...Yunmeng...
It was seven in the morning. The sun was not the brightest, but it had definitely already waked up to shine its ray on the entire cultivation world. The Gusu Lan sect were known to wake up at five in the morning and tend to their daily duties as fellow disciples of an etiquette clan. For the young child, although Little Zhuqin was part of that family lineage and normally followed the routine of waking at five, it was only understandable that she did not wake up around the same time that morning.
Yesterday morning....
...The day before....
Two days ago to be exact, was when a young child like her began to hide such deep sadness that even she was not able to properly make it back to Yunmeng with her usual cheerful and loud self. Thinking back to when she first visited the lotus shrouded city, Little Zhuqin loudly announced her presence and was even given a free bundle of lotus seeds as a first time visitor. She befriended Wei Ying, Jiang Cheng, and Yanli then by the time she knew it, the young girl had to return back to Lanling Jin. When she returned home, she did not expect such havoc to break loose and the child was...
Well...she was and is still a child. What was expected?
From seven until eight, the sun's beam only began to shine deeper into Wei Ying's room. The natural brightness made Little Zhuqin slowly recognize the light and as she noticed that her body was overheating from the blanket...overheating from the blanket? The young girl questioned the oddness of her body temperature and slowly tilted her head up to look.
To Little Zhuqin's surprise, there were five blankets stacked on top of her (⊙＿⊙). She let out a silent laugh and upon laying her head back down, the cold towel on her forehead slipped down the side of her head onto the bed. For the first time in a few minutes, she noticed the cold towel. In this situation, with five warm blankets on top of her on a fine spring day...which one would she obviously notice first (lol)? Upon seeing the towel, Little Zhuqin also saw something else...or...someone else.
Wei Ying was looking out his window and happened to turn around to see the young girl confusingly looking at him. He hurriedly stood from his seat and excitedly approached her.
"A Qin, ni xing le (You are awake A Qin) (⊙ᗜ⊙)?" Wei Ying questioned with a grin.
It took Little Zhuqin a few seconds to properly respond, "Mm...xing le (Yeah...I am a wake) ⊙▽⊙."
The young lad made a strange face and had thought, "Eh, is this girl really A Qin? A Qin usually responds quicker...just what is..."
Wei Ying paused in his thoughts and removed the towel, placing it in the cold bucket of water. He placed his hand on her forehead then put his other hand on his forehead. For a couple minutes they waited...
"...Tssshhh, strange, I cannot tell the difference ಠ╭╮ಠ," The young lad laughed.
Upon hearing his laughter she chuckled, "...You cannot
（≧ｙ≦＊）?"
Wei Ying shook his head and giggled.
"Ne dangran ne, wo bushi bing a xiao shagua (Well of course, I am not sick you silly) (o>艸<)," Little Zhuqin laughed again and tried getting up from his bed.
"Eh, ni bie dong (Hey, do not move). Are you sure you feel better?" Wei Ying cautiously questioned.
"Wo (I)..." The young girl started and paused for a split second. "Wo...wo hen hao (I...I am really good). Buyong danxin a (There is no need to worry) |｀･ω･)9."
"Shima (Is that so)?" The young boy inquired and raised his left eyebrow while he slightly puckered his lips.
Well, the young girl was certainly going to take some time to heal from her mother's recent loss. But like she had been saying...it was her mother's fate and perhaps it was her mother's time to leave, therefore what other question could the child ask? She was too young to question fate, and so Little Zhuqin decided to live in the present and enjoy the moments. It was...as simple as that. Besides, what else could go wrong? She was just a developing child who had yet to explore the deep ends of the cultivation world. What would go wrong?
What could possibly go wrong?
Unbeknown to Little Zhuqin...the prophecy?
What prophecy?
Then the young girl began, "Aiya...A Ying, tai re le (A Ying, it is too hot) (ﾟДﾟ;)."
"Ah?" Wei Ying replied with a sweat dropping down the side of his head.
"Zhexie maotan...ni zhidao shi shei gei wo zheme duo maotan ma (These blankets...do you know who gave me so many blankets)? Qishi...shasi wo le (Truth is...it is killing me) ⊙︿⊙," Little Zhuqin said with a smile, trying not to sound too offensive.
By the looks of the young girl, Wei Ying knew she did not mean harm in anyway and her innocent tone of voice truly did not mean she did not like that person who gave her so many blankets (lol). Well, Wei Ying was the one who gave Little Zhuqin all those blankets so if he said something...she would not mind would she?
The young girl lightly snickered a laugh and cleared her throat, "Oooo...yuanlai shi ni a (Oh, so it was you) (ᗒᗨᗕ)."
The young lad let out a small gasp and took a few steps back.
"You...how?"
"Shenme (What)? Ni...haipa le ma (Are you afraid) (o>艸<)?" Little Zhuqin chuckled as she tried moving around in the thick mountain of blankets.
Wei Ying joyfully laughed, "Wo (Me)? Pa shenme (Afraid of what)?"
The young girl cheerfully inquired, "...Ni cai a (You guess)
(ㆁᴗㆁ✿)."
"Wo...(I)..."
With that being said, the two children exchanged a small wave of laughter just as Jiang Cheng politely knocked on the door and walked into the room. He was holding a tray of steaming lotus rib soup and a hot cup of bitter medicine.
"Ahh? Wei Ying, what are you doing here ('ﾟзﾟ)?" Jiang Cheng questioned and approached the two.
Wei Ying chuckled a bit, "Ni shuo shenme (What are you saying)? Wo DANGRAN zai zheli bei (Of COURSE I am here). Zaishuo le, zhishi wo de fangjian bei, bushi ma (Besides this is my room, is that not right) (*・ε・*)?"
Jiang Cheng just let out a small ridiculing laugh, "Heh, this is your room but even you do not know how to properly take care of guests."
