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Around the time when he was eight and nine years old, Jiang Cheng and his siblings spent two summers at their vacation house.It was a quiet, beautiful place, a sprawling building with a high roof and rustic, cottage-esque decor, nested in a gated community where old rich people come to die. Boring, but free from the anger that weighed down the air of their childhood home. There were no parents arguing in the living room, and not much tears either, his, Wei Ying’s or A-jie’s. Jiang Cheng enjoyed the oblivion, swimming in the lake in the back, helping his sister pluck lotus pods, or running around well-lit but empty corridors with no sound but that of his and Wei Ying’s laughter.
There were few other children in the gated community, though. When there were, they often came and went in expensive cars and starched button-downs and miserable faces, staying only for a few hours to visit their grandparents. When Jiang Cheng and his brother were bored they would ride their bikes past the gates and into nearly-deserted roads and race each other at speeds that would shock their mother’s heart to arrythmia.
Occasionally, they’d come across remnants of forest that stood on ground too uneven to cultivate. They met Nie Huaisang in one of them on a warm afternoon, stumbling upon his sleeping form beneath a patch of trees as they were looking for a place to lay down their picnic mat. Wei Ying poked him awake with the tip of a fallen branch, and when he opened his eyes he laid them almost immediately on Jiang Cheng, and then on Wei Ying, and then started shouting about how they shouldn’t eat him, he’s too skinny to taste delicious.
They became fast friends, and played until sundown. They did so again the following day, and the day after that, and all days until the end of summer. Nie Huaisang showed them which creeks were best for drinking and which ones were full of freshwater fish, which caves were the coolest in the summer heat, and from which plots of land it was acceptable to pluck fresh pears and apples because this or that uncle “wouldn’t mind, if they knew it was him.”
He would sit at the side on a flat rock and marvel as Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying enact for him the Great Epic of the Twin Prides of Yunmeng, which was, originally, a story their sister told them as a distraction from the sounds of their parents breaking glassware downstairs. The plot changed every time Wei Ying decided he wanted himself to be more heroic, which annoyed Jiang Cheng greatly. But Nie Huaisang preferred Jiang Cheng’s character to Wei Ying’s and would clap with the fervor of an uproarious stadium audience whenever Jiang Cheng flourished his plastic sword.
“How come you never clap like that for me,” Wei Ying once asked, pouting.
“I just think A-Cheng is really cool,” said Huaisang.
“Don’t you think I’m cool?”
“A-Ying is cool,” said Huaisang. “But A-Cheng is really cool.”
From then on, Nie Huaisang became the beloved prince who showered the Twin Prides of Yunmeng in flowers whenever they defeated the dastardly villain of the week. That addition was Jiang Cheng’s doing. Wei Ying complained once, and when Jiang Cheng shoved him into the dirt he never brought it up again.
The Great Epic of the Twin Prides of Yunmeng goes like this:
Once upon a time, in the land of Yunmeng, there lived a pair of brothers who were admired throughout the land. The older brother’s name was Wei Ying, known for his good looks and his skill in archery. He wears robes of ebony and flaming red, and has a charming smile that is loved by all. The younger brother’s name was Jiang Cheng, known for his strength and fiery personality. He wields a broadsword that channels the power of lightning in his righteous fury, and people look upon him in awe wherever he walks.
The land of Yunmeng was terrorized by a vile creature. Every night, it would come out from the darkness of the forest near one of the villages and crawl through the streets, looking for hapless victims to devour.
(The vile creature, initially, was a large tortoise that ate naughty children by crushing their bones in its pointed jaw, but was wont to change as the situation demands.)
One day, in the village of Lotus Pier, Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying’s home town, it emerged from the trees with a bone-chilling roar, and all the villagers ran to their homes and locked the doors, shivering in fright. All, except, of course, the Twin Prides of Yunmeng.
“Brother,” said Jiang Cheng. “We must defeat the beast that threatens the lives of our beloved town.”
“Aye, brother,” said Wei Ying. “We must, for our own honor, and for justice for its innocent victims!”
(Just for the record, the dialogue was written by Wei Ying.)
And so they set to battle, and the battle was fierce. Neither Jiang Cheng’s sword nor Wei Ying’s arrows pierced the creature's skin, which was tougher and harder than any metal known to humankind. However, the creature dislikes the sun, and in the first light of morning, it let out a horrible scream and ran back into the forest.
The village was safe, at least for the day.
“But brother,” said Jiang Cheng. “The creature may return tonight, or even tomorrow night. We have seen our weapons to be useless. What shall we do?”
