The old woman narrowed her eyes slightly.
The pleasant fragrance of oranges lifted her spirits.
Her expression relaxed.
"All right."
She looked at the young man before her.
"I believe you."
"I hope we can find my friend."
"And I..."
The old woman touched her head.
"Can remember something, too."
After leaving the park, Xiao Xiao took the old woman to the alley nearby.
Stepping out of the dim alley into the sunlight, Xiao Xiao turned to her. "Grandma Ji, is there anything you can't eat?"
"Huh?"
The old woman looked puzzled.
What?
Xiao Xiao smiled.
"It's noon."
"Aren't you hungry?"
The old woman instinctively patted her stomach.
Hungry...?
Maybe a little.
She didn't really care.
What she cared about more was...
"Did we..."
"Not find them?"
Their search...
Was it over?
A strong sense of disappointment welled up inside her.
She had been looking forward to...
Meeting her friend.
And she had been so curious about what she might remember.
But...
Was it all over?
They hadn't found her friend.
"We haven't found them yet."
Xiao Xiao smiled.
The old woman froze for a moment.
Yet...
"There are still other places we haven't checked."
Xiao Xiao's lips curved.
"But sharpening the axe won't delay the job."
"Food is essential."
"Let's fill our stomachs before we continue."
The old woman opened her mouth.
She wanted to say she wasn't hungry.
She was impatient to find the friend she couldn't even remember, but who mattered so much to her.
"I'm hungry."
Xiao Xiao's eyes curved gently.
"So, Grandma Ji, just come along and keep me company."
"Let's eat first, all right?"
"...All right."
The old woman finally nodded.
She couldn't bring herself to refuse this young man.
She needed to find