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It all started with a pair of chopsticks.
“Chu Wanning,” Mo Ran said. “What are you looking at? This Venerable One is right in front of you.”
They were having their first meal of the day – by the time they got out of bed (no thanks to Taxian-Jun and his insistence that they ‘start the day right’ with a tussle between the sheets), the sun was already high up. So, Taxian-Jun threw together some noodles for them both, and they were in the middle of eating when Chu Wanning got lost in thought looking at the chopsticks Mo Ran gave him the other day.
That day, during a simple day in town, Mo Ran had suggested for them to take their lunch there before heading back home. The stall owner of the roadside stall had handed them each a pair of poorly crafted wooden chopsticks, and Chu Wanning accidentally got a splinter while using them.
Mo-zongshi, kind and understanding and waving off the profuse apologies of the stall owner, had whisked Chu Wanning home to attend to him. It was no matter, Chu Wanning had said – it was a small scratch, and by the time they were home, it had all but healed.
Mo Ran said nothing then. He simply kissed Chu Wanning’s fingers and refused to let him do any chores for the rest of the day.
The next day, he presented a gift to Chu Wanning – a pair of handmade, polished chopsticks, crafted from the finest mahogany tree of the woods. At the top of each reddish-brown chopstick, Mo Ran carved a haitang blossom.
Chu Wanning had chided Mo Ran for being excessive and overly dramatic, but he accepted the pair of chopsticks with faintly red ears. He started using them for every meal since then.
Taxian-Jun’s voice jolted him out of his thoughts.
Lightly shaking his head, Chu Wanning explained, “Nothing. I was just looking.”
Taxian-Jun’s brows knitted together. “At your chopsticks? And not at me?”
Chu Wanning resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the latter comment. He nodded towards the chopsticks. “You gave them to me.”
The furrow between his brows deepened. “When?”
“Yesterday.”
“!” Taxian-Jun makes a noise. “That dog zongshi again…!”
It had been a little over a year since they settled into Nanping Mountain, and while Chu Wanning and Mo Ran – the Mo Rans of both lifetimes – had adjusted to living together and expressing their affections for each other, there had been one obstacle.
Taxian-Jun vehemently refused to accept Mo-zongshi as part of himself, despite Chu Wanning (and Mo-zongshi himself)’s multiple attempts at trying to convince Taxian-Jun that he is Mo Ran, and they’re both sides of the same coin.
Over the course of the year, it resulted in a rivalry between Taxian-Jun and Mo-zongshi. Every three days, Taxian-Jun would filter through the glimpses of memories from Mo-zongshi’s consciousness and attempt to outdo himself, trying to prove to Chu Wanning that he was the better husband. Mo-zongshi graciously allows that, though Chu Wanning knows that he too has a competitive side – once, Taxian-Jun left a scrawled note about how he couldn’t pleasure his wife like Taxian-Jun could, and Mo-zongshi quietly burnt the note before working Chu Wanning in bed with a vengeance.
At the present time, thinking his outrage to be just part of his usual childish rivalry, Chu Wanning only shook his head at Taxian-Jun.
“When will you stop competing with yourself?” Chu Wanning lightly asked, before placing food in Taxian-Jun’s bowl. “Eat up.”
They finished the meal in silence. Chu Wanning was okay with it, but in hindsight, maybe he should have said something.
And for the rest of the morning, Taxian-Jun kept himself busy. He did his share of the chores (without Chu Wanning telling him to do so). He took Goutou out of the house. He tended to his garden.
It was quite unusual. Taxian-Jun had only one day with Chu Wanning when his other self had three, so he normally spent those days sticking close to Chu Wanning (and occasionally molesting him, much to Chu Wanning’s embarrassment and anger). So, for Taxian-Jun to keep busy and away from Chu Wanning… was quite surprising indeed.
“Mo Ran,” Chu Wanning said, later that afternoon.
Taxian-Jun, squatting in the middle of his plants, looked up from the spot he was gardening. “Wanning,” he greeted, before wolfishly leering at Chu Wanning. “Did you miss this Venerable One?”
“Don’t say absurd things,” Chu Wanning said. But it was without heat – he was secretly pleased to hear Taxian-Jun acting more like himself.
He didn’t vocalise any of that. Instead, he asked, “Do you want to go down the mountain with me?”
