5 year old Wei Wuxian was shivering from the cold, he needed warm clothes but he needed food more, he hasn't eaten anything in days.

He missed his mother and father, they'd always give him whatever he wanted as long as they can afford it.

He stood up to search for food since food won't walk to you anyways.

When he found a half eaten bun, his mouth watered and he smiled.

'Finally! Something to eat!' Wei Wuxian thought to himself and quickly went towards the bun.

He picked it up and gobbled it in quickly before any dogs came to steal it from him.

It wasn't much food, but it seemed to fill his stomach.

He sighed, he looked up to see it was mid-day, his parents didn't come back for him since he was 3.

He heard the cultivators a year ago saying how Wei Ghangze and Cangse Sanren had died.

He was confused how the cultivators knew his parents names, but then he started listening to the rumors and understood why his parents didn't come back.

He kicked the small stone he saw on the ground a bit too hard that it hit one of the bigger dogs in the town.

Wei Wuxian panicked when he saw how that monster was staring at him.

He started running for his life.

He promised his mother that he would stay alive no matter what happens to them and he will be keeping that promise for life.

That was until he bumped into a man in purple.

"Save me! Please!" He cried and hid behind the purple man.

The said Purple man was in shock but quickly shooed the dog away from them.

He kneeled on the ground so he could be on eye level with the younger.

"A-Xian?" He called out as he held the child's shoulder.

Wei Wuxian looked at the purple man in shock "Purple Uncle knows Xianxian?"

"You don't remember me?" The man asked him sadly.

Wei Wuxian felt guilty "Sorry Uncle, my memory became bad" he apologized.

"No need to apologize little one, I'm King Jiang Fengmian, Your father was my Sworn brother..you can call me Uncle" the Man introduced himself.

"My dear, you look so thin, come let's get you something to eat and some warmer clothes before we get back to Lotus Pier tomorrow" Jiang Fengmian said.

"I don't want to bother you Uncle" Wei Wuxian said because he really doesn't want to bother him with things because he doesn't have anything to pay him back with.

"It's alright, I'm your Uncle, I should take care of you"

Wei Wuxian knew he wasn't going to win the conversation so he decided to keep quiet and followed his Uncle.

---

5 year old Lan Wangji was infront of the Gentian House

Waiting for his mother to open the door like she does every end of the month.

But for the last three months it seems like she forgets to open the door.

His Uncle and Brother told him mother was not going to open the door anymore.

He misses his mother, he doesn't want to leave her.

Nobody understood him properly like his mother. Especially since she would always tease him for his stoic face.

He missed her teasing even when he doesn't know why his mother teases him! It wasn't funny.

Was he a bad boy? Did he accidentally break the rules?

No. Mother wouldn't care if he did.

He was kneeling, waiting for the door to open.

From sunrise until sundown when his brother would pick him up.

Lan Xichen was getting tired seeing his brother still do this every month.

He knows he's still mourning, it was unfortunate that his brother didn't spend as much time as he did with their mother.

This would be temporary, he knows Wangji will move on one way or another.

"Wangji, come now" he walked towards him "We should leave now, dinner is around the corner" Lan Xichen said and watched how his brother stood up and slowly walked towards him.

"Has Wangji been bad?"

Lan Xichen's eyes widened at his brother's question.

"No, Wangji did nothing wrong, why are you asking such a silly question?" He asked the younger.

"Because mother doesn't want to see Wangji anymore, she doesn't open the door" Lan Wangji replied as he walked beside his brother.

Lan Xichen sighed "Mother isn't opening the door because you did something bad, she's...somewhere far away, we can visit her when the time is right"

"Far?" Lan Wangji asked him.

"Yes, only when we're chosen, then we can go to the place where mother is" Lan Xichen said.

"Can't she visit us?"

"She can't visit us Wangji"

That day, Lan Wangji knows he would never see his beloved mother ever again.