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Lan Xichen loves his brother.
Meters away, Jiang Wanyin bends forward slightly to brush off the shoulder of one of his junior disciples. "Pan Fu, is this how you intend to meet Lan-laoshi?"
"No, zongzhu," the boy responds, all sweetness. His eyes are brightly innocent, which in a YunmengJiang disciple is a sure sign of mischief. Lan Xichen wonders if the junior intentionally rubbed dirt on his robes; affection for Jiang Wanyin seems to lead the afflicted down strange paths.
From Lan Xichen's side, jade creaks against metal in Wangji's grip.
Lan Xichen loves his brother. He does. However, he wishes Wangji was not here to greet the YunmengJiang disciples for the lectures.
As Jiang Wanyin straightens, the breeze catches his violet ribbons, ends fluttering near his waist. "GusuLan has expectations that you will all meet. Their methods are different than ours, and you will master them." He pauses, turning his head to meet the gazes of the whole group; his ribbons slide against his neck with the movement. "Am I understood?"
Some youths elbow each other and others giggle, but they all say, "Yes, zongzhu!"
"Disgraceful," Wangji whispers.
Jiang Fengmian had never escorted his juniors to the lectures. Why did Jiang Wanyin? Just to torment Lan Xichen? It seems unnecessary.
Jiang Wanyin's posture softens. Don't, Lan Xichen thinks wildly, but as usual his pleas go unheard. "Their food is also different, but they will feed you well. Don't go without because it's unfamiliar; although it takes time to adjust, be patient and eat well."
"Zongzhu, what if we're really hungry?" asks one of the girls. "Shen-shijie said they don't eat any meat at all, and she could barely stand without fainting!"
"Liang Min, how many times has Shen Yuxi tried to scare you and laughed when it worked? Each of you will get a small allowance for Caiyi Town each week"—several of the juniors whoop, but they quiet with grins when Jiang Wanyin turns to glare at them—"provided Lan-laoshi has no complaints of your behavior. Do not bring meat into Cloud Recesses, and under no circumstances are you to hunt or fish within their grounds."
One of the taller boys says, "Did anyone break the rules when you were here?"
"Yes," Jiang Wanyin says quellingly. "They regretted it."
The disciples look between each other, and Lan Xichen can tell that once again YunmengJiang disciples will test shufu's patience.
With a nod, Jiang Wanyin turns magnificently and starts walking toward the stairs, only to stop when he notices them. "Zewu-jun, Hanguang-jun," he greets with a bow.
One of his inner layers is bridal green¹. Bridal green. The hissed breath from Lan Xichen's side is, frankly, perfectly reasonable. Bridal green. Certainly, it's a fetching combination with violet and black, but does Jiang Wanyin not consider Lan Xichen at all when he makes his sartorial choices?
Lan Xichen returns the greeting while Lan Wangji burns quietly beside him.
Jiang Wanyin's eyes flick to Wangji and then, as if resigned to Wangji's rudeness, return to Lan Xichen. "I hope we weren't in your path?"
Lan Xichen smiles, although he can tell it isn't his best effort. "Wan—we wanted to walk up the mountain with you and your disciples."
With a polite acceptance, Jiang Wanyin moves to Lan Xichen's other side. When they move to walk together, though, Wangji stays put, only to follow immediately behind Jiang Wanyin.
When he was still a boy, Lan Xichen had made a habit of counting each stair any time he went up or down the mountain. He knows the number perfectly. Now, however, with Wangji hounding Jiang Wanyin, it feels as though there must be twice as many stairs as usual.²