There was only one word to describe the ceremony. Beautiful.
The wedding which was held in the East Side of the Cloud Recesses overlooking the waterfall. The place had been well decorated with Red banners and shawls and lanterns and carpets. There was a huge red cloth banner on which Double Xi (Xi means happiness and double Xi simply means double the happiness) was painted in golden.
Yan Li was simply beautiful. Although her face was covered in a deep red veil, she looked absolutely stunning. Her robes were embroidered with phoenixes and Xi Chen's robes were embroidered with dragons symbolising Yang and Yin/ Unity and balance. If Lan Xi Chen in blue robes looked handsome, then in red, he looked divine. The deep colour of the red against his pale skin, made his dark eyes seem more prominent. And the pair looked so happy that even Lan Qi Ren secretly shed some tears.
Jiang Cheng and Jin Ling had been emotional throughout the ceremony watching Yan Li walk towards her happiness. Wei Ying didn't bother hiding his tears, happy to be able to finally witness his sister's wedding after missing her previous one. He was dressed in a traditional purple robe as he stood by his brother and nephew, giving his sister away. Contrary to what others believed, he was not going to make an appearance for his sister's wedding in his Yiling Laozu avatar. Wang Ji had appeared by his side, halfway through the ceremony, the minute Wei Ying's tears had started to fall. He simply wrapped an arm around his husband's waist, silently consoling him.
Wei Ying knew that his sister was getting married into his family and there really was no need for him to cry so much. But she was just so beautiful and he claimed that they were just tears of happiness. The twins were left with a Lan Elder, so that they could completely focus on the wedding.
"Do you regret not having a proper wedding?" Wang Ji had asked, when Yan Li and Xi Chen were exchanging their vows.
"No. As long as I married you, I have nothing to regret," Wei Ying had replied with a content smile.
After the wedding was the tea ceremony, and the couple had gracefully presented the tea, first to Lan Qi Ren and then to Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian (Although they are younger than the couple, there was no elder present from Yan Li's side), thereby marking their first appearance as a wedded couple. Jin Ling bowed deeply to his mother and his stepfather.
A banquet was arranged on the occasion of the wedding and halfway through the wedding, Yan Li was whisked away by some of the female Lan Elders, to prepare her for their first night. Lan Xi Chen had simply frowned at the Elders for taking his wife away, her dinner barely eaten, as he was having a really good time with her and he cursed at their sexist rituals.
Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying stared at the retreating figure of their sister and threw back cups and cups of alcohol and Wang Ji who had come to love Yan Li as his own sister, stared at the alcohol in silent consideration, all three trying not to think about the kind of activities Yan Li and Lan Xi Chen would be indulging in that night. Jin Ling was engrossed in a conversation with his friends that he did not even realize that his mother hand left.
After a few minutes, Wei Ying and Wang Ji had excused themselves to go relieve the Elders from their baby sitting duty.
Xi Chen waited for a few minutes before he decided to excuse himself too. There really was no point in sitting in a banquet where everyone was either drunk (Exception for the wedding) or having fun while he sat there staring off into space.
He reached the Hanshi and knocked on the door twice. When he heard a faint 'Come in, he opened the door and walked inside. His house had been decorated with red and there were red flowers everywhere. A curtain separated the bedroom from the sitting room. He pushed the curtain aside, as he walked towards the bed, where Yan Li sat, her face covered in a veil.
He lifted the veil from her face with a smile and stared at her blushing face. To be honest, he didn't really know what to do. More like where to start. He felt awkward and the way Yan Li was squirming, he was sure that she was feeling awkward too. They loved each other but so far they had only held hands and he didn't know where to begin. It was their first night together and awkward was the last thing they wanted to feel.
"Come with me," he said, after a lot of thought, as he took her hand in his and after grabbing two lanterns and a thick blanket, they walked out of the Hanshi and through the woods surrounding the back of his house. After walking for a few minutes, they reached a small clearing with a dingy looking shed (Considering the Lan's level of cleanliness, you could call it a cabin), overlooking a silent lake. This was Xi Chen's safe place.
Yan Li was entranced by the lake and trees, and the sounds of the crickets and cicadas chirping in the chilly, night air. The stars suddenly looked brighter to her and the place looked magical. Even without the lanterns, the place wasn't dark as the moon illuminated the entire area.
"What is this place?" she asked after a few minutes.
