“You should stay here tonight, the storm doesn’t seem like a quick one,” Shen Haiyuan finally said after five minutes. He had to will himself to keep uncertainty out of his voice.

 “Y-You sure we won’t be too much of a bother? Your place is kind of small,” Zhāoyáng stuttered.

 “Of course not, poor Mùyáng seems just as scared as you are. I’ll go and prepare you two rooms,” Shen Haiyuan said, attempting to keep joy out of his voice at the thought of Zhāoyáng staying at his place.

 “If you say so, come on Xiǎo xiōngdì. Shizun is going to get us a room, can you help me finish making our meal?” Zhāoyáng says, trying to lighten the mood for Mùyáng.

 “Okay!” Mùyáng exclaims joyfully, immediately standing and skipping alongside his precious older brother as they walk to the boiling meal.

 The thunder outside rumbles and Zhāoyáng flinches. Shen Haiyuan was in the back, preparing two shelf beds for his two newfound guests. After the preparations were done, Shen Haiyuan returned to the main part of the siheyuan. There sat Zhāoyáng and Mùyáng who were both finishing setting the table. Zhāoyáng was shaking slightly as thunder boomed and lightning flashed in the roaring storm clouds from outside.

 “Go ahead and sit, Zhāoyáng. You look as pale as snow. I’ll finish setting the table. How many servings do you and Mùyáng want?” Shen Haiyuan said calmly, his voice full of hospitality and warmth. He moved to fix the cloth on the table.

 “Two for me and one for Mùyáng please,” Zhāoyáng whispered, finally giving in and sitting peacefully right next to Mùyáng. Shen Haiyuan moved gracefully like an elegant swan while finishing the small chore. He poured three bowls, two of which had two scoops while one had the small portion of one scoop.

 Shen Haiyuan finally sat after thirty minutes. He brung the spoon to his mouth and drank the lovely soup that Zhāoyáng made especially for him. It made his heart pound at that simple thought. Just for him. Mostly for him. Shen Haiyuan gratefully wolfed down the food and helped himself to a couple servings. Zhāoyáng laughed.

 “What’s so funny?” Shen Haiyuan asked, pausing his ravenous feast for a moment.

 “It’s nothing. You just look like the type to eat elegantly, not like a street rat who just had his first real meal in weeks,” Zhāoyáng said, chuckling at the thought.

 “Maybe it is my first real meal in weeks,” Shen Haiyuan jokes back, though not exactly lying. The cūn nearby was low on food, and he was starving himself to try and fit back into the hanfu the original Zhāoyáng made for him. Mostly it was because of the guilt and horrible fate he saw Zhāoyáng endure over the centuries. Every time he ate, he saw the remains of his lover.

 “Is that a joke or are you serious?” Zhāoyáng’s eyes suddenly show an abundance of worry, “Please say it’s a joke,” He continued.

 “Not entirely fact nor entirely fiction,” Shen Haiyuan said, in a vague way on purpose.

 “That’s it! I’m coming over at every meal time. You need to eat properly,” Zhāoyáng said with such commitment, that Shen Haiyuan couldn’t help but blush.

 “I-I guess that’s fine,” Shen Haiyuan muttered out as he buried his face into his hands. Trying not to show the redness of his cheeks.

 “Shizun! Why are your eyes a deep pink?,” Mùyáng suddenly exclaims after swallowing his first bite. Shen Haiyuan flinches. His eyes were never a good subject he liked to talk about.

 Shen Haiyuan’s eyes always stood out. He was slimmer, but still of a muscular build. His skin was darker than most, but nobody ever paid any mind to that. His hair was a deep natural blue. When he was first born, that’s what made him stand out. But later more children were born with blue hair, so nobody even thought twice about it.

 His eyes, the beautiful cherry blossom pink they were. He was the only one in his cūn to ever be born with them, even though nobody in his family tree ever once had them. They called him ‘The Love Child’. They said that if you confess your love to him, even if it was about another person, that the other would fall in love back.

 Shen Haiyuan was worshipped like a god because of his god forsaken eyes. His parents never cared about him after the rumors started, he was a money making machine after all. Soon they went from the lowest of poverty, to the richest of the rich, right below the royal family. They were so rich that Shen Haiyuan was offered the title of shizun at the palace. He would teach the richest of children.

 Shen Haiyuan never wanted this position, but his family forced him into it as they could live in the palace, and more people would hear about ‘The Love Child’ who could grant any love.

 Shen Haiyuan snapped out of the memory and quickly sighed. “Genetics, I guess,” He murmured. Mùyáng seemed to accept that answer, though Zhāoyáng knew something wasn’t right. Zhāoyáng didn’t press further as he noticed Shen Haiyuan had gone silent.

 Shen Haiyuan continued to shovel food in his mouth. Mùyáng giggled as he saw Shen Haiyuan’s cheeks. They were similar to a chipmunk’s cheeks. Zhāoyáng blushed as he saw the comparison. Zhāoyáng quickly covered his face, trying not to let Shen Haiyuan see.

 Zhāoyáng peeked his eyes out, his gaze solely on Shen Haiyuan’s and Shen Haiyuan’s alone. He had a calm, innocent expression on his face as he chewed. Zhāoyáng knew Shen Haiyuan was much older than him, but in that moment he could’ve fooled him. Shen Haiyuan looked like a child again.

 “How could one who has seen over three hundred years of torment act so carefree?” He murmured to himself. Zhāoyáng’s eyes were full of confusion. 

 “You say something?” Shen Haiyuan calls out, speaking with his mouth full. He had completely forgotten about the manners his parents have engraved in his mind. He was always carefree around Zhāoyáng like that.

 “No,” Zhāoyáng quickly blurts out, immediately digging into his food shortly after. 

 Shen Haiyuan chuckled at Zhāoyáng’s hasty response. They eat while chatting for a while after. It was around Mùyáng’s bed time when the trio had finally finished their meal. 

 “Come on Mùyáng. It’s time to go to sleep,” Zhāoyáng yells out to his little brother. Mùyáng rushes over to the room Shen Haiyuan had provided the two of them with. Zhāoyáng walks over to Shen Haiyuan. 

 “Thank you for the shelter,” Zhāoyáng murmured. He didn’t even wait for a response before going back to his temporary room. Zhāoyáng held Mùyáng in his arms and they drifted off to sleep.