#i really like writing lan hui!

[randomingoftherandomness]

Hi! ALoN fic prompt: Zhang Ping x Lan Jue, post canon. Zhang Ping meets Lan Jue's child.

HNNGH NONNIE HOW DID YOU KNOW I WAS FLIRTING WITH THE IDEA OF WRITING LAN HUI

We have no canonical TV portrayals of Lan Hui and therefore, my personal fanon is that Lan Hui looks like Lan Jue as a child with just about the same level of determination.

(may write headcanons about this we shall see)

~*~*~*~

When Lan Hui finally crosses the threshold into the manor he once knew as home, he starts to pick out the differences between the here and now, and the way these walls used to sit in his memories.

The first is that it smells different.

Sure, it does still smell like the orchids that his father used to cultivate, but it's fainter. And the smell of his mother's perfume is nowhere here. Instead, Lan Hui can smell cooking.

Noodles. Dumplings. Roast. He doesn't remember his father ever being extravagant with his meals, so he doesn't know who this food is for.

But then again, it has been years since he has stepped foot in this manor. Things might have changed.

Perhaps he gained a stepmother? One who delights in cooking?

It wouldn't be out of the ordinary and certainly, Lan Hui knows that even with all the danger that comes with being married to him, many men and enterprising societal mamas would not hesitate to push their daughters and nieces to his father's side.

The second thing that strikes him is the sound of the house itself is different.

He had left home under the guise of darkness, sleep still crusting his eyes, with the mourning clothes on his back the only things he could bring with him. Yet, the most important thing he remembers about that night was how the air of his home clung in such a heavy way in his lungs.

It was an air coloured by the sounds of mourning.

The sound of the monk chanting sutras in the hall, the way the servants quietly bustled through the house preparing for the funeral. In his memories, it was the fluttering of the banners in the nighttime breeze, and the sound of his father's breath against his cheek as he tells him to be good and listen well to the uncle and aunt he was sending him to.

In those dreams he has had since then, it is the sound of the carriage wheels rumbling on the road as it takes him far, far away from everything and everyone he has ever known.

Now, the halls carry a sound of chatter and laughter.

The third, and perhaps most important change, is when he takes a turn with Uncle Xu Dong guiding him, he sees the man seated with his father.

Lan Hui is still too far away to hear what is being said between them, but there is a clear note of amusement trembling in the mid-morning sunlight.

There is a steaming bowl of noodles on the table that his father is taking bites from. It looks... delicious. The man has an apron wrapped around his thin waist, sleeves pushed up to his elbows, and flour on his wrists. Clearly, this bowl was his doing.

Said man has a scholarly bearing and there's a sense that he is laughing about something that only he's seeing, but what arrests Lan Hui's attention is how his father is leaning against him, pale diaphanous robes spilling over the man's, face tilted up to his, eyes soft and fond.

The same sort of softness and fondness that Lan Hui only ever saw when his father was looking at his mother.

"Lan Hui?"

His father's deep voice startles him out of his observations. Coming to a stop, he bows, suddenly quite unable to speak. Emotions churn in his belly as he straightens himself.

Did you think of me? Did you get any of my letters? Have you taken care of yourself? Can I not leave again? Can I stay, please?

None of which he says.

Because before he can shape the words on his tongue, his father has swept him up in a hug. "My son..."

"My apologies for not sending word ahead of our earlier arrival, Daren," Uncle Xu Dong says from over his shoulder. "The Young Master was eager to press on."

Careful hands cup his face, and Lan Hui feels a small spark of warmth grow in his chest when he looks up to see that his father's cheeks are as wet as his own are.

Father's smile is everything. A homecoming. The way a warm room feels after a day in the cold. All the embraces he wished he had every time he felt alone or sad with those thousands of leagues that kept Lan Hui away from him.

It is hopeful, even when his father pulls away, hands running over his shoulders, marvelling about how he has grown.

"Come, Lan Hui, sit with us," He declares after telling Uncle Xu Dong to go get some rest. With one hand on his own, he guides Lan Hui back to where the scholar is gently smiling as he greets him with a nod.

