Chapter Text
It was a cold, dreary morning in Lanling. A steady pitter-patter of raindrops hit against the bedroom window of a ten-year-old Jin Ling, awake but still curled up in bed. Dozing next to him was his five-month-old husky puppy, Fairy. Though Jin Ling disliked dull weather in general, it didn't make much of a difference that day. He couldn't go outside to play; he was down with the flu.
And he was getting really bored. He’d already spent the last few days re-watching episodes of his favourite shows and playing video games. But even the video games were no longer holding his interest, something he previously hadn’t thought possible.
On Monday, Jin Ling had woken up feeling unwell. Then, in their kitchen breakfast nook, while his mother scrambled eggs and his father drank coffee, he'd had a sudden, violent coughing fit. It alarmed his father so much (he had a presentation on Thursday and couldn't afford to catch kid germs), he’d sent him back to bed and called the school up to tell them he wouldn't be attending for the rest of the week.
Despite all the sneezing and sniffling, he was initially ecstatic to be home for a week. His mom, Jiang Yanli, took the first couple of days off from work at her restaurant to take care of him and made him several bowls of her world-famous lotus root and pork rib soup. After that, they'd stayed in bed, cuddling Fairy and watching old Disney movies. His jiujiu had come to check on him briefly to make sure he wasn't faking. He played one game of UNO and left only half-convinced of the severity of his nephew's illness.
Jin Ling now sighed and reached for the game console on his nightstand.
There was a knock on the door, and his mom stepped in, carrying a tray of eggs, bacon and toast in one hand and Fairy's food bowl in the other. She looked dressed to head out. Fairy jumped from the bed to go greet her as she set the tray down on the nightstand. She bent down to pet the puppy and placed her food bowl on the floor beside Jin Ling’s desk. Fairy happily scampered over to eat her breakfast.
"Good Morning, A-Ling," Mom said, coming over to kiss his forehead and check his temperature for a sign of a fever. "Are you feeling better?"
“Yeah, a little bit,” he said, forgetting the console and reaching towards the food she placed next to it.
“Guess what?” Mom asked as she walked around the bed, towards the windows and drew open the curtains.
“What?”
“A-Yuan is here.”
He sat up straighter, swallowing a mouthful of toast. “Really?” Fairy lifted her head from her food bowl and wagged her tail excitedly.
A-Yuan, or Lan Sizhui, was his fourteen-year-old cousin. One of A-Yuan’s fathers was Jin Ling’s da-jiu, though Jin Ling always called him A-Xian, just as his mother did. As a toddler, Jin Ling had tried to do everything just as his mother did. And so, because Jiang Yanli affectionately referred to A-Xian’s husband as “Zhan Zhan”, at the age of two, Jin Ling had imitated her to the best of his ability and taken to calling Sizhui’s other father “Dan Dan”. His uncle did not seem to mind, but Jin Ling was trying to grow out of the embarrassing habit.
A-Yuan had long been Jin Ling's idol, as his intelligent and cool older cousin. Not that now, at the practically grown-up age of ten, he would admit to such a childish thing. Since Mom and A-Xian were so close, Jin Ling and A-Yuan had always spent a lot of time together, their families meeting a handful of times every week to have a meal, play games or for fun outings. Unfortunately, though, in recent years, as Lan Sizhui got older and school became more of a priority, Jin Ling only got to meet him occasionally. Since the Lan family was made up of academics (or, in Jiujiu’s words, a bunch of pathetic nerds'), he spent most of the non-school hours in after-school classes, tennis lessons, fencing lessons, and violin practice. So Jin Ling was surprised he was here to visit him, right in the middle of a school week, no less.
“What’s he doing here?” Jin Ling inquired. “I thought he had finals this month.”
“They just ended yesterday. A-Yuan has a couple of days off, so he will watch over you today while I go into work for a few hours. Is that okay?” Jiang Yanli asked gently.
