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Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan don’t know about the secret space under the large round table at the far end of the formal office where they received guests and conducted sect business. It had doors concealing cupboards that took up about half of the volume of the area created by the table. The cupboards held a variety of tea services and accessories. But it was impractical for the table to have cupboards all around, and the open half created a cozy nook, excellent for spying —gathering sect information.
Time and again, Ziyuan had threatened to replace the table with an elegant bar cart, but it had been a wedding gift to Fengmian’s mother, and in a rare show of backbone, he refused to be parted with it, and so Jiang Cheng’s hiding place remained.
If he’d given it any thought, Jiang Cheng would have worried about the long-term viability of the space, but luckily for him, maids kept the supplies stocked and made the tea, and if on occasion, Jiang Cheng found a pack of cookies and a new comic book underneath, well, he figured Jiejie, who’d shown him the hiding spot last year when Wei Ying came and ruined his — changed his life, had left them for him.
Jiang Cheng crawled under the table after breakfast that morning, after his father had chastised him for keeping Little Love’s collar against his orders that everything related to dogs be purged from Lotus Pier. Jiang Cheng had flung the collar at his father and run off, ignoring his father’s indignant squawks and his mother’s sharp rebukes, and headed for his safe, secret space.
He disappeared under the table and scooted until his back hit the solid wooden cupboard. He grabbed the blanket that he kept there — Jasmine’s favorite blanket, though he had washed it because Jasmine was always just a little stinky — and flopped face-first onto the spare pillow he kept there, fighting the tears that streamed down his cheeks. He could hear his parents stomping back and forth in the hall, shouting for him, shouting for the servants to check all the places they thought he might hide, none of them right. He allowed himself one gulping sob before scrunching his eyes shut and covering his mouth with his palm as he tried to remember the calm breathing Jiejie taught him.
Eventually, the commotion outside his little shelter died down. He knew he’d be in deep trouble later, but for now, he was safe. He wrestled with his anger. It was his own fault that he’d gotten caught. He’d left the collar in his school bag, and it fell out when, in his haste to show his parents the good grade he’d earned on a story, he accidentally emptied his bag all over the kitchen floor.
Jiang Cheng’s thoughts drift to his puppies, as they often did in the last year. His ayi had made sure the dogs found a good home with her nephew’s family in the country. She showed him pictures from time to time, even though it made his heart hurt to see some other kids playing with his dogs. He feels his temper rise, so he takes another breath, and another, and then —
The door to the office opens with its tell-tale creak.
Jiang Cheng pulls his blanket over his head and holds his breath.
“A-Cheng?”
Jiang Cheng’s eyes fly open, but he holds absolutely still.
Wei Ying calls his name again, softly, as he closes the door with a decisive click.
“Chengcheng?”
Wei Ying comes closer to Jiang Cheng’s hiding spot, and Jiang Cheng is seized with the wild urge to burst into the room and run Wei Ying off.
He bites his thumb.
“A-Cheng.” Wei Ying’s voice has dropped to a whisper, and all of a sudden, he’s there! Invading Jiang Cheng’s hiding space!
“Yanli-jie told me you might be here,” Wei Ying whispers.
Jiang Cheng goes limp as all the fight drains out of him. Betrayed? By his own sister? He doesn’t resist when Wei Ying wiggles under the table and stretches out beside him.
“I brought you something,” he says.
Jiang Cheng ignores him, and Wei Ying sighs.
“Really,” he says. He reaches out and drops something on Jiang Cheng’s chest. “It’s a dog. For you.”
Jiang Cheng stares at Wei Ying and then at the thing on his chest.
It is most definitely not a dog.
“For you,” Wei Ying says again. “Meng-ayi helped me buy it when I went grocery shopping with her last week.” He reaches over and runs a finger over the thing’s head. “I saved up my allowance.”
The thing is a plush cat. Jiang Cheng picks it up and squeezes it. It’s stuffed with a mix of fluffy filling and coarse sand or beads so it has a pleasing weight when he holds it up to examine it. He strokes the bright orange fur on its head. It’s so soft, but it is definitely a cat. It has blue bead eyes and a pink plastic nose, white paws and jaunty triangle ears. It’s cute, but it is not a dog.
“It is a dog,” Wei Ying insists, gulping around the word dog. “I promise. I promised I would get you a dog again.”
Jiang Cheng blinks at his brother. Wei Ying had promised, a week or so after he arrived. He promised to get Jiang Cheng all the dogs he wanted as soon as he could. Jiang Cheng wasn’t stupid. He knew it was impossible, that he’d never have a dog again, but Jiejie had smiled and patted Wei Ying’s head and said isn’t that nice, A-Cheng? as she fed them both cookies from her private stash, and that was the end of the matter.
“Don’t you like your dog, Chengcheng?”
Jiang Cheng looks at his brother, at his eager and hopeful expression, and his heart breaks a little. He swallows down the lump in his throat and cuddles the stupid orange cat to his chest. It is really very soft.
“Yeah,” Jiang Cheng says, his voice raspy. He scoots closer to Wei Ying. “What’s his name?”
Wei Ying taps his nose thoughtfully. “Hmmm. What about…Jujube?”
Jiang Cheng rolls his eyes — and people made fun of him for naming pets — and rolls over so he can curl up against Wei Ying’s side. He sets the cat between them so Wei Ying can pet it, too.
“Yeah, okay,” Jiang Cheng says. “You still owe me two more. But it can wait until we’re bigger, okay? Don’t spend your allowance on me for a while.”
Wei Ying flops onto Jiang Cheng, elbowing him in the stomach, as he tries to hug Jiang Cheng to death.
“Get off!” Jiang Cheng growls, but Wei Ying just plants a messy kiss on his cheek before he settles down beside him.
“I’m glad you like your dog, Chengcheng.”
“He’s pretty cute,” Jiang Cheng admits. “And, uh, because he’s also, uh, weird looking, Dad won’t mind if I keep him.”
“Exactly!” Wei Ying says brightly. “So, are we gonna hide out for awhile, or do you want me to distract Uncle and Auntie so you can make a break for it and then I’ll meet you at the treehouse?”
Jiang Cheng suddenly feels exhausted, like he’s a hundred years old. He tries to stifle a yawn, but he can’t hold it back, and Wei Ying chuckles.
“Let’s stay here for a bit.” Jiang Cheng reaches up behind him and pulls over another pillow. He bops Wei Ying’s face with it. “Here. You can stay, too.”
“Okay, Chengcheng.”
“Hmph.” Jiang Cheng elbows Wei Ying because he can, but then he gives Jujube a kiss and holds him out for Wei Ying to do the same.
Jiang Cheng closes his eyes, and just as he is about to drop into sleep, he feels Wei Ying squeeze his hand, and he thinks he hears a whispered promise.
I’ll protect you, didi, and I’ll get your dogs back. I promise.