Chapter Text
"They"re here! They"re here!"
The shout echoes across the courtyards and down the halls, finding Chengling deep in his evening meditation and yanking him to his feet.
They"re here?! They"re at least three days early!
Which means that Siji Shanzhuang is not fully prepared but Chengling can"t bring himself to mind. He grabs his outer robe and belts it on as he dashes out of his quarters and into the early autumn chill, frenetically making mental notes of everything they"re going to need--it"s well past dinner, but will they need to make another meal anyway? And oh, look at that, they haven"t even swept the newest fallen leaves off the central path!
He nearly runs headfirst into Cheng-shidi and trades a grin with him, seeing the equal parts panic and excitement reflected in his face.
"We"re not ready, are we?" his shidi asks as they both try very hard not to break out into a run.
"Not at all," Chengling answers with a laugh.
He"d been assuming the reason must be that a few of them came quickly, leaving the rest behind, but no--the entire caravan is just approaching the front gate when he joins the gathering disciples. An entire line of wagons, and horses, and supplies, and luggage, and people. A couple dozen borrowed hands looks like so many more than it seemed on paper.
For all those people, couldn"t they have sent even one rider on ahead to announce themselves?
It"s barely a passing thought, though; how can he bear to be unhappy with anyone when Shifu steps down out of the carriage looking so regal in his blue and silver travelling cloak, with Shishu"s complementing green just behind him? Looking somehow broader and taller and stronger? Chengling only realises now just how ill Shifu has been since the first day they ever met.
Months of trying very hard to acquire composure disappears in a flash and Chengling takes off from the group of his shidis, throwing himself at his Shifu the second his feet have barely touched the ground. Shifu bears it with an aggravated grunt; the way he squeezes back gives him away.
Chengling is allowed to reach out one arm and yank Shishu into the hug, too, for just a second, before Shifu holds him back at arm"s length and quirks an eyebrow.
"What kind of example is this? Look at your fellow disciples--even they know how to greet their Shifu properly, and you don"t?"
Seeing them all kneeling there does absolutely nothing to deter Chengling. He grins, thoroughly unabashed, and then takes only a step back before dropping to one knee himself.
"Canjian, Zhuangzhu!" he adds his greeting belatedly, and then leaps back up to his feet.
"Impertinent brat," Shishu says, eyes twinkling fondly.
"Shifu, Shishu, you"re early!"
Shifu huffs. "That"s your shishu"s fault. He was too eager to get here, and pushed everyone ruthlessly to climb the mountain so quickly."
"A-Xu!" Shishu clicks his tongue, offended. "How dare you lie to your impressionable disciples, when you were the one who had us leaving three days early out of your own impatience?"
Shifu"s straight face cracks into mirth. Chengling"s own face feels like it might crack apart from all his smiling. However, his smile dips a bit as he remembers just how unprepared they are.
"I"m glad you"re here, but I"m afraid we might not have--"
"Don"t fuss about that, Chengling," Shishu cuts him off, already sweeping past him toward the admittedly much better-behaved disciples. "We knew we were being inconvenient and brought extra supplies. You accompany your shifu. I"ll take care of things."
Shishu says it so easily, and yet Chengling feels like the most enormous weight has been lifted off his shoulders. Without it, he feels positively light. He missed Shishu so much. The idea of something not being his responsibility--he could definitely cry.
He doesn"t let himself cry, though. He just slumps in relief and turns back to Shifu in time to see the last trace of amusement on his face before it gets tucked away.
It"s well into evening but the lanterns on the carriage betray a shimmer in Shifu"s eyes as he looks at the front gate of Siji Shanzhuang, rebuilt with as many reclaimed materials as possible, carefully constructed to be the exact replica of its former self.
To Chengling, it"s the familiar sight he"s seen every day. But to Shifu, it"s the first time he"s set his eyes on this gate since the day it was burned to the ground.
While he looks his fill, Chengling covertly looks down the length of the caravan. There are two entire people he has not been able to greet, yet. And as he traces a familiar voice giving orders to a wagon farther down the row, he reluctantly realises that he will still not be able to greet them for awhile; Xiang-jiejie and Cao-da-ge are already surrounded by a throng of ghost women and a handful of Siji Shanzhuang disciples, probably dispatched by Shishu to help unload.
He suppresses a sigh and gives his attention back to his Shifu.
"We were able to salvage a lot more than we expected," Chengling says after another beat of silence, bouncing on his toes. Shifu knows that already, of course, from the letters.
Shifu gives him a small smile, anyway. "Show me."