"This is Zhang Ping," Father says, folding himself onto a seat pillow and letting the man pull a set for Lan Hui. "He's..."

They exchange a look with Zhang Ping ducking his head to hide a smile, quickly moving away to the side as two serving girls come with trays of snacks. Father quickly fills his plate, telling him how all these were made by the man net to him, while Zhang Ping works in tandem to pour him a cup of water.

They work like clockwork. As if this is a dance with secret steps that only they both know the movements to.

This leads him, perhaps with a little less tact than he should have in a situation like this, to ask, "Mr Zhang Ping, are you my new stepmother?"

Predictably, Father chokes mid-chew of his noodles, face going a ruddy red as Zhang Ping pats his back with one hand and pressing his cup of tea into his father's with the other.

"Lan Hui...!"

"It's not an incorrect assumption," Zhang Ping admits softly, cheeks tinged pink when he meets Lan Hui's eyes. Casting a quick glance at Father before pouring him another cup of tea and offering him a handkerchief.

Looking between Zhang Ping and Father, Lan Hui sees the careful way Zhang Ping switches out the empty cup for some water, the quiet thanks in Father's eyes when his coughing dies down to a rasp.

Lan Hui also spies the small smile that Father gives Zhang Ping, the moment that lingers between them when their hands brush over the cup.

Picking up the soft bean cake on his plate, he takes a bite. It's sweet without being overpowering. Lan Hui lets the taste linger on his tongue, waiting for Father and Zhang Ping to turn back to him again.

"Lan Hui, Zhang Ping is--"

"My new stepmother, I get that," Lan Hui says, smiling a little. Father gapes at his words, but Zhang Ping is tilting his head, looking a lot like a puppy he once had when it found something interesting.

Lan Hui takes another bite of his cake, gratified to know that his home life from here on out will be nothing less than interesting.

[pippin-pippout]

So I dragged myself kicking and screaming and, yes, mostly in denial, through the last episodes of A Journey to Love.

My thoughts can be summarized as follows:

Obviously this is mainly due to me being horrifically traumatized by Yuan Lu’s death. After all, they told us from the get go he wouldn’t live to 20. They made it clear he had a deadly heart disease. And then. They had the nerve. They had the audacity. They had the actual fucking bahoonga BALLS to follow through!?

But then I found myself sobbing at literally every good guy death scene, plus all of the mourning scenes. The latter was in large part thanks to Alen Fang's acting - deepest apologies to him for just referring to his character as 'the slutty one' for the majority of the show. Not that I was wrong. Also thanks to strong performances from He Lan Dou for Yuan Lu's death.

Anyway so I need to add this gif x4 for the Liudao Hall babies:

Qian Zhao, da ge, who made mistakes but always did right in the end

Sun Lang, who just wanted to hold something fluffy at the end, dying a hero

Yuan Lu, who died in his princess's arms after running to deliver a letter rendered useless by the Emperor of An's greed.

Yu Shisan, who lived as he lived and had such a happy moment with Chu Yue right before it all became irrevocable.

When they added Yu Shisan to the snowball fight, I just about lost it. Liu Yuning's acting there - having the realization about Shisan's death as he watched them play in real time was so well done. Really hurt.

Plus I'll make a couple of versions with edits.

For the Wu Emperor. I knew it was gonna happen from the spoilers but damn, him genuinely learning the value of friendship and brotherly love made me root for him. Dude did not deserve to go out like that. Thank goodness for the magic of CDramas where he lived just long enough to pass on his will to Ning Yuanzhou, and do one last act of good.

It also ensured Duke of Chu was able to pass on his command to his daughter, Chu Yue, before dying of the same (was not clear if her bro died or not, or if dad was always going to choose her).

And for Deng Hui. Started out thinking he was just a sexist bastard. Turns out he was one of the most principled characters in the show.

Their deaths didn't make me cry, but I respect them.

Also loved Chen Du Ling's (Empress of Wu) small part in this. I may not like all of her characters but she can deliver a scene and hold a room. It was a bit cathartic to see her put every man in their place, and basically decide the fate of two countries, even though her lament that she'd only ever have power through another held true.

