Wei Wuxian was sitting in a grass field and rabbits were hopping all around him. There was a toddler laying on his lap, sleeping peacefully and he was stroking his hair almost absentmindedly. He was watching the small child's rising and falling chest and his rosy cheeks which were looking even more adorable with the sun shining on them.
There were people around him that he liked very much, Lan Wangji, Mo Xuanyu and his sister. They were watching him and A-Yuan with soft expressions and Wei Wuxian was suddenly feeling somewhat shy. He was not used to this kind of attention.
Not that he did not know how it felt to attract everyone's gazes and to be at the centre of a scene, but that was not in a good sense of the word. Usually, his masters would either beat him or humiliate him, or watch him struggle with whatever duty they had assigned him. Or they even watched their servants do all of that for them if they were too lazy or preoccupied to pay attention to Wei Wuxian themselves.
But not his current masters; the Lans had already proven him that they did not wish to treat him like everyone else, like the lowest of the lowest of servants that deserved nothing at all, only struggling to survive and working for them until he could no more because of exhaustion. The Lans, especially Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen, had not pushed onto his shoulders so many tasks that he would have no time for sleep during the night in order to finish them to avoid an inevitable punishment. They had not assigned him to sleep in some secluded, dark and dirty place or outside at the mercy of elements. No, they had done no such thing, instead, they had given him his own fancy room to use!
They reassured him that they would punish him only for the things he had actually done and that there would always be space for explanation, that they would listen to him. That was another notion that warmed Wei Wuxian's heart almost too much to bear. Of course, he was forbidden to talk to his master or even show any will for himself, only being permitted to silently suffer anything anyone from his various masters to the lowest servants of the household decided to do to him. But the simple thought that there was actually someone who was willing to listen to him was baffling him to no end.
And the strangest of things, his current master insisted that he ate with them and be Lan Wangji's companion. Not because the second young master of the Cloud Recesses Manor wanted someone on his back and call at every hour of the day or to have a scape goat and a punching back whenever they fancied but because...
Well, Wei Wuxian had yet to figure the reason and his place by Lan Wangji's side. It still confused him what his duties as Lan Wangji's companion should really be. However, he had a feeling – no, he actually knew for a fact deep down in his heart – that his new master would not ask of him anything inappropriate or anything he would not be able to do.
Of course, he had his other duties as well. Lan Qiren had ordered him to take care of the dogs which scared him out of his mind just thinking about. Though it was fine, if this was the only thing which would be a little unpleasant here in the Cloud Recesses Manor, he would have to make sure to do his job diligently and thank his masters for treating him this well. He would show them by actions how much he was grateful to them for showing him their unparalleled kindness and mercy.
He could not remember the last time his life had been this easy for him. Since he had become a servant in the Lotus Pier Manor, and then later while being passed between various noble families, he could not recall almost any instances when he would be so happy and feeling this good. His stomach was full, his hands which Su She had beaten were not hurting anymore and he was even able to enjoy a peaceful moment with A-Yuan, Lan Wangji and the rabbits. He really was blessed right now.
His tentative hope for a better life was growing inside of him at such a fast pace that he could not believe it. He knew he should at least try and stop it, it was not his place to expect anything from his masters, he should only silently accept whatever they decided to give and do to him. But he just could not help himself. He had longed for this kind of life for almost a decade. And now, all too suddenly for him to really digest, it was coming true.
He was still overwhelmed from this morning and he was only slowly calming down. He would have never expected Lan Qiren to actually stand up for him and punish Su She for behaving in a way Wei Wuxian knew his masters always had. Such a light punishment as Su She had given should have been nothing at all; had been nothing at all compared to what he had gone through in the past. And yet, it seemed like a big deal to the Lans, and they were not happy about it.
Wei Wuxian had memorized all of the Cloud Recesses Manor's rules and he knew he had to abide by them, that was a given. He had however not expected that they would also apply when it would come to him. However, it seemed like the Lans, aside for Su She himself of course, believed that he also deserved to be shown respect and to be treated kindly. He did not know how to accept this, he had no experience with someone ever treating him like this beside his sister.
Yes, so much had changed for him in such a short time that it was making his head spin. If he could not feel the warmth of the morning sun on his skin and A-Yuan's breath tickling his forearm, he would not have believed this was reality. He would have just assumed that he was having a nice dream and would soon wake up back in his old life.
He still could not believe it had only been two days since he had come to the Cloud Recesses Manor and had been welcomed as he had never been before, with warmth and kindness instead off harsh words and hands raised in order to strike him down and teach him obedience. It had only been two days and yet, so much good had happened to him already. It was all because of his kind masters, especially Lan Wangji whom We Wuxian had come to like very much, that he did not longer fear everything.
On the contrary, he felt like he could actually look forward to the future where he would be able to be happy. He purposefully did not want to taint this perfect moment so he avoided thinking about the fact that he would still have to go back to the Lotus Pier Manor at some point and how hard it would be to lose all of this. He had already decided he was going to enjoy his new life here while it would last and worry about what would come after only when it would come. No need to be stressed out and miss this miraculous chance that the Lans had just given him.
He dared to glance up at Lan Wangji again, something he knew he would have been punished harshly for if he had done it with any other of his past masters. The boy in front of him looked ethereal under the sunlight. It was creating a sort of a halo around him, just as if he was an angel or a similar otherworldly benevolent visitor sent to him. Wei Wuxian thought it was very fitting, after all, he had been all because of Lan Wangji that he was now feeling so brave to actually dare to go against the rules the Jiangs had put him under.
At least to some extent, he was still not sure he should let go of all of them, it could still be dangerous and also almost impossible as they had been drilled deep into him. The best example was that even when he had been determined to thank his master for being so kind to him when he had been sick, his body had refused to let any words out. He would still have to work on this as he really wanted to say those few words which meant the world to him and he knew he had to say them no matter what. He wanted his master to know just how grateful he was. He would have to work hard.
He glanced at Lan Wangji again and his lips morphed into a smile to return the other boy's one, just one more thing he had forgotten how to do before encountering his current master. He truly was happy here, so happy he wanted to cry.
A soft 'Wei Ying' left Lan Wangji's lips and it made something inside of Wei Wuxian melt. No one ever called him this gently and earnestly. His smile became bigger; he truly was blessed right now.
As you may have noticed, Ia changed the name of the book. It had been hard coming up with a title and once I posted the first chapter, a new idea came to me in my sleep. I think it is better than the first name. Sorry for any inconvenience.
I know I have left wou waiting for a long while for the continuation of the story, I hope you will enjoy it :)