Author Notes: Hello again everyone and Happy New Year! I hope this will be a much better one than last year :)
I'd planned to have this story completed in 2020, but it looks like I'll have it finished before Chinese New Year instead. Anyway, now that WangXian, 3Zun and SiRen have gotten their happy endings, it's time to shine the spotlight on the final couple, ChengQing. Enjoy :)
Beta: JeanGirlMY
- Chapter Start -
Wen Qing had thought her days were full when she lived at the Burial Mounds. Her hands were always busy with something or other while her mind continually buzzed with worries, plans and more worries. It seemed like she was constantly running around and checking up on things.
There were the food stores, harvested crops and picked fruit to look through to ensure everyone had something to eat everyday. Most of the time, it was barely enough. She could almost recognise each person from the sounds their empty stomachs made, Wei WuXian's being one of the the loudest.
There was the medicine cupboard - more like two shelves - to go through to ensure she could handle the small accidents that happened on a daily basis. She always seemed to be tending to cuts, scrapes or sprained limbs... if she wasn't treating coughs, stomachaches and other ailments.
Then she had to make sure everyone had clean clothes to wear the next day, a task made more challenging by Wei WuXian's penchant for playing in the mud and planting A-Yuan in the dirt.
Wen Qing had wanted to keep everyone busy and productive so they didn't have time to brood. She wanted them exhausted enough to sleep at nights and forget their worries for a while. Herself included, of course.
When they first moved to Cloud Recesses and stayed at the guestrooms, it was like... going on a holiday. The small kitchens were stocked with basic provisions although ZeWu Jun made it clear they could still request for freshly cooked food if they wished. There was a world renowned infirmary nearby with trained healers, medicinal herbs and potions, not all of which were familiar to her.
The Wen survivors were given a large plot of fertile land to work on and be self sufficient. When their skills for carpentry and weaving were requested, they were compensated accordingly. Even Granny Wen spent a few hours a week at the nursery, keeping an eye on the toddlers when there weren't enough disciples on duty.
Wen Qing had plenty of time to think about Jiang Cheng then. How he had reconciled with Wei WuXian and helped transport them to Cloud Recesses. How he and Sect Leader Nie had sought her help in the middle of the night to treat Jin GuangYao in Lanling. How he had saved her life when Xue Yang tried to kill her and, despite being poisoned by yin metal, insisted on rescuing her family members from the fire.
She still caught herself smiling nonsensically when she recalled his earnest and awkward attempts to court her.
Of course, there wasn't much opportunity for such time wasting nonsense nowadays. In fact, she was starting to feel slightly panicked at how fast the days were flying by. Ever since their wedding date was finalised, she found her waking hours filled with lots of things to do and tasks to complete.
In return for permission to go through the Lan medical archives with Granduncle Chen, she held advanced acupuncture classes for the healers three times a week. She also obtained Jiang Cheng's permission for Gusu to have access to the Jiang medical archives after her marriage.
Both of them believed that medical knowledge should not be hoarded but shared between the sects. Neither had forgotten about the frantic late night flight between Gusu and Lanling when Jin GuangYao lay at death's door.
- o -
Two weeks flew by and brought Wei WuXian, Jin GuangYao and their husbands back from their honeymoons.
Two days after that, Master Lan and Sisi performed their bows. To the deep annoyance of all the Lan Elders present (except for Chen-yishi), the ceremony that wasn't supposed to be publicised ended up being attended by the leaders of the Four Great Sects and their family members. The newlyweds even made their appearance accompanied by a Gusu Lan Song of Celebration, played to perfection by HanGuang Jun and Wei WuXian.
Wen Qing was happy for them all, but she hadn't forgotten the look on Jiang Cheng's face when Fourth Uncle and Sixth Uncle started teasing the bride and groom about their wedding night.
Master Lan may have been inexperienced, but Sisi was a courtesan with more than enough knowledge and experience to make their first night memorable.
Wei WuXian and Jin GuangYao had been inexperienced too (according to the former's drunken ramblings and the latter's prim demeanour), but Chen-yishi had given the Twin Jades scented oils and advice based on his own marriage so they should be fine. They certainly looked happy after their weddings and even happier after their honeymoons.
In fact, both couples had approached her on separate occasions to commission her for more flower oil. She had told them with a straight face that Granduncle Chen had far more knowledge than her on which oils made better lubricants, wouldn't upset the stomach if accidentally ingested, and had the additional benefit of healing properties should they get carried away.