Ah Ying, my baby girl. This is a character that could have turned people off from the beginning. Thanks to strong writing and stronger acting, it did not. I was super impressed with He Lan Dou. She can dial it up and dial it down in a single take, and can play big dramatic scenes with a subtlety that some older actors cannot grasp. This was the first thing I've seen her in, though for her and Chen You Wei (Yuan Lu) I might watch Tiger and Crane if someone tells me it's good.

I still think Li Tongguang is a perverted and creepy child, who never managed to learn (except in literally the last ep), but at least I trust that he will treat Ah Ying well. I don't hold it against him for screwing up the battle - he was trying to be benevolent but made a bad choice.

The main couple win it for me this year. What an inspired pairing. They beat out heavy hitters including Bai Lu x Everyone which was near impossible. Something to do with letting Liu Shi Shi use Liu Yuning's height against him at every possible moment. Also the 'if you die, I'll finish the job and then follow you' is my favorite dynamic. I swear when Ruyi threw those bombs, NOT NEEDING TO HAVING ALREADY SUCCEEDED AT KILLING THE KING AND PRINCE, just to join him, y'all I died. Good for whoever posthumously gave her the Marquis title on her own (not just furen) - couldn't tell if it was Li Tongguang acting as regent or Dayang (great shot of those two at the end).

The final episode was one of the best final cdrama episodes I've seen. I might have to make another post about that. In sum, despite losing a large portion of the well-loved cast, the remainder gave a world-class finale. The visuals were incredible (explosions are my favorite). The final scene was beautiful (though I'm a bit surprised they gave it to Chu Yue instead of Ah Ying who knew all 6 of them closely).

[minty-marshmallow]

An Oriental Odyssey [Ep.30]

Recap:

The episode begins with a recap of the last episode with Uncle Xia explaining to Mu Le that he can't like Yuan'An because they are different social classes. Mu Le ends up walking away from Lan Zhi and Yuan'An.

Lan Zhi and Yuan'An take a walk and he asks her if he is the most important person to her. She gives him a ring around answer and he asks if it's Mu Le; which she also neither confirms nor denies. Yuan'An asks him what he thinks about her and Lan Zhi is shy and doesn't fully answer her but grabs her hand. She takes note of Mu Le watching and removes her hand and tells Lan Zhi it's getting late and she'll walk him home.

Yuan'An later runs into Mu Le again and tells him some of the rewards are for him, however, he says he doesn't care about money only her and hugs her. Yuan'An is indifferent towards him and tells him that she never begged him to do anything for her and he did it willingly thus she doesn't owe him and she treats him well because he works for her and that he can't just do whatever he wants to her. He apologizes and walks away.

There is a ceremony with promotions for Tian Shu, Lan Zhi, Ming Hui and Yuan'An. It is clearly shown however that Ming Hui and Yuan'An still don't like or trust each other.

The Empress asks Ming Hui and Yuan'An if they have any unfulfilled wishes. Yuan'An asks for Mu Le's servant status to be removed; while Ming Hui asks for Lan Zhi. This puts the two even more at odds.

Lan Zhi goes to meet with Ming Hui and informs her that he will never marry her even though he owes her for not torturing Yuan'An. Ming Hui lets him go but tells him that he will visit her again in a few days and the interest will be doubled. Ming Hui also claims that she must have what Yuan'An has. (which i don't get).

Yuan'An suddenly becomes blind and can't taste and ends up hardly being able to speak and has shakes. Lan Zhi asks her to write who she met with or anything she writes Ming Hui and that she fought her. Lan Zhi returns to meet with Ming Hui again.

Review:

So I don't really get if Tian Qiao is still alive or not. It showed a flashback but I don't know if that was just like right then or awhile back...so i'm confused. Also I don't understand Ming Hui at all. She freakin hated Lan Zhi and now wants to marry him cuz she hates Yuan'An but it's like you hate the man too so I don't get it. And why does she hate Yuan'An so much? Like Yuan'An doesn't have more than her why does she feel so threatened by her?

I'm glad Mu Le isn't a servant anymore, but I mean he probably isn't anyway so...

