42 Days to go.

Lan WangJi had a routine.

He rose in the morning at exactly five am. He liked to meditate for an hour, listening to the birds singing outside his window, followed by extensive yoga for another hour. Breakfast was at seven am sharp, green tea and granola with a banana for energy, if he was feeling dangerously impulsive.

Between eight and nine was the commute into town, during which he completed the Times crossword while his driver navigated through the New York traffic.

Twenty minutes were allowed extra for any unforseen delays, and by nine o'clock sharp, Lan WangJi was sitting at his desk without fail.

But today, he was summoned into his uncle's office.

He attempted not to frown at this change, but it was hard.

Uncle Qiren quietly poured tea for both of them.

And then he handed Lan WangJi an envelope.

It was quite heavy and thick, and when Lan WangJi opened it, a key fell out into his palm.

It was exquisitely crafted, made by an obvious expert blacksmith. The head was an old celtic knot with flowers engraved at the knots, and its stem instead of being straight as all keys usually are, it was wavy like a stalk of ivy. And the teeth of the key were in the shape of tiny buds.

For a few seconds, Lan WangJi forgot himself, turning it over and over in his large hands. It was so pretty and delicate, he wondered if it could remain intact were it to be actually used.

He took his time and removed the letter from the thick manila envelope.

My Dear Young Master Lan,

You may not remember me, but I am the Gardner that used to look after your bunnies and the rose bushes in your gardens a very long time ago. Perhaps you might not remember this, but you helped me out once by taking my son to school when I was unable to go with him.

I have never forgotten your kindness, and wondered how I could repay it. Unfortunately for me, both my wife and son died in a car crash, and I have nobody left to bequeath my home to...except for you.

I sincerely hope that you will live in my home and find the same happiness that I enjoyed there.

I loved my wife and family, and the time we spent together living in this house was the best part of my life.

It would put my heart at ease if the home so dear to my heart, would be occupied by someone who cared for it as much as I did.

I will not prevent you from making any changes inside it regarding decor, because young people have different tastes as I am well aware. However, if you treat it with respect, I can assure you that miracles await.

Thank you for looking after my home, as I know you will.

Sincerely,

Chang Chao

Lan WangJi looked up, alarmed.

Uncle Qiren looked back, a twinkle in his eye.

"I thought the full moon festival would be an auspicious time to hold the moving in ceremony." He said, without batting an eyelid.

"The full moon festival? The one in exactly forty-two days?" Lan WangJi felt as if he was still sleeping, and this was a bad dream.

A very bad dream.

"Do I have to go and live there?" He asked, barely keeping the desperation out of his voice.

"You will always have a place at the Lan Residence...however spreading your wings may not be an altogether bad experience. Try it out and see how you feel." Uncle Qiren stroked his beard. "You have led a rather sheltered life, WangJi. Who knows? This could be a blessing in disguise."

Lan WangJi choked on his tea.

Today was starting out horribly.

"In fact, as the man, our beloved gardner has given you his home in good faith, it would be highly disrespectful not to go and live there. And as such, I'm giving you the time off from work. Go to the residence and get it in working order. Chang Chao passed away more than a month ago, so I expect there might be loose ends to tie up."

"Time off?" Lan WangJi felt as if he had used curse words.

"Well, yes...how else are you going to manage?" Uncle Qiren looked genuinely surprised. And then he smiled a knowing smile. "You know, WangJi...looking after your own home is different from living where all your needs are taken care of. So actually, I'm going to insist that you go and live there eventually, when it is ready for you. Do you understand?"

"But Uncle...what about the pending contracts? I have meetings..." Lan WangJi could feel a pressure behind his right eye.

And a pain blossoming at the sides of his head.

"Oh, don't worry about those. XiChen is more than capable of dealing with your workload, and anyway, it's only for a little while. Remember, absence makes the heart grow fonder." Uncle Qiren stood up, a clear dismissal. "I will see you at dinner tonight. I think you'll find it's not too far from our home, either."

Lan WangJi put everything back inside the envelope and stood up.

"See you tonight, Uncle." He said, walking as slowly as he could to the doors, hoping Uncle Qiren would change his mind and tell him it was a joke...or something.

But there was nothing except the click of the door closing behind him.

Lan WangJi waited a further few minutes...hoping.

But it was clear that nothing was going to change.

With a resigned sigh, he went back to his office.

His secretary was sitting outside, doing secretary things, and he paused next to her desk.

"I'm going on holiday for a few weeks. In that time, if Xiongzhang wants anything, you are to assist him as much as possible. He will be taking over all my projects, so make sure he has access to all the files we were dealing with." He didn't wait for her reply, only going inside to retrieve his jacket.

All work related things could stay here, he thought, as he made ready to leave.

Then, one last and longing glance at his desk, he walked out, not stopping until he was standing by his car. His driver, Lan JingYi scrambled up in the driver's seat, having put it on full recliner while he dozed.

