#xingan means my heart and liver

[worldsfromhoney]

Let Me

Masterlist

cw: major character injury, PTSD, xenophobia

Prompt 30: New normal

They’re in the courtyard was the only thing Caretaker bothered to hear before they were off. The other masters didn’t even try to stop them. They glimpsed pity in their eyes before they left their presence for a better one.

It was the middle of the day. The sun was striking hard on the bare stones that didn’t have the opportunity of solace in shade. It was why no one was lounging around the courtyard, as most students did on clear days like this. They’d been warned off for fear of heatstrokes and, as healers and healers-in-training, they knew of its severity in these parts.

That was how Caretaker found Whumpee, with the merciless sun beating on their crumpled form. Upon the stones was the mark of teleportation, so deeply scorched Caretaker didn’t think it’d be scrubbed off at all.

The blood wouldn’t be. It was seeping into the cracks of the courtyard where moss grows and hungers for any kind of sustenance. An offshoot from the puddle was going for Whumpee’s favourite osmanthus flowers, wanting to stain it the same as it did with the moss.

Caretaker took off their shan and laid it before the osmanthus bushes, blocking the path of blood.

It seemed foolish to consider Whumpee’s favourite flowers at this moment, but if their xīngān was to perish in their arms, Caretaker would prefer a remembrance of them. If they could, they would work a millennium to cultivate a preserving agent for those bushes alone.

Caretaker’s steps on the courtyard were light, with nary a speck of blood seeping into the sole of their shoes. Their steps were the lightest in the sect, but Whumpee still flinched and stirred at the sound of them. They knew them by heart, after all. They were still crumpled on the ground, but Caretaker could see the talismans they were ready to draw out and throw from their sleeve.

Caretaker stopped. They kneeled on the bloodied stones, their white ku stained red in an instant. Whumpee was still curled into themself, a glazed but fierce look in their eyes.

“Oh, xīngān,” Caretaker said. They took in every bruise and wound on Whumpee, their heart breaking at each they catch. “What has happened to you?”

Something in Whumpee stirred at Caretaker’s voice. Their eyes fluttered and from the outright aggression of a wounded animal came the pained, scared gaze of a human. Their beloved, who finally realised where they were and who was kneeling in their blood.

“Lao gong,” Whumpee said in a croak. They managed a shaky step before falling into the ready arms of Caretaker. The latter was all but ready to carry them to the infirmary for treatment, but Whumpee’s insistent gaze stopped them.

“What?” Caretaker asked, panic in their voice. “What is it? Can this disciple walk? It does not matter. This master will carry you—”

Whumpee shook their head vehemently and clutched at the collar of Caretaker’s yi. Their eyes are on the latter but their gaze distant and trapped some place afar.

“I can’t — This disciple tried, lao gong, I tried to — Lao gong told me to; I wanted to help!” Whumpee cried out and coughed, blood staining their face more than it already had. “This disciple wanted to help so much, but they wouldn’t take it. Not from me, they said — not from my kind and I couldn’t—”

Caretaker cradled their face, their foreheads touching. Then, with a swift motion, pressed their fingers against Whumpee’s carotid arteries. Their distant gaze soon fluttered close and Caretaker gathered their unconscious form into their arms.

They could listen later. They needed to make sure they could do so at all first.

As a junior member of the Jing Shan sect, it didn’t take long for Whumpee to recover from their wounds. The bleeding was mostly internal, bruises littering their torso.

Said bruises looked like they were from the sharp toes of shoes prevalent in the land Whumpee was sent to. Caretaker needed little more to put two and two together after seeing those.

Whumpee was one of the several nomadic healers Jing Shan sect had sent to help manage the pandemic. It would’ve been a noble endeavour if it wasn’t their sect that had inadvertently caused it in the first place, with the constant travelling from sickplace to sickplace. It had been that fact which named the plague, The Immortal Affliction, as a sort of mockery against the sect.

Whumpee and the others were peace offerings.

Peace was obviously not welcomed by some. Not in this ‘new normal’, which some lands were already lauding after enjoying the efforts of the sect. Maybe not in this future, where grudges are remembered more than reparations.

Whumpee had quickly gone back to helping around the sect, happily hounding after Caretaker and the other masters for tasks to do. They had undertaken cleaning their own mess. They turned over every stone in the courtyard, which had even the barest hint of a scorch mark. Whumpee also replanted new moss, what with the old ones bearing the risk of festering an opening in the wards after they’d fed on human blood.

They even helped with treating the local folk who’d done the pilgrimage up their mountain for the infamous Jing Shan sect healing.

Caretaker was not blind. They noticed every little flinch Whumpee would give when one master would ask for his help with the pilgrims that day. They had sent paper humans to see them near the latrines, vomiting and dry retching.

Caretaker hadn’t stayed quiet.

“Xīngān, please,” They said during one night they’d screamed in terror and vomited on the side of the bed. “Please, let me help.”

All Whumpee would do was crawl back into bed a shivering mess. But they’d let Caretaker hold their hand, breathing through wave after wave of cleansing qi the latter would trickle in. They’d let Caretaker later hold them in an embrace, neither of them sleeping that night.

It worked until it didn’t.

One pilgrim had reached out for a hug.

Whumpee screamed.

Caretaker was there faster than the first time and kept them both in a secluded circle. They weren’t experiencing a qigong deviation. This wasn’t a problem of the spirit but of the soul, and Whumpee’s was screaming.

Caretaker saw in the corner of their eye the panicked face of the pilgrim who was being ushered to a safe place by the other healers. They moved to shield the sight from Whumpee.

“Xīngān, xīngān,” Caretaker murmured, keeping hold of Whumpee’s arms lest they hurt themself. “Xīngān, this one is here. This one will always be here. Let me help, please. Let me.”

And then Whumpee was crying. Their body had gone slack in Caretaker’s hold and they buried their face in the crook of their neck.

Whumpee hadn’t agreed. Not really. Caretaker knew they would wave off this incident and continue as they’d been going. They knew they’d still wake from nightmares and come crawling back into bed, shivering.

But Caretaker would always be there to monitor any triggers. They would be there to hold their beloved’s hand and keep asking.

That had to be enough until Whumpee would finally say okay.

Taglist

@wildthingsandmagic @starbuds-and-rosedust

[daegutowns]

bff!svt and your nicknames for each other

ags: bff!seventeen, established friendship, childhood friends, best friends, gn!reader, josh’s is fem!reader because he gives old-timey vibes, svt has a crush on you, dino's is also fem!reader for the bit, you may or may not have a crush on them, y/n syndrome good luck not falling in love with them

seungcheol

your nickname for him: baby. ever since you met as kids, you’ve always made fun of him for being a big baby. he’s the youngest child in his family despite being the oldest out of his friends, so he kind of liked the nickname for a while… until he felt like he wanted to take care of you more. when would ‘baby’ mean more than just a childhood joke?

his nickname for you: berry. when you were younger, cheol’s nickname was cherry, so he called you berry so you could match. it’s not very close to your actual name, but it makes him feel connected to you. plus, it’s so accurate. you’re sweet and cute, just like a berry. 

jeonghan

your nickname for him: angel. he was born on 10/04, the day of the angel! even if he was always so mischievous and naughty, you couldn’t ever see him as a bad person. he was the sweetest in the world, the only angel. 

his nickname for you: halo. in the wise words of beyonce, “‘cause you’re my halo.” just like he’s your angel, you’re his halo because you’re always in his thoughts, just hovering over his head always. 

joshua

your nickname for him: GI-Jo[shua]. well, his nickname for you is “doll,” but you couldn’t really understand why he liked it. you wanted to call him “doll” too, but he said that guys didn’t go by that nickname, so you decided to compromise. he’s GI-Jo because he’s a male doll. 

his nickname for you: doll. he always liked old-timey movies, where the gentlemen would call their girlfriends ‘dollface’ or just shorten it to ‘doll’ affectionately. it was very endearing, and to him, you were perfect, just like a doll. even as a kid, he could tell that much. now, it’s so much more clear. 

jun

your nickname for him: bao bei (bao). similar to cheol, jun’s nickname means “baby.” but, it eventually shortened itself to bao, like the bao buns. his cheeks were squishy like the bready dumplings, filled with his sweetness. you adore him so much. 

his nickname for you: xingan. in chinese, it means “heart and liver,” because the nickname refers to someone so important, they’re like your heart and liver! you’re as important to jun as his vital organs, so it’s only natural that he calls you something that can compare. 

soonyoung

your nickname for him: tiger. you always told him, “go get ‘em, tiger!” this was before his whole horanghae agenda, but it was originally inspired by you! he is always a sucker for words of encouragement, but your words were always the most important to him. it’s only natural he made it his personality to really showcase to you what it meant to him. 

his nickname for you: duckie. since he’s a tiger, he wanted you to have an animal-related nickname too. you two once watched an old movie, where one girl called her best friend “duckie,” and it stuck with the two of you ever since. it fit you, since he wanted to scoop you into his hands like a duckie. 

wonwoo

your nickname for him: meowie. he had always reminded you of a cat, and he acknowledged this. for halloween, you had even dressed him up as a cat (while you had been a frog) in the 9th grade. you had joking called him ‘meowie’ as a joke, but the name ended up sticking for longer than you had both thought. 

his nickname for you: catnip. he didn’t mind being meowie as long as you could be ‘catnip’… of course because you drove him crazy. but, the real reason why is because around you, he couldn’t ever think straight. 

woozi

your nickname for him: mr. chu. nicknamed after the apink song, your nickname for him is a way of making fun of his nickname for you. he doesn’t mind, because it makes him think you two are married. you’re chou, and he’s your mr. chu. it works out for him. 

