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

27: A-Ning

Wei Wuxian paced up and down the compound, hands crossed behind his back, frowning, mumbling.

"Where are they? What's taking him so long?"

Lan Wangji stood at a side, shaking his head at his husband. "A-Ying, they didn't state a time for them to return. They might even come in the evening," he explained, looking up at the just waking sun. It was barely dawn and yet, Wei Wuxian was impatient.

Wei Wuxian kept mumbling and walking back and forth until suddenly, a shout echoed from the gates as a boy came sprinting in. "DADDY!"

"Yiyi!" Wei WuXian jumped in delight and ran to hug his son. "There you are!"

"Daddy was waiting?" Jingyi asked, grinning with glee into the black robes.

"Of course, I was! I missed you so much!" Wei Ying gripped him tighter.

Jin Xiyi walked over, calm and composed, sighed at their drama before bowing to Lan Wangji. "Good morning, Father."

"Mn, good morning. Good to have you back."

Xiyi beamed at him before standing at his side, both waiting for the two to finish up.

"Daddy, it was only two weeks!"

"Still! This father's grown too attached to you all. First Sizhui runs around accepting new disciples. Then Rulan is all over the place with his charity work. And now you're married, too! When are you leaving for that house on the border?"

"Xiyi's planning that, I have no idea. BUT," he grinned, "I'm spending two weeks with Daddy first. To make up."

"My sweetest son," Wei Ying grinned back before crushing him closer.

"Daddy, you should be happy!"

"About what?"

"All your three sons away, just you and Father!" He winked. "Oh well, come to think of it, not much of a difference. Even if all three of us were in Gusu, you and Father would still– Haha!" he chuckled before running around the compound to save his head from the wrath of Chenqing — not its spirit, but its wood. 

**********

The night before the wedding, Wei Wuxian called for Lan Qiang and Wen Ning to come to the bunny-hill.

"Ying-ge?"

"Come here, you two," he patted the grass beside him and they all sat down, Lan Wangji silently watching from afar. "Since you're marrying tomorrow, I thought of giving a little something to A-Ning. And also because you need her blessings."

"Who?" Lan Qiang asked.

Wiggling his fingers over a marked circle of grass around them, Wei Ying drew out a spell. Then, Wei Wuxian bit his finger, drew out a few drops of blood and let them fall onto the design. The instant the blood touched the patterns, the array lit up. He nodded to an invisible someone standing beside him. "You can step in now."

Wen Qing walked into the array and smiled at the onlookers. "A-Ning."

"Jiejie!" Wen Ning beamed.

Wen Qing smiled wider. "Good to see you. Is this...?"

Wei Wuxian nodded. "That's the Lan Qiang I spoke about."

"Young Mistress Wen, honoured to see you," Lan Qiang stood and bowed to the noble doctor.

"Young Mistress Lan, pleasure to meet you too," Wen Qing inclined her head. Once Lan Qiang had sat down again, she spoke to her. "You look like Second Young Master Lan."