Lan Zhan wakes up a little earlier than usual and decides to start making breakfast sooner rather than later. Wei Ying should be here soon and-

He steps into the living room still decorated with the winter wonderland theme and way too much sparkle, but it proves that yesterday wasn't a dream, or wishful thinking. Wei Ying really came by. They truly exchanged gifts, and even more importantly, they exchanged rings. He and Wei Ying are officially engaged now.

It sends a shiver up his spine.

Lan Zhan remembers how they slow danced afterwards, trading lazy kisses and just being together, cuddling on the couch like that. They talked about anything and everything, letting the time pass by in a syrupy haze until A-Yuan called them over for dinner. The Wens had been shocked but congratulatory upon hearing the news. Lan Zhan had stayed long past helping A-Yuan to go to sleep, and he hadn't wanted to part from Wei Ying. Wei Ying too, had pouted and tried to keep him there with ardent kisses promising more...but practicalities won and since Lan Zhan's clothes were here, he had returned to the now empty-feeling flat.

His gaze lands on his mother's laptop and now, Lan Zhan wants to hear her voice today. It feels right that he can, without the usual trepidation. Perhaps his own mind has forgiven himself for the perceived weakness of not visiting her when he had the chance. Before he can talk himself out of it, Lan Zhan opens the laptop, puts the next recording on and turns the volume loud enough so that he can hear his mother no matter where he is.

Then he goes into the kitchen to begin preparation for breakfast.

"Ah, A-Zhan...sometimes, I wonder if you'll ever get to listen to these silly messages. Maybe they won't be silly to you, I don't know. Do you even remember me? I know you don't need me now, and I promise, I'm learning to be okay with that." There's a sniff, and the sound of ruffling papers. Another sniff and she continues. "I think about both of you when I'm alone and up here, above my pride and joy. A mother's wish is always for her children to be happy first, and everything else later.

"Lan Huan, I guess I knew he would be okay given his open nature, but since you are so vastly different from him, my thoughts always reach out to you. A-Zhan, no matter where you are or what you are doing, I hope you have at least one person who believes in you, one person to cheer you on. That's all it takes, you know? For me, it was your Uncle Qiren. I know you might find that hard to believe, but it's the truth. I was surprised as well, because he was an intensely private person, someone who kept to himself. I even remember the day he approached me first.

"It was after a specially bad fight with your father, and I was quite upset, wondering where the man I'd married had gone, replaced by this stranger who just did not speak my language anymore. Lan Qiren asked me why I stayed when it was so obvious that I did not want to any longer. I hadn't even been aware of this. But he gave me the space to think about myself as a separate entity from being a wife and a mother. It was then that I realised that people could fall out of love just as easily as they could fall into it, and really, it wasn't anybody's fault. Perhaps love had a life of its own, too.

"But now that's got me thinking about you. I want you to be brave, if ever you find someone worthy of you. Be brave, be honest, and leave all your doubts behind. Live in the moment and see all of the magic the universe can dazzle you with. When you find your person, A-Zhan, you will know."

The sound stops and it is the end of that recording.

Lan Zhan is leaning against the counter facing the wall when two warm arms embrace him from behind and the comforting presence of Wei Ying is a steadying weight at his back.

I have found someone worthy, Mama, he thinks to himself. I wish you could have met him because I know you would have loved him, too.

***************

Later on in the shop, they're both tidying up the satin fabrics together. This is the material that gets messed up the most, being so silky that when it is pulled even slightly, the whole roll gets messed up. They've arranged the shelf to be colour coordinated and because of that, it's immediately become the highlight of this section. Wei Ying has even seen hipster influencers taking pictures in front of it like some high end place, and it never fails to make him smile.

He hears a noise at the door and grins at Lan Zhan. "Fifty percent idiot," he murmurs under his breath.

Lan Zhan glances at the door where they have no less than three signs advising potential customers to push rather than pull the door open. There's even a cartoon man showing them what to do, so unless the person is visually impaired, there's really no excuse for not paying attention. No wonder Wei Ying has such a low opinion of them.

"They could be distracted," he offers, making an excuse for them on their behalf.

"Do you sell ready made outfits?" The person asks and Wei Ying rolls his eyes before turning to them and pointing out that they're a fabric store, like it says on the sign.

"But someone in the shop down the road told me you do!" The person insists.

"Really?" Wei Ying looks theatrically puzzled. "Wow, and I thought, because you know, I work here, that I would know what we sell, huh?"

The person frowns at them. "So if you don't sell anything ready made, where can I find ready made outfits?"

"Presumably where they have mannequins wearing ready made outfits," Lan Zhan replies without looking up.

Wei Ying's snicker says it all and the person huffs disagreeably before walking out.

"How many of these idiots do you think we get in a day?" He asks Lan Zhan, returning to their current job.

"At least six or seven. But calling them an idiot is unfair."

"Riiiggghhht. So, what about illiterate?"

Lan Zhan chokes out a laugh.

