Jiang Cheng Oneshots

Cry for the Past, Smile for the Future

A look into how Jin Rulan and Jiang Wanyin celebrate the late Jiang Yanli's birthday. Honestly not that angsty, but will contain a happy ending nonetheless.

Jin Ling = Jin Rulan

World Count: 1370

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It was mid-spring, the lotus' were getting ready to bloom, and the weather was glorious; the cold of the winter had long gone while the heat of the summer had yet to approach. The disciples and children ran about excitedly enjoying spring in the grand Lotus Pier. Well, outside the pier stood one kid clad in yellow-gold ropes with a white peony on the front, showing little enthusiasm for the season. The kid was visiting his uncle, the master of the vas lotus lakes and the pier that stood there; he had put off his visit until this evening for the inevitable events of today. Today was the late young madame of YumengJiang, the young madame of LanlingJin's birthday. It was May 2nd, the day of Jin Rulan's, his mother's birth.

It being his mother's birthday was not the reason for his hesitance; his uncle did this for every family member's birthday; it was the celebrations that would occur. It was the stories, the food, and the crying. He had thought of canceling, coming up with an excuse as to why he could not attend, but this was the only time his uncle let his guard down. It was the only time the fearful Sandu Shengshou allowed himself to appear vulnerable in front of another human.

He moved his gaze back to the lake; it was covered in orange and purple, creating an extravagant ombre. The sun was closing on the horizon, calling an end to the day. A day he had spent running from the predictable.

When Jin Rulan was younger, the head disciple would take him after the sect leader finished his stories and meal. As he got older, he began to stay longer with his uncle, hoping his presence would bring comfort. The head disciple would come and try to coax him to leave; he knew the young master hurt to see his uncle like this, but Jin Rulan stayed. He would sit there waiting for his uncle to pass out. Jin Rulan stayed the whole night, waiting until his uncle woke up the next day. His uncle never spoke of the festivities; he would wake and start the new day as if nothing.

He stood there staring at the closing Sun. He had no courage, no desire to walk into Lotus Pier and celebrate with his uncle. He closed his eyes and heaved a sigh, not wanting to open them, hoping to stay in that moment in time. Unbeknownst to Jin Rulan, two others had taken notice of his sullen face. The two were Lan Jingyi and Lan Sizhui, dressed in the signature GusuLan white and blue. They grew worried at the lack of movement from the LanlingJin sect heir. Standing beside him, they tried to gain his attention, but none of their attempts proved effective. Suddenly, Lan Jingyi began shaking Jin Rulan, almost knocking the boy over. He turned to look at who attacked him to see the distressed look of two Lans. Jin Rulan pushed Lan Jingyi off as he tried steadying himself.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, brushing off his ropes. He was confused as to why two Lan disciples were at Lotus Pier. Lan Jingyi replaced his look of annoyance with one of concern; they had told the other they were coming in their last letter. They also proposed going on a night hunt if Jin Rulan was nearby; they had gotten a positive response, confirming their night hunt.

Lan Sizhui waved over Lan Jingyi's snarky response by explaining their appearance, "Zewu-Jun asked us to give this letter to Sect Leader Jiang." He retrieved the letter from his ropes, showing the signature GusuLan sect leader seal on the envelope. "We also agreed on a night hunt in our last letter."

"What are you doing here?" Lan Jingyi reasked the other's question; it seemed that Jin Rulan had another reason for being in Lotus Pier than their agreed night hunt.

Jin Rulan looked back at the vas lotus lake, his uncle's lotus lake. He moved his gaze to the ground, "I'm visiting my uncle," he whispered. The Lan disciples exchanged a glance at the unusual shyness of their friend. Jin Rulan sighed, readying himself to walk through the gates. "I'll," he paused, looking at the lake for one last time, "I'll take you to my uncle."

Lan Sizhui stammered a reply, "Oh, thank you," as Jin Rulan led them inside Lotus Pier, right to the sect leader's room. They were surprised to be brought to his chambers, expecting his study. Jin Rulan had told them to wait outside, but before he went in, they saw the sullen look reappear on the other's face. They were further surprised to see the darkness engulfing the sect leader's chamber; the two Lan disciples wondered if the powerful Sandu Shengshou had fallen ill.

Upon entering, Jin Rulan saw his uncle's back facing him. His uncle hunched over the low table, a line of steam rising from the teapot in the center. "You're late," his voice was softer than usual; one would have to know him well to notice, but it was there. Jin Rulan laughed, dazed as he sat opposite his uncle. He saw his uncle had put out two teacups and had kept the tea brewing while he waited.

"I apologize, uncle," he felt his lips quirk up into a smile while he watched his uncle pour their tea. He had forgotten about the two Lan disciples he escorted not long ago. After a bit of contently drinking tea together, they had fallen into a soothing silence. Nothing else happened; they stayed in the room, enjoying each other's company. It was different; it was good.

The evening had progressed as such; no celebrations took place. They waited the evening out, enjoying each other's company in comforting silence. The next day, Jin Rulan woke up in a frenzy; the previous night had felt like a dream. He raced to leave his bed, not minding his disheveled robes. He wanted to see his uncle, to disprove the disbelief of last night. He rushed by shocked servants and disciples as he made his way to his uncle's study.

Then, he stopped abruptly, nearing tripping over his own feet. He had found his uncle conversing with the Lan disciples. But they were his friends, so he ran to jump and cling to his uncle without shame. The two Lan disciples winced at the struggling sect leader who hadn't noticed his nephew. He attempted to yank his nephew off, but it proved futile as Jin Rulan's grip tightened.

"A-Ling, was there something you need?" he asked his nephew through gritted teeth. Albeit the two Lan disciples were friends of his nephew, they were still here for diplomatic reasons. And having one's nephew cling to them did not appear diplomatically reasonable to the sect leader.

"You were gone this morning!" Jin Rulan exclaimed, not completely lying. He had been eager to see his uncle.

"Jin Ling?" Lan Jingyi sent a skeptical look to the Jin sect heir. Jin Rulan glared at him before remembering his promise of the night hunt the other week. He unleashed his uncle, fixing his appearance as much as he could.

"Ah, yes, the night hunt," Jin Rulan stood next to the Lan. "When are we leaving?"

Lan Sizhui finished his conversation with the sect leader, handing over the note before answering his friends. "Soon, it's a bit of a way out." Soon enough, Jin Rulan readied himself to leave, receiving a threat from his uncle to stay safe, and he was off with the two Lan disciples. He never did figure out why there was a seemingly sudden change in his uncle's attitude, but he was glad nonetheless.

While on their trek, which turned out to be a distance away, a thought came to Jin Rulan. "You both are some of the Lan's best disciples. Why'd they have you deliver a letter?" A knowing smirk formed on Lan Jingyi's face at the question.

"Ask your uncle, young master Jin," he answered but didn't explain further. Jin Rulan turned to the other Lan, looking for an explanation but only received an apologetic smile and a shrug. 

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Hope you enjoyed that! This is an edited version (or was supposed to be, I sorta ended up rewriting it  ;-;) The original had too much happening so I cut it and done and focused more on JL's POV. But thanks for reading!