Come Back to Gusu

47. Why can't someday be today?

He woke, confused to see shadows on the wrong sides of the room. "Good afternoon, Wei Ying."

"Why did you let me sleep so long? I missed classes?"

Lan Zhan nodded and settled on the edge of the bed. "I spoke with Shushu and XiongZhang early this morning. I said we were still sore from yesterday's bout and needed the day to recover.."

"Ah." Wei Ying sat up and rubbed the crusts from his eyes. "Sorry about that."

"Dress and eat. I have something to show you." Lan Zhan refused to elaborate, so a curious Wei Ying was left with no recourse but to do as directed.

The 'something to show' was in Caiyi. "A donkey? You want to buy a donkey?"

"You said 'someday'. I thought... why can't someday be today?"

Wei Ying patted a gray head. "Someday means someday, so I guess today is a someday."

Lan Zhan's ears pinked up. "I also was thinking about a little one. How little does it have to be?"

"What do you mean 'how little'?" Wei Ying's heart started pumping faster.

"I mean... does the little one have to be a baby? Or a toddler? Or... will an older child be good, too?"

"What older child are you referring to?"

Lan Zhan's ears were bright red. "You want a little one and a donkey. We have the donkey now. We just need the child. And A'Yuan needs a family.

"I wrote to Wen QiongLin and Wen Qing and Wen Popo formally asking permission to adopt Wen Yuan."

The return letter from Wen Qing was scathing: No. You may not adopt my nephew out from our family!

The one from Wen QiongLin was slightly more diplomatic: Right now, we do not have the ideal situation. But we are working on it. Wen Yuan will remain with us.

The letter from the boy's grandmother the following day was... different. Lan Er'Gongzi, Wen Gongzi. I have given your idea much thought. While my preference is for my grandson to remain in our family, the truth is that what I want is irrelevant. What is important is what A'Yuan wants and needs.

I spoke to him last night and again this morning. He wants a family of his own. He wants a mother and a father to call his own. He wants to be a son again. He would like to have siblings. A'Qing cannot be his mother. A'Ning cannot be his father. Not right now. Not, perhaps, for a few years. Perhaps never. I'm too old and ill to be the parent he needs. I may not live through the winter. I feel my husband is getting impatient for me to join him so we can enter the reincarnation cycle together.

This doesn't mean we don't love him or don't want him to stay with us. It just means that we cannot give him what he needs.

I will grant you time to spend with A'Yuan where you may make your wishes clear to him and prove to him, and to me, that you will be good parents. To that end, I ask that you make a guest house available to both A'Yuan and I in Cloud Recesses for a month or so. We will see how you all get along.

A'Qing and A'Ning are obviously not happy with my decision. However, since they are currently unable to give my grandson what he so dearly wants, and you are willing, I was able to talk them down.

Please respond if you agree to this trial so we may begin preparations for the journey.

~*~

The Weifengshi was cleaned and two women servants were assigned to take care of the elderly Wen. Wei WuXian sat down to write two lists: one of how to be a good parent and one of what not to do as a parent. He was able to fill an entire paper easily of the latter while the former stayed blank. "I have no idea how to be a good parent, Lan Zhan," he whined. "I know what makes a bad parent.... I'm going to mess up. I'm going to discover all new ways to be a bad father."