"Let's count them!" Wei Ying grabs a piece of rough paper and draws out a chart stating qualities. Lan Zhan notices the categories and refuses to comment. "Just put a line down for each one when they cross your path," Wei Ying giggles, putting it where it won't offend anyone accidentally. "It's just a bit of fun."

"Just a bit of fun," Lan Zhan echoes, dubiously.

They'll find out at the end of the day.

***************

A-Yuan made them promise to have dinner together tonight as well, so after they lock up, Lan Zhan grabs his overnight bag and takes Wei Ying's hand to walk back to the Wen household. They pass by the cafe and notice that it's unusually closed, which is quite strange.

"I bet you were surprised at the results of the tally," Wei Ying giggles. "You were more enthusiastic as the day went on!"

"Mn." Lan Zhan will not be commenting further, thank you very much.

"But isn't it amazing how many sheeple there are? It's like human beings are caught in some kind of fugue state and totally unwilling to snap out of it. You can only blame tiredness for some of it, but otherwise, it's just wilful unawareness." He shakes his head ruefully.

"People do not smile, either." Lan Zhan murmurs.

"Yeah, I noticed. Do you know, I said good morning to a grim looking old bat, and do you know what she said? She jumped down my throat with an aggressive, "I'm not buying anything!" I mean, manners don't cost money, Lan Zhan!" Wei Ying opens the door and swaps his shoes out for house slippers, with a hand on Lan Zhan's shoulder for balance.

Lan Zhan waits for him to finish before doing the same. They go straight towards the kitchen to wash their hands and then-

"SURPRISE!"

Wei Ying's face is priceless with shock even as Lan Zhan takes a cautious step back. All the Wens, from Uncle Four, Wen Ning and Wen Qing, Popo and A-Yuan to Xiao XingChen and Song Lan, Xue Yang and A-Qing, and even Mr. Rodney is here, cheering for them.

"HHappy Engagement party!" Wen Qing tells them, pushing a hand decorated cake towards them.

"Wow, I did not see this coming!" Wei Ying announces, laughing even as Lan Zhan pulls him towards the kitchen sink to wash his hands because hygiene comes first.

As a rule, Lan Zhan does not like parties, or socialising as a whole, but tonight, he has no choice as it's in their honour. But he tries valiantly to make an effort.

The Wens and all their friends have set up drinks and pushed two long tables together in the back garden, and now everyone takes turns to bring out the many varied dishes for the outdoor dinner party. A-Yuan climbs onto Lan Zhan's lap despite the empty chair next to him, while everyone comes and talks to Wei Ying, a job Lan Zhan will gladly and gratefully delegate to him. Since they're not allowed to help, once the cake is cut, and all the food plated, drinks served, and they're ready to start, Wen Qing goes first to toast them.

"Good luck, Lan WangJi, he's your problem now!" That gets a mixed reaction and she tries again while laughing. "I meant, congratulations on your happy news!"

Everyone wishes them many happy memories to come, happy blessed years for the future and peace and joy along their path together.

As evening falls and everyone relaxes, the time is spent talking with friends and family.

"Have you informed your family?" Wen Popo asks them, directing her question to Lan Zhan.

"Not yet," he admits.

"But we will, as soon as we can!" Wei Ying chirps, coming to his rescue.

"Mn." Lan Zhan's free hand comes to wrap around his waist, pulling him closer.

Wei Ying's answering smile is worth it.

"Ah, to be so in love," Wen Popo sighs with happiness.

It truly is a lovely sweet thing to see.

*****************

They get their chance to video call XiChen a few nights later. Wen Qing still has to work nights, but Wen Ning has changed his shift to daytime so he can be at home for A-Yuan. No one mentions Wen Popo's slowly deteriorating health, though.

Lan Zhan pulls Wei Ying down next to him on the couch, feeling a little nervous about telling his brother the good news, even though XiChen must know that a wedding is on the horizon. But admitting it openly means throwing open another door that will make it real, but Lan Zhan doesn't want to scare Wei Ying yet. Maybe they can play it by ear.

"Wait, Lan Zhan, can I please ask you something before we talk to your brother?" Wei Ying's hand lands on Lan Zhan's arm just as he's about to set up the call.

"Mn. What is it?" Lan Zhan leans back and covers his hand with his own. He looks genuinely interested, which is a good sign.

"Well, firstly, thank you for agreeing to look after the priceless Lan family heirloom comb for me, because we both know I'm liable to misplace it, and you're way more organised than I am. It makes sense because it's hardly an everyday wear kind of thing - I'd want to wear it for special occasions only." Wei Ying gives him a hesitant smile.

"Wei Ying, do not overthink it. It is just a comb, when all is said and done." Lan Zhan now takes his trembling hand and secures it in both of his warm ones, letting a thumb trace over the soft dips of his knuckles in a soothing way.

"Okay, yeah...just a comb, but you and me both know it's liable to give people in your family a qi deviation if something happened to it while it was in my care! But anyway, we're going off topic!" Wei Ying lets out a deep breath. "It's just, I'm wondering if XiChen-Ge won't feel bad?"