---
Chengling shows Shifu everything that"s fit to be seen this late, and some things that aren"t.
The new design of the guard post. The restored kitchen, precisely to Shishu"s specifications. The disciples" quarters, and the servants" quarters, and Shifu"s own quarters, all complete. And the library, a little emptier than it used to be but not as bad as they had feared. The gardens and the training grounds, all completely brand-new.
And even the frame where the guest quarters will be finished, eventually.
"Ye Baiyi will be here in time for the feast next week after all," Shifu says when they walk through it. "We"ll have to push this up the priority list."
They skip the dining hall, though, with all its untamed chaos. And the storerooms. And the entire family section where Xiang-jiejie"s house is, which is currently crawling with people.
It"s strange, actually--really strange, to see and hear so much activity where there"s usually silence, especially at this time of night. Friends and strangers alike, walking his halls, settling into his rooms. Well, their rooms, now.
For all Chengling has been working toward this very thing, it"s almost overwhelming. He"s glad enough to pass it by.
They do stop by Shifu"s study, though, and Chengling dams up his stream of chatter when they reach the door. He"s not exactly nervous, he"s just vibrating with anticipation. He hadn"t yet tidied the desk but it"s not as bad as it was a couple months ago; he"s gotten better at organisation since then.
Aside from the furniture Shishu picked out and the few decorations put up by Li-shidi, there"s one thing he most wants Shifu to see.
Above the desk, hanging proudly, is the painting. The same exact one, restored once again in careful detail.
At first Chengling worries that Shifu won"t be able to see it in the low light. But he forgot that Shifu"s eyesight is actually good, now, and within seconds of opening the door he hears a telltale hitched breath.
"We found it," he offers, without needing to be asked the question. "It was under a lot of other rubble, almost untouched."
Like a miracle. Like a sign that everything was going to be okay. Chengling knew then that Tai-shifu really was watching them. He had bowed in front of Qin Huaizhang"s grave for two hours that day.
Looking at Shifu"s face tonight, he"s glad he did.
---
Once Shifu collects himself, they circle back out to the main courtyard. The lanterns are still brightest here, even though most of the unloading is complete and the activity has all dispersed to its various corners of the sect. They stand there for a minute as Shifu looks around.
"You"ve done well, Chengling," Shifu says, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder, and Chengling can"t help but stand a bit taller at the soft pride so freely given in that look.
The look gets softer still and Chengling knows it just well enough to be unsurprised when Shishu"s arm drapes over his other shoulder from seemingly out of nowhere.
"Your shifu is right," Shishu chimes in, giving Chengling a squeeze. "If you keep on like this it"s going to be very difficult to keep calling you our shaxiaozi."
Chengling isn"t at all fooled; he"s heard the things that Ye-qianbei still dared to say even to someone like Shifu, and he also remembers how his own father used to call his da-ge sometimes when they were in a lighthearted mood. Some things simply don"t change, and he"s glad of it. He takes it anyway, pleased at the compliment.
There"s still something missing, though, and he can feel their presences from across the sect like a beacon. He"s only a little disappointed he didn"t get to show them to their rooms himself.
As much as he"s missed Shifu and Shishu, as much as he wants to spend all the time in the world with them catching up, something in him wails just a bit in frustration when Shifu says, "Alright. Enough dallying. Help your shifu and shishu unpack properly before it gets too late."
For all he tries to hide it, it must show on his face because Shifu raises an eyebrow. "You want to be lazy now, after everything else?"
"No, no! Of course, Shifu, I"ll help you with whatever you need."
Shishu, however, just laughs and spins Chengling away from him entirely. "Come now, shixiong, how can we expect the restless spirits of youth to slow down? All the rest of the disciples are already opening some of the jiu we brought. Chengling, go have fun with your fellows. Tomorrow is soon enough to unpack."
Shifu grouses and grumbles but he doesn"t object, and Shishu sends Chengling off with a wink that he decides not to interpret in any way at all.
"You spoil him too much, Lao Wen," he hears Shifu say, not even trying to be quiet.
"He"s been working hard."
"Is that any reason for him to stop?"
"You aren"t fooling anyone, Zhou-zhuangzhu."
"And you are?"
Chengling stands there just a few seconds longer, listening to them bicker as they head off to their rooms. It"s so very familiar. With the background hum of so many other voices throughout the sect, it isn"t what it used to be. But that"s okay; it"s something better.
---
Chengling does not want to go drinking with his shixiongdi and anyone else they"ve managed to collect tonight. Not because he doesn"t enjoy the company, and not even because he"s too tired.
