Penitence

Chapter Twenty-Four

Days passed, and Wei Wuxian found him in a new routine. Every morning he gets up, checks on Jiang Cheng's wounds, and does his morning chores. When Noon rolls around Wei Wuxian would let Lan Wangji go out to be given food by Jiang Yanli, who he thanks every time but doesn't stay to eat with them. He goes back to the small Wen village, to always be greeted by the children while making his way to Lady Wen's home to give her the food that Jiang Yanli gave him and keeps her company.

He would help around the village or play with the children until twilight and he would start to head back to the cottage. To be given looks by Lan Wangji as Wei Wuxian would undress to his undergarments and crawl to his one bed to sleep, only to do it all over again in the morning.

Until one day, six days later, When Wei Wuxian was about head back to the village with food in his hands, a knock came on the door of the cottage, He was still gathering the things he was going to take with him so it was Lan Wangji who answered, though very conscious about opening the door, on the other side was of the Wen's who seemed in a panic.

"Is young Master Wei here?" he asks Lan Wangji.

Before being able to answer Wei Wuxian came into view and the young man came pushing in, and fell to his knees, and placed his forehead to the ground, "Young Master Wei, my cousin, Young Lady Wen Ah-Cy, she is in labor. Dr. Wen Qing, it's days away and Grandma Wen is a town over!"

Not needing to hear anything more, Wei Wuxian drops his stuff from his arms and takes the young man by the arms and they run off to the village. Confused, Lan Wangji watched them leave and did nothing for a moment, before picking up the things Wei Wuxian dropped and trailed after them.

Knowing the way Wei Wuxian runs to Wen Ah-Cy's home to not even bother to knock he comes in to find Wen Ah-Cy in the main entrance being propped up by her Aunts who were all gathered around her. Not even waiting to introduce himself Wei Wuxian removes his main robes and rolls up his under robes sleeves, ordering her Aunts to get him warm water and as many blankets they could find.

Sitting by her propped up legs Wei Wuxian pushes her robes up and removes her trousers Wei Wuxian sees the crown of the head of the baby. He asks for yarn and a knife with the water and blankets beside him. "Okay Lady Wen, this baby is coming and you can't stop pushing until I get them out," he warns her.

Wen Ah-Cy nods up at him and Wei Wuxian nods back reading his hands to catch the baby he yells, "PUSH!" she does as she commands and her screams echo around the small cottage. Wei Wuxian helps the head come out and next to the shoulders along with the torso and lastly the legs. The baby was fully out, but it didn't end there, Wen Ah-Cy was bleeding heavily, she was hemorrhaging.

"No no no no no no!!!" Wei Wuxian chants hurrying, tying off the umbilical cord and cutting it out, passing the baby off to the closest Aunt to wash and warm them up while Wei Wuxian grabs one of the blankets to try and stop the bleeding, and she was fading fast. "Please please please!" but it was no good... the bleeding was coming too fast and she slipped into a peaceful sleep... before she could ever see her son. To be ever able to hold him.

All the Aunts around him just knew and were crying, but over them, all the one that came to him was the wails of the newborn boy who was being swaddled by one of the Aunts. Pushing away from where Wen Ah-Cy's body lay Wei Wuxian couldn't fight the tears away. He cried over the loss of this wonderful woman and cried tears for her son that never would have gotten the chance to meet his father, and now his mother.

Lan Wangji helped lead to the cottage but came to see Wei Wuxian barling out to the grass in front of the small cottage falling to his knees in front of Lan Wangji for the second time and wailing over the loss of the woman he tried to help. Lan Wangji never wanted to see Wei Wuxian crumble the first time as it was painful to watch and the second time was even worse. Silently Lan Wangji vowed to make sure Wei Wuxian would never crumble like this to his knees again, as long as Lan Wangji could help it.