Chapter 59 — Honeymoon (3)

The afternoon sky softened into a light gold, the time passing with each refill of the pastry plate and teapot. Zhou Weiying, had, in the preceding two hours, established that she had many things in common with her daughter-in-law, despite the contrast in their extroversion. The two were deeply engrossed in discussion.

Meanwhile, Lin Che had mostly been drinking tea.

“—and the issue with the workshops in the city is that they all want you to make the same three projects,” Shen Yue was saying. “A small bowl, a mug, and then a decorative piece to take home. There’s no room to actually fail at anything, which is where you learn.”

“This is exactly what I tell people!” agreed Zhou Weiying, leaning forwards. “My friend here — the one with the studio — said the same thing. She had a student last year who spent months making nothing but collapsed pieces on purpose. Said it was the best six months of work she’d ever supervised.”

“That sounds like a teacher worth knowing,” said Shen Yue.

“You’d like her — she’s very direct.” Zhou Weiying reached for her phone. “I’ll send you her contact details if you’d like.” She looked at her screen and saw that the time was not what she had expected it to be. “Oh! I don’t want to keep you two any longer — you’re on your honeymoon and I’ve already stolen enough of your afternoon. I’m terrible.” She did not look particularly remorseful about this. “I have a booking at the aquarium this evening anyway, one of those after-hours things. I’ve been meaning to go since I arrived, but there’s only been time for the studio.”

Lin Che began to stand. “We can drive you—”

“Don’t fuss. I have the taxi app.” She waved a hand. “Your wife doesn’t need to spend her honeymoon watching her mother-in-law chat with the fish.”

“I’d like to come,” said Shen Yue.

Zhou Weiying looked at her.

“If that’s alright, I mean,” Shen Yue added. “I haven’t been to an aquarium in years, and I can always rearrange the evening itinerary. Tonight was just dinner at the hotel, which we can push to tomorrow.”

There was a brief moment of silence across the table.

“Of course it’s alright!” said Lin Che’s mother. “Come. You—” she pointed at her son, “—go for a walk or something. Buy your wife flowers for when we’re back. I’ll have her home by nine.”

“She’s not a—” Lin Che started.

But his mother had already flagged the waiter for the bill, and Shen Yue had already put on her coat and was now standing.

“Get some rest,” she whispered to him. “You need to recover.”

“Have fun at the aquarium,” he said.

***

Lin Che walked back to the hotel, mainly because he had plenty of time to spare.

It was a forty-minute walk from the cafe, but it was worth the walk. The route took him along the waterfront section of the coast road, where the gulf sat flat and broad in the golden light and the horizon began to go amber at the edges. He passed by elderly people doing light exercises, which seemed to be a universal constant of Chinese coastal cities, and he walked past the occasional person walking their dogs.

The walk gave him plenty of time to think about what he had seen in the museum — there was a brief mention of the Lin family and the timeframe matched what Xu Fang had mentioned earlier over text, but that was it. In addition, his mother met someone connected to his father’s side of the family who specifically mentioned old families, and could potentially have some clues about what he was looking for.

But there was one further source of information available in Dalian. One which could provide much more detail about the Lin Clan than anyone else.

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By the time he reached the hotel, Lin Che had decided.

***

He took the lift to the fifteenth floor and knocked twice on door 1508.

There was a short break, just as before, before the door opened. Elder Wong was wearing a grey qipao with a faint red swirling pattern, and she was holding a book with one finger marking her page. She looked at Lin Che and her face twisted into a smile.

“Lin Che! I never expected you to come so soon,” she said. “Come on in — I’m sure we have plenty to discuss.”

Lin Che stepped inside, and noted that the room was identical to the one he had just one floor lower. Elder Wong must have been enjoying her space.