"Keren (Guests)? Ei, wo gaosu ni a (Hey, let me tell you). A Qin bushi keren, ta shi Jiang shushu meili he keai de....xiao dizi (A Qin is not a guest, she is uncle Jiang's beautiful and adorable...little disciple) (⊙ᗜ⊙)," Wei Ying explained and confidently crossed his arms together.
"Heh ('･ε･｀)," Jiang Cheng scoffed.
Wei Ying happily continued, "Ei, bu shima (Hey, is that not right)? A Qin bujin shi Jiang shushu de xiao dizi, ta yeshi women de shimei, shi bu shi hen daijin ma (A Qin is not only uncle Jiang's little disciple, she is also our junior sister, is that not exciting) (ᗒᗨᗕ)?"
Jiang Cheng was about to lightly argue again but he decided that even Wei Ying was not the main focus at that moment. He turned his attention to Little Zhuqin and although he did not properly smile, the young girl knew he did not entirely detest her (lol).
He slowly began. "...Ni...(You)... （￣ε￣）"
The young lad hesitated a bit. It was not like Jiang Cheng was really worried about Little Zhuqin...he just happened to pass by the main kitchen's corridor and was asked by Yanli to bring the food to the young girl. There was nothing unusual about him bringing food to Little Zhuqin.
Nope.
Nope.
...No ( ￣＾￣)?
Little Zhuqin giggled a little and smiled at Jiang Cheng, "Shima (Is that so)?"
"Ah?"
"A Cheng, ni...ni shi bu shi dangxin wo a (A Cheng you...are you worried about me) (ㆁᴗㆁ✿)?" The young girl cheerfully inquired.
Worried? How could Jiang Cheng be worried about a girl she just met a few days ago? How...but why? The young lad swallowed his own breath and cleared his throat just as Wei Ying slowly inched his head towards Jiang Cheng. Not noticing him, Jiang Cheng continued to ponder of why he even bothered to bring such nourishing food to Little Zhuqin. Wait, forget about the food at the moment, he wondered why he even bothered to visit the young girl first thing that morning. Jiang Cheng did not even properly greet his father yet (lol).
For a short second, he shook his head and tried to focus on the current situation but he suddenly thought back to the first night Little Zhuqin stayed in Yunmeng. He remembered walking to her guest room and happened to see the young girl gracefully dancing away, her movements swaying like the flowers in the wind.
It was...simply beautiful...
Beautiful Σ(￣ロ￣lll)?
Jiang Cheng shook the thought away again.
Wei Ying cleared his throat and said as loud as he possibly could, "JIANG CHENG (⑉⊙ȏ⊙)!"
The Jiang youngster gave a slight jump and replied just as loud, "SHENME (WHAT) (ʘ言ʘ╬)?!"
"You seemed to have been in a deep thought. Ni gangcai zai xiang shenme ya (What were you thinking just now) (⊙ᗜ⊙)?" Wei Ying playfully questioned as he patted his best friend's shoulder.
Jiang Cheng hastily replied, "Ni shuo shenme (What are you saying)? Wo mei...mei xiang a (I was not...not thinking about anything) （￣ε￣）."
Of course, why would the Jiang youngster tell Wei Ying that at that moment, he briefly thought about Little Zhuqin (lol)?
"Oooooh, kanlai ni hen danxin wo dui ba (Oooh, so it seems like you are really worred about me right) (o>艸<)?" Little Zhuqin questioned.
She obviously read into the Jiang youngster's mind again and as the two boys confusingly looked at each other, Little Zhuqin just joyfully smiled at them. Well, she obviously knew now therefore there was no use in hiding his concern over the young girl (lol).
Jiang Cheng began, "...Dui a (That is right). I am worried...how can I not be?"
"A Cheng, what are you afraid of?"
"Nothing ( ￣＾￣)!"
"Nothing? Then you could have just said so earlier (ᗒᗨᗕ)," The young girl continued to playfully argue and tried wiggling around in the blankets.
Jiang Cheng noticed Little Zhuqin moving around and to his surprise, the thick stack of blanket on top of the young girl made a small sweat ball roll down the side of his head.
"These blankets...（・□・；）" He confusingly thought.
Wei Ying looked at Jiang Cheng and slightly squinted his eyes. One only knew the youngster was up to some mischievous tricks (lol). He cleared his throat and leaned in a bit closer to the Jiang youngster.
With a playful tone of voice, he questioned, "Aiya Jiang Cheng, could it be that you brought in all these blankets for A Qin (─‿─)?"
"Shenme (What)?! Wo meiyou (I did not)!" Jiang Cheng quickly replied, trying to be as careful as he could with the food tray.
"Ooooo shima (Ooh is that so)? However, I was not in my room yesterday night. You were the one....ahem, going in and out of my room so...." Wei Ying continued as his eyes shifted to the tray of food.
"Wo meiyou (I did not)," "ANNNNDD....so far, you are the only one who ever tends to A Qin so...." The Wei youngster interrupted Jiang Cheng.
It was true that when Little Zhuqin visited for the first time, it was Jiang Cheng who looked after her. But Jiang Cheng knew he did not bring in the blankets (lol). In fact, he was in his own room at the time. Yanli was also considerate enough to not overheat the young girl and his parents could obviously not do such thing either. Jiang Cheng could only irritatingly look at Wei Ying and punched him.
"Ouch, haha (☆Θ艸Θ)!"
"Shi ni dui ba (It was you, right) ಠ╭╮ಠ?!" Jiang Cheng tried confirming.
Little Zhuqin observed the two children and could see their relationship was certainly more like close brothers than just friends. Naturally, she wanted to join the fun and as she continued lying down, the young girl smiled at them...or at Jiang Cheng in particular (lol).
"A Cheng, yuan lai shi ni a (So it was you A Cheng)... ⊙▽⊙" Little Zhuqin cheerfully joked as she lightly puckered her lips together.
