after years of being in a marriage she hated, Lan mama finally got the divorce she wanted and moved out of the big city to a small town, Xichen goes out to visit her one day but just before the town entrance, his car gets a flat tire and he doesn't have a spare, Lan mama comes +

to pick him up and says she'll call the local mechanic in the morning to pick it up and fix it for him

after lunch the next day, Lan mama takes Xichen for a walk around the town to see the place and local stores, making a stop to the garage to check on his car +

the man (roughly the same age as Lan mama) who comes out is tall with kind eyes, lines making them crinkle when he smiles, he tells them that his son grabbed the car in the morning and they've started working on it since it should be pretty quick to fix +

Xichen's about to respond when the son walks out to join his dad and cue flustered at first sight (on both sides ah wink wonk) he's just as tall as his dad, probably even a little bit more, same hazal eyes but stern, frowning eyebrows and is ~really~ fit (not that Xichen +

was oogling or anything but the guys biceps /are/ just right there) they exchange names but Mingjue has to take his hand away when Xichen goes in for a polite handshake (grease, don't wanna get you dirty)

later on at lunch in a diner, Lan mama asks Xichen what he thinks of +

Mingjue bc she knows her son and saw the blush (idk how to write this part BUT basically the Nie mamas own the diner and Huaisang works there too, Lan mama took him there specifically for that reason bc Mingjue also comes in every day to grab lunch) +

basically the fic where Lan Xichen goes to a quiet town and falls for the mechanics son who repairs his car

also I imagine that he's working on the underneath of a car and when Xichen says 'hi' he hits his head from surprise (also him on that wheely board thing is kinda cool)