“Yeah, sure. Whatever.” Jin Ling shrugged. Having A-Yuan there would be better than his mother leaving him and Fairy home alone to fend for themselves.
There was another knock on the door, and Lan Sizhui stepped inside with a smile. He wore his glasses, a light blue knitted sweater and carried a satchel bag on his shoulder. Jin Ling, still in his pyjamas, returned the smile and tried to shove some of the snotty tissues on his nightstand into a trash can under the bed. Fairy wagged her tail and bounded towards A-Yuan, who picked her up and cuddled her affectionately.
“Hello, A-Ling,” he greeted him, holding Fairy on one arm while she attempted to gnaw at his glasses. Then, he placed his free hand against Jin Ling's forehead to check his temperature, just as his aunt had done a moment ago. "How are you feeling?"
“I’m okay, hi A-Yu-,“ Jin Ling began to say before falling into a series of consecutive sneezes. A-Yuan handed him a tissue from the bedside. Slightly embarrassed, he accepted it. “...Thanks.”
A-Yuan’s brow was furrowed in concern. “Your cold seems bad. Well, no worries. As long as you rest, I’m sure you’ll feel better in no time,” he said, setting the puppy down gently and dragging the desk chair to just beside the bed.
“A-Yuan is right, A-Ling. No tiring yourself out today, no video games,” Jiang Yanli said. She kissed both boys on the cheek, patted Fairy and then walked towards the door. "If you're hungry, there's food in the fridge; heat it up properly before you eat. A-Yuan, give me a call if you boys need anything; I'll be home as soon as I can. Take care now."
“Bye, Mom.”
“Bye, Auntie.”
“Woof.”
Mom shut the door behind her. Jin Ling groaned and threw up his hands. “Well, what are we supposed to do if we can’t play video games?”
Sizhui bit his bottom lip in thought. Then he exclaimed brightly, “I have an idea!” He picked up his bag from the floor. Jin Ling and Fairy watched him curiously. Then, after shuffling through it for a few seconds, he brought out a small book.
“A book?” Jin Ling asked sceptically.
Sizhui held it out for him to see. It was an old, worn red notebook with slightly yellowing pages. “Yes! I will read you a story,” he proclaimed. “It’s one of my favourites.”
Jin Ling was uncertain. He wasn’t much of a reader. A-Yuan was more the bookish kind, he knew that, but he also didn’t have the heart to tell him that being read to like he was a five-year-old wasn’t exactly his idea of fun.
His elder cousin noticed his expression and smiled. "When I was little, A-die and Baba would read to me before bed. Then, after a while, we'd read all of the kid's books at home, so A-die would make up stories to entertain me."
Jin Ling was a tiny bit curious now. A-Xian was always telling tales. They were usually stupid, but they were, on some occasions, actually entertaining. He pointed at the notebook, “Is that one of the stories A-Xian made up?”
Sizhui nodded and continued. "One time, I had a bad cold. Baba was at work that day, and A-die stayed home with me. He made up a story on the spot, and it became my favourite. I loved it so much that I made him tell it to me over and over. I’d even ask Baba when A-die wasn’t around. A-die wrote it down in this notebook so Baba could read it to me whenever I asked.“ He laughed and added, “a couple of years ago, I learnt that A-die had just been repeating the plot of a classic 80s movie, with the names and some details slightly changed.”
Jin Ling snorted. That sounded like something A-Xian would do.
“But anyway, It’s the story A-die would read to me when I was sick, so today I’ll read it to you!”
“Has it got any sports in it?” Jin Ling asked hopefully.
“Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes,” His cousin listed them off on his fingers one by one, “true love, of course. And miracles.”
“Doesn’t sound too bad,” Jin Ling shrugged, concealing his interest (getting excited to hear a fairytale was, after all, for babies). Fairy pawed at the edge of the bed, so he reached down, lifted her into his lap and adjusted himself to face A-Yuan better. “I’ll try and stay awake.”