And thus, they set off for An Cheng, a town nearby Nanping with merchants selling special herbs that Chu Wanning used for medicinal purposes. Throughout their trip, Taxian-Jun flitted about, trailing behind Chu Wanning as he ran his errands, glaring at anyone that rubbed him the wrong way (“Wanning, that lecher was making eyes at you!!! I am not lying, I know the hearts of perverts very well!”), and trying to cajole Chu Wanning into giving into his fancies, such as–
“Chu Wanning,” Taxian-Jun said lowly. “You see that old lady selling the pots of sweet syrup?”
Chu Wanning glanced over at the merchant Taxian-Jun pointed out. Rows and rows of brightly coloured jars greeted him. The old lady standing behind the jars was yelling for people to come and buy, buy, buy – it’s very sweet, and sure to add a much-needed kick to any food!
“Back then, this Venerable One fed you the sweetest syrup throughout the lands,” Taxian-Jun crowed. “Mo-zongshi is a penniless fool, so I bet Wanning has never tasted something as sweet in this lifetime.”
“…” He was getting at something, Chu Wanning was sure. He waited for him to continue.
“As thanks for your husband spoiling you, we should buy one of those syrups now. It may not be as sweet as the ones this Venerable One procured, but it will suffice for our purposes.”
Chu Wanning felt an impending headache. “… And what may these purposes be?”
Taxian-Jun pointed at the opening to the alley between a few shops. “This Venerable One will take you there, then you’ll get on your knees, lather the syrup on my co-”
“…!” Faint gold light began to glow at Chu Wanning’s palm.
“Okay, okay! Don’t summon Tianwen!” Taxian-Jun yelped, before dejectedly muttering, “Wanning didn’t even hear about how this Venerable One will get you to suck me off…”
Chu Wanning’s brows twitched. Over the years, having desired and having been with Mo Ran for so long, he is less embarrassed about the amorous side of romantic relationships. But hearing shameless propositions in broad daylight while they’re out in public still made Chu Wanning fume with embarrassment.
With a flick of his sleeves, Chu Wanning said, “If you’re so free, why don’t you start thinking about what we can eat for dinner at home.”
Taxian-Jun scowled. “The last time you went down the mountain with that dog zongshi, you had dinner with him outside. Why can’t this Venerable One eat out too??”
Chu Wanning thought about it. Well, it was getting late anyway. And he was glad to see Taxian-Jun acting like his normal self the whole trip. He can indulge him once in a while.
Hence, they ended up in an inn to take their dinner first before heading back home. At Taxian-Jun’s insistence, they’re in one of the finer inns An Cheng offered.
After ordering their dishes and settling down, Taxian-Jun placed his teacup down and shot Chu Wanning a wide smile.
Ah. Chu Wanning knew what that look meant. Just as he was bracing himself for another one of Taxian-Jun’s headache-inducing lines or prepositions, the innkeeper came over with a tray of appetisers.
Taxian-Jun looked over the appetisers and frowned. Some of them were spicy, of the Shu variety. He specifically ordered the milder, Jiangnan-styled ones that Chu Wanning preferred eating, insisting that Chu Wanning needed to eat more and look after his body, given the colder winds of the approaching autumn.
“We didn’t order this,” Taxian-Jun declared as he gestured to the spicy appetisers. He scowled. “My Shizun cannot take spices, are you trying to assassi-”
“Mo Ran!” Chu Wanning chided. Then he smoothened his features and turned to the innkeeper. “Please excuse him.”
The innkeeper, a happy jovial lady in her forties, only smiled pleasantly, not at all offended by Taxian-Jun’s brisk words. “Oh, so sorry, Chu-zongshi, Mo-zongshi! My husband and I thought we would serve you the full range of our appetisers, as thanks for the help you’ve given our family the other time.”
Chu Wanning nodded, thanking the innkeeper and telling her to not worry about the spicy appetisers (Mo Ran can eat it anyway), before she went back to tending to her other customers.
Taxian-jun stared at her retreating back, squinting. “This Venerable One does not recognise that woman.”
Chu Wanning shuffled the plates, leaving the spicier ones nearer to Taxian-Jun’s side of the table. “We came here for a mission.” He paused. “Last week.”
He watched as Taxian-Jun calculated the days and cursed. “That Mo-zongshi again…!”
Last week, they had come down the mountain and taken care of a few demons terrorising the inn. It was driving away customers and proving to be a problem to the couple manning the place. With the combined prowess of Mo Ran and Chu Wanning, the demons were vanquished in no time at all. The couple were endlessly grateful to the pair, thanking them profusely and inviting them to drop by any time.
