Chapter 34: Eager to Return Home
It was almost noon when the boat arrived at the foot of the Cloud Recesses Mountain. Si Zhui and Lan Jingyi stood at the foot of the stone steps, looking at the familiar plaque at the mountain gate, both feeling a little intimidated.
"How about...we find a place to hide first and go in after dark?" Lan Jingyi rubbed his hands, his eyes evasive.
Si Zhui shook his head. "You can hide for a while, but you can't hide forever. What's coming will eventually come. It's better to admit your mistakes." He took a deep breath and said, "Let's go, first pay our respects to my great uncle, and then go to the quiet room."
As the two reached the mountain gate, they saw a Lan Clan disciple hurried over. His eyes lit up when he saw them: "Master Sizhui, Master Jingyi, you're back! Senior Wei and Hanguang-Jun have been looking for you everywhere!"
Si Zhui's heart sank, it seemed that he could no longer hide it.
Arriving at Lan Qiren's study, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji were both there. Wei Wuxian's eyes were red, and upon seeing Sizhui, he rushed over, grabbed his arm, and looked him up and down. "Where have you been?! You didn't come back all night. Do you know how worried your father and I are?!"
Lan Wangji stood aside, his face gloomy but his eyes full of fear. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Sizhui was not injured.
Lan Qiren sat in the hall, slamming the ruler in his hand on the table. "Lan Jingyi! You tell me first! Where did you go last night?"
Lan Jingyi shuddered with fear. Just as he was about to speak, Sizhui stepped forward and said, "Granduncle, this isn't Jingyi's fault. I was the one who suggested we go down the mountain." He recounted the story of Hanshan Temple, omitting the part about going to Yunmeng. "We settled the matter and rushed back, only to find out it was past curfew. We didn't want to alert our elders, so we stayed overnight in the dilapidated temple at the foot of the mountain."
"A ruined temple?" Wei WuXian became even more anxious. "The temple is leaking air. What if he gets cold? Is anyone injured?"
"No, we made a fire, so we're not cold." Si Zhui lowered his head, not daring to look at him. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have gone down the mountain without permission, and I shouldn't have stayed out all night. Please punish me, my great uncle, my father, and my father."
Lan Qiren stared at them for a long moment before saying, "Lan Jingyi, copy the family rules fifty times! Sizhui, you..."
“Sir!” Wei Wuxian interrupted quickly, “Sizhui knows he was wrong, so let it go this time, okay? He didn’t get into any trouble, and he even saved the fox…”
Lan Qiren glanced at him sideways: "It's all your fault!" Even so, his tone was a little more relaxed. "I'll punish you by copying the 'Ya Zheng Ji' thirty times and grounding you for three days. Reflect on your actions!"
"Yes, thank you, great uncle." Si Zhui nodded in response.
After leaving the study, Wei Wuxian was still muttering: "Don't do this again next time! If you really want to go night hunting, tell me and I'll go with you! What if you get frozen?" He took Si Zhui's hand and walked towards the quiet room. His palms were terribly hot, and it was obvious that he was worried to death.
Lan Wangji followed behind and suddenly said, "You went to Yunmeng."
Si Zhui paused and turned back in surprise: "How did father know?"
Lan Wangji looked at the medicine bottle in his hand and said calmly, "That's Jiang Cheng's medicine."
Si Zhui then remembered that the medicine bottle was still in his sleeve, and his face immediately turned red: "I'm sorry, father, I didn't mean to hide it from you, I was just afraid..."
"Are you afraid I'll be angry?" Wei Wuxian stopped and looked at him, his eyes filled with both heartache and helplessness. "Silly boy, your safe return is more important than anything else. Going to Yunmeng is nothing, but you should tell us so we don't worry."
Lan Wangji nodded: "Jiang Cheng... treats you well."
Si Zhui was stunned. Unexpectedly, they weren't angry. Instead, he felt relieved. He pulled the bag of dried fish from his sleeve and handed it to Wei Wuxian: "This is from your uncle."
Wei Wuxian's eyes lit up. "Dried fish? From Yunmeng!" He opened the paper package, sniffed it, and smiled, "Jiang Cheng still understands me!"
Back in the quiet room, Wei Wuxian insisted on making ginger soup for Sizhui, saying he was worried he might catch a cold. Lan Wangji went to the study and found some cold-repelling herbs, which he placed in the stove to fumigate. Sizhui sat by the stove, watching his father bustle about while his father quietly added wood. He felt a mixture of guilt and warmth.
"Daddy, Father, I'm sorry." Si Zhui whispered, "I will never do this again."
Wei Wuxian handed her the ginger soup and patted his head. "It's good that you know you were wrong. Actually, it's not that I don't want you to go down the mountain, I'm just worried that something might happen to you. If you want to go, tell us and we can go with you, or let Wen Ning go with you. It's all fine."
Lan Wangji also said, "Night hunting can be a good training, but safety comes first. Don't try to be brave again."
"Yeah!" Si Zhui nodded vigorously and drank some ginger soup. The warmth flowed from his throat to his heart.
He knew that his lucky escape this time was not due to the indulgence of his elders, but because of their love. This love was like the fire in the depths of the clouds, seemingly harsh, but in fact it always kept a warm feeling for him, allowing him to admit his mistakes and find his way when he was confused.
During his three days of house arrest, Sizhui diligently copied the "Yazheng Collection." Outside, the snow fell and then stopped, and the sun shone through the lattice, casting a warm glow on the words. He suddenly realized that perhaps this is what growth is all about: learning responsibility through repeated trials and reflections, cherishing through repeated forgiveness, and slowly growing into a person who satisfies himself and reassures those who love him.
The warmth that is always around him is the most solid foundation for his growth.
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