After Tan Heqian said this, he fell silent. Clearly, this clue led to a dead end. It was impossible to find Lan Lin’s mother who had moved overseas, and Lan Lin’s father who might still be in the country had already perished.
Yet, there was one thing Tan Heqian dared not mention to He Zhilan. Concerning Lan Lin’s mother, there had been conjectures that she was unlikely to be alive because her health had deteriorated severely after Lan Lin’s death. It’s been so many years, with first losing her son, then her husband, it would be unbearable for any woman.
Although Lan Lin’s mother had divorced Lan Lin’s father before she went abroad, they didn’t divorce because they didn’t love each other. On the contrary, they divorced because their love was so deep that she couldn’t accept the fact that her husband indirectly caused the death of their son. Hence, the death of Lan Lin’s father was also a blow to Lan Lin’s mother.
Both Tan Heqian and Tan Heshu held similar beliefs regarding this suspicion. Yet without any concrete evidence to confirm this theory, the Tan family dared not inform He Zhilan. They feared that she would lose hope. Although they knew that even if Lan Lin’s mother were still alive, it would be impossible to find her overseas given the Tan family’s capacity, they still hoped to leave a glimmer of hope for He Zhilan.
"He Zhilan, don’t despair. You have waited for twelve years, so I refuse to believe that another twelve years would lead nowhere!" Tan Heqian’s heart sank bit by bit in He Zhilan’s silence. It’s like a stone being tossed into the sea, dropping deeper and deeper but not settling on the sea floor. This suspended worry echoed his concern for He Zhilan.
"Don’t comfort me anymore, I understand, the longer the wait, the less likely I am to find them." He Zhilan shook her head. It had been twelve years. Now, even if her relatives were to face her, she wasn’t sure she’d recognize them. If another twelve years were to pass and her parents became white-haired with their faces altered by the years, where would she find the capacity to recognize her own parents?
"Tan Heqian, I don’t know why I always feel they are near me. I just haven’t found the way to them." Her voice broke slightly. Concerned that Tan Heqian might not believe her, He Zhilan clung tightly to his clothes. "You must believe me! I can feel it. They are really, really close to me!"
"I believe, I believe you! Perhaps it’s just like when you and I first met. Look at us now, we are together all the time!" Tan Heqian quickly nodded to comfort He Zhilan.
Behind them, Jiang Biyun and Chen Xiting were hiding behind a tree. They hadn’t intended to eavesdrop on He Zhilan and Tan Heqian’s conversation, though when they saw them together as they passed by, they couldn’t help but creep closer to have a fun scare. Unexpectedly, they overheard Tan Heqian and He Zhilan’s conversation about her search for her parents.
The two of them behind the tree glanced at each other, somewhat at a loss as to whether to admit their mistake openly or silently leave, pretending they knew nothing.
Eventually, the two of them decided to step forward.
At the sudden appearance of Jiang Biyun and Chen Xiting, Tan Heqian was quite startled.
Jiang Biyun gave Tan Heqian a contemptuous look, mocked him for being soft, and then moved toward He Zhilan, apologizing, "Zhilan, I’m sorry. Chen Xiting and I didn’t mean to eavesdrop!"