Lan WangJi gave him the address and got in the back seat.

Lan JingYi was particularly sensitive to his mood swings and right now, he knew enough that Lan WangJi should not be disturbed in the slightest.

***********

They pulled up in a suburban area.

Uncle Qiren was correct that it wasn't far from the Lan Estate, which was the only good thing about it.

It was a friendly looking building, made from large stones instead of bricks. It looked sturdy and immovable.

There was a large front garden with well kept rose bushes lining the path to the door. And what a door it was!

Made out of oak, it was definitely more than a few inches taller than Lan WangJi with huge black bolts riveted into the wood. The window was shaped in an arch, and there was a stained glass design in the same matching pattern as the key.

The door was incredibly beautiful.

Lan WangJi turned the key and opened the door.

Lan JingYi suddenly was standing next to him, and for once, Lan WangJi was grateful for his company.

His golden eyes took in the welcome mat, which read Home Sweet Home. It was a nice touch.

He wiped his shoes carefully on it and removed his shoes by the door.

But the moment he lifted his eyes up, he was blinded by the bright yellow wallpaper decorating the hallway. If the floor had been something as dark as mahogany, he thought it might have dulled the impact but it was a matching golden beech, laminated too so there was extra shine.

And when he looked up, to his horror, there was a six inch border separating the ceiling from the wall. It was a horrendous red and green affair on a white background, gaudy and garish to look at.

"Just coming." Lan JingYi said, before disappearing. He was back just seconds later, sporting a pair of shades. "There, that's better." He grinned at an unamused boss.

Lan WangJi could feel his headache getting worse.

Still, this was only the hallway. The other rooms would be much calmer...right?

With determination, Lan WangJi strode forward and opened the door to a living room.

He had to cover his eyes.

Why was it so bright?

Clearly Chang Chao loved yellow.

There were two feature walls on opposing sides of the room, so there was no escape from the huge lemons on one side and the gigantic sunflowers on the other. The furniture reflected both those themes with a green table in the centre of the room surrounded by a brown leather sofa set. There was a white vase with dead and dried sunflowers wilting, their heads so heavy they were dragging the drier stalks out of any water had there been any in it to begin with.

It looked rather sad.

There was a green bookshelf on one side filled with books on gardening.

The huge bay window was letting in a lot of light and this added to the shocking glare of the room. The curtains were patterned.

With more lemons. Where on earth had he found the same matching pattern on fabric? How was that even possible??

And there was a green carpet on the floor.

Lan WangJi detested carpets.

Rugs he could barely tolerate...but carpets were a no-no.

And this one was the colour of radioactive waste.

He left that room in a hurry, taking care to close the door behind him.

There was a study adjacent to the living room, which was really no better.

This one was too dark with mahogany furniture and deep magenta walls, with a patterned carpet this time.

Too congested and complicated to look at for long.

Lan WangJi fled.

Luckily, the kitchen was next.

This room was by far the most acceptable. True, many of the new-age gadgets that Lan WangJi was used to were missing, but it was easily rectifiable.

There was a black and white checkered floor and white cupboards with a black granite work top. The red piping accented here and there only added to the drama.

Lan WangJi rather liked the kitchen.

He walked to the patio doors and almost shrank back at the size of the garden. Acres and acres of green grass stretched away from back door. Flower beds were set aside and if he squinted...was that a pond? And what was that...moving on the overgrown lawn?

Were those...were they really little rabbits?

Lan WangJi couldn't believe it.

If they were wild, the chances were that he would not be able to get close to them, and they seemed to be quite happy right now.

He allowed himself a few indulgent minutes just to watch them for a while.

Reluctantly, he dragged himself away from the view and followed Lan JingYi up the stairs to the first floor.

The first room was the main bedroom.

And it too, was yet another shade in yellow.

The pressure in Lan WangJi's right eye gave up and twitched.

This whole room was cream and yellow.

There was a picture of the Gardner with his family on the bedside cabinet...and for a few seconds, Lan WangJi felt rather sad.

There was no one left of this man's family now, no one to remember him or his wife and child. That alone was a sorrowful thought.

In fact, from the moment he had entered this room, it had felt as if he was somehow intruding on something private.

Lan WangJi turned around and moved onto the next room.

This one was a bright vivid pink colour with pro trans content in shiny posters blue-tacked to the walls. Everything was glittery and shiny, with bottle of make-up and nail polish on every available surface. The bed clothes were something from an anime and characters Lan WangJi didn't recognise. The curtains were made from black disco Jersey and LED lights were strung around the window.

This was obviously the room of the child.

Lan WangJi did feel terribly sad now.

This child was no longer alive.

He stopped himself from thinking further about this and moved on to the last room at the end of the corridor.