his nickname for you: chou. in 1600s france, lovers would call each other “mon petit chou” or…. “my little cabbage.” of course, he only told you that you were a cabbage. it was the only way he could hide it from you. even if it was a secret, he wanted it to be unique in a way that no one else could possibly think of it for you. you deserve to be special. 

dokyeom 

your nickname for him: sunshine. you’re convinced dokyeom is just a ray of sunshine, and he doesn’t mind it coming from you. it makes him feel loved and appreciated. he wants to continue radiating and giving his warm to you. he wants to be the light of your day. 

his nickname for you: sugar plum. it’s only fitting for him to also pick some cheesy ass nickname for you too. he liked sugar plum, because to him, you always look like a majestic sugar plum fairy. you both listened to the sugar plum fairy lullaby growing up, and you made him feel comfortable, just like a lullaby. 

myungho

your nickname for him: shagua. in chinese, it means, “stupid melon.” it’s a playful, teasing nickname because sometimes he feels too serious. the nickname reminds him to let go and just laugh sometimes. he likes whenever you say it because it brings a smile to his face… and for some reason, no one else has that same effect. 

his nickname for you: bengan. in chinese, it means, “dumb egg.” no one else is allowed to call you their dumb egg! in fact, how dare they call you such a thing. it’s disrespectful and you shouldn’t stand for it. it’s okay when he does it, though. you’re matching, and that’s what matters. 

mingyu 

your nickname for him: mingoo. you loved how goofy he is and how soft he gets around you. that’s why you softened out his name too, changing a harsher “gyu (규)” to “goo (구).” just with the removal of one line, you shaped him into a cuter and more warm person in your mind. 

his nickname for you: hot stuff. as much as he was a physical touch person, he’s also a words of affirmation person. he likes gassing you up like that. he means it every time, too. 

seungkwan 

to be honest, you wouldn’t have any nicknames for each other. (seungkwan just isn’t a nickname kind of guy.) but, you would affectionately refer to each other as each other’s “work husband” and “work spouse.” hopefully, one day, the ‘work’ part would naturally fall off… 

hansol 

your nickname for him: sweet cheeks. nothing else really fit him the right way. every time you call him anything but this nickname, he thinks you’re mad at him. nope. sometimes you’re just in a classroom. 

his nickname for you: loser. he can’t make it TOO obvious he likes you… he needs to be subtle. unfortunately, it gives middle school boy. coincidentally, that’s when he started calling you loser. so, i guess, everything fits. 

chan  

your nickname for him: M. it was short for michael… as in michael jackson. you always admired his passion for dance, and as good as he is, he deserves that nickname. he always felt flattered by it -- even to this day -- and it was a motivator for him all these years. 

his nickname for you: B. because he’s your michael, you’re his billie jean. but, billie jean shortens to BJ (since his nickname would’ve been MJ). adjustments had to be made. of course, he thought he popped off with that one, but the lyrics go… “billie jean is not my lover. she’s just a girl who thinks i am the one.” nice going, chan.

[saevrusarch]

              ❝  .   “ Here, take my coat. ”     →   @lockhcrts​

WHILE  USED  TO  THE  COLD  HE  HAD  ALWAYS  BEEN  sensitive  to  it,  far  too  little  meat  on  his  bones  made  it  very  hard  for  Severus  to  maintain  his  body  heat,  and  so  he  was  always  constantly  shivering.  Winter  made  things  even  harder,  but  he  was  a  stoic  man  ━  the  potions  master  would  rather  die  than  to  let  anyone  he  did  not  fully  trust  be  privy  to  this  little  bit  of  vulnerability.  That  time  of  the  year  was  quieter  in  Hogwarts,  many  children  going  back  home  for  the  holidays,  which  allowed  the  professors  to  enjoy  the  snow  and  the  quiet.  Severus  didn't  often  allow  himself  to  enjoy  his  lovers  company  in  public,  still  too  wary  of  the  dangers  that  could  bring  to  Gilderoy  and  to  the  chaos  it  would  generate  within  the  staff  and  students.  What?  Dungeon  bat,  possibly  a  vampire  Professor  Snape  dating  legend,  icon  and  star  Gilderoy  Lockhart?  Who  wouldn't  want  to  get  into  that  juicy  piece  of  gossip.

Starless-night  eyes  turn  to  look  down  at  the  younger  man,  a  flush  taking  over  his  cheeks,  this  time  completely  unrelated  to  the  weather.  ❛  That's  not━  ❜  his  protest  was  cut  off  as  the  other  placed  the  coat  around  his  shoulders.  Severus  felt  his  whole  body  relax  under  the  warmth  of  Gilderoy's  body  still  present  on  the  no  doubt  very  expensive  coat.  Despite  Gilderoy  being  shorter,  Severus  was  severely  underweight,  thus  the  other's  coat  hung  loosely  around  him.  And  the  spy  couldn't  help  to  wonder  how  something  so  simple  as  being  given  a  coat  could  be  so  comforting?  ❛  Won't  you  be  cold,  Xingan?  ❜  he  asks,  voice  soft  in  a  way  it  only  was  when  he  spoke  to  Gilderoy,  black  eyes  glittering  with  love  and  affection.

[imaginaryelle]

Take This Piece of Me as Part of You

For the day 5 Untamed Winterfest prompt, “ribbon.” ~3.5k, wangxian, post-canon. This one is rated Mature, mostly for implied offscreen things that accompany heavy kissing. There’s also some biting, and a marriage proposal.

This fic can also be read on AO3 and is part of the same series as Light a Fire They Can’t Put Out and Kiss Me, Keep Me (Never Leave Me), but does not require reading either of them. Many thanks to @roamingjaguar for giving this a quick read and setting my mind at ease, and to @soundsaboutrighttumblr for this lovely picture prompt.

Note: xingan (心肝), according to what I’ve read, is a quite serious term of endearment that means “heart and liver” or “one I cannot live without.”

Wangji commissions the forehead ribbon as soon as he’s sure, which corresponds roughly with his first night back in Cloud Recesses without Wei Ying.

He doesn’t sleep much. Even two short weeks of Wei Ying pressed against his side in the evenings, of warm skin and soft lips against his own and fingers trailing through his hair, is enough to change his habits. The Jingshi is too quiet. He finds himself listening for Wei Ying’s breath. Reaching for him in a space he’s never occupied. Expecting him to turn up with a fresh supply of water or some treat he’s purchased from a street seller, even though this is Cloud Recesses, and Wei Ying hasn’t so much as stepped across the threshold since Wangji was named Chief Cultivator over a year ago.

He meditates. He cleans his guqin. He thinks, quite seriously, about retrieving the rest of the Emperor’s Smile he’d hidden away and drinking some, just to pass the time, but he sets that aside fairly quickly. He combs his hair and polishes the pin and ornament, and dresses for the day, and waits.

At five, he leaves the Jingshi and makes his way to Lan Shu’s workshop. He brings tea, to facilitate matters.

Lan Shu listens to his request, and drinks the tea, and doesn’t ask questions. She hadn’t asked questions about the ribbon for Sizhui, either. And she’d never mentioned anything to Uncle.

“A marriage ribbon will take several months to complete,” she tells him, which he already knows. “I can’t guarantee delivery before Qingming.”

He won’t see Wei Ying until after Qingming anyway. It’s not an obstacle.

She gives him a long look, then shakes her head. “Go eat your breakfast, Chief Cultivator,” she says, setting down the tea. “I’ll let you know when it’s done.”

The weeks drag on. The Spring Festival is an extended trial that feels endless and is made longer by the sure knowledge that Wei Ying is in Yunmeng, not Gusu, or Lanling, or any of the other places the Chief Cultivator is required to be in the days leading up to New Year’s Eve. Xichen-ge agrees to break seclusion and help him hang decorations at the gentian cottage, and Sizhui returns just hours before the reunion dinner begins, but still Wangji feels keenly aware of a missing presence, despite the fact that Wei Ying has never spent the Spring Festival at Cloud Recesses and so he should have no expectation of such a thing.

Next year, he promises himself. Next year he and Wei Ying will clean and decorate the Jingshi together.

The close of the Lantern Festival brings a letter that speaks of Yunmeng’s beauty, of the promising young Jiang cultivators and their cleverness with fireworks, of papering over old wounds with new memories. There is also a gourd delicately painted with the Yunmeng lotus and several pages of sketches, but he hardly has a chance to savor them or think of writing back before he’s called away again, chasing rumors of something feeding on villagers and cultivators alike in the south.

It is a long, bloody hunt, and when he returns to Cloud Recesses to see the gourd still hanging where he left it and a new letter waiting, he knows it will be more than a year before Wei Ying joins him here. He will not make his father’s mistakes. He will not give less than all of himself, and he can offer nothing but a cold, empty room and his own repeated absence for as long as he remains Chief Cultivator.

He nearly resigns on the spot, but there is no one to replace him. The Jin sect is struggling to find its stride after a decade under Jin Guangyao with only the young, brash Jin Rulan to take on his duties. Xichen-ge has returned to seclusion and Wangji cannot fault him for it. Nie Hauisang insists on maintaining his distance from politics. Wangji doesn’t want to consider what might happen if Jiang Wanyin took the post. Perhaps he can start with the smaller clans, plant the seeds for a new shape of the world. One where a single cultivator can never again hold as much power as Wen Ruohan or Jin Guangyao, or at least one where more than one man might be held responsible for success and disaster.

