Chapter Text
Chapter Four: Confrontation over a Bowl of Rice
Lan Wangji looked down at Wei Ying. Today had been an exciting day. He roused Wei Ying early in the morning and proceeded to take him to the festival in the nearby town. Wei Ying’s smile had been unrestrained and free of doubt. It helped soothe Lan Wangji’s worry, especially after what had happened earlier in the week.
Wei Ying was searching for the best stones to skip into the river. Lan Wangji used this time to practice his playing, refusing to let time displacement decay his skills. As Wei Ying looked around, Lan Wangji heard a terribly loud growl come from Wei Ying. They had just eaten earlier.
Lan Wangji had eaten one bowl of rice and some wild greens, while Wei Ying had only eaten the rice. Lan Wangji had offered to make him more, but Wei Ying had refused, saying he was too full. Lan Wangji knew he was a growing boy, but after not having steady meals for some time, he knew it would take time for his young charges appetite to adjust. It didn’t stop him from being concerned.
“Wei Ying, are you hungry?” Lan Wangji moved his full attention to his young ward.
Wei Ying smiled bashfully, glancing down at the rocks and refusing to meet Lan Wangji’s gaze.
“Teacher Wangji, I’m not hungry. Not really. We just had that big breakfast, how could I be hungry again?” Wei Ying hurriedly tried to rush past the subject. Lan Wangji would not let him off so easily.
“Then what did I hear, if you not your stomach asking for more food?”
“Ugh…..The rocks! I threw in a big rock and it hit others, causing some more to move. That’s what that sound was. It wasn’t my stomach. It’s been quiet.” Wei Ying was not a good liar. Whenever confronted with something he did not care to admit, he liked to invent a story or make an outlandish claim. He never mastered the skill of using a reasonable excuse. It was worse as a child.
“Wei Ying, no lying.” Lan Wangji used his best Uncle impersonation to convey his disappointment. His uncle was talented in conveying a mix of disappointment and exasperation that had haunted Lan Wangji growing up. He did not want to feed Wei Ying’s tendency to accept and thrive on blame, Lan Wangji only wanted to convey he was unhappy but not angry with his charge.
“I promise. I’m not hungry, not really. I eat such filling meals with Teacher Wangji. It’s nothing.” Wei Ying’s voice trailed off at the end.
He knew he was in the wrong but lacked the understanding for why. Teacher Wangji was able to survive on only 3 bowls of rice per day, mixed with greens, and maybe a few fruits in between. If a grown adult could do that, why not a young boy? It didn’t make sense to Wei Ying why he needed to eat more than an adult.
“If your stomach protests enough for food, how can it be enough?”
“Well, Teacher Wangji only eats one bowl per meal time, how could I eat more? You go through all the effort to prepare the meals and get the food. It-it wouldn’t be right.” Besides, Teacher Wangji also prepared and carried the food around. Wei Ying was so grateful to have someone to cook for him again, how could he inconvenience him by asking for more food?
“Wei Ying, I am an adult cultivator with the ability to regulate my body with my golden core. It gives me the ability to sustain myself as necessary. Does Wei Ying possess a golden core to do the same?”
“No.” came the small reply.
“Is Wei Ying an adult responsible for a child?”
“No.” There was more surety in Wei Ying’s reply.
“Is Wei Ying a child that should let himself be taken care of by an adult?”
“I don’t know?” Lan Wangji considered Wei Ying’s response. It was better than Wei Ying insisting he should be self-sufficient at such a young age. However, it showed that Wei Ying still struggled with adapting to being taken care of. Lan Wangji may have been too confident in his ability to care for Wei Ying and underestimated the effort the Jiang family (minus Madam Yu) had put in to make him feel able to rely upon them. Lan Wangji would have to be more vigilant.
“Honest. From now on, if you’re hungry, let me know. I want Wei Ying to be able to grow, so he can form his own golden core and decide then how much he needs to eat. If you’re hungry, eat. Understand?” Lan Wangji did his best to stress the eat part. If Wei Ying still did not trust him enough to meet his base needs, he needed to increase the trust in their relationship. He wasn’t sure which part of him that Wei Ying still doubted, but he would change that.
“Yes, Teacher Wangji.” Wei Ying sounded chastised but not defeated. Lan Wangji could live with that tone, and hope Wei Ying meant what he said.
Lan Wangji doubted Wei Ying completely understood the implications of the situation. He had to provide for himself and rarely enjoyed kindness from strangers. While he may readily accept a steam bun handed to him, he doubted the hand that procured it would continue to do so. His parents had not come back. The adults of Yiling had their own families to worry about and often shooed the unfortunate away from their wares, food, or makeshift shelter.
