Chapter Text
Shi Mei didn’t like Mo Ran very much.
The dog-ish boy was very boisterous. He was constantly getting into trouble with their Shizun or the other Elders of Shiseng Peak. He had most recently gotten in trouble and received eighty strikes from Tianwen.
With all of his scorn for his stupid shidi, here he was with a bowl of fresh, warm wontons sitting in front of Mo Ran himself.
He had tears running down his cheeks from the pain from criss-crossing lashes all over his back that made it impossible to turn over without the searing feeling flaring up.
Shi Mei sat at the end of his bed and sighed.
“Does it hurt? Can you sit up? Shizun he… he was far too rough. Look at your wounds, some of them are still bleeding!” Shi Mei frowned as sympathetic as he could. He didn’t care too much about how hard his Shizun whipped Mo Ran. He got what was coming for him.
Mo Ran looked up with a pathetic smile. He batted his lashes and gazed at Shi Mei with teary eyes.
“Knowing that Shi Mei has so much care for me in him, I can’t even feel the pain anymore,”
Shi Mei fought the urge to roll his eyes at that cheesy statement. He always gets so sappy around his shixiong.
“Look at yourself, how could you not feel any pain? You should be familiar with how Shizun's temper is. Try not to anger him or do stupid things in the future,” Shi Mei said calmly.
Mo Ran seemed to have a flash of blush cross his cheeks.
“It won’t happen again, I promise.”
“Who can tell when you hold your word anymore?” Shi Mei scolded, but kept his expression the same. A clear smile that seemed to convey a little warmth and familiarity toward Mo Ran.
“You should start eating these wontons, they’re starting to get cold. Can you get up? If you can’t then stay there, I’ll feed you,”
Mo Ran was halfway up and then dropped right back down when Shi Mei said the latter half. Shi Mei gave him a knowing look.
Wontons are Mo Ran’s favorite dish. Shi Mei knows this because every time he brings them to him, Mo Ran loves to tell Shi Mei that over and over again. To be honest, the wonton were that good, and Mo Ran had every right to ask for them and say that “Shi Mei’s wontons are the best,”. Even though Shi Mei never made the wontons.
Shi Mei’s wontons or not, they were delectable.
Shi Mei fed Mo Ran, spoonful by spoonful.
“I didn’t add any chili oil. You shouldn’t eat spicy food with injuries like yours, so the broth should be perfect for now,” Shi Mei stated. Mo Ran gazed at him, unable to take his dreamy gaze away from his shixiong’s.
“Everything you make is perfect, whether it’s spicy or not,”
“You smooth talker. Here’s a runny egg… You like those,” Shi Mei pinched the little bulb of yellow with his chopsticks as Mo Ran chuckled softly. Shi Mei brought the egg yolk to Mo Ran’s mouth, and he slurped it off with pleasure.
“Shi Mei.”
“Mn?”
“Nothing.. I just like saying your name,”
“Mn.”
“Shi Mei.”
The corner of Shi Mei’s lip quirked in what might’ve looked like a suppressed laugh when it wasn’t. Shi Mei was slightly annoyed.
“You’re just saying it again?” He asked. Mo Ran giggled,
“Yeah, I said I like saying your name. It makes me happy,”
Shi Mei set the chopsticks down onto the bowl and reached out tentatively to touch Mo Ran’s forehead with the back of his hand.
“You’re so silly… are you sure you’re not sick?” Shi Mei queried. Mo Ran laughed and tilted his head sideways, as if to see Shi Mei’s entirety.
“Shi Mei’s wontons are so delicious, I wish I could eat them every single day!!” He declared. Shi Mei paused for a quick moment. “Shi Mei’s wontons” was incorrect. He had a slight urge to tell Mo Ran that he doesn’t make the wontons but then he spoke up.
“Shi Mei?”
“Yes? You’re not saying my name just to say it now are you?”
“Ha ha, no… Thank you.”
Shi Mei faltered, seemingly not knowing what to say. He thought again about telling him that it was Shizun who made them, but didn’t follow through. He smiled a little bigger and said,
“Aren’t they just wontons? You need not be so formal about it. If you’d like I can make you some more,” Shi Mei added. Mo Ran seemed to be in deep thought for a moment. Staring at the bowl of wonton’s in Shi Mei’s hands. He knew that Mo Ran really liked the wontons, but it seems like he’s savoring them more than usual. Shi Mei wondered if Hua Bi'nan's theory was true. It seems like a reach. Mo Ran was reborn? He didn’t think so.
Mo Ran came back to real life and Shi Mei started feeding him again in silence.
–
He ate it all, not a single green onion was spared. Mo Ran licked his lips and sighed in comfort.
“Can I have some more tomorrow?” He asked. Shi Mei frowned slightly.
“You don’t get tired of them? Surely you want something else?”
“I’ll never get tired of Shi Mei’s wontons!! Just be sure that you don’t get tired of me!” Mo Ran declared. Shi Mei let out a genuine chuckle.
“Okay, okay. I’m not sure that there is enough flour left for wontons, so how about some eggs and a sweet soup?” Shi Mei suggested. Mo Ran nodded his head vigorously.
“Anything that Shi Mei makes will be amazing,” He stated.
Shi Mei smiled, having finally gotten away from the “Shi Mei’s wontons” nonsense. He didn’t want to take credit for his Shizun’s work. Shi Mei stood up from the bed with chopsticks and bowl in hand. He turned to look at Mo Ran who seemed like he was absolutely fuming. Shi Mei ignored that and told him goodnight before walking across the room and out the doorway.
–
Mo Ran stayed in his bed for three whole days before being summoned to Red Lotus Pavillion to do manual labour.