Down the mountain path, they left the Cloud Recesses through a discreet shortcut. They walked farther and farther, until they had finally left the the GusuLan Sect's disciples' usual area of activity. Wei WuXian suddenly exclaimed, "Ow, my stomach hurts."
Lan WangJi stopped immediately, "Rest. Apply new ointment."
Wei WuXian, "It's fine. I'll just go sit over there."
Lan WangJi, "Sit."
Wei WuXian's expression seemed miserable, "But the movement of getting on the donkey is too big. I'm scared that it'll affect the wound."
His wound had healed long ago. This was clearly being shameless. Lan WangJi stopped, turned around, and looked at him. He suddenly reached out. Making sure not to touch where he had been injured, he picked him up by his waist, lifted him gently, and placed him onto the back of Lil' Apple.
Of the two, one sat on the donkey while the other pulled the rein. On the back of Lil' Apple, Wei WuXian grinned with curving eyes.
Lan WangJi asked, "What?"
Wei WuXian, "Nothing."
Like he had played a trick on someone, he felt somewhat pleased with himself.
Although he didn't remember much of the things that had happened when he was young, there was one scene that had always been blurrily imprinted within his mind.
A narrow path, a little donkey, and three people. A man in black gently lifted a woman in white. He picked her up and placed her onto the donkey's back. Then, he raised a small, small child way up high and put him on his shoulders.
He was the child, not yet the height of a person's legs. Sitting on the shoulders of the man, he was suddenly very tall, very majestic. Sometimes he pulled the man's hair, sometimes he rubbed his cheeks. He shouted things, swinging his legs about. The woman in white sat on the donkey's back, her back swaying. Watching them, she seemed to smile. The man had always been quiet. He didn't talk much. He only pushed him a bit higher, for him to be taller, steadier. One of his hands picked up the donkey's rein. The three of them were squeezed onto the same narrow path, walking slowly forward.
It was one of the rare pieces of memory that he had.
Those were his dad and his mom.
Wei WuXian, "Lan Zhan, pick up the rein, won't you?"
Lan WangJi, "Why?"
Lil' Apple was quite clever. It wasn't that it didn't know to follow a person. Wei WuXian said again, "Give me some face and pick it up, won't you?"
Although he still didn't understand why Wei WuXian's grin was so bright, Lan WangJi listened and picked up Lil' Apple's rein anyway, holding it in his hand.
Wei WuXian spoke to himself, "Hm. Now all that's left is a little one."
Lan WangJi, "What?"
Wei WuXian chuckled, "Nothing. Lan Zhan, you really are a good person."
With this journey to Yiling, it was clear that their future was still unclear, even somewhat dangerous. Wei WuXian couldn't get himself to feel nervous at all. Sitting on a donkey with Lan WangJi holding the rein, leading them down the path, his entire heart was fluttering, feeling as though he was walking on air. Even if a bunch of sects suddenly attacked from beside the road, aside from destroying the scene and spoiling his mood, he thought that he wouldn't find it too bad. He even had the spirit to enjoy the fields under the moonlight, pulling out the bamboo flute at his waist. As natural as ever, he played a tune.
