The inn had a phone in the room. After spending nearly an hour on the phone, He Zhilan called He Teng using the inn’s phone. She told him that Tan Heqian’s mother had come to the capital and invited him to join them for lunch.
Despite He Teng’s confusion about why Tan Heqian’s mother would invite him for a meal, he naturally wouldn’t rudely refuse an elder’s invitation.
Worried that He Teng wouldn’t know his way and would find it inconvenient to walk with crutches, Tan Heqian and He Zhilan took a cab to the entrance of Capital University to pick up He Teng. The others went ahead to the pre-booked restaurant to wait.
In the cab, Tan Heqian was elated to finally have some alone time with He Zhilan. He couldn’t wait to ask He Zhilan if she had any impression of his mother.
He Zhilan shook her head helplessly. "You must have moved house at an early age. I really don’t have any impression of your mother. Even after trying to remember, I can only recall vague fragments through the pictures your mother showed me. I don’t have a clear image, let alone strong memories of your family."
"So, you’re saying that if you hadn’t seen my mother today, you wouldn’t have recognized her," Tan Heqian ruffled his hair.
"Unfortunately, yes," He Zhilan patted her head, "I’m really forgetful! I can’t even remember the faces of my own family members."
"Never mind, don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s normal. I didn’t remember you either! If my brother hadn’t come to the capital to visit me, we probably would have never realized that we knew each other when we were young! After all, we were so young, and so much time has passed. It’s normal to forget," Tan Heqian finished and quickly added, "Actually, don’t get the wrong impression of my mom. She might seem unreliable when she speaks, but she’s actually very practical. She remembers your kidnapping incident but wouldn’t mention it in front of your brother. She has specifically warned us to be careful, so your brother won’t get any strange ideas."
As they were talking, the cab arrived at the entrance of Capital University. He Teng was leaning on his crutch on one side. He noticed the cab but didn’t look their way until Tan Heqian and He Zhilan called out to him from the car. He was startled, then started walking towards them.
"We’ve saved you a seat in the back, Lieutenant He, sit with your wife!" Tan Heqian greeted He Teng with a squint. He then got out of the cab and took a seat at the front.
He Teng just nodded at Tan Heqian. Not being much of a talker, that was his way of responding. He then bent down to sit next to He Zhilan, looking at her questioningly.
He Zhilan understood He Teng’s query, and came up with a prepared excuse, "Tan Heqian’s mother and his brother’s future wife came to the capital, and three of my roommates and I went to the train station to fetch them. Aunt Tan was surprised to learn that I’m already married, so she became interested in you and hence invited you to join us for lunch!"
The only ones speaking in the car were He Zhilan and Tan Heqian. Although He Teng had been talking more when he was alone with He Zhilan recently, he still reverted to his quiet self when in the presence of others.
The restaurant was pre-booked by Tan Heqian the day before. It was not far from the inn where Tan’s mother was staying. It was small, but it was clean and well-decorated.
"Here you are!" Tan’s mother was waiting for them at the restaurant entrance. As soon as she saw them, she looked at He Teng, who was leaning on his crutch. She examined him from head to toe, in the way a potential mother-in-law might evaluate a son-in-law, then she nodded approvingly, "Not bad, much better than my Xiaoqian."