Letting go of self-restraint 5 - Great happiness in a small package

Chapter 16

Jiang Yanli could barely keep herself from crying. It had been so long since she had seen both her brothers together like this. She had missed their harmless bickering so much, she realized after they had started with their shenanigans just like when they had been young children. She had been worried about Wei Wuxian but it looked like everything was fine now.

"I wanted to come see him earlier, especially because in his letters, he never mentioned leaving the Cloud Recesses. I know, it is quite hard to travel with a small child, but it was still worrisome. Though, he looks fine, and A-Yuan has grown so big as well. Perhaps he will now be more at ease with leaving him with someone to be able to go on a night hunt or two. I am convinced he must miss it. I should invite him for A-Ling's birthday celebration too..."

When the three siblings and two toddlers finally disentangled themselves from the family hug, there was a suspicious wetness in their eyes but they were all smiling widely. It truly had been a long while since they had seen each other.

Suddenly, Jin Ling started fussing in Jiang Yanli's arms, reminding her that he had had enough of being held and wanted to be put down to go exploring. He had slept the whole way from Lotus Pier to here and now he seemed full of energy. However, they would first have to go somewhere more appropriate, the entrance to the Cloud Recesses and the endless staircase which let to it was not a great place to let a child run around.

Before Jiang Yanli could say anything along those lines, Wei Wuxian must have already understood. He took one step closer to her and looked closer at the child in her arms. "Oh, A-Ling seems to be ready to run around and tire himself out. Shijie, Jiang Cheng, come, come. There is tea prepared in the Jingshi and we can watch A-Yuan and A-Ling play in the back garden while drinking it. You have to tell me how you have been all this time."

Then, her brother crunched down a little bit to be on the same level with her son: "A-Ling, hello there. I am you uncle and this is A-Yuan. It is nice to meet you. Would you like to make friends with him and come play?"

Jiang Yanli gave him a knowing smile but refrained from commenting his eagerness. It was just like Wei Wuxian to be so excited. "I am glad that he is happy. And that he loves A-Yuan with all his heart. I still remember how nervous he had been when he had held A-Ling for the first time. But now, look at him. Two years later, and he is so good with children."

Jin Ling must have thought along the same lines, because he stopped fussing and demanding to be put down. His eyes were wide open and curious when he observed the uncle he saw for the first time in his life, aside for the moment he had been held in his arms as a new-born baby. His expression was still slightly pouty but the angry tantrum has been stopped for now. Wei Wuxian truly knew his way around kids now, Jiang Yanli had to smile.

She bounced her son and looked at her brother. It was undeniable that Jin Ling was getting bigger by the day, and also heavier. She would like to put him down now so her hands could get some rest. Letting him play with A-Yuan was a great proposition. Moreover, it would also be good for him to get to know another child his age, there was no one he could play with in the Koi Tower.

Although they were other children that Jin Zixuan had called over, Jin Ling did not seem to like them all that much. Which was clearly not the case when it came to A-Yuan. He was watching the younger child, intrigued, and reached out his hand to touch him. Obligingly, Wei Wuxian stepped a little closer, holding his own son up so that he could also see Jin Ling properly.

"A-Yuan," he urged the child gently, "this is A-Ling. He came to visit us from very far away. Do you want to show him around and play together?"

The child which had been calm and collected until then, even perhaps a little shy, very much resembling Lan Wangji in his demeanour, suddenly changed completely. He started hopping up and down in Wei Wuxian's arms very excitedly and chanting: "Play! Play! Play!"

"He is so cute," cooed Jing Yanli to herself, "he is just like his father. Well, both of them really. It is so funny how he can go from one pole of the spectre to another in a heartbeat. It is almost like looking away from Lan Wangji for only a second and then finding A-Xian in his place instead. He has such a bright smile and intelligent eyes. And look at how well he can speak already! I think that in this aspect, he is better than A-Ling. Then again, A-Xian, the ever talking and moving person is his father. I am not even surprised."

She was surprised greatly when A-Ling copied A-Yuan in his excited behaviour and she had to hold him tighter in fear of having him fall down. Usually, her son was not this open with his positive emotions. Most of the time, it looked like he had inherited other traits of the blood of the Yunmeng Jiang clan, mainly grumpiness and angry tantrums. It could also be because as a Lanling Jin sect heir, he was being spoiled rotten in the Koi Tower, but this, Jiang Yanli did not want to admit even to herself. She also tended to spoil her child quite a lot.

She was even more surprised when Jin Ling copied not only the excited bouncing, but also A-Yuan's little chanting of 'Play! Play! Play!'. This was one of the pretty rare times when her son spoke like this. He was not much of a talker and even at already nearly two years old, he barely said a few simple words. This would be a good opportunity to get him a friend from whom he could learn.

Wei Wuxian smiled even brighter if that was possible and took the toddlers' excitement as invitation to assume that it was time to move from the entrance to the Cloud Recesses to somewhere more comfortable and children friendly.

"Come everyone, let us go catch up," he waved with his free hand, immediately sneaking it into Lan Wangji's as soon as his gesture was finished.

The fated pair led their little group through the Cloud Recesses. They were walking quickly, probably not wanting the two overexcited children to cause too much of a ruckus. Although A-Yuan stopped chanting and went back to imitating Lan Wangji, there was still a bright light in his eyes and he was hopping again from time to time, his energy barely contained. Jin Ling however did not take the clue, not aware about any Gusu Lan sect rules and continued to be as loud and as verbal as ever.