Maeve got out of the car and walked along the old sign into the alley.


    Walking along the wide main road, she saw a narrowne bustling with the vibrancy of everyday life. Various shops lined both sides of the alley, closely adjacent to residential buildings, and the air was permeated with the aroma of food. Maeve instinctively walked to the innermost area. There was an old hut with a courtyard there. Pink flower vines covered the walls and green grapes hung from the vine.


    A bespectacled olddy was sitting on a recliner with a cat lying beside her legs, leisurely basking in the sun.


    This scene strangely ovepped with the scene she had dreamed of in the consultation room.


    Maeve could not help but take a step forward. She identally touched the door lock and made a nging sound.


    The olddy opened her eyes, thinking that it was her neighbor. However, she saw an unfamiliar and beautiful face. "What''s the matter, youngdy?"


    "No, sorry to disturb you." Maeve shook her head and looked at the courtyard in a daze.


    The olddy smiled benevolently. "Then do you want toe in for a ss of water? It''s really hot today."


    Maeye refused. "Thanks, but there''s no need to go through so much trouble."


    "It''s no trouble. It''s just a ss of water." The olddy opened the door and invited Maeve in. Then, she went back into the house to pour water for Maeve.


    "Youngdy, have you been here before?" The olddy handed the water to Maeve and asked.


    Maeve thanked her. "No, it''s my first time here."


    "You look very simr to a youngdy who came to my house in the past. I took a look at the photo just now and thought that a girl would change drastically when she grows up," the olddy said with emotions. "Photo?" Maeve''s heart skipped a beat. "Can I see that photo?"


    "I''ll get it for you." The olddy quickly came back with a photo. The edges were already yellowed, and it was obvious that it had been there for a long time.


    It was a group photo that seemed to have been taken by ident. The ck-haired boy with indifferent eyes walked in front, holding the sleeve of a girl in a school uniform. He walked forward impatiently, but his movements were very gentle. Maeve recognized it at a nce. It was the old Byron.


    ''This girl... Looking at the familiar face on it, Maeve felt a lump in her throat and her fingertips trembled. ''Isn''t it me?'' She couldn''t confirm it. "May I ask when this photo was taken?" Maeve asked anxiously. "Do you know who these two people in the photo are?" "The boy is a top student from Kleymond University, and he''s also my grandson''s tutor. He used toe here often to help me out," the olddy reminisced. "I remember he brought this girl here when she had a fever. He came to my kitchen to cook her some oatmeal. Chapter 382


    "That day, they probably quarreled and the girl cried. In the end for some reason, they reconciled... It''s been too long. That''s all I remember. This photo was identally taken by my grandson when he was ying with a camera."


    Maeve''s throat was a little dry. "What''s this girl''s name?"


    ''I don''t know her name, but I always heard Byron call her very angrily... Rosie," said the olddy.


    Rosie. The ss of water in Maeve''s hand fell on the table. With a dull ng, it smashed open the door that had been closed for many years. Apanied by a voice that was always cold and impatient, "Taking medicine is just a part of getting better. Haven''t you heard the saying, bitter medicine cures sickness? Of would you rather stay sick and turn foolish?


    "I''ve never seen anyone more annoying than you. How long are you going to stick to me?


    "Rosie, I''ll count to three. Drink the medicine immediately." It was so distant that an unfamiliar voice kept lingering in Maeve''s ears.


    The thick sand covering the fragments of memory in her mind was washed away by the iing waves, revealing their original form.


    The girl was clingy like a shadow and followed the boy closely. Despite her feverish flush, she didn''t behave until he firmly made her lie down on the bed and tucked her under the covers.


    "How much more trouble do you want to give me? Do I owe you?" The boy said impatiently and walked out of the room.


    Thinking he was gone, she hid under the covers and sobbed softly.


    After a while, the boy came in with oatmeal which was still steaming as well as two tes of fish slices and shredded vegetables.


    Her eyes were still wet as she stared at him. "Did you make this for me? I can''t bear to eat it. Can I take it home and keep it?"


    +


    The boy was speechless. "If you don''t want to eat, go home now. I just made the oatmeal."


    This was the first time he had cooked for someone in his life.


    She cherished each spoonful of the oatmeal, even though it might have been cooked too long or had too much water added, making it somewhat watery and not very pleasant in texture. Yet, she felt it was the most delicious oatmeal she had ever tasted since she was born.


    After she had the oatmeal, the boy asked her to take the medicine.novelbin


    Actually, she wasn''t afraid of bitterness, nor was she afraid of finishing it. She just... wanted to make a scene in front of him. The boy didn''t notice this. He watched her finish her medicine and let her close her eyes to sleep.


    "Will I still be able to see you when I wake up?" she whispered. "I''ll be scared if I''m alone."


    The boy''s lips twitched. "If nothing goes wrong, I''ll be here for the next few decades. Don''t ask such nonsense."


    "You''re so fierce. Can you really find a wife like this? But I like you. Why don''t you be my wife from now on? I''ll definitely work hard to earn money to support you," said the girl.


    0


    In response, the boy pulled the nket to the top and covered her entire face. Then, he said coldly, "I refuse. I''m not a pedophile."


    "I''m already in my third year of high school!" She resisted silently under the nket.


    He said. "You didn''t prepare for the SAT and came out to chasenan. If I were your parent, I would have taught you a


    lesson."


    "My grades are very good, and I didn''t neglect my revision!" It took time to save up money to see him, and she could onlye during the monthly break.


    The boy told her, "Then we''ll talk about it after you finish your SAT


    The girl asked again, "Are you going to be my wife after the exam?".


    The boy closed the door.


    ''He''s probably gone. He always finds me annoying and keeps asking me to leave. She hugged the nket aggrievedly and fell asleep thinking about it. When she woke up again, her eyes were hazy for a moment. She saw a te of washed fruits


    on the bedside table.


    The boy was lying in front of the desk. He seemed to be asleep. His eyshes were tightly shut, and his face had lost its usual coldness. He looked a little sleepy.


    Thest rays of the sunset streamed through the small window, casting a golden glow over his shoulders. Tiny specks of golden dust danced around the cramped room, and with a few soft thuds, they seemed to leap right into a special ce in her heart. Before this, her heart was deste and empty. From then on, it was filled with her love for him.


    *****


    Maeve came back to her senses. Her eyes were already wet and her vision was blurry. Her dry lips she was stunned and in disbelief.


    were tightly pursed, and


    It turned out that the memory she had forgotten was like this. She had once experienced a kind of care from someone who seemed impatient on the surface but was actually indulgent and considerate in every way. It belonged to herpletely. Although she had long forgotten that memory, yearster, time still pushed her back to the empty timeline, allowing her to walk back to that person. ''Byron, so it has always been you.''