Wild Creatures

Chapter 38

Monday morning, Lan Zhan was putting away their combined laundry of washed and dried clothes, having retrieved them from the machines in this building's basement, when a little jewellery box fell out.

For a second, he was gripped with ecstacy, thinking Wei Ying had bought them rings, and remembering yesterday and his impromptu, spontaneous marriage proposal.

But then the box made a jingling sound, not at all like two rings would. It was lighter both in sound and weight, and because Wei Ying entered their bedroom just then, Lan Zhan handed it to him.

"This fell out," he said, in the most neutral voice he could manage.

A look of surprise passed over Wei Ying's face. He took the box and sat down on the edge of their bed, his slender fingers tracing over its edges.

"I'd forgotten about this," he murmured.

Lan Zhan comes to sit beside him. His nose flares, trying to smell how Wei Ying is feeling, but everything seems normal; there's just a tinge of sadness.

It's a cheap box made out of strong card, but the way he's holding on to it, with reverence and respect, makes Lan Zhan think it contains something precious.

Wei Ying lifts the flap up and turns it upside down so the contents spill out into the centre of his palm.

It's a silver heart shaped pendant, no, a locket.

The outside of it is tarnished, so the silver is much darker than it must have been when newly crafted. It is engraved on both sides, with a coat of arms on one side, and a crest on the other. And now, because Lan Zhan's sight is so much better than before, he can see that the crest has a tiny jagged pattern on the top.

Wei Ying's fingers caress both sides of the locket, and he sighs before pressing on one edge. It releases a catch and the locket opens.

There are two pictures on either side.

A man's face is on the left side, and there is just enough of him in Wei Ying's features for Lan Zhan to guess that this is his father. The similarities are in the shape of Wei Ying's jaw, and the curve of his cheeks, the slender arch of his brow. But he has his mother's eyes.

She stares back at them, a smile enhancing her beauty and lighting up her face. Wei Ying has inherited her gorgeous smile, and added something of himself in it to make it all of his own. Her hair is pulled up into a high ponytail and tied back with a vivid red ribbon.

Wei Ying leans towards Lan Zhan and smiles sadly. He angles the locket so Lan Zhan can look at their pictures more fully.

"Mom, Dad, this is Lan Zhan. I..I love him." His voice becomes thick with emotion, and the tragic truth that they will never be able to meet.

Lan Zhan's finger traces the outer shape of the heart.

He smiles at the pictures.

"I would wish that I could have met you in this life." He says, softly. "And I want you to know. I will do my best to look after Wei Ying from now on. You must be so proud of him; he is an exceptional young man, with precious values. He is a spectacular father, and an excellent brother. I can only hope to match that by being the best husband for him."

Wei Ying ducks his head, leaning his forehead against Lan Zhan's shoulder.

"I haven't said yes, yet," he protested.

"Wei Ying ate the ring. That counts." Lan Zhan said, with a straight face.

"I was hungry. And it doesn't count!" Wei Ying giggled at his justification.