“Aye, brother,” said Wei Ying. “In a nearby tower, there lives a lonely prince who is said to have treasures innumerable. There is a rumor that he possesses two powerful weapons in his armory, Suibian and Sandu, that are able to defeat the strongest of demons.”
“Then we must make haste if we wish to come back before sundown.”
The prince’s name was Nie Huaisang, and he lived in a remote tower surrounded by sparkling rivers and orchards of apples and peaches. Every day he drank from the river and ate from the orchard, and because of this his hair grew long and beautiful. Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying walked to the base of his tower and called out:
“Dear prince, we seek your assistance!”
And the prince looked down from his tower and saw two handsome young men standing in the grass, looking plaintively at him. When they narrated their plight to him, his heart was moved, and he cried out in horror.
"Young masters! Your tales are full of courage and feats of strength," he said, clutching his chest with emotion. "I am naught but a useless prince, but up yonder hill is a dragon's den, wherein lies in a chest made of gold two swords, Suibian and Sandu, that are able to defeat even the strongest of demons. Do not fear the dragon, for he is my brother, and will allow you safe harbor if he knows I sent you. I will give you each a lock of my hair. Show it to him before you enter, and he will let you pass."
So Nie Huaisang cut off his hair, and let it fall like a feather from his window to Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying's waiting fingers.
And then Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying hastened to the dragon's den up yonder hill, and showed it to the fearsome dragon guarding the entrance. And indeed, they were allowed to pass, and found two swords in a chest of gold. Jiang Cheng wielded Sandu, for he was strong, and Wei Ying wielded Suibian, for he was whimsical. They hastened back to their village, arriving just before nightfall, and waited for the creature to come slouching out of the forest.
A frightful roar came, and then the battle started, and the battle was fierce. Their swords clashed with the creature’s teeth and armor like thunder, and the sparks that flew from their blades lit up the village like lightning. Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying heaved with great effort every time the creature lunged at them, evading with light feet or blocking with strong arms. They fought until the sun began to rise in the east, and Jiang Cheng, tired and frustrated, let out a loud roar, and punctured the creature’s throat.
The vile creature collapsed and bled to death in the steadily warming day of Yunmeng.
When the villagers woke up, there was much rejoicing. They spilled out from their homes and carried Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying up high on their shoulders, laying upon their heads cloths of silk and gold. They prepared a banquet full of delicious, spiced food, and ate their fill for seven days.
The festivities reached the ears of the lonely prince Nie Huaisang, and his heart trembled in joy. The sparkling river and the greenery, seeing their master so happy, erupted in blossoms of ethereal colors, and when Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying came back to give Nie Huaisang their thanks the wind swept up the petals and circled around them. Seeing this, Nie Huaisang was so awed by their handsomeness that he jumped from his tower and flew into Jiang Cheng’s arms.
And then- And then...
“And then they got married!” said Wei Ying. He ducked past Jiang Cheng’s swinging fist. “What? It’s not like you don’t want to.”
“You... You-!”
“I actually think it’s quite romantic,” said Nie Huaisang.
“You do?” said Jiang Cheng, whirling around.
“Yeah! I like stories that end in ‘happily ever afters’. It’s not like we’re getting real-married anyway,” said Huaisang. He pushed himself up and gave a theatrical twirl, as if to signal the end of a play. “So! They get married, and live happily ever after. The end!”
So it goes.
Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying were to leave for school at the end of the summer. Jiang Cheng, in particular, was so distressed that in the preceding days, he turned every shelf and drawer in the house looking for gifts to give to Nie Huaisang, so that the time they spent together may not be forgotten. Deep inside one of his mother’s old study tables he found a ring of jade, carved in the form of a snake that entwined the finger. It seemed heavy and old, but his mother had a lot of other jewelry at home, and the color reminded him of the land that Nie Huaisang loved so much.
In the dwindling light of the setting sun, over the creek that they played all summer in, Jiang Cheng gave Nie Huaisang the ring. It was too big to fit in his fingers, so Nie Huaisang had to wedge it between his thumb and his palm, and smiled as Jiang Cheng promised him to come back next year.
And he did.
But by then, Nie Huaisang was gone.
His house had burned down due to an electrical failure, killing his parents and leaving nothing left. Nie Huaisang survived, carried out by his brother wrapped in a wet blanket, mostly unharmed, but his brother suffered severe burns and had to be hospitalized somewhere far away. The sheep had been sold, and eventually, so did their land.
Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying still spent their summer swimming in the lake in the back, helping their sister pluck lotus pods, and running around well-lit but empty corridors with no sound but that of their laughter, and when they were bored they would still ride their bikes past the gates and into nearly-deserted roads with nothing but farmland on either side. They still reenacted the Great Epic of the Twin Prides of Yunmeng, but there was no more prince, and no happily ever after.
