Jihua stared at Wangji's ornate ceiling with a horrid feeling in his stomach. Despite all the damage, his wounds were healing extremely quickly, and Wen Ning said he would be back to full health in a week or so.
He had to command the younger man, he seemed so timid, but once someone needed healing, it was like a switch flipped in his head, and he went into full doctor mode. It was almost comical really, however, he didn't feel like laughing. Not when his best, and let's face it, his only friend was god knows where. And Wei Ying was in the same state.
"God's sake." Jihua ran a hand over his face. Here he was, lying on Wangji's silk sheets, in his favourite spare bedroom, wearing his third favourite pyjamas.
He hated it. He hated it more than anything he'd ever gone through. He just couldn't do it anymore. He jolted upright, everything just seemed like too much to bear. He didn't care if he wasn't completely healed, he needed to leave.
Jihua slipped on one of Wangji's test robes that he had yet to embroider, and opened the window. The late afternoon air was cool on his face, as he jumped outside. Backstreets with spare straw mats and pile boxes were all he saw as he made his way to HuanYi. He just couldn't put himself through going through Shaanxi Street, where everyone knew his face, and not a single person didn't know Fuyu ShangYe or what had happened to him. He didn't feel like facing, whispers and rumours blown out of proportion.
The rear section of HuanYi presented a stark contrast to its more aesthetically pleasing front. Curtains were draped over a makeshift bamboo rack for drying, surrounded by stacks of weathered boxes and crates. The atmosphere was dank, dirty, and altogether miserable. And yet, for the past four years, it was home.
He quickly went over to a window and gave a rhythmic set of knocks on it, hoping that someone was there. The door quickly swung open quickly, a woman dressed in reviling orange silks, her face clad in crimson rouge in pearl powder.
"Jihua, where the hell have you been?! " She hissed, looking around in case someone walked past.
"Nice to see you too, XiaoXiao," Jihua said dryly.
"Do you have any idea what people are saying? The rumours are getting crazy. Somebody even said that the heavenly emperor came down to deliver divine punishment because ShangYe used gold and silver on the same outfit once." XiaoXiao whispered.
"And the worst part is people are buying into it. Madame Sui is furious about the damage, not to mention her best customer is otherwise presumed dead."
"Don't say that." Jihua said, looking ominous.
"I...I'm sorry, know you two are close." XiaoXiao looked apologetic. " But why are you sneaking round the back anyways?"
"Does it matter? Look, there's a small light blue pouch in the third drawer of my dresser. I bought it recently, you might have seen it once or twice. "
"Yeah, the one with the yellow canary on it?" XiaoXiao said.
"Yeah, do you think you could get it for me...And maybe some food. Dried fruit, flatbreads, stuff that'll last."
"Yeah, I...I can do that."
Jihua stood outside the window frame, anxiously tapping his foot. What was taking her so long, he knew she had short legs, but she should have been back by now. He had the sound of footsteps coming towards him, and let out a sigh.
"Well took you long...." Jihua trailed off. Madam Sui stood in the doorway, her arms tightly crossed over her chest. Her eyebrows were arched in a questioning manner, and her lips were stained a dark colour, pursed in disapproval.
XiaoXiao stood to the side, looking guilty and apologetic.
"She saw me go into your room...Sorry." XiaoXiao said before scurrying off, not wanting to feel the wrath of the madam of the house.
"You're leaving?" Madam Sui asked coolly as she leaned against the door frame.
"You can't stop me; I've done enough for this house." Jihua crossed his arms. He was fervently against fighting women, especially those who didn't know any martial arts, but if that is what it could be, then...
"I never said I would stop you." Madam Sui said evenly. Jihua pursed his lips, not believing her for a second.
"What, no hour-long speech about how I owe you and this house money, and until it's paid, I'm your property?" Jihua eyed the exit.
"You're not my property. You haven't been for a year now." Madam Sui took out a folded envelope from her sleeve pocket and gave it to Jihua.
Jihua's hand shot out and snatched the paper from her grasp, his fingers fumbling to unfold the creased document. As he pried it open, his eyes raced over the hastily scrawled words, but his mind was elsewhere. His gaze zeroed in on the bottom of the page, where his best friend's familiar penmanship revealed the staggering figure of ten thousand taels of gold.
"He paid it last year. He said that you would leave when you were ready. He told me not to tell you because you wouldn't accept it." Madam Sui cut through his thoughts.
Jihua quickly wiped his eyes, pretending that he wasn't crying. But he was, and quite miserably at that.
"That idiot! That kind, sweet, considerate idiot!" Jihua hiccuped, wiping his runny nose on his sleeve, glad that Wangji wasn't there so he couldn't scold him for ruining his unfinished robes. He never thought he'd miss that, but he missed everything about him right now.
"Aiya, you're such a sensitive soul, really." Madam Sui looked at him fondly. She was harsh at the best of times, but she did truly like Jihua.
"Go and get back my best customer."
" I will," Jihua looked fierce.
"That's my boy," Madam Sui threw him his qiankun pouch.
"But then again, I suppose you're not my boy any more. Aiya, I'll have to find a better replacement."
"Like you could ever find someone better than The Pearl Of Jiangnan." Jihua raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile on his heart-shaped lips.
"Ey? Cocky little brat." Madam Sui lightly hit him with her circle fan, but she had a smile on her face.
"Now get a move on and get him, and his wallet, back for me."
"He probably won't come back now that I'm free and Wei Wuxian is in his life. " Jihua said offhandedly.
"What did you just say?" Madam Sui said sharply.
"Bye, see you. Gotta go rescue Ai!" Jihua scurried off, ignoring the squawking sounds of Madam Sui as she tried to chase after him.
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Flipside
FanfictionLan Wangji. Also known as the Second Jade of Lan. To everyone else, he's known as being icy and frigid with a cold exterior and is a stickler for rules as well as Lan Qiren's prized nephew and top student. However, what most people don't know is th...
