Moreover, Tan Heqian was sure that any parent would probably lack the courage to live in the city where their child died. Or to put it another way, they would likely despise the city that stole their child’s life.
"Zhilan, if you’re sad, go ahead and cry. There’s no one here right now, only me watching. Nobody would see you. There’s no shame in it," Tan Heqian said, well-aware that this kind of news was the worst possible kind. Lan Lin had been the pillar of several families, but he had died years ago. Anyone in this situation would be devastated. "Don’t worry, I won’t laugh at you."
He Zhilan only shook her head. Yes, she was upset, but what good would crying do?
"I think, seeing us two here together after more than ten years, maybe... finding Lan Lin’s parents isn’t impossible. You should try to look on the bright side. As long as we find Lan Lin’s parents, wouldn’t your aunt and uncle know where your parents are?" The consolation offered by Tan Heqian was feeble, even as he was inwardly cursing the human traffickers for their grotesque misdeeds and wishing they could all be apprehended and executed.
He Zhilan just remained silent, and so did Tan Heqian. He sat with her quietly on the large rock, glancing back at her now and then. Her reddened eyes betrayed her attempts to hold back her tears and it was heartrending.
They sat there for half an hour, neither saying a word. A cool breeze rustled through the willow branches, making them sway gently. However, the idyllic scenery seemed incredibly dismal through their eyes.
"Zhilan, you’ve got a letter. We brought it up for you when we came upstairs. The woman said the letter had been delivered a while ago but it had fallen into a gap in the table and was only found today."
Seeing He Zhilan return, Chen Xiting called out to her, pointing at He Zhilan’s desk. As she finished speaking, she noticed that something seemed off with He Zhilan and hurriedly asked, "What’s wrong?"
"Nothing, just got some sand in my eye on the way back." He Zhilan replied.
Even someone as oblivious as Chen Xiting wouldn’t believe such an excuse, let alone Jiang Biyun. However, the dormitory wasn’t a good place for a chat, so Jiang Biyun gave Chen Xiting a look, signaling her not to press further at the moment and to wait for a more suitable time to ask.
The corner of the envelope on the table was slightly dusty. It was clear it had just been retrieved from a corner. Upon seeing it, He Zhilan realised it was a letter from He Dongxue. Looking at the postmark, it was clear it had been there for some time. No wonder she hadn’t received any letters from He Dongxue.
"Did it come from home?" Jiang Biyun walked over to He Zhilan and seeing the ’He Dongxue’ written on the envelope, she guessed it must be from He Zhilan’s family, most likely from her father’s biological daughter, who was technically Zhilan’s younger sister-in-law. Seeing that they still corresponded with each other, Jiang Biyun gathered that their relationship was quite good.
"Yes, it is from my younger sister. She’s in her final year of high school and will soon be going to college. She has said that she also wants to come to the capital for her studies." Speaking of her family, a faint smile appeared on He Zhilan’s face. She opened the letter and saw that it also contained one from Liang Jing.
Her father had very little education, only two years of school, and although he could just about write, he couldn’t write a letter. Previously, whenever there was any correspondence from home, either He Dongxue or He Zhilan would write on his behalf.
He Dongxue was a lot more outgoing than He Zhilan. Reading the letter, it was clear the mood she had been in when she wrote it. Seeing how He Dongxue addressed her, He Zhilan couldn’t help but chuckle, sometimes calling her ’Sister Zhilan’, the other times ’sister-in-law’, with no fixed form of address.