"I’m staying in the capital during the winter vacation, doing part-time work to earn some money, and I’m going to spend the New Year holidays with my brother in his troop! Ever since my brother enlisted, he’s been spending the New Year alone and I want to keep him company." But thinking of seeing He Zhilan’s mother, Tan, makes her quite happy, "Although I can’t remember exactly what your mom looks like, I am happy to see her. However, isn’t it too troublesome for me to travel all this way just for this? After all, we’re classmates, we’ll have plenty of chances to meet. After we graduate, if I have the chance, I can visit your house."
"If my mom knew you said that, she would be very relieved." Tan Heqian smiled. "It’s okay, I haven’t seen my mom in several months. If she has time to visit the capital, I’d be thrilled. I really miss her."
As he spoke, Tan Heqian moved closer to He Zhilan, looked around sneakily with a thief-like expression on his face, then put on a protesting face, saying, "My mom said that your husband is terrible, he snatched away our Tan family’s daughter-in-law!"
"What are you talking about!" He Zhilan was both laughing and crying.
"It’s what my mom said! My mom said that when we were younger, she had ’booked’ you for us, saying when you grew up you should either marry my brother or me! Since my brother found a foreign partner, you were reserved for me! My mom really likes you and specifically wants you to be our Tan family’s daughter-in-law." Tan Heqian said with a sly smile. "You should have delayed your marriage a few more months, then you’d have met me! After that, I could have brought back a satisfying daughter-in-law for my mom as soon as I graduated."
"Stop that!" He Zhilan gave Tan Heqian a side-eye. "Didn’t your mom tell you about you always crying and having a runny nose when you were young? I was quite disgusted by that."
"You remember things from when we were little?" Tan Heqian was taken by surprise.
"Your brother mentioned it to me before!" He Zhilan laughed quietly, "Otherwise, how would I remember such tiny things? I’m not a child prodigy, you know."
Tan Heqian pouted and mumbled, "Tan Heshu is indeed my real brother."
"Enough chatting, it’s class time!" He Zhilan pointed to the professor entering from the back door and made a ’shush’ gesture at Tan Heqian, then took out her book and placed it on the desk.
Tan Heqian merely talked about the prospect, which was brought up by his mother in a telephone call, of him and He Zhilan, as a joke. Even though both of them get along well, they share only a friendship bond. Tan Heqian believes that He Teng would treat He Zhilan well, and once his mother visits, he plans to arrange a chance meeting, of course, as a mother of a good friend, with He Zhilan’s husband.
After morning classes, Tan Heqian and He Zhilan waited for Chen Xiting and Jiang Biyun at the flowerbed in front of the teaching building. The four of them regrouped and headed to the cafeteria. They were chatting and laughing without noticing the crowd of people at the entrance of the cafeteria. After exercising and attending classes in the morning, He Zhilan and the others were hungry. Just as they were about to bypass the crowd and enter from the side door, they were stopped by Huang Cai and Wang Bingbing, who waved at them from the crowd.
"Huang Cai is calling us, let’s go over and see." Chen Xiting said, holding his stomach while being driven by curiosity, and pulled someone with him. He also gestured Tan Heqian to squeeze into the crowd with them.