"About?"

"Well, I'm assuming the comb could go to either of your spouses, right? So doesn't he have equal claim to being able to give it to his person?" Wei Ying's teeth find his bottom lip and begin gnawing on it absentmindedly.

That's not fair. Lan Zhan wonders how he's supposed to have any coherent thoughts when that's happening right in front of his salad! He quickly cradles Wei Ying's cheek and his beloved leans into his palm, not unlike a kitten. It's undeniably cute!

"Then he should've proposed first," Lan Zhan says smugly, with a serious intent. "Also, he is currently in a relationship with two boyfriends, so unless he breaks the comb in half, I don't know how that would work. Neither are the comb wearing types. Also, I am not sure how much of that is common knowledge, especially regarding Uncle Qiren."

"Oh my God, there's so much to unpack there! NO!" Wei Ying shouts as Lan Zhan ignores him and calls XiChen with that smile that says he's done talking about his brother's love life. Wei Ying has to scramble in place, quickly fixing a polite smile on his face, anything that doesn't imply he was curious about his new brother-in-law's private life! He wants to make a good impression and boy, is Lan Zhan testing him tonight.

"WangJi! Wei WuXian! How lovely to see you!" XiChen's face comes on the screen.

Wei Ying waves at him, blushing because how can he think about anything else other than this perfectly lovely guy as a sandwich filling, or maybe not, maybe he's one side of the bread parts? How would that work exactly? Or did anyone switch? No! Wei Ying tells himself firmly, concentrating on the background of the screen, because it looks like XiChen is talking to them from the library.

"Ge, I know it's late for you," Lan Zhan sort of apologises, "but we thought you should know as soon as possible." Both Lan Zhan and Wei Ying show him their left hands where the chunky weight of their matching rings are a solid presence.

Wei Ying still has to get used to wearing it, having stayed away from finger jewellery in the past because of the rough work his hands were accustomed to doing. But these past few days, whenever the light has caught his ring, Wei Ying has unconsciously searched for Lan Zhan instead, wanting the real deal, needing to see his lovely golden eyes. The nicest thing is, the same is happening to Lan Zhan because Wei Ying has often caught him doing that too.

"Congratulations!" XiChen tells them, happiness making his honey-coloured eyes into crescent moons. He asks for the story of how they proposed to each other, and this time, it's Wei Ying who comes to Lan Zhan's rescue, giving his brother all sorts of details about their special day. He doesn't give away anything too personal, but Wei Ying has that specific talent of making XiChen feel included.

As Lan Zhan listens to both of them bantering back and forth, he's struck again by the trusting and familiarness that Wei Ying holds out towards his brother, another kind of gift. And yet, isn't Wei Ying just as warm and accepting of everyone he comes across? However, there's something definitely extra with XiChen, and Lan Zhan is grateful about it. Often, XiChen looks at him, too, possibly making sure that Lan Zhan is alright with what they're talking about, so he nods quietly, letting XiChen know that he's fine, happier even, by Wei Ying speaking up for him too.

XiChen begins to yawn, and Lan Zhan knows it's time to end the call now. It's still in the middle of the night over there, and XiChen will be expected to go into work as normal tomorrow.

Lan Zhan waits for a suitable time to jump in, without interrupting either of them. But he has to wait for a bit because XiChen discovers Wei Ying's love of painting and making things with his hands, and the discussion moves onto techniques and their individual preferences regarding their respective artwork, since XiChen enjoys dabbling with paints, too. His words.

"Maybe we can call on Sunday morning here," Lan Zhan reminds them both. "It will be a more reasonable time to chat."

XiChen is just about to agree when another face practically hijacks the screen and peers at them both. It's Uncle Qiren, staring over the rim of his glasses at Wei Ying, scrutinising him.

"Oh, er, greetings, Uncle," Wei Ying sort of bows, it's more of a head tilt though.

"When are you coming over, then?" Uncle Qiren demands, squinting at the screen and accidentally turning the volume up exponentially.

"Ah, here, why don't we-" XiChen tries to intervene, but Uncle Qiren elbows him out of the way, shushing him.

"How are you feeling, Shufu?" Lan Zhan asks him anyway, since this is apparently happening.

Uncle Qiren waves a hand as if he hasn't just had a major stroke and is recovering, as if none of that is of the slightest importance, and huffing at the question. "If the boy said yes, you should buy tickets. I want to meet him."

"Yes, yes, Shufu," XiChen wrestles the laptop away from their elder and mouths an apology towards them before waving enthusiastically a firm and louder than necessary goodbye.

The laptop returns to Lan Zhan's home screen and he shuts it decisively.

"Wei Ying, I did not expect Uncle to be there," Lan Zhan turns to him apologetically, fully prepared to ask forgiveness for the impromptu introduction.

"Ha!" Wei Ying replies with a wild look in his eyes. "I guess we're going to China!"