Xi Chen wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and hugged her from behind, his hands resting on her stomach, as he placed his chin on her shoulder. He could smell the lotus fragrance on her hair and it made him feel all levels of dizzy. "I used to come here with Wang Ji when we were little," he said after a while. "I don't really have a name for it but after I moved into the Hanshi, I made this place off limits to everyone except Wang Ji. But my brother rarely comes here. He has his own secret spots now."
Yan Li laughed softly. "It's beautiful," she whispered.
"Not as beautiful as you," he smirked. Lan Xi Chen was on his A-Game.
"Oh, stop," Yan Li laughed shyly.
"But I just started," he pouted against her neck. "I am a man known to appreciate beauty when I see one. And you are the only beautiful woman I have ever seen."
"Seriously, Xi Chen," Yan Li giggled. "Stop. You're making me cringe."
"I should really take flirting lessons from Wuxian," he replied with a frown.
Yan Li turned in his arms, to face him and with her fingers she upturned that frown into a smile. "First of all, I don't think that A-Xian would teach you to flirt, if I am going to be on the receiving end of your flirtations. And secondly Xi Chen, you don't need to learn to flirt at all. You are very charming as it is."
Xi Chen smiled happily at her response and stared into her captivating eyes. He could easily get lost in them. "I should probably thank my brother for knocking yours up," he said trying to sound cheesy and corny one last time.
"Why? Because otherwise you wouldn't have met me again and today we wouldn't be here?" she said with a smirk.
"That one was predictable, wasn't it?" he smiled sheepishly.
Yan Li hummed in response and wrapped her arms loosely around his neck. She knew that Xi Chen was trying his best to ease her up. "Lan Xi Chen," she said looking up at him, through her thick lashes. "Husband," she called again, smiling shyly. "Stop talking and just kiss me."
That was all the indication and permission that Xi Chen needed. With his heart thrumming like his Zither, he dipped his head low and met her luscious, red lips in a soft kiss. Time stopped for these lovers and everything around them seemed to disappear. It was only them, in each other's arms. He tightened his arms around her waist and pulled her as much closer as he could and he could feel her heart beating in a frenzy. She stood on her tippy toes, legs going weak, with her arms around his neck as she met each breath of his with a breath of her own. They fit like a piece of puzzle. The seemingly innocent kiss soon turned intense and there ensued a sensuous dance of the tongues.
"I can't believe I never did that before. No wonder Cloud Recesses has so many rules for self restraint. This kind of thing, one can easily get addicted to it," he said, pulling away to breathe some air. "Should we go back inside?" Xi Chen asked, as he stared at her, eyes hooded with lust.
"Too far," she whispered, trying to normalize her breathing. "In there," she said with a shy but seductive smile, pointing in the direction of the cabin.
Xi Chen was a gone man. Her eagerness matched with his horde of unfamiliar emotions caused him to smile dazedly and with trembling arms, he swept her off of her feet and carried her into the safety of his haven. After all, he was but a bewitched man.
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"Stop crying, A-Yan, please," Wei Ying begged for the umpteenth time as he rocked his son back and forth, trying to get him to stop crying. He turned to Wang Ji who looked like he wasn't doing any better with their daughter. "My precious little baby boy. Who is daddy's good little boy?" he continued to coo, only to flinch and wince at A-Yan's amplified cries.
It had been two months since the wedding and the two couples had adjusted themselves into the routine of the Cloud Recesses. Except for Wei Ying, who took unexplainable pleasure in breaking a few of the rules. Especially their prudish sleeping hours. But he always managed to get away with it, courtesy of Lan Wang Ji.
It seemed that the kids had decided to walk in his footsteps as they spent most of the nights screaming and crying and would fall asleep at around twelve or one in the morning. While Wei Ying caught up with his sleep during the morning, Lan Wang Ji was forced to wake up groggily at five and prepare for his class. Wei Ying was smart enough to schedule all his classes for the afternoon.
But today was different. It was close to four in the morning and the twins were refusing to sleep. They had been at it for hours now. They would stop occasionally to take a breath or hiccup, and just when Wang Ji and Wei Ying would sigh in relief, they would start crying again.
Wang Ji had already checked for signs of sickness but found none. They had tried everything.
Played the guqin and dizi? Check.
Were the diapers soiled or wet? As dry as the desert.
Were they hungry? Check.
Were they thirsty? Check check.
Were they bored? Check Check Check.
Put them in the bassinet? Worst idea ever! They just cried more.
Tried dancing? Major fail (while Wei Ying jumped about like a monkey, Wang Ji flailed his arms around in a whoosh motion in an attempt to dance. The kids had paused at Wang Ji's "dance", stared at him like he had grown two heads but then proceeded to cry after a minute).