This room was decorated in pastels. It was an art studio.

There were many canvases piled along the walls and one such piece rested on an easel waiting to be finished.

Paint pots and tubes were fastidiously arranged in the shelves along the walls and there was even a tiny sink with brushes washed and ready to use on the side. And when Lan WangJi opened the white cupboard at the end next to the small window, he discovered more art supplies, from small to large canvas sheets, unopened tubes of paint, paint stripper, and other assorted items.

Lan WangJi had no interest in these things, and he knew he would have to read the small print on the deeds to the house, rather than assume that everything inside the house also came with it. If that was the case, maybe he could contact someone about selling them?

It would be a shame to put them in storage and for what reason? He had no idea about art, or how much these could cost, so wouldn't it be better to sell them and raise money for charity? Maybe even find an LGBTQ charity since the kid was into that.

He remembered the child.

They had walked to school one day together, the child far too quiet for Lan WangJi but then, being somewhat introverted himself, he couldn't quite bring himself to talk either.

But the child had given him a bright smile at the end of the ordeal, so perhaps that had been the best thing for it.

Lan WangJi wasn't used to other children, younger or older didn't matter. But he was glad that they had shared that small passage of time together.

Whatever happened now, that time in the past would never be repeated, and there was something infinitely sad about that.

He took a few pictures and then called his brother.

XiChen picked up on the first ring.

"Didi? Are you alright?" He had an air of quiet amusement.

"Did Uncle tell you?" Lan WangJi asked, but he could already tell that yes, XiChen knew.

"Ahuh. Uncle told me this morning, just after you left. Thank you for the condition of the files by the way, there's actually not much for me to do."

"Xiongzhang is welcome. I've sent some pictures to your phone..." He waited, as XiChen scrolled through, looking for them.

"I found a room full of them." Lan WangJi continued, listening for the sounds of approval from his brother. "What do you think of selling them? We could raise money for charity?"

"That's a brilliant idea, Didi. And I bet MingJue will be very interested in these. Let me pass these photos on to him and see what he says." XiChen sounded excited.

"Mn."

There was a pregnant pause.

"Was there something else?" XiChen correctly assumed.

"I can't live here." Lan WangJi felt a weight fall off his shoulders when he admitted that.

"Awww....Didi....why? Is there something wrong with the place?" XiChen asked, every single nuance of sympathy coming through his deep voice.

Lan WangJi thought about the technicolour house with its rainbow colours and shuddered involuntarily.

"It's too bright...too yellow...Xiongzhang...I have a headache already and I have not been here longer than a few hours..." Lan WangJi breathed deeply, trying to calm himself down.

"Oh? Is that all? Can't you change it?"

"Change it?" Lan WangJi rubbed the side of his head, a new anxiety growing next to the migraine slowly making its presence known.

"Yes of course, Didi. Uncle said something about decorating...you can hire someone. I'm pretty sure a few licks of paint won't take that long, right? You'll be done in no time, all ready for the Full Moon festival." XiChen sounded like he was enjoying this far too much.

"I can hire someone..." the wheels of his imagination were turning suddenly faster than Lan WangJi could process.

In his head, he was seeing very satisfying pictures of yellow wallpaper in a skip, and white walls freshly painted.

Clean. Bright. Pure and peaceful.

Maybe pale blue curtains? Chiffons or organza...nothing too weighty.

White sofas and furniture...definitely ripping that carpet out.

And the more he thought about it, the more appealing this was.

"Didi...? Didi? Earth to Didi?" XiChen was saying.

Lan WangJi was embarrassed to admit that he had zoned out there.

"Mn?"

"So what do you think?"

"It is a good idea." He replied, excitement humming in his veins. "How shall I go about hiring someone?"

"You could always Google it, but look around for a copy of the Yellow Pages. In my experience, getting in someone local would be best. It's all about helping the community, you know. Maybe contact a few of them? Explain about your time constraints, get a few quotes...that sort of thing."

"Thank you, Xiongzhang." Lan WangJi had wandered downstairs and found himself in the study again. He had spotted a copy of the conspicuous book a while back, sitting on the edge of the mahogany desk.

"No problem at all, Didi. Let me know how you get on." XiChen hung up.

Lan WangJi grabbed the book and looked up builders.

Since he had no experience at all, he rang the first number he found.

The person on the other end wasn't helpful at all, and said he would not be able to help at all. The second person on the list said they could help but since they had a busy schedule, the work would not be completed on time.

The third person gave him an astronomical quote.

Lan WangJi felt his headache attack him with full force, his right eye twitching madly.

That couldn't be good.

And then he saw the small advert for Wing Builders.

There was something oddly calming about the tiny lotus flower border all around the words: No job too small, all work completed on time.

The owner of the business was somebody called Wei WuXian.

Lan WangJi went into the kitchen, feeling immediately better without the visual stimulatants.

