Confessions || A WangXian fanfiction (most likely will not be updating, sorry!)

Chapter 30

While Wei Ying napped on a bed, Lan Zhan was busy preparing something special; Lotus Rib Soup. He knew that this was Wei Ying's favorite, but knowing that Wei Ying lacked the cooking skill to prepare such a dish, he decided to try to learn.

In addition, he attempted to make some other dishes to fulfill Wei Ying's taste. He picked up a bundle of chili peppers that he had found and threw them all into the pan. Now, Lan Wangji had never cooked with chili peppers. So he didn't know how much was too much, and how little was too little. But in fear of the dish not satisfying Wei Ying's spice level, he decided to throw all the peppers in.

Wei Ying blinked his eyes wearily at the scent of smoke. He coughed and waved his hand, trying to swat the smoke away. As he turned his head around trying to find the source of the smoke, his eyes widened when he saw Lan Zhan attempting to cook something, beads of sweat dripping down his face.

Leaping off the bed, Wei Ying ran towards him.

"Lan Zhan!" he cried. "What on Earth are you doing?" Lan Zhan turned around and gently kissed Wei Ying's forehead.

"Cooking," Lan Zhan replied. "Look." He gestured towards the dining table. Wei Ying squinted in the direction he was pointing. 

"I can't see anything from here," he said. "Then walk over," Lan Zhan replied. Wei Ying gently spanked Lan Zhan.

"Way to make me feel stupid," he joked, walking into the dining table. The smell of the smoke was slowly fading away, and his nose was overwhelmed with a rich and spicy scent. He sighed in delight.

"Lan Zhan! Did you cook spicy food? I can smell it from here!" he called out. "How much spice did you put in? The smell is so distinguished," he added. The corners of Lan Zhan's mouth curved slightly upwards.

"Wei Ying should see for himself," he said, pausing slightly before continuing. "I do not know if this will satisfy Wei Ying." Wei Ying laughed. 

"As long as it's food, anything will satisfy me," he chuckled, bursting into the dining table. His eyes widened.

He had never seen so many chili peppers in one dish before. 

"Oh, sh*t," he said. "You sure did add a lot of spice to the fish," he said, eyes still wide in shock. But once he caught sight of the lotus root and rib soup, his eyes immediately softened, and he ran over to take a closer look.

"Lan Zhan!!!" he cried. Lan Zhan turned the fire off, walked over to the dining room, and wrapped his arms around Wei Ying's body.

"Yes?" he asked gently, using his large hands to grip him tightly. Wei Ying turned around and wrapped his arms around Lan Zhan's neck.

"You made me Lotus rib soup," his voice cracked. Lan Zhan nodded.

"I did. Did you taste it?" Wei Ying shook his head. He bent down, took the ladle, scooped up some, and tasted it.

A tear rolled down his face.

"It...tastes just like Shijie's..." he whispered. He looked into Lan Zhan's eyes, his eyes glistening with tears.

"I've had lotus rib soup so many times from other people, but no one, NO ONE, could make it like Shijie." His voice cracked and he buried his head into Lan Zhan's clothes.

"No one," he cried. "She tried teaching Jiang Cheng and me, but we could never do it." He squeezed Lan Zhan's body tighter to him.

"I-I know this seems like a really petty thing to get emotional over," he sniffled. "B-but...how did you do it?" He looked up at Lan Zhan, his eyes turning red.

16 YEARS AGO

Jiang Yanli was cradling Jin Ling when she heard a knock at the door.

"Hanguang-Jun!" Jiang Yanli looked at her guest in surprise. "What brings you here?" Lan Zhan bowed.

"I heard Wei Ying is coming for Jin Lings 1 month anniversary," he commented. Yanli smiled gently. The Jin family was fond of big parties, and Lan Zhan himself was invited. Although he was inclined to politely decline at first, the thought of Wei Ying being present quickly changed his mind. 

"He is. It's been a while since you guys have met, right?" Lan Zhan nodded, disregarding the fact that they had stumbled upon each other that one time. 

"I would like to ask a favor from you," he said. Yanli raised her eyebrows in surprise. Never did she think that the famous Hanguang-Jun would be asking someone like her for a favor.

"What would you like?" 

~

15 minutes later, after Yanli hands Jin Ling over to a nanny, Lan Zhan finds himself in the Jin family's kitchen.

The smell in the kitchen was...strong. Overwhelming. Flavorful. Lan Zhan had really never been in a kitchen before and didn't know what to expect. But he wasn't used to all these spices and scents, especially since the food he ate in Gusu was...well...quite bland. 

Jiang Yanli grabbed a bag of lotus roots that were sitting nearby and dumped some of them out. Then, she ran out of the room, and quickly dashed back with the ribs

"These were just brought back from the market today!" she announced. Lan Zhan took one of them and turned it around. He didn't know anything about cooking and was suddenly starting to regret this idea. But Yanli already seemed so happy about teaching him, and he was too embarrassed to back out.

"Do you want to split the work, or should I just guide you through the entire process?" she asked cheerfully. Lan Zhan blinked.

"Guide," he replied simply. Yanli nodded. "Okay!" 

"First, we're going to have to wash the ribs!" she said. "Can you grab a bucket of water?" Lan Zhan nodded, took a nearby bucket, and filled it up with water. Jiang Yanli plopped the ribs in.

"Okay! Now we have to wait," she said, rinsing her hands. Lan Zhan frowned slightly.

"Wait?" Yanli nodded. "Yes. We have to soak them." She smiled. 

"Cooking requires patient, Lan Zhan. Do you have time to spare?" Lan Zhan nodded. Yanli smiled. 

"Then, while we wait, how about we talk for a while?"

A/N: woOooOooh I have been revived from the dead! I'm SO SORRY IT'S BEEN 2 MONTHS TUT expect unstable updating (however, I think I'll be able to finish Ch. 31 faster (faster than 2 months at least)). Anyhow this story is almost over T^T. I'm extremely grateful that all of you guys are still here, patiently waiting, and not getting too annoyed by my irregular updating ehe. You guys are the best! 🥺💚