It was during the month before Jin Ling’s birth that the subject first came up and their plan began to take shape.
As the birth approached, Jiang Cheng had been spending more and more time at Jinlintai. He was aware some found his obvious concern excessive, but frankly he didn’t care. The doctors all said she and the baby were fine, and she looked radiant and happy. But his sister had never been physically strong and he couldn’t help being anxious about the coming ordeal. Even if he couldn’t actually do anything to help, he wanted to spend as much time as possible with her.
It was on the first day of one of his visits that the subject came up. The siblings had been having tea when Jin Zixuan came in. He touched Yanli’s face tenderly before sitting, and then the two of them shared a look heavy with meaning.
“A-Cheng, there’s something Zixuan and I have been meaning to talk to you about,” she said. “We think our baby’s one month celebration would be a good time to reintroduce A-Xian to society. If we manage it correctly, maybe it can be the first step to making it safe for him to go home to Lotus Pier.”
Jiang Cheng’s eyes darted towards Jin Zixuan. He managed to keep his voice steady and derisive as he replied. “Letting him go home? He’s cast out. There is no going home for him.”
Jiang Yanli gave him a frank look. She reached over and took her husband’s hand before speaking. “A-Cheng, Zixuan knows. I told him. He understands.”
