Growing Pains from Growing Family (Xicheng)

Chapter 10: Lunch

Jiang Cheng did not like the way people was staring at him as he went to ask for ice for Lan Xichen's injured hand. It was noon and there was plenty of people gathered in the inn's dining area eating what looked like a meat stew. As such it was not very surprising to see the innkeeper being there as well, looking over and making sure everything went smoothly as the guests were being served. So after Jiang Cheng had asked her to go look if they had any ice to spare he had little choice but to stand there waiting for her to return. For being so busy it was eerily quiet, the only sound being heard was spoons lightly hitting the bowls as people ate. There were no conversations, just pure silence. But their gazes were far louder.

Similar to this morning Jiang Cheng felt like they were inspecting every movement he made, every single fold of his robes. His unconventional solution to their problem had been heard by more than just the youngsters out in the hall. Once he returned back to Lan Xichen's side this information would spread like wildfire. Before they couldn't have been sure, but after seeing sect leader Jiang go downstairs it had confirmed to them that the voice they had heard wasn't just similar to sect leader Jiang, it in fact did belong to him.

A young girl, not the middle-aged innkeeper, returned carrying a bag of ice. "S-sect leader Jiang. S-Sadly, w-we can't hand out our ice to n-nonpaying customers" the visibly scared girl stammered. What a blatant attempt to fool money out of him. But sect leader Jiang was not in the mood to fight over spare change, especially not with the sacrificial lamb they had thrown in front of him.

"Fine, I'll have whatever you can get me the fastest" Jiang Cheng responded, not wanting to stay any longer than he had too. And the girl likely did as she was told because no more than two minutes later she returned with a bowl of steaming hot stew. Handing over the payment Jiang Cheng turned to leave with the ice and stew in hand. He did not want to stay another second in a place where he would be reminded of the annoying and sleepless weeks that were to come. Fixing his reputation would not be an easy job.

He sighed before entering their room with a neutral expression on his face as to not worry Lan Xichen sooner than necessary. First thing first he needed to take care of the Lan's arm. Opening the door, he found sect leader Lan still sitting where he was asked to. Nothing looked out of the ordinary except the expressionless look on his face. Had Lan Xichen really been injured or was this Lan Wangji? Jiang Cheng could not tell.

"Lan Zhan?" he called out. Two bright eyes quickly looked at him and then down to the bowl he was holding. He hadn't told the Lan why he was going out before leaving.

"You were hungry?" Lan Xichen asked without as much as raising an eyebrow. Lan Wangji was still with them.

"No, just a greedy innkeeper who successfully managed to extort me. If you want, you can have some" Jiang Cheng responded before putting the bowl down on the nightstand and carefully placing the bag of ice on the Lan's hand. Lan Xichen didn't even flinch despite how cold it was; it was unnerving how much he was able to act like his brother.

"..." The Lan looked over at the stew, which now that the Jiang thought about it did smell rather nice. You could practically smell how nice and warm it was, a stark contrast to the cold ice which he was still holding onto. But despite his clear interest, Lan Xichen made no effort to eat, just stared at it with a hungry gaze. A bit late Jiang Cheng realized why. Lan Xichen, much like his brother, was right-handed.

"D-Do you want me to feed you? S-Since your hand is injured?" he stammered.

"Jiang Wanyin... I'm really f..." Jiang Cheng leaned over to pick up the spoon, lightly blowing on it to cool it down. Having a sister who loved to make soups and stews made it a lot easier to know how long you needed to go on for before it was at a reasonable temperature. Turning back to the Lan Jiang Cheng held out the spoon for the older cultivator to eat. "...f-famished" and after finishing his sentence Lan Xichen obediently ate every single spoonful he was fed. Well, almost every one. When Jiang Cheng held out the final spoon Lan Xichen refused to open his mouth.

"Eat the damn stew or you're grounded" Jiang Cheng's fatherly instincts had kicked in. Internally counting to three Jiang Cheng gave the brat enough time to change his mind, but he didn't. Putting the spoon in his own mouth Jiang Cheng ate the last of the stew, dooming the kid to his fate of going hungry. Only the person in front of him was not Jin Ling, it was Lan Xichen. A man who was fighting hard not to laugh. Lan Wangji would not find this amusing, but his older brother sure did.

"Hahaha" Jiang Cheng's cheeks flushed in embarrassment as the Lan's act broke down. He smiled brightly as he leaned back on the bed and hugged his stomach, the most beautiful of sounds escaping his lips. Lan Xichen didn't laugh often, he preferred to stay serious, but when he did he was gorgeous. Yet that didn't make Jiang Cheng any less defensive about his previous actions.

"Hey, I slept on a shitty couch all night. If you had raised a kid too you'd understand how being sleep deprived makes those instincts just kick back in." he pouted. With crossed arms he turned away from the Lan and pretended to be upset. In reality there was no way for him to be upset with Lan Xichen, but he wasn't going to give that fact away. However, his act only lasted so long. Unable to see Lan Xichen anymore Jiang Cheng came back to reality, remembering the people down below and how even if they wanted to, they couldn't have a fun day out anymore. The rumors must have already spread, wherever they would go suspicious gazes would follow. "You're injured, let's call it a day and head back to the Cloud Recesses."

"No."