Weeks turn to months. Long months, full of new duties and squabbles between cultivators who seem to have little else to do but pick fights and endlessly practice sword forms, waiting for spring thaws. He writes many letters, precious few of them to Wei Ying and nearly all of them terse and direct, but he receives new missives every day, complaints and ambitions and worries and petty rivalries besetting him on all sides from every household in the cultivation word. There are arguments to settle and ceremonies to plan, and to attend. Coming of Age ceremonies. Foundation laying ceremonies. Marriage ceremonies, which strike him as particularly unfair even though he’s told no one else of his intentions. The invitations threaten to engulf his writing desk. Worse are the genuine requests for aid, some of them from small clans scattered through the mountains and others from towns without a cultivation clan to protect them. He understands, quite thoroughly, why Jin Guangyao was so very insistent on setting up the watchtowers, but for all the man’s crimes and plans the system is still shockingly inefficient. Wangji spends more time visiting cultivators and convincing them to grant money, or food, or martial aid to their neighbors than he does actually night hunting himself. Worse, he does not have Jin Guangyao’s gift of pleasing words, and yet everywhere he goes people want to speak with him. Continuously. Exhaustively. No matter how far into silence he retreats or how firmly he refuses to adjust his position.

A week after Qingming, Lan Shu gives him a sandalwood box, subtly carved with clouds and mountains and symbols of longevity in love: butterflies, shuang-xi characters, and paired magpies. The ribbon inside is a close copy of his own, but the silk is freshly woven, the blue embroidery newly dyed; the embedded talismans glitter in the box’s shadowed confines.

He seals it away without touching it, slips the box gently into a qiankun pouch, and resigns himself to waiting.

Three years. That’s how long it takes him to get a working replacement for the post of Chief Cultivator in place. If Wei Ying thinks of marriage during those years, or if he resents the time Wangji spends on the rest of the world, he never shows it during their meetings. He could perhaps be described as clingy, when the weeks and months extend too long, but Wangji is no less possessive of their time together. He is sometimes melancholy, but neither of their lives has been easy and Wangji knows Wei Ying has regrets, for all that he rarely dwells on them. He takes hope from the fact that Wei Ying always returns to him. That his greeting is always welcoming, always eager. That even with so much time apart, his passions burn just as bright as Wangji’s. But hope is a poor substitute for certainty when such assurance is so immediately close to hand.

The sect leaders are displeased at his leavetaking, of course, but they’re always displeased. The ink is still wet on the agreement, red seals settling in cinnabar and silk, but Wangji makes it clear he will not be available for further discussion—he will return to Cloud Recesses for the official announcement, three days hence, and no sooner. In the meantime, they are all welcome to review the paperwork he’s accumulated. And even though it is already well past sundown, and even though his presence is not expected, he mounts Bichen and flies to meet Wei Ying as quickly as spiritual power will carry him.

It only occurs to him later, as he stands in the middle of the town’s main road, that he doesn’t know where, precisely, Wei Ying is staying, or even if he’s kept to the travel plans outlined in his latest letter.

The handful of people still out at night are very polite to him, but not very helpful. Despite years of night hunts, travel, and overlong political conferences, he is not nearly so efficient at soliciting information from strangers as Wei Ying is. Yes, they say, they remember a young man of that description. Yes he did appear to be a cultivator, though he carried no sword. He’d offered to look into a hungry ghost for one family, and disappearing ducks for another, and sold some protective talismans. No. They don’t know where he might be staying.

An inspection of the nearest inn’s stables shows no sign of Little Apple. Wangji grips Bichen tighter and hurries to check the next. Footsteps behind him suddenly speed up and he whirls, sword drawn.

“Lan Zhan?” Wei Ying looks at him up the length of Bichen’s blade, a smile teasing at his lips. “Aren’t you supposed to be at a conference in Gusu?”

“It ended.” He sheathes his sword and studies Wei Ying, marking as many details as he can. His clothes are a little more worn than on their last meeting, months ago, but not badly so. His movements betray no sign of injury as he steps closer, a slight curve in his path and confusion drawing a line between his brows. He smells faintly of ginkgo and chrysanthemum, and his hands are slightly stained. Perhaps he has been gathering supplies.

He looks tired. Drawn thin, the bones of his face too-prominent.

“You’re not eating,” Wangji observes. Wei Ying rolls his eyes and leans in close enough to bump their shoulders together.

“I eat,” he insists, setting off again in a slow walk in the direction Wangji had been heading. “I eat plenty. I don’t need all that money you send me you know, I can earn my own.”

“You give it away,” Wangji reminds him, falling into step at his side. He’s witnessed Wei Ying’s generosity more than once.

“I do fine,” Wei Ying says, and then spins around to face him, walking backwards and changing the subject. “Lan Zhan, if anyone needs to take better care of themselves between us, it’s you. You’re letting all those Sect Leaders run you around, and then you still fly all the way here the same night? What were you going to do if I didn’t find you?”

“Keep looking,” Wangji says, both because it’s true and because he thinks it will make Wei Ying smile. It does.

“Even past nine?” he asks.

“Mn,” Wangji confirms, and Wei Ying laughs. He grabs Wangji’s sleeve and tugs him toward an inn’s brightly lit gate.

“You always wear so much white, Lan Zhan. People will think you’re a ghost come to haunt them.” His grin is teasing. “You should come inside with me so no one gets worried.”

It’s a ridiculous excuse. Wangji doesn’t bother to hold back his smile.

The inn is not the best in town, but it is clean and well-appointed, and the owner seems happy to supply a light meal despite the late hour. Wei Ying’s room is small, with little more than a table, a seating cushion and a bed, but Wangji hardly gets a chance to see it; as soon as the door slides closed behind them Wei Ying takes his face in his hands and kisses him, insistent and covetous like he thinks the opportunity will be snatched away.

It won’t be, but it wouldn’t be the first time that duty or disaster came unexpectedly calling.

“How long before you have to go back?” he asks, already slipping his hands under Wangji’s outer layer, pressing clever fingers down his sides to slide under his waist sash.

“Two days,” Wangji says, letting his own hands settle on Wei Ying’s waist and returning the kiss. But after that. After that... The qiankun pouch feels heavy in his sleeve. He wants to reveal it now. To know, immediately, but there’s a void opening up in his stomach, a swirling suction of doubts he can’t ignore any longer. Wei Ying may refuse him. He may be happy with what they have, despite his pout and the complaints of so soon, too soon, he’s muttering into Wangji’s chest. He may have a different vision of their future.

Later. He’ll ask later. For now he picks Wei Ying up—to a shout muffled against his shoulder—takes four steps, and spills the both of them onto the bed.

“Lan Zhan, if you tell me it’s nine already—”

“It’s not,” Wangji assures him, nuzzling his way up Wei Ying’s neck to his ear. “We have time.”

Wangji wakes at five, as usual. Wei Ying is asleep, curled in on himself with his back pressed warm against Wangji’s side. His eyelids flicker with dreams, and the dim light of the coming dawn paints him with soft gray shadows, smoothing away the worries he carries by day.

He’s beautiful.

He always has been.

Today, Wangji determines. He’ll ask today. This morning. As soon as Wei Ying wakes, or perhaps soon after, depending on his mood.

He allows himself a few moments to watch morning light move over Wei Ying’s skin as he breathes, to memorize, once again, the soft curve of his eyelashes and the gentle slope of his mouth. Then he sighs and sits up, ready to prepare for the day.

“Mnnnn, no, Lan Zhan, come back to bed.” Wei Ying rolls over and grabs him around the waist before he can stand.

“It’s five,” Wangji reminds him, even thought they have this conversation nearly every morning they wake up together and he knows that Wei Ying knows what time it is.

“This isn’t Gusu,” Wei Ying says against his back. Warm lips press against his skin. “Even the innkeeper’s family isn’t up yet. If you rise too soon you’ll disturb them.”

The statement is obviously untrue; Wangji woke to the sound of movement in the kitchens, and the both of them can clearly hear a child feeding the chickens and collecting eggs outside their window. But still, Wei Ying moves himself around on the bed until he can kiss Lan Wangji’s thigh and hip.

“It would be rude,” he says grinning and mischievous even as his hands slide over Lan Wangji’s stomach.

Wangji hesitates, which Wei Ying takes as surrender. He kisses his way up Wangji’s chest, to his lips. It’s a lingering, coaxing kiss that turns more heated as he slips himself into Wangji’s lap.

It makes a much better argument than anything to do with their hosts, and Wangji gives in easily, willingly. Wei Ying pushes at his shoulders until he lies back and then Wangji rolls them both over and catches Wei Ying’s hands between them. Wei Ying tugs at his grip, more playful than forceful, grinning wider and wrinkling his nose as Wangji’s hair tickles his face. He arches his back, seeking more contact, and rolls his hips and—and grabs the trailing end of Wangji’s forehead ribbon in his mouth.

Wangji bites his shoulder in retaliation and Wei Ying laughs through his teeth, no longer tugging at his hands, but wriggling as Wangji drags teeth and tongue over his chest and down his ribs, on his way to lick at his stomach and nip the curve of his hip bone. And then … then Wei Ying yanks his head a little too hard. The ribbon slides off Wanji’s forehead and keeps falling. The silver emblem smacks against his cheekbone on the way down, and then it and the rest of the fluttering white-and-blue length slips down to land on Wei Ying’s bare stomach.

“Ah!” Wei Ying spits out the ribbon end and looks immediately remorseful. “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to—here, I’ll—”

“Keep it.” The words slip out of his mouth without the permission of his rational mind, the weight of three years of longing and waiting pressing behind them, closing his throat to anything else.

Wei Ying goes still. His eyes are very wide.

