"We're handling something dangerous--um, really dangerous, but it's not here." Hug. "It's good to visit as long as the danger doesn't come here." Again. 

"Well. You do what you have to." Squeeze. She lets go. "There's nothing much to eat in that house, and there isn't much point changing that if it's just overnight. You'll all have supper at mine," she says, and it isn't a question. 

Yay! He bounces on his heels excitedly.

“Wow, thank you so much Granny Wen!”

That’s — unnecessary, but kind. It would be impolite to refuse.

All three of the Wen siblings are at least a little more relaxed here, in the company of this woman, than they have been elsewhere. 

They reach the old woman's house and she starts preparing dinner, assigning her grandchildren assistive tasks and eyeing A-Ying's friends speculatively. 

Grandchildren get to work on their assistive tasks!

She would like to help too, if she could be of use.

Granny briefly quizzes her about her culinary abilities and sets her to chopping vegetables. 

She can chop vegetables!! Lan Zhan applies herself seriously to the vegetable chopping. It's... nice, seeing a happier and more relaxed Wen Ying. Lan Zhan would like to see her look relaxed more of the time.

Wen Ying sweeps around the kitchen, bringing Granny what she asks for and swapping out fully-chopped vegetables for new ones when Lan Zhan finishes, barely needing to look to find things. 

"--I'm glad you got to see this," she murmurs to Lan Zhan at one point. "Cloud Recesses is beautiful, and--I wouldn't want you thinking that I was so emotionally impoverished as to have nothing better than Nightless City to call home."

"I have never thought of you that way."

"Oh. I'm really glad." 

"It is pleasant here. I hope you are able to return soon."

"Me too. My life hasn't exactly gone how I would've chosen, so far, but...as long as I have this place to come home to, I can't count myself unlucky."

"I think I'm lucky!" Wen Ying volunteers beside her. "I really like being here and, and all the people here, but even when we aren't here I have Er-jie and Da-jie."

"Yeah! Wen Ruohan and his sons suck soooo much, but really, like, every single other person in my life is great enough you have to wonder if the universe is trying to balance the scales. Especially A-Ning and Qing-jie but not just them." 

Lan Zhan nearly asks who else, before realizing that Wen Ying must mean all of the rest of her family in this town. 

"Ooh, Wen-er guniang, what about me and Lan-guniang?"

"You're both very good but Lan Zhan is better than you, sorry Nie-gongxi but it's the truth." 

Huaisang flutters his fan and makes a big show of spluttering in offense, but this is basically what he was aiming for.

Dinner is delicious, the kind of simple but filling and well-made food that takes a lifetime to perfect. It sure is a good thing they aren't in the Cloud Recesses with their three-bowl limit right now because it's been months and mmmmmmmmm.

Granny is of the opinion that young people these days are all too skinny anyway.