haven’t gotten serious with Teacher Yu, have you?”

“…No.”

At least not yet.

“That’s more like it.” Hearing this, Chen Yan breathed a sigh of relief and released him.

Meng Chi’s brows furrowed slightly as he looked at him and asked: “What do you mean?”

Chen Yan widened his eyes: “If you two got together, wouldn’t that make you my teacher’s wife?!”

Meng Chi: “…”

This reason was rather unexpected to him.

“It’s not like we’re getting married. You’re overthinking it.”

At those words Chen Yan stopped in his tracks, one brow arched, his sharp gaze fixed tightly on Meng Chi.

“What are you up to now?” Meng Chi asked suspiciously.

===Chapter 39===

“You’re not right,” Chen Yan declared. “You’ve fallen for him, Meng Chi.”

Meng Chi: “…”

There was no need for Meng Chi to refute or admit it—Chen Yan had already confirmed the answer. He looked at Meng Chi and clicked his tongue: “Makes sense. A heavenly dish like Teacher Yu is really hard not to fall for.”

Before Meng Chi could speak, Chen Yan’s phone rang. He answered, said a few words, then parted ways with Meng Chi. Before leaving he turned back to glance at Meng Chi once more and said with some earnestness: “Until you’re sure whether he’s serious, I think it’s better if you don’t get too serious either.”

Meng Chi gave a low laugh: “Got it.”

Although Meng Chi looked like a dissolute playboy who could walk through a forest of flowers without a single leaf sticking to him, in reality he treated feelings quite seriously. He didn’t casually date or mess around—otherwise he wouldn’t have chosen to draw a clear line with Yu Tingzhi after that first accidental encounter.

Falling for Yu Tingzhi seemed inevitable. The moment he decided to stay that night, the seed of attraction had been planted. In the successive probes and approaches afterward, that seed began to take root and sprout.

Meng Chi accepted it well and was also looking forward to it blooming and bearing fruit.

In these few days back in Zewu, Meng Chi ran between the shop and the hospital. Yu Tingzhi was also taking his students into the mountains for life drawing, so the two of them didn’t contact each other much.

The day before Yang Zhengfeng was discharged, Yu Tingzhi called Meng Chi and asked if his master was about to be discharged.

“Yeah. If he doesn’t leave the hospital soon, he’s going to turn the ward into a tea room,” Meng Chi said.

Yu Tingzhi laughed and asked again: “Then what about you? When are you coming back to Xichi?”

“Me?” Meng Chi thought for a moment and then said, “Probably not going. The spring tea has already wrapped up, and the shop isn’t short of stock for the time being.”

“Then your luggage…”

“I asked Chen Yan to help pack it and bring it back,” Meng Chi said. “No need to worry about that.”

The day after they ran into each other at the hospital, Chen Yan had suddenly gone to Xichi. Meng Chi had heard him say he had a new flame drawing from life there, so he didn’t find it strange.

Yu Tingzhi gave an “mm” and said nothing more.

Meng Chi, however, suddenly detected a bit of low spirits. He laughed softly: “Is your life-drawing session about to end too?”

“Mm,” Yu Tingzhi said. “It ends tomorrow, but the students really want to visit the tea-offering ceremony here, so we’re staying a couple more days.”

As the name suggested, the tea-offering ceremony was a sacrificial ritual related to tea. Xichi, known as the hometown of green tea, had a profound tea culture, so many customs and habits related to tea had been preserved. The tea-offering ceremony was one of them.

At the end of every April a grand tea-offering ceremony was held. The contents included twelve agenda items: standing in solemn silence, firing cannons, presenting tribute offerings, offering incense, beating drums and striking bells, playing music, presenting tea, offering tea, respectfully reading the sacrificial text, performing rituals, presenting the sacrificial dance, and completing the rites. Afterward there was also a market-like tea exhibition in which almost the entire population participated.

The tea-offering ceremony had continued for a thousand years. It was a precious cultural heritage and spiritual wealth, and also the grandest event of the year in Xichi.

In previous years Meng Chi had always participated. This year he hadn’t been able to go, yet he didn’t feel regretful. He only said: “Then you’ll be back in just a few days too.”

Perhaps the implication in those words pleased Yu Tingzhi. Yu Tingzhi laughed once: “Mm.”

After hanging up the phone, Meng Chi went to take a shower. He had just finished drying his hair and lay down on the bed when he received a WeChat message from Chen Yan.

【[Image]】

【Bro, your love rival has appeared】

This photo had been posted by Song Min on Moments. In it were Song Min, Yu Tingzhi, and an unfamiliar man.

The man’s appearance bore a three-tenths resemblance to Song Min. Meng Chi had seen him before and knew this man was most likely Song Min’s older brother—Song Chen.

Song Chen’s features leaned more toward delicate and refined, with a gentle, scholarly air like warm jade. When he smiled looking at Yu Tingzhi, he appeared extremely tender.

Meng Chi exited the photo view. Seeing the sentence below, he replied: 【He doesn’t have that kind of interest in Song Min】.

Chen Yan replied almost instantly.

【???】

【What does this have to do with Song Min?】

Meng Chi also sent a question mark back. Then Chen Yan sent a voice message: “I’m talking about his older brother. You don’t know, do you? His older brother is Teacher Yu’s ex-boyfriend!”

Meng Chi was stunned. He indeed hadn’t known about this layer of relationship. Thinking of the way Song Chen had looked at Yu Tingzhi in the photo, Meng Chi didn’t doubt the accuracy of Chen Yan’s information in the slightest.

【Looks like he just came back from abroad. The moment he returned he came looking for Teacher Yu. Do you think he’s here to get back together with Teacher Yu?】

Looking at these few lines, Meng Chi’s mood suddenly grew a bit complicated. After pondering for a moment, he typed four words in reply.

【I know】

Chen Yan: 【???】

【And then?】

After about two minutes, Meng Chi replied again—

【You don’t need to help me pack the luggage. I’ll go get it myself.】

Author’s note:

①: Standing in solemn silence, firing cannons, presenting tribute offerings, offering incense, beating drums and striking bells, playing music, presenting tea, offering tea, respectfully reading the sacrificial text, performing rituals, presenting the sacrificial dance, completing the rites, and so on—these twelve agenda items are the content of the Xinchang tea-offering ceremony, adapted and used here.