It"s just that there"s really only one thing he can focus on.
As if there"s any reason to be covert about it, Chengling sneaks around the backside of the buildings, down roundabout hallways, until he inevitably winds up here, in front of Xiang-jiejie and Cao-da-ge"s door.
It"s been so long. He"s thought of a million things to say and ask and do and right now he can"t think of a single one. His heart is thudding in his ears. He can"t even bring his hand to come down on the door frame to knock.
"--n"t believe they"re taking so long," Chengling hears, muffled, from behind the thick door. "Ge knows we"re waiting. I bet Zhou-ge is doing this on purpose just to spite me."
"A-Xiang," Cao-da-ge soothes, on the edge of hearing, "it really was a long journey up the mountain today. I"m sure he just--"
"I don"t care! I"m done waiting. I"ll go find--"
The door slides open with an abrupt click and Chengling finds himself staring down, startled, at a pink-clad Gu Xiang stopped in her tracks. He realises at once that she was going looking for him.
"Zhang Chengling! Were you just lurking outside our door?" She"s so beautiful, even backlit against the dark night with a face full of surprise and cut-off wrath. "What"s wrong with you?!"
Chengling doesn"t know, but he"s just so happy to hear her say it, and hear her chiding, and see her in general, that all he can do is wrap her up in a tight hug, strong enough now indeed to twirl her around--enduring yelps and shoulder punches as he does--before putting her down and squeezing her tighter again.
In spite of herself, Xiang-jiejie laughs. "Aiya, you"re so dumb." She doesn"t pull away, though, reaching up to pat the side of his head and touch his cheek.
Chengling smiles back and leans into the warmth of her palm, too full of feeling to talk. From this distance, in the lamplight, he can see so much in her eyes that he"s never seen before. The way they twinkle and dance, the way the pupils go wider the longer he watches. It"s mesmerising.
Her touch lingers on his face; his hands rest on her waist; they"re so very, very close, but Chengling doesn"t let go. Xiang-jiejie doesn"t act like he should. Every breath feels like it takes up twice as much room in his chest as usual, shallow and quick, the air almost too thick to breathe.
"If you"re going to kiss my wife, you should at least come inside the room to do it," Cao-da-ge calls, breaking the tension. "You"re letting all the cold in."
Chengling sucks in oxygen at last, jerking his hands back to himself, mind blanking out at the very thought.
He wouldn"t! He really wouldn"t! He would think Cao-da-ge knows that, but he still scrambles to make sure--
Xiang-jiejie turns first and sticks out her tongue at her husband.
"Suffer," she says, and then turns back and pulls Chengling down into a kiss before he can even react.
It"s--
Oh, it"s so soft.
Just a haphazard press of lips to his, but they"re so soft and so hot and the closeness of it is so much more than he imagined it would be, two hands on his face keeping him pinned between them so he can"t help but stay still and bear it.
He is still reeling when Xiang-jiejie lets him go to the sound behind them of, "Why did I think you would actually honour our bet?"
"Because you"re still an idiot."
"A-Xiang."
"What? You can go first on lots of other things, you know."
Chengling comes back to himself enough to finally breath out, "Welcome home."
Having joined them by now, Cao-da-ge reaches out to take Chengling"s hand, and looking down, Chengling notices something he probably should have seen sooner--tied fast around both of his friends" wrists, out in full view, are two bracelets, braided and beaded and not quite like his but exactly the same bright red. Chengling finds he has to blink quite rapidly, all of a sudden.
Is he really just allowed to have this? All the worrying, and they already told him they want to keep him that long ago?!
Cao-da-ge watches him watching their hands. Instead of words, he leans in for a kiss of his own; in spite of seeing it coming this time, Chengling still holds his breath. It"s the same, but different. Softer. He can feel the exact moment when Cao-da-ge smiles against the shape of his mouth.
He"s so impossibly light that he might float away if Cao-da-ge stops holding onto him.
"It"s good to be home," Cao-da-ge finally answers.
Xiang-jiejie grabs one of each of their hands and tugs. "Come on, then," she says. "Home really is getting cold. And I still owe you for running out on us."
Around them, Siji Shanzhuang tucks itself in for the night--partygoers passing around drinks and jokes and dares; weary travellers crawling into welcome beds; lamps lit and unlit; baths drawn and drained. The master of the house is back where he belongs, and the land itself seems to heave a great sigh of relief.
Chengling lets himself be pulled into the light and warmth of Xiang-jiejie and Cao-da-ge"s welcoming nest, and does not leave until morning.