“Thank you very much, A-Ling. That’s very nice of you.” Lan Sizhui nodded somberly, with only a hint of teasing in his voice. “Your vote of confidence is overwhelming.”
Fairy rested her head on her front paws and waited attentively for him to begin. He opened the notebook and turned to the first page, smoothed it, and then read out loud, “The Yiling Patriarch’s Groom. A fair warning: any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.”
***
Lan Zhan was raised on a large farm just outside the city of Gusu. He lived happily with his strict uncle and his kind elder brother. His uncle, Lan Qiren, ran their family farm and taught a schoolroom full of children from the nearby village. Lan Zhan and his brother Xichen would help their uncle with the daily chores required to care for the animals and took lessons and studied during the day. Apart from that, Lan Zhan had many pastimes and would often spend his hours practising his guqin, riding his horse or playing with rabbits. Although, what he liked to do, preferred above all else really, was to discipline the farm boy.
The farm boy was more a young man now, but he had been a farm boy when he had come to work for Lan Zhan’s family. He was known as Wuxian, but his birth name was Wei Ying, which was what Lan Zhan called him.
***
“Wait,” Jin Ling exclaimed. “This story is about A-Xian and Dan Dan- I mean, Uncle Wangji! I didn’t know A-Xian worked on a fa-“
“Shh, no interrupting,” Lan Sizhui silenced him and continued.
***
One would have expected that Lan Zhan, being the younger of only two children, would have grown up eager for friendship with others his own age. He was, in fact, a very sweet boy. Still, over the years, given his natural introversion and the strict expectations of his uncle, he had become somewhat reserved and cold. This wasn't unusual for a child who preferred the company of animals to people, as one cannot expect to learn conversational skills from rabbits.
But Lan Zhan loved the farm animals; they were easier to understand. His horse came when he called it, went where he steered it, did what he told it. The farm boy, on the other hand, rarely ever did what he was told.
Many years ago, Uncle had taken pity on the recently orphaned child of his childhood classmate, Cangse Sanren, and had made the decision to employ him. However, to Lan Qiren’s dismay, Wei Ying took after his mother and was a high-spirited troublemaker. The farm boy would often go out of his way to create chaos on the farm, leaving the pasture gates open and letting the cows wander because he said they looked cooped up. He would paint elaborate, humorous caricatures of Lan Qiren, his disciples, the farm animals on the barn walls, visible to almost anyone who walked past the once impeccably pristine Lan family farm. Wei Ying had also been known to disappear abruptly in the afternoon, to be found racing his donkey through Caiyi Town or returning late with fresh fish he'd caught for the family’s dinner.
Despite Lan Qiren’s near-constant state of exasperation over the last few years, he never had the heart to send the boy packing. His futile attempts to steer Wei Ying onto the path of righteousness, as well as the gentle mediation of his nephew Xichen on the wayward farm boy's behalf, meant that he remained in their employ for the foreseeable future. He lived in a hovel near the animals, and, according to Xichen, he kept it clean. He even read when he had candles.
Given the farm boy’s still very much unruly behaviour as a young man, Lan Zhan had recently taken it upon himself to discipline him. “Wei Ying, polish my horse’s saddle”. “Wei Ying, make sure to return home before the sun sets”. “Wei Ying, it is impolite to draw caricatures of people.” “Wei Ying, stop over-feeding the donkey”. “Wei Ying, you know alcohol is forbidden on the farm”. “Wei Ying, do not flirt with the neighbouring girls if you do not mean it”.
"As you wish."
That was all he ever answered when Lan Zhan reprimanded him. “As you wish”, with a bright unaffected smile. Fetch that, Wei Ying. “As you wish”. Dry this, Wei Ying. “As you wish”.
Of course, Lan Zhan realized this, and at first, he didn't give it much thought. But later, when he was fifteen, he began to think about the farm boy's unperturbed attitude towards being disciplined by him. Lan Zhan thought Wei Ying was merely teasing him, so he kept ordering him around, but the farm boy also kept replying in the same way, always with a smile playing on his lips.