Wangji is doing this wrong. This is not at all how a proposal is supposed to go, he’s certain, but he’s said it. He can’t take it back now. He can only keep going, struggling toward a future that suddenly feels as substantial as mist.

“Keep it,” he repeats, willing the intent to be understood, but Wei Ying is still staring. Wangji needs to do this properly. He wrenches himself off the bed despite Wei Ying’s wordless protest, finds the qiankun pouch, and shoves the sandalwood box rather unceremoniously into Wei Ying’s hands.

Wei Ying cradles it against his chest for a moment, Wangji’s ribbon still hanging from his fingers and his mouth slightly open, like he wants to speak but can’t think of what to say.

Wangji collects his own ribbon from Wei Ying’s unresisting grip and smooths it carefully. Then he kneels, and waits.

“What…?” Wei Ying sits up and looks down at the box, then frowns and looks closer. He holds it delicately, as if he thinks opening it could release a demon. Or perhaps like a firework that’s already been lit. But he must know what it means.

“This is for me?” he asks, the words sounding half-strangled.

“No,” Wangji corrects, holding out the ribbon he’s worn most of his life. “This is for you. If you want it.”

Wei Ying looks at the box again. His fingers trace over the carvings.

“Lan Zhan,” he says, almost at a whisper, “this is—Lan Zhan are you asking me to marry into the Lan clan?”

It occurs to Wangji, sudden and shocking as water from the Cold Spring, that he could have done this differently. They don’t have to follow the Lan clan’s customs in order to be cultivation partners. They could simply travel together. Live together. Perhaps start their own sect. They don’t have to go anywhere near Gusu or Cloud Recesses. He could have waited three days and then disappeared into the night with Wei Ying at his side and no one the wiser.

His hands clench tight around the ribbon. Cloud Recesses is his home, and being a Lan is woven into the fiber of his entire self. He wants to share that, not set it aside.

“Yes,” he says, trying to keep his eyes on Wei Ying’s face. “If you want it.”

Wei Ying sinks to the floor across from him. He reaches out, then pulls his hand back, as if he’s now afraid to touch the ribbon he’s touched so many times already. That he had in his mouth. He sets the box on the floor, almost reverently, and stares at it for a moment.

Then he laughs, the sound turned strange and high. “I don’t think I’ll make a very good Lan,” he says, as if it’s a joke.

Wangji thinks the void in his stomach might engulf him whole. He looks away. Down at his hands and the ribbon stretched between them. His throat aches with words that can only make this worse.

“Lan Zhan!” Wei Ying’s hands are on his shoulders, a warm, strong grip. On his face, coaxing his chin upward.

“Xingan, don’t look like that.” Wei Ying is smiling. Wangji feels the ribbon pull free of his hands. “I accept, I accept, I just—” Wei Ying laughs wetly. There are tears slipping down his cheeks. “It’s just that you really should have been part of the Yunmeng-Jiang Sect, you know. Attempt the impossible.” He laughs again. “I just keep thinking of your uncle’s face when he sees—how am I supposed to wear this?”

Wangji can’t speak. He wants to say, Are you certain?, and I don’t care what Uncle thinks, but xingan is echoing through his head, blocking out everything but Wei Ying’s face as he clumsily tries to tie on Wangji’s forehead ribbon.

“It’s crooked.” He reaches up to straighten it and ends up retying it completely, intensely aware of Wei Ying’s breath against his arms and chest, and the soft touch of his hair, and a sort of whole-body tingling that makes him feel slightly unreal.

He draws back.

Wei Ying is wearing his forehead ribbon.

None of the marks he’s left on Wei Ying’s skin the last three years made him feel like this. Like his blood is heating up too quickly. Like he needs to kiss Wei Ying immediately, which he does, doing his best to claim him with lips and tongue and teeth.

Wei Ying, gratifyingly, climbs into his lap once more and melts against him, whining slightly as Wangji bites at the hinge of his jaw.

“Lan Zhan,” he pants as Wangji mouths down his neck. “Xingan,” he repeats, sending a full-body shudder through Wangji’s frame. “Am I supposed to give you the other one?”

“Later,” Wangji tells him.

He is not currently interested in self-restraint.

[rosethornewrites]

Fic: the thing with feathers, ch. 10

Relationships: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī/Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn & Yú Zǐyuān, Jiāng Fēngmián & Yú Zǐyuān, Jiāng Yànlí & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jiāng Fēngmián & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Lán Qǐrén & Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn

Characters: Lán Zhàn | Lán Wàngjī, Lán Yuàn | Lán Sīzhuī, Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn, Jiāng Chéng | Jiāng Wǎnyín, Yú Zǐyuān, Yínzhū, Jīnzhū, Lán Jǐngyí, Jiāng Fēngmián, Jiāng Yànlí, Lán Qǐrén, Lán Huàn | Lán Xīchén

Additional Tags: Transmigration, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Illnesses, Family, Scars, Memory Loss, Angst, Crying, Music, Nosebleed, Fear, Recovery, Nightmares, Sharing a Bed, Flirting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort

Summary: A day in the market turns into a philosophical challenge for Lan XiChen.

Notes: Ren is a Confucian concept involving the virtue of altruism and humanity/humaneness. XiChen is lost in his teachings and how what he’s learning at Lotus Pier connect to those teachings at the end here, so we have reference to many ancient Chinese philosophers. I almost had this chapter in Madam Yu’s perspective, but I realized XiChen’s would be better. He’s changing too—particularly important because (at least imo) canon XiChen was very passive because of the rules he felt he needed to abide by. He’s being challenged by this experience. So are all the other characters, as we can see with Madam Yu in this chapter. The Chinese suffix -men is a way to turn certain words plural, often general words rather than specific. Thus, referring to the fact that they will have many martial brothers and sisters (younger and older) would justify the use. I know this only because of the wonderful @merakilyy​, who has on multiple occasions been kind enough to answer my questions about Chinese language usage. Also, xingan literally means heart and liver and is kind of the equivalent of “my heart and soul.”

AO3 link

Chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 

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Living at Lotus Pier had been strange for XiChen for many reasons, not the least of which was spending so much less time with WangJi. He knew he wasn’t unwelcome by any means—Wei WuXian always greeted him with a smile and was happy to include him in lunch and their afternoon music sessions when he stopped by. But XiChen had always been friendly with his fellow disciples and had his friendship with Nie MingJue; Wei WuXian was WangJi’s first friend, the first person he’d allowed close enough, the first person who didn’t seem intimidated by what had often been interpreted as coldness.

He was afraid, during the weeks Wei WuXian was unconscious, that whatever WangJi had seen in the boy that had led him to give him their mother’s rattle drum all those years ago would lead him to grieve just as hard for this boy as he had their mother if he died. But he had woken, and despite the amnesia had glommed onto WangJi, as though by virtue of being the first person he remembered, he had imprinted, for lack of a better word. And WangJi seemed happy with their friendship.

So XiChen joined them for lessons each morning with shufu, often finding himself fascinated by the questions Wei WuXian asked, questions no Lan would think of. Though it isn’t clear how much was memory loss and how much was a freer upbringing, he could tell those questions sometimes challenged shufu, though he never lost his temper.

The most fascinating one so far was “Who decided what’s right and what’s wrong? What if they’re wrong?”

Shufu had asked for an example, and clearly hadn’t expected the boy to come up with one, but he had, a far-away look in his eyes.

“Like one part of a clan does something really evil, and people decide to wipe out the whole clan so it can never happen again. And everyone says it’s justified, but they let kids and civilians get killed. But if anyone tries to stop it people say they’re bad.”

XiChen had just stared, glancing finally at his uncle, who looked nonplussed. Shufu even asked if Wei WuXian heard of this occurring, and the boy just shrugged.

“The cultivation world can be wrong,” shufu finally answered, “and can fail in our obligations to the people. No human is infallible.”

Wei WuXian sometimes seemed to be far away during lessons, head tilted as though deep in thought, but shufu was quite tolerant of this given that he was still recovering, and given that he still seemed to take in what they were learning.

Overall, XiChen found Wei WuXian fascinating, and thought he was the right person to bring WangJi out of his shell. Already his brother was trying new things: foods, music, swimming lessons. Sect Leader Jiang had asked if both of them would like training in the Jiang style sword forms, even, and WangJi had nodded. WangJi smiled, even tiny ones most people didn’t notice, more in the last few weeks since Wei WuXian woke than he had since their mother died.

Even shufu seemed impacted by Lotus Pier. XiChen was able to help teach Jiang YanLi to read music and adjust to playing the konghou, the first time he was allowed to teach. He had never played one himself, but teaching her to read music had been fun, and he found her company pleasing—they were never unaccompanied as it would be inappropriate, generally with shufu overseeing or one of Madam Yu’s maids in the room. She had already gotten blisters from playing her beginner konghou but seemed unbothered by them. 

“I had to get used to developing callouses from chopping vegetables,” she confessed to him. “I know this is part of the process.

He had the opportunity during lunches with her, WangJi, and Wei WuXian in the infirmary to enjoy her cooking—her talent in that regard was unmistakable. She was also a quick learner, and he admired her commitment to becoming a healer, particularly after learning she had to commit to improving her weak cultivation to do so. XiChen had actually learned several techniques from listening to shufu advise her.

He found her quite admirable. 

But more, shufu just today invited XiChen and WangJi to be open with their emotions with him, where he’d previously lectured them on excessive emotion. And he had cancelled lessons for the first time since XiChen could remember!

They were sent off with the Jiangs and Wei WuXian to enjoy the town, the first time circumstances had allowed it. Madam Yu’s somewhat scary personal maids and a couple disciples accompanied them, all carrying baskets for purchases. 

