shijie – older martial sister
qiankun sleeve - sleeves modified to allow cultivators to carry large items. qiankun means universe.
shushu - uncle (father's younger brother) OR an informal way to address non-related men of an older generation
jiujiu – uncle (mother's brother). Jin Ling calls Jiang Cheng jiujiu.
da jiujiu - uncle (mother's oldest brother). Jin Ling would have called Wei Wuxian da jiujiu if he hadn't severed his ties with the Jiang Sect.
Jin Ling would have called Jiang Cheng xiao jiujiu (youngest jiujiu) or Cheng-jiujiu if he'd grown up with both Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian.
'Is this seriously what happened?' Jin Ling was incredulous.
Wei Wuxian had spent his bedbound days racking his memories of his childhood, pouring them onto paper. After a mountain of scrunched-up paper balls accumulated by the desk, he finally made a product he was happy with – a picture book compilation of his years with his shijie. He wanted Jin Ling to know what his mother was like when she was alive. Jin Ling had probably never seen portraits of his mother; unlike his self-obsessed father, his mother never had many portraits drawn of her. Wei Wuxian was glad he remembered her well enough to draw her from memory.
Jin Ling was reading about the night-hunt on Phoenix Mountain – his father's awkward attempts to court his mother, the way his mother put Jin Zixun in his place. Afterwards, his father had loudly blurted his feelings for her in front of everyone, before bolting from the scene in embarrassment.
'I drew the scene entirely from memory and did not exaggerate a single word!' Wei Wuxian added, 'if you don't believe me, go ask Lan Zhan. He was next to me that whole time.'
Of course, Jin Ling was never going to ask Lan Zhan to verify the events of the book. He could only stare at the drawing of Jin Zixuan running into the woods, an incredulous expression on his face.
'It's okay, you won't be as terrible as your father at courting women.' Wei Wuxian grinned, pointing to himself, 'you have the expert here for advice.'
Jin Ling looked hilariously terrified. He hurried, 'that won't be necessary.'
Jin Ling rolled up the book and tucked it into his qiankun sleeve. 'Thank you, Senior Wei.'
'A-Ling, we're not strangers. Stop being so formal. Call me Wei-shushu.'
'I was actually thinking…' Jin Ling hesitated, 'can I call you jiujiu?'
Wei Wuxian could not hide his surprise. Of course, even before his shijie had gotten married, he'd dreamed of her little ones riding his shoulders and calling him jiujiu. It was all he'd ever wanted, but…
He sighed, shaking his head. An expression of hurt flashed across Jin Ling's face.
'I appreciate the sentiment; it really means a lot to me to be a part of your life.' Wei Wuxian explained, 'but I don't want to make things difficult between you and your jiujiu.'
Jiang Cheng already had complicated feelings towards Jin Ling spending time with Wei Wuxian. If he heard Jin Ling calling him jiujiu… He could already hear Jiang Cheng yelling, you want to call him jiujiu? Fine! Don't bother coming back to me!
'He suggested it, actually.'
'Really?!'
'Yeah,' Jin Ling paused. 'He says it's what my mother would have wanted for me.'
Wei Wuxian fought to swallow the lump in his throat. 'In that case, of course you can call me jiujiu.'
'Wait, how will I differentiate between the two of you?' Jin Ling realised.
'If you'd grown up with me, I would have been da jiujiu,' Wei Wuxian mused. 'But he'd turn as purple as his robe if you he heard you call me that now. How about Xian-jiujiu?'
'Xian-jiujiu,' Jin Ling repeated.
Wei Wuxian still couldn't quite believe Jin Ling would start calling him jiujiu, much less Jiang Cheng had been the one who suggested it. Jiang Cheng did once love him as a brother; he knew that. But too many things had changed since they were teenagers stealing lotus seeds from Yunmeng lakes. He'd made too many decisions – some he regretted with heart-wrenching agony, some he never would – that nevertheless devastated Jiang Cheng in ways he knew would never heal. He'd spent much time coming to terms with the fact they would never find closure, never interact beyond polite nods at discussion conferences. But Jiang Cheng had suggested that Jin Ling called him jiujiu…
'A-Ling, do you think…' The words left his mouth before he realised how ridiculous it was. 'Never mind.'
'Xian-jiujiu,' Jin Ling was getting used to the new syllables. 'What were you going to say?'
'I was going to say, do you think… Do you think there's any chance for us to be family? You, me and Jiang Cheng.'
It sounded even more ridiculous out loud. Jin Ling looked up at him, expression full of surprise.
'Never mind, sorry, my imagination runs a bit wild sometimes,' Wei Wuxian shook his head. 'It's just that, of everyone alive, I'm the one who understands him best but I'm also the one he wouldn't let back into his life. I see the way bitterness and hate tears him apart and I know I'm the one who did this to him and I want to put an arm around him and fix it but I can't…'
Wei Wuxian diverted his gaze from Jin Ling's wide eyes. 'Sorry, sorry. I don't know what came over me. I didn't meant to…'
'There is.' Jin Ling said.
'There is?'
'There is a chance. For us to be family.'
'Really?' Wei Wuxian couldn't quite process what he was hearing.
'When you were lying unconscious in Lotus Pier, he was by your bed passing you spiritual energy.'
Wei Wuxian froze. He remembered waking up clutching the YunmengJiang bell in his hand, feeling its steady flow of spiritual energy. As soon as he'd woken up, he was reassuring Lan Zhan he was okay and hiding the bell so Jiang Cheng didn't see him with it and give Jin Ling an earful. He didn't stop to think about how odd it was that the small bell was still full of spiritual energy even though it must have kept him alive the entire way there from the hunting grounds…
He ran his fingers over the nine-petalled lotus engraved on the bell. 'It was Jiang Cheng?'
Jin Ling nodded. 'He definitely cares for you, but…'
'But it doesn't mean he'll let me back in his life,' Wei Wuxian sighed.
Taking the book from out of his sleeve, Jin Ling ran his fingers over the picture of the YunmengJiang trio. 'We can try…'
Jin Ling wanted them to be family as much as he did, Wei Wuxian realised. 'If we get our hopes up and it doesn't work out, it's gonna hurt like hell.'
Jin Ling nodded. He looked so much like his mother when she set her mind to something.
Wei Wuxian smiled. 'Mingzhi buke wei er wei zhi. I'm known for attempting the impossible, after all.'
Wei Wuxian's fierce upholding of the Jiang Sect's motto had once brought them apart. It was time it brought them together.
Non-related people are addressed via a title and their surname e.g. Wei Wuxian called Jiang Fengmian Jiang-shushu (Uncle Jiang), Jin-gongzi (Master Jin), Lan-zongzhu (Sect Leader Lan).
Related people are addressed via a title and a character from their first name e.g. Lan Sizhui calls Wen Ning Ning-shushu (Uncle Ning)
Massive thank you to everyone who's followed me through my very first novella! I loved the experience of writing it and it makes me so happy to share it with you all :D
If anyone has a better idea for a title or a blurb, please let me know! :)