Author Notes: Hello again, everyone! Enjoy this next chapter :)
Beta: JeanGirlMY
- Chapter Start -
Despite a restless night, QiRen awoke at his usual time. He wanted to inform the elders of his intention to wed Sisi after his nephews returned from their honeymoons... after informing said nephews of the same thing of course.
The fact that they already knew of his impending proposal didn't make it any easier especially when they turned up at his doorstep, complete with breakfast trays in hand.
Wei WuXian gave him a blinding grin, sandwiched between huge yawns. He managed to keep quiet - more or less - while they munched on steamed buns with sweet pumpkin or red bean filling, washed down with hot tea, but as soon as he swallowed his last bite, he cleared his throat.
"Uncle QiRen, wasn't last night's moon especially bright?"
QiRen blinked as WangJi snatched up the teapot and began topping up everyone's tea.
"The magnificent landscape of Gusu brings out the romance in everyone!"
A seed of unease unfurled inside QiRen as XiChen snatched up his cup and drained it despite its piping hot contents.
"Ahh, to have one's beloved in one's arms is an unparalleled delight!"
One look at XiChen and WangJi's reddened ears told QiRen that any hopes he had of them being ignorant of last night's proposal were crumbling to dust.
"How many rules did you four break last night?" He demanded. "Apart from eavesdropping?"
"We didn't hear a single word," WuXian assured him and didn't say anything about his excellent lipreading skills.
"We remained within the Cloud Recesses compound," GuangYao promised.
"Just barely," XiChen mumbled.
Closing his eyes, QiRen told himself that at least he didn't need to say anything. Except that he had scolded WangJi for kissing before marriage only to do the same thing himself.
How... shameless!
- o -
The council of elders agreed to the wedding with much grumbling and shaking of heads. They insisted that it was to be a private ceremony and held at least two weeks from now so as not to detract from the recent double one.
QiRen agreed without protest since the only witnesses he cared to have were his nephews and Chen-yishi. Maybe Lan JiaYing if she insisted, being Sisi's supervisor. And Wen Qing if she insisted, being Sisi's healer. And-
No. Enough. Anymore guests and the wedding would not be a private one.
Still, the irony of having to wait two weeks was not lost on QiRen. Fate must be laughing, seeing as he had made his nephews wait for their weddings as well. At least it allowed for a courtship of sorts to take place between his and Sisi's daily routine.
Sisi alternated her mornings between helping the Wens (playing with A-Yuan, cleaning and cooking) and practising her writing at a small table in the Sect Leader's office. QiRen found his productivity dropping whenever she was around, distracting him with freshly brewed tea, sweet smiles and just... being there.
Afternoons were spent apart as he dealt with discussions and classes while she worked at the library. Evenings were devoted to reading and writing lessons followed by a walk before dinner if the weather was fine. Otherwise QiRen would play the guzhin or read aloud from classics before wishing Sisi goodnight.
His intentions of delivering a chaste peck to her cheek inevitably turned into half a dozen passionate kisses and clinging embraces before he could tear himself away. And that inevitably made a detour to the Cold Pool necessary before returning to his rooms.
- o -
QiRen had already informed his nephews that he would handle all the required wedding preparations which turned out to be quite minimal. He borrowed wedding robes from a couple who had gotten married a few years back and took Sisi to Caiyi Town on two separate occasions to order a new wardrobe, overriding her protests that she could sew her own.
However, he didn't see any need for changes to the Ahnshi. His bed was big enough for two and there was more than enough room in his linen chest to store both their clothes.
Just as the Cloud Recesses inhabitants were getting used its current tranquility, the Twin jades and their husbands returned from their honeymoons, sporting light tans from their travels and wearing happy smiles.
QiRen welcomed their return. He had missed the sound of Wei WuXian's bright laughter and XiChen's quieter one. He had missed the sight of WangJi's pleased smiles and GuangYao's contented ones. Best of all, their return signaled the end of his and Sisi's two week wait.
That evening was spent having dinner together and passing over several gifts bought during their travels. They included high quality tea leaves, beautifully packaged lotus seeds and sweet pastries, an exquisite tea set from Lanling (purchased with Young Madam Jin's help) and top quality calligraphy brushes from QingHe (purchased with Nie HuaiSang's assistance).
After the gifts were received with thanks, admired and set aside, XiChen brought out a small box from his sleeve and offered it to Sisi with two hands and a wide smile.
"Madam Sisi, A-Yao and I are very happy you have accepted uncle's hand in marriage. Please accept this small token of our welcome."
"Thank you. I... " With trembling fingers, Sisi took out a beautifully crafted silver hairpiece that was a smaller replica of QiRen's favourite one. "Oh, it's beautiful!"
"QingHe blacksmiths are famous for their metalwork," GuangYao explained. "Da-ge commissioned this and had it finished in record time."
"A-Yao drew the design from memory," XiChen added. "Da-ge even ordered two more for-"
"We hope you like it, Sisi-Jie," GuangYao added, cutting off XiChen's comment with a sweet smile.
