Lan Zhan manages to fall asleep surrounded by the warmth of loving hands and the familiar scent of lavender and incense soothing him into slumber.
Therefore, it is a rude awakening to jolt upright at the raised voices in the room.
He sits up blinking fast and rubbing his eyes, looking for Wei Ying first, before glancing around the room. Wei Ying has just woken up too, and the sudden loud noises are jarring him into whining a protest as he seeks comfort in his mother's side.
"A-Ren, first of all, calm down. You're upsetting the children," Cangse Sanren tells Lan Qiren sharply, enough to make her own husband wince.
Wei Changze springs into action as he forces Lan Qiren and Lan Huan onto the bamboo mats, pouring them tea.
"Now, here's what we're going to do." Cangse Sanren commands. "We are going to have our dinner, and because you Lans insist on doing so in silence, this will give you ample time to collect your thoughts. Then, and only then, you will start at the beginning of whatever is bothering you, and explain. Do I make myself clear?"
Lan Qiren is grateful to her for stopping the tumultuous waterfall of conflicting thoughts that are crashing into each other in his head - he needed to be chastised and his friend has done the job perfectly. He's in a state of such confusion and disbelief that his head is beginning to hurt, protesting against actions it didn't wish to participate in; after all, he was looking forward to resting after dinner.
But while his exhaustion remains, he knows that sleep is the furthest thing on his mind right now. The only person who shares his feelings is a nine year old child who is not much better off in the emotional department himself. Silently, Lan Qiren pulls Lan Huan into a side hug, a nonverbal promise that he wishes to make him feel better.
If Lan Qiren could, he would turn back time and stop Lan Huan from going back to unpack their things in the Hanshi. But alas, such a thing is not possible. Judging from the pile of dirty clothes in the centre of the room, Lan Huan was probably sorting through the robes that needed to be washed when he'd found the parchment papers burning a hole in his pocket now.
Lan Huan has a wealth of questions in his beautiful, sorrowful honey-coloured eyes, and he can't seem to look away from Lan WangJi. The younger Jade is oblivious to this attention though, his gaze firmly on his young friend, Wei Ying. Even now, they're holding hands and both are trying to comfort each other.
Lan Qiren feels a flicker of remorse for the way he burst into the room. In fact, he's ashamed of himself for further upsetting a lady who is supposed to be on bedrest for the remainder of her pregnancy, and of course, waking up the children.
He will not allow himself to think about the immediate problem of the two pieces of parchment that are put out of sight for now. That way, madness lies.
Instead, he hopes for his friends' understanding, after he is allowed to explain his behaviour to them.
Cangse Sanren is correct; the dinner is comforting as much as it can be, bringing with it the fragrance of home, of safety, and of things being just as they should. It is an illusion, and Lan Qiren knows this, but it still comforts him.
It gives him the chance to organise his thoughts properly, and he begins to plan what he will say when they finish eating and no one will be able to avoid the coming conversation. He looks up just in time to see WangJi passing a bottle of chilli oil to Wei Ying, and for the child to happily dump a generous amount of the red gloopy liquid onto his rice and then put a mouthful of it on his tongue, sighing with pleasure.
Cangse Sanren pretends not to see, watching Qiren back with an uncomfortable intensity.
There's a fearlessness about her, a promise to exact vengeance if Lan Qiren even thinks about harming one hair on the heads of her babies; that fierce protective shield covering Lan WangJi and Lan Huan alongside her son is an unspoken vow.
