Awkward nod.

She retraces her steps back to where she started, once again checking on the sleeping Wei Wuxian as she passes his room so that Lan Wangji can do so too. 

"Thank you again for finding A-Xian and bringing him here," she whispers.  "My brothers mean so much to me.  Though we should let them rest for now.  A-Xian has sleep to catch up on and isn't good at rising as early as everyone does in Cloud Recesses."

Seeing Wei Ying still feels like being unable to breathe and yet breathing for the first time in two whole years. He nods, eyes still trained on the door to Wei Ying's room. "Wei Ying should sleep."

She will skip A-Cheng's room this time.  She goes to the table with her soup.  Two bowls are set out and soup is ladled into each. 

"Would you prefer to eat in silence and then speak afterwards?" she asks, remembering the way meals worked in Cloud Recesses.  It shouldn't apply while they're in Qinghe, technically, but there's no need to make her guest uncomfortable.  Meals are about enjoying food, not being efficient.  They have the time.

Slow half-nod. "Unless there are urgent matters."

"Nothing urgent, no."

And they can eat in silence.  The soup is amazing. 

She's happy with how the meatless variant turned out, and tries her best to read Lan Wangji's expression to see if he likes it too.  He is a person who is so very important to her little A-Xian, who is so very important to her. 

He does enjoy the soup, although it's difficult to stay absorbed in the taste when his mind runs off to so many other fearful places. He drags his mind back to the present again and again; when they finish eating, he thanks Jiang-guniang sincerely. 

Jiang Yanli is pleased! 

"Yunmeng does have non-spicy food, even if A-Xian does usually prefer our spiciest dishes," she says.  "You need to come to Lotus Pier once the war is over, and I will make you even better soup.  There's nothing like using roots fresh from a Yunmeng lake.  We have a perfect climate for them to grow.  I remember spending hours at a time looking out at the flowers from the quiet pavilions."

"I would visit."

He would like to help rebuild those quiet pavilions. He would like to be there for Wei Ying this time, after the war.

"A-Xian will be happy to have you there." 

She doesn't speak further on that.  Getting Lan Wangji and A-Xian together is a pot best left to simmer for a while.  It will be better if Lan Wangji and A-Cheng are on better terms first.  Her family needs to stay together.  She doesn't know if there's any chance for Lan Wangji to decide to marry into Lotus Pier instead of taking A-Xian to live in Cloud Recesses, but it won't hurt to try. 

"I was hoping to speak with you about your plans for changing the future.  Is there anyone else who you think ought to be told?  A-Cheng thinks it should be kept to only a handful of trusted people and doesn't intend to tell anyone except his siblings, but we don't know what your thoughts are on the subject."

“He is correct. Few people can be trusted to treat the information well.” He sips his tea. “I will inform Zewu-jun of the circumstances when he is found, but I will not tell Wei Ying’s future to anyone.”

Interesting.  Are the Twin Jades of Lan not on good terms with each other?

"Zewu-jun is widely known for being respectable and wise.  I was relieved to hear that he will be found safe.  A-Cheng hadn't mentioned much to me about Zewu-jun beyond that he is still the Lan Sect Leader in the time he came from."

He nods slightly, but does not elaborate.

"That sounds fine.  You do know him best, after all.  I will see that A-Cheng knows how much Zewu-jun will be told so there aren't misunderstandings later."