Why is he always so happy about being told off? Lan Zhan wondered. He is never serious. Wei Ying went on with it for too long for it to be a joke. Lan Zhan began to feel curious, but he must have been too proud -and perhaps too shy- because he never did ask.
Still, he knew that the farm boy was far from unkind. He was a hard worker and a passionate, if somewhat disruptive student during Uncle’s lessons. He regarded Brother highly, and even on occasion, went out of his way to make attempts at befriending Lan Zhan. When they were younger, to his annoyance, Wei Ying would often follow him around the farm as they both went about their daily tasks. The farm boy had early on taken up sword-fighting just as he had, and now his skill rivalled Lan Zhan’s own. He had, a handful of times, asked to borrow books from the family library that he had noticed the other boy reading a few days earlier. And of course, it was on one of his many excursions through the hillside that Wei Ying had returned home with an armful of fluffy white rabbits. “Look, Lan Zhan! I brought you a gift.” He cheerfully proclaimed and then deposited five hopping bunnies onto Lan Qiren’s spotless kitchen floor. Though he hadn’t admitted it at the time, Lan Zhan was deeply touched by the gesture. He was quite fond of rabbits.
****
Shortly after his seventeenth birthday, Lan Zhan began noticing a change in the village boys and girls. The boys, for the most part, no longer spoke to him. He had never much been close to them, so the change was nothing sharp, but at least before there were head nods exchanged when he rode through the town or along the cart tracks. Now, for no reason, there was nothing. A quick glance away as he approached, that was all. Then, one morning at the blacksmith's, Su She cornered Lan Zhan. “I should think, after what you’ve done, you'd have the courtesy not to show your face in Caiyi Town." Though not one to engage with snivelling morons like Su She, Lan Zhan let his bewilderment get the better of him. “And what have I done?”
“What? What…You’ve stolen them.” With that Su She fled, but Lan Zhan understood. He knew who “them” was.
The girls. The village girls. Their eyes seemed to follow him wherever he was in town. They would huddle in little groups and whisper and giggle amongst themselves as he walked past in his neat blue and white robes, holding the reins of his horse. They’d stick around long after lessons were over to watch him reading silently under the big tree by the schoolroom or feeding carrots to the rabbits. Sometimes when he visited the marketplace, shy girls would offer him small bunches of flowers they’d picked themselves. He accepted them without so much as a word. Even the kind elderly woman who sold fruit from a stall by the river would often send him home with a bag full of loquats, free of charge.
Both of the Lan brothers were exceptionally beautiful, with their pale skin, tall statures and noble facial features. At this point, though they aged only in their late teens to early twenties, they were already two of the most handsome men in the country, ranking somewhere around number five and six in the top ten. Given a few years, they might've moved up even higher. People were beginning to take notice. The brothers shared few differences. The only one worth notice was while Xichen held the warmth and comfort of a campfire, home to weary travellers, Lan Zhan had the immovability of ice. As he grew into a man, it made him more irresistible to the village girls.
This perplexed Lan Zhan.
How could anyone accuse him of stealing them? Why would anyone want them anyway? All the village girls and boys did was pester and vex and annoy. "Can I brush your horse, Lan Wangji?” “Thank you, but the farm boy does that.” “Can I go riding with you, Lan Wangji?” “Thank you, but I really do enjoy myself alone.” Then the boys like Su She would snicker and add, “You think you’re too good for anybody, don’t you, Lan Wangji?” “No, I don’t. I just like riding by myself, that’s all.”
At night, more often than not, the boys would congregate in the dark beyond his window and laugh about him. He ignored them. Usually, the laughter would give way to insult. He paid them no mind. If it grew too damaging, Wei Ying emerged from his hovel and handled things.
“Go on now, get out of here.” He warned them, his pleasant features taking on a look of dark contempt. They would fall silent. Wei Ying was thin but strong from all the farm labour. He was quite a bit taller than most of the boys his age. If they did not flee, he thrashed a few of them, sending them flying. Lan Zhan watched him in fascination. He never failed to thank the farm boy when he did this. “As you wish” was Wei Ying’s only response.