With his mind preoccupied, Chu Wanning wasn’t paying attention while using the inn’s chopsticks. He ended up prickling himself with the rougher end of the chopsticks, and let out a little ‘oh’ of pain and surprise.
Taxian-Jun immediately jumped to his feet. “Wanning, are you okay?!” His fingers were flaring crimson red – he looked close to either burning down the chopsticks or wrecking the whole inn.
“Yes,” Chu Wanning said, trying to reassure Taxian-Jun. He mended the wound easily with a burst of qi. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
“What a lousy set of chopsticks!” Taxian-Jun complained as he sat back down. “For an establishment that claims that they are the finest around, you’d think they would use utensils made of jade and silver. How dare they mislead this Venerable One?!”
“It was my fault,” Chu Wanning said simply, reaching for another pair of chopsticks in the common holder. “Perhaps I should have brought along the chopsticks you made for me.”
“Tch!” Taxian-Jun snorted. “That stupid pair of chopsticks again. How many times does this Venerable One have to tell you it’s not from him?”
Taxian-Jun sulkily bit his chopsticks, gnawing at it without touching any of the dishes. At the petulant look on his face, Chu Wanning was going to say something, but before he could, the innkeeper came in again with the dishes they ordered.
“Thank you once again, zongshis,” the innkeeper gushed. “For all the help and trouble.”
“Not at all,” Chu Wanning said calmly.
The innkeeper beamed at him. “Chu-zongshi, you truly have such an outstanding disciple.”
At the corner of his eyes, he saw Taxian-Jun scoffing. “Disciple.” Taxian-Jun smiled like he knew a funny joke.
Hearing the praise, however, made Chu Wanning feel all warm and tingly inside. He thought of the journey Mo Ran took to become the man he was today, the hard work he put in and adversities he overcame… Inadvertently, a small smile tugged on Chu Wanning’s lips.
“Yes,” Chu Wanning quietly agreed.
The scowl on Taxian-Jun’s face somehow managed to deepen. He sullenly picked at the food, cramming all the spicy appetisers in his mouth without even stopping for a sip of tea.
“Mo-zongshi, the most outstanding disciple of the Beidou Immortal, Yuheng of the Night Sky. Pui!” Taxian-Jun muttered between mouthfuls of chilli pepper beef strips. “Of course Chu Wanning’s proud of that sanctimonious two-faced bitch.” (Chu Wanning hadn’t thought that Taxian-Jun would know a word like that. It seemed like he had been studying hard on his own – Chu Wanning must praise him the next time the opportunity arose.)
Silly child, Chu Wanning thought to himself, watching Taxian-Jun stew in a jar of his own vinegar. You are the outstanding disciple I am proud of.
In the end, they headed back home after their dinner (which went by quickly without Taxian-Jun chit chatting or trying to do any funny business with him). When they got home, it was still early – the sun had barely set, and the sky was not nearly dark enough to show the stars. It was startling - usually, it would be a miracle for them to be back home before midnight, because Taxian-Jun would end up bundling them into an alley and doing a variety of unspoken things to Chu Wanning.
Chu Wanning felt uneasy. But what was he to say?
“Mo Ran, why did you not drag me to a corner and have your way with me?”
Chu Wanning’s face may not be as thin as it was ten years ago, but! He could still never even think of saying such shameless things!
At the front of their cottage, Taxian-Jun eyed him expectantly. When he saw Chu Wanning standing there, as composed as always, his handsome features twisted.
“Hmph.” With a flick of his sleeves, he turned and made his way to the backyard instead.
“Mo Ran,” Chu Wanning said exasperatedly, trailing behind him as he stomped to the backyard and threw his outer robes on the ground. “What are you doing?”
“This Venerable One is going to sleep here tonight.” He arranged his robes this way and that, until he was finally satisfied with it. He patted the tree that he chose to put his robes under. “Da yezi will keep me company tonight.”
Since when did he name that tree? A muscle in Chu Wanning’s jaw twitched.
Chu Wanning was no idiot – he knew something was wrong. He knew Taxian-Jun was upset and acting out.
But it had only been a year since the final battle, since he settled down with memories of both lifetimes, and since co-existing with Mo Ran of two lifetimes. The Taxian-Jun that appeared every three days was different from the Taxian-Jun he was familiar with in his past life – and with only four complete months with this rawer, more tender Taxian-Jun, Chu Wanning found himself not knowing how to properly deal with him and the situation at hand.
