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It’s not that anyone was being mean. No one was outright mean, especially not in Gusu, with so many eyes and ears around and the big wall of rules just...there. But Jin Ling was not having a good time. He couldn’t understand why they were even in Cloud Recesses for the new year. The Lans weren’t family. Not really. Technically, Lan Wangji was his sort-of uncle since he married Wei Wuxian, but Jin Ling had a billion uncles! That didn’t mean he spent New Years with them!
He could see spending the holiday in Yunmeng. That was his mama’s home! But Baba explained about Grandpa Jiang’s surgery, so while Jin Ling is grumpy about missing out on spending time there, he understands. He’s not a little kid, after all!
But try telling that Lan Jingyi anything! He’s so snotty! He called Jin Ling kiddo! Only jiujiu gets to call him that! He’s only a year younger than Sizhui and Jingyi! And Jingyi said Jin Ling couldn’t play Uno cuz you needed to have an even number of players. Jin Ling’s pretty certain that’s a made-up rule.
Jin Ling doesn’t slam the door— Great Uncle Lan would certainly scold him, in front of everybody if he did that— but he shuts it quite firmly. He was careful as he snuck back to the guest rooms assigned to his family, but he just had to escape after lunch. There is no way he can handle another guqin recital! Besides, today it’s supposed to be Jingyi and Sizhui’s turn to perform, and Jin Ling has to think about his precious ears. So he sneaks back into the rooms and zips himself into his snowsuit. He stuffs his feet into the new boots and digs out a hat his uncle Huaisang knit for him for his birthday, soft gray beanie with a bobble that looks like a fuzzy white puppy on top.
It’s a little hard to walk in the snowsuit. He looks like a golden yellow baozi and he can hardly put his arms down by his sides, but the suit is very warm, and it has been snowing nonstop for a week. He pokes his head out into the hall, and once he’s certain the way is clear, Jin Ling waddles outside.
He hadn’t considered just where he would go. He had been focused on escaping. The paths around the guest quarters are clear, but the woods just beyond are quiet and inviting. If he’d been allowed to bring Fairy, they could have played fetch with snowballs, but there are no pets allowed in Cloud Recesses because Great Uncle Lan hates fun.
Oh. Wait. There aren't any pets, but there are the rabbits! Jin Ling pauses by the fence that marks the boundary of the guest house and thinks. Sort-of Uncle Xichen had shown him the hutches that made up the rabbits’ winter house when they arrived earlier in the week. Jin Ling is pretty sure if he goes left and follows the little trail through the trees, it will take him to the rabbits. They like the quiet, Sort-of Uncle had told him. Well, Jin Ling could sympathize, especially if they had to live with that Lan Jingyi all year!
His mind made up, Jin Ling stomps off down the path. The snow gathers in drifts off both sides, and the trail is mostly clear, covered with a few inches of snow that crunch pleasingly under his boots. The trees protect him from the winds that blow across the mountain, and the snow in the branches dampens the sounds of the world around him. It’s nice. Jin Ling hums a little song to himself as walks along, thoughts drifting like the fat, feathery flakes of snow that float down between the branches. So lost in thought is he that Jin Ling doesn’t see the branch that has fallen across the path, though to be fair, it is mostly covered with snow. The branch isn’t straight. There’s a curve in it that sticks up, creating the perfect space for a booted foot to catch, and before he can so much as shout, Jin Ling trips and tumbles to the side, down into a little ditch that runs along the path.
Jin Ling lands flat on his back, too startled at first to do anything by lay there. He takes stock of his situation. He’s not hurt, hardly even winded as the snow cushioned the impact. Unfortunately, that snow was deeper than he thought. He tries to sit up, but the snowsuit is so puffy and fat that he can’t get enough leverage to sit. He plants his hands on either side of him, hoping to lever himself upright, but the snow, while deep, is not packed down, and his hands sink into it a few inches. Then he tries rolling side to side to get himself turned over, but he just succeeds in making himself dizzy. He cannot get his feet braced on anything either because snow.
If Jin Ling cries for a few minutes, well, that’s his own business. It doesn’t occur to him to shout because there is no yelling allowed in Cloud Recesses.
At least he’s warm. His hat stayed on, too. So he’s not in danger of freezing to death any time soon. He takes a breath. Someone will probably find him.
The wind picks up and whistles mournfully through the trees.
Are there wolves in Gusu? Jin Ling should know that. He doesn’t think there are wolves. Surely Uncle Wuxian would have mentioned it. Wolves are close enough to dogs that even if there used to be wolves, Uncle Wangji would have gotten rid of them because everyone knows he absolutely shamelessly spoils Uncle Wuxian. So there are probably no wolves.
Jin Ling tries to sit up again. Not because he’s afraid he’ll be eaten by wolves, but he doesn’t want his mama to worry when she notices that he’s gone. But he still can’t get upright.