"I love it! Thank you so much, A-Yao, ZeWu Jun," Sisi replied and blinked away happy tears.
Not to be outdone, WangJi removed a qiankun pouch from his sleeve and offered it to her with both hands and a bow.
"Madam Sisi, Wei Ying and I are very pleased to have you join our family. We hope you will accept a little gift from us."
"Thank you." Sisi dabbed at her eyes before taking the pouch. Inside was a beautiful silk purse done in blue and and purple colours.
"Yunmeng seamstresses are famous for their tailoring skills," WuXian boasted. "Jiang Cheng helped us look for the best one."
"Thank you. The gifts weren't necessary - I don't know what to say! Oh, there's something inside." Sisi tipped out three gold pieces and three silver ones, eyes widening in shock. "That's way too much!"
"It's lucky money," WangJi told her.
As more tears appeared, QiRen passed Sisi a clean cloth and nodded his thanks to his nephews, his throat too tight and his heart too full for words.
- o -
The next day was the eve of the wedding in which the bride and groom weren't supposed to see each other.
In the morning, QiRen did a formal handover of duties with the Twin Jades in the grumpy elders' presence. In return, XiChen thanked him for assuming sect leader duties for the past two weeks and promised to take over immediately with GuangYao's assistance. WangJi also thanked QiRen and promised to take over teaching the senior classes with Lan Ming's assistance while WuXian handled the junior ones with Lan Wu's help.
The elders weren't too pleased about that, but Chen-yishi loudly approved.
As soon as QiRen emerged from the Sect Leader office, Lan Wu hurried up to him.
"Master Lan, ZeWu Jun, HanGuang Jun! Sect Leader Jin, Young Madam Jin and Madam Jin have just arrived from Lanling."
"What? To see WuXian?" QiRen asked, taken back.
"I don't know, but Elder Zhao isn't pleased and he's heading there now."
They went to the main gates and saw a slightly impatient Sect Leader Jin being queried by Elder Zhao.
"As I said, the Jin and Lan sect have a strong alliance as friends and through marriage," Sect Leader Jin said.
"Honoured elder, surely there's no rule saying I can't visit my own brother?" Young Madam Jin asked with a polite smile.
"But why today?" Elder Zhao looked about ready to wring his hands.
"Elder Zhao, please allow me," QiRen told him.
The older man turned to him at once while Lan Ming and Lan Wu bowed and withdrew, exchanging relieved glances.
"QiRen, did you know of this visit?"
"Not at all," QiRen assured him.
"What about your nephews?"
"We just returned from our honeymoons yesterday, Elder Zhao," XiChen replied and turned to greet their guests.
After the usual exchange of bows and greetings, Young Madam Jin stepped forward with a big smile.
"Master Lan, congratulations on your upcoming nuptials!" She looked slightly rounded in both face and figure but her smile was radiant.
"How did you know about that?" Elder Zhao asked.
"A-Xian, my brother told us," Young Madam Jin said. "Surely a happy occasion like that isn't a secret, is it?"
Elder Zhao turned red and shook his head, mumbling something.
"Since we're here, we will attend the ceremony," Madam Jin announced, smoothing down her robes. "I have run out of things to entertain my poor, bedridden husband with. Senior Lan, I do hope you won't mind that our wedding gift will be delivered later."
"A gift isn't necessary," QiRen began.
"But we would be honoured to have the Jin Sect as our guests," XiChen cut in smoothly.
"It will be a boring affair," QiRen tried again.
"Wei Ying will be happy to have you all witness uncle getting married," WangJi said.
QiRen's frown deepened as two more voices were heard.
"Shijie!"
"ZiXuan-ge, YanLi-jie. Madam Jin too."
WuXian and GuangYao rushed up to them, ignoring Elder Zhao's "No running in Cloud Recesses!"
No sooner had they exchanged greetings and hugs (in Young Madam Jin and WuXian's case) then someone else arrived at the main gates.
"Now what?" Elder Zhao looked put out as he went to see who it was.
"That must be Jiang Cheng!" WuXian exclaimed, sounding delighted and not in the least bit surprised.
The suspicion QiRen felt increased tenfold. He reached out and snagged a dark blue clad arm as WuXian hurried past him.
"Tomorrow's ceremony is meant to be a private one," he muttered as Elder Zhao started questioning Sect Leader Jiang as to his visit.
WuXian's grin vanished at once, leaving him looking solemn.
"Uncle QiRen, it's thanks to you that I could attend Shijie's wedding, that I could marry Lan Zhan and have Shijie witness it. It's only right that we return the courtesy, don't you think?"
He smiled and patted QiRen's hand before going to Sect Leader Jiang who was loudly insisting that he was only here to visit his fiancee Wen Qing, but as there was a wedding tomorrow, of course he would attend in the interest of strengthening relations between the Gusu and Jiang sects.
As Young Madam Jin joined them and soothed Elder Zhao's ruffled feathers, QiRen wondered if his memory was starting to fail him at last.