Was Chu Wanning to also lie with him on the ground? No, Taxian-Jun would get mad at him for not taking care of his health and Mo-Zongshi would fuss over him the next day.
Was Chu Wanning supposed to simper and ask him to go to bed with him? He wasn’t a harlot.
Was Chu Wanning to whip out Tianwen and threaten Taxian-Jun to get the hell in? What right did he have to do such a thing, when he didn’t even know how to coax his own husband out of a sullen mood?
In the end, with a sigh, Chu Wanning slowly made his way back into the cottage. Just before he stepped in, he turned back to glance at Taxian-Jun.
Taxian-Jun was there, under the tree, his arms under his head as he laid there with his eyes closed. Chu Wanning felt his heart waver before he entered the cottage.
He left the door open behind him. Just in case, when it got dark enough at night, Mo Ran could sneak in.
He was the one who taught him that it was easier to sneak around with the cover of darkness, after all.
But Taxian-Jun didn’t sneak in. Chu Wanning was left tossing and turning in their shared bed that was suddenly too spacious without Mo Ran, too cold without Mo Ran, and too… bare, without Mo Ran’s scent and arms enveloping him.
It felt wrong.
In the middle of the night, when it was not quite midnight, Chu Wanning sat up in bed. Then, reaching for a spare blanket, he quietly made his way to the backyard.
Taxian-Jun was still sleeping there, his brows slightly furrowed. Chu Wanning lightly smoothened his forehead before draping the blanket over him.
The next morning, Chu Wanning woke up to the smell of freshly fried dough fritters and steamed beancurd. He ambled over to the dining table, where he was greeted by the sight of a smiling Mo Ran, greeting him good morning.
“Shizun, take a seat, I’m just about done.”
After Mo Ran busied himself taking out the food and utensils, Chu Wanning hesitated – should he ask about last night? His consciousness may have changed to Mo Ran of this lifetime, but more often than not, Mo Ran knew what ‘he’ was feeling when Taxian-Jun’s soul was in control, and he could tell Chu Wanning how to best go about things.
But before he could ask anything, Mo Ran smiled gently at him, urging him to eat up before the food got cold. And so, once again, Chu Wanning didn’t say anything.
Three days later, it was Taxian-Jun’s day again.
Chu Wanning went about their day, the past three days with Mo-zongshi putting Taxian-Jun’s odd behaviour from before at the back of his mind. He nearly forgot about the whole thing, and only remembered it when he saw the way Taxian-Jun scowled at the chopsticks Mo-zongshi gifted him.
This wouldn’t do. Chu Wanning had to do something. So, after he fussed around with his things for a bit, thinking of what he could do to distract Taxian-Jun, he spotted some parchment paper and brushes lying around. Yes, he thought, this seemed like a good idea. It would occupy Mo Ran’s attention, and on the other, it would get him to practice his writing. Then, he could read more books and write longer letters to Xue Meng back home.
And perhaps, when Mo Ran had to leave for missions and errands for longer than three days, Chu Wanning could receive letters from both sides of him.
Unsurprisingly, Taxian-Jun refused.
“This Venerable One only gets to see Wanning every three days,” he said. “This Venerable One can think of better ways to spend the time…”
Chu Wanning was prepared. He smacked the hand that was crawling to his waist, before turning it around and firmly pressing a brush to Mo Ran’s palm.
“Practice,” Chu Wanning said.
Taxian-Jun’s handsome features twisted into a scowl. “So, will Wanning not like me unless I write? If you want someone to write for you, wait for Mo-zongshi to come back tomorrow.”
“Don’t be absurd,” Chu Wanning said sternly.
Then, in a softer tone, “I will write with you.”
“…” Begrudgingly, Taxian-Jun sat up straight and sulkily started to write.
As he wrote, Chu Wanning could tell that Mo Ran’s heart was not into it. His strokes were messy and languid, he nearly got ink on his sleeves more than once, and the way he sat was as if he had no spine. Worst of all, the grip on his brush was so lax that even a wind could blow his brush out of his hand.
“Your posture is incorrect,” Chu Wanning started. “You need a firmer hold on the brush. Hold it like you would with chopsticks.”
“…!” Taxian-Jun’s grip on the brush tightened abruptly. Chu Wanning heard a faint crack. Just as he was about to admonish Taxian-Jun for breaking a paintbrush, Taxian-Jun suddenly scrambled to his feet, his eyes flashing as he glared daggers at Chu Wanning.
