"Something terrible happened..."
"We suffered a terrible blow..."
In those circumstances, how could they have paid attention to their own appearance?
"After a while, it seemed like we were slowly letting go, but..."
"In our hearts, we never really let go."
"You know..."
The old woman slowly lowered the hand that had been caressing the old man's cheek.
The rough texture beneath her hand made her eyes redden.
She took a deep breath.
Then she turned to Xiao Xiao.
"Why did we care so much about that plum tree?"
Xiao Xiao gazed quietly at the old woman.
The old woman's gaze was unfocused.
The young man before her was not reflected in her eyes.
"That plum tree was planted by Lele..."
Xiao Xiao didn't interrupt the old woman's story.
Lele...
If he wasn't mistaken, that was the name of the two old people's grandson, who had died in a car accident.
"That day..."
The old woman spoke in a low voice.
In the quiet courtyard, the only sounds were her slightly hoarse voice and the rustle of the cold wind sweeping through the treetops.
It had been a day in winter, too.
Around this time of year.
The weather was very cold.
Unlike today, it had snowed that day.
Lele was very excited.
The aroma of Sweet Potato wafted in from outside.
The little boy's appetite was instantly stirred.
He tugged on his grandmother's clothes and said in a childish voice that he wanted to eat some sweet potato.
His big, dark eyes seemed to hold water, shimmering with light.
The old woman's heart melted at once.
She agreed again and again as she took her grandson's hand and started for the door.
The old man hadn't needed a cane back then; he was still very