Chapter Text
"Uncle, uncle!" Jin Ling ran to Jiang Cheng, red faced and breathless. "Guess what happened on our night hunt yesterday!"
Jiang Cheng looked at his nephew, but something in his chest clenched and he felt angry. He didn't let it show though. Not really anyways, he always looked angry according to people. "What is it A-Ling?" He asked though it came out harsher than he intended.
Jin Ling flinched back. "S-sorry... I can tell you later when you're in a better mood..."
"No, no, it's fine A-Ling," Jiang Cheng said, not wanting his nephew to go. "I'm sorry."
"W-well anyways, um..." Jin Ling looked flustered, then looked away, a bright shade of red. "L-lan Sizhui and I, w-we're a-a..."
Jiang Cheng tilted his head ever so slightly in confusion. Jin Ling was never this flustered.
"We're a couple!" Jin Ling blurted out. "He confessed on our night hunt, and I've liked him for a while... We even kissed."
Jin Ling mumbled the last part, but Jiang Cheng heard and his blood ran cold. "What? There's no way... Sizhui of all people?! Absolutely not!"
Jin Ling looked annoyed and angry at that. "I'm old enough to date and choose who uncle. You're not going to stop me. I'm not a child anymore!" Then he stormed off.
Jiang Cheng watched him go, something dark in his eyes. "You'll always be a child to me," he muttered. "My child if Jin Guangyao hadn't insisted on taking you in after A-Lie and that damn peacock died... I won't let Sizhui take you from me the way he did."
That morning he had a 'meditative hut' built for 'himself' since things could get stressful or loud at times, especially with Jin Ling around. He created the design, it was to be the size of a small cabin, with three rooms. He would take care of the interior design by himself once it was finished.
In all honesty, he'd been wanting a meditative hut for a while, and the people in Lotus Pier knew this, they'd simply been too busy to build it, first with the war against the Wens, then rebuilding, then the siege at Burial Mounds, then more recovering from that, then taking care of toddler Jin Ling running around... They'd never had the time until now.
But now Jiang Cheng would get his meditative hut. Although the main use would be something entirely different from meditating...
As he watched the hut being built from his window while he worked on paperwork, there was nobody around to see the cruel smirk stretch across his face.