The Wen Remnants were Wei Wuxian's Family
Wei Wuxian had multiple families before. He had his parents, but they died. He had the Jiangs, but they weren't really his family to begin with. He was never treated like a family member in the household, and he never belonged in the family either.
I feel like the real family that he had in his first life were the Wen remnants.
“…Who cares about the broad and bustling highway?” He humphed. “I prefer to follow the single-plank bridge into the darkness… Into! The! …Into the darkness?”
When he sang out the word “darkness,” he suddenly noticed that it wasn’t dark at all. The black summit he always returned to was vastly different tonight.
The area around the few little huts had been swept clean; even the weeds had been pulled. Several round, vibrantly red lanterns hung in the nearby woods, dangling from branches. The lanterns were all handmade. While they were simple and crude, they emitted a warm light that illuminated the pitch-black forest.
The fifty-odd people would usually have finished their meals and holed up in their run-down shacks by now, with the lights extinguished. But tonight, they were all gathered in the most spacious hut. That hut, which consisted of a rooftop held up by eight wooden stakes, could accommodate everyone. The small structure next to it was the “kitchen,” so this had become the dining hall.
He saved them when they were slowly being killed. He did it because it was the right thing to do. And he was the only one who willingly laid down his life for them.
Life may be cruel for them, but they made the most of it with each other.
Wei Wuxian, finding the sight strange, walked over with Wen Yuan under his arm. “Why is everyone here today? Not heading off to bed? It’s so bright with all those lanterns.”
Wen Qing walked out of the kitchen, carrying a plate. “The lanterns were hung for your sake, oh elder one. Let’s make more tomorrow and hang them on the mountain path. It’s not easy to find your way around in the dark. You’ll trip and break a bone one of these days.”
“Come now, even if I break a bone, don’t we have you?” Wei Wuxian said.
“I certainly don’t want to do extra work. It’s not like I get paid for it,” Wen Qing shot back. “If you do break a limb, don’t blame me for bruising you when I set it.”
“What, you guys haven’t eaten yet?” Wei Wuxian asked.
“Nah. We were waiting for you,” Wen Qing answered.
“Why are you waiting for me? I already ate,” Wei Wuxian said.
As soon as he spoke, he realized he’d made a mistake. Sure enough, Wen Qing slammed a plate onto the table, and the red chili peppers sprinkled over the vegetables bounced with the impact.
“No wonder you didn’t buy anything. You spent everything at a restaurant, didn’t you?” Wen Qing raged. “I’ve only got so much money, and I gave it all to you. Look at how carefree you are with your spending!”
“No! I didn’t…” Wei Wuxian tried explaining himself.
Look at Wen Qing and Wei Wuxian's cute little banter 😆. To me, they are the most iconic duo. The way he trusts Wen Qing to help him out with his injuries is so natural! I bet they were really close to each other. Maybe even as close as siblings!
The other cultivators busied themselves with setting out chopsticks and pouring tea, saving the head seat for Wei Wuxian. Seeing them like this made him feel uncomfortable about accepting the gesture.
Over the past few months, he had been fully aware that the Wens were somewhat afraid of him. These people had heard of his vicious name and his insane deeds during the Sunshot Campaign. They had heard the widespread rumors of the savage, evil ways he took his anger out on people. With their own eyes, they had seen him order corpses to murder the living. In the beginning, old Granny Wen’s legs would shudder nonstop whenever she saw him, and Wen Yuan would hide behind her. It was many days before he dared to slowly approach him.
Although he saved the Wen remnants, they were still terrified of him XD. Guess Wei Wuxian really made a name for himself during the war. But Wei Wuxian didn't hold it against them. He was still kind and gentle towards them, and after some time, they started to warm up to him, to see him as their own, as their family.
But now, those same fifty pairs of eyes were watching him. Although there was still some fear in their gazes, it was the sort of fear attached to respect and reverence. Their eyes also carried a trace of cautiousness, and some intent to ingratiate themselves. However, it was by and large the same gratitude and goodwill that shone in the eyes of the Wen siblings.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done, all this time,” Wen Qing said quietly.
They appreciate what Wei Wuxian had done for them and decided to host a feast for him TwT.
“You…are suddenly being nice to me. I’m kind of scared?” Wei Wuxian said.
Wen Qing’s knuckles seemed to briefly crack, and Wei Wuxian immediately shut up. However, she continued her quiet speech.
LOL 🤣🤣🤣. Wen Qing just wants to keep the somber atmosphere and Wei Wuxian can't help but tease her.
“…They’ve always wanted to have a meal with you, and to thank you. But you’re always busy running around or locking yourself up in the Demon-Quelling Cave for days and telling everyone you’re not to be disturbed. They were afraid they would distract you from your work or bother you. They thought you didn’t like to mingle with people and that you didn’t want to talk to them, so they didn’t want to pester you with any attempts at conversation. When A-Ning woke up today, Si-shu said we had to make you sit down for a feast, no matter what… So just sit down, even if you stuffed yourself to bursting earlier today. It’s fine even if you don’t eat. Just sit and chat, have a drink, and that’ll be enough.”
Wei Wuxian was struck silent. Then his eyes lit up. “Drink? There’s booze up here?”
The elder Wens had been watching them nervously, but as soon as they heard him say that, one immediately responded.
“Yeah, yeah. There’s drink.” He passed Wei Wuxian several tightly sealed jugs that had been sitting on the table. “It’s fruit wine. Made from wild fruits picked on the mountain. It’s got some real body to it!”
“Si-shu also loves to drink,” Wen Ning said from where he was crouching by the table. “He knows how to make wine and made those specially for tonight’s dinner. He tried for many days.”
Because he now spoke so slowly, one word at a time, he did not stutter. Si-shu gave an abashed smile but continued to nervously stare at Wei Wuxian.
“Is that so?” Wei Wuxian said. “Then I gotta give it a try!”
He sat down at the table, and Si-shu immediately opened a sealed jug and passed it to him with both hands. Wei Wuxian sniffed it and smiled.
“It does have a pretty nice body!”
The others sat down along with him. After hearing his praise, smiles split their faces as if they had been greatly commended, and they dug in with their chopsticks.
🥹🥹🥹. Such a heartwarming family dinner. I wonder if this is Wei Wuxian's first time having such a dinner. He certainly didn't enjoy the meal whenever a certain Madame was around.
For the very first time, Wei Wuxian paid no attention to the wine’s flavor.
He thought to himself, Follow the path into the darkness…huh?
Suddenly, he felt refreshed and alive.
This act of kindness by the Wens might not seem much to us. But it meant so much to Wei Wuxian. It showed him that even though the road to righteousness is dark, there's always a tiny beam of light shining through. It showed him that there's always hope in the darkest times. And that this time, he's not alone in it anymore. He's got his new family, and that is what's most important.