The Jiang youngster looked at Little Zhuqin in disbelief and stumbled in his words for a few seconds. He was thinking of what to properly say in order to make the young girl believe him but the more he thought; the more he knew Wei Ying was going to outsmart him. The young girl just innocently looked at Jiang Cheng and kept herself quiet as she knew that what she said was just a joke. Wei Ying tried hard to hold in his hilarity, but naturally the young boy laughed. Annoyed, Jiang Cheng set the tray of food down on the tea table and irritatingly looked at Wei Ying.
He began, "Wei Ying, ni zhao si (Wei ying, you are seeking death) (ʘ言ʘ╬)!"
"Haha, dui, dui, wo shi (Right, right, I am)! Ni zenme zhi dao a Jiang Cheng (How did you know Jiang Cheng) (ᗒᗨᗕ)?" Wei Ying continued laughing as he placed his hands on his stomach from amusement.
With both hands, Jiang Cheng irritatingly reached for Wei Ying's chest and pulled the lad closer to him. Wei Ying just continued laughing and raised both his arms up into the air. As he did so, the Wei youngster slowly scanned his eyes to the tray of food and with a big smile; he turned his attention on Jiang Cheng again.
He questioned, "Hey, are you really ok with this (⊙ᗜ⊙)?"
...The statement itself sounded a little awkward but Wei Ying certainly meant, was it ok if the food and medicine turned cold (lol).
"Of course I am not ok with this!"
"OOooh, is that so?"
Little Zhuqin laughed to herself, "Actually, what are you two even doing (ㆁᴗㆁ✿)?"
"Wei Ying!!"
Then the Wei youngster's smiled faded into a frantic frown and he quickly said, "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!"
"Hm, what is it?!" Jiang Cheng harshly questioned.
Wei Ying tried holding in his laughter, "...Hao, hao, hao (Ok, Ok)...I lost."
"AH??!"
Having lived with his beloved brother for a few years now, Jiang Cheng knew Wei Ying was not the type to quickly back down. Heck, each time they had a small brotherly fight, Wei Ying would hit back no matter what Jiang Cheng said. But just that moment made the Jiang youngster question Wei Ying's own sanity (lol).
But...
Jiang Cheng simply thought he won that round and with a proud "Hmph," he let go of Wei Ying's garment, leaving small wrinkles to the touch. He proceeded to lecture Wei Ying and as Jiang Cheng did so, the Wei youngster sneakily took a few steps to the side. He hastily grabbed the tray of food. Indeed, his true intention was to distract Jiang Cheng and feed Little Zhuqin. Simply put, he succeeded (lol). By the time Jiang Cheng noticed, Wei Ying had already lifted four of the blankets off the young girl and helped her properly sit up. Wei Ying handed the cup of bitter medicine to Little Zhuqin and encouraged her to drink it while it was now warm. Medicine was theoretically more effective when drunk hot, rather than it being warm or plain cold.
"Wei Ying you(⑉⊙ȏ⊙)!" "Wo zenme (I what) (⊙ᗜ⊙)?" Wei Ying ridiculed and playfully bobbed his head side to side.
"Lai A Qin, zhege yao he ba (Come A Qin, drink this medicine) ｡^‿^｡," The Wei youngster encouraged again and excitedly sat besides the young girl.
Little Zhuqin accepted the cup from him and satisfyingly grinned at Wei Ying. However, she knew it was only right to thank Jiang Cheng for bringing it in and as she turned her head to give her thanks, Wei Ying mischievously stood up to block her view of the Jiang youngster. Jiang Cheng's inner eyebrows lowered and he irritatingly pulled Wei Ying away from the young girl. Their usual fight went as such...Jiang Cheng threw a punch at Wei Ying and Wei Ying obviously only returned back the punch just so they could get on equal terms (pﾟﾛﾟ)==p)'д). No matter how cheerful and playful Little Zhuqin was, even the young girl had her own conscious. Without knowing that that was just a playful fight, she quickly set the cup of medicine down and cheerfully smiled before squeezing herself in between them.
"Nimen, nimen bie zheyang le (You guys, do not be like this you guys). It is just medicine...either way, I will drink it ⊙▽⊙," Little Zhuqin encouraged.
"Dui a Jiang Cheng (That is right Jiang Cheng)! Why do you have to be like this?" Wei Ying jokingly questioned as he tried to pull his arm away from the Jiang youngster.
Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue at his brother and gripped on Wei Ying's arm even tighter, "If you did not do what you did earlier, maybe I could have given the medicine to A Ling myself (ʘ言ʘ╬)!"
"ARGHHHHHH JIANG CHENG YOU ARE BREAKING MY ARM! LET GOOoooo (ﾟДﾟ;)!"
"YOU THINK I CARE (￣ロ￣)?!"
"HELLOOO, THERE IS NO USE FIGHTING OVER THIS (ʘuʘ)ノ✿!" Little Zhuqin persuaded again as a sweat dropped down the side of her head. "A Cheng, let go...A Ying, you too σﾟﾛﾟ)σ!"
Wei Ying thought back to what Jiang Cheng just said about him personally giving the medicine to the young girl...
"If you did not do what you did earlier, maybe I could have given the medicine to A Ling myself (ʘ言ʘ╬)!"
For a split-second the Wei youngster stopped hitting Jiang Cheng and made a flirty sharp look at his younger brother. Jiang Cheng too stopped fighting and confusingly looked at Wei Ying. The young girl also stopped struggling and paused to look at the two boys.
Then Wei Ying lowered his head and his eyes at the Jiang youngster.
Jiang Cheng's left eyebrow raised up and he naturally questioned, "What are you doing? You are creeping me out
( ￣＾￣)."
"...Jiang Cheng...could it be that you....(─‿─)" Wei Ying slowly whispered.
"Ah?!" The Jiang youngster asked as he leaned in closer to his fellow brother.
"Oh, ho, ho, ho," Wei Ying laughed and used his other free arm to cover his mouth.
One could only assume that Wei Ying imagined Jiang Cheng to have some sort of flush pink affection for the young girl (lol).
