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Wei Wuxian could not ignore the invitation; it was the first Jiang Cheng had sent him, after all. It was written in Jiang Cheng's tidy, if cramped, official sect leader script.
Wei Wuxian,
Come down to Lotus Pier for the lotus harvest at the end of summer. Unless that husband of yours won't let you pay your respects? Whatever. Just come.
-Sect Leader Jiang
Lan Wangji had his misgivings, but ultimately he could deny his husband nothing. He had a night hunt with the juniors scheduled already so he sent Wei Wuxian down the river from Caiyi with a couple of the friendlier senior disciples. After an uneventful trip, his Lan entourage were given rooms in the guest wing, while a Jiang disciple led Wei Wuxian to his old room in the family quarters.
Wei Wuxian laughed under his breath as he traced his childish carvings in the wooden footboard of his old bed. Jiang Cheng really was too nostalgic, keeping his room exactly the same. It was one of the few rooms that had survived the burning and sacking by the Wens all those years ago.
Coming back to this place evoked the usual feelings of fondness and loss. Perhaps they were a little less sharp than the last time he'd been here. Calmer circumstances.
Knuckles rapped briskly on the doorframe, and Wei Wuxian looked up, expecting another Jiang disciple coming to summon him to dinner. It was Jiang Cheng himself, however. His familiar scowl looked momentarily softer as he gazed around the room, with Wei Wuxian in it, as though he were seeing through time. Then he caught his former shixiong looking at him and his frown sharpened like a sword again. "You actually came."
Wei Wuxian liked to think that there was something like relief in those words, rather than disdainful disbelief. He schooled his grin into something more polite, something better suited for greeting a sect leader, and circled his arms to bow. "I did."
The side of Jiang Cheng's mouth tugged in exasperation as he rolled his eyes, and Wei Wuxian caught a flash of his shidi at age twelve, fifteen, nineteen. "I didn't invite you here so you could treat me like a stranger. Come, have dinner."
Come. There, again, ordering Wei Wuxian about as though he were one of Jiang Cheng's dogs. What an uncomfortable thought. He let his grin slip back into a more casual shape, though, and dared to drop a hand onto Jiang Cheng's broad shoulder in a friendly pat. "As long as you have good wine to share!"
...
Something had changed between them, Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian, after Wei Wuxian's wedding to Lan Wangji. They'd more or less eloped already, but Lan Qiren of all people had insisted on making it official and inviting anyone who wasn't still keen on murdering Wei Wuxian to witness the event. That was mostly Jin Ling, Jiang Cheng, a few other sect leaders and their entourages. Nie Huaisang had been invited as a courtesy, but had declined with effusive apologies and a generous wedding gift. Naturally the Lan juniors were all there, and even Wen Ning had been allowed to watch quietly from the back. It was small for the Chief Cultivator's wedding, but Wei Wuxian had never seen so many people gathered just to gawk at him since the last time he'd had a vengeful mob after him. It made him a little nervous. Thankfully, Lan Wangji had held his hand after they'd taken their bows and refused to let go for anything the entire evening.
Jiang Cheng had brought the plaques with his parents' names on them, and Wei Wuxian's parents, from the Jiang family shrine. Lan Wangji had solemnly served tea to Jiang Cheng, for lack of anyone else to stand in as Wei Wuxian's family, and they'd all borne the weirdness of that moment with stoic forbearance. Much later, after a meal that played loosely with the Lan tenets of silence while eating, and even more loosely with the prohibition on alcohol, Jiang Cheng had approached Wei Wuxian with tears in his eyes and embraced him.
"She would be so proud of you," Jiang Cheng whispered. Wei Wuxian, several drinks into the evening himself, shattered at those words. They'd shared a good cry while everyone else pretended not to notice.
When Jiang Cheng had prepared to return to Yunmeng the next day, he was back to his stiff sect leader demeanor. His gaze had lingered on Wei Wuxian, however, and he'd offered a curt, "Don't stay away for too long," before he'd left. It was not quite an invitation, but near enough to give Wei Wuxian hope.
...
The late summer air was hot and muggy, full of little biting flies and blistering orange sun. Everyone in Lotus Pier turned out to help with the lotus harvest. The river and lakes were crowded with boats, all heavily laden with mature pods and leaves. Wei Wuxian, like most of the men, was stripped to his waist and glistening with sweat as he baked in the sun. His pale mountain complexion bronzed nicely. He chattered and laughed with all the disciples as he plucked fat lotus pods and only snuck a few of the fresh seeds to eat. Jiang Cheng watched on with some envy, sweating in his robes. He had to maintain at least some decorum, even now. Only the Lan seniors who'd accompanied Wei Wuxian to Yunmeng were dressed in more layers than he was, though they too had joined in on the harvest gamely, albeit with an air of lofty bewilderment.
Later that night after the sky had cooled and everyone had rinsed the worst of the stickiness from their skin (generally by jumping into the water and swimming around), there was a feast. Jiang Cheng presided at the head table, as usual, but in a surprise move he insisted that Wei Wuxian sit next to him. His head disciple took his other side without complaint, looking at Wei Wuxian with something like awe.
Eventually, stuffed full of good food, everyone wandered back to their own quarters to sleep before the hard work could start again in the morning. Jiang Cheng led Wei Wuxian to the private pier where they'd spent much of their childhood diving off into the dark water. A soft breeze cut through the humidity, bringing the aroma of sun-warmed mud and river water and lotus blossoms. Jiang Cheng poured them each a cup of lotus-infused wine and set about peeling lotus seeds into a bowl.
"A-jie always peeled seeds for you," Jiang Cheng said, breaking the warm silence between them. Immediately, the atmosphere grew cooler, tightened, a held breath. Wei Wuxian kept his eyes on their bare feet as they dangled them into the water. "No matter how many times Mother told her not to."
Wei Wuxian nodded slowly. He wasn't sure what he could say, that wouldn't ruin things. It had been such a good day. "Yeah."
Jiang Cheng cleared his throat. His gaze darted around at the fireflies that floated above the water. "She did it because she loved you."
Wei Wuxian swallowed around the winking pain in his throat, sharp as a fishhook. More quietly, he repeated, "Yeah."
With a put-upon sigh, Jiang Cheng shoved the bowl of peeled seeds at Wei Wuxian, almost too roughly; they jostled and threatened to bounce over the edge of the bowl. "Well. We shouldn't stay up too late. Eat them quickly."
Wei Wuxian's smile wobbled and his vision blurred hotly. He heard the words his brother wasn't saying. He laughed softly, took one of the seeds in his fingers, and let it crunch between his molars. "Yeah."