However, seeing how quiet and well-behaved He Zhilan was, Xing Ye thought she would make a good match for He Teng without him being any injustice.
As Xing Ye blurted out the term "sister-in-law", he inevitably became the target of ridicule from the men at the table. Seeing that Xing Ye had pronounced it, Bian Xiulin also approached He Zhilan playfully, shouting out a greeting, "Sister-in-law Zhilan!"
He Zhilan almost spat out her tea. She coughed twice, choked on her drink, and her face turned red.
Sister-in-law? What kind of salutation was that?
"Just say sister-in-law, what’s with the sister-in-law Zhilan? If someone didn’t know better, they might think it means a sister of the sister-in-law," Chen Yun chimed in from the other side.
"Shut up!" Bian Xiulin held his forehead in exasperation, he then sincerely called out to He Zhilan as sister-in-law, and continued the conversation with He Zhilan that Xing Ye had started, telling her to inform him when He Teng is on vacation. As they were speaking, Bian Xiulin also passed his contact details to He Zhilan, showing it was not just casual talk, but something he truly anticipated.
Because of He Teng and Xing Ye, He Zhilan suddenly became the center of attention at the dinner table. However, after asking her a few questions, the men at the table returned to their respective conversations.
Bian Xiulin had met He Teng a few times when he was with Xing Ye’s troops. Therefore, he felt more curiosity and closeness towards He Zhilan and spoke casually with her without much precautions.
No one at the table questioned why He Zhilan shared the same surname as He Teng, as they all knew that many rural areas have villages where everyone shares the same surname. So, they naturally assumed the two of them were from the same village.
"Did you know, Sister-in-law? Back when Xing Ye was still in the army, many soldiers said He Teng’s quiet personality would make it difficult for him to find a match. The funniest thing involving He Teng’s quiet character was when he got a few new recruits, one of whom was Zhang Qi from the headquarters, who had a particularly hot temper and was overly confident. He constantly defied and provoked He Teng the whole morning, but He Teng didn’t react at all. He just stood there with a group of soldiers, watching as Zhang Qi threw tantrums like a monkey. When Zhang Qi finally grew tired from cursing and realised that He Teng hadn’t said a word, he stopped, thinking that He Teng was mute—an anomaly in the army. Coincidentally, Zhang Qi only stayed under He Teng for less than a day before he left. When Zhang Qi met He Teng again, he saw him drilling the new recruits and chanting slogans. That’s when he realized that He Teng had deliberately made him look like a fool for almost a day."
Bian Xiulin found the story amusing as he recounted it, "Later, whenever people in the army mentioned He Teng and Zhang Qi, they would say, "He Teng is like a monkey trainer with a whip, and Zhang Qi is a foolish monkey. He Teng’s gaze is the whip, with a look, Zhang Qi acted obediently for a whole day. He Teng, the monkey trainer, didn’t need to say a word, he was just that capable. So, it’s speculated that because of his impressive skills, his need to talk diminished over time, gradually transforming him into a silent character. When I first heard this story, I laughed for a long time."
Bian Xiulin’s story was quite sporadic. He Zhilan was a bit confused whether he enjoyed Zhang Qi’s misfortune or was referring to He Teng’s quiet nature. However, He Zhilan enjoyed hearing anything related to He Teng.