This excursion was significantly different from the one he and WangJi had undertaken shortly after Wei WuXian woke. For one, they had no clear goal, the pace leisurely. For another, it was the first time Wei WuXian had left Lotus Cove since the attack and his illness. He carried his sword as he had not in Lotus Cove, his recovery having exempted him from the custom. In many ways, this was him rejoining the world as a cultivator. 

Immediately, townspeople reacted to seeing him, and the younger boy was clearly a little overwhelmed, clinging to WangJi’s arm and attempting polite smiles. WangJi, for his part, frowned at people who got too close. Jiang WanYin flanked Wei WuXian’s other side, a bit like a bodyguard. Jiang YanLi walked in front of him, greeting the people kindly and letting them know her brother was still recovering. When gifts were given, she placed the parcel in one of the baskets carried by a disciple or maid. 

Sect Leader Jiang and Madam Yu were at Jiang WanYin’s side, arm in arm, politely greeting the people as well.

XiChen walked beside WangJi, watching the proceedings with interest; the people of Lotus Pier clearly had great affection for the Jiangs. It was a relationship that differed greatly from that of Cloud Recesses and Caiyi, the nearest town. But Lotus Cove was nestled aside the city and aided most of the commerce in town. It was a symbiotic relationship, and the gifts represented the esteem the town held for their role in its success. 

“Yingying!” rang out across the market, coming from an elderly woman manning a baozi stall. “Come give popo a hug.”

To XiChen’s surprise, the boy brightened and broke away from WangJi’s side to approach the woman, who pulled him into her arms in a gentle but firm embrace.

“Popo was so worried. I heard you were sick.”

Wei WuXian nodded, looking up at her.

“I… Popo, I lost all my memories,” he admitted. “But you sent the baozi and I remembered you.”

The woman looked up at Sect Leader Jiang, who nodded grimly. Tears filled her eyes. 

“Oh, you poor child. That must be frightening. Let me wrap up some baozi, extra spicy for you and some mild for your siblings and friends. You can come to popo anytime.”

She released him from her embrace and then handed Wei WuXian a fresh bun. Watching him eat reminded XiChen none of them had breakfast, but the woman handed out buns to each of them.

“You Lan don’t like meat, as I recall, so here are some stuffed with bok choy, mushrooms, and tofu.”

The woman wrapped up more, ignoring her customers, who didn't seem upset, instead chatting with the Jiangs animatedly.

The baozi was delicious, though spicier than XiChen was used to. WangJi and the Jiang children seemed to similarly enjoy theirs. Popo gave Wei WuXian one last hug and then waved them off with an order to come visit more.

Madam Yu and Sect Leader Jiang alternated between talking to townspeople and looking at each other in a way XiChen sometimes saw between courting couples. He tried not to watch, instead paying attention to the people who approached and the wares in the stalls they passed. 

Wei WuXian’s admission to popo was spread as quickly as word had spread of WangJi and XiChen’s connection to Wei WuXian the day they bought the rattle drum, and people were gentler in their approach to the boy, offering their names and details to help him.

Largely they were met with blank looks and apologies, which they waved off amiably. But occasionally Wei WuXian smiled widely as a shred of memory returned, and he greeted them as well as he could. These moments were precious, he came to see, both to the townspeople and the Jiangs. 

The toy maker they visited greeted him enthusiastically and after a whisper from WangJi, Wei WuXian thanked him for the dizi, bowing properly with his sword. 

“I play it every day,” he told the man, who beamed proudly. “Lan Zhan plays the guqin with me.”

“When we heard you were ill, the wife and I made it with you in mind. You’ll want a proper dizi eventually, but we hoped it’d cheer you up.”

Sect Leader Jiang paused at that.

“A proper dizi?” he asked.

The toy maker bowed to the sect leader.

“For musical cultivation, if young master Wei decides to do that,” he clarified. “I’m afraid I don’t have the skill to craft spiritual tools, only toys.”

Jiang FengMian looked thoughtful, and Jiang YanLi spoke up.

“It would be lovely to learn musical cultivation together with a-Xian, a-die.”

She shared a glance with WangJi, and XiChen realized they had been discussing this matter.

“I’m learning to wield a whip, too, so it makes sense for him to learn that,” Jiang WanYin added.

XiChen realized they were glancing at Madam Yu surreptitiously, and he could guess this was a sore spot.

WangJi once, in a rare moment when Wei WuXian was otherwise occupied, had expressed concern over Madam Yu’s occasional hostility, and XiChen had noticed the same. She seemed to be trying to do better, but from what he had heard from disciples while training on the field, she held resentment for Wei WuXian. She had changed since the attack, but old habits were hard to break.

Madam Yu, though, made a thoughtful noise. 

“He could potentially learn the songs that have helped with the resentful energy. Could that aid in his further recovery?”

XiChen realized the question was directed at him and scrambled to answer.

“I don’t know, but it would give the Jiang sect a second musical cultivator who could help with such matters,” he said, striving both for diplomacy and to help the Jiang siblings and WangJi with their quest.

“Xingan, what do you think?” Sect Leader Jiang asked, looking at Madam Yu.

She blushed when she realized he was speaking to her. The term of endearment seemed to take her by surprise, and she smiled in a way XiChen hadn’t seen before. 

“A spiritual instrument is a good investment in his future cultivation,” she finally said. “I hope to have a-Cheng training with zidian in the next year as well.”

“We’re raising fine children, my lady,” the sect leader said.

Her smile grew, the flush spreading across her face, but she turned to Wei WuXian.

“A-Ying, we’ll find someone to make you a dizi that will serve as a fine spiritual tool.”

The boy smiled up at her, clearly happy with the idea.

“Thank you, shenshen. I’ll work hard.”

“Not too hard until you’re better,” Madam Yu said, patting his head affectionately.

The Jiang siblings shared a triumphant look with WangJi and XiChen caught Jiang FengMian looking at them indulgently—he clearly recognized their plot and had played into it while allowing them to believe they were being sneaky.

XiChen had never seen adults act like that before, but he was certain it instilled confidence in the Jiang siblings and perhaps even WangJi, which wasn’t a bad thing. It was a bit dishonest but with good intentions, an odd grey area. 

The adults approached several stalls and purchased gifts for the children—even WangJi and XiChen, to his surprise. Wei WuXian was given a new guan for his crown, an elegant lotus carved of deep purple lavender jade, something that seemed almost a message, Madam Yu picking it out personally. 

Jiang WanYin received huwan to protect his wrists during whip training, elegant with purple lacing and metal inlaid for extra protection. Maiden Jiang received mortar and pestle for learning to make medicines, crafted of a light lavender jade that had variation in color ranging from white to deep purple. The gifts were clearly meant to show support for their recent cultivation decisions. 

WangJi and XiChen were gifted matching purple and blue tassels with a lovey carved medium-hued lavender jade lotus attached to hang from their belts beside the charms that allowed them in and out Cloud Recesses.

“To remind you of your stay,” Sect Leader Jiang told them.

It seemed he was unaware of the significance of the jade tokens they wore, and of the rule against unnecessary adornments, but XiChen was certain shufu would be fine with them. After all, they were a representation of the connection they had forged to the Jiang sect. 

“And to serve as an entry token if you need to revisit Lotus Cove,” Madam Yu added. “Our disciples will recognize the gift.”

He noticed they had purchased more, and that the seller didn’t have them available publicly, and realized perhaps they did know, even if their tokens didn’t have the same properties as the Lan ones. Likely the extra tokens were for shufu and the healers. 

XiChen examined his, noting the craftsmanship of the lotus, how real, if miniature, each petal seemed. It was set into a silver disc through which the tassel’s cord threaded, held in place with knots and flat paler purple jade beads carved to resemble the Jiang sect flag’s lotus symbol.

WangJi, he saw, was already affixing the token to his belt to hang beside and behind his Lan token. XiChen did the same, then he and WangJi bowed to Sect Leader Jiang and Madam Yu in thanks for the gifts. 

The tokens didn’t have the Jiang clarity bell the sect wore, but that was unsurprising; unless he or WangJi joined the sect, they would not receive one. Yu ZiYuan had reminded Wei WuXian to don his today, on his first trip out of Lotus Cove, and it hung from his belt.

“I won’t lose it,” he had promised, three fingers raised to make it a vow, that odd far-away quality to his voice. 

Sect Leader Jiang and Madam Yu had exchanged concerned looks.

“See to it you don’t,” Madam Yu had finally replied, then stepped forward to fuss over the way his robes hung. 

As he had lost weight from his ordeal, they no longer fit properly. Little could be done about that; as the boy recovered, the robes would fit him again, barring a growth spurt. 

The sound of barking jolted XiChen back to the present. Wei WuXian went pale, moving closer to WangJi, hiding his face against his back as though it might hide him from the dog. The Jiang children took positions around him, ensuring he was surrounded and protected. 

“It’s okay, didi,” Jiang WanYin murmured. “You’re safe. We’ll keep you safe.”

XiChen abruptly remembered that Wei WuXian had been attacked by dogs and had scars. The fear was clearly so deep-seated that his amnesia hadn’t removed it.

The dog came into view, a scraggly cur, and a child dashed out from behind a stall to chase it off with a stick, others similarly armed joining from nearby. 

When the dog was gone, the children returned, and XiChen could tell from their appearance they were street kids. 

“Wei-xiong, we chased it away,” the oldest-looking boy called softly. “Sorry we let it get so close.”

When they didn’t get an immediate reply from Wei WuXian, the child looked at the others, six of them who could have ranged between four and eight. The youngest was a little girl, and the rest were boys. 

