Meng Kang quickly sets the table up for breakfast, putting the plates and cups of water on their designated places, just as his father steps out of his room, wearing his simple training day robes instead of his common soldier garb, his wavy hair pressed on one side and wild on the other. His stubble and haggard face made him look older than he was, though Meng Kang still isn't sure how old he is.
Louyang squints at him and sighs tiredly, "No matter how many times..." he trails off, shaking his head and slowly sitting down with a grunt. Meng Kang is already aware of what his father is disgruntled about. He's been told plenty of times that he shouldn't be waking up at the hour of the dragon to be making a simple breakfast for his adopted father, or helping his younger brothers get ready for the day as a ten-year-old. But that's what he's done in the orphanage for years, and the habit stuck. Plus, he likes helping others; it's no issue for him.
His father grumbles under his breath about being a bad father as he digs into his portion of rice. His brothers were already woken up before and had taken their baths and are currently putting their clothes on.
Meng Kang helps his youngest brother, Mo An, tie his hair in a bun so it doesn't get in his face. When it came to his other brother, Ren Zhixuan, Meng Kang would usually have to bully him into putting something simple and not overly complicated or completely unsuited for the season.
But today his too busy to pay much attention to him. He stares at the empty bed in the far corner of the room. His brothers' bed had been made by Meng Kang himself, but when Meng Kang woke up, his new brother's bed had been made, and the boy gone. Not a single dent that he slept on it. For four days since Yan Qiu's introduction to the new family, the boy has been quiet, murmuring to himself when he thought no one was looking at him, or has been in his head the majority of the time. Sometimes he walks through their home at night like some ghost haunting their halls. Even Father had been spooked by his sudden presence a few times.
When Mo An and Ren Zhixuan asked him questions or tried to include him in their conversations a few times, he stared at them as if seeing a creature speak gibberish. Other times, he stares a little creepily for a little too long. Mo An says is because he stays a little too still for his liking. Ren Zhixuan says his eyes remind him of a dead fish, so it's a bit uncomfortable. Meng Kang would never say out loud- it's mean- but he kind of agrees.
"Did you two see Yan Qiu come back inside?" Meng Kang asks.
Both of them shook their heads. Meng Kang sighs. He'll have to walk out into the snow and look for him. Again.
"Okay, you two go have breakfast. I'll go get him. A'Xuan put on some different pants those aren't meant for the cold." He leaves and passes his father, getting another portion of food.
His sharp eyes look at him for a second, then to the outside. "When you find him. Bring him to the training yard, we have some training to do."
Meng Kang halts, " Training? But he just got here! Didn't you save him from somewhere terrible? Plus he's wounds hadn't healed yet, and-" A large calloused hand patted his head, stopping his ranting.
" Relax, kid. I won't train him to death, but I did encounter something that made me curious, that's all. " He huffs. "I think he needs something to focus his mind with. Plus, I did the same to you, yeah? You lived." He ruffles his hair and walks back to eat at the table, now accompanied by his little brothers.
Mo An greets Louyang with a good morning, while Zhixuan immediately starts chattering about his rival in one of his classes to their amused father.
Meng Kang side eyes him as he puts his boots, yeah, he lived, but he almost fell unconscious from exhaustion from his father's idea of what 'training' meant. Seriously, who thinks pulling a heavy log up a hill to cut for a fire is training for sword practice? Or climbing a tree with no shoes on? He very much respects his adopted father, but his a bit wacko.
He walks out from the front porch and down the hill. They live in a little, remote house a few minutes away from the main school. Thankfully, since it's far too cold to train today, classes have been cancelled, and Mang Kang has no studies to do today.
He walks to the side of the path, muscle memory already taking him to the area where he had to retrieve Yan Qiu the last few days. A few minutes later, he sees him there, his old red winter robes standing out in the white scenery of the mountain forest, standing and gazing at an old dead tree, with twisted branches and a gnarled trunk. The roots surging from the ground like the hands of a corpse. The center of the tree had a hole in it as if something had been ripped out of it.
Meng Kang walks towards the younger boy, boots crunching on the snow announcing his presence. He stares at the tree next to him like the many times he has done before. It's a creepy old-looking tree that's for sure, but nothing special.
"Why do you keep looking at this tree?" He asked.
".... It's... similar to one I've seen before.." He says slowly. Meng Kang's head snaps to him. That's the most amount of words he has said since he got here! Determination to keep him talking rises in his chest. Let's keep calm.
"Really? You keep coming here. Was the other tree you visited special to you?"
The boy is silent for a moment, staring at the ground. "...Something like that." He walks to it and puts he's hand on the bark. Oh no! His fingers are red! Thankfully, Meng Kang brought an extra pair of gloves just in case. The boy continues, "But.. it's not the same. None of it is."
Meng Kang can relate, when his father picked him up five years ago, he tried to do things that were famailiar from the orphange to quell the homesickenss, sometimes that wasn't enough.
"I get it. It's not easy, huh? But it will get better! I promise you that! Father will never let you get in harm's way or throw you away. We're a family now. Father won't replace your dead parents; he's easy going and sociable, as long as you're not causing trouble, he won't get mad at you." He pauses, "Well, he won't get mad per se, but he'll put you under hellish training if you do cause trouble. I would know." Meng Kang admits solemnly.
Yan Qiu moves away from the tree, he looks more confident now, his shoulders are loose. Though his eyes still maintain that dead-fish resemblance, that ghostly gaze he came in with is all but gone now.
"Hmm. My parents aren't dead, by the way. They're alive." He walks back past Meng Kang, the tanner boy stares at him... Huh?!
"Wait! That means..Father kidnapped you!" Meng Kang trots to him, horrified. "I can tell him to search for your parents if you want-
"It's okay." The boy interrupts." I didn't like them, and they didn't like me. And you don't have to search for them, I know where they are." Yan Qiu says, as if it weren't a big deal! Meng Kang doesn't know what to say and just stares at him as they walk back home.
He shudders from the cold, and then he remembers Yan Qui's bare fingers in the cold weather. He rummages in his pockets and passes him the winter gloves. He grabs it and puts it on.
"You're pretty normal about this for a ten-year-old." Meng Kang says out loud.
He shrugs. "I don't care. Also, I'm not ten. Im seven."
Meng Kang once again stares at him in shock.
They're both the same height!