Uncle's supervision

Chapter 10

Wei Wuxian got up from his seat, looking back at Lan Zhan with a small apology in his eyes. Although their conversation got interrupted and he was glad for it, he knew this could be the perfect opportunity to actually get his feelings out in the open. With his husband staying so adamantly on the topic, it was clear that he had already noticed and wanted to tackle the issue. And Wei Wuxian wanted the same as well. Perhaps together, they would be able to find a solution he could not have thought about alone.

He went to the door, a bit upset that someone dared to interrupt their special, although awkward, conversation. It did not happen too often that Lan Zhan was the one to start talking. Wei Wuxian had just been ready to actually spill the beans, he had had gathered his courage and prepared his heart and now everything had gone to naught! He would never be able to resume where they had had left off.

He quickly schooled his dissatisfied face when he realized who was standing on the other side of the door. It was a very grumpy looking Lan Qiren with furrowed eyebrows. He was surprised by this particular visitor both because Lan Qiren usually called Lan Zhan over when he wanted to talk to him and because he would not have ever expected to get a visit this close to the Gusu Lan sect curfew. Did something happen? Was there perhaps an emergency? Still, normally, there would have been a servant to call on either him or his husband, not Lan Qiren in person. Something was just not right.

He however quickly gathered himself and invited the elder politely inside. He closed the door and went to join the other two at the table, having his tea cup refilled by Lan Zhan.

The silence between them grew longer and Wei Wuxian picked up his cup and started sipping the tea to busy his hands. Since Lan Qiren did not glare him away yet, he must have wanted to talk to both him and his husband. This was even stranger. And why was the elder still keeping himself calm, only sipping the tea? Though Wei Wuxian would surely not be the one to break the silence before the storm; so he kept quiet as well, waiting for Lan Qiren to tell them the reason for his visit.

Finally, the elder spoke and his words made Wei Wuxian choke on his tea and start coughing violently: "Wangji, Wei Wuxian, I have come here today because you have acted very irresponsibly in your love life. Wei Wuxian should have started his duties already and here he is, unable to walk. I am here today on Wangji's request to give you some guidance in the matter. I cannot have you ruining the Gusu Lan sect reputation like this."

If Lan Qiren seemed bothered by what he had just said, nothing showed on his face as he picked up his cup of tea again and continued drinking.

Wei Wuxian on the other hand grew completely red. It was one thing talking about love making with Lan Zhan, and even that had been awkward and embarrassing. But it was something else completely having the uncle of his husband's come to coach them. And how would he even do that? Would he give them any special super-secret Gusu Lan lecture? Or did he bring them a book about proper conduct in bed written by some esteemed ancestor? Wei Wuxian could not believe that any Gusu Lan sect disciple or elder would ever write a porn book, it would have surely been just a boring education material more than anything else.

He finally managed to get his coughing fit under control with Lan Zhan patting his back soothingly. He did not know what to think. Should he be surprised that Lan Qiren came on his husband's request? Or should he be angry that he had learned about it only now and got a scare of his life? Should he feel honoured that Lan Qiren himself wanted to help them? Or should he feel embarrassed that they even needed help in the first place? He did not know, he was swinging from one emotion to another, never really lingering on any of them for too long.

He glanced at his husband to get any explanation but he found him pointedly looking away and refusing to so much as meet his eyes. Wei Wuxian now felt slightly betrayed that he had not been informed before Lan Qiren came knocking on the door of the Jingshi. Not too much however, he knew Lan Zhan had probably wanted to tell him when he had asked to talk about something, they had just never gotten to the point.

Still, this situation was very uncomfortable, visibly for all of them judging by Lan Zhan's and Lan Qiren's rigid expressions and the way their backs looked even more stiff than usual. It surely was weird and awkward for Wei Wuxian. He found his mouth was still open and took an unparalleled effort to close it. Then, after almost a whole minute, he finally found his voice as well.

"Master Lan Qiren, what..."

Lan Qiren, very uncharacteristically and in un-Lan like fashion, cut him off before he could even finish his sentence: "If you say you do not need guidance, I want to see you teaching the juniors first thing in the morning. And without embarrassing yourself and Wangji by having your husband carry you to the lecture hall. Or crawling there on your own."

Wei Wuxian gaped his mouth a few more times, he must have looked like a fish on a dry land, gasping for air desperately. But in the end, he remained silent. What Lan Qiren said was not untrue after all, they needed help before Lan Zhan would completely destroy his now fragile body beyond repair and he would have to seek refuge in the infirmary which would be a thousand times more humiliating than having Lan Qiren give them a lecture.

With his protests cut off short, it was Lan Zhan who spoke next, shocking Wei Wuxian even more speechless: "Thank you for coming, Uncle. What should we do?"

It was right to the point. That had however not surprised Wei Wuxian half as much as the realization that even his husband did not know what was coming. His bad feeling was only growing. He really wanted to know what Lan Qiren had in store for them. If the elder looked this confident and unfazed, surely it must have been something acceptable by the Gusu Lan sect standards, right?

He must believe that Lan Qiren came to help them, nothing more and nothing less. He did not want to imagine any other alternative. And he actually was perhaps even looking forward to it just the tiniest bit. If receiving his advice would really help and he would be at least able to walk in the morning, how great would that be? He would take the offered help, no matter from whom it was coming. He was really looking forward to teaching the tiny Gusu Lan sect juniors.

"So, what are you waiting for? Show me so I can see what you could be doing wrong."

If Wei Wuxian had been still drinking his tea, he would have choked again for sure, even worse than the first time. He found himself completely paralyzed, his mind blank and not functioning at all, and unable to resist when his husband stood up and tugged at his hand. He stood up automatically and let himself be manoeuvred towards the bed, Lan Qiren's eyes following after them.

Wei Wuxian was seriously considering if he could still choose the option of crawling to the class in the morning.