She had the satisfaction of seeing Wei WuXian turn bright red and squeaking an excuse before bounding off, leaving HanGuang Jun to bow to her and escape, ears equally red. As for the other couple, Jin GuangYao turned a faint pink, but ZeWu Jun almost passed out on the spot with all the blood rushing to his face, mumbling something that sounded like 'before our next visit to QingHe', whatever that meant.
Well, at least they had Granduncle Chen to go to for advice.
Who did she have?
Oh, Wen Qing knew all about a woman's reproductive organs, how babies were made and born, and even the mechanics of sex between a man and a woman (and between two men). But she had no experience with the finer details and she had a feeling Jiang Cheng knew even less than she did.
She could hardly ask Granny Wen even if the latter still remembered her marital relations with her late husband. She could ask Young Madam Jin who would no doubt oblige, but she was Jiang Cheng's older sister which would be embarrassing. Besides, she was experiencing a bout of morning sickness and and hadn't visited Cloud Recesses after Master Lan's wedding.
With her own wedding coming up in a matter of days, Wen Qing started to fret. She was pacing up and down in the home she shared with Granny Wen one afternoon when there was a knock on the door.
"Madam Lan!" Wen Qing greeted in surprise.
"Wen Qing, that makes me sound old! Sisi-jie will do," Sisi told her with a hopeful smile. "QiRen is busy with discussions the whole afternoon and the Library Pavilion is closed for today so here I am!"
"Please come in," Wen Qing said. "I'll make tea."
"Oh, that will go nicely with these sweet pastries from Lotus Pier."
It wasn't until they were seated at the low table that Wen Qing could have smacked herself in the head.
Who better to get the answers to her questions than one of the most sought after courtesans in Yunping City?
- o -
That afternoon proved to be enjoyable for both women, but also mortifying for Wen Qing.
She had always been a serious and responsible person, no thanks to losing her parents while still a child, and having to take care of her younger brother. Her skills as a Healer kept her in Wen RuoHan's good graces, but it also meant watching her words and actions very carefully for Wen Ning's sake. After the Sunshot Campaign, she had an ever bigger burden - taking care of twenty people including Wei WuXian.
Wen Qing hadn't realised how starved she had been for female companionship. She had spent a few hours in Sisi and Jiang YanLi's company, but not for idle chats.
She couldn't remember the last time she had laughed or blushed so much, not even when she saw how well Jiang Cheng filled out Jin GuangYao's inner pants.
Sisi enjoyed herself too and confessed she had missed female companionship ever since coming to Cloud Recesses. The Head Librarian was a strictly brought up single woman while QiRen had four nephews, but no nieces. Like Wen Qing, Sisi wasn't comfortable confiding in Granny Wen, while Jiang YanLi who both regarded as an angel, was stuck at Lanling.
When Wen Qing finally plucked up the courage to broach the subject of wedding nights, Sisi was thrilled to be of use, so much so that she divulged a lot more information about her past experiences than she should have. Then, when Wen Qing's eyes got as big and round as physically possible, Sisi coughed and blushed. With a sheepish laugh, she changed the subject to her wedding night instead.
Wen Qing couldn't decide which topic was worse.
She had absolutely no interest in learning what Master Lan looked like under all those layers of silk, or getting all weepy over his earnest declarations about wanting to be a good husband, or hearing about his 'fumbling but really sweet' attempts to please his bride.
Still, with Sisi enjoying herself so much, Wen Qing didn't have the heart to stop her. She just gritted her teeth and gave every appearance of listening while wishing she could physically fold her ears shut. She blushed and made appropriate sounds that she hoped conveyed agreement and not like she was trying to block out unwanted images.
Gods, she would never be able to look at Master Lan the same way again!
But Sisi was also a wealth of information on how to please a man and, if said man wasn't experienced, how to guide him to please her too. Master Lan had taken her lessons to heart because he had been willing to do anything.
Wen Qing, with her face on fire, quickly steered Sisi back to safer waters.
By the time Sisi finally left that evening, it was with a tight hug and a teasing reminder that Wen Qing was now obliged to share her own wedding night details in turn. Wen Qing willingly returned the former and made no promises about the latter.
Master Lan wasn't the only husband who would suffer a qi deviation if he knew his bride had divulged their wedding night details.
- Chapter End -
A/N: Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you enjoyed it and take care :)