“Like Wei-xiong taught us,” he said, his voice authoritative. 

The children broke into an approximation of a proper bow.

“Greetings, Jiang-zongzhu and Yu-furen,” the children chanted.

The adults exchanged a look.

“Greetings,” Jiang FengMian returned after what seemed to be a silent conversation between himself and Madam Yu. “You know a-Ying?”

The eldest-looking nodded, clearly having elected to speak for the group. 

“Wei-xiong buys us food and taught us to stick together so the dogs and bad people won’t get us and is teaching us to read and other stuff,” the boy explained. 

From the way the children were peering at Wei WuXian, still hiding behind WangJi, they were terribly worried about their young friend. 

“You’re the ones he plays the dizi to?” XiChen asked gently.

The children nodded.

“What other things was a-Xian teaching you?” Jiang YanLi asked softly.

“Like how to feel qi so we can use it to stay warm in the winter,” the eldest boy replied, then bows quickly and politely. “Jiang-guniang.”

“I miss Wei-xiong,” the little girl said, her voice tremulous. “Is Wei-xiong better now?”

“He might not remember us, a-Lian,” another boy said softly. 

The children had clearly heard the news spreading through Lotus Pier of Wei WuXian’s amnesia.

Wei WuXian peered out from where he had hidden his face against WangJi, cautious despite the dog having been driven away.

“A-Lian,” he murmured, pronouncing the name slowly. “I… I found you. By a lotus pond. You were all wet and crying.”

He stepped out from behind WangJi, moving as though in a trance, lost in a newly returned memory.

“You said your name was a-Jī (圾, trash),” and XiChen couldn’t quite hold in a gasp at a child believing such to be their name. “And so, I said you were a gift from the lotuses and should be named a-Lian.”

The little girl rushed forward, crashing into him.

“Wei-xiong,” she sobbed, her little arms around his waist. “You were gone for so long and they said you were sick, and I was scared.”

Wei WuXian looked dazed and overwhelmed, and XiChen realized that a trickle of blood was oozing from his nose—it hadn’t happened in a few days, but he had been overstimulated today with this outing… 

WangJi also noticed and put an arm around him as he swayed dangerously, keeping him upright. Wei WuXian’s grip loosened on his sword, and Jiang WanYin took it before he could drop it, murmuring that he’d carry it for him. 

To XiChen’s surprise, Madam Yu lifted both Wei WuXian and the urchin girl into her arms. Neither resisted, the boy’s head lolling against her shoulder. She didn’t even bother looking at FengMian. 

“It seems we’ll have a few new disciples, then,” she said, huffing as though irritated, but it had less impact with two children in her arms. “We’ll see whether a-Ying has good instincts, but we certainly can’t have homeless children in Lotus Pier.”

XiChen had to avert his eyes at the intensity of Sect Leader Jiang’s adoring look toward Madam Yu. He clearly approved of her decision, but the level of ardor in the way he looked at her was too much. 

The locals who had gathered murmured amongst themselves, the words of surprise and admiration carrying. That the Jiangs would see fit to solve the problem of street urchins by adopting them into the sect was almost unheard of—but they had done so with Wei WuXian. Why not the urchins of Lotus Pier?

From what XiChen could hear, it raised the admiration of the people toward Jiang FengMian, and their opinion of Madam Yu, who apparently had up to now had a reputation for being cold. But here she was in the marketplace holding Wei WuXian on one hip and a little girl in tattered clothing on the other. It was softening her image to the people and making them doubt the rumors of an unhappy marriage. 

The street children looked confused, uncertain, and Jiang FengMian addressed them more gently. 

“Would you become disciples of the YunMengJiang sect? You would live at Lotus Cove, receive an education, and fed and housed and clothed. Even if you do not have the talent to become cultivators, you would not be homeless,” he told them. “A-Ying and a-Cheng and other older male disciples would be your shixiongmen, and a-Li and other older female disciples would be your shijiemen. You’d also have shidimen and a-Lian would be your shimei.”

The children seemed to realize they were being offered adoption, of a sort, into a martial family. Into the Jiang clan. There was a cautious sort of hope spreading among them. 

“Really?” the oldest boy asked, his voice almost hollow with awe. “You really want us?”

“Young man, we would not offer if we didn’t,” Madam Yj snorted. “If a-Ying is already teaching you to read and how to circulate your qi, we would be remiss if we didn’t continue your education.”

The children looked at each other, their growing excitement obvious. After a moment the eldest boy bowed deeply, almost a kowtow, and the other children rushed to copy him.

“This one thanks Jiang-zongzhu and Yu-furen for your kindness. We unworthy ones are happy to accept your generous offer.”

“Whether you’re unworthy has yet to be determined,” Madam Yu responded sharply, almost a scold at the boy’s self-effacement. “I expect you’ll prove worthy.”

She handed the little girl to Jiang FengMian, who settled her on his hip, so she could get a better grip on Wei WuXian, who seemed barely awake and unable to hold onto her well. One of her maids stepped forward and gently dabbed at his nosebleed with a cloth.

“I think a-Ying has had quite enough excitement for today,” Madam Yu announced, patting his back gently.

“And we have some new disciples to settle in at Lotus Cove,” Jiang FengMian added with a smile. “Time to go home.”

The sect leader offered his free hand to Jiang WanYin, who tried and failed not to look thrilled at his father’s attention as he took it.

Madam Yu’s maids led the way, the children between them, Madam Yu and Jiang FengMian following with the Jiang children in tow. WangJi stayed close to Madam Yu and Wei WuXian, who seemed to have fallen fully asleep, and XiChen focused on following him. The accompanying disciples followed behind him.

XiChen barely noticed the way more people in the market approached to place items in the baskets the disciples carried as they walked back to Lotus Cove, or the way Maiden Jiang thanked each person by name. He was too busy considering what he had witnessed. 

He was aware that many in the cultivation world doubted that commoners could be taught to cultivate, but the very fact that Wei WuXian, a mere ten-year-old, had taught them the basics enough to ensure they could circulate their qi to keep warm… He wondered if perhaps that was just an attempt to keep a sort of class or caste system. There was no benefit to society to have children starve in the streets, as Wei WuXian had, without hope. 

Ren would seem to dictate the need to better the world through acts of altruism like Wei WuXian had been practicing and which had been demonstrated by Madam Yu and Sect Leader Jiang today. XiChen‘s studies had covered multiple philosophers. Mengzi dictated the need to show compassion to orphans. Mozi, though controversial to the Lan for his rejection of music as frivolous, called for inclusive and universal caring, doing so beyond family boundaries. Laozi saw loving through giving as a necessary virtue. 

XiChen was constantly aware of the duties he would eventually take on as clan leader and the rules within the clan he was expected to uphold, but the events of today had him wondering if perhaps he should start thinking about the role of GusuLan in the larger world. Acts of charity, taking in orphans, working to better the world at large.

These thoughts kept him occupied on the walk back, and he was only broken from them by the look on shufu’s face at the unexpected addition to their party—confusion, but also a sort of thoughtfulness as Sect Leader Jiang briefly explained. 

Perhaps shufu was also having similar thoughts. Maybe XiChen could speak with him about them at some point. 

For now, he followed WangJi as he trailed after Madam Yu toward the infirmary. The voice of Jiang FengMian ordering disciples to help settle in their new peers with baths and clothing and a good meal, organizing the new additions to YunMengJiang, faded behind them. 

When Madam Yu left them in the infirmary, Wei WuXian in the care of Healer Kang, the quiet was welcome. The healer settled the boy in his bed after a brief examination. 

Eventually, XiChen realized WangJi was watching him in concern and offered a smile he knew was weak.

“A little overwhelmed,” he said, and knew WangJi, who so often was overwhelmed by the noise and furor of the world, understood.

WangJi gestured, settling on a cushion near the table in a meditation pose, and XiChen smiled, mirroring him.

He had time to ruminate on the events of the day and how they might inform his future actions. The best course for the moment was to find grounding and calm while they waited for the chaos that had overtaken Lotus Cove to settle. 

[writinggeisha]

Really helpful website to find nickames for characters.

Cute Chinese Nicknames for Guys

Calling a guy by a cute nickname is a great way to express love and praise his attributes. So, if you need cute Chinese nicknames for a guy, try any of the following popular names:

萌宝 (Meng Bao) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Cute baby,” which makes it a great nickname for a cute guy.

乐乐 (Le Le) – It literally means “Happy-Happy.”

喜洋洋 (Xi Yang Yang) – Originated from a Chinese popular animated series Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, a great nickname for an outgoing and righteous guy.

大宝 (Da Bao) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Big treasure.”

二宝 (Er Bao) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Second treasure.”

来福 (Lai Fu) –  A Chinese phrase meaning “Luck comes.”

牛牛 (Niu Niu) – “牛” means “Bull,” for a cute, strong and energetic guy.

小汤圆 (Xiao Tang Yuan) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Little Dumpling.”

麦兜 (Mai Dou) – Originated from a Hong Kong cartoon character who is a cute little piggy.

呆头 (Dai Tou) –  For a guy who is clumsy in a cute way.

球球 (Qiu Qiu) – It literally means “Ball-Ball,” an intimate nickname for a cute guy who is a little fatty.

肉肉 (RouRou) – It literally means “Meat-Meat,” an intimate nickname for a cute guy who is a little fatty.

正太 (Zheng Tai) – Originated from Japanese manga, for a guy who looks like 12 years old.

小鲜肉 (Xiao XianRou) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Little Fresh Meat.” Boy, you are delicious!

男神 (Nan Shen) – For a God-like guy.