"Wai, ni xiao shenme xiao a (Hey, why are you laughing)?!" Jiang Cheng strictly questioned.
As the Jiang youngster hit the elder brother's head, Wei Ying could only return another punch and while the two continued brawling around the room, Little Zhuqin only let out a small breath like giggle. The young girl backed herself up until she reached the door's threshold. She slightly leaned back towards the opening door to look into the morning scenery outside Wei Ying's room. Her short shoulder length hair dangled from her little head and her Yunmeng bell along with her red ribbon around her waist slightly rolled over to the left side of her leg. From the corner corridor, Little Zhuqin saw the Jiang leader approaching.
She quickly leaned back into the room and ran to the two boys, "Nimen bie da le (Stop fighting you guys)! Jiang...Σ(￣ロ￣lll)"
The young girl paused and she could have said that the kind uncle Jiang was coming but instead, Little Zhuqin decided to say that aunty was coming. The only aunty in the Jiang household was the Jiang mistress and even both children knew that they had to stop fighting if it was Ziyuan (lol). As both boys stopped fighting, Little Zhuqin quickly helped reorganize the room as best as she could until Fengmian stopped by Wei Ying's room. With his hands behind his back, the Jiang leader walked into the room as the children respectfully greeted him.
"A die (Father) ( ・_・)."
"Jiang shushu...ヾ(＾∇＾)"
"Jiang shushu (ㆁᴗㆁ✿)!"
Fengmian smiled at the children and for a minute, he observed the room then walked to the young girl. The uncle naturally asked how Little Zhuqin was doing and as her well-being improved since yesterday morning (even after having to sleep an entire night with five layers of blankets on her lol), the Jiang leader sat himself down near the tea table. As usual, Jiang Cheng raced himself to pour tea for his father and as Fengmian accepted the cup, Jiang Cheng could only feel relieved that as long as his father accepted something as small as a cup of tea from him, he was happy.
After sipping the tea, the Jiang leader began, "So...everything seems to look quite normal｡^‿^｡."
"Uh....(⊙ᗜ⊙)" The children all stuttered in confusion.
"Everything looks normal(◕▿◕✿)?" Little Zhuqin questioned.
"...I thought I heard yelling and screaming earlier," Fengmian continued as he took another sip from the tea.
The two boys froze in place and only rolled in their lips to keep themselves silent from admitting to their disruptive acts (lol). Although Little Zhuqin was experiencing this scene for the first time, and although Fengmian was quite the kind uncle who would not severely punish the boys for fighting, the young girl also froze in place because she did not want to disrespect any rules that the Jiang family had. Besides, Little Zhuqin also stood solid because she knew the kind uncle must have also heard her scream earlier (lol). But if neither Jiang Cheng or Wei Ying was going to say anything, the young girl just had to say something to break the tense atmosphere.
She needed to be her usual self again after all.
"Uh, Jiang shushu, A Ying...❀◕ ‿ ◕❀" The young girl cheerfully began and quickly walked to the Jiang leader's side. "A Ying and A Cheng were just talking about the food..."
"Shiwu (The food)?" Fengmian questioned as Little Zhuqin pointed her fingers to the bowl of lotus rib soup and the medicine on the tray near the bed.
The Jin maiden's intention was meant to distract the Jiang leader from questioning the boys about their fight but, Wei Ying took this chance to once again do some mischievous deeds to Jiang Cheng.
"Dui a Jiang shushu (That is right Uncle Jiang) ヾ(＾∇＾)," The Wei youngster began. "I was the one who brought in the food and medicine to give to A Qin, but as soon as I came in, Jiang Cheng wanted to take it away. He said he wanted to feed A Qin and would not let me do it."
"Ni (You)! Wei Ying! (ʘ言ʘ╬)" Jiang Cheng angrily shouted, knowing that he was being falsely accused. "A die, wo meiyou (Father, I did not)! σﾟﾛﾟ)σ"
Fengmian breathed in and let out a short sigh then looked at Jiang Cheng. He naturally believed...the Jiang leader naturally believed Wei Ying and set the cup down on the table. Standing up, he walked to his son and if anything, Fengmian looked almost disappointed in Jiang Cheng.
Although Jiang Cheng knew he was the one who brought in the food of tray, he was insisting that he was innocent...and he was (lol).
"A die...w-wo zhen de meiyou (Father I...I really did not)... (ﾟДﾟ;)" Jiang Cheng stuttered.
Fengmian roughly started, "A Cheng."
Again, Little Zhuqin knew that interfering with other family problem was not allowed but seeing the situation as it was between the father and son, the young girl felt quite anxious. If anything, she did not want them to be unhappy. Besides she had to be herself and to be herself, the only natural thing to do was...INTEFERE (lol). She cheerfully giggled in order to break the tension and placed herself in between the father and son.
With her back facing Jiang Cheng, she smiled at the kind uncle and naturally told the truth, "Uncle, actually A Cheng was the one who brought in the food and medicine. A Ying...(ʘ‿ʘ)ノ✿."
Fengmian looked down at the young girl as Wei Ying nervously looked at Little Zhuqin and silently gestured for her to not tell anything (lol). The young girl noticed him and only wrinkled her nose playfully at the lad to keep quiet since it was the truth after all.
The Jiang leader questioned, "...A Ying shenme (A Ying what)?"
"Oh," Little Zhuqin forgot. "A Ying...he..."
The young girl thought for a bit and noticed that the four blankets from earlier were still in the room, stacked quite neatly on the far side of the bed. A small light bulb began to lightly blink in her head as she made a small fist with her right hand and lightly tapped her left palm. With a "I know!" facial expression, she joyfully looked up at the kind uncle while he patiently waited for an answer.
Little Zhuqin proceeded to question, "Uncle, if I told you this would you get angry (ㆁᴗㆁ✿)?"
