"Mm."

"Lan Zhan was so brave," she tells her shijie earnestly. "Too brave! She tried to sacrifice herself for me too many times. But still, she's a really admirable person, even if she needs to take better care of herself."

Jiang Yanli smiles slightly over Lan Zhan's leg. 

"A-Ying should keep in mind that self-preservation is virtuous herself."

"Yes. A-Ying should keep this in mind," Lan Zhan echoes, like a hypocrite.

Pout. "A-Zhan, just how many times did you try to sacrifice yourself for me in that cave?"

Lan Zhan glares at her, too busy short circuiting over Wei Ying calling her A-Zhan to otherwise respond.

"Shijie, I know I worry you and A-Cheng sometimes, and I'm sorry, but Lan Zhan is even more self-sacrificing than me! Don't encourage her!"

Jiang Yanli giggles slightly and serves both of the invalids some soup. 

It's really really really good soup. 

Lan Zhan thanks her and succinctly praises the soup! Yum yum tasty soup.

Okay, hear Wei Ying out: feeding each other spoonfuls. 

Lan Zhan does not want to be spoon fed in front of Jiang Yanli, but she will happily feed Wei Ying.

Fiiiiiine but she'd better feed herself too. 

She will! Once they have both eaten all their soup, she makes sure to thank Jiang-guniang again.

"You're welcome, Lan-er-guniang," she beams, and reaches out to ruffle her little sister's hair. 

Wei Ying leans into the ruffling with her babiest face. 

Eeeeeeeee cutest Wei Ying.

Jiang Fengmian comes in through the open door, followed by Jiang Cheng, who looks somehow less certain than he has in the past. 

"A-Ying," Jiang Fengmian says, sitting down by the bed. Not unkindly: "It seems you've had some real trouble this time."

Wei Ying ducks her head. "I'm fine, Uncle Jiang," she promises. "Lan Zhan and A-Cheng took really good care of me the whole time." 

Jiang Fengmian glances at his son, who attempts weakly to smile at him. 

"You did really well," he says to his ward, turning back to her. 

"I'm just the one who happened to get left behind. A-Cheng would've done just as well," she says. 

"I wouldn't have tried to play the hero and gotten hurt," Jiang Cheng mutters darkly. 

Jiang Fengmian turns to his son again, more sharply. "A-Cheng, that's not an appropriate thing to say--"

"You can't blame A-Cheng for worrying about me!" Wei Ying interjects hastily. "I had an awful fever for a little while, he was awfully upset, you can't fault him for being protective." 

Jiang Fengmian's shoulders loosen slightly but he still doesn't look pleased. "Even so, it's still not--"

"And what's inappropriate about it?" a harsh voice demands, as Yu Ziyuan sweeps in. "That girl messes around without regard for the consequences to the sect, and you think it's inappropriate to chastise her?" 

The ambient emotional temperature in the room drops about ten degrees. Jiang Cheng goes rigid, like he hopes that if he doesn't move, neither of his parents will be able to see him. Wei Ying ducks her head and shifts to get between Lan Zhan and Madam Yu. Jiang Fengmian's jaw clenches. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? How can you even ask that? Am I or am I not the mistress of Lotus pier!" she snaps angrily. Her gaze shifts to Wei Ying again. "You. If I had known you couldn't go even a few days without making trouble, I would have shut you up in here so you couldn't embarrass us." 

"Wei Ying made no trouble."

Yu Ziyuan glances at Lan Zhan, lips pressed together thinly. "Not for you, I'm sure." 

"She has done nothing to you."

"Do you think the Wen sect isn't going to retaliate for what she--for what both of you--did?" she snaps. "Just because your sect has already provoked them to destruction, doesn't mean the rest of us don't have to think about such things!"

Ow. "Wei Ying did nothing wrong."
 

"And what gives you the right to judge?" Yu Ziyuan demands. "You don't have to live with the consequences of her actions."

"Enough," Jiang Fengmian says, "we can discuss this later--"

"Later? Why? Do you think I'm ashamed of what I have to say? You give that girl far too much leeway; if she hasn't already brought ruin upon us, she will one day, you can bet on that! Do you think I believe you'd be half as lenient if it was one of my children that had done such a thing? Do you think people don't already talk enough? At least she's only a girl, so you wouldn't be able to throw Jiang Cheng aside for her even if she was your--" 

"Stop!" he says, finally provoked into raising his voice. 

"Stop? Do you think I'm going to stop just because you yell at me? I know what kind of man you are, Jiang Fengmian--"

Jiang Fengmian glowers and then turns and stalks away, Yu Ziyuan following to keep scolding him.

Wei Ying and her siblings all relax substantially once the adults have left the room, Wei Ying turning to snuggle Lan Zhan and Jiang Cheng sitting down, looking pale and exhausted.