A-jie said it would hurt less, eventually. And it did, Jiang Cheng supposes to some extent. Yet still...
“I’m looking for room 1-C2, please.”
The teenager sitting idly at the desk glances up at Jiang Cheng and looks back down on his phone, unbothered. His eyelids are heavily colored with warm browns and shimmering golds like Wei Ying likes to do, and instantly Jiang Cheng already recognizes his brother’s protégé Mo Xuanyu, whom Jiang Cheng only knows because Wei Ying likes to complain about his lack of respect towards him during the Jiangs' weekly sibling brunch.
“Children’s section’s at the west wing. Second door to the left at the end of the corridor. Story time ends in thirty minutes, but you’re welcome to take a seat at the back as long as you don’t disturb the kids.”
On instinct Jiang Cheng frowns at the teen, who levels him a bored look.
“Thanks,” Jiang Cheng mutters. He turns on his heel and walks to the west wing.
Jiang Cheng has never stepped foot in their city’s public library before. He hadn’t seen the point, when the internet already exists at his fingertips. Glancing around, he had to admit it is rather impressive with its newly-renovated façade and sleek but still welcoming interiors. There were even posters near the front desk advertising soundbooth facilities for musicians and a book sale on the weekend. The corridors were well-lit. The glass windows were clean. It had a very Lan-esque vibe, which is not really surprising considering Lan Wangji (the bastard, Jiang Cheng mentally adds) and his family had a hand in financing its renovations. Likely because Wei Ying volunteered here in his free time, but Jiang Cheng would never say that out loud. He could see why his older sister liked it so much.
In fact, Jiang Yanli liked the public library so much she enrolled Jin Ling into the after-school reading activities in collaboration with the local animal shelter, wherein young kids read to elderly dogs to foster some sort of early childhood empathy or something. And then apparently Jin Ling liked the public library so much he didn’t even want to leave some days. It helps that his friends from the Lans and the Ouyangs and Wei Ying’s not-son are here as well, Jiang Cheng supposes.
Room 1-C2, second door to the left, Jiang Cheng thinks. This building is surprisingly more spacious than it seems from the outside. He finds himself walking for quite a while, eyebrows pinched in irritation. Eventually he relents that he is, in fact, lost.
Sighing, he turns around and traces back his steps, and when he rounds the corner a person runs straight into him barreling against him fast enough that the momentum nearly spins them both sideways, and Jiang Cheng’s arm goes around their waist on reflex, using his taller, broader frame to keep their balance.
“Jesus, fuck, watch where you’re going, will you?” he snaps.
“I’m so sorry!” said the stranger. Their hands clasp at Jiang Cheng’s biceps as they rearrange their feet flat on the ground. “I’m just running really late. I’m sorry!”
Jiang Cheng looks down at them, acidic quip ready to burst from his tongue, but his mouth clamps shut. He sees rather pale skin and dark hair long enough that some of it’s entangled in his fingers around the stranger’s waist, and features that are so familiar it sends a jolt of electricity running from the tip of his toes to the crown of his head.
“Ah,” says the man in his arms. Jiang Cheng’s mind informs him that he’s veering dangerously close to harassment, with the way his hand attempts to squeeze at that narrow waist. “Sir?”
“Yes, right.” Jiang Cheng lets go. “Sorry.”
And then Jiang Cheng’s gaze lands on the man’s fingers, seeing a flash of pale green in the shape of a snake, and this time, he nearly feels his heart stutter.
“Well, uh,” says Nie Huaisang. “I guess I’ll go? Again, I’m very sorry.”
“Yeah, sure,” says Jiang Cheng, dazed.
Nie Huaisang looks at him strangely. "Say, do you happen to know where room 1-C2 is? I'm new here."
"Oh, we're actually going to the same room. Are you... you're a... parent?"
"Absolutely not. I'm way too young to be a father. Can you imagine?" He laughs, and they walk together. "No, I'm actually supposed to be a storyteller for the children. Part-time job, you know? Us college kids need to eat. I'm already late on my first day, sadly. I really hope they don't sack me. Nie Huaisang, by the way."
"What kind of stories?" Jiang Cheng asks. He can already feel his cheeks burning, an old childhood affection rekindling within his ribs. Had Nie Huaisang always been this enchanting?
"Lots of kinds! I actually prepared my favorite for today; something I heard when I was really young. It's called-" and he whirls around and faces Jiang Cheng, arms behind his back and smiling coyly. "It's called The Great Epic of the Twin Prides of Yunmeng."