***
On the morning of the lantern festival, Lan Zhan woke up later than usual to bright sunlight streaming through his bedroom window. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and got out of bed. He changed into pale blue robes, nicer than the simple ones he usually wore around the farm. He combed out his long black hair and neatly tied sections of it back. Then he headed to the kitchen to find his brother already awake and preparing breakfast.
“Good morning, Wangji. Did you sleep well?” Xichen asked, placing a platter of fruit, steamed buns and a cup of tea in front of his younger brother. He bent down to sit beside him. “I was wondering if you would bring A-Xian his breakfast after you finish with yours. Uncle was a bit harsh with him yesterday. Apparently, he has gotten complaints from some of the neighbours that A-Xian is getting into fights with their sons.” Lan Zhan’s teacup stopped halfway to his lips. “Uncle made him kneel outside in the front yard for hours to teach him a lesson. I hope he didn’t catch a cold,” Brother said with genuine concern.
Lan Zhan nodded and finished up his breakfast. He was angry at Su She and the other good-for-nothing village boys. The thought of the farm boy being made to kneel in the yard made him feel terribly guilty. Wei Ying got punished by Uncle because of me. He took a full plate of food and a cup of tea from the table and slid open the kitchen door.
“Wangji, before you go, is there anything you might be able to tell me about why A-Xian is brawling with the other boys in the middle of the night?”
Lan Zhan stopped before he could step outside and turned to look at his brother. "The village boys were troublesome. Wei Ying was only defending me," he answered earnestly.
Xichen stayed quiet for a moment. “Very well then, I’ll let Uncle know. No need for anyone to be punished over it anymore.” He smiled, "Today is the festival, and there are no urgent chores required on the farm. So why don't you and A-Xian go into town early to release lanterns? It might be fun."
“Mn,” Lan Zhan gave his brother a curt nod and headed out.
He found the farm boy just outside his cottage, tinkering with something in the yard. He was in his work clothes. He would have been up for a couple of hours already, milking the cows and completing other morning chores. But, right now, his back was turned to Lan Zhan. Lan Zhan stopped in his tracks. A soft crease appeared on his pale forehead. He took a deep breath. He felt somewhat… nervous? Or was it guilty? He wasn’t sure.
Before Lan Zhan could call out to him, Wei Ying turned his head. To Lan Zhan’s surprise and relief, he didn’t appear remotely ill (as Brother had feared) or sad (as Lan Zhan had stressed). No, Wei Ying was grinning at him, as usual. "Good morning, Lan Zhan!" He waved before getting up from the grass and crossing the yard towards him. The sunlight shone in Wei Ying's unruly dark hair, his eyes were bright, and Lan Zhan stood, transfixed, watching him approach. Then, when he was standing right in front of him, the farm boy smiled again, that warm, decadent smile of his, brighter than the morning sun. Lan Zhan noticed that, not for the first time. He momentarily forgot what he was doing outside.
“Is that for me? Thank you, I was starving." This snapped him back to reality, and he handed Wei Ying the plate of food and the teacup. The farm boy gently took it from him, his fingertips slid under the plate and brushed Lan Zhan’s hand softly in the process. Wei Ying’s smile faded for a second as he looked at him curiously. “You look even more handsome than usual today. Are you going out somewhere?”
Lan Zhan felt his face heat up.
“…Wei Ying.”
“Is there something else?” the farm boy asked kindly.
“Wei Ying, I want to apologize. You got into trouble because of me. I will speak to Uncle and let him know it was my fault you fought off the village boys.”
Wei Ying shrugged. “You don’t need to apologize, Lan Zhan. I’ve been punished by old Qiren a million times before. It wasn’t you that made me punch Su She in his stupid face. Plus, I enjoyed doing it.” His eyes twinkled mischievously.
“Even so. They were here because of me.”