Fengmian observed the two boys as Jiang Cheng cautiously backed away and sat on Wei Ying's bed while the Wei youngster slowly scooted back from the Jiang leader.
"Hao...A Ling, shuo ba (Very well...speak A Ling)," The Jiang leader permitted.
"Shushu, bie shengqi a hao bu hao (Uncle, do not get angry ok) ✾◕ ‿ ◕✾?" Little Zhuqin questioned again and held onto Fengmian's left hand.
The Jiang leader could not help but let out a small laughter and had to nod in agreement to what the young girl requested.
Then the Jin maiden began, "The truth is...A Ying and A Cheng...before you came in, they were fighting."
"Ah?" Fengmian bafflingly questioned, although he already knew that the two boys were 'at it again' like the usual (lol).
"A Ling (ʘ言ʘ╬)!" "A Qin Σ(￣ロ￣lll)!" Both boys nervously said out loud.
"BUGUO NE (HOWEVER) ⊙▽⊙!" The young girl loudly continued. "Buguo...Jiang shushu, ni hen xingyun a (But uncle Jiang, you are very lucky). Ni you liang ge hao de erzi (You have two good sons). The reason I say this is because....one was willing to bring me food and medicine while the other one brought me lots of blankets. (◕▿◕✿)"
Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying knew exactly where to put themselves (lol). It was only obvious that Wei Ying brought the blankets while Jiang Cheng was again, the one son who brought the tray of food and medicine.
Then Little Zhuqin innocently looked up and merrily smiled at Fengmian, "Suoyi...jishi tamen dajia le, qing shushu bie shengqi hao bu hao (So...even if they did fight, would Uncle please not be angry) （人･ω･)?"
The Jiang leader's tense shoulders slightly dropped and again, he gave in to the young girl's simple innocence. If anything, she was practically defending two little mischievous boys who once again broke the no violence rule in their Jiang family but at this point, Fengmian just decided to let things go as pressing on with the matter was not going to go anywhere. He let out a small breath like chuckle and sat himself down near the tea table again just as Little Zhuqin slightly got dragged along to his side.
Then Fengmian looked at his two sons and with a smile, he questioned, "Is this how it should be?"
"Ah?" The two boys confusingly looked at each other.
"...I am asking if A Ling should be defending you two like this," The Jiang leader specified.
"Mm...m-meiyou (N-no)... (ﾟДﾟ;)" "Mm...mei-meiyou a (No) Σ(￣ロ￣lll)!" The two boys slowly stuttered.
Truth was, Little Zhuqin did not mean for the current situation to happen but she rather wanted this outcome than to have Jiang Cheng be falsely blamed and have Wei Ying get into trouble too. The young girl nervously smiled and purposely took a few steps forward to only fall on her knees. She purposely fell in order to make an excuse to drink the medicine and eat the lotus rib soup but before doing that, she was asked about her body's health. If anything, Fengmian had almost forgotten that she fell unconscious yesterday morning and possibly just woke up a few minutes ago. As a leader, he was preoccupied with other things and he at most, felt guilty for forgetting about Little Zhuqin for just a few minutes.
The Jiang leader asked about her well-being again and the young girl could only reply with the same answers that she was doing better than ever. Afraid that Little Zhuqin was going to experience the same situation of fainting due to concealing all her hidden emotions, Fengmian was going to briefly talk to her but before he could, the young girl quickly grabbed the now cold bitter medicine from the tray.
"Medicine...I still need to drink it, (ﾟ∀ﾟ人)" Little Zhuqin joyfully smiled at the leader and two boys.
With that being said, Little Zhuqin's health did come first. Fengmian decided to stop things where they were and stood from his seat. As he walked out Wei Ying's room, he encouraged the young girl to take care of herself for the time being and called for the Wei youngster to follow him. Naturally, Wei Ying followed after him while Jiang Cheng could only curiously and sadly peek his head out the entrance door. Little Zhuqin noticed his sad behavior and before he turned his attention to the young girl, Jiang Cheng heard his father talking about preparing a new room for Little Zhuqin...
The Jiang youngster slowly walked back to Wei Ying's bed and sat down on the side just as the Jin maiden sat next to him. Jiang Cheng let out a sigh and slightly tilted his head to the left side to look at the cup of medicine.
He began, "...He ba (Drink it)...it is probably not hot anymore, but it is still medicine."
Little Zhuqin noticed his gloomy tone of voice as he turned away, his left shoulder facing her. Just from what she saw earlier, it definitely seemed like Fengmian favored Wei Ying and she had compared this situation from the first time she visited Yunmeng a few days prior. When she first visited, the Jiang mistress seemed to not like Wei Ying at all and Little Zhuqin had to step in here and there to help the young lad escape trouble. If anything, the young girl totally did not notice the Jiang leader's behavior towards Jiang Cheng on her first visit but just moments before, Little Zhuqin was able to read the situation...the kind uncle simply seemed to favor Wei Ying more.
But that was not the main focus at the moment. Now, Little Zhuqin was focused on cheering Jiang Cheng up (lol) ۹(ÒہÓ)۶. She recently lost her mother but the young girl knew she had to concentrate hard on her current life. The young girl just had to. Besides, she was going to stay in Yunmeng for three years, what was more exciting than that at the moment?
The young girl looked into the cup and although it was cold to the touch with no steam flowing out, Little Zhuqin could already smell such bitterness.
Without drinking it, she commented with an uncomfortable tone of voice, "...A Cheng, zhege yao...hen ku bei (A Cheng, this medicine...it tastes very bitter) (OжO;)."
"That is right that the medicine is bitter...the more bitter it is, the better, ( ￣＾￣)" Jiang Cheng replied as he crossed his arms together.
Little Zhuqin puckered her lips then puffed out her cheeks, "But I can't drink it like this...(OжO;)"
"...Hmph, wo buzaihu (I do not care), ( ￣＾￣)"
The young girl joyfully gasped at the young lad's unusual response and chuckled.
