Fic: Tales from Tianji Manor
Relationship: Di Feisheng/Fang Duobing/Li Lianhua
Tags: POV He Xiaohui, Post-canon Fix-it, Li Lianhua lives
(read it on ao3!/next)
He Xiaohui watches the three sleeping men from the doorway, observes the way each of her son's arms are wound tight around the other two men's waists, as if he was afraid that they would be taken from him.
She takes a good look at their faces, the once-feared Demon lord of the Jianghu, and the once-revered prodigy Li Xiangyi lying peacefully on either side of her son, the severe lines on their faces smoothed out by sleep.
Her son had showed up out of the blue one day, moving house and all, with a haggard looking Di Feisheng and an unconscious Li Xiangyi in it. He had proceeded to hole himself up in his room with the former leader of the Jingyuan Alliance and Li Xiangyi, blabbing about saving Li Lianhua before the man escaped, pleading for her to place her most vicious traps outside his room and not let any of them out for the next week.
Bewildered but recognizing the firm expression on her son's face, she had complied, resolving to demand answers from him once the week was up.
And here she was, at the end of the promised seven days, undoing all her mechanisms at the break of dawn to see three innocuous sleeping faces.
He Xiaohui did not know what to make of it.
Her son must have the devil's luck, to have snagged the two most powerful men in the jianghu.
She does not know how she feels about her Fang Xiaobao, the same snot-nosed kid who she once had to make wheeled chairs for, now all grown up and actually dating men nearly a decade older than him.
Li Xiangyi, she at least knew somewhat. She still hasn't forgiven him for those words that pushed her son to the jianghu, made him put himself through all that pain, but she also knew the man named Li Lianhua. What she said that day was genuine. She knew her fool of a son, she knew that he would only get himself scammed, robbed, and killed if it weren't for Li Lianhua.
She remembers how her son had stood resolute in front of Shi Shui and Yun Biqiu, throwing away his lifelong dream just to protect Li Lianhua, how the man in turn, had recognized her Xiaobao for the treasure that he was.
Her Fang Xiaobao had always been one for wearing his heart on his sleeve, giving it away easily.
(It was why she had sent his xiaoyi after him, had advocated for his marriage to the princess to be held as soon as possible, to tie him down before he managed to escape to the jianghu, where he would undoubtedly get hurt a thousand times over.
She should have known that he would inherit his biological mother’s stubbornness).
Di Feisheng, however. She did not know what to make of him. When her Xiaobao came home in a frenzy, Lotus tower in tow, the man had let him discuss matters with her, never once trying to intervene as he played silent sentinel by the side.
She had only met him once, during the fight against Shan Gudao where he helped take down his own Alliance, and noticed the familiar way her Xiaobao addressed him. The easy way Li Xiangyi stood beside him, as if they had not fought to the death ten years ago. The way Di Feisheng had asked Li Xiangyi so tenderly if he wasn't going to chase after her son.
It spoke of something between them, their dynamics between the three of them built during their travels through the jianghu. When had they picked up Di Feisheng, anyway?
All she knew of him was rumours accumulated over the years, painting him a fearsome figure who rose to the top at the mere age of 21 before perishing alongside Li Xiangyi.
And now here they both were, in her Tianji Manor.
Curled up on either side of her son, the gentle rays of dawn made them all look younger than they were, and nothing at all like the three men who undid all of Shan Gudao’s carefully laid plans in one fell swoop.
(The pile of blankets that Di Feisheng and her Xiaobao had wrapped Li Lianhua in were strewn to the side, she notes. She concludes that they managed to cure Li Lianhua, and the relief she feels at that nearly bowls her over).
He Xiaohui scoops up the blankets, turning to take one last look at the three sleeping men before leaving, only to meet Di Feisheng’s quiet stare.
She quirks a hesitant smile at him, which he returns with a nod.
It's a start, she supposed.
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What's The Age Gap Between Arden And Benrey? I Remember You Mentioned In A Post AGES Ago When You First Made Arden That It Was Some Where Around Two Years Age Gap, But I'm Curious If That Has Changed. :3
ALSO I LOVE SEEING MAMA MOOLA COLOURED IN GRRRR SHE'S SO PERFECT
I’ve definitely stretched the gap a bit more so Arden’s a tad older- maybe like 4-5 years more than before. In the ghost au I’m still keeping it 2 years tho- it’s easier for me that way.
Also also I’m probably gonna do more younger family stuff to better ground Arden’s character and his dynamic to Ben- heck maybe I’ll eventually get to the event where he lost his eye! Who knows :))c
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