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There were cranes in the Cloud Recesses.
Large white ones that trotted along the scenic wetlands and flew overhead with long stretched out necks.
From his seat at the nearby observation deck, close enough to take in the sights, but still far away enough to avoid startling the birds, Nie Huaisang stared and gasped and pointed excitedly. He had seen them many times in paintings and books, but this was his first time seeing real ones. Basic etiquette limited his wanderings in the Cloud Recesses to a few scenic routes, so it was only thanks to Lan Xichen that he could learn of a place like this.
In the chair beside him, Lan Xichen chuckled and lightly brushed his sleeve across his chin, reminding Nie Huaisang not to stare with his mouth wide open. Nie Huaisang hurriedly opened his fan, and straightened up, hoping to give off a more dignified appearance.
He failed, and Lan Xichen only laughed again, his voice a soft gentle melody.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” he told him as prepared their tea. “If you like it here, feel free to come back any time. I’ll let the guards know you have my permission.”
“Really?” Nie Huaisang beamed. He hadn’t known what to expect when Lan Xichen suddenly invited him on a walk after classes let out, and a part of him had even been a bit suspicious. But the cries of the cranes immediately silenced all doubts. “How did you know I liked cranes?”
“Just a hunch,” Lan Xichen said, but his smile hid nothing. “The other day I was passing through the back hill and heard you and the other young masters talking about them.”
“My word! Xichen-gege eavesdropping? In the Cloud Recesses?” Nie Huaisang gasped in mock horror, then tilted his head as he tried to recall the conversation in question. Hadn’t that been…?
“If you don’t want to be overheard, I suggest you remember the rule about not shouting,” Lan Xichen replied smoothly. “It was informative though. I never knew you liked them so much. I always thought you preferred colorful songbirds.”
“Well, I do, but cranes are good too! I’ve never seen them up close like this.” Nie Huaisang said with a bright grin and tried not to think about how lucky it was that Lan Xichen had only overheard the conversation he did. If he ever heard the kinds of things Nie Huaisang and his friends usually talked about, he’d be inviting him to look at rules not birds. “They remind me of good things.”
“That’s certainly true,” Lan Xichen agreed. “Longevity, wisdom, filial piety…”
“Well, yeah, obviously that. There’s a reason cranes appear so often in art,” Nie Huaisang remarked. “But I meant for me personally! Their pure white feathers, and long legs. The elegant way they carry themselves.”
He looked to Lan Xichen, who gracefully lifted his sleeve as he picked up the teapot and carefully served them.
“Yep, very elegant and beautiful,” Nie Huaisang remarked, with a soft sigh. “Peerless among the rest of us chickens.”
Lan Xichen hummed fondly. “So you’re a chicken, are you?” he remarked.
“Compared to a crane, absolutely!” Nie Huaisang grinned shamelessly. Perhaps he’d said a bit too much, but Lan Xichen always playfully humored him. It was one of the reasons Nie Huaisang liked him so much.
“Xichen-gege, did you know? A crane among the clouds is considered especially noble. Ah, I envy anyone who can’t appreciate such a wonderful sight. How I’d want to immortalize it forever.”
“Is that right?” Lan Xichen met his eyes. “I think I’m starting see what this is about now.”
“Y-you do?”
“A noble crane in the clouds? Really now,” Lan Xichen remarked as Nie Huaisang gulped. He’d gone too far just then. He was too used to Lan Xichen taking his ramblings at face value, but the Lan’s First Jade was held up so highly for a reason. His intelligence extended far beyond books. The warmth in Nie Huaisang’s cheeks turned scalding, but before he could backpedal and laugh off the remarks, a gentle grin broke out on Lan Xichen’s face. “You don’t have to keep hinting. I’ll paint a crane in the clouds for you.”
“N-no, I – wait – really?” Nie Huaisang jumped from his seat in delight. That hadn’t been what he was hinting at all, but who cared? Lan Xichen was offering to paint something for him!
“I have time these days. And I’ve heard you’ve been studying well, so I wanted to give you a small reward.”
“Won’t your uncle have things to say about that?” Nie Huaisang had copied out the rules enough times to remember reading something against that kind of thing.
“I suppose that’s true. Forget it then.”
“Wait, no, I want it! I want it!” Nie Huaisang brought his hands together in a pleading gesture. “What if we do some kind of trade? I need to thank you for bringing me out here after all.”
“A trade then,” Lan Xichen agreed. “I’d like to see how far your art has come.”
Compared to Lan Xichen’s, it was a childish scribble, but Nie Huaisang didn’t dare say anything else contrary now. “That could work,” he said. “If I’m getting a crane then… Xichen-gege, do you have a favorite animal?”
It wasn’t any kind of bird; he knew that much. Lan Xichen was always patient and attentive whenever Nie Huaisang went on one of his tangents, but never showed much interest otherwise. Pets were also forbidden in the Cloud Recesses, so nothing could be deduced from that.
Lan Xichen pursed his lips as he considered it for a moment. “Perhaps a tortoise?”
“A… tortoise?”
“Yes. I think they’re cute.” It wouldn’t be accurate to say that Lan Xichen’s face lit up, but something in his expression visibly brightened. “Their docile nature, the way they’re sluggish after a long sleep, that moment they emerge from their shell… it’s very cute.”
“Uh-huh…” Nie Huaisang nodded along sagely, even as his mind went blank. Personally, he would have guessed a more divine creature like a dragon, or a qilin. Nie Huaisang knew tortoises. They were kind of boring.
But if Lan Xichen apparently liked them so much, Nie Huaisang knew exactly what to say.
“Xichen-gege, you’re really in luck! One of the branches in my family raises spiritual tortoises. Next time you visit the Unclean Realm, I’ll take you to meet them!”
Lan Xichen blinked in surprise, making Nie Huaisang wonder if he missed something obvious, but the confusion disappeared quickly, replaced by a soft chuckle.“Very well. I’ll look forward to it.”
Nie Huaisang sighed happily. As he sat back down to enjoy the view of the cranes once more, a thought suddenly occurred to him. “You know it’s kinda funny,” he said. “Tortoises and cranes are often paired together in art.”
“Yes,” Lan Xichen agreed amicably. “I suppose they are.”