Then she playfully spoke, "Hey, if you did not care then why did you bring food to me first thing this morning hm? Wo hen haoqi bei (I am very curious) (◕▿◕✿)."
"I...!" Jiang Cheng stuttered and turned around to face Little Zhuqin. "...Wo...(I)..."
...Was Jiang Cheng sure (lol)?
The young girl patiently stayed silent for a couple seconds then let out another small giggle. She looked at the medicine and raised it up to her small lips. Then Jiang Cheng noticed the cup of medicine was still full. Just minutes ago, Little Zhuqin said the taste was bitter...yet the cup was still full.
"Dengdeng (Wait)," He halted. "You...the cup is still full but you already know that the taste is bitter...(⊙＿⊙)"
"Oh!" Little Zhuqin laughed and lowered the cup down onto her laps. "I forgot when I could do such thing but I can smell things that other people cannot smell. So...even though I did not drink the medicine yet, I could already smell the bitter taste of it. (⊙ᗜ⊙)"
For a moment, Jiang Cheng observed the young girl then stood up from the bed. He slowly paced back and forth around the room as he placed one hand on his chin.
"But...you are only six," The lad bafflingly said. "There is...no..."
"That is a cultivation skill...but at such a young age..." He continued to think.
"Mmm...actually, I can also spiritually talk with people too and I could..." was what Little Zhuqin could proudly say but she only knew that if she said all those things about her recent cultivation skills, Jiang Cheng would feel horrible. Considering that the young lad was talking about ages in terms of gaining such a unique skill....the young girl knew she could not be like other cultivators and brag about herself. Little Zhuqin quickly turned her attention to the lotus rib soup that was now plain cold instead of steaming warm.
She looked at Jiang Cheng, "A Cheng...the soup has turned cold. (◕︿◕✿)"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Jiang Cheng cleared his throat and walked to the tray. Indeed the soup had turned cold and if anything, the bitter medicine probably would not be too effective now that it had also gone cold. But Little Zhuqin seemed to be cultivating new skills and she was only six...Jiang Cheng thought he was already losing to Wei Ying and now, he was going to lose to...Little Zhuqin too?
He let out a frustrated sigh as the young girl made a gloomy face then cleared her throat. Why did Little Zhuqin make a gloomy face? Well...she simply heard what he was thinking about but the young girl was not planning on making it obvious that she heard his thoughts.
With a cheerful smile, she hastily pulled on his sleeves, "A Cheng, A Cheng ⊙▽⊙?"
"What is it ( ￣＾￣)?"
Jiang Cheng's tone of voice certainly proved that he was troubled. Perhaps it was somewhat difficult for him to properly hide the fact that he was having difficulties trying to find the balance between him and Wei Ying. Little Zhuqin sighed and let go of his garment sleeve.
Then she quietly began, "...A Cheng, wo (I)..."
"Ni shenme (You what)?" Jiang Cheng irritatingly replied.
Little Zhuqin clicked her tongue at the young lad, "Tsk aiya, A Cheng wo e le (Aiya A Cheng I am hungry) ୧☉□☉୨!"
Jiang Cheng blinked at the young girl for a few seconds and let out a sigh. Although he was worried of Little Zhuqin, the young lad happened to be thinking of something else and he only realized that it was right to pay attention to a hungry girl (lol). He placed his finger on his head and made a few taps before sighing again.
Then he looked at Little Zhuqin, "If you are hungry, then why not eat the lotus rib soup?"
"Ni wang le ma (Did you forget)? Lianhua lei gutang...xianzai leng le (The lotus rib soup...its cold now), ⊙▽⊙" The young girl innocently pouted.
The Jiang youngster had forgotten that the soup had already turned cold. He noticed the cup of medicine in Little Zhuqin's hand and had also forgotten that the medicine was now cold. He breathed in and let out another sigh then placed his palm on this head. Jiang Cheng grabbed the cup out of the young girl's hand and placed it on the tray. As he began to walk out of Wei Ying's room with the tray, Little Zhuqin stood up and followed after him.
She curiously questioned, "Wei, ni qu nali a (Hey, where are you going) (⊙ꇴ⊙)?"
"Going back to the kitchen to warm up the food and medicine," Jiang Cheng replied.
"Zhende (Really)? Mm...buyong le (There is no need) (⊙ꇴ⊙)," Little Zhuqin playfully said.
"You!" The young lad turned around and slightly clicked his tongue at the girl. "Just what do you want (ʘ言ʘ╬)?!"
The Jin maiden chuckled at the thought of making Jiang Cheng mad. If anything, she was only hoping he was not thinking negative and putting himself lower than others at the moment.
"Oh....ni cai a (You guess) (◕▿◕✿)," She joyfully smiled.
Although her reply was simple and confusing, just listening to Little Zhuqin's innocent and bright voice made him...uh...
No.
At this point, he was going to go against his values in finding a decent cultivation partner. It had only been a few days since Little Zhuqin last visited, but during those few days, Jiang Cheng had already came up with several new rules in regards to a cultivation partner. One of his new rules was that his partner's cultivation skill must not be too high and the usual, his partner must not be too talkative.
But...Little Zhuqin was naturally beautiful inside and out...however, she did not have such graceful and obedience in her personality...and...
With those thoughts in mind, he frustratingly sighed and without saying anything, Jiang Cheng quickly walked out of the room.
The young girl chuckled and hastily shouted after him, "Hehe! Hao ba (Ok then)! If you are going to go warm up the food, then I will wait here for you（๑✧∀✧๑）! Xiexie ni le (Thank you)!"
"No need to wait! I will not come back!" Jiang Cheng harshly shouted back.
It was only expected that Little Zhuqin replied but she simply laughed since she knew the Jiang youngster was only joking. The young girl knew Jiang Cheng was worried about her and if anything, she felt horrible to know that he was but...the thought of having someone be worried about her made her feel alive. Even the kind Jiang leader and Wei Ying was worried about her. At the moment, she tried not to think too much and as she let out a calm sigh, Little Zhuqin just had to accept that it was her mother's fate to have died in such way...and it was fate that the Jin maiden herself was still alive.
