Chapter 163 A wonderful fate
When Lin Yan visited Yunshen Pavilion for the second time, he brought with him a wooden rabbit. The rabbit had long ears and eyes dotted with ink, and its adorable appearance was evident, clearly a work of meticulous craftsmanship.
"This was carved by my grandfather. He said he would give it to Uncle Wei as a talisman." Lin Yan handed the rabbit over with a shy look on his face. "Grandpa said that peach wood can ward off evil spirits."
Wei Wuxian took the little rabbit, his fingertips touching the warm wood, and a slight stir crossed his heart. The carving was delicate, yet the knifework had a touch of rustic simplicity. It didn't look like something mass-produced by modern machines, but rather... a craft passed down through generations.
“Thank you, Grandpa, for me.” Wei Wuxian smiled and placed the rabbit on the bedside. “It’s very beautiful. I like it very much.”
Lan Sizhui leaned over to take a look, his eyes sparkling. "Grandpa Lin is amazing! This amulet is much better looking than the one I drew!"
Lin Yan blushed at his praise and scratched his head: "My grandfather said that when he has time, he will teach us how to carve small things."
"Really?"
"Well, he said the bluegrass in your yard is growing well and he wanted to come and take a look."
Wei Wuxian listened to their laughter and chatter, his gaze fixed on the peach wood rabbit, his brows furrowed slightly. The hidden sect, the ancestral wood carvings, the particular interest in bluegrass… these clues slowly connected in his mind like scattered beads.
At night, when Sizhui fell asleep, Wei Wuxian leaned against the headboard and said to Lan Wangji, "Lan Zhan, please help me check Lin Yan's family background."
Lan Wangji was massaging his abdomen and paused when he heard this: "What's wrong?"
“I can’t put it into words, I just feel a little familiar.” Wei Wuxian looked at the ceiling, his voice a little uncertain. “His grandfather’s woodcarving skills remind me of someone.”
"who?"
"Someone I met during the Mass Grave." Wei Wuxian's voice trailed off. "At that time, I had just emerged from the Mass Grave and was hiding in the mountains with the Wen Clan. One time, when we went to the town to exchange food, we encountered a young master who was being hunted."
He paused, as if recalling a distant memory. "The man was wearing a moon-white robe and holding a wooden box in his arms. He said it was a token of the sect. He said he was a reclusive member of the Lin family, driven out due to internal strife within the sect. His woodcarving skills were inherited from his family, and he could infuse the wood with spiritual energy, so that the objects he carved would have protective effects."
Lan Wangji paused, his eyes darkening. "You saved him?"
"Yes, I hid him in a cave and gave him some medicine and food." Wei Wuxian smiled, a hint of self-mockery. "At that time, he was struggling, so I couldn't help much. Before he left, he gave me a wooden plaque carved with blue grass, saying that if I encountered any difficulties, I should take the plaque to the Lin family shop in the south of the city to find him."
Later, the mass grave was surrounded and the wooden sign disappeared, and he gradually forgot about it. Until today, when he saw the peach wood rabbit that Lin Yan brought, those vague memories suddenly became clear.
“Lin family…” Lan Wangji repeated the surname in a low voice, his fingertips gently rubbing circles on Wei Wuxian’s lower abdomen. “I’ll have someone check it out tomorrow.”
Within two days, the news came back.
Lin Yan's grandfather was Lin Mo, a member of the reclusive Lin clan. During a period of internal turmoil within the clan, Lin Mo fled to the human world with his young son, hiding his identity and opening a woodcarving shop, relying on his ancestral craft to make a living. Lin Yan's father had died young, and he grew up with his grandfather, learning the basics of woodcarving.
"Lin Mo said that the man who saved him outside the mass grave always wore a bamboo flute around his waist, and when he smiled, his eyes curved like stars." Lan Wangji read the information he had gathered from his investigation, his gaze landing on Wei Wuxian's face. "He said that flute was called... Chen Qing."
Wei Wuxian's heart suddenly trembled, and his eyes instantly became hot.
It was him. It really was him.
The young man from aristocratic family who bowed to him in the cave and said, "Sir, your kindness is great, I will never forget it"; the person who held the wooden box and said carefully, "This carved wooden plaque can ward off minor disasters, please keep it for self-defense."
It turns out he always remembered it. It turns out that after so many years, he is still passing on the kindness of the past in his own way.
"Why... didn't he contact me?" Wei Wuxian's voice was choked.
"Lin Mo said that he later heard that something happened to you in Nevernight City, and he thought you..." Lan Wangji didn't say anything else, but just squeezed his hand. "He's been looking for you all these years, but he had no news. It wasn't until he saw the photo of Si Zhui taking you on a variety show a while ago that he recognized you."
Wei Wuxian lowered his head, looked at the lines on his palm, and suddenly smiled, but tears fell.
Fate is truly marvelous. A casual promise, a convenient helping hand, rekindled our relationship over twenty years later.
“Let’s go see him.” Wei Wuxian raised his head, his eyes gleaming. “Take Sizhui and Lin Yan with you.”
"Okay." Lan Wangji nodded and wiped away his tears. "Wait until you feel better."
That afternoon, Lin Mo arrived with Lin Yan as expected. The old man's hair was gray, and his back was slightly hunched, but he looked energetic. When he saw Wei Wuxian, his cloudy eyes instantly brightened. He walked quickly forward and bowed deeply to him, "Young Master Wei, how are you?"
"Mr. Lin, how are you?" Wei Wuxian wanted to stand up, but was held down by Lin Mo.
"Just sit down, sir." Lin Mo's voice trembled a little, and his eyes fell on his pale face, full of heartache, "When we parted that year, I didn't expect..."
“It’s all in the past.” Wei Wuxian smiled and waved his hand, pointing to Lan Sizhui beside him. “This is my son, Lan Sizhui.”
Then he looked at Lin Yan: "This child and Si Zhui get along very well, it's really fate."
Lin Mo looked at the two children who were huddled together to look at the wood carving, his eyes filled with satisfaction. "Yes, it's fate. When I was being hunted, I always thought that if I could survive, I must teach my child to be a good person and do more good deeds. Now it seems that he has not let me down."
Wei Wuxian looked at him, suddenly remembering those days in the mass grave. Back then, he'd thought he was walking on a single-plank bridge, that the kindness around him was fleeting. But now he understood that the seeds sown in the darkness had already quietly taken root and sprouted over time, growing into towering trees.
Lin Mo took out a wooden box from his bag and opened it. Inside was a wooden plaque carved with blue grass, exactly the same as the one he gave to Wei Wuxian that year.
"This, I return to you, young master." Lin Mo handed over the wooden plaque. "I was unable to repay your kindness back then. This wooden plaque is a small token of my Lin family's appreciation. I wish you peace and prosperity in the future, and no more disasters."
Wei Wuxian took the sign, his fingertips touching the warm wood, as if he could still feel the warmth of the past. He clutched the sign tightly and nodded, "Thank you."
Sunlight streamed in through the windows, casting a warm and bright light on the two elderly people and two children. Lan Sizhui and Lin Yan were carefully carving wooden plaques with their knives, occasionally looking up and smiling at each other, the light in their eyes brighter than the sun.
Wei Wuxian leaned in Lan Wangji's arms, looking at the scene before him, and suddenly felt that all the suffering was worth it.
Those hands extended in the darkness, those words spoken in desperation, and those kindnesses carefully guarded will eventually flow through time and give you the most gentle feedback inadvertently.
And this fate that spans more than 20 years has just begun.
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