He considers his options.
He cannot think of more than one option: get eaten by wolves. Oh, he supposes he could die of starvation. He is hungry. He skipped most of his lunch. Lan food is so boring!
So. He’s going to starve or be eaten by wolves.
Jin Ling closes his eyes and tries to think what his jiujiu would do. His jiujiu is so brave! He would make Zidian go zip zap zip zap! and drive out any wolves! But Jin Ling doesn’t have a spiritual tool yet. So, what would his jiujiu do if he lost Zidian and was stuck in the snow and about to be devoured by wolves?
Well, Uncle Huaisang would probably rescue him. Jin Ling sighs. He doesn’t have an Uncle Huaisang of his own to look after him. His mama and baba do their best, but he also has a new baby sister, and they have to look after her, too. He wonders when he’ll be old enough to have an Uncle Huaisang of his own, but it seems like a long time to wait, and, you know, wolves.
Somewhere above him, on the path, a stick snaps.
Jin Ling freezes and strains his ears. Another snap! Well, the wolves found him quicker than he thought. Jin Ling grits his teeth and clenches his little hands into fists. He will be as brave as his jiujiu. Those wolves may chew him up and swallow him, but he won’t go down without a fight!
“Just eat me already!” he shouts.
The figure that appears from above is...not a wolf. It’s a man! Or boy. A teenager with long, dark hair in a messy braid, sharp cheekbones, red-rimmed eyes. He’s wearing a dirty yellow parka. Jin Ling can just make out a peony stitched on the breast of the coat. A battered red backpack hangs from his narrow shoulders.
“Who’re you?” the older boy asks.
“I am Jin Rulan, son of Jin Zixuan,” Jin Ling says with as much dignity as a boy stuck on his back in the snow can muster. “Who are you, and why are you trespassing in Cloud Recesses?”
“Are you stuck?” the teen asks.
Jin Ling rolls his eyes, just like his jiujiu does when someone asks a stupid question. “Obviously,” he says. “People don’t just lay on their backs in the snow for fun. Do they?”
“Here, give me your hand.” The older boy reaches down for Jin Ling’s hand, and quick as a wink, Jin Ling finds himself on his feet, on the path in the woods. The boy looks him over. “You okay?”
“I, yes, I am. Thank you. Who are you?”
“You said you’re Jin Rulan?”
“Yes!” Jin Ling huffs. “But you haven’t told me who—“
The teen holds out a hand. He’s got ratty black fingerless gloves on. He looks cold. Jin Ling shakes his hand.
“I think I’m your uncle,” the boy says.
Jin Ling sighs. “You’ll have to be more specific.”
The boy looks startled, but he recovers quickly. “My name’s Mo Xuanyu. I, uh, was looking for Jin Zixuan. My brother, I guess. I don’t know.”
“What do you know?” Jin Ling asks. It comes out harsher than he means, and Xuanyu flinches. Jin Ling makes an effort to shape his smile into something more like his mama’s. “Actually, I’m cold and a little hungry. Come on.” He holds out his hand, and after a moment, Xuanyu takes it. “There’s tea and snacks back in my room, and we can talk.”
“Aren’t you worried I’m gonna hurt you or kidnap you or something?” Xuanyu asks, though he follows Jin Ling obediently nonetheless.
“Are you? Gonna hurt me or kidnap me?”
Xuanyu smiles. “No, Young Master Jin, I will not.”
“Good.” Jin Ling preens at the title. “So, my grandpa is your dad. Who’s your mom?”
Xuanyu falters a moment, but when he recovers, he says, “Her name was Mo Shuyi.”
“Was?”
“She died.”
Jin Ling stops in his tracks and looks at the boy, his uncle. He doesn’t look that much older than his own eight years. He’s certainly not an adult yet.
“How old are you?” he demands. He winces at his tone when Xuanyu flinches again, but he simply waits for the teen to speak.
“I’m fourteen and a half,” he says.
Jin Ling nods. He tugs Xuanyu’s hand and they keep walking. “Well, since you’re my uncle,” Jin Ling says, “and you’re still kind of a kid yourself, you can call me Jin Ling.”
“Oh, okay. Are you sure?”
Jin Ling sneaks a glance at Xuanyu. “Yeah?”
“Even though I’m a servant?”
“I thought you were my uncle?”
“I’m also a servant. That’s why I wanted to meet your dad. Mother said that the Jins could give me a place, but from what I’ve heard, Jin Guang-my father, well, it doesn’t seem like he’d be really happy to keep me around.”
“Well, we all live in Lanling together, although not in the same house. ‘Sides, we don’t really have servants. There’s Auntie Yanqi. She helps look after my baby sister. But she’s not a servant!”
“Oh.” Xuanyu falls quiet. “Maybe I should just find a job somewhere else,” he says as they approach the clearing around the guest house.
