Red Rose [Never Let You Go, Again Book 3]

3: Golden Feather of Evil

Wen Ning was back in seven hours, with all the Comfrey Cure he could gather in a sack he'd found from somewhere. The white bell-shaped flowers were taken by Yunxi to make a potion while the leaves and rest of the plant were taken by Yuanhua to form the paste. With a bit of lavender oil and turmeric that Wen Ning suggested adding, Yuanhua's paste was blended and ready in minutes. He hurried back to the Jingshi and began to coat the holes in Wei Ying's back with the ointment.

An hour later, Jiang Yunxi returned from the Cloud Recesses kitchen, having made the potion into an edible soup by Madam Fan. It was best to give Wei Ying something he wouldn't throw up.

Once the wounds were seen to and Yunxi had done the bandaging all over his body in seconds, Lan Wangji sat by the bed and turned his husband over, making his unconscious body sit up against a pillow. Silently, he poured spoonful by spoonful of Comfrey Cure soup down his throat.

"Yunxi," Lan Yuanhua called as he calmly sipped a cup of jasmine tea Lan Xichen had poured out for them all. "Your dressings are quick and yet accurate, not bad."

"Thanks, Doctor Yuanhua."

"Doctor Yunxi, how on earth do you do them so fast? At such speed!" Wen Ning stared at him with wide eyes. Lan Xichen was beginning to wonder if making Wen Ning a doctor would do him some good. Maybe after he married Lan Qiang, he could become a Lan doctor. Hm, I should suggest this to Sizhui, Xichen thought as he smiled over his teacup at the frustrated Jiang Cheng watching his lifeless brother. Is it bad of me to feel Wanyin looks... beguiling when he's angry? 

Jiang Yunxi chuckled. "You see, Young Master Wen, we Jiangs tend to be in constant need of bandaging, right Jiang Cheng?"

"What?" Jiang Cheng spun around. "Er... Sorry, I wasn't listening."

Yunxi patted his shoulder. "Chill, he'll recover, you know your brother better than I do. I was saying, we Jiangs tend to need bandaging all the time, right?"

Jiang Cheng smirked and turned back to face his brother with a nod.

"Why?" Wen Ning tilted his head.

"We're always in some fight or another. Keep brawling, keep getting injured, keep coming to my Healing Hall for medicine," Yunxi grinned.

While Wen Ning nodded, Yuanhua sighed. "So that's why whenever I try to contact you you're busy. Always busy! Alas, here I am, spending my time teaching and researching because I simply don't know HOW to pass the time!"

Jiang Yunxi chuckled. "Why don't you learn from shixiong? Plays with bunnies or the children half the day. When that's not happening, he'll play at least on his own! You know, jumping around, humming a song, I've seen him do that quite a few times when Jiang Cheng and Shijie were out somewhere. Always knows to keep his spirits high."

"Mn, still does," Xichen smiled, recalling seeing him dancing with bunnies.

"Either that or if none of it is possible," Huaisang leered as he put down his emptied teacup. "He'll 'play' with his husband."

That got everyone laughing. Lan Wangji's ears turned pink as he ignored them as best as he could and continued to feed the potion.

"Though I'm starting to doubt if all Jiangs are like that," Huaisang continued. "Wei-xiong has rubbed off on me, but Jiang-xiong... Hardly ever seen him in good spirits. Only with Er-Ge. And then, it's always especially high spirits. High spirits, Yunxi. HIGH. Get what I mean? Dreamy on cloud nine and drunk as a lord." 

"Drunk?" Yunxi asked, clutching his sides with laughter. 

"Of course! Do you know how he stares at Er-Ge, contemplating seriously like he's swirling a cup of wine? Must be some serious Lan-Xichen-thoughts in that big head– Ow! Ow! Ow! Jiang-xiong, let go of my ear!"