Sorrowfully, for what?
Whom?
As she pondered for a moment with her back turned against the door, Wei Ying cheerfully popped his head into the entrance door and while holding onto a beautiful set of clothes along with a big lotus flower behind his back, he walked into his room. Approaching her, the young boy joyfully giggled and from his presence alone, Little Zhuqin felt her troubles disappear.
She turned around to merrily greet the boy, "A Ying (๑>ᴗ<๑)!"
"A Qin, bi shang yanjing (A Qin, close your eyes) (⊙ᗜ⊙)," Wei Ying excitedly encouraged.
"Yanjing (Eyes)?"
Wei Ying cheerfully said again, "Kuai, bi shang yanjing (Quick, close your eyes) (⊙ᗜ⊙)."
Without giving it another thought, the Jin maiden smiled, "Mm, hao ba (Uhm, ok then) (ㆁᴗㆁ✿)!"
The young girl closed her eyes as Wei Ying requested and after waving to see if Little Zhuqin could see what he was doing, he excitedly pulled his arms from his back. He set the big lotus flower on top of the black and purple garment.
"Bao shou gei wo (Give me your hands) (⊙ꇴ⊙)," He requested again.
"Hao ba (Ok) (≧∀≦)!"
With her eyes still closed, Little Zhuqin reached both her hands out to the young boy. He gently placed the folded garment along with the flower on her hands and took a few steps back.
The Wei Youngster let out a satisfied sigh, "Hao, ne...zheng kai yanjing (Good, then...open your eyes) (⊙ꇴ⊙)."
Little Zhuqin smiled and opened her eyes to see the folded garment along with the lotus flower in her hands. At first she was puzzled as to why she was being gifted something when she did not even do anything worth rewarding. Then she remembered that she was going to be a Yunmeng Jiang disciple and she guessed it only made sense that she had a Jiang garment of her own. The young girl gave her most sincere thanks and slightly leaned her head down to smell the lotus flower. The lotus flower was indeed beautiful, luscious and the fragrance was as sweet as crystal dew on a spring morning✾◕ ‿ ◕✾.
In other words, 'Welcome to our Yunmeng Jiang family A Qin...✿◕ ‿ ◕✿ '
If anything, Wei Ying was glad he was the one who brought the garment (lol). Besides, it only felt good to make a little distressed girl feel important and loved.
Then he noticed, "Hm? Jiang Cheng ne (Where Jiang Cheng)
(⊙＿⊙)?"
"Oh, the soup and medicine got cold so he went to the kitchen to warm them up," Little Zhuqin earnestly replied.
"Hm? Really?" Wei Ying bafflingly questioned.
The young girl innocently nodded and slightly tilted her head to the right. Wei Ying confusingly paced back and forth in his room while tapping on his chin.
Curious, the Jin maiden questioned, "A Ying...zenme le (What is wrong)?"
"I think..." The Wei youngster began. "...I think he likes you (⊙ᗜ⊙)!"
Little Zhuqin blankly stared at Wei Ying for a few seconds. As a child, she naturally did not take his excited statement too serious as all children had the potential to like someone out of pure friendliness. However, the Wei youngster only meant that Jiang Cheng possibly liked the young girl in 'another' way (lol).
"I like him too (ᗒᗨᗕ)!" The young girl cheerfully responded.
"Ooooh! Then you both are meant," "A Ying, I also like you very much (◕ㅁ◕✿)!" Little Zhuqin abruptly interrupted the young lad.
With that being said, the young boy felt so energized it was only natural for him to give Little Zhuqin a friendly embrace and while he did so, Jiang Cheng walked into the room with the tray. He slightly froze at the sight of the two children hugging and before he could silently walk away, the young girl perked up.
"A Cheng, ni hui lai le (You have come back A Cheng) ヽ(＾Д＾)ﾉ!" The young girl slightly pushed Wei Ying away and fast walked to Jiang Cheng. "I knew you were just joking earlier!"
Jiang Cheng kept silent and if anything, he looked almost...disturbed.
The young girl questioned, "A Cheng, ni zenme le (What is wrong A Cheng)?"
"Nothing, ( ￣＾￣)" The Jiang youngster sternly replied and noticed the garment in her hands. "That is...?"
Little Zhuqin looked down at the garment in her hands, followed by a big lotus flower on top of the clothes. Wei Ying chuckled a little and was going to excitedly tell Jiang Cheng that he was the one who gave the young girl the clothing's. However, before Wei Ying could tell his beloved brother, the young girl quickly turned her attention to the lotus rib soup and the medicine. Setting the garment and flower down on the bed, Little Zhuqin cheerfully grabbed the tray from Jiang Cheng. She made herself comfortable around the tea table. Wei Ying thought nothing of her actions and was going to continue his plan on making the Jiang youngster annoyed but the young girl cheerfully called out to...
"A Ying (⊙ꇴ⊙)!"
Wei Ying stopped thinking and fixated his attention on the young girl.
He happily said as he sat across from her, "A Qin, ni jiao wo (You called me A Qin) (⊙ꇴ⊙)?"
Little Zhuqin paused for a moment and had questioned why she did not call out to Jiang Cheng when he was the one who was going to be troubled by what Wei Ying was going to say. But now that it came to that point, the young girl just had to go with the flow and plan what to properly say in order to have the two boys be at peace with each other.
"Uh dui a, wo jiao ni a (Uhm, that is right, I called you) ⊙▽⊙," The young girl cheerfully began.
She looked down on the tray and thought of what to do to distract him.
Then she slid the bowl of warm lotus rib soup to Wei Ying, "...You want to eat some?"
By doing this, Little Zhuqin knew Jiang Cheng would be angry but...
"What are you saying?! That lotus rib soup...is..."
