Wild Creatures

Chapter 56

Lan Zhan studies the photograph properly.

Wei Changze is smiling at the camera, and he looks happy. There's a lot of him in Wei Ying's features too, though not as blatantly obvious as his mother's traits. It's just a quirk of his eyebrow, and the way his head is tilted, cocked to one side.

But it's Wei Ying's mother who is most puzzling. Cangse Sanren isn't looking at the camera at all, in fact, she's staring back at the fountain.

Wei Ying stands up to go closer, to see where her finger is pointing.

"Who took this picture?" Lan Zhan says, after finding his voice.

"Do you think this is important?" Baoshan Sanren asks sharply. She, too, gets up to join Wei Ying. She slings an arm around his shoulders. "Why?"

"She's not just looking at the fountain..." Wei Ying follows her gaze, but he honestly can't tell what it could be. From this angle, she could be pointing at either the dragon or the wizard. "And I really don't know, but we visited there yesterday, and Grandmother, I swear something was pulling me to that fountain."

Lan Zhan takes a picture of this photo, just in case they need it for reference, later.

Wei Ying yawns, alerting him to his boyfriend's fatigue.

"What time is it?" Wei Ying asks, sleepily.

"Eight." Lan Zhan answers him.

"A-Yuan! And JingYi!" Wei Ying is suddenly alert. "Grandmother, we have to go home! But..." he blushes hard, "can we come back tomorrow? There's still so much I need to ask you. I have so many questions!"

She pulls him into a tight hug.

"Of course, you can come back. I'll send Xiao XingChen to collect you...what time?"

"After we drop the children off to school." Wei Ying decides.

"So...would you...do you think I can meet them? Your children?" Baoshan Sanren looks almost shy about asking this.

"Yes, absolutely!" Wei Ying squeezes her tightly, his eyes wet at the implications of what she's suggesting.

This is what families do. They visit each other, they spend time together. He's going to have a normal family, for once, one that he can call his own.

"When?" She asks eagerly.

"Saturdays are usually homework days. But Sundays are family days, and what could be better than our kids meeting their great Grandmother?" Wei Ying's face hurts from smiling so widely.

"Then let's do that." Baoshan Sanren hugs him one more time before they leave. "My boy..." her loving voice says warmly.

Wei Ying keeps it safe in his heart all the way home.

**************

Xiao XingChen drops them off outside the apartment building.

They're feeling safe and happy after listening to the familiar melody on the way back. Lan Zhan remembers to text MianMian that Wei Ying is safe now, and he lets Huaisang know that too. XiChen is also there, and he seems to know what happened, because he accepts Lan Zhan's shortened version.

"See you on Saturday night, Didi," he says, signing off.

That's when Lan Zhan remembers that they have an award ceremony to attend that night, too.

But there's no time to do anything else, because from the moment they arrive inside the apartment, the children run to them and they're smothered in hugs and kisses.