Come Back to Gusu

58. Let's go to the hot pools.

It was odd seeing his friend's mannerisms on a different body. It was weird hearing his friend's speaking rhythm and shy stutters in someone else's voice. This was Wen Ning in every way that mattered and yet.... "It's going to take some getting used to," Jiang WanYin muttered under his breath, echoing Wei WuXian's thoughts, to his siblings when Wen Qing was, yet again, hugging the stranger's body that hosted Wen Ning's soul.

"Because you knew the other one before?" Wei WuXian quietly asked.

"No," Jiang WanYin's eyes narrowed when the hug didn't end. "He was a rogue cultivator. His parents moved to Lotus Pier after the war. They run a candy place. I did meet him once; his parents asked me to take him in as a disciple. He was capable enough, but preferred to stay a rogue cultivator. He said he liked not having to obey someone else's whims and rules." In his arms, the nearly year old Jiang Kong lunged to grab a clump of hair. "No pulling hair, Baobei," he scolded without inflection or warmth.

"I can respect that," Wei WuXian agreed.

"I'm sure you can," Jiang YanLi teased. "Our XianXian has his own ideas of which rules are worth following and which can be ignored."

"Not can be ignored, should be ignored," Wei WuXian teased right back. "Or at least adjusted for toddlers, children, junior disciples and senior disciples. Or circumstances."

After only a week and a half of renewed life, Wen Ning wasn't healthy enough to leave Cloud Recesses. His body's muscles had atrophied during the long wait between the soul being eaten and the procedure to install Wen Ning's in its place. Fortunately, this body's Core was decently strong; between that, meditation, and the Lan healing songs, he was already walking a few steps at a time before needing to rest.

Wen Qing finally let her brother go, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Jie? Can I hold the baby yet?" Wen Ning asked gently. "I'm sitting and my arms are pretty steady...."

"Of course, yes." She brushed her wet cheeks and turned to take the baby out of his father's arms. "Kong'Er... this is your Jiujiu. Don't pull his hair," she scolded and sighed as Jiang Kong succeeded in grabbing his uncle's hair and yanked as hard as he could.

Wen Ning winced. "It's alright Jie. It doesn't hurt."

She untangled the baby's fist, and smoothed her brother's hair back over his shoulders. "He needs to stop this nonsense."

Wei WuXian watched his friend smile down at the baby, his face looking more and more sad, despite the soft smile. Fuck. How could I forget? How hard is it to hold Kong'Er while knowing he'll never hold his and Lan Fen's child. As Wen Ning's eyes started welling up, Lan WangJi pulled at his husband's robes. Wei WuXian looked over and nodded his agreement when his husband glanced at the door. "Well, my duties have waited long enough. I'm glad to see you're getting better." Both he and Lan WangJi took their anger and frustration at Wen Ning's situation out on the archery butts instead of teaching the youngest disciples. It's not fair. None of it was fair. None of us deserved what happened to us.

~*~

Once the new year decorations had been put away for another year, both the Cloud Recesses and Lotus Pier exploded into wedding preparations. Silk merchants brought bolts of various shades of red silk to Cloud Recesses; Jiang YanLi and Lan XiChen poured over them, selecting the best for their brothers. Then, tailors and seamstresses were hired to design the robes and embroider them in the finest gold thread Jin money could buy.

Wei WuXian, Lan WangJi and Wei Yuan's spring equinox journey back to Lotus Pier was shortly followed by a caravan. Lan XiChen brought the official courting gifts appropriate for one sect heir to marry another. Wei WuXian thought them rather excessive; Lan WangJi, opening the fifth box, this one of gold and jade decorations for their house, hushed him. "You are worth everything my brother has given you."