𝗣𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗧 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗪. MO DAO ZU SHI

CHAPTER ELEVEN ━ A SWEET TREAT

hai-feng stared in awe at the town that lay before him. caiyi town was a waterfront town in the gusu region, located approximately twenty li from the cloud recesses. it was also connected by a waterway to biling lake.

he can't help but describe the town as either densely covered by a net of rivers, or dwellings packed on either side of the web like water paths. the houses have white walls and grey roofs and the rivers are filled with boats carrying baskets and people.

on the banks, many goods were currently being sold - including flowers, fruits, bamboo crafts, pastries, tea, and silk. additionally, there was a hunan cuisine restaurant in the town. lan wangji must have noticed hai-feng bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement because he suddenly cleared his throat gaining - not only his attention but his older brother's attention as well.

"you can have a look around and buy a few things if you'd like."

"but i didn't bring any-"

as if predicting the fact that hai-feng didn't have a single coin on him - lan wangji reached into the sleeve of his robe then withdrew a small sack filled with coins. he wordlessly handed it out to hai-feng who took it after a moments hesitation.

"thank you lan wangji. i'll make sure to pay you back."

"no need."

hai-feng nodded in both lan wangi and lan xichen's direction before making his way down the bridge the trio originally found themselves on. once hai-feng was know longer within ear shot, lan xichen turned towards his brother.

"giving money to others certainly isn't like you at all."

"this is hai-feng's first time here in caiyi town. i just want him to experience everything."

"you two seem to be getting along quite well," lan xichen noted. "after you brought him back to cloud recesses...well let's just say i wasn't expecting to see you two so close."

lan wangji hummed and looked away but didn't say anything. hai-feng, who now stood in front of one of the stands, had just bought two good luck charms. one for himself and the other for lan wangji. the charm had a canopy with three holes or loops on the top of its round body. it also had the chinese character gua at the top which means "to hang".

it's meant to be a dress ornament worn on a person as a pendant on a necklace, a broach, hung from the waist, or it could be hung from a house rafter. hai-feng would feel a lot better if lan wangji wore it around his neck. as soon as they returned to cloud recesses - he would stop by his quarters and present it to him. upon leaving the stand, the familiar sound of wei ying's voice rang out to him. he rounded the corner of one of the restaurants to find jiang cheng and wei ying seated at one of the tables.

"what a stroke of luck with heaven on my side! the little prude is busy exorcising, the old prude is attending the discussion conference in nie clan. once luck strikes, it's unstoppable!"

"luck?" jiang cheng repeated resting his cheek in the palm of his hand. "you've offended the whole lan clan. after old man lan returns, nobody will bury your corpse."

"you've already buried my corpse so many times, what's wrong with once more? besides, who cares about what happens after death? seize the day before then! it's a bright spring day, a crispy ice dessert with a rich milk incense lies before us. why not just indulge?"

"you're like a gluttonous ghost whose never had this before."

"but the cloud recesses doesn't provide decent food. if i can enjoy such a delicacy every day, i wouldn't mind staying a few months longer in gusu. those who grew up eating this dessert are so fortunate."

"forget it. if you're punished to copy for another month, you'll definitely escape faster than rabbits."

"shijie would like this ice dessert as well. we should come again and bring her some."

jiang cheng nods then locked gazes with hai-feng who stood a few feet away from the pair. he offered him a welcoming smile - one that reached his eyes, and beckoned him over.

"hai-feng, have you come to join us?"

wei ying turned around in his chair as a smile bloomed across his face as well - looking upon the male who offered them both a brief smile of his own then made his way towards their table, pulling up a chair to take a seat.

"what's that?" he asked gesturing towards wei ying's bowl.

"you've never had this delicious treat before?" he questioned then seemed to recall the fact that the ravenette wasn't from around here. "it's ice cream. you should definitely try it when you get the chance."

"ah, okay."

without a second thought, hai-feng took jiang cheng's spoon then scooped a mouthful of the delectable treat in his mouth. he hummed in delight as the flavor danced across his taste buds for a second before melting away. the male failed to notice the small shade of pink champagne that dusted jiang cheng's cheeks.

"it's delicious, isn't it?"

hai-feng nodded in reply to jiang cheng's question. "very delicious," he agreed.

wei ying sniffed the air. "the scent of rice wine."

he ran off towards one of the boats, hopped in, then rowed away leaving jiang cheng and hai-feng alone.

"he certainly has lots of energy, doesn't he?"

"unfortunately," jiang cheng sighed.

at that moment he looked at hai-feng who took another spoonful of the dessert. he couldn't help but allow his gaze to briefly land upon the other's lips. the same lips he often caught himself daydreaming about as of late. jiang cheng never quite figured out if the beauty of hai-feng's lips were more so of their softness or their association with the words he spoke.

"so, you've really never had this before?"

hai-feng shook his head. "no, i wasn't allowed to eat much sweets growing up."

"well hopefully, in the future, we can change that."

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author's note;

i loved writing this chapter!
it has to be my favorite
out of all the other chapters i've
written thus far!

thanks for reading! next chapter
coming soon!

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enjoy the story.