The meaning of protecting you with my life

Shelter

Jiang Yanli watched her two brothers in turn, one laying in her lap, knocked out, and the other rowing the boat against the current. She felt like crying again but all her tears had long dried. She also had to stay strong for the younger ones.

She had been horrified by Jiang Cheng's behaviour earlier, he should not have been this harsh with Wei Wuxian. She could understand that he had been distressed and wanted to go back to fight side by side with their parents, it did however not justify his behaviour. What Wei Wuxian had said made sense; their parents wanted them to be safe, they could not go back. He had always been the strongest one amongst them so it made sense that he wanted to protect them. She hoped that he would not take Jiang Cheng's words too seriously, they both long knew that their brother tended to be careless with them at times.

She started running her fingers through her younger brother's hair in an attempt to sooth both herself and him. She hoped he would not wake up too soon and would not cause another scene. It would probably be better if he stayed unconscious until they had found a safe place and could recuperate. They would have to rest first before going to Meishan, it was quite far, they needed to be strong for the journey. If their parents survived, they would surely come meet them there.

It started raining all of the sudden. The rain drops were falling all around them and the temperature dropped as well. It was kind of fitting for their situation, even the sky was crying with them. She continued to watch how Wei Wuxian tirelessly rowed the boat. She could not see his face so she could not be sure, but she thought that he was also crying, hiding his own grief away from her, drowning it in the rain. She did not want to intrude so she looked away and was now observing Jiang Cheng instead.

The forest around the river started thinning out. It was a good sign; they were getting closer to some other settlements. And where there were people, there were also inns to hide in and warm food to put in their stomachs. It would do them much good. And surely the word had not yet spread around that the Wen soldiers were looking for them, it would be fine, they could take a little break.

When she spotted a pier in the distance, she gently laid her brother's head down and stood up, swaying a bit because her head felt lightheaded from all the crying and her legs had fallen asleep. She caught herself quickly and went to Wei Wuxian. Her brother's head was lowered, facing the water and in the reflection, she could see how tired yet determined his expression was.

She gently tapped his shoulder and when he looked up, he had a small smile on his lips. She could tell it was not a genuine one as it did not quite reach his eyes but she decided to not say anything. If he was trying to reassure her and lift up her spirit, she could only gratefully accept.

"Shijie," he whispered and his voice betrayed just how tired he was. It was hoarse, he must have truly been crying. She decided to not mention this fact either.

She smiled back and pointed towards the small pier which was now a lot closer: "A-Xian, there. I remember that there was a small town there. I saw it when we passed by here with father earlier. We can take a rest there. Surely the news would not have yet reached there."

Her brother looked at her a second, apparently trying to decide if it was safe enough. Then he nodded and started rowing the boat again.

They reached the pier soon enough. Just as Jiang Yanli had remembered, there was a small town there. She had thought they would have to search for an inn for a while but she had been mistaken, she could see a sign of one even from where she was still standing inside the boat. She gave out a sigh of relief, they will be able to rest there.

She could feel a headache building up and she did not want anything more than some hot tea. She was cold, her clothes wet from the rain despite the boat having a roof above it. She was sure that her brothers were not feeling any better. They must be looking really unpresentable right now, but it should not be a problem in a town this small.

Just as she had feared, when Wei Wuxian was standing up, he staggered and she had to steady him so he would not fall overboard. They both then did their best to take the still unconscious Jiang Cheng out of the boat. Jiang Yanli helped to get him on Wei Wuxian's back and was steadying him in place on their way to the small inn.

The older of her brothers was walking with heave steps shrouded in exhaustion, breathing labouredly. She would have loved to help him some more but she knew she was too weak to be able to carry her younger brother. And no one was outside in this kind of heavy rain. So she could only offer silent support and open the door of the inn for him.

With the money she luckily had on her from her trip with her father, she managed to get them a room or the second floor. The innkeeper watched them with a bit of suspicion but she quickly explained that her brother had gotten drunk and they needed a shelter from the rain. It seemed to work and the man did not ask any other questions.

She watched with worried eyes how Wei Wuxian struggled up the stairs and then into the appointed room. There, he laid Jiang Cheng on one of the beds and all but fell down next to it. Jiang Yanli exclaimed in horror: "A-Xian!"

Wei Wuxian looked up at her, smiling, and explained: "Shijie, I am fine, just a little tired."

Then he managed to scramble upwards and went to the table in the middle of the room, pointing towards the second bed: "Let us rest for a bit, Shijie. I will go buy some food later."

Jiang Yanli felt her own tiredness get the best of her, her headache had gotten worse as well. She did not argue with her brother. She let the now a bit worryingly empty money pouch set on the table beside her brother's elbow and went to lay in the other bed, only discarding her soaked outer robe. Her eyes closed as soon as her head hit the pillow. 

I will be out of town for the next few days with a scarce access to the Internet so I may not be able to post chapters every day. I am sorry in advancve for any inconvenience. I will make up for it after returning and post a new story too.