“But you’re a kid!” Jin Ling exclaims. “Don’t you have to go to school?”
Xuanyu’s smile is tired and bitter. “I’ve still gotta pay for food and a place to sleep.” He lets go of Jin Ling’s hand and bows deeply. “It was very nice to meet you, Young Master Jin, but I think it was a mistake to come here.” He turns to go, but Jin Ling grabs his arm.
“No! You...ugh! No! At least let me get you a snack, as thanks for saving me from wolves!”
“Wolves? What are you--”
“A-Ling!”
The boys turn to find Jiang Yanli running up the path from the cold springs toward them.
“A-Ling! Where on earth were you? We’ve been worried sick!” She drops to her knees and clings to Jin Ling for a moment, and when he struggles out of her grasp, embarrassed, she kisses both his cheeks twice before letting him go and digging out some papermen from her jacket pocket. She whispers a spell and sends them off with a bit of qi to call off the rest of the searchers. Then she stands and, keeping a tight hold on Jin Ling’s hand, she turns and bows crisply to Xuanyu.
“Young man, thank you for bringing my son back.” She peers at him. “I’m so sorry, but I don’t seem to remember meeting you with the other Lan disciples. May I know your name?”
“Oh, Madame, I’m not--”
“His name is Mo Xuanyu,” Jin Ling interrupts, “and he’s my uncle!”
Yanli blinks once, but her smile never falters. “Is that so? Then we are doubly lucky that you’ve arrived in time, not only to bring my wayward son back but to celebrate the new year with us.”
“Oh! No!” Xuanyu backs away, clearly starting to panic, and he bumps straight into Jin Zixuan. Xuanyu yelps and turns around. “I’m so sorry, Master Jin! I--”
“I heard,” Zixuan replies mildly. He steadies Xuanyu with a gentle hand. “A-Yao texted me last night, said that you’d run away from an aunt’s house. I’ll let him know that he can stop looking, that you’re here safe.”
Xuanyu’s arms hang at his side. “Wait, what?”
His face does something complicated, but it settles on crying. Jin Ling looks at his mother, alarmed.
“Why’d you make him cry, Baba?” Jin Ling breaks from his mother’s hold and throws himself at Xuanyu. He can’t quite get his arms around the boy, thanks to the stupid snowsuit, but he clings like a koala, or tries to. “He helped me!”
“Oh, dear.” Yanli and Zixuan join the hug as Xuanyu fully breaks down.
“I shouldn’t, I can’t--”
“No, you shouldn’t,” Zixuan says, patting the boy’s shoulder. “We should have come to get you sooner. We were just waiting for confirmation from Meng Yao, but we should have acted sooner anyway.”
“I don’t understand?” Xuanyu hiccups through his tears.
“Why don’t we go inside where it’s warm, then we can talk,” Yanli suggests. “Ling-Ling, will you get your uncle some tea and something to eat? Baba and I will see about getting him some clean clothes and make sure his room is prepared.”
“You knew?” Xuanyu looks hopeful for a moment before his expression shutters.
Zixuan puts an arm around Xuanyu’s shoulder and steers him toward the guest house.
“Meng Yao and I have been working together for a couple years, since I officially took over most of the sect heir’s duties. We knew our father was...social,” he says, with a quick look down at Jin Ling, who was happily swinging Xuanyu’s other hand. “But we didn’t know the extent of his ...friendships… for a long time. Once we realized, A-Yao and I decided to find our siblings and make sure you all have the home and care you deserve.”
Xuanyu still looks cautious, but there’s a light in his eyes now. “And you’ve been looking for me?”
Yanli nods. She eases his coat off now that they are inside and hangs it with his bag on a peg by the door. “For the last six months or so.” She squeezes Xuanyu’s shoulder. “We’re so sorry we didn’t get to meet your mother,” she says.
Xuanyu wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. “She… yes. She …”
Yanli wraps him in a tight hug.
Jin Ling tugs on Xuanyu’s hand again. “Come on, Uncle. I’ve got snacks, and we can play on my Switch until dinner, okay?”
“You’re sure it’s okay for me to be here?” Xuanyu asks.
Zixuan takes his turn hugging his brother. “More than, didi. I promise.” He pats Xuanyu’s shoulder. “Go on.” He crouches down and helps Jin Ling out of his snowsuit. “Why don’t you get some of the things we brought from Lanling, alright?”
“And the spicy lotus seeds from Yunmeng?”
“Heavens above, yes! Then I don’t have to eat them.” He kisses Jin Ling’s forehead. “Keep your uncle company until dinner, alright?”
Jin Ling grins up at Xuanyu and takes his hand. As he leads him down the hall toward the kitchen, he turns to ask, “Uncle, how good are you at playing Uno?”
All in all, Jin Ling decides later that night, it was a very good day to not be eaten by wolves.