Chapter 135: He was quite keen on hearing Brother Li and Brother Yun call him elder brother.

The Song family gathered together, and every misunderstanding was laid out clearly. Feeling a weight lifted from her heart, Madam Song smiled and instructed the kitchen to prepare the dishes Song Sheng loved. For the past few years, Song Sheng had been distant from his family, maintaining almost no contact.

Song Rong looked at Song Sheng with trepidation, and Song Sheng gave him a slight nod.

"Brother... I'm sorry."

Master Song thought to himself: *When this younger son speaks to me, he insists he’s right even when he’s wrong, yet he apologizes to his brother without a second thought.*

"It wasn't entirely your fault," Song Sheng replied calmly.

Now that everything had been voiced, he could let it go. Misunderstandings had indeed occurred, but he had grown up since then.

Master Song then asked, "Qianhe, if you hadn't come back, your mother was ready to go to Wenzhou to find you."

Song Rong nodded in agreement. "I'm just glad Brother thought it through and came back to clear the air."

Madam Song asked anxiously, "Qianhe, did something happen to you in Wenzhou?" Otherwise, why would he suddenly choose to return and resolve things after so many years of silence?

"No, it’s just that I met two good friends who persuaded me to come back and speak with you," Song Sheng said, the corners of his mouth curling up at the mention of them.

If not for Brother Li and Brother Yun urging him, he didn't know how much longer he would have kept these feelings bottled up or how much longer he would have struggled.

Song Rong asked curiously, "Did you make friends at the academy, Brother? What kind of people are they?" He was very curious about Song Sheng's life.

"You know one of them—Yun Qin, from the Yun family in the capital. The other is named Li Su. He is equally outstanding; both his character and his scholarship are exemplary." Song Sheng’s eyes were full of admiration when he spoke of his two friends.

He chose not to tell his parents about Li Su’s master or his foster father, fearing it might bring trouble to Li Su.

Madam Song and Master Song exchanged a look, silently noting down Li Su’s name, determined to show their gratitude. They decided to visit the Yun family in a few days to properly express their thanks.

"Qianhe really has changed since coming back. He’s a bit more talkative, which is lovely."

Song Sheng nodded slightly. "Being with them, it just happens naturally." His pace of speech had also quickened. When Brother Li and Brother Yun debated, their words flowed with wit and speed; if you had something to say but were too slow, they might have already moved on to a different topic.

Song Sheng shared a meal with his family, who filled his bowl until it was overflowing with food. After dinner, Master Song called him into the study.

"Qianhe, you know about the Wang family, don't you? How did you get along with Wang Tao when you were at the academy?"

"We... we didn't see eye to eye, but he didn't dare do anything to me."

Master Song’s eyes widened. "Did he bully you at the academy?" Had he known sooner—and had the Wang family not already fallen—he would have gone to their doorstep to settle the score.

"He didn't lay a hand on me; he simply forbade the other students from getting close to me." Back then, he hadn't cared, though as Brother Li would put it, he had simply been closing himself off.

Master Song silently cursed the Wang family’s ancestors down to the eighteenth generation.

"As for the Wang family, I know what happened. They deserved it." Given what Wang Tao had done, he had earned his fate many times over.

Hearing this, Master Song sensed that his son knew something, and his curiosity was piqued. The high officials and nobles in the capital were all speculating about the Wang family’s downfall, and those who had been close to them were terrified of being implicated. Yet, there was no concrete answer, and the parties behind it hadn't targeted anyone else.

"Qianhe, do you know something?"

Song Sheng nodded. "Wang Tao offended someone he shouldn't have." He had offended Brother Li—a solid rock indeed.

"Who?" Master Song’s curiosity reached its peak.

"I cannot say."

Master Song felt as if his heart were being clawed at; it was the feeling of a story being cut off right in the middle. However, the one standing before him was his eldest son, and he could not bring himself to speak harshly or force him.

"It seems Mingyue Academy is truly full of hidden talents." The Wang family had vanished overnight; what kind of power must be behind such a feat?

Master Song said sternly, "Qianhe, even if there are many students with powerful backgrounds at the academy, you don't need to endure it if they bully you."

"While I do not care to invite trouble, I am not afraid of it either."

Master Song had spent these years tempering his own personality, solely out of fear that making too many enemies would harm his family. But neglecting his child’s well-being for the sake of caution was counterproductive. The Song family was not like the Wangs; they did not have so many skeletons in their closet.

"The students at the academy are actually quite good."

Master Song nodded. "Qianhe, are you returning to Mingyue Academy? Why not study at an academy here in the capital?"

Song Sheng refused decisively. "I am going back."

Master Song thought of the two friends Song Sheng had mentioned. It made sense; Qianhe had no friends in the capital and couldn't bear to leave those two behind. Though the misunderstandings were cleared, Qianhe hadn't shown signs of becoming deeply intimate with his family yet; it was more like he had found peace.

*Ice three feet thick is not formed in a single day.*

Master Song felt a tug in his heart. "Very well, I won't try to persuade you otherwise."

"If that Yun boy and Li Su come to the capital for the imperial examinations next year, you may invite them to our home as guests." He was genuinely grateful to them.

Qianhe might not be close to them yet, but at least he no longer pushed them away, which was a start. Moreover, Qianhe’s current state was much improved, all thanks to them. He believed that being with Li Su and Yun Qin would make his son happier.

"You must be tired. Go back to your room and rest."

As Song Sheng left the study, he ran into Song Rong, who didn't look like he had just happened to be passing by; it looked as if he had been waiting.

"Brother, you’re finally out!" Father was always so long-winded.

"What is it?"

Song Rong said sheepishly, "I wanted to hear about your life at the academy."

Song Sheng looked at him. He hadn't truly looked at his younger brother in a long time. He remembered Song Rong as a chubby, round little toddler. Now, at twelve, he had shot up. "Come with me."

When Brother Li spoke of his home, his eyes were full of warmth; he would share the small, cozy details of his family life, which made both him and Brother Yun envious. If he and his brother hadn't met under such strained circumstances, perhaps he would have doted on this brother eight years his junior.

Alas, fate had played a trick on them.

When Song Sheng spoke to him, Song Rong was overjoyed. He had expected his brother to ignore him, and in his heart, he was leaping with excitement.

Song Rong followed Song Sheng to his room as he had hoped. As Song Sheng spoke of the academy, his narrative was so vivid and engaging that it felt like listening to a story. Song Rong found himself feeling a bit jealous of the two friends, Li Su and Yun Qin.

"Brother, are they about your age?"

Song Sheng paused. Come to think of it, Brother Li and Brother Yun were both younger than him; they were only fifteen or sixteen.

"They are a few years younger than me, but more often than not, it is they who look after me." Song Sheng couldn't help but reflect on himself.

Song Rong grew even more jealous. "Do they call you 'Brother'?"

"No." He actually quite wanted to hear Brother Li and Brother Yun call him 'Brother.' He was the elder, after all—surely that was acceptable?

Back at the academy, Li Su and Yun Qin both sneezed in unison.