Chapter 171 Awkward Reconciliation
The coolness of the ointment still lingered on the back of his hand. Lan Sizhui, clutching half a candied orange, shuffled slowly over to Lin Yan's side. The young man was sitting on a small stool in the entrance hall, tying his shoelaces. His profile was softly lit by the corridor light, and the corners of his mouth, previously set in a straight line, now relaxed slightly.
"Lin Yan." Si Zhui's voice was still a little hoarse, like cotton thread washed by water, floating gently past.
Lin Yan looked up, a hint of subtle nervousness flashed across his eyes, but he deliberately kept a straight face: "What?"
Si Zhui handed over the orange candy he had been holding for a long time. The candy wrapper was a little soft due to the sweat in his palms. "Here, the remaining half." He lowered his head, his eyelashes drooping, hiding the embarrassment in his eyes. "Thank you for just now."
Lin Yan looked at the wrinkled candy, then at Si Zhui's reddened ears. His frustration at having been too harsh suddenly dissipated. He didn't take the candy. Instead, he pulled a small tin box from his schoolbag and opened it. Inside was a peach wood pendant of a kitten, palm-sized, with pointed ears and a curled tail. It looked adorable.
"This is for you." Lin Yan stuffed the pendant into Si Zhui's hand, his voice muffled, "My grandfather carved it. He said it can protect against small wild animals."
Si Zhui's eyes lit up instantly. He pinched the cool mahogany kitten, stroking the smooth wooden surface with his fingertips: "Is it for me?"
"Yeah." Lin Yan turned his head and looked at the blue grass in the yard. "If you want to feed stray cats in the future, just put the food next to this pendant. When they smell the wood, they will know you have no ill intentions and won't scratch people casually."
Si Zhui held the pendant up to the light. The kitten's eyes, inlaid with obsidian, gleamed in the light. He suddenly remembered the slap on the back of his hand. He should have held a grudge, but now he felt a sweet sensation in his heart, like a piece of candy that wouldn't melt.
"Lin Yan, can you teach me how to carve this?" Si Zhui leaned over, his little face full of anticipation. "I want to carve a big cat with kittens, just like... just like our family."
Lin Yan's ears suddenly turned red, but he still nodded: "Okay, I'll teach you this weekend."
"Great!" Si Zhui cheered, then suddenly remembered something. He stood on tiptoe and whispered to Lin Yan's ear, "Actually... that hit you just now didn't hurt that much."
Lin Yan's face flushed red, and he raised his hand to hit him on the head, but stopped mid-air and flicked his forehead lightly: "You have no respect for your elders."
The force of the fingertips was very light, like a feather brushing past, but Si Zhui deliberately covered his forehead exaggeratedly and cried out "ouch, ouch", which made Lin Yan couldn't help laughing. The dimple on the left corner of his mouth was sunken deeply, and looked like it was filled with honey under the light.
In the living room, Wei Wuxian peeked through the door frame and poked Lan Wangji beside him: "Look, look, he was crying just now, but now he looks like a normal person."
Lan Wangji followed his gaze and saw the two children huddled together, studying the mahogany kitten, their heads practically touching, occasionally letting out small laughs. Sizhui's hand still bore a faint red mark, but he gestured nonchalantly, while Lin Yan listened patiently, nodding occasionally.
"Children don't hold grudges that often." Lan Wangji's voice was tinged with laughter as he reached out and pulled Wei Wuxian closer to him. "But you, when you tried to stand up for Sizhui just now, were not much different from the way you acted like a spoiled child now."
Wei WuXian blushed at what he said and slapped his hand away, "Nonsense! I was just protecting my son!"
Even so, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up. He remembered when he was a kid, he and Jiang Cheng had a fight, but they reconciled over a piece of sweet-scented osmanthus cake; he remembered when Lan Wangji hid his petition, and he was so angry that he ignored him for three days, but in the end, he was forced to surrender by being forced to give him a piece of Tianzixiao in the library.
It turns out that some friendships are never afraid of friction. Those slightly painful arguments, those red-faced and thick-necked arguments, will eventually turn into frosting, sprinkled on the cake of time, so sweet that it makes people linger.
"Lin Yan, this kid, really cares about Si Zhui." Wei Wuxian looked out the window, his voice softening. "When he hit him just now, his hands were shaking. I guess he felt more distressed than anyone else."
Lan Wangji hummed, his gaze falling on the two children, the tenderness in his eyes almost overflowing: "They will take care of each other as they grow up."
At this moment, Si Zhui suddenly ran in holding a peach wood kitten and handed it to Wei Wuxian like a treasure: "Look, Daddy! Lin Yan gave it to me! Isn't it cute?"
Lin Yan followed him and stood at the door. He said a little embarrassedly, "Uncle Wei, I will bring the carving knife tomorrow and teach Si Zhui how to carve wood."
“Okay.” Wei Wuxian took the kitten pendant and patted Sizhui’s head. “But you have to go to bed early tonight, otherwise you won’t have the energy to learn your craft tomorrow.”
"Got it!" Si Zhui ran back to Lin Yan, holding the pendant, and pulled his sleeve as they walked out. "Lin Yan, Lin Yan, let's find a rope to hang the kitten up. Let's hang it over my bed!"
Lin Yan was being dragged by him, but he followed his steps very cooperatively. Before leaving, he turned back and said "good night" to Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. He looked like a little adult, which made the two of them smile at each other.
From the courtyard emanated the sound of two children's footsteps and laughter, as clear as wind chimes. Wei Wuxian leaned against Lan Wangji's chest, listening to the subtle murmurs, and suddenly felt a profound sense of peace.
Moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground. In the distance, the cloud chariot still sat amidst the sea of clouds, the warmth of the Heavenly Emperor's consultation still lingering. And in the small courtyard of the mortal world, there were children's smiles, the warmth of a loved one, the impending woodcarving class, and the fading red mark on the back of my hand.
These trivial, warm, and slightly incidental daily moments, pieced together, make up the most fulfilling days.
Wei Wuxian closed his eyes, listened to Lan Wangji's steady heartbeat, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
That’s great.
In times like this, let’s go as far as we can.
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