He lay down on the floor, feeling his anxiety drift away as he dialed the number.

"Hello?"

It sounded like a child. Maybe a four year old...?

"Hello. I would like to speak to Wei WuXian please." Lan WangJi said, a little mystified.

"Baba's jus coming..." the child said, brightly. "Whath's your name?"

"Lan Zhan." Lan WangJi replied, absent-mindedly still wondering why a child had picked up the phone.

"Do you like bunnies?" The child asked, excitedly. "I drawed dem for my Baba..."

"Did you?" Lan WangJi asked faintly...why was he talking to a child?

"Yes, I did! My favourite one is the white ones..."

"I have bunnies." Lan WangJi was saying, slightly horrified at himself for giving away private information.

There was a deafening squeal on the other end and heavy breathing.

"Weally? How many bunnies do you have?"

"A few..."

That was a blatant lie.

"A-Yuan? Who are you talking to?"

This was another voice.

Lan WangJi sat up, suddenly, listening intently.

"Come on, hand it over! No, don't run away with my phone...you're such a little menace...come here...."

That voice was full of adoration, love and a smidgen of frustration.

Lan WangJi could listen to that voice forever.

There was a gasp and sounds of a struggle, before chortling laughter and a myriad of sunshine giggles erupted into his ear.

Lan WangJi felt something weird happening to his lips.

"Hello? Who is this?"

The beautiful voice was speaking breathlessly into his ear.

Lan WangJi felt giddy.

"Hello?" His own voice came out slightly higher than his normal pitch.

"Hi...I'm so sorry, I was washing up and my kid grabbed the phone. How may I help you?"

"That's alright." Lan WangJi had no idea why he felt so flustered suddenly. "I need help." He blurted out.

Instead of laughter, he heard the other man sigh sympathetically.

"Don't we all, Gege?"

There were sounds of things being moved about and hushed whispers of, "did you draw them for me?" And loud kisses.

Lan WangJi tried not to feel jealous. Who was that? He didn't feel anything like jealousy, of all things...pah! No way! Not him...

"So what can I help you with?"

Everything...Lan WangJi thought, and then gave himself a mental slap. He cleared his throat nervously and explained his problem as succinctly as he could, using his boardroom voice.

It was serious, it was formal and professional.

There was the sound of the other person clearing their throat.

"Ah..okay. Sounds like a big job, if you want to revamp the whole place."

Lan WangJi's heart sank, because this was the part where he would be rejected. For some reason, this was upsetting on another level.

"....this afternoon?"

Oh no...the beautiful voice had been speaking all this time and Lan WangJi had been too caught up in his thoughts to pay attention...

"This afternoon?" He asked, trying to remember what was being discussed.

"Or is it a bad time? It's just that if you need everything finished in a few weeks, we'd better get started as soon as possible, wouldn't you say?" The bright and chirpy voice carried on speaking.

"Yes. Yes, this afternoon is fine." Lan WangJi quickly said, before anyone had a chance to change their minds.

"Alright then, see you in a few hours." The happy voice was about to hang up, but there was the sound of scuffling and then another voice came back on the line.

"Bye, Gege...thee you thoon!"

"No...A-Yuan...you're not coming..."

"Pwease...?"

"But it's work...you have to stay with Auntie Qing..."

"But Baba...Gege has bunnies...I have to come with you!"

"Bunnies? How do you know that?"

"Gege thaid it, he did!! And I have to pwotect you, Baba! What if one of the bunnies got hungwy? Dey might wanna eat Baba...den A-Yuan will be thad!"

"A-Yuan..." this tone was regretful.

Lan WangJi hated it.

"Bring your boy." He blurted out again.

What on earth was he doing? He usually stayed away from kids...

"Wait...are you sure?"

The voice was breathlessly excited now.

Lan WangJi decided he liked it much better too.

"Yes, I am sure." He repeated. "Please bring your boy."

"Alright then, see you later, Gege!"

Lan WangJi was left staring at his phone, wondering what was going on. And then belatedly, he remembered that he hadn't gotten a quote either...

But actually getting someone here was a step in the right direction, and for the second time in his life, Lan WangJi was excited.

**********

A/N

Dear lovely readers,

This story would not have come about without my best writing buddy moving house, so we all must say a massive thank you to @edzooc8r for her inspiration. The yellow paint was real.

I have to say, I love our brainstorming sessions however impromptu they are, and however weird they might be, but a lot of stories have been born through our messages. Meeting Lori has been the best thing to happen to me in very long time, even better than chocolate and ice cream, hehe.

It's going to be a blisteringly hot weekend so stay safe wherever you are in the world. I hope you enjoy lots of chocolate and ice cream of your own as we make it past this summer...

And as always, what do you guys think? Will the house work its magic on our Lan WangJi? That remains to be seen...

Love you all,

Charlie.