"It is not your fault that they're jealous of you." Anger crept into his playful tone. "You're handsome and kind and brilliant; anyone can see that, especially the girls. So the dignified thing for them to do is accept their own inadequacy and leave you alone."
Lan Zhan stood still, incredulous, taking in the farm boy’s words. He didn’t know what to say, and he was starting to feel himself blush again. He cleared his throat. “I am going into town for the festival this evening. If you wanted to accompany me to see the lanterns, that would be alright.”
Wei Ying’s sunlit smile grew even brighter. “As you wish.”
***
That evening when they headed into Caiyi Town, Wei Ying brought a bag along with him walking along the riverside. "It's a surprise. You'll see," was all he said about it.
The sun was setting, and the town was bustling, even though it was still quite early. Families walked by in their best clothes, couples held hands, and children ran through the crowd waving around toys and brightly coloured lanterns. They walked through the marketplace and stopped at whatever food stalls drew Wei Ying's attention. The farm boy was greeted numerous times by townsfolk, young and old alike, all of whom referred to him by name. Most of them were happy to see him and even exchanged pleasantries with the handsome, stoic young man by his side. Su She and the other boys were nowhere in sight, which put Lan Zhan at ease, despite the crowds of people. He occasionally felt the lingering gazes of some women and men, but he paid no attention to them. The village girls in the marketplace seemed just as happy to see the friendly farm boy as they did to see him, anyway.
They found a spot by the river's edge, running through the centre of the town and watched the lanterns' glow as they were lit and released into the evening sky. The water's surface was also lit by the floating lanterns gently bobbing alongside the little boats in the river. Lan Zhan was sure he had never seen a lovelier sight. That is until he turned to his left and discovered the mesmerized look on the farm boy’s face. His mouth formed a perfect O, and the warm light of the lanterns reflected in his silvery eyes. Wei Ying suddenly turned his head to face him, catching Lan Zhan off guard, who abruptly looked away.
“Lan Zhan, shall we light a lantern and make a wish? Since we have been through so much together.” Wei Ying asked, with a slight teasing in his voice.
Lan Zhan didn’t meet his eyes. “I am used to being alone.”
"You can always change your habits." Wei Ying smiled, unaffected. He reached into the bag he'd carried the whole way. "Besides, I made this especially for you." He brought out a small white lantern and held it out to Lan Zhan. On it was a detailed sketch of the profile of a beautiful young man in long robes. He was cradling a white bunny in his graceful hands. “It’s you, Lan Zhan! With one of your rabbits. Do you like it?” Wei Ying asked.
Lan Zhan found the hopefulness in the farm boy’s voice endearing. He gazed softly at what Wei Ying had drawn on the lantern. He felt a warmth in his chest, and a lovely, gentle smile graced his lips. The apparent coldness ever-present in his handsome features instantly melted away.
***
When they returned to the farm later that evening, Lan Zhan bid the farm boy goodnight. Several questions arose in his mind when he went to bed that night. He did not know why the rebellious farm boy had been acting so strange lately. He was still rebellious, there was no doubt, but he was also so good. No matter how commanding Lan Zhan had been with him, he only responded with amiability. He had gifted him bunnies and now a bunny lantern and sent away his bullies. Why does he act this way with me? Lan Zhan couldn’t help wondering. Each day he grew more and more curious. Though he didn’t notice, his curiosity was softening his resolve to discipline Wei Ying. All of his “fetch that, Wei Ying” and “dry this, Wei Ying” began to sound more like “Wei Ying, fill the pails with water…please.” Lan Zhan's demeanour had become less rigid, but there was something more between them, too, something resembling friendship. Wei Ying had accepted this shift with secret delight, but his response to Lan Zhan, "as you wish," remained the same.
It did not take long, for soon enough, Lan Zhan was amazed to discover that whenever the farm boy said, “as you wish,” what he actually meant was “I love you.”
What was even more amazing, though, was the day he realized that he truly loved him back.