“If you want that dog zongshi so much!” He hurled the broken pieces of the paintbrush at a corner of their cottage, where it hit against the wall harmlessly. “Then… then…”
With the corners of his eyes red, he took a deep breath and yelled, “… then this Venerable One will disappear from this world – forever!”
Chu Wanning’s mouth opened. Then he closed it soundlessly.
What was he to say? What could he say?
Before Chu Wanning could even tell him to not be silly and that he loved Mo Ran, regardless of which lifetime and what state and what form, Taxian-Jun turned on his heel and took off running, fleeing their cottage without a single glance back.
For the rest of the day, he saw not even a single hair of Taxian-Jun’s. On the outside, Chu Wanning looked calm and peaceful – he went on his day normally, working on his inventions, trying (and failing) to clean the house, attempting to practice his martial arts (and failing, because Mo Ran usually sparred with him).
On the inside, Chu Wanning was worried sick. Where did Taxian-Jun go? Did he go down the mountain – if so, did he bring money? Was he getting into any fights with the villagers in town? Did he go to Sisheng Peak instead? Would Xue Meng give him a hard time? What was he even doing right now?
A voice at the back of his mind whispered – what if he really went to do something silly, and disappeared forever?
Chu Wanning tried to banish that thought away. But as he fiddled with his Sacred Day Warden (an upgrade of the Holy Night Guardian), the thought came back, haunting him.
In the end, unable to focus and work on any task, he gathered a bit of spiritual energy to his palms. Although Mo Ran was a zongshi in his own standing, and a very powerful one at that, Chu Wanning couldn’t stop worrying, especially on the rare occasions they had to be separated for missions and the like. As a compromise, Mo Ran started wearing gloves that were linked to Chu Wanning’s spiritual energy via his palms – similar to the demon-repelling haitang he used to give his disciples many years ago.
(And not because he wanted to use it as a way to constantly keep in touch with Mo Ran, it was a coincidence that the haitangs had messenger and tracking properties on top of demon-repelling.)
As Chu Wanning was concentrating, doubt crept back in. Mo Ran was angry at him – and had been for a while, thinking back. Chu Wanning didn’t do anything about it when he could have, and drove Mo Ran to breaking point. Who is to say that Mo Ran wouldn’t be so fed up with Chu Wanning that he would throw his gloves away?
To his immense relief, he felt Taxian-Jun’s spiritual energy. Following the location his energy was tugging him to, Chu Wanning left the cottage and found himself in the middle of the woods at the back of the mountain.
And there was Taxian-Jun – sitting on the ground, moodily leaning against a tree and sulking.
“Mo Ran,” Chu Wanning said, stepping in front of him.
“Wanning?” Taxian-Jun’s eyes widened fractionally before he narrowed them again. With a hmph, Taxian-Jun crossed his arms and pointedly angled his body away from Chu Wanning.
“If you’re looking for that dog zongshi, he’ll be back tomorrow! This Venerable One will stay here alone, until I am banished back into his mind-”
“No,” Chu Wanning interrupted. “I was looking for you.”
“You…” Taxian-Jun’s lips trembled. Then his eyes narrowed. “Chu Wanning. You left the house in the middle of the night not wearing a cloak? Do you want to catch a cold?”
“I forgot.” Because I was looking for you, the words went unspoken.
Taxian-Jun’s face twisted in anger, but over the lifetime and more they had with each other, Chu Wanning recognised when his anger started to face inwards at himself. Now, it was one of those times.
In a stiff voice, Taxian-Jun said, “It’s always my fault… “
“No, it isn’t,” Chu Wanning replied.
Chu Wanning knew he wasn’t just talking about the cloak, writing, the chopsticks. No, he wasn’t talking about any of that.
He was talking about his fears, the demons he grappled with a lifetime ago, and how they crept in and manifested into insecurities and jealousy at his other personality.
The rivalry he had with Mo-zongshi was childish, harmless fun that Chu Wanning exasperatedly shook his head at. It got serious when Taxian-Jun started to doubt himself, wondering if he would always lose to the ‘better’ version of himself; wondering if Chu Wanning would hate him for what he had done when he was confused and confounded under the curse; if Chu Wanning preferred Mo-zongshi over him.
The answer had always been and will always be no – Chu Wanning loved all sides of Mo Ran, and it was an indisputable fact.
“This Venerable One isn’t as cultured as Mo-zongshi…” Taxian-Jun’s voice cracked a little. “All I have is money and physical strength, and you like someone who can read and write and–”
“I like you,” Chu Wanning said quietly. “And I want you.”
