Mixed Robes [FengQing]

I'm Not Joking When I Say I Love You

The next day, Lian more or less healed from her "back pain". She was crouched in Feng Xin's garden, ripping lotus roots up from the pond. She would make use of it soon. Her sleeves and trousers were rolled up, but she was nearly as muddy as the bottom of the pond. There were splatters of brown mud and clay on her face, and a pile of both young and matured lotus roots was beside her on the dry ground. Mu Qing was watching from where he played his guqin under the huge willow tree, and he randomly plucked a few notes from time to time. 

"A-Lian, are you sure you don't need help?" Mu Qing asked for the tenth time. Lian straightened her back and turned to him. The sight of his daughter covered in mud reminded him of when she was a little toddler, playing in Feng Xin's pond when she managed to sneak away from the watch of her fathers. He nearly laughed at the view.

"Baba, I'm almost done. You don't have to get muddy," Lian replied with an innocent expression. Mu Qing sat back with an "Mn", and continued to randomly pluck the guqin.

Mu Qing was confused as to why Lian wouldn't just summon fresh lotus roots with a wave of her hand, but Lian beamed at him and said that it was more fun doing it the farming way. Mu Qing watched from afar as his daughter gradually got muddy and nearly fell over with the effort of wrenching the roots from the strong grasp of the mud. Red lotus flowers and lush green lotus leaves fell when Lian broke them off of the roots, falling into their own designated pile. 

With a "Ha!", Lian pulled out her last lotus root and threw it into its pile. She remained in her crouching position, relieved that long minutes of effort were over. Strands of hair fell from her high bun held up with the hairpin Feng Xin and Mu Qing made for her, and she sat on the gravel beside the pond. Yulan walked through the doors of the garden, stunned at the sight of her lover covered in mud and even piled with lotus products beside her. Their eyes met and Yulan approached Lian, chuckling. 

"Ai, my dear A-Lian is so muddy," Yulan hummed. Lian's body tensed as her face reddened. THEY! WERE! RIGHT! IN! FRONT! OF! MU! QING!

"Yu-er... shut up..." Despite her sharp words and sour expression, there was a hint of bashfulness and softness in her expression. With minuscule snickers, Mu Qing waved a hand, and he disappeared. He knew exactly how they would feel if he lingered any longer. He had learned from past experiences [COUGH Pei Ming COUGH]. 

Yulan wiped away the mud on Lian's face with a handkerchief and beamed as she held Lian's face. Lian washed her hands in the clean pond and wiped them on her clothes, flicking Yulan's forehead once she was done. She planted a small kiss on Yulan's cheek before gesturing to the pile of "food" beside her. 

"Help me bring all this in, won't you?" Lian said, picking up the clusters of lotus root and hefting it in her arms. Yulan smiled, and happily obliged.

...

In their room, Feng Xin and Mu Qing were 'relaxing' on the bed together. Mu Qing sat up while Feng Xin's head was pillowed on Mu Qing's lap, his loose hair everywhere. Mu Qing ran his hands through Feng Xin's long hair, tugging and twisting it. Mu Qing seemed to be in a good mood these days.

"We're so old," Feng Xin said out of the blue. Mu Qing's hands froze as he stared at Feng Xin.

"So you've noticed," Mu Qing scoffed, tugging at Feng Xin's hair.

"Stay with me forever, alright?" Feng Xin said with an unreadable expression on his face. Mu Qing rolled his eyes.

"I have no choice but to," Mu Qing muttered. Feng Xin wrapped his arms around Mu Qing's waist as he buried his face into his abdomen. Rolling his eyes, Mu Qing rubbed Feng Xin's head. 

"I remember when A-Lian was still a little child," Feng Xin said, his voice muffled by Mu Qing's robes.

"Mn." 

"She's not a child anymore."

"Of course, she isn't. She just came of age."

"Looks like she'll be married soon."

"We're happy if she's happy."

Mu Qing continued to rub and pat Feng Xin's head. He raised his head to the ceiling, at peace. 

"Why's your abdomen so hard?" Feng Xin randomly asked.

"...isn't it supposed to be like that? Yours is too," Mu Qing replied, perplexed at how random his husband was being today.

"Isn't the abdomen supposed to be a soft area?" Feng Xin mumbled.

"Ai, what's with your wondering? It's like you've become a child," Mu Qing chided.

"Yes, I am a child. Take care of me," Feng Xin said in the most childish voice he could muster. Mu Qing rolled his eyes in disgust.

"A-Xin, my dear, you are not," Mu Qing scoffed.

"Fine then. I'll say I love you."

"..?"

"..."

"Ah stop your sweet words. What do you want?" Mu Qing said, lightly smacking Feng Xin's shoulder.

"Nothing. I just love you so goddamn much, that's all," Feng Xin shrugged. 

"Aiya."

"You don't love me back?"

"..."

"Really?"

"I do..."

Feng Xin beamed. He acted like he won a war, but he felt nice on the inside. Mu Qing sighed and gave a helpless smile as he tied up Feng Xin's hair. This man was too troublesome.

...

A few hours later, Lian was finished with dinner. She had prepared lotus root and pork rib soup, with some of her favorite side dishes like deep-fried lotus petals and steamed rice in a lotus leaf. Yulan occasionally helped out, mainly admiring her love. Once she was finished setting the table, Lian went to her fathers' room to call them for dinner. 

As she pushed open the door, she saw that her fathers were both fighting and... flirting.

With light punches, Feng Xin kept on saying how hot Mu Qing was. With a twist of his hip and landing a light kick, he complimented Feng Xin in every way possible. Their faces were tinted pink, and Lian's eyebrows flew to her hairline. She cleared her throat.

"Baba, A-Die, dinners... ready," Lian forced out. They immediately ceased their "flirting" and straightened their bodies. Their faces reddened with embarrassment and followed Lian to the table in the main hall. Halfway to their destination, Lian turned around and caught both of her parents in a warm embrace. Glancing at each other, Mu Qing and Feng Xin hugged her back.

"A-Lian, what's gotten into you?" Mu Qing asked and he held his daughter with loving care.

"Nothing. I just wanted to do this." Lian said, burying her face in between Feng Xin and Mu Qing. Feng Xin chuckled and patted her back. His other hand held Mu Qing's waist as the three of them pressed close together. 

Dinner was finished quickly, and both couples returned to their respective rooms. Yulan was deep in thought, and Lian couldn't tell what she was thinking about. Before Yulan had gone into the garden with Lian earlier that day, she had visited her fathers. It was unclear what they chatted about, but it was surely something good, as Yulan's mood seemed to become even better than it was before she left for Puqi Shrine.

Lian went to sleep in Yulan's embrace, wondering why Yulan was so happy.

Mu Qing: We have one chapter left until we part ways with our readers.

Feng Xin: Right. It was nice that people were inclined to read something the author wrote on a whim.

Mu Qing: Nothing lasts forever.

Feng Xin: Mm. We do, though.

Mu Qing: I forgot about that.