笨笨 (Ben Ben) – It literally means “Clumsy-Clumsy.”

绵绵 (Mian Mian) – For a boy who is docile like a sheep.

暖男 (Nuan Nan) – For a boy who can melt your heart.

尖头闷 (Jian TouMen) – It is homophonic to “gentleman” and is used to nickname a guy who is a gentleman.

校草 (Xiao Cao) – It literally means “Grass Of School” and is awarded to the cutest guy in a school.

音痴 (Yin Chi) – For a cute guy who has a bad sense of lyrics and tones in songs.

小胖 (Xiao Pang) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Little Fatty.”

大胖 (Da Pang) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Big Fatty.”

高富帅 (Gao FuShuai) – Tall, rich and cute.

佛系男 (Fo XiNan) – A Chinese phrase meaning “A Buddhist Guy,” for a cute guy who is ok with everything.

Chinese Nicknames for Boyfriend

One of the cutest ways to show your boyfriend you love him is to call him nickname that tells him just how much he means to you. The following are popular Chinese nicknames for boyfriends.

老公 (Lao Gong) – It literally means “Old Husband.” Chinese couples tend to call each other husband and wife before marriage. They call their partner’s name directly after marriage.

老头 (Lao Tou)/老头儿(Lao Tou’Er) – It literally means “Old Head.”

亲爱的 (Qin AiDe) – A Chinese phrase meaning “My Darling.”

相公 (Xiang Gong) – An ancient term for “Husband” in Chinese, which makes it a high-profile and romantic nickname for boyfriend.

当家的 (Dang JiaDe) – It literally means “Master of this home”.

小美男 (Xiao MeiNan) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Little Beauty Boy.”

小亲亲 (Xiao QingQing) – It literally means “Little Kiss-Kiss.”

小可爱 (Xiao KeAi) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Little Cute Thing.”

夫君 (Fu Jun) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Gentle Husband.”

小绵羊 (Xiao MianYang) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Little Sheep.”

嫩宝宝 (Nen BaoBao) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Young baby.”

小嫩肉 (Xiao NenRou) – It literally means “Little Fresh Meat.”

傻瓜 (Sha Gua) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Silly Pumpkin.”

笨蛋 (Ben Dan) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Clumsy egg.”

小弱智 (Xuai Ruozhi) – Little silly head!

宠儿 – The guy you cherish.

大郎 – A Chinese phrase meaning “ Big Guy.”

君仔 – A Chinese phrase meaning “ Gentle Puppy.”

囝囝 (Jian Jian) – “Kiddy-Kiddy”, usually used by Cantonese and Wu Chinese. A similar term for girlfriend will be “囡囡 (Nan Nan).”

官人 (Guan Ren) – An ancient Chinese that meant bureaucrats, now becomes a seductive nickname for girlfriend calling her boyfriend.

外子 (Wai Zi) – The person who is responsible for work outside the home.

宝爸 (Bao Ba) – It literally means “Dad of future babies.”

良人 (Liang Ren) – It literally means “Good Person.”

老流氓 (Lao LiuMang) – You old hentai!

蓝票(Lan Piao) – A homophone to 男朋友(Nan PengYou, meaning boyfriend). Its literal translation means “Blue Ticket.”

傻帽 (Sha Mao) – A Chinese phrase meaning “My silly hat.”

死鬼 (Si Gui) – A Chinese phrase meaning “My little ghost.”

总裁 (Zong Cai) – The chief executive officer.

魔王 (Mo Wang) – A Chinese phrase meaning “My Demon King.”

皇上/陛下 (Huang Shang/Bi Xia) – A Chinese phrase meaning “My emperor”

小东西 (Xiao DongXi) – My little east and west.

哥哥 (Ge Ge) – It means “Brother”. Calling your boyfriend “brother” is to treat him like a family member.

爸爸 (Ba Ba) – Yes… You can also call your boyfriend “爸爸 (daddy)”.

大爷 (Da Ye) – It literally means “Old Grandpa.”

蜀黍 (Shu Xi) – A cute way of saying “叔叔(uncle)”. Also, a common nickname for boyfriend…

小心肝 (Xiao XinGan) – It means “Little Heart and Liver”, and makes a great pair with “小宝贝(Xiao BaoBei, meaning my little precious stone)”.

皇阿玛 (Huang Amma) – It means “Royal Amma”, a royal title when emperor’s kids called their dad in Qing Dynasty. It makes an exact pair with “太后 (Tai Hou, meaning queen)”. It’s a great nickname if you and your girlfriend want to try some royal family fantasy.

土匪/土贼 (Tu Fei/Tu Zei) – It literally means “Bandit”. A great nickname if your boyfriend is hungry for sex.

莫须有 (Mao XuYou) – It came from one of the most known ancient poets. Usually for a sweet-talking boyfriend.

笑傲江湖 (XiaoAo JiangHu) – It came from the most popular Martial arts novel of all time “The Legend of The Condor Heroes”. The boyfriend will be called “笑傲江湖”, who is the main male character, and the girlfriend will be called “东方不败 (DongFang BuBai)”, who is the main female character.

Funny Chinese Nicknames for Guys

The following are funny Chinese nicknames for a guy:

(Bei Ye) – A man who is as strong as Bear Grylls (a Northern Irish adventurer).

左撇子 (Zuo PieZi) – For a guy who is left-handed.

小平头 (Xiao PingTou) – For a guy who has a buzzcut hair.

独眼龙 (Du YanLong) – It literally means “Single-Eye Dragon,” for a pirate-looking guy.

极客 (Ji Ke) – A tech geek.

大侠 (Da Xia) – For a guy who loves to help people. An example of “大侠(DaXia)” will be Robin Hood.

低头族 (Di TouZu) – For a guy who always plays on his phone.

肌肉男 (Ji RouNan) – For a well-fitted and masculine guy.

和尚 (He Shang) – “和尚” means monk in Chinese. For a guy with a bald hair.

书呆 (Shu Dai) – Does he spend all of his free time reading?

金针菇 (Jin ZhenGu) – He is so slim, like a tiger lily bud!

老铁 (Lao Tie) – Our friendship/relationship is as strong as iron!

化肥 (Hua Fei) – A chemistry nerd.

老王 (Lao Wang) – The guy who lives in your next door. Although he is not Mr.Wang, we call him Mr.Wang.

纯爷们 (Chun YeMen) – A Chinese phrase meaning “A Pure Man,” for a brave and righteous guy.

唐僧 (Tang Seng) – We all have a friend who always talks.

老大 (Lao Da) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Old Big,” for the guy who leads your team.

牙擦苏 (Ya CaSu) – For a guy with big buck teeth.

眼镜 (Yan Jing) – It is granted to the first glass-wearing guy in a class.

宅男 (Zhai Nan) – Same as otaku, for a guy who barely participates in social activities.

技术宅 (Ji ShuZhai) – Not only an otaku but also a tech geek!

叶良辰 (Ye LiangChen) – Originated from a screenshot of WeChat dialog. The guy called “叶良辰” behaved arrogantly to a girl. Since then, it to refers to a guy is behaving overbearingly.

龙傲天 (Long  AoTian) – For a guy who is perfect in any sense.

老好人 (LaoHaoRen) – Chinese girls usually say “You are a good guy” when rejecting a guy’s proposal. The guy who always gets rejected is called “老好人.”

绅士 (Shen Shi) – It literally means “gentleman” but is now used to nickname a guy who is a hentai.

特困生 (Te KunSheng) – We always have one guy in class who falls asleep immediately when class starts.

妻管严 (Qi GuanYan) – For a guy takes a subordinate role in a relationship.

Cute Chinese Nicknames for Girls

If you need nicknames that express affection for a lady, try the following cute Chinese nicknames for girls:

倾国 (Qing Guo) – It literally means “Flip a country.” For a girl who is world-changing cute.

倾城 (Qing Cheng) – It literally means “Flip a city.” For a girl who is world-changing cute.

萌妹 (Meng Mei) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Cute Sister.”

郡��� (Jun Zhu) – Originated from the title of a royal-born girl in ancient China, we now nickname it to a girl who is cute and precious.

咩咩 (Mie Mie) – An onomatopoeia of sheep bleating, for a girl who is docile like sheep.

教主 (Jiao Zhu) – It literally means “hierarchy,” for an outstanding girl who leads people

丫头 (Ya Tou) – Very commonly used by Cantonese and Wu Chinese, for a cute and naughty girl

小仙女 (Xiao XianNv) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Little Fairy Girl.”

美眉 (Mei Mei) – Ms. Beautiful.

MM (Mei Mei) – An acronym of “美眉,” same meaning.

点点 (Dian Dian) – It literally means “Dot-Dot.”

豆豆 (Dou Dou) – It literally means “Bean-Bean.”

双马尾 (Shuang MaWei) – For a girl who has a beautiful double-tail hair

呆毛 (Dai Mao) – For a girl who has a protruding branch of hair (a symbol of cuteness).

电波女 (Dian BoNv) – For a girl who is nerdy in a cute way.

女青年 (Nv QingNian) – For a teenager girl who is very literal.

大小姐 (Da XiaoJie) – For a girl from a well-known family.

千金 (Qian Jin) – It literally means “A thousand golds,” for a girl from a wealthy family.

女王 (Nv Wang) – It literally means “Queen,” we nickname it to a dominant girl.

媚娘 (Mei Niang) – For a grown woman, who is charismatic.

麻花 (Ma Hua) – For a girl with a braided pigtail hair.

校花 (Xiao Hua) – It literally means “Flower of School” and is awarded to the cutest girl in a school.