[farmerlan]

MDZS; what’s in a name?

One of my favorite things about the Chinese language is how much meaning can be in a name. Broadly speaking, Chinese names are usually two or three characters, the first being the family name (e.g. Wei, Lan) and the latter being the given names (e.g. Ying, Zhan). Of course, back in the day, people also had courtesy names (e.g. Wu Xian, Wang Ji).

Even though it may only be one or two characters, the characters are often chosen for their symbolism. Authors often choose names to convey some key character trait or deeper fate of their character through their name. I wanted to write a little more about the actual meaning of their names. Not only what the characters themselves mean, but also how it ties into their character’s hopes and dreams.

Caution: These meanings are not OFFICIALLY translated, authors very rarely provide explicit explanations for how/why they name their characters the way they did, but it can often be deduced by the reader based on what happens in the story + knowledge of Chinese. So, these are only my thoughts and feel free to disagree. Also these are based on the novel. ALSO SPOILERS.

Wei Ying 羡婴: The character used for Ying ( 婴 ) here typically refers to an infant. This represents his parents’ hopes that he maintains a childlike outlook – to not be bogged down by the worries of the world, and live carefree without becoming too calculating or hard-hearted.

Wei Wu Xian 魏无羡: Wu Xian ( 无羡 ) comes up in certain poems and typically represents ‘to harbor no envy’. WWX’s given name represents his nature to always maintain his true self, to walk his own path and to not be envious of others despite all the difficulties he encounters.

Lan Zhan 蓝湛: The character used for Zhan ( 湛 ) is often used to describe something untainted, pure, crystal and at the same time, deep…yeah I know – sounds like the Er Ge Ge we all love and know.

Lan Wang Ji 蓝忘机: The second word, Ji ( 机 ), is actually part of the word ‘机心’, which means to harbor deception and trickery. And Wang means to forget. Wang Ji actually stems from a Taoist saying that means to abstain from ulterior motives and keep your heart free of too many devious thoughts, to remain ‘pure’ from this world’s machinations.

Lan Si Zhui 蓝思追: This was the only name (IIRC) that was explained by MXTX in the original text, and it was given by LWJ. It means, “思君不可追，念君何时回”. In phonetics: Si Jun Bu Ke Zhui, Nian Jun He Shi Hui

The first part of the phrase literally means “Thinking of a lover I can’t pursue” (bc he’s dead and also because LWJ is under house arrest) and the second part of the phrase means, “Awaiting someday when he might return”. LITERALLY GOOSEBUMPS SOMEONE HELP THIS MAN

Lan Huan 蓝涣:  Huan ( 涣 ) means to disappear, to separate – likely a hint as to his fate of eventual self-isolation and also the departure of his two closest sworn brothers.

Lan Xi Chen 蓝曦臣: 晨曦(Chen Xi) means dawn, light. It’s a different character for Chen used in his name but the phonetic sound is the same. Instead, his name is flipped to Xi Chen, and the character used for Chen here is more or less used in several different ways to all essentially refer to a subject (a court minister, a vassal, a lord – idk can someone else come up with a better translation for this) so in a way, he serves the light/he brings hope.

Jin Guang Yao 金光瑶: GY was born Meng Yao and presumably given his name as JGY while under his father, JGS. Jin Guang is a derivative of his father’s name, it’s common to share the first character of your given name with another family member.

However, this goes against the naming convention of heirs born in his same generation. All his half-sibs follow the naming convention of ‘Jin Zi ___’ (e.g. Jin Zi Xuan, Jin Zi Xun) because his father never considered him as a real son or wanted to recognize him as a son in any way. Naming him in this way makes him (and his associated background as the child of a ho and an outsider) stand out starkly whenever he introduces himself to others. People will know exactly who he is and what his place in the family is. It’s really not a very nice thing to do to your son. :( As for Yao as a character, it essentially means beautiful, precious – he retained the given birth name from his mother so it’s not surprising she would name him this based on all the hopes she had for him.

Anyway, happy to dig more into other characters or do a Part 2 if there’s any interest, but that’s what I have for now!