Taxian-Jun stilled.
“I want all of you,” Chu Wanning said. “Taxian-Jun, Mo-zongshi, Mo Weiyu, Mo Ran – you.”
Taxian-Jun trembled, and his eyes reddened. “Shizun,” he said, choking up. “I… made you upset. I always ruin everything –”
He didn’t finish his sentence as, the next thing he knew, Chu Wanning leaned forward and wrapped his arms around him. He buried his face in the crook of Mo Ran’s neck as he embraced him.
“No, you don’t,” he said.
Chu Wanning felt warm tears dripping down his neck and landing on his shoulder.
“Never your fault,” he said firmly.
In between hiccups and muffled sobs, Taxian-Jun asked, “Does Wanning mean it? Do you still want me after everything?”
Chu Wanning nodded, tightening the hug.
“Will you still like me even if I can’t write or give you chopsticks?”
Chu Wanning resisted the urge to laugh. With a burst of courage from hiding his face from view, he murmured, “I will always love you, Mo Ran.”
Taxian-Jun’s breathing hitched.
“Let’s go home.” Chu Wanning stood up and extended a hand to Taxian-Jun to help him up.
Taxian-Jun grasped his hand and got up. Instead of letting go, he tightened his grip on Chu Wanning’s hand, and pressed it backwards against the tree.
Then, he kissed Chu Wanning.
The kiss started out slow and chaste, as if Taxian-Jun was hesitant. Chu Wanning’s fingers curled around Taxian-Jun’s hand, and he might have breathlessly called for Mo Ran.
Taxian-Jun took another step forward, pressing Chu Wanning against the tree as he kissed him again, fiercely this time. The bark dug a little into Chu Wanning’s back – he opened his mouth to protest but Taxian-Jun took the opportunity to deepen the kiss.
The kiss became increasingly more passionate, the little noises that escaped from their mouths mingling with the slide of their tongues. Taxian-Jun kissed like the conqueror he was, eagerly, ruthlessly, obsessively, and Chu Wanning willingly submitted to the sensations, to him, to everything Mo Ran.
When they broke apart, their lips were wet and thoroughly kiss-bitten. Mo Ran was staring at him like he was the most precious thing on earth, and he felt himself trembling at the intensity of the gaze.
“… I remember,” Taxian-Jun said hoarsely.
“What?” Chu Wanning asked, still feeling lightheaded.
“This Venerable One remembers.” He lowered his head to look into Chu Wanning’s eyes. Under the moonlight, his purple-black eyes glittered, reflecting the stars and all things beautiful.
“Your first kiss with Mo-zongshi,” he said. “-was against a tree. And now… it is my memory too.”
Chu Wanning wanted to say that their first kiss wasn’t at this particular tree (he knew which tree it was at Yuliang Village; he could point it out). But before he could even get a single breath out, Taxian-Jun sealed his lips over his once again.
Soon, Chu Wanning couldn’t say anything else.
After a long time in the forest, they headed back home. Chu Wanning sat Taxian-Jun down at the dining table and solemnly handed him a cloth-wrapped bundle.
“A gift from Wanning?” Taxian-Jun unwrapped it and scowled when he saw a pair of chopsticks. The chopsticks were handmade by Chu Wanning, and fashioned similarly to the ones Mo-zongshi made for him.
Taxian-Jun looked at the butterfly engraving at the top of the first chopstick with a barely concealed disdainful expression. “Mo-zongshi’s trademark. He will be back at midnight, so you can give it to him then-”
Chu Wanning sighed and shifted the chopsticks, revealing the one at the bottom. The other chopstick, instead of having a butterfly engraving, was engraved with a seedling.
Taxian-Jun stared. “This is…”
“Like the plants you grow,” Chu Wanning said, masking his shyness with a sip of tea. “… Your Xiao-hong and Xiao-cui.”
Taxian-Jun looked at it wordlessly for a few seconds longer before breaking out into a handsome grin, seven parts evil, three parts cute. He eagerly used his new pair of chopsticks to grab food and deposited them into Chu Wanning’s bowl.
“Baobei,” he said. “Feed me.”
Chu Wanning sighed again, but picked up his own chopsticks and placed a cabbage leaf into Mo Ran’s waiting mouth.
He would indulge Mo Ran, just this once.
(And later, at night, when Taxian-Jun threw him on the bed and suddenly produced that pair of chopsticks, tormenting him until he was crying in their shared bed… Chu Wanning would regret indulging him.)