Shooting Star [Never Let You Go, Again Book 2]

42: Blessed For The Night

"Daddy!"

Three children tumbled down the hill to their father.

"Well hello there!" Wei Wuxian stopped playing Our Song and walked over to them. "What have you brought for me today? Another black robe of mine?"

"No, Daddy," Sizhui chuckled as he dragged his father to sit with them beside the bunnies. "A-Ling brought something from Koi Tower."

"Oh? Little Rulan?"

"Daddy," Jin Ling produced a basket. "Xiyi told me to send this to you. She's too busy to come visit herself, so she sent her apologies."

"Too busy or too pompous? Hmph, didn't send me a letter for the past week!" A bitter and grumpy voice shouted.

"Yiyi," Wei Wuxian shook his head as he tousled his son's hair. "She's busy. If you be as pesky as that, she might ditch you, you know?"

Jingyi huffed. "Daddy's always annoying Father but Father never left Da–!" His shouting stopped as realisation struck him like a hard whack on the head. "Sorry..."

Wei Ying quickly wiped his wetted face and smiled. "No, no, it's fine. Like I said, Father never left, right?"

"Mn!" All three nodded.

"Jeez, really are his sons," Wei Ying smirked as he took the basket from Jin Ling and opened it. "Mm! Mooncakes!" Though he knew he wouldn't be eating it. 

"Yes, Daddy. It's the Mid-Autumn Festival tonight."

Wei Wuxian's ears picked that sentence up keenly. "Really?"

"Mn," Sizhui nodded. "Figured Daddy wouldn't know since you've been in here for all these months so we came with A-Ling's mooncakes and these," Sizhui nudged Jingyi. Both dug in their sleeves and brought out two items.

Jingyi handed his first. "Daddy, you might see Father tonight. If you do meet him, then... Could you give this to him?"

Wei Wuxian took the scroll Jingyi was handing and opened it with trembling fingers. He saw the painting on it and gasped.

"I don't know if it looks good enough, Daddy draws way better, but I thought Father would like to keep it wherever he is. Do you mind, Daddy?"

Wei Wuxian placed the painting on the grass cautiously, then grabbed Lan Jingyi's twiddling thumbs and clasped his wrists. "Child, what made you draw this?"

"I... I've seen Daddy giving Father cotton candy..." Jingyi mumbled, terrified by the incomprehensible look in Wei Ying's flaring eyes.

"No, don't be afraid, it's not bad. It's..." Wei Ying let go and looked at the painting on the grass. Under a magnolia tree, white petals floating around in the wind, Wei Wuxian was smiling and holding up a stick of sky blue cotton candy to a Lan Wangji who was smiling just as bright. The black robes with red borders, white robes with blue designs, red ribbon and jet-black hair flying with the petals, rainbow-coloured sunset in the background were all painted to such perfection that Wei Ying's eyes welled up. It was beautiful. Too beautiful for him to hold back the tears. He shuffled back should the teardrops spoil the painting as he continued, "It's fabulous."

"Daddy's crying again," Sizhui muttered sadly as he hugged Wei Ying's shaking arm.

"It won't stop, A-Yuan," Wei Ying replied. "I've tried. So? What's yours?"

Sizhui held out another scroll. 

"What? I didn't know my sons were this good at art!"

"No, Daddy," Lan Sizhui blushed. "It's not a painting, I'm not that good with colours. Open it and see."