The Jiang youngster paused in his words and had to take a few seconds to think of what to say in order to not have Wei Ying eat the soup. By reading his simple facial expressions, it was only obvious that Jiang Cheng was not pleased. Little Zhuqin let out a sigh then lightly slammed the tea table.
With the same joyful smile, she began, "Oh, wo zenme wang le (Oh, how could I forget) ୧☉□☉୨? Qishi, zhe lianhua lei gutang limian....you yao (Actually, this lotus rib soup has medicine in it). A Ying, dui bu qi a (I am sorry A Ying) (⊙ᗜ⊙)."
There was certainly no medicine in the soup...but Little Zhuqin had to at least pretend so Wei Ying will not upset Jiang Cheng any further. Heck, even the young girl felt horrible for being part of why Jiang Cheng felt angry (lol). Wei Ying simply understood and thought Little Zhuqin had the right to eat from the soup first.
As she kept her attention on the soup and ate a small bite sized piece of the flavored lotus root, the two boys both encouraged at the same time.
"A Qin, he yao, er ta rengran shi wennuan de (A Qin, drink the medicine while it is still warm) (⊙ꇴ⊙)."
"A Ling, he yao, er ni rengran keyi (A Ling, drink the medicine while you still can) ( ￣＾￣)."
Little Zhuqin slightly choked on her piece of lotus root and quickly sipped down some broth to feel more comfortable. She slowly looked up at the two boys (⊙＿⊙). They both exchanged quite the baffled and irritated look at each other (ʘ言ʘ╬). If the young girl was honest herself, she had only experienced her elder brother Zixuan being irritated...but to have Jiang Cheng become irritated and to have Wei Ying be the main cause...? But they were only joking, therefore what harm was there?
Thinking silently to herself, the young girl only let out a small laughter and popped a small tender piece of boiled rib meat into her mouth.
"Jiang Cheng, what do you mean by telling A Qin to drink the medicine while she still can (ﾟヘﾟ)?" Wei Ying bafflingly questioned.
"Hmph, and what about you? Acting like you are concerned about her...you were not the one who brought the food and medicine ( ￣＾￣)," Jiang Cheng argued as he crossed his arms together.
Little Zhuqin quietly observed Jiang Cheng and chuckled to herself, "Why does A Cheng remind me of someone?"
That 'someone' was none other than Zixuan ( ￣＾￣) (lol).
"I did not bring the food but I was the one who watched her all night," Wei Ying mockingly argued and sat in a crisscrossed lotus position.
"YOU...you.....you...." Jiang Cheng stuttered. "You...were watching her all night? Doesn't that mean you were IN here with her last night then?!"
"Aiya Jiang Cheng, can't you be a little smarter? Of course I was in here all night. A Qin was obviously not feeling well and since she was in my room, I have to at least take care of her (σﾟ∀ﾟ)σ," Wei Ying explained. "...Besides, this is my room ⊙▽⊙."
"All night? Oh, I forgot...is today the same day? Did uncle and I...we left Lanling Jin a few hours...ago...wait...is today a new day (⊙＿⊙)?" The young girl confusingly thought to herself.
...The young Jin maiden was not in her right mind (lol).
"How indecent...you and A Ling in one room together..." Jiang Cheng upsettingly said.
Wei Ying laughed, "Wei, wei, wei, ta bushi A Ling, shi A Qin (Hey, hey, hey, she is A Qin, not A Ling) (ᗒᗨᗕ)."
"Ni shuo shenme (What are you saying)? When she came here a few days ago, we gave her a new name. 'Zi Ling,' ni wang le ma, shi 'Zi Ling,' suoyi wo jiao ta A Ling (Zi Ling, did you forget? It is Zi Ling, so that is why I call her A Ling) (ﾟヘﾟ)," Jiang Cheng explained.
So much events had happened, Little Zhuqin almost forgot that she even had another name in Yunmeng...
'Zi Ling'...'Purple Bell.'
Again, she joyfully giggled to herself.
From the entrance door, Yanli gracefully walked into the room.
"Oh, Shijie (Senior sister) (⊙ꇴ⊙)!" Wei Ying joyfully greeted.
Jiang Cheng turned around just as his elder sister paced up to his side.
The Jiang youngster quietly gave his salutations, "A...A jie (Elder...elder sister) (⊙＿⊙)."
Yanli gently smiled at her two younger brothers and asked of Little Zhuqin's well-being. The young girl cheerfully responded that since she was being taken care of by Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng, the elder sister was recommended to not be overly anxious about her. If anything, the elder sister was also concerned for Little Zhuqin because the young girl's mother recently died and it was certainly not good for the young girl to bottle up her feelings.
The elder sister encouraged softly, "A Ling, if you have anything to share with us, please feel welcome to do so. We heard from father that you will be staying here for the time being, so since we are now family, please know that we will always be here for you (◕‿◕✿)."
Little Zhuqin was definitely not close to tears. Maybe. She quickly drunk her bitter medicine and although the bitterness ruined her taste bud, she simply stood from her seat to embrace Yanli for such affectionate words.
Wei Ying joyfully hugged the elder sister and Little Zhuqin, "Welcome home A Qin (ᗒᗨᗕ)!"
"...Home (◕ᴗ◕✿)," The young girl happily thought to herself.
For a moment, she thought about her father, Baoqi, her elder brother Zixuan...and for a split second, her deceased mother appeared in her distant memories.
"A Cheng, ni ye guo lai (A Cheng, you also come here) (◕‿◕✿)," Yanli tenderly encouraged and gestured for her younger brother to join the sibling group hug.
Jiang Cheng rested his shoulders and slowly walked to Yanli's side. The elder sister slightly chuckled and carefully broke away from her younger siblings.
Her younger siblings; Jiang Cheng, Wei Ying...
....and now?
...Little Zhuqin.
With a simple smile, the young girl knew...she was certainly home.
"...Xiexie (Thank you) (✿◠‿◠)."