He had forgotten what Young Madam Jin told him the day after her wedding - that anyone who cared for WuXian was family to her. And since she was family, she had every right to attend his and Sisi's wedding.
"ZeWu Jun, HanGuang Jun," Young Madam Jin smiled at them. "I'm stealing your husbands for the rest of today. We'll be keeping Sisi-jie company!"
"In that case, Young Madam Jin," XiChen told her with a smile. "WangJi and I will be with uncle."
"You have my grateful thanks, Young Madam Jin," QiRen added and bowed. No wonder WuXian and Sect Leader Jiang thought the world of her!
"Hmmph! What are the odds of two - two! - sect leaders visiting us today?" Elder Zhao grumbled at his side. "I suppose we should be grateful the Nies aren't here."
"Ah, did I forgot to mention?" XiChen smiled at him. "Da-ge and HuaiSang promised to visit A-Yao and me today."
As Elder Zhao stared at him in shock, two familiar voices were heard outside the main gates.
"Why, I do believe that's them now." Still smiling, XiChen excused himself and went to greet them, GuangYao hurrying to join him.
"Elder Zhao, why don't you go have a nice lunch?" QiRen suggested and got a disgruntled look in return.
"I believe I will and inform the other elders about the extra guests that just happened to turn up," Elder Zhao replied in a dry voice.
"Thank you," QiRen told him and didn't say a word about Wen Qing's propensity for including her family in social events.
- o -
Sisi spent a happy morning in the rabbit field with WuXian and GuangYao, her nerves kept at bay by their cheerful company and the fluffy piles of fur around her. When they finally headed back to her guestroom, a disciple hurried up and said something to WuXian and GuangYao who quickly excused themselves and went off.
Sisi found herself eating lunch alone and wondering how to occupy the rest of her day. Lan-qianbei refused to let her help in the Library Pavilion today and Wen Qing said a bride wasn't supposed to work on the eve of her wedding.
The knock on the door was a welcome distraction. WuXian and GuangYao had returned, accompanied by Sect Leader Jin, his wife, Sect Leader Jiang and Wen Qing.
"May we come in?" Wen Qing asked with a smile.
"Of course!" Sisi stood to one side and happily watched them all troop in. "I didn't know you would be at Cloud Recesses today."
"We're here to attend your wedding," Young Madam Jin told her. "But there are too many of us here now."
That was the signal for WuXian to usher the two sect leaders out again to look for lunch. He also promised to send some food for the ladies.
- o -
That afternoon was one of the best in Sisi's life. Apart from a small lull mid afternoon when Sect Leader Jin insisted that his wife take a nap and Wen Qing told Sisi to do the same, she had company up until evening, listening to stories of the Yunmeng siblings growing up and laughing at their adventures.
Dinner was just as fun and even more crowded. A bored Nie HuaiSang was welcomed together with several spicy dishes he had ordered from Caiyi Town to be washed down with half a dozen bottles of Emperor Smile.
Sisi could hold her liquor and promised to be WuXian's drinking buddy until Wen Qing declared that alcohol was bad for pregnancies which stopped the conversation at once.
It wasn't until a bath was being prepared for her and several red items placed upon the low table that Sisi remembered what was next.
"Wen Qing, is Granny Wen coming over?"
Neither of them were familiar with the other Lan females while Lan JiaYing, the Head Librarian, was single.
Wen Qing just shook her head and smiled.
"She... didn't agree?" Sisi guessed, her smile fading.
"It isn't that," Young Madam Jin replied. "I hope you don't mind, but I would like to perform the hair combing ceremony for you."
Sisi stared at her, tears springing to her eyes.
"I would be more than honoured, Young Madam Jin, but-
"YanLi will do. Starting from tomorrow, we'll be family."
Sisi might have started crying there and then if not for GuangYao reminding her to have her bath while the water was still warm. Meanwhile, Wen Qing decided to follow WuXian and GuangYao over to the Ahnshi to see how the groom was getting on.
- o -
"It is not necessary."
"But uncle, you did it for us."
"That was different. You and Wangji are still young."
"QiRen, didn't you tell the elders that you're at least two decades younger than them?"
"It's embarrassing!"
"I insist, old friend. Come sit down now."
QiRen pursed his lips and glared at Chen-yishi, reminding XiChen of how WangJi looked when refusing to take his medicine. It was too bad Madam Sisi wasn't here to persuade him.
"So... how are things coming along?"
The four males turned to see Wen Qing standing there, flanked by WuXian and GuangYao.
"Granduncle, are you doing the ceremony for Master Lan?"
"No one is," QiRen said at once. "It's a tradition for the youngsters."
Wen Qing raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest.
"Young Madam Jin is doing it for Sisi-Jie now," she said. "She's very happy, by the way."
"Ah. Well, I... uh..." QiRen trailed off, looking at his nephews and then at Chen-yishi who shook his head and chuckled.
"It looks like you're overruled, QiRen. Let's not waste time. XiChen, light the candles, please."
"With pleasure, Chen-yishi."
Grumbling, QiRen submitted to providence.
- Chapter End -
A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it and take care :)
