Time really was a balm that healed all wounds.
As the days passed, the two elderly people gradually recovered.
That was also because they had found something to give them purpose.
It was the plum tree they had cared for together with Lele.
Caring for the plum tree had become an essential part of the two elderly people's lives.
When they looked at the tree and thought of Lele's face and smile, their hearts still ached, but smiles now appeared on their faces, too.
Because in their memories of Lele and the plum tree, Lele was always smiling.
Lele loved to grin.
Her round, chubby little face looked utterly adorable when she smiled.
Her big, dark eyes sparkled like stars.
Sometimes Lele would press her lips together and giggle to herself.
As if she were plotting some unknown "mischief."
But one day, the two elderly people discovered that the plum tree was sick.
For a moment, they were thrown into a panic.
It had been fine...
How could it have gotten sick?
And it didn't look like this had just happened... It seemed to have been sick for some time.
If the symptoms had only just appeared, it wouldn't have been this serious.
They had been taking such good care of the plum tree.
The two elderly people were both anxious and confused.
But this wasn't the time to look for the cause.
They hurriedly found someone to examine the plum tree.
The tree meant a great deal to them.
They would never allow anything to happen to it.
The news hit them like a thunderbolt.
The plum tree... couldn't be saved.
They couldn't believe it.
They had only just discovered that the tree was sick.
How could it be beyond saving?
The memories