Chapter 35: Seventeen-year-old child
On the day his house arrest ended, Sizhui had just finished copying the last page of the Yazheng Collection when he heard Lan Jingyi's clamoring voice from the yard: "Sizhui! Come out quickly! Your uncle is here!"
"Uncle?" Si Zhui put down his pen and almost jumped up from his chair, the sleepiness that had accumulated while copying swept away. He ran out quickly, not even paying attention to the askew lapel of his clothes. From a distance, he saw a familiar figure standing at the front door. It was Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng was dressed in a purple and black suit, carrying two large food boxes. Seeing Si Zhui running over, his face remained expressionless, but his eyes softened a little. "Is the house arrest over?"
"Yeah!" Si Zhui ran up to him, his eyes sparkling like a puppy seeing its owner, "Why is my uncle here?"
"I'm passing through Gusu and stopped by to take a look." Jiang Cheng stuffed the lunch box into his arms and said, "Here."
Si Zhui's eyes lit up when he opened the food boxes. The box on the left contained Yunmeng's specialty snacks: osmanthus cakes, lotus seed pastries, and mung bean cakes, piled high and overflowing. The box on the right held an exquisite wooden kite, its wings painted with the Jiang family's lotus pattern, clearly handmade.
"Is this... for me?" Si Zhui picked up the wooden kite and gently touched the patterns on its wings with his fingers, feeling sweet in his heart.
"Who else should I give it to?" Jiang Cheng turned his head away, his tone still stern. "Lan Jingyi said you were bored during your house arrest. This wooden kite can fly pretty high. Take it and play with it."
Lan Jingyi interrupted, "Master Jiang, you're so partial! You only let Si Zhui take the baby, but not me!"
Jiang Cheng glanced at him sideways. "You want it? Go make it yourself." He said this, but then he pulled out a small lotus pendant from his sleeve and tossed it to him. "This is for you. Don't bother me."
Lan Jingyi caught the pendant and immediately smiled: "Thank you, Sect Master Jiang!"
Si Zhui cradled the food box, staring at the wooden kite in his hands, and suddenly felt his heart swell. He was already seventeen, well past the age of kites, but receiving this gift still made him as happy as when he was seven and received the paper bunny Wei Wuxian had made him. It was a strange feeling, as if no matter how old he got, he could be a child in front of his uncle without hiding his joy.
"Try this lotus seed pastry," Jiang Cheng reminded him, noticing he was only focused on Mu Yuan. "It won't taste good if it gets cold."
Si Zhui quickly picked up a piece of lotus seed cake and stuffed it into his mouth. The sweet taste spread on his tongue, the same taste he remembered. He mumbled, "It's delicious! Better than the ones in Cloud Recesses!"
Wei WuXian came out of the house and just heard this. He deliberately put on a stern face and said, "Hey, brat, you forgot about your father now that you have an uncle, right? Aren't my snowflake pastries delicious?"
"They're all delicious!" Si Zhui waved his hand quickly and handed a piece of osmanthus cake to Wei Wuxian's mouth, "Daddy, try it. This one my uncle brought is also delicious."
Wei Wuxian took a bite and smiled at Jiang Cheng, "Jiang Cheng, you're the one who can make these. I only know how to make snowflake crisps."
Jiang Cheng ignored him and walked over to Lan Wangji. The two of them whispered a few words about the affairs of the immortal sect, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
Si Zhui and Lan Jingyi took their wooden kites and ran to the courtyard to play. Si Zhui was very deft and quickly mastered the technique of flying the kite. The kite flew higher and higher with the wind, its lotus-patterned wings gleaming in the sun, attracting several passing disciples to stop and watch.
"You're flying so high!" Lan Jingyi clapped his hands and cheered, "Si Zhui, teach me!"
Si Zhui smiled and nodded. Just as he was about to speak, he saw the kite's string suddenly break. The kite flew away shakily and landed in the bamboo forest behind the quiet room.
"Oh!" Si Zhui hurriedly chased after him.
Jiang Cheng, Wei Wuxian, and Lan Wangji stood in the corridor and watched. When they saw him run into the bamboo forest, Wei Wuxian smiled and said, "Look at him, he's already seventeen, but he still acts like a child."
Jiang Cheng's gaze fell on Si Zhui's running back, and the corners of his mouth raised slightly, "That's good."
Yes, this was good. He didn't have to shoulder the burden of being a sect leader so early, as he had in his youth, nor was he forced to grow up in the treacherous world of the immortal sect. He could laugh when he should, make noise when he should, and be happy for a long time just because of a piece of dessert or a wooden kite. This kind of purity was something so many people could only dream of.
Si Zhui quickly retrieved the wooden kite from the bamboo forest. Although a small piece of paint had been chipped off the wings, it didn't affect its flight. He ran back, holding the kite up, and said to Jiang Cheng, "Uncle, look, it's not broken!"
Jiang Cheng looked at the beads of sweat on his forehead and the light in his eyes. He hummed and his voice softened unconsciously: "Come in when you've had enough fun. I brought a pot of good wine. Let's have a couple of drinks with your father."
Sizhui smiled and nodded, carefully placing the wooden kite inside. He then picked up a piece of osmanthus cake and ate it in small bites. The sunlight fell on his face, making his eyebrows and eyes curved, full of the bright youthful beauty.
He knew that he might never be able to stand on his own as early as Jin Ling, nor would he be as heartless as Lan Jingyi, but it was nice to be around those who loved him and occasionally put aside his worries and be the child who could laugh out loud while holding a wooden kite.
Just like at this moment, there is the sweetness of osmanthus cake in his mouth and the warmth of being thought of in his heart. Such moments are so gentle that he wants to hold on to them tightly and savor them slowly.
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