女神 (Nv Shen) – For a Goddess-like girl.

御姐 (Yu Jie) – For a grown but young woman who is protective, confident, and knowledgeable.

萝莉 (Luo Li) – Originated from a Russian book published in 1955, for a girl who is mature but looks like 12 years old.

贝贝 (BeiBei) – A Reduplication of 贝 (“宝贝(baby)”), it is a great nickname for a precious girl.

宝宝 (BaoBao) – A Reduplication of 宝 (“宝贝(baby)”), it is an excellent nickname for a precious girl

Chinese Nicknames for Girlfriend

A cute way to show your girlfriend you love her is to call her a cute name. The following are cute names you can call your girlfriend in Chinese.

囡囡 (Nan Nan) – “Kiddy-Kiddy”, usually used by Cantonese and Wu Chinese. A similar term for boyfriend will be “囝囝 (Jian Jian).”

可可 (Ke Ke)/可儿 (Ke Er) – “可” in Chinese represents cute (“可爱(cute)”).

雪儿 (Xue Er) – For a girl who is as pure as snow.

灵儿 (Ling Er) – For a girl who is spiritual.

多多 (Duo Duo) – It literally means “More-More”, with a wish of having more luck and fortune in life

天天 (TianTian) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Day-Day.”, with a good wish of having a good mood every single day.

鱼儿 (Yu Er)/小鱼(Xiao Yu) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Little Fish.”

小金鱼 (Xiao JinYu) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Little Golden Fish.”

静儿 (Jing Er)/小静(Xiao Jing) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Little Patience” In China, patience is viewed as a good character for girls.

猪猪 (Zhu Zhu) – It literally means “Piggy-Piggy.”

糖糖 (Tang Tang) – It literally means “Sugar-Sugar.”

小琴 (Xiao Qin) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Little Piano”, we nickname a girl “小琴” to grant our wish that she would be skillful.

小凤 (Xiao Feng) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Little Phoenix”, we nickname a girl “小凤” to grant our wish that she would be strong and independent.

婷婷 (Ting Ting)/小婷 (Xiao Ting) – “婷(Ting)” is a very common first name in China. A great nickname if your friends’ names are Christine, Christina, Tina, or Tiffany.

宜宜 (Yi Yi)/小宜 (Xiao Yi) – “宜(Yi)” is a very common first name in China. A great nickname if your friends’ names are Joey, Zoey, or Yvonne.

娜娜 (Na Na)/小娜 (Xiao Na) – “娜(Na)” is a very common first name in China. A great nickname if your friends’ names are Anna, Nina, Joanna, or Hannah.

妮妮 (Ni Ni)/小妮(Xiao Ni) – “妮(Ni)” is a very common first name in China. A great nickname if your friends’ names are Cindy, Nina, Jenny or Wenny.

丽丽 (Li Li) – It literally means “Beauty-Beauty.”

蓉蓉 (Rong Rong) – Hibiscus, viewed as a beautiful flower in China.

小花 (Xiao Hua) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Little Flower.”

甜甜 (Tian Tian) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Sweet-Sweet.”

太后(Tai Hou) – It literally means “Queen”.

爱妃(Ai Fei) – My beloved consort.

领导(Ling Dao) – My supervisor.

妞妞(Niu Niu) – It literally means “girl-girl”. The reduplication adds an extra cuteness to this nickname.

老婆 (Lao Po) – It literally means “Old Wife.” Chinese couples tend to call each other husband and wife before marriage. They call their partner’s name directly after marriage.

媳妇 (Xi Fu) – Same as the last one.

爱人 (Ai Ren) – An Chinese phrase meaning “My beloved one.”

夫人(Fu Ren) – It means “A person of the husband”.

内子 (Nei Zi) – The person who is responsible for work in the home.

妹妹 (Mei Mei) – It means “Sister”. Calling your girlfriend “sister” is to treat her like a family member.

娘子 (Niang Zi) – An ancient saying of “Wife”, which now is a romantic nickname for a girlfriend.

小跟班 (Xiao GenBan) – A Chinese nickname meaning “My Little Follower”.

小甜心 (Xiao TianXin) – A Chinese nickname meaning “My Sweetheart”.

小妖精 (Xiao YaoJing) – A Chinese phrase meaning “My Little Ghost”.

小美人 (Xiao MeiRen) – A Chinese phrase meaning “My Little Beauty”.

小祖宗 (Xiao ZuZong) – A Chinese phrase meaning “My Little Ancestor” (P.S. Chinese people respect their ancestors and think they will bless them from above).

小天使 (Xiao TianShi) – A Chinese phrase meaning “My Little Angel.”

小崽子 (Xiao ZaiZi) – A Chinese phrase meaning “My Little Puppy.”

小考拉 (Xiao KaoLa) – A Chinese phrase meaning “My Little Koala.”

小阿狸 (Xiao ALi) – A Chinese phrase meaning “My Little ALi (A popular animated fox).”

小娇妻 (Xiao JiaoQi) – A Chinese phrase meaning “My Little Wife.”

小瓜皮 (Xiao GuaPi) – A Chinese phrase meaning “My Little Melon Rind.”

小淘气 (Xiao TaoQi) – A Chinese phrase meaning “My Little Naughty.”

小捣蛋 (Xiao DaoDan) – A Chinese phrase meaning “My Little Naughty.”

小笨蛋 (Xiao BenDan) – It literally means “My Little Clumsy Egg.”

小坏蛋 (Xiao HuaiDan) – It literally means “My Little Bad Egg.”

小呆萌 (Xiao DaiMeng) – Clumsy as well as cute.

宝宝(Bao Bao)/贝贝(Bei Bei) – Both words come from “宝贝 (baby)” and make a perfect matching pair for a couple. You can take one for your own and call your girlfriend the other!

小宝贝 (Xiao BaoBei) – It means “My little precious stone”, and makes a great pair with “小心肝(Xiao XinGan, meaning my little heart and liver)”.

太后(Tai Hou) – It means “Queen”. It makes an exact pair with “皇阿玛 (Huang Amma, meaning queen)”. It’s a great nickname if you and your boyfriend want to try some royal family fantasy.

东方不败(DongFang BuBai) – It came from the most popular Martial arts novel of all time “The Legend of The Condor Heroes”. The girlfriend will be called “东方不败”, who is the main female character, and the boyfriend will be called “笑傲江湖 (XiaoAo JiangHu)”, who is the main male character.

Funny Chinese Nicknames for Girls

The following are among the most popular funniest nicknames for girls in Chinese:

白富美 (Bai FuMei) – It literally means “White, rich and Beautiful.”

辣妹 (La Mei) – Girl, you are hot!

毛毛虫 (Mao MaoChong) – A Chinese phrase meaning “Fury & Fury Worm.”

大嘴 (Da Zui) – For a girl who always talks.

某爷 (Mou Ye) – For a manly girl, “爷” means “lord” in Chinese.

巾帼 (Jin Guo) – For a legendary girl, usually referred as a national heroine (e.g., Hua Mulan).

红娘 (Hong Niang) – For a girl who loves to help matchmaking couples, although she herself doesn’t involve in any relationship.

姬友 (Ji You) – For an intimate and trustworthy female friend, who you can share all those secrets that you won’t even tell your mom. Usually between boy and girl.

闺蜜 (Gui Mi) – For an intimate and trustworthy female friend, who you can share all those secrets that you won’t even tell your mom. Usually between girl and girl.

学姐 (Xue Jie) – A general Chinese nickname for a girl in your school who is older than you.

学妹 (Xue Mei) – A general nickname for a girl in your school who is younger than you.

女汉子 (Nv HanZi) – For a girl who is strong and masculine.

毛妹 (Mao Mei) – For a girl comes from Russia, commonly viewed as independent and powerful (e.g., Zarya in Overwatch)

拜金女 (Bai JinNv) – For a gold digger.

迷妹 (Mi Mei) – A mysterious girl whose ways are difficult to comprehend.

玛丽苏 (Ma LiSu) – Came from a female character called “Mary Sue” in a Star Trek fan fiction and is used to nickname a girl who is so perfect as to be annoying.

青梅竹马 (QingMei ZhuMa) – A guy’s best childhood friend who is female.

花痴 (Hua Chi) – A funny Chinese nickname for a girl who is boy crazy.

路痴 (Lu Chi) – For a girl who has a bad sense of direction.

家里蹲 (Jia LiDun) – For an otaku who always stays at home.

傲娇 (Ao Jiao) – For a girl who is initially cold and sometimes even hostile, but gradually showing a warmer, friendlier side over time.

元气 (Yuan Qi) – For a girl who is full of 气(Chi), always brings happiness to friends around her.

戏精 (Xi Jing) – A dramatic girl.

冰美人 (Bing MeiRen) – For a cold-looking girl who is beautiful inside.

暴力女 (Bao LiNv) – The girl who fights better than any men in your neighborhood.

猫奴 (Mao Nu) – It literally means “Cat Servant,” for a passionate cat lover, usually referred to as female.

玻璃心 (Bo LiXin) – For a girl who is easy to get heartbreaking.

醋缸 (Cu Gang) – It literally means “Vinegar Gallon Bucket,” for a girl who is easy to get envy on someone or something.

爸宝 (Ba Bao) – For a girl who is intimate with her dad. Vice versa, “妈宝” means a boy who is intimate with his mom.

小姐姐 (Xiao JieJie) – A Chinese nickname meaning “Little sister,” to phrase a girl’s everlasting youth.

河东狮 (HeDongShi) – We nickname a girl “河东狮(East River Lion)” who screams really loud as if she masters the legendary Kungfu technique “河东狮吼.”