Work Text:
“Nobody warned you about me?” Jiang Cheng rubs one heavily-tattooed arm self-consciously.
The plump, elderly woman that Jiang Cheng had initially mistaken for a lost tourist when she wandered into his tattoo shop shakes her head.
“My son booked the car for me,” she says. “He made all my travel arrangements. I’ve been ill, you see, but it has been so long since I’ve seen Xiao-Sang, that the moment my doctors cleared me for travel, I made plans to visit.”
Wen Ning hustles over with a chair as Jiang Cheng fusses with the electric kettle behind their counter.
“Oh, thank you, young man,” the auntie says, patting Wen Ning’s cheek.
Aunties, Jiang Cheng thinks fondly as Wen Ning stammers in protest, they always go nuts for him. She chuckles when he flees to the back room.
“Huaisang did tell us you were coming,” Jiang Cheng says, “but I thought he told you what I did for a living. I’m sorry if we startled you, Mrs. Nie.”
“Call me Auntie Yue,” she says. “Of course I have heard a great many delightful things about you. My Zonghui tells me that you are taking excellent care of our Xiao-Sang.”
Jiang Cheng blushes. Surely Zonghui wouldn’t —
“…and you encourage him to keep going to a doctor, even when he feels better.”
Jiang Cheng turns away from the kettle to look at Auntie Yue.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” Auntie Yue says conspiratorially, “but Nie men can be so stubborn! My own husband had a head like a block of marble!” She leans back and waves her hand. “Such trouble he gave me!”
Jiang Cheng laughs. “I had noticed,” he allows. “Still, I suppose I’m not what you expected for Huaisang.”
Auntie Yue scoffs. “I am an old woman,” she says, “but I am not a Nie by birth. I know how to grow with the times.” She looks Jiang Cheng up and down as he hands her a cup of tea. “You take care of our Xiao-Sang, and you are quite handsome!”
Jiang Cheng’s blush deepens to a dull crimson as he catches Auntie Yue checking out his ass. He hip-checks the corner of the counter and bites back a curse.
Auntie Yue smiles like a satisfied cat.
“I— ah, thank you, Auntie,” Jiang Cheng says, ducking his head. “I try.”
They chat pleasantly for the next half hour and are fast friends by the time Huaisang arrives.
“Auntie!” he exclaims, dropping to her side to accept a kiss on the cheek and a gentle scolding for hiding his young man away, not that I blame you, Xiao-Sang, the young people in Qinghe will eat him alive.
“Auntie,” Huaisang says seriously, “you know I won’t let anything happen to A-Cheng when— that is, if he comes to visit.”
They haven’t talked about visiting his family yet, but Jiang Cheng leans on the counter and smiles at them.
“Of course I’ll come.” He winks at Auntie Yue. “I know you’ll keep me safe.”