WangXian Forever 4

Chapter 43 Reincarnation

SiZhui was still shaken up by the encounter with his past life. Both Wei Ying and Lan Zhan decided to find a place to stay earlier than they would have on a normal day.

They left the wooden door and walked on the main road, soon coming to a small village. Wei Ying found the tiny hotel, which was really just a boarding house, run by an elderly couple.

Dinner was a simple fare and then they retired to their rooms.

"Do you think we should talk to SiZhui?" Wei Ying asked, curled up next to Lan Zhan.

"Mn."

"I thought so too. I don't think he's over it yet. It's a big deal, coming face to face with your past..." he mused. "Lan Zhan, who do you think you were in your past life?"

"Don't know."

"Do you think we knew each other?"

"Mn."

Silver eyes stared back at him, innocent and full of curiosity.  "If we are reincarnated, I would like to be with you. If not, I'd rather not come back at all." He admitted.

Lan Zhan held him closer. "Mn. Always together."

Wei Ying kissed his cheek and then yawned. "We'll talk to SiZhui tomorrow." His voice faded, finding sleep at last.

In the morning, at breakfast, both children were quiet. SiZhui for obvious reasons, but Li XiWang kept throwing him nervous looks. She kept piling food on his plate, and he kept eating whatever was there, but gazing off into the distance, his mind elsewhere.

Wei Ying suddenly sniffed the air.

"Lan Zhan, can you smell something...something oniony?"

They all sniffed, puzzled until something landed on the table in front of SiZhui.

"It's Jiang Cheng!" Wei Ying exclaimed in excitement. But when he tried to open it, it vanished. "Hmm, it's not for me." Wei Ying stared at SiZhui. "Maybe it's for you."

As predicted, the moment SiZhui touched where it had landed, it turned into a paper crane and opened for him. He took it and left the table.

Wei Ying gave him ten minutes before turning to Lan Zhan.

"Let me talk to him alone, for now. He might feel more comfortable if it's just us two."

"Mn."

"Stay here and finish your breakfast." He told Li XiWang, patting her on her head.

Outside, he looked around for his son. He didn't have far to look, because there was a small square, with a willow tree hanging over a bench, where SiZhui was sitting.

Wei Ying went and sat next to him quietly.

SiZhui handed him the note. He had a small smile on his face, and Wei Ying felt better because of it. He opened the letter.

My dearest SiZhui,

Do you know how long you will be away? I miss you.

Jin Ling

Wei Ying stifled a laugh.

"At least he's honest."

SiZhui laughed as well.

"This is a lot, coming from him." Wei Ying said, looking at the note. He would be having a few choice words with his nephew on the art of wooing.

"I know. And I'm not upset. This is exactly what he would say." SiZhui replied with a wry smile.

"But?"

"I know he cares about me. And he already knows how I feel. But is it enough?"

"You know how he is." Wei Ying patted his knee sympathetically. "I don't think even he knows how he's feeling, not to the fullest extent, anyway. This is all probably very new for him. He won't be able to make comparisons with anything else yet, for him to form an opinion."

"I know. I think I've always loved him." SiZhui said, simply.

"He will come to love you too, SiZhui. I know I keep telling you to be patient, and it's frustrating for you, I'm sure. But Jin Ling will need time."

"What...what did you think of yesterday? Of that man?" SiZhui asked, tentatively.

"How much do you remember?" Wei Ying rubbed his hands in anticipation.

"Mostly everything. As the Princess," he blushed, "I remember feeling betrayed by him. And I remembered the pagoda, I remembered living in the Palace, I remembered my family, and I remembered my sister. We were seven sisters in all."

"It's amazing that you do." Wei Ying replied, carefully. "But that's your past life. You don't have to worry about it now."

"But do you...do you think, because he was innocent, and I cursed him, do you think I'll be punished?" SiZhui wouldn't look at him.

"Oh, my dear son, is that what you're worrying about?" Wei Ying gathered him into his arms.

Over his head, he saw Lan Zhan holding Li XiWang's hand, coming out of the boarding house. He subtly shook his head and Lan Zhan took Li XiWang away on a walk.

"Karma is a funny thing. I think it's all about your intentions. Yes it's probably true that small things, small acts can have great repercussions, but at the same time, who knows?" Wei Ying started rubbing circles on his back, like Lan Zhan did for himself, hoping it would calm him down. "For example, a murderer and someone who might have killed a person by accident, do you think they would suffer the same fate?"

"No." SiZhui whispered.

"My point exactly. I'm pretty sure that if you do things with bad intentions, you will receive back in likeness, the same for good intentions. When you were a princess, you felt betrayed, and that's why your curse came true."

"But he was innocent-"

"You didn't know that at the time, right?" Wei Ying consoled him. "And didn't it turn out alright in the end? He can gain good merit in looking after the temple, hopefully forgetting about you, in the process. If anything, you can make Jin Ling jealous..."

SiZhui made a sound of disbelief. "I would never."

"I know. Look, SiZhui, we have to live this life in the best way we can. If we project good thoughts and good intentions, it's a kind of payback, for all the bad things we did before, perhaps in our past lives. This is how you can make amends."

"Really?" SiZhui felt better now.

"Really. Knowing that everything matters, we can only do our best. That is all anyone can do."

SiZhui smiled at him, finally. "Thank you, father. I will do my best."

Wei Ying smiled back with confidence. SiZhui was a good kid.