It was as if they were crying just for the heck of it. When they had barely managed to calm one down, the other would cry so loud, startling the calm one and they were back to square one.
Wang Ji's ears were ringing. He was shocked that nobody from the Cloud Recesses had appeared yet to check on the noise. He sighed and continued to rock A-Qing back and forth, consistently begging her to stop crying.
"I can't do this anymore," Wei Ying choked, tears filling his eyes, as he stared at a tired Wang Ji. "It's hurting me to see them cry like this!"
Great! Now Wang Ji had to take care of three crying children. "Don't you dare do this to me now, Wei Ying!" he snapped. "I know you're tired. I am tired too. But I can't do this alone," he added softly and then flinched at his daughter's piercing cry. "A-Qing. Bao Bei. Please stop crying. A-Die is begging you," he whispered to his daughter with a pout.
"I want to sleep. I have a splitting headache, Lan Zhan. And they just won't stop. My ears are ringing. How can such small babies have such a loud voice?" he whined and a lone tear slipped from his eye. He was tired. Just so tired. His tiredness combined with his worry for his children's nonstop crying, were getting the best of him and he could not stop the tears.
Wang Ji sighed and moved closer to his husband. He held A-Qing in one arm and wrapped another around his husband's shoulders. Wei Ying leaned on Wang Ji's chest and together they stared at their screaming infants and silently sent out prayers to whoever that was willing to listen, to help them stop the babies from crying and put them to sleep.
Wei Ying continued to cry silently and even Wang Ji's eyes were now filling with tears. They were sitting on the floor, a huge blanket spread in front of them, scattered with toys and clothes and diapers. The parents themselves were so dishevelled and Lan Zhan looked like he had gone through a tornado. They were a sight alright!
They wailing continued for another two hours and it was only in the wee hours of the morning that the twins fell asleep (more like cried themselves to exhaustion and then fell asleep, after hours of constant rocking and cooing). Wang Ji and Wei Ying, too tired to move, had carefully placed them on the blanket, surrounded them with pillows as they had recently learned to crawl and A-Qing had an unusual habit of crawling to unexpected places (she had once crawled under the bed and Wang Ji and Wei Ying had gone completely crazy while looking for her). Least bothered about the time and place, the couple closed their eyes and knocked themselves out.
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Lan Xi Chen was on his way to the Jingshi when he ran into his uncle on the way.
"Shufu," he frowned. "What are you doing here?"
"Wang Ji did not attend his classes today. That husband of his is corrupting him," Qi Ren replied blankly, although there wasn't any hostility in his voice.
Xi Chen smiled softly. "I heard from the disciples that were on night patrol that the twins were crying the whole night and fell asleep just a few hours back. I am sure he didn't intentionally skip classes."
Qi Ren huffed and together they walked up to the doors of the Jingshi and knocked twice. When they received no reply, they pushed open the doors and walked in. Mess. That was all that they could think of. It was like a hurricane had swept through the house. They turned to the right and stared flabbergasted. They found the family of four on the floor, all in their inner robes, the babies on the blanket and Wang Ji, back against the bed, his head tilted up, mouth wide open and Wei Ying, upper body draped across Wang Ji's folded legs, fast asleep. And saying they they looked like a mess would be an understatement. At least they could be called a cute mess.
The entire scene would have been comical if it wasn't for the mess in the Jingshi and the dried tear stains on the cheeks of the parents and the kids. Lan Qi Ren would have started listing out every single rule that was being broken at the moment if he wasn't feeling sympathy for his nephew and nephew in law. Xi Chen and Qi Ren watched them with pitiful stares and decided to take the babies for a little while, so that the couple could get some rest. They tiptoed to the blanket and carefully picked the little ones up.
Wei Ying groaned and with groggy eyes stared at the pair, who seemed to have frozen halfway through lifting the sleeping babies in their arms. He merely did a shooing gesture with his hands, mumbled something incoherent, out of which they could pick out the words, "Cry. Night. Stop. Thank you God," and went right back to sleep.
Xi Chen and Qi Ren sighed in relief and walked out of the Jingshi.
They took the babies to the Hanshi, where they were greeted by an eager Yan Li, happy to see her niece and nephew. Xi Chen explained the situation to her and she smiled wistfully.
"Nobody ever said that parenting was easy," she muttered under her breath and settled them on the bed, making a boundary with the pillows and after making sure that they were safely tucked in, decided to join her husband and Shufu for some tea.
Notes:
Bao Bei: Baby or darling
Dizi: Flute
Guqin: Zither