“Mn.” It would take time, but Lan Wangji knew he would eventually gain Wei Ying’s trust. It would just take time.
After that confrontation, Wei Ying had started to display the voracious appetite Lan Wangji had come to associate with his character. He started eating half a bowl more, before working up to two full bowls. He tried three once but found that having his stomach truly filled to the brim uncomfortable.
Lan Wangji had also tried to incorporate more variety through vegetables, wild greens, and the occasional wild game to help expand Wei Ying’s appetite and palette. He quickly found out that while Wei Ying was not a picky eater, he took more time to eat his greens then his meat.
Near the end of the week, Lan Wangji had started to incorporate more spice in his food and Wei Ying proceeded to increase the speed at which he devoured his food. The festival had helped too. Wei Ying as an adult preferred alcohol to sweets, but his younger self had a strong sweet tooth. While something Lan Wangji would not indulge often, it provided an avenue to reward good behavior.
Overall Lan Wangji had felt successful about this week. They had made progress and Lan Wangji felt they would continue to improve their understanding of one another. The more time he spent with Wei Ying, the more the boy would rely on him and let his trust in his presence grow.
It was his thoughts on which steps he should take next which prevented Lan Wangji from noticing the increased tension in the air as the town inhabitants started to clear out. By the time Lan Wangji noticed something was wrong, he was jumping out of the way of a crackling, purple whip.
“Lan Wangji, prepare to die!” The whip moved around again, in an angle to hit him. He moved to the side effortlessly. Jiang Wanyin head found them.
~~~Before they met in some nameless town with Jiang Cheng
Jiang Cheng had spent a large amount of his life hunting. He hunted down Wen Chao and Wen Zhuliu for retribution. He had spent months searching for any clue of his brother during that time.
He’d spent thirteen years of his life hunting down any trace of demonic cultivators, searching for a whisper of his brother’s soul, while also raising his nephew. Hunting for traces of Wei Wuxian felt familiar at this point. Hunting for his stupid brother’s husband was new, but Jiang Cheng would adapt.
He knew Lan Wangji would avoid Gusu and the surrounding area. Even if he changed his robes, everything about the man positively screamed he was raised by the Lan sect and was well versed in their ways.
Lan Wangji would also avoid Yunmeng, as it was too close to Jiang Cheng’s destination and his father. There was still a decent chance that if Jiang Fengmian came across Wei Wuxian, he would try and take him back to Lotus Pier for a steady upbringing.
He also suspected Lan Wangji would avoid Wen territory. While they had not been as brazen during this time period, the Wen clan had still been amassing their base. It was best to avoid the Wen when possible.
That left two territories for the Lan to have taken Wei Wuxian to, Lanling or Qinghe. There were equal distances from him and in completely opposite directions from each other. Lan Wangji had no fondness for either and had reasons to avoid both areas. Jiang Cheng had to rely on his instincts, and he felt a pull closer to Lanling. While Lan Wangji did not have any ties to either place, Jiang Cheng held ties to Lanling. His sister had spent her last years in Lanling and Jin Ling was from Lanling. Both of these facts inspired confidence in his actions. Lan Wangji would be the type to use his family against Jiang Cheng, counting on his longing for family to keep him away.
Or maybe he went to Qinghe suspecting that Jiang Cheng would be drawn to Lanling. Maybe he should go to Qinghe with that thought in mind?
Jiang Cheng bought food from a street vendor as he contemplated which place to go. Lanling, Qinghe, Lanling, Qinghe. Jiang Cheng kept ruminating on the thought.
As he walked through the town, he kept his ears open for any strange tales or rumors, especially involving cultivators. So far, he had heard the typical murmurs and concern about the Wen. He’d also heard enough stories about Jin Guangshan’s exploits and bastards to fill 10 of Nie Huaisang’s dirty books.
Nie Huaisang would know which way to go. He’d probably already have his network track down the two successfully. The man may shake his head, but rarely was he clueless.
Jiang was lost in his thoughts when he started to hear the middle of a peddler’s story. There had been some sort of demon in a town near Yiling. The town was poor and could not afford to pay a cultivation sect to handle it. However, a young master came across the town and eliminated the demon. He’d kept his sword by his side and said very little. He had a guqin strapped to his back. And while he performed this duty, he had left his young charge at a farm. The town had scraped together food for his payment.
And do you know which way this young master left?”
“Ah, he didn’t say much but had asked about a festival nearby. Apparently, the towns folk had talked it up. It’s not even that big of a festival but the kid seemed really excited about it.”